Space Station Mir

Short Story # 6 The Lady Astronaut of Mars by Mary Robinette Kowal Publisher: Tor.com Summary: What does an astronaut's retirement look like? In this realistically imagined novelette, Kowal brings to life a retired lady astronaut, living in the Martian colony she helped found. When her age and gender bring one last opportunity to go the stars though, her husband's debilitating disease presents an agonizing obstacle. The story pulls no surprises, but comments gently on double standards and the unique trials of aging. Favorite Quotes: "The physicists described it to me like a subway tunnel. The tesseract will bend space and allow a ship to go to the next subway station." "Posing in my flight suit, with my lips painted red, I had smiled at more cameras than my colleagues."

I made it to the rapidly filling tent where James McBride was about to speak as a light drizzle transformed into a ferocious downpour. When McBride took the podium, he complained that another author had had beautiful weather, but here he was, having to compete with the rain. I'd say McBride got the best of that rain though, as he talked about his new book The Good Lord Bird , his love of the abolitionist John Brown, his view that history is more complicated than we think, and his disregard for political divisions (he commented that he was thrilled to see Laura Bush in his audience the last time he spoke at the festival). Toward the end of his talk, he declared his belief that "What God wants to happen, will happen," and gestured. At the moment, the rain, which had been slowing, came to a stop! I don't know about any higher meaning, but McBride has impeccable timing. Having read and enjoyed his memoir, The Color of Water , in high school I was interested to hear Mc...

I've been saying I'm going to read London Falling by Paul Cornell. I'm not. Or rather, I'm not going to finish it. As soon as I started reading it became clear that despite the promise of dark fantasy and the lure of a former "Dr. Who" screenwriter, this is not a book for me. The beginning of the novel, at least, reads more like a police procedural, taking place on the dodgy side of London. It features hard-boiled and corrupt cops with Cockney accents. Some readers might eat this up with crumpets and lick their lips. It's just not my cup of tea, and I'm not going to finish it for the sake of finishing it. I gave it the old 50-page try, and if you think you'd like it better, please be my guest! Seriously. I will give away my copy, which I received from the publisher, to the first commenter who lives within the continental United States. Comment away! *Edit* A friend of mine has claimed my copy of the book, I hope she enjoys it!

Did you know Margaret Atwood had a Twitter ? I didn't. From one side of a standing room only tent at the National Book Festival, I learned a lot more about Margaret Atwood than I knew before. Her father was an entymologist, The Complete Works of Shakespeare would be her reading of choice on the proverbial deserted island, and she won't divulge her favorite authors or her favorite among her own books. Atwood did divulge, however, her opinions on genetic manipulation, genre, and the cover of the just-released end to her dystopian trilogy, MadAddam . As Atwood put it, genetic manipulation and other future technological/biotechnological tools have a "good use, a bad use, and a use that no one expected." She spoke in praise of the recent attempt at a lab-grown burger and in support of continuing such projects. Growing up with an entymologist father and her own inclinations seem to have made her quite scientific in thought and opinion. When asked if she had grown up wi...

Here we go again, Broke and Bookish ! I think the best I ever do on these is five out of ten, but here's to aspirations! Top Ten Seven Books on My Fall TBR List 1. The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood I've already read Oryx and Crake and MaddAddam just came out, so I have momentum to finish the series! Plus, I'm planning to see Margaret Atwood at the National Book Festival on Saturday! 2. MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood See above. 3. Wild by Cheryl Strayed I know I've said this before, but this time I'm planning to see her at the Fall for the Book festival . 4. London Falling by Paul Cornell I've really been meaning to get on this. 5. Box Office Poison by Philippa Bornikova The sequel to This Case Is Gonna Kill Me , received for review, and I'm kinda curious to see where this went. 6. The Good Lord Bird by James McBride It got a stellar review in the Washington Post and he's going to be at the National Book Festival too. ...

26. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri Jhumpa Lahiri, whose second novel, The Lowland , will be released on September 24, received the Pulitzer Prize for this debut collection of short stories. Reading Jhumpa Lahiri's stories is like slipping into an old nightgown or scooping up a bowl of your favorite cultural dish. The majority of her stories follow the intimate lives of Bengali families and take place in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The feeling that her stories produce in me may be somewhat unique, since one of my best friends is Bengali and I spent my college years in Boston. But no matter how foreign the trappings, I find it hard to believe that the thoughts and feelings of her characters would not elicit a sense of familiarity from any human being. The character details are almost painfully thrilling in the accuracy with which she depicts the quiet confusion of her protagonists' lives. Yet, every time I read a Jhumpa Lahiri story, I settle into it with such fee...

Short Story #5. In Joy Knowing the Abyss Behind by Sarah Pinsker Publisher: Strange Horizons Published: July 1 2013 and July 8 2013 How I Found It: I followed a link from this post on SF Signal. There are two parts; the first part links to the second. Summary: If you've ever wanted a fantastical treehouse, this is the story for you. Timelines trade off between the present where an elderly Millie watches her husband George dying of a stroke and the past as Millie remembers before and after the mysterious event that quashed George's architectural ambitions. Like George's career, the story feels unfinished, but it does leave the reader longing for more. Favorite Quotes: "An ungraceful shimmy brought her into the crow's nest."

Short Story #4. This Villain You Must Create by Carlie St. George Publisher: Lightspeed Magazine Issue: July 2013 How I Found It: I followed a link from this post on SF Signal. Summary: Granite loses his archnemesis and finds that other villains lack panache. When a similarly bereaved supervillain visits his support group, he takes her up on her unnatural offer. St. George's diction is deceptively simple and this literary-infused SF short tale serves up quite a Jamesian twist. Favorite Quotes: "'Fire and Ice' is an uninspired poem, cited primarily in self-indulgent fanfiction." "'Nothing Gold Can Stay' is my favorite and yes, I've written Outsiders fanfiction. Ha!"

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is quite appropriate for the start of the school year! There are so many books that I wish were taught... 1. Forever by Judy Blume Freshman or sophomore English class. Or Health. Just reading this book would be so much more useful than the Health class at my high school was. It realistically depicts the emotional and sexual unfolding of a teenage relationship. 2. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares I'd recommend these for junior and senior classes, for similar reasons to above. These books very realistically depict teenage lives in high school and college. I also think that the writing would be an extremely good model for kids to write stories of their own. 3. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz This book changed my life when I read it in a class (in college) and I think it's a particularly engaging and insightful book on issues from multiculturalism to poverty to nerd culture. Plenty of room for d...