By Jeffrey Smith: Here in Baltimore we have a used bookstore called The Book Thing that is either unique or close to it. You enter the warehouse, pick the unlimited amount of books you want, and leave. They’re all free. … Continue reading
By Daniel Dern: Got some eye/ear time available? Here’s a few that don’t require reaching for your wallet (assuming you still own and use a wallet). SCHMIGADOON (Apple Plus TV) If you like Broadway musicals with a strong dash of … Continue reading
(1) FATHER’S DAY AND THE NIMOY FAMILY. “I absolutely adored Spock. Loving Dad was much more complicated” – by Adam Nimoy in the Boston Globe. (I usually hit a paywall at the Globe, but I was able to push past … Continue reading
(1) NETWORK EFFECT. Martha Wells commented about last night’s win in “Nebula Award!” So a cool thing happened: Network Effect won the Nebula Award for Best Novel! I was really shocked and floored. I really didn’t think it would win. We had … Continue reading
(1) CHEN QUIFAN. Yi-Ling Liu has a profile of Chen Qiufan in the April WIRED. The article has a wealth of detail about what it is like being a sf writer in China, including the news that if The Three-Body … Continue reading
(1) 2021 FAAN VOTING DEADLINE. FAAn Awards Administrator Nic Farey reminds everyone that today is the last day of voting – it closes tonight — March 12 — at midnight Pacific time. Guidelines and the ballot are available in The … Continue reading
(1) DISCON III REACTIONS. Today’s decision by the 2021 Worldcon committee to remove Toni Weisskopf as a GoH (“DisCon III Removes Weisskopf as a Guest of Honor”) is being widely discussed. Toni Weisskopf posted a concise response on Facebook. The … Continue reading
The finalists for the Premio Vegetti for 2021 were announced February 13, chosen by the members of World SF Italia chaired by Donato Altomare. Sixty-two members voted, recommending 72 works. World SF Italia, Italy’s professional association for sff writers, is a vestige … Continue reading
(1) INTRODUCING BUTLER TO NEW READERS. Elizabeth Connor describes the work of “repackaging the Patternist Series for the Mother of Afrofuturism” in “How to Give Octavia Butler the Covers She Deserves” at Literary Hub. …After some back and forth—and plenty … Continue reading
(1) GIBSON TOPS THIS LIST. The Times of London’s Simon Ings picked the five “Best sci-fi books of the year 2020” (behind a paywall). He rates William Gibson’s Agency the best of the year. The other four you’ll have to pay … Continue reading