Canadian Sci-Fi/Fantasy Hall of Fame Inducts New Memer

30 August 2020

BC AUTHOR INDUCTED INTO CANADIAN SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY HALL OF FAME – AURORA AWARDS

BC author Matt Hughes has been inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy Association’s Hall of Fame.

The CSFFA’s Hall of Fame was created to honour authors and other creators who have made a substantial contribution to the genres of science fiction and fantasy over a span of decades. Hughes joins a list of past honorees that includes Robert J. Sawyer, William Gibson, David Cronenberg, Spider Robinson, and Cory Doctorow.

Hughes is the author of 24 novels and 90 pieces of short fiction in the SF, fantasy and crime fiction genres. He has won the Arthur Ellis Award from the Crime Writers of Canada and has been shortlisted for the Aurora, Nebula, Philip K. Dick, Endeavour, Van Vogt, and Derringer Awards.

His latest novels are A God in Chains (Edge, 2019), a fantasy set in the Dying Earth, and What the Wind Brings (Pulp Literature Press, 2019, a historical novel based on events that happened when shipwrecked African slaves combined with indigenous peoples in coastal Ecuador of the 1500s to fight Spanish conquistadors for their freedom.

A God in Chains is shortlisted for the Alberta Book Publishing Awards and What the Wind Brings is a finalist for the Endeavour Award.

His current work-in-progress is Barbarians of the Beyond, an authorized sequel to science-fiction grandmaster Jack Vance’s iconic quintilogy, The Demon Princes.

Before turning to fiction, Hughes was well known to the British Columbia political and business worlds as a freelance speechwriter, writing for the leaders of all three mainline political parties as well as for the chief executives of many of the province’s major corporations.

For the past twelve and a half years, he has been an itinerant housesitter: a self-described “homeless drifter” who has lived in twelve countries while circumnavigating the globe.

His webpage is at www.matthewhughes.org

ABOUT THE AWARDS:

The Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy Association Hall of Fame was created to honour people who have over the past number of decades made a great contribution to the genre of Science Fiction and Fantasy. These would include not just people who write but includes people who have made a contribution either professionally or as a fan. We include artists, musicians, scientists, publishers, editors, organizers and fans.

Each year we select three people to be inducted into our Hall of Fame and have their name placed on the Hall of Fame trophy.

BOOK REVIEW: A PATCHWORK MURDER BY JAN FIELDS

Jocie McKade

30 August 2020

BOOK REVIEW by THE IRISH READER

A Patchwork Murder by Jan Fields

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This mystery is great! It’s the first time I’ve read a book by Jan Fields and so glad the local librarian helped pick this out for me. I wanted something different and this fit the bill! This book kept me captivated and I read it in one sitting. This book is about 2 friends that can’t get over their friends’ death 15 years before. For some reason they believe she was murdered and the town cops and college dean covered it up. Throughout the book the friends try to find out who did it. They even go as far as stalking a student that was in her class all those years ago. The story ended on a cliffhanger so I can’t wait to read the next in the series! Happy reading my friends.

Book Summary:
Join Emma Cotton, Kelly Grace, and the members of the Nimble Thimbles quilting group in the quaint seaside town of Mystic Harbor, MA, as they piece together new clues found in an old quilt that could help solve the mystery surrounding the death of their dear friend, Rose, 15 years ago. Throughout this series, their quest will lead them on exciting adventures around the globe — from an Irish castle, to New York’s Amish country, to a luxury quilting cruise on the high seas

Summer Reading Moments — MIRANDA OH

Jocie McKade

29 August 2020

Summer Reading Moments with Miranda Oh

There is nothing better than to sprawl out on a lounger with a chilled drink in one hand and a good juicy read in the other. With Covid and the rapid change in our world we’re all experiencing right now, staying at home is the top of my priority list.

With the hot warm weather that has consumed the Manitoba air this year, I have turned to books that help me learn more about myself, which is a different direction that I usually turn towards. I’m typically a fiction nut that will read anything that piques my curiosity, and will stay away from the nonfiction. Although this summer I have turned to the non-fiction and self-learning on how to take care of myself without having to leave the comfort and safety of my home.

Balanced Babes Every Woman’s Guide to Hormone Harmony is the current book I am working through right now. A wonderfully brilliant Naturopathic doctor from Australia; Stacey Afoat wrote this sassy yet informative and transformative book that teaches us how to better understand the beautiful works of science that goes on inside of our bodies.

Learn More about Miranda at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/the.miranda.oh & https://www.facebook.com/ohmirandaoh

Website: www.mirandaoh.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/ohmirandaoh/?hl=en & https://www.instagram.com/quillandinkposcast/?hl=en

Podcast Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNiINfX_iapzz74DIUDADrepIDkgL7uO_

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ohmirandaoh?lang=en

Here’s a look at Miranda’s latest release: JUST BREATH: CHIN UP, TITS OUT

Continuing the saga of Hadley, recently divorced and wending her way down the path of life in anticipation of her rapidly approaching 30th birthday as a single woman. Testing waters and wantonly accepting new and exhilarating scenarios, Hadley wisely chooses each path carefully before diving into the quagmire which is life. A humorous, oft times sexy, look at life from a young woman’s standpoint, readers will laugh out loud at some scenarios, cry at others and knowingly shake their heads at still others.

Library Collects COVID-19 Stories

Jocie McKade

28 August 2020

The New York Public Library Launches History Now: The Pandemic Diaries Project To Collect and Preserve the Stories of the COVID-19 Crisis

The Library will add the audio stories to its renowned research collections to help researchers now and in the future better understand this historic moment from a variety of perspectives

The New York Public Library has launched History Now: The Pandemic Diaries Project, an initiative to collect, preserve, and make accessible the stories of the 2020 COVID-19 public health crisis.

The project—found at nypl.org/pandemicdiaries— asks New Yorkers to share their unique stories of life during this year’s global pandemic by submitting self-made audio recordings via a simple web form. The stories collected will be added to the Library’s renowned research collections (which currently house over 55 million items, including books, manuscripts, rare books, photographs, prints, videos, films, and increasingly, born-digital items such as audio files), and be accessible in the future for students, authors, researchers, scholars, and anyone who wants to better understand this historic moment.

The Library is seeking a wide range of perspectives; examples could include first responders, hospital and medical professionals, teachers, parents, activists, artists, members of the restaurant industry, students, retail workers, members of the financial industry, and so on. The only restriction at this time is participants must be 18-years-old or over.

“This project is an excellent example of what makes the Library’s research collections so important: we preserve and make accessible the history of the world as told through a variety of mediums, including through the perspectives and stories of individuals,” said Julie Golia, the lead of the project and the Library’s curator of history, social sciences, and government information. “This project will help researchers next year, 10 years from now, and 100 years from now gain a more complex understanding of what life was like during the COVID-19 pandemic, as told by those who lived it. We encourage everyone to participate. Every story is significant, and we have a responsibility to preserve them.”

The Library will begin by collecting stories through November. It will then assess if the project will continue. It will take time for the materials to be processed and made accessible to the public for research purposes; the goal is to have portions of the collection available in 2021.

“We are living in an unprecedented moment, and we need to adapt our collections strategy to chronicle the many impacts of this crisis,” said Golia. “We have done just that for 125 years, and it has allowed us to build one of the world’s most incredible research collections, with unparalleled breadth and depth. NYPL is committed to continuing that important mission.”

The Pandemic Diaries project seeks to gather as many different and diverse stories as possible about the pandemic and its many impacts. NYPL reserves the right not to include a submission in the collection if it does not meet technical requirements or does not address the topic of the project.

Throwback Thursday Book Trailer: Every Dark Corner

Sheila English

28 August 2020

Every Dark Corner by Karen Rose

Cincinnati’s children are in grave danger, and time is running out to save them… When FBI Special Agent Griffin ‘Decker’ Davenport wakes from a coma, he immediately thinks of two things: first, the ring of human traffickers he’s spent the past three years undercover to bring down was just the tip of the iceberg; second, the brown eyes he sees upon waking belong to a woman he trusts to help him finish the job he started. FBI Special Agent Kate Coppola’s mission is to stop the growing menace of domestic human trafficking, starting with the customers and suppliers of the now-broken Cincinnati trafficking ring. Decker’s new revelation is her worst nightmare – one of the traffickers’ customers is acquiring teens for the Internet sex trade. Kate and Decker’s search for this mystery customer becomes more difficult and dangerous with every passing hour as witnesses, suspects, and even members of their own team, are systematically exterminated by a predator who lets nothing stand in his way… Find out more at http://karenrosebooks.com/

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED…..MELODY CARLSON

Jocie McKade

27 August 2020

SPECIAL FEATURE

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED WITH AUTHOR MELODY CARLSON

It was the Saturday before Easter (many years ago—back when I still thought book-signings could be fun) and I was scheduled to sign my new teen book at a “nationwide book event” for a major chain store that I will refer to as TallMart (to avoid being sued). And I wasn’t just signing at one TallMart, but two different super-stores. One in the morning and one in the afternoon. The event was called “Read to Your Bunny” which should’ve been my first clue. Who’d want to read my Diary of a Teenage Girl book to a bunny?

Just the same, I went with high hopes, great expectations, and a carefully planned book-signing outfit. But when I arrived no one seemed to know who I was or why I was there. But the store was super busy. Eventually I was led to my ‘signing station,’ a bare card table tucked way in the back of the store. Right in front of the restrooms. No kidding! An unopened box of my teen
books was under the table and, trying not to be dismayed, I opened it and stacked some books . . . and waited. And waited. The only people coming my way went right past me and straight for the restrooms. I attempted a couple conversations, but they clearly had one thing on their minds. And the longer I sat there, the more unpleasant the aroma became. But I stuck it out to the end of my agreed time before I repacked all my unsold books and, suppressing frustration, headed for the next TallMart. It was better located, and I convinced myself the next signing would have to go better.

When I arrived at TallMart number two, I was actually met by a young woman who seemed happy to see me. I jokingly said, “I hope you’re not putting me by the restrooms.” She assured me that wouldn’t happen and that they were all set for my signing. Sure enough, she took me to a nicely decorated table with balloons and bunnies and even a bottle of water. But the table was set
up (no kidding) in the men’s underwear section. Right between boxers and briefs! The woman sort of apologized, pointing out it was the day before Easter—and the rest of the store was busy! Stunned, I sat down and contemplated my situation. Sure, their store was bustling with customers buying candy and toys and Easter stuff, but the men’s underwear section was like a morgue.

And, seriously, what self-respecting teenage girl would venture back here? And the few unsuspecting male customers who did took one confused look at me, perched amidst my teen girl books, plush bunnies, and pastel balloons . . . well, they just turned and slunk away. I felt a little guilty about keeping an old man from grabbing a three-pack of Hanes, but hey what could I do?

Eventually the woman who’d welcomed me to TallMart returned to see how I was faring. I mentioned the lack of foot traffic back there—particularly teenage girls who don’t normally hang in the men’s underwear department—and even asked if I could move my table elsewhere. Say, the makeup section, shoes, or even electronics? “No way,” she said, “It’s already too busy out
there.” She smiled brightly as she handed me another water bottle. Well, I didn’t feel the least bit guilty when I packed up my box of unsold books and left that super-store a full forty minutes before my book signing shift was officially over. Not that anyone noticed. The upside of this unfortunate event is that I can honestly say, I’ve never had a worse signing. And there have been some doozies.

But next time anyone invites me to a “Read to Your Bunny” book-signing event, I will politely decline . . . and let them read to their own bunnies!

CHECK OUT MELODY’S LATEST RELEASE (releasing Sept 1st)

— THE CHRISTMAS SWAP

In her latest novel, The Christmas Swap, Carlson helps fans escape to the Colorado mountains for a delightful story that combines a surprise romance with house swapping.

Convinced by his mother to head to Arizona for Christmas, singer songwriter Tyler “West” Prescott decides to put up his lovely home in the Colorado mountains for a Christmas vacation trade. But plans soon go awry when he’s backed into a game of pretend as the caretaker of his own house.

As a teacher and struggling musician, Emma Daley would do anything to experience the magic of a white Christmas—something that’s hard to find in her home state of Arizona. When the opportunity for a vacation trade in the Rockies presents itself, she leaps at the chance for a much-needed getaway.

Despite his desire to reveal his true identity, West finds that his situation becomes even more confusing and complicated. When Emma’s friend Gillian threatens to compromise his identity and sets her sights on him, things get . . . messy. Will West’s charade shatter the fragile romance that’s starting to take root with Emma, or will true love win out in the end?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books with sales of more than seven million, including many bestselling Christmas novellas, young adult titles, and contemporary romances. She received a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her many books, including Finding Alice. She and her husband live in central Oregon. Learn more at www.melodycarlson.com.

‘MARTIAN’ AUTHOR ANDY WEIR RELEASING NEW BOOK

Jocie McKade

27 August 2020

A lone astronaut must save the earth from disaster in this incredible new science-based thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Martian.

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission–and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, he realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Alone on this tiny ship that’s been cobbled together by every government and space agency on the planet and hurled into the depths of space, it’s up to him to conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And thanks to an unexpected ally, he just might have a chance.

Part scientific mystery, part dazzling interstellar journey, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian–while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.

Throw Back Thursday Book Trailer- 125 Pet Rescues National Geographic Books

Sheila English

27 August 2020

125 Pet Rescues National Geographic Books

This is a collection of hilarious and heartwarming stories of dogs, cats, and all types of pets given a second chance, and the human animal lovers who rescued them.

From the dog who saved her owner from a fire, to the cat that plays the piano, to the cow that thinks it’s a dog, discover incredible stories of animals in need who went on to become beloved pets.

These uplifting tales are paired with amazing photos and loads of animal facts. Kids learn all about how to be kind to our animals friends and the importance of being a responsible pet owner. There’s tons of furry, fluffy, feathery fun on every page, including tips on how to help save animals in need!

Celebrate National Dog Day

Jocie McKade

26 August 2020

Sleeping Puppy — A an adorable puppy all wrapped up in a blanket.

We at Reader’s Entertainment love our furbabys! So, we’d like to share National Dog Day with all of our readers. If you are considering a dog or even a cat…LOL….please consider a rescue furbaby. Here are some details on National Dog Day from the National Dog Day webpage::::

“National Dog Day celebrates all breeds, pure and mixed and serves to help galvanize the public to recognize the number of dogs that need to be rescued each year, either from public shelters, rescues and pure breed rescues. National Dog Day honors family dogs and dogs that work selflessly to save lives, keep us safe and bring comfort. Dogs put their lives on the line every day – for their law enforcement partner, for their blind companion, for the disabled, for our freedom and safety by detecting bombs and drugs and pulling victims of tragedy from wreckage.”

We urge you to click over to their site for more details and how you can be a furbaby parent.

The Schomburg Center Announces Finalists for the Lapidus Center’s 2020 Harriet Tubman Prize

Jocie McKade

26 August 2020

The Lapidus Center for the Historical Analysis of Transatlantic Slavery at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is happy to announce the three finalists for the 2020 Harriet Tubman Prize, which awards $7,500 to the best nonfiction book published in the United States on the slave trade, slavery, and anti-slavery in the Atlantic World.

A jury of librarians and scholars selected the three outstanding finalists:

Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and Their Astonishing Odyssey Home (Simon & Schuster) by Richard Bell, professor of history, University of Maryland

Philadelphia, 1825: five young, free Black boys fall into the clutches of the most fearsome gang of kidnappers and slavers in the United States. Lured onto a small ship with the promise of food and pay, they are instead met with blindfolds, ropes, and knives. Over four long months, their kidnappers drive them overland into the Cotton Kingdom to be sold as slaves. Determined to resist, the boys form a tight brotherhood as they struggle to free themselves and find their way home. Their ordeal—an odyssey that takes them from the Philadelphia waterfront to the marshes of Mississippi and then onward still—shines a glaring spotlight on the Reverse Underground Railroad, a black market network of human traffickers and slave traders who stole away thousands of legally free African Americans from their families in order to fuel slavery’s rapid expansion in the decades before the Civil War. Impeccably researched and breathlessly paced, historian Richard Bell tells the incredible story of five boys whose courage forever changed the fight against slavery in America.

They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South (Yale University Press) by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers, associate professor of history, UC Berkeley

Bridging women’s history, the history of the South, and African American history, this book makes a bold argument about the role of white women in American slavery. Historian Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers draws on a variety of sources to show that slave-owning women were sophisticated economic actors who directly engaged in and benefited from the South’s slave market. Because women typically inherited more slaves than land, enslaved people were often their primary source of wealth. Not only did white women often refuse to cede ownership of their slaves to their husbands, they employed management techniques that were as effective and brutal as those used by slave-owning men. White women actively participated in the slave market, profited from it, and used it for economic and social empowerment. By examining the economically entangled lives of enslaved people and slave†‘owning women, Jones-Rogers presents a narrative that forces us to rethink the economics and social conventions of slaveholding America

Standard-Bearers of Equality: America’s First Abolition Movement (University of North Carolina Press) by Paul J. Polgar, assistant professor of history, University of Mississippi

In Standard-Bearers of Equality, Paul Polgar recovers the racially inclusive vision of America’s first abolition movement. In showcasing the activities of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, the New York Manumission Society, and their African American allies during the post-Revolutionary and early national eras, he unearths this coalition’s comprehensive agenda for black freedom and equality. By guarding and expanding the rights of people of African descent and demonstrating that Black Americans could become virtuous citizens of the new Republic, these activists, whom Polgar names “first movement abolitionists,” sought to end white prejudice and eliminate racial inequality. Beginning in the 1820s, however, colonization threatened to eclipse this racially inclusive movement. Colonizationists claimed that what they saw as permanent black inferiority and unconquerable white prejudice meant that slavery could end only if those freed were exiled from the United States. In pulling many reformers into their orbit, this radically different antislavery movement marginalized the activism of America’s first abolitionists and obscured the racially progressive origins of American abolitionism that Polgar now recaptures. By reinterpreting the early history of American antislavery, Polgar illustrates that the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries are as integral to histories of race, rights, and reform in the United States as the mid-nineteenth century.

“The uprisings this year and the renewed attention on Black history, our stories, and racial justice make these books essential reads for anyone who wishes to expand their knowledge of transatlantic slavery and its enduring legacies,” said Dr. Michelle Commander, associate director and curator of the Lapidus Center.

The 2020 Harriet Tubman Prize winner will be announced by the Schomburg Center in November 2020.

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