Fiction_L Archives Speaking of Science Fiction... Dates: 1/6/03,11:44 AM  through  1/8/03,3:57 PM  (17 postings) Search for: Select one or more indexes to search: 2011-current     2009-2010     2004-2008    1995-2003    (Matches from each index will be displayed separately in the results page.) Return to January 2003 thread menu   |   Fiction_L Archives Menu

FROM: "Lisa Colcord" <[removed]@ci.glendale.az.us>
REC'D: 1/6/03, 11:44 AM

Can you recommend S/F books for those who won't normally read S/F? I'm thinking of books like The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell and Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

Thanks,
Lisa

Lisa Colcord
Librarian
Glendale Public library
Glendale, AZ

....my views are my own....

-The secret to life is enjoying the passage of time- James Taylor

FROM: Spencer Ms Martha <[removed]@usmc-mccs.org>
REC'D: 1/6/03, 11:57 AM

The Man Who Fell to Earth by Walter Tevis. Forget the movie, the book is
wonderful.

Martha

-----Original Message-----
From: Lisa Colcord [[removed]@ci.glendale.az.us]
Sent: Monday, January 06, 2003 12:37 PM
To: Fiction_L
Subject: Speaking of Science Fiction...

Can you recommend S/F books for those who won't normally read S/F? I'm
thinking of books like The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell and Handmaid's Tale
by Margaret Atwood.

Thanks,
Lisa

Lisa Colcord
Librarian
Glendale Public library
Glendale, AZ

....my views are my own....

-The secret to life is enjoying the passage of time- James Taylor

......................................................................
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FROM: Wendy Isom <[removed]@pub-lib.ci.arlington.tx.us>
REC'D: 1/6/03, 11:57 AM

I think Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is a great choice.

Wendy

Arlington Public Library
Arlington, Texas

-----Original Message-----
From: Lisa Colcord [[removed]@ci.glendale.az.us]
Sent: Monday, January 06, 2003 11:37 AM
To: Fiction_L
Subject: Speaking of Science Fiction...

Can you recommend S/F books for those who won't normally read S/F? I'm
thinking of books like The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell and Handmaid's Tale
by Margaret Atwood.

Thanks,
Lisa

Lisa Colcord
Librarian
Glendale Public library
Glendale, AZ

....my views are my own....

-The secret to life is enjoying the passage of time- James Taylor

......................................................................
Need to subscribe, unsubscribe, search the archives?
Everything Fiction_L: http://fictionl.webrary.org

FROM: "Ann Boles" <[removed]@hotmail.com>
REC'D: 1/6/03, 11:57 AM

I just finished reading Fifth Life of the Catwoman by Kathleen Dexter. I
normally don't read science fiction; I haven't even yet read The sparrow.
But I really enjoyed this one. The main character, Kat, is in her fifth
life, and she can remember all her former lives. It has a modern-day,
southwestern US setting. I would recommend it highly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ann Boles
Prescott, Arizona
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

----Original Message Follows----
From: "Lisa Colcord" <[removed]@ci.glendale.az.us>
Reply-To: "Fiction_L" <[removed]@maillist.webrary.org>
To: Fiction_L <[removed]@maillist.webrary.org>
Subject: Speaking of Science Fiction...
Date: Mon, 06 Jan 2003 10:37:26 -0700

Can you recommend S/F books for those who won't normally read S/F? I'm
thinking of books like The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell and Handmaid's Tale
by Margaret Atwood.

Thanks,
Lisa

Lisa Colcord
Librarian
Glendale Public library
Glendale, AZ

....my views are my own....

-The secret to life is enjoying the passage of time- James Taylor

......................................................................
Need to subscribe, unsubscribe, search the archives?
Everything Fiction_L: http://fictionl.webrary.org

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FROM: Patricia Keister <[removed]@rockford.lib.il.us>
REC'D: 1/6/03, 12:08 PM

Anything by the magnificent Sherri S. Tepper is good. Also try
_Mutagenesis_ by Helen Collins.
Patricia

-----Original Message-----
From: Lisa Colcord
To: Fiction_L
Sent: 1/6/2003 11:37 AM
Subject: Speaking of Science Fiction...

Can you recommend S/F books for those who won't normally read S/F? I'm
thinking of books like The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell and Handmaid's
Tale by Margaret Atwood.

Thanks,
Lisa

Lisa Colcord
Librarian
Glendale Public library
Glendale, AZ

....my views are my own....

-The secret to life is enjoying the passage of time- James Taylor

......................................................................
Need to subscribe, unsubscribe, search the archives?
Everything Fiction_L: http://fictionl.webrary.org

FROM: "C. L. Quillen" <[removed]@mtlaurel.lib.nj.us>
REC'D: 1/6/03, 12:08 PM

To say nothing of the dog by Connie Willis

-----Original Message-----
From: [removed]@maillist.webrary.org
[[removed]@maillist.webrary.org]On Behalf Of Lisa Colcord
Sent: Monday, January 06, 2003 12:37 PM
To: Fiction_L
Subject: Speaking of Science Fiction...

Can you recommend S/F books for those who won't normally read
S/F? I'm thinking of books like The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
and Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

Thanks,
Lisa

Lisa Colcord
Librarian
Glendale Public library
Glendale, AZ

....my views are my own....

-The secret to life is enjoying the passage of time- James Taylor

.................................................................
.....
Need to subscribe, unsubscribe, search the archives?
Everything Fiction_L: http://fictionl.webrary.org

FROM: "Dick Turner" <[removed]@vpl.ca>
REC'D: 1/6/03, 12:30 PM

Wouldn't any of John Wyndham's titles fit this category?

On Mon, 06 Jan 2003, "Lisa Colcord" wrote:

>Can you recommend S/F books for those who won't normally read S/F? I'm
>thinking of books like The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell and Handmaid's
>Tale by Margaret Atwood.
>
>Thanks,
>Lisa
>
>
>Lisa Colcord
>Librarian
>Glendale Public library
>Glendale, AZ
>
>...my views are my own....
>
>-The secret to life is enjoying the passage of time- James Taylor
>
>
>
>.....................................................................
>Need to subscribe, unsubscribe, search the archives?
>Everything Fiction_L: http://fictionl.webrary.org

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dick Turner, Librarian II
Popular Reading Library
Vancouver Public Library
350 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, B.C.
V6B 6B1
Telephone: (604) 331-3686
Fax: (604) 331-3688
E-mail: [removed]@vpl.ca

FROM: "Waznis, Betty" <[removed]@sdcounty.ca.gov>
REC'D: 1/6/03, 1:33 PM

There is a very good article in the Winter 2002 RUSA Quarterly called
Readers' Advising for the Young SF, Fantasy, and Horror Reader, by David G.
Hartwell. (pp.133-138). Although he is talking about teen readers, he has a
lot of good insights into preferences, readalikes, and suggested titles that
might be worth your looking at.

Betty Waznis
San Diego County Library

Subject: Speaking of Science Fiction...
From: "Lisa Colcord" <[removed]@ci.glendale.az.us>
Date: Mon, 06 Jan 2003 10:37:26 -0700

Can you recommend S/F books for those who won't normally read S/F? I'm
thinking of books like The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell and Handmaid's Tale
by Margaret Atwood.

Thanks,
Lisa

Lisa Colcord
Librarian
Glendale Public library
Glendale, AZ

....my views are my own....

FROM: "Annie Frank" <[removed]@plano.gov>
REC'D: 1/6/03, 2:15 PM

Lisa,

The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis is a book I recommended to my sister,
who hates science fiction and fantasy. She liked Doomsday because it is
really historical fiction with a touch of time travel. Also, I think
Kurt Vonnegut's science fiction (Sirens of Titan, Cat's Cradle) is more
acceptable to some people because it is sooo Vonnegut--wry and funny.
Jonathan Lethem also has some science fiction novels that are
atypical--Girl in Landscape is a coming of age novel on Mars, and Gun,
with Occasional Music is a sci-fi detective story.

Annie Frank
Public Services Librarian
Plano, Texas

-----Original Message-----
From: Lisa Colcord [[removed]@ci.glendale.az.us]
Sent: Monday, January 06, 2003 11:37 AM
To: Fiction_L
Subject: Speaking of Science Fiction...

Can you recommend S/F books for those who won't normally read S/F? I'm
thinking of books like The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell and Handmaid's
Tale by Margaret Atwood.

Thanks,
Lisa

Lisa Colcord
Librarian
Glendale Public library
Glendale, AZ

....my views are my own....

-The secret to life is enjoying the passage of time- James Taylor

......................................................................
Need to subscribe, unsubscribe, search the archives?
Everything Fiction_L: http://fictionl.webrary.org

FROM: Candice Michalik <[removed]@yahoo.com>
REC'D: 1/6/03, 2:26 PM

This was done back in 1999, and you will get some
titles if you go to
http://www.webrary.org/rs/flbklists/SciFic.html

=====
Candice Michalik
Reference Librarian
Lynchburg Public Library
Lynchburg, VA
[removed]@yahoo.com

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FROM: Di Herald <[removed]@mac.com>
REC'D: 1/6/03, 3:18 PM

Not trying to be too self promiting but I haven't seen STRICTLY SCIENCE FICTION mentioned. Bonnie Kunzel and I wrote it specifically to help with science fiction readers' advisory. It is fairly up to date having just been published in 2002. It was published by Libraries Unlimited.

Diana Tixier Herald, author of Genreflecting and Teen Genreflecting
http://www.genrefluent.com [removed]@sff.net
Rosenberg's first law of reading:"Never apologize for your reading tastes."

FROM: Becky nolastname <[removed]@yahoo.com>
REC'D: 1/6/03, 3:18 PM

I recommend anything by Connie Willis or Kage Baker's
"Company" series to romance readers, and depending on
how far you want to stretch the definition of SF, the
Eve Dallas books by JD Robb for mystery readers. I
recommend The Fifth Sacred Thing to my spiritually
inclined friends, Bruce Sterling to the
politically-minded, and Harry Turtledove or other
alternate history to readers of history. The
Hitchhiker's Guide books or Terry Pratchett would be
good for people looking for a laugh.... As with much
RA, it depends on what you like already.

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FROM: Carrie Herrmann <[removed]@bcpl.org>
REC'D: 1/6/03, 3:50 PM

If you enjoyed The Sparrow, you may like The Visitor by Sheri Tepper.
Actually just about anything by Tepper would be good for someone who does not
usually read S/F.

>Subject: Speaking of Science Fiction...
>From: "Lisa Colcord" <[removed]@ci.glendale.az.us>
>Date: Mon, 06 Jan 2003 10:37:26 -0700
>
>Can you recommend S/F books for those who won't normally read S/F? I'm
thinking of books like The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell and Handmaid's Tale
by Margaret Atwood.
>
>Thanks,
>Lisa
>
>
>Lisa Colcord
>Librarian
>Glendale Public library
>Glendale, AZ
>
>....my views are my own....
>
>-The secret to life is enjoying the passage of time- James Taylor

Carrie A. Herrmann
Access Services Coordinator
Boone County Public Library
859-384-5550 (phone)
859-394-5557 (fax)
[removed]@bcpl.org

FROM: "christine jeffords" <[removed]@hotmail.com>
REC'D: 1/7/03, 7:21 AM

I'll certainly second Turtledove. And if your patron is a history buff,
point him to http://www.uchronia.com, which is a website devoted to the
"Alternate History" subgenre.

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FROM: "christine jeffords" <[removed]@hotmail.com>
REC'D: 1/7/03, 7:21 AM

>From: Becky nolastname <[removed]@yahoo.com>
>Reply-To: "Fiction_L" <[removed]@maillist.webrary.org>
>To: Fiction_L <[removed]@maillist.webrary.org>
>Subject: Speaking of Science Fiction....
>Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2003 13:11:53 -0800 (PST)
>
>I recommend anything by Connie Willis or Kage Baker's
>"Company" series to romance readers...

I have seen Lois McMaster Bujold recommended in this connection too. And
McCaffrey might work as well.

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FROM: "christine jeffords" <[removed]@hotmail.com>
REC'D: 1/7/03, 7:21 AM

If I were recommending sf to a greenie, I think I would first suggest some
of the best-known names--they didn't get there on their good looks, after
all! This would include Isaac Asimov, Anne McCaffrey, Robert A. Heinlein
(his earlier works are more accessible, the later ones more "literary"),
Poul Anderson, Larry Niven, Andre Norton, L. Sprague DeCamp, C. J. Cherryh,
Keith Laumer, Alan Dean Foster, Jack Vance, James Blish, James White, H.
Beam Piper, Roger Zelazny, Edmond Hamilton, Leigh Brackett, Avram Davidson,
Clifford D. Simak, and Ursula K. LeGuin. I'd then ask the patron to let me
know which he liked best and what he liked most about them. I'd also try
pointing him to collections of short stories--annuals, "bests," "firsts,"
and the kind of thematics that DAW and Martin H. Greenberg specialize in.

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FROM: [removed]@juno.com
REC'D: 1/8/03, 3:57 PM

This may not bear directly on the query about SF for non-SF readers, but I mention it for the benefit of anyone interested in the general topic of SF reader's advisory.

There's an interesting article, entitled "Readers' Advising for the Young SF, Fantasy, and Horror Reader", in the Winter, 2002 issue of Reference & User Services Quarterly, written by guest columnist David G. Hartwell, one of the more prominent editors in SF. Be aware that Hartwell does have a commercial connection with Tor books, and books he edited are well-represented among his recommendations. But his suggestions in the article are generally good.

Bradley A. Scott
Northern Michigan University

"I can't think of an interesting quotation right now."
-- Bradley A. Scott

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