Beyond Reality discussion

Hello again everyone,

Summertime is in full swing. For some of us that means extra reading time, and for others it means dealing with the heat and its related issues. But whatever your situation, the time has come to open nominations for our October 2018 Books of the Month. Each group member can make 1 science fiction and/or 1 fantasy nomination in this thread. If you would like to make a nomination, please reply to this post with the title and author of the book(s) you would like to put forward for the group’s consideration. A couple of suggestions to keep in mind:

1. Telling us a little about the book and why you think it would be a good group read can help get other members interested in reading (and voting for) your nomination. Please provide a link to your nomination for the moderator's convenience. Thanks!

2. To see if your nomination has already been read by the group, you can check:

a. the group's bookshelf for Previous Books of the Month https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...

and/or

b. these threads:
Master List of Previous Books of the Month 2012-Present https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Master List of Previous Books of the Month 2006-2011 https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Books the group has read in the past 2 years are not eligible for current consideration. Being chosen as a past BotM prior to that time is not an automatic disqualification, but be aware that it may hinder your nomination’s chances at the polls.

General guidelines:
• Feel free to re-nominate a book that didn’t win in the polls in previous months!
• For questions regarding specifics such as book formats, books in series, self-nomination and various rules for nominations, please see the group FAQ.
• Seconding isn't necessary in this group.
• Friendly discussion & debate is strongly encouraged, but let's please keep things civil.

Poll schedule:
• Nominations will remain open through Fri, July 20.
• The first round of polls will open Saturday, July 21.

The remainder of the month's schedule will be set at that time, dependent on the number of nominations received and the co-ordination of our moderators. We thank you for being patient with us.

Thanks!

Nominations So Far:

SCIENCE FICTION:
Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer
Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty

FANTASY:
Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly

Sue Burke sings the praises of our February selection Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky. You can always go back to our discussion posts from February and add to them if you wish to keep those ideas alive! https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Sue also has made a suggestion (in the thread "Thank You Sue Burke!") which I will count as the first nomination for October:

As for a future BOTM (Science Fiction), Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer has an interesting storytelling style and a surprising plot twist. Unfortunately it's a gateway drug, the first in a series.

I will even things out amongst the genres by making a Fantasy nomination of my own. I voted for this in the last poll, so I will bring it back for a second go-round:

Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly

I’ll re-nominate a book that almost made it last month. Six Wakes by Murdick’s Lafferty is a great deep space thriller.

Chris wrote: "I’ll re-nominate a book that almost made it last month. Six Wakes by Murdick’s Lafferty is a great deep space thriller."

Thanks Chris,

It's best to give us a hot link to the book. Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty so that the mods and folks wanting to vote can get to it with one click.

Also, please tell us which category to put it in. That should be the top category on the Genres list on the books home page, or if not the top, whichever of Sci Fi (or a variation) or Fantasy is listed first. I know that sometimes it seems obvious. But every second you can save us is appreciated.

I'll go ahead and put your nom in to Science Fiction.

fantasy nom The Black Tides of Heaven by J.Y. Yang

fantasy: Age of Myth
SF: Alif the Unseen - was a group read back in 2014

I'd like to nominate Adrift by Rob Boffard for science fiction.

I will be taking over the poll process, as Nick is traveling.

As we don't have many nominations yet, I will put up the first polls on Sunday, July 22.

If it's not too late, I'll nominate The Departure (Owner Trilogy, #1) by Neal Asher for SF. The first in the Owner series. I've enjoyed all of Asher's intense space operas up to now. I'd like to get going on this one.

For fantasy I'll nominate Someplace to Be Flying by Charles de Lint whi is, I think, one of the finest writers around full stop, inside or outside the fantasy genre. His Newford books can easily be read out of order (I certainly have done!) as the connections between them are non-linear, and this is a wonderful place to start. It blends urban fantasy, European and Native American mythology and simply superb writing.



For Science Fiction I'll go for Annalee Newitz' Autonomous, which is a finalist for this year's Nebulas. Newitz is cofounder and editor of io9.

If it’s not too late I’d like to make a fantasy nomination: The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell.

Just started reading it when caught in NY without my current book, and haven’t been able to put it down since.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff: high-stakes interstellar chase.

Winter Rose by Patricia A. McKillip magic and wonder and peril in a cursed house.

Fantasy - Raising Stony Mayhall by Daryl Gregory

SF - The High Ground by Melinda M. Snodgrass

Paul wrote: "For Science Fiction I'll go for Annalee Newitz' Autonomous, which is a finalist for this year's Nebulas.
"

That's a wonderful novel, highly recommended.

Nominations are now closed. I received a nomination via email from a member, which I have added to the Fantasy list.

SCIENCE FICTION:
Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer
Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty
Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson
Adrift by Rob Boffard
The Departure by Neal Asher
Autonomous by Annalee Newitz
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
The High Ground by Melinda M. Snodgrass

FANTASY:
Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly
The Black Tides of Heaven by J.Y. Yang
Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan
Someplace to Be Flying by Charles de Lint
The Bone Clocks David Mitchell
Winter Rose by Patricia A. McKillip
Raising Stony Mayhall by Daryl Gregory
Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero

The first round of polls for October are up. You can vote through July 26. On July 27, the run-off polls go live.

Science Fiction: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

Fantasy: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

Here are the run-off polls for October:

Fantasy: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

Science Fiction: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...