The County Library discussion

Did you know that May 5th is National Astronaut Day? That's because on May 5, 1961, astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. became America's first space traveler as he made a 15-minute suborbital flight aboard Mercury capsule Freedom 7.

Your challenge for May is to read a science fiction book that either takes place in space, or a nonfiction book about space, or NASA, or the history of space flight.

Some examples of scifi titles are All Systems Red part of the Murderbot Diaries*, or The Agent Gambit, or The Collapsing Empire, or Infinite Stars: Dark Frontiers, anything set in the Star Wars, or Star Trek universe would work too!

For nonfiction titles, you might be interested in How to Astronaut: Everything You Need to Know Before Leaving Earth, or Never Panic Early: An Apollo 13 Astronaut's Journey, or Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, and Second Chances,** or Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, or The Smithsonian History of Space Exploration: From the Ancient World to the Extraterrestrial Future, or One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us to the Moon

*I am so excited for the Murderbot Diaries tv show, that I've re-read all the books, and now I'm listening to them again as audiobooks! Who else is excited for this show?

**Leland Melvin has the best NASA photo, and it's also the cover of his book, so I'll post it here, but it will be very tiny. If you don't read this book, please at least google his official NASA photos!

I didn't know Murderbot was made into a TV series. After the first season airs, I'll see if the library has purchased it.

I enjoy reading non-fiction about the space program. We'll see where my reading takes me in May, though.

I will at least begin reading The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel. Lots of books already downloaded for the month, but I will at least start this by the end of May. Completed 5/18/25

I've gotten five or six books into Murderbot.

Maybe I will re-read Project Hail Mary; The Martian is only in space a little bit.

Teresa wrote: "I didn't know Murderbot was made into a TV series. After the first season airs, I'll see if the library has purchased it."

I don't know if it will be made into a DVD or BluRay, it will be on AppleTV+, I'm not sure if they make sell things shows outside of their streaming network. If so, I need to buy Schmigadoon!

I read The Disturbance by Brandon Q. Morris. I'll be reading the other two books in the series, soon.

This book is my favorite kind of scifi: hard scifi. It's a fictional story based on hard science. Very well executed, with relatively easy-to-follow explanation of the physics at the end. Quantum mechanics is so much fun!

2025:
5/5 posted challenges
5/10 total challenges
5/14 challenge books (expected)

Physics and astronomy are my favorite academic subjects; I've read a lot of NASA-related books over the years too.

Audrey wrote: "Physics and astronomy are my favorite academic subjects; I've read a lot of NASA-related books over the years too."

Ooh, do you have any favorites you'd recommend?

Audrey wrote: "I've gotten five or six books into Murderbot.

Maybe I will re-read Project Hail Mary; The Martian is only in space a little bit."

Project Hail Mary is one of the best space scifi books of the last century.

I’m listening to “From a Certain Point of View.” At first, I didn’t exactly know what I was listening to, but it’s actually really fun! For example, in Star Wars: A New Hope, when R2-D2 is getting ready to be sold by the Jawas, you get how things are going from another R2 unit - or at least that was what I thought I heard. Anyway, I’m really enjoying it so far.

I finished listening to “From A Certain Point of View.” As I kept reading, and did a little research on this, I found out that it was “A New Hope - From a Certain Point of View.” So, I listened to just that, which was fun and made me both want to re-watch the Star Wars movies, and listen to the next two books in this series.

Elizabeth wrote: "Teresa wrote: "I didn't know Murderbot was made into a TV series. After the first season airs, I'll see if the library has purchased it."

I don't know if it will be made into a DVD or BluRay, it w..."

Audrey wrote: "I've gotten five or six books into Murderbot.

Maybe I will re-read Project Hail Mary; The Martian is only in space a little bit."

They do not sell outside of their platform, sadly. From my observation, not even eventually, unlike HBO or even Netflix.

Debbie, that's disappointing. Good to know, though.
I listened to The 34th Rule by Armin Shimerman. He played the Ferengi Quark and the book takes place mostly on Deep Space 9.

Elizabeth wrote: "Audrey wrote: "Physics and astronomy are my favorite academic subjects; I've read a lot of NASA-related books over the years too."

Ooh, do you have any favorites you'd recommend?"

I recommend Apollo: The Epic Journey to the Moon. Mostly pictures, so it's not too long to read.

I finished rereading Project Hail Mary. It's so good.

I read 2 books Mae Among the Stars and Legends of the Stars: Myths of the Night Sky

I was planning on reading We Dream of Space for this prompt. However, I just realized that it is neither sci-fi or non-fiction. It is however, historical fiction about the space shuttle challenger. Would it still count for this challenge?

Deborah wrote: "I was planning on reading We Dream of Space for this prompt. However, I just realized that it is neither sci-fi or non-fiction. It is however, historical fiction about the space shu..."

Elizabeth's regular view is that if you think it fits, it fits. For my part on this title I'd say ABSOLUTELY!

I came into this so late I was thinking I wouldn't do it. Then I remembered the 2022 Newbery winner The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera which takes place mostly in space. I was so enchanted by the book and it's approach that on a group focused on non-fiction Pulitzer winners I recommended everyone should consider reading it. One of the members of that group who rarely reads fiction and NEVER children's books followed my recommendation. He thoroughly enjoyed it and agreed with my assessment. I may have time to finish it since I'm listening to the audio book.

Debbie wrote: "I came into this so late I was thinking I wouldn't do it. Then I remembered the 2022 Newbery winner The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera which takes place mos..."

I loved that book!

I read it too.

I already completed this challenge, but I also listened to “Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space,” by Adam Higginbotham. I thought it was very interesting…and sad, of course. I remember where I was when this happened. I was a junior in high school and had just walked into a choir class, when it was all unfolding. So sad and shocking.

I finished We Dream of Space for this challenge.

I read Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly for this challenge.

I forgot to say I finished The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera ( Review ) in 2 days. I couldn't put it down the first time I read it and, even though I know what happens, I couldn't put it down the second time.

Darin is our prize drawing winner for May's reading challenge for reading A Certain Point of View.

Congratulations!