Bees!

A swarm of bees has decided to visit our bamboo garden.

Just click on the picture to see a larger size! Many thanks to our friends in the Teen department for the on-the-spot loan of their digital camera.

(And don’t worry, we’re not going to do anything mean to them.)

-Amy

Shelf Examination: Sci-fi and Fantasy

First in a series of posts designed to help you make friends with a novel you might not otherwise have met.   Designed for folks who love to read, but hate hopping back and forth on one foot in front of the shelf, hoping the parking meter won’t expire before they’ve made a decision.

The Book: Freedom and Necessity, Emma Bull and Steven Brust.

Check this out if you like:  epistolary storytelling, 19th-century politcial intrigue, sophisticated vocabulary/diction, romantic subplots, magic, philosophy, or historical fantasy in the style of Susanna Clarke.

The book:  Soon I Will Be Invincible, Austin Grossman.

Check this out if you like:  hipster snark in the style of Dave Eggers, graphic novels/comics (especially The X-Men),  mad scientists who try to take over the world, or climactic showdowns in secret lairs.

The book:  The Execution Channel, Ken MacLeod.

Check this out if you like:  stories about dystopian futures, spy novels, blogging and other online intrigue, conspiracy theories, or fast-paced political thrillers.

The book:  The Serpent and the Rose, Kathleen Bryan.

Check this out if you like:  Epic fantasy, strong female protagonists, unlikely heroes, chivalric romances, intricate mythologies, or classic tales of Good versus Evil.

The book: The Da-Da-De-Da-Da Code, Robert Rankin.

Check this out if you like:  Surreal humor, parody, bad puns, music history and folklore, secret cabals that rule the world, and imaginary friends named Mr. Giggles the Monkey Boy.

Bonus:  The hardback version of this book contains a CD with songs mentioned in the text, including “Dance of the Sugar Plum Technofairy.”

 Intrigued?  Amused?  Perplexed?  My work here is done.  Happy reading!

–Leigh Anne