Thank you to everyone who participated in the adult summer reading game 2009!
We begin the planning for next summer even as we just finish this summer’s project. Do you have a favorite book theme you would like us to use for next summer? Here are some possibilities. Please add others in the comments if you have some ideas!
- Splash — books with water or weather, fiction/nonfiction
- Off kilter — psychology, psychological, horror, ufo
- Been there done that — historical fiction, history
- Any 5 books, your choice
- Far out — science fiction, non-fiction–space
- In the Library with the candlestick — mysteries
Suggestions?
Well, I vote for Far Out–it’s always interesting to introduce the amazing range of SF in existence to people who think they don’t or can’t like SF. There are some great resources out there with the Carl Brandon Society (I think their site is down at the moment–you’re probably familiar with it already), Broad Universe, the James Tiptree Award, The Galaxy Express, etc. And there’s plenty of literary SF to go around for the literary types.
Somehow, I don’t think it’ll win, but I have to put in my support for it!
(My only issue is finding SF to recommend to my ESL students/clients–the best SF is written so subtly that it’s extremely difficult to pick up on the linguistic cues, etc. It’s a shame because many of them would really like to read in the genre as they enjoyed reading science fiction in their home languages. I need to find out if there’s an ESL point person at the library…)
Wintersweet–Thanks! I love SF and Fantasy both, but am usually voted down because there aren’t as many readers as say mysteries or thrillers. I’m not sure who would be the best contact for ESL material. I will check. There are some good children’s fantasy but few “pure” SF that might work. I can talk to some teen/children folk about a booklist if you like.
Wintersweet–I asked my collegues what titles they would recommend for ESL students. The list suggestions are for titles that librarians thought would have enough adult appeal, yet not be to difficult reading. I hope these will be useful.
Science Fiction for ESL Students
Accidental time machine. Haldeman, Joe
Almost Adam. Popescu, Petru
Boy who reversed himself. Sleator, William
Ender’s Game. Card, Orson Scott
Family tree. Tepper, Sheri
Farseer. Sawyer, Robert J
Jurassic Park. Crichton, Michael
Practice effect. Brin, David
Time and again. Finney, Jack
Wrinkle in time. L’Engle, Madelaine
http://www.webrary.org/rs/flbklists/sfhs.html
Science Fiction Thrillers for High Schoolers
Compiled by the subscribers of the Fiction_L mailing list
http://www.webrary.org/rs/flbklists/Math.html
Fiction with Math and Science for 7-8 grade
Compiled by the subscribers of the Fiction_L mailing list
Short Stories
The New Space Opera / edited by Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan
The best science fiction and fantasy of the year. Vol. 3 / edited by Jonathan Strahan