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ABOUT THE STORE : NEWSLETTER

DISPATCHES FROM THE BORDER

Events and News from Borderlands Books

April, 2013

Chapter One - Event Information, News, and Special Features

Upcoming Author Events

Dana Fredsti, PLAGUE NATION (Titan Books, Mass Market, $7.99) Saturday, April 20th at 3:00 pm

SF in SF featuring Rick Klaw and Mary Robinette Kowal, at the Variety Preview Room in the Hobart Building, 582 Market Street, Saturday, April 20th at 7:00 pm

Rick Klaw and Pat Murphy, THE APES OF WRATH (Tachyon, Trade Paperback, $15.95) Sunday, April 21st at 3:00 pm

Mark Oshiro, MARK READS HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS (Mark Does Stuff, Trade Paperback, $15.00) Sunday, April 21st at 5:00 pm

Nova Albion Steampunk Convention at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara, Friday April 26th - Sunday April 28th

Ian Tregillis, NECESSARY EVIL (Tor, Hardcover, $25.99) Sunday, May 5th at 3:00 pm

Valencia Corridor Sidewalk Sale - Saturday, May 11th from 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm

The Pub From Another World Preview, Sunday, May 12th at 3:00 pm

John Scalzi, THE HUMAN DIVISION (Tor, Hardcover, $25.99) Wednesday, May 15th at 7:00 pm

SF in SF featuring Connie Willis and Gene Wolfe (in the Market Room at the Hilton San Jose, 300 Almaden Blvd. San Jose, CA 95110), Thursday, May 16th at 7:00 pm

Mary Robinette Kowal, WITHOUT A SUMMER (Tor, Hardcover, $24.99 ) and Susan Palwick, MENDING THE MOON (Tor, Hardcover, $24.99) Monday, May 20th at 7:00 pm

(for more information check the end of this section)

More awesome authors including Annalee Newitz, Lauren Beukes, Hannu Rajaniemi coming up, so stay tuned!

News

* We're happy to announce that Borderlands Cafe will be hosting another free class from the University of the Commons.  The topic this time is Zombie Apocalypse and the Utopian Tradition, which sounds completely fascinating.  The class will meet each Thursday from 6:30 p m - 8:00 pm, beginning May 2nd, 2013 and ending June 20th.  For more details, see http://www.uotc.org/wordpress/ .

* Thanks to Candi for pointing out this wonderful interview with the always-eloquent Ursula K. Le Guin from Berkeley's "California" Magazine: http://alumni.berkeley.edu/news/california-magazine/spring-2013-growing/song-herself.  And, if you missed Ms. Le Guin's recent talk at the Townsend Center, you can watch it here: http://townsendcenter.berkeley.edu/media/ursula-k-le-guin-writer .

* GOBLINPROOFING ONE'S CHICKEN COOP wins Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/mar/22/diagram-prize-oddest-book-title-goblins

* Want to watch an alien being born?  This giant, nearly-extinct "tree lobster" may be as close as you can get.  (Squick warning for those sensitive to enormous bugs.)  http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2012/02/24/147367644/six-legged-giant-finds-secret-hideaway-hides-for-80-years?sc=fb&cc=fp

* Wanted: volunteers for a one-way trip to Mars.  Must be dependable, good in groups, uninterested in returning to Earth: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/03/16/mars-one-live-die-mars.html?cmp=rss

* LOST EVERYTHING by Brian Francis Slattery has won the 2013 Philip K. Dick Award.  Special citation was given to LOVESTAR by Andri Snaer Magnason.  For more details, see http://www.philipkdickaward.org/

* The cursed Roman ring that may have inspired Tolkien's One Ring is put on display: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/apr/02/hobbit-tolkien-ring-exhibition

* Oooh!  io9.com has published an exclusive full chapter from the (eagerly awaited) forthcoming REPUBLIC OF THIEVES by Scott Lynch: http://io9.com/an-exclusive-chapter-from-republic-of-thieves-by-lies-468507382

* Thanks, Amanda -- "Tiny Octopus-Like Microorganisms Named After Science Fiction Monsters": http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130403092702.htm

* I don't know exactly what to say about this.  It's a recipe for "R’leh Easy Cthulhu Pot Pies": http://kitchenoverlord.com/2013/04/08/edible-art-cthulhu-pot-pies/

* Thanks to 7x7 SF for this really nice Borderlands mention in their article "Seven Two-in-One Coffee Shops to Give Your Caffeine Routine a Jolt": http://www.7x7.com/eat-drink/seven-two-one-coffee-shops-give-your-caffeine-routine-jolt

* We regret to report the death of author Basil Copper at the age of 89. http://www.locusmag.com/News/2013/04/basil-copper-1924-2013/

* We are tremendously sorry to re-post this bad news about one of our favorites, author Iain M.Banks: http://friends.banksophilia.com/

From The Office

Mysterious Borderlands

Given some of my recent comments here and elsewhere, it will probably come as no surprise that we're opening a mystery section at Borderlands.  What might be a surprise, however, is how fast we're doing it.  As of today, we've got 144 feet of shelves set aside for hardcovers and large format paperbacks as well as 94 feet for small format (i.e. "mass market") paperbacks.  That works out as room for, roughly, 1700 hardcovers and 1500 paperbacks.

Of course, the shelves aren't quite full yet but we've already got almost 1000 individual titles in stock and there are more coming in almost every day.  By the end of the month, I expect to have more than 1500 on hand and the section will continue to grow from there.  My goal is to have as good a selection of mysteries, thrillers, and similar titles as we do of SF and fantasy by the end of the summer.

And it doesn't stop there.  My long term plan involves doing some remodeling that will add 300 square feet of space to our sales floor and allow room for even more shelving.  With luck I'll have that done by the end of the year.  Right now I haven't finished deciding what I'm going to do with all that extra space but continuing to expand our mystery section is certainly part of it.  The space we have now in part comes from some rearranging we've done which was made possible due to a very kind gift of some shelves from our friends at the Other Change of Hobbit.  We made the rest of the space by doing some serious sorting of our horror and used paperback sections (more about that in a bit).

To say that we're all really excited about this is an understatement.  Most of our staff enjoy mysteries and some of us (myself, Jude and Jeremy especially) really love them.  For years we didn't do much with them because we were located less than a mile from the outstanding San Francisco Mystery Bookshop.  I figured that it was better for us to concentrate on SF, fantasy and horror and let them concentrate on their specialty.  But sadly that store closed in 2011, leaving San Francisco without a mystery bookshop.  The following year, the equally marvelous M Is For Mystery Bookstore in San Mateo closed as well, which meant that the entire peninsula was without a mystery bookshop.  

So, since moving into that genre won't hurt one of our fellow San Francisco bookshops and it seems there must be a bunch of readers who need a store to serve them (not to mention authors and publishers who need a place to do events), it looks like time for us to start selling even more books that we love.

And, if you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you could help us do that.  First off, please spread the word.  Let your friends know that we're selling mysteries, by word of mouth, Twitter, Facebook or whatever sort of social media is your thing.  If you are a blogger or have a newsletter, please put the word out there as well.  Best of all, bring your friends to the shop.  (You know, those friends who have been giving you grief for years 'cause you prefer spaceships and dragons to dangerous dames and quaint English towns).  The only caveat is this -- please make it clear that we're not even close, yet, to the selection that we're aiming for.  So, if your I've-read-it-all-and-got-the-T-shirt friend is disappointed that we don't have the most recent title from a British micro-press, just ask them to give us a little bit of time.

Second, give us suggestions.  We started off with classics, our personal favorites, and recent bestsellers.  I think it's a pretty good selection but I know there is much more that we should be carrying.  Ever since we opened, our customers have always been the people who most often lead us to great but perhaps overlooked gems.  Your advice is invaluable and we'd love to have it.  If you've got an author or novel that you think we should have, please drop Jude a line at jfeldman@borderlands-books.com.  And remember, we can get almost anything that is in print in the UK as well as the US.

Finally, when it comes to mysteries, I want to be a good member of that community just as we are in our other specialties.  If you're a member of a book-club, writer's group or other organization focused on mysteries, thrillers, suspense or associated genres and there is something we can do to support your people, please let me know.  Of course, I plan to host lots of events with authors in much the same way we do for SF, fantasy and horror.

So, please stop by and check out our newest addition.  If you're an avid mystery reader, please let us know if you think we're missing anything.  And, if you don't usually read mysteries or thrillers, maybe you'll let us make a suggestion.  There is some really wonderful stuff in that field, both classics (personally, I think that Dashiell Hammett is one of the greatest American writers ever, in any genre) and newer work (Barbara Hambly's A Free Man Of Color is marvelous, for example).  Regardless of what you usually enjoy, I'm confident we can turn you on to something new, just as we've done for years with science fiction, fantasy and horror.

Clearance Section and Sale

I mentioned previously that we had made part of the space for our mystery section by sorting through our horror and used paperback sections.  As a result, we came across quite a few books that we either had more copies of than we needed or that had been sitting on our shelves for too long.  Right now they are all in a clearance section at the right rear of the store and they're half-price.  That discount will be increasing as we get closer to May 11th, which is the date of the big Valencia St. sidewalk sale.  At noon on that day we're going to be putting all the clearance books out for _crazy_ low prices.  But for now, come on by and take a look at what you can pick-up for a discount.  And, I should point out, these are not "bad" books . . . well, some of them are . . . but many of them are books that, for whatever reason, just didn't sell quickly enough.  There are quite a few titles from small presses like Ash-Tree, Delirium, Cemetery Dance and Subterranean as well as a huge assortment of SF and fantasy paperbacks.

Top Sellers At Borderlands

Hardcovers
1. Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
2. Fragments by Dan Wells
3. Shadow of Freedom by David Weber
4. Velveteen vs. the Junior Super Patriots by Seanan McGuire
5. Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger
6. Homeland by Cory Doctorow
7. Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs
8. Bloodfire Quest by Terry Brooks
9. Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton
10. Gun Machine by Warren Ellis

Mass Market Paperbacks
1. Midnight Blue Light Special by Seanan McGuire
2. Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire
3. Existence by David Brin
4. The Golden Age of Death by Amber Benson
5. A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
6. The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King
7. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
8. Secrets of the Fire Sea by Stephen Hunt
9. Feed by Mira Grant tied with Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
10. Slashback by Rob Thurman

Trade Paperbacks
1. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow tied with Partials by Dan Wells
2. Lunatic Fringe by Allison Moon
3. Hungry Ghost by Allison Moon
4. Wool by Hugh Howey
5. Nexus by Ramez Naam

Book Club Info

The QSF&F Book Club will meet on Sunday, May 12th, at 5 pm to discuss RULE 34 by Charles Stross.  Please contact the group leader, Christopher Rodriguez, at cobalt555@earthlink.net, for more information.

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club will meet on Sunday, April 21st, at 6:30 pm (please note this meeting only will start a half-hour later than usual) to discuss WHO FEARS DEATH by Nnedi Okorafor.  The book for May 19th is FAHRENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury.  Please contact bookclub@borderlands-books.com for more information.

Upcoming Event Details

Dana Fredsti, PLAGUE NATION (Titan Books, Mass Market, $7.99) Saturday, April 20th at 3:00 pm - We're happy to welcome local author Dana Fredsti back to the store for the sequel to PLAGUE TOWN!  Here's what's in store in the next book: "Having stopped the wave of the undead that swarmed their facility, Ashley Parker and the other wild cards (those immune to the zombie virus) are assaulted by an unknown enemy and forced to travel to a secret laboratory in San Francisco.  En route some are killed, while others are kidnapped by their shadowy foe, who seems to use the zombies as a weapon. But the worst is yet to come, as the plague begins to manifest in key locations nationwide. And the truth begins to emerge about the paramilitary society, the (DZN)."

SF in SF featuring Rick Klaw and Mary Robinette Kowal, at the Variety Preview Room in the Hobart Building, 582 Market Street, Saturday, April 20th at 7:00 pm - We are happy to help SF in SF welcome these authors!  Each author will read a selection from their work, followed by Q&A from the audience moderated by author Terry Bisson.  Authors will schmooze & sign books after in the lounge. Books available for sale courtesy of Borderlands Books.  Seating is limited, so first come, first seated.  Bar proceeds benefit Variety Childrens Charity - learn more at <http://www.varietync.org/>.  We REALLY encourage you to take BART into the City, or use MUNI to get here - parking can be problematic in San Francisco, to say the least.  We are less than one block away from the Montgomery St. station.  Trust us - you don't want to be looking for parking and be late for the event!  Phone (night of (night of event) 415-572-1015.  Questions? Email sfinsfevents@gmail.com.

Rick Klaw and Pat Murphy, THE APES OF WRATH (Tachyon, Trade Paperback, $15.95) Sunday, April 21st at 3:00 pm - Join always-fascinating editor Rick Klaw and contributor Pat Murphy for a discussion of a collection in which, "the apes in these seventeen fantastic tales boldly go where humans dare not. With a foreword from the director of 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes,' this provocative anthology delves into our cultural fascination with -- and dread of -- our simian cousins." (From the publisher's web site).

Mark Oshiro, MARK READS HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS (Mark Does Stuff, Trade Paperback, $15.00) Sunday, April 21st at 5:00 pm - Come see Mark Oshiro, of Mark Reads/Mark Watches fame, read an excerpt from his latest book, MARK READS HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS.  He'll also discuss the Mark Does Stuff universe and read some really bad fan-fiction.  Check out his site here http://markreads.net/reviews/

Nova Albion Steampunk Convention at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara, Friday April 26th - Sunday April 28th - once again Borderlands will be selling books at the Bay Area's one and only steampunk convention.  And this year the theme is . . . STEAMPUNKS in SPACE!  From the organization's web page, "The Grand Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition returns to the decadent Hyatt Regency Santa Clara in 2013 for three glorious days, April the 26th, 27th and 28th. Come rub elbows with preeminent scientists and planetary ambassadors, hob-nob with famous airship captains and explorers, and of course imbibe a proper cuppa with the crème-de-la-crème of Victorian society."  For tickets and more information check out http://steampunkexhibition.com/

Ian Tregillis, NECESSARY EVIL (Tor, Hardcover, $25.99) Sunday, May 5th at 3:00 pm - We're delighted to welcome Ian Tregillis to Borderlands!  We were all very impressed with his first two novels BITTER SEEDS and THE COLDEST WAR, so we're waiting impatiently for the third installment in the trilogy in which "one man travels to an alternate Earth in order to save at least one of humanity's timelines.  12 May 1940. Westminster, London, England:  the early days of World War II.  Again.  Raybould Marsh, one of 'our' Britain's best spies, has travelled to another Earth in a desperate attempt to save at least one timeline from the Cthulhu-like monsters who have been observing our species from space and have already destroyed Marsh's timeline. In order to accomplish this, he must remove all traces of the supermen that were created by the Nazi war machine and caused the specters from outer space to notice our planet in the first place.  His biggest challenge is the mad seer Greta, one of the most powerful of the Nazi creations, who has sent a version of herself to this timeline to thwart Marsh.  Why would she stand in his way?  Because she has seen that in all the timelines she dies and she is determined to stop that from happening, even if it means destroying most of humanity in the process. And Marsh is the only man who can stop her."

Valencia Corridor Sidewalk Sale - Saturday, May 11th from 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm - The Valencia Corridor Sidewalk Sale is a relatively new event, where dozens of Valencia Street merchants offer special sales and discounts for one day.  We'll be doing a big clearance sale of the stock we removed to make room for the mystery section.  These are not "bad" books . . . well, some of them are . . . but many of them are books that, for whatever reason, just didn't sell quickly enough.  There are quite a few titles from small presses like Ash-Tree, Delirium, Cemetery Dance and Subterranean as well as a huge assortment of SF and fantasy paperbacks.  In addition to our sale, you'll find great deals and special events all up and down Valencia St, especialy from some of our favorite neighbors: Back to the Picture, Glama-Rama Salon, Lost Weekend Video, Mission Comics & Art, and many, many others!  More info here: http://www.valenciastreetsf.com/

The Pub From Another World Preview, Sunday, May 12th at 3:00 pm - San Francisco Theater Pub presents a special preview reading of a selection of plays from The Pub from Another World, a night of short sci-fi/fantasy/horror plays about everything from superheroes to unicorns, time travelers to mad scientists, and everything in between. Get a taste of these original plays by local writers, and don’t miss the main event on Monday, May 20, at 8:00 pm at Café Royale (800 Post Street)!

John Scalzi, THE HUMAN DIVISION (Tor, Hardcover, $25.99) Wednesday, May 15th at 7:00 pm -  We couldn't be more excited to welcome the fabulous John Scalzi back to Borderlands!  "Following the events of THE LAST COLONY, John Scalzi tells the story of the fight to maintain the unity of the human race.  The people of Earth now know that the human Colonial Union has kept them ignorant of the dangerous universe around them. For generations the CU had defended humanity against hostile aliens, deliberately keeping Earth an ignorant backwater and a source of military recruits. Now the CU’s secrets are known to all. Other alien races have come on the scene and formed a new alliance -- an alliance against the Colonial Union. And they’ve invited the people of Earth to join them. For a shaken and betrayed Earth, the choice isn't obvious or easy.  Against such possibilities, managing the survival of the Colonial Union won’t be easy, either. It will take diplomatic finesse, political cunning. . . and a brilliant “B Team,” centered on the resourceful Lieutenant Harry Wilson, that can be deployed to deal with the unpredictable and unexpected things the universe throws at you when you’re struggling to preserve the unity of the human race.  Being published online from January to April 2013 as a three-month digital serial, THE HUMAN DIVISION will appear as a full-length novel of the Old Man’s War universe, plus -- for the first time in print -- the first tale of Lieutenant Harry Wilson, and a coda that wasn’t part of the digital serialization."

SF in SF featuring Connie Willis and Gene Wolfe (in the Market Room at the Hilton San Jose, 300 Almaden Blvd. San Jose, CA 95110), Thursday, May 16th at 7:00 pm - SF in SF - Science Fiction, San Francisco - A Perfect Fit - comes to San Jose!  In conjunction with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and the 48th Annual Nebula Awards Weekend, SF in SF presents:
GENE WOLFE and CONNIE WILLIS!  Each author will read a selection from their work, followed by Q&A with the audience, moderated by author Terry Bisson.  Booksigning will follow, with the authors' books for sale courtesy of Borderlands Books.  This event will be podcasted, courtesy of Rick Kleffel of The Agony Column.  This event takes place at the Hilton San Jose, (300 Almaden Boulevard, San Jose, CA,) in the Market Room.  Doors open at 6PM for general seating, and the event begins at 7PM.  This is event is FREE to Nebula Award Weekend registrants, $10 at the door for the general public (cash only).  All proceeds will be split between the SFWA Emergency Medical Fund and Variety Children's Charity of Northern California.  There will be a cash bar just outside the room.  (Please note that we had incorrectly stated the location of this event in the last newsletter.  The Market Room at the Hilton San Jose, 300 Almaden Boulevard, San Jose, is the correct location.)

Mary Robinette Kowal, WITHOUT A SUMMER (Tor, Hardcover, $24.99 ) and Susan Palwick, MENDING THE MOON (Tor, Hardcover, $24.99 ) Monday, May 20th at 7:00 pm - We're delighted to welcome these two distinguished authors to Borderlands!  Join us to meet Mary and Susan and check out their very different but equally impressive new novels.

Borderlands event policy - all events are free of charge.  You are welcome to bring copies of an author's books purchased elsewhere to be autographed (but we do appreciate it if you purchase something while at the event).  For most events you are welcome to bring as many books as you wish for autographs.  If you are unable to attend the event we will be happy to have a copy of any of the author's available books signed or inscribed for you.  We can then either hold the book(s) until you can come in to pick them up or we can ship to you.  Just give us a call or drop us an email.  If you live out of town, you can also ship us books from your collection to be signed for a nominal fee.  Call or email for details.

Dispatches from the Border
Editor - Jude Feldman
Assistant Editor - Alan Beatts

All contents unless otherwise noted are the property of

Borderlands Books
866 Valencia St.
San Francisco, CA  94110
415-824-8203
http://www.borderlands-books.com

Comments and suggestions should be directed to editor@borderlands-books.com

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