All booked | Fantastic fantasy

The original version of this newsletter was sent on Tuesday, June 18th.

Hello, dear bookworms!

This week our wonderful editor Nathan Vived takes over and brings us a mix of intriguing fantasy and dazzling science fiction. I hope you find something to add to your reading list!

And if you haven’t already, read our June 13 cover story on James Joyce’s Ulysses and the history of literary censorship, something that is unfortunately still alive today. I have only read one of the books on the list of the top 10 most controversial books of 2023 and I definitely plan to add more of them to my list. Although I think I will save Ulysses in case I ever go on a month-long vacation!

More exciting news from the book industry: Chaucer’s Books has new owners! Chaucer’s is one of my favorite shops in town and I’m so happy it’s in good hands. All the best to the new owners!

Happy reading,

—Tessa, [email protected]

Since I read a lot in my daily work as an editor, it may be surprising that I also spend most of my free time reading, but I was infected with the virus at an early age and have always refused to be cured.

I have a penchant for the fantastical and never miss an opportunity to lose myself in a brand new world, whether it involves swords and sorcery or spaceships and lasers.

Let’s start with one of the most prolific and famous fantasy authors: Terry Pratchett hardly needs an introduction. The color of magic is the first book in his Discworld series and my first foray into his work, and I’m already looking for the next one. The book is a standalone work and is about Rincewind, a wizard who plays tour guide to the Discworld’s very first tourist, a painfully naive guy called Twoflower, and his luggage… which has teeth.

The color of magic is an incredible introduction to the Discworld setting, consistently funny and had me bursting with laughter from the second page, not to mention my favorite use of the term “Big Bang” to describe the creation of a universe.

“Fantasy as it should be written…” says George RR Martin on the cover, and I’m inclined to agree. I’m still waiting for his next fantasy, but I digress. Hobbs’ first novel and the first part of the Farseer trilogy, Assassin’s Apprentice follows the early life of FitzChivalry Farseer, the bastard son of Crown Prince Chivalry. Due to his illegitimate status, he never knows his father and is trained in the most useful of all arts for a royal son, but one that can never be officially recognized: assassination. And so Fitz grows up and becomes involved in the darker side of diplomacy, at a time when trust in the crown plummets to an all-time low.

From the author, who The Martian, Project Ave Maria is another breathtakingly intelligent science fiction novel that combines real scientific knowledge from astrophysics, normal physics, and biology with a premise so extraordinary that it feels like it came out of nowhere. independence Day. In short, the sun is dying. A microscopic alien life form is draining the sun of its mass, and all life on Earth is left with only a few decades to live. It’s a seemingly intractable problem, and there’s no silver bullet, but Weir has an incredible ability to break existential problems down into their component parts and, with the right knowledge, come up with manageable, even simple, solutions. I learned more practical applications for random facts than in any other class I’ve ever taken. Who would have thought that the relationship between radius and rotational speed could save humanity?

—Nathan Vived

UPCOMING BOOK EVENTS

Below are some book events happening in Santa Barbara. If you are hosting a book event in Santa Barbara, be sure to add the event to our online events calendar.

Lunch in the library
Monday to Friday through August 16, 12–1 p.m. | Central Library Plaza

Book talk and book signing: Catherine Ann Jones
Tuesday, June 18, 6 p.m. | Chaucer’s Books

Author meeting and book signing: Kiki Astor
Wednesday, June 19, 4pm | La Lieff Wines Tasting Room

Reading to a dog
Thursday, 20 June, 12 noon | SB Central Library

Wobbly stories
Friday, 21 June, 10:15 a.m. | SB Central Library

Baby & Me Storytime
Friday, June 21, 10:30 a.m. | Goleta Valley Library

Story time for preschool children
Monday, June 24, 10 a.m. | Carpinteria Community Library

Book talk and book signing: Shelly Lowenkopf
Monday, 24 June, 6pm | Chaucer’s Books

Montecito Book Club
Tuesday, June 25, 12:00 p.m. | 1469 E. Valley Rd., Montecito

Mystery Book Club: Hello, Transcriber by Hannah Morrissey
Tuesday, June 25, 5:30 p.m. | Goleta Valley Library

Bilingual songs and stories for children
Wednesday, June 26, 11 a.m. | Franklin Elementary School

Book talk and book signing: Ivor Davis
Wednesday, 26 June, 6pm | Chaucer’s Books

Reading to a dog
Thursday, 27 June, 12 noon | SB Central Library

Bring your favorite poetry club
Thursday, June 27, 6 p.m. | Idyll Mercantile

Wobbly stories
Friday, 28 June, 10:15 am | SB Central Library

Baby & Me Storytime
Friday, June 28, 10:30 a.m. | Goleta Valley Library

Book talk and book signing: Steven Gilbar
Saturday, June 29, 3pm | Tecolote Bookstore

Story time for preschool children
Monday, July 1, 10 a.m. | Carpinteria Community Library

LOCAL BOOK SPOTLIGHT

We at Independent We get sent a lot of books by local authors, sometimes too many! It’s virtually impossible for us to read and review them all, but just because we’re busy doesn’t mean they aren’t worth the attention. In an attempt to not completely fall behind, we’ve compiled a list of books here that have a local connection. They’re all either written by a local author, about someone in our community, or have some other connection to Santa Barbara. I urge you to look through this list. You might find your new favorite read!

Below are the latest titles sent to us, click here to see a more comprehensive list.

The Flute Player by Gregory Charlton

Shadows on the Echoes of Love by Carson Avery

If you are a local author and would like us to feature your book in this section, please email [email protected] with the subject line “Local Author Spotlight”.

Book reviews courtesy of CALIFORNIA REVIEW OF BOOKS*

Thanks to the generous contributions of David Starkey, Brian Tanguay and their team of reviewers at California Review of Books, we are able to provide a steady stream of book reviews through our content partnership. Recent reviews at Independent.com include:

Last Act by Alexander Sammartino; review by George Yatchisin

*Currently all Independent Book reviews are published in collaboration with California Review of Books (calibrb.com).