The Planned Parenthood Book Sale is held in September every year, and we have attended the sale for many, many years. My son usually spends most of his time in the science fiction and fantasy section, although we both also head for graphic novels after we walk in the door on the first day. He also keeps an eye out for science fiction and fantasy books for me and my husband.
In this post, I am featuring six of the books he bought this year.
The Cartographers (2022) by Peng Shepherd
This book sounds very interesting. Although it is categorized on Goodreads as Fantasy / Mystery Thriller / Magical Realism, I am most attracted to the mystery element.
From the description on the back of the book:
Nell Young’s whole life and greatest passion is cartography. Her father, Dr. Daniel Young, is a legend in the field and Nell’s personal hero. But she hasn’t seen or spoken to him ever since he cruelly fired her and destroyed her reputation after an argument over an old, cheap gas station highway map.
But when Dr. Young is found dead in his office at the New York Public Library, with the very same seemingly worthless map hidden in his desk, Nell can’t resist investigating.
The Neverending Story (1979) by Michael Ende
Translated from the German by Ralph Manheim
I don't know much about this book, although I have heard of it. My son had seen the movie years ago but had not read the book, so he wanted to read it. I will wait until he does that and see what he thinks before I give it a try.
From the description on the back of the book:
Unicorns, dragons, sprites, will-o'-the-wisps: the inhabitants of an enchanted world. And into this world – through the pages of an old book – ventures Bastian, a lonely boy of ten or twelve. But Fantastica is slowly decaying, its Childlike Empress dying. Only a real human being can set things right by giving the Empress a new name. Bastian takes up the challenge, and finds himself crossing the Swamps of Sadness and the Silver Mountains, meeting sorcerers and giants, bats and night-hobs, gnomes and racing snails, as he journeys bravely toward the Ivory Tower. Bastian's quest is filled with all the wonders of myth and fairy tale. It is a fantasy adventure that will capture your heart – and recapture the magical dreams of childhood.
Legends & Lattes (2022) by Travis Baldtree
I am very glad that my son found a copy of this book, because I have been wanting to read it. The subtitle of the book is: "A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes."
From the description on the back of the book:
After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.
The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success — not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.
If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone.
But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.
Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World (2025) by Mark Waddell
This book has a great title and a clever cover. I like the premise. And in addition, the author is Canadian. Admittedly the book is categorized as Horror / Fantasy, but I am hoping the Humor balances out the Horror. Assuming my son likes it, I will be reading it too.
From the description on the back of the book:
Colin is a low-level employee at Dark Enterprises, a Hell-like multinational corporation solving the world’s most difficult problems in deeply questionable ways. After years of toiling away in a cubicle, he’s ready to climb the corporate ladder and claim the power he’s never had.
The only problem is, he’s pretty sure he’s about to be terminated. Like, terminated. That’s tough, because his BFF has just set him up with a great guy. In fact, maybe he’s a little too great. And he asks a lot of questions ...
When Colin meets a shadowy figure promising his deepest desire in return for a small, unspecified favor, he can’t resist the urge to fast-track his goals. He asks for the one thing that will improve his life: a promotion. But that small favor unleashes an ancient evil.
The Shambling Guide to New York City (2013) by Mur Lafferty
Another book by Mur Lafferty (Station Eternity) is already on my TBR SOON stack. That one is set in space; this one is set in New York City, a New York City with zombies, vampires and other monsters.
From the back cover:
Zoe Norris is looking for a fresh start in New York City. She's found a seemingly perfect position as a travel book editor, but there is one thing holding her back—being human.
Zoe isn't going to let anyone—not even her blood-drinking boss or her death goddess coworker put her off from delving deep into the monster underworld. But her job, not to mention her life, might be in peril when the line between monster and human starts to crumble...with Zoe right in the middle.
Roadside Picnic (1972) by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
Translated from the Russian by Olena Bormashenko
My son bought another book by the Strugatsky brothers at the 2025 book sale. He read that one and liked it, so naturally he bought this book when he saw it this year. It looks like a great edition, with all the extra information. This one sounds more interesting to me, so I will probably read it after he does.
From the back of the book:
Red Schuhart is a stalker, one of those young rebels who are compelled, in spite of extreme danger, to venture illegally into the Zone to collect the mysterious artifacts that the alien visitors left scattered around. His life is dominated by the place and the thriving black market in the alien products. But when he and his friend Kirill go into the Zone together to pick up a “full empty,” something goes wrong. And the news he gets from his girlfriend upon his return makes it inevitable that he’ll keep going back to the Zone, again and again, until he finds the answer to all his problems.
First published in 1972, Roadside Picnic is still widely regarded as one of the greatest science fiction novels, despite the fact that it has been out of print in the United States for almost thirty years. This authoritative new translation corrects many errors and omissions and has been supplemented with a foreword by Ursula K. Le Guin and a new afterword by Boris Strugatsky explaining the strange history of the novel’s publication in Russia.
2 comments:
Your son chose some really interesting books, Tracy. I enjoyed The Cartographers very much. Even though the description sounds more science fiction, it really is a solid mystery, too. The rest of these books look interesting, too. I hope your son will enjoy them.
Hi Tracy, the Cartogrophers sounds interesting. Wow parents and kids have a falling out but Dr Young took it to extremes with his daughter Nell. I sense this novel will also be a journey for Nell how to make peace with her father who is no longer around.
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