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March 2020
Stefen’s Bookclub – March
The Power by Naomi Alderman If you'd asked me a month ago if we've read Naomi Alderman's The Power for Book Club, I would probably have said we have. The reality is that we haven't, it just gets mentioned a lot. When I realised this I decided to correct that oversight. The Power is an unusual book in that it's presented as a historical fiction account of a massive cultural shift that starts in the present, as told by someone…
Find out more »Meet the Author: Catherynne Valente
You'll find books by Catherynne Valente all over the store, since not only is she a customer and staff favourite, but she also writes in an array of spec fic sub genres. In addition to the very popular young adult Fairyland series, she's also written some wonderful folklore and history inspired books as well as weird-fiction and her latest science fiction humour title Space Opera. We've also read two of her books for our book club, Radiance and Deathless. Recently…
Find out more »Cancelled – Meet the Author: Dervla McTiernan
Due to the current COVID-19 situation, we regret that we have had to cancel this event in the immediate term. I'm very pleased to announce that we'll be hosting an evening with Dervla McTiernan on the 24th of March. With her third crime novel, The Good Turn just about to be released I of course put my hand up for an event, hosted at Durty Nelly's Irish pub. Since Dervla emigrated from Ireland to Western Australia in 2011, I think…
Find out more »April 2020
Stefen’s Bookclub – April
Zoo City by Lauren Beukes I've had it in my head to put up a Lauren Beukes book for a while now, so I'm glad that in April we'll be discussing this one. Zoo City was originally published in 2010 and won the Arthur C Clarke award in 2011. It's an interesting mix of the modern world, and magic where crime and its associated guilt manifest as animal companions. In one of my favourite films (We're No Angels from 1955)…
Find out more »June 2020
Stefen’s Bookclub – June
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M Miller I'd decided to set this one for book club months ago, and even ordered plenty of copies so I'd be ready. Then things happened and now it looks like a choice made based on current affairs rather than me just wanting to chat about some old science fiction. It's funny how the present can change the way you perceive the past, which coincidentally is one of the themes of this book. Covering…
Find out more »Books from Afar, with Sami Shah
A relaxed interview style event with Sami chatting with Stefen via Zoom about his young adult books Boy of Fire and Boy of Earth with a Q&A following. RSVP required so we can send the meeting link to you: stefen@stefensbooks.com.au or facebook.com/stefensbooks.
Find out more »July 2020
Stefen’s Bookclub – July
Children of Time by Andrian Tchaikovsky I’ve wanted to do this as a bookclub book for a while. It’s quite a thick read but I think it’s one that is worth everybody’s time. It’s basically a book about aliens, although the aliens are not quite what we usually get in science fiction, they’re done with a very interesting and clever development structure and they’re made from something familiar. This is one of my favourite books where humans and other intelligences…
Find out more »August 2020
Stefen’s Bookclub – August
Red Moon by Kim Stanley Robinson I’ve wanted to do a Kim Stanley Robinson book for a while but they’re generally pretty hefty or in multi book series’ and I try to avoid that for bookclub books. However, Red Moon, the most recent release is about the right length and stand-alone. It’s a near-future tale of colonisation of the Moon, but also of people and society. Kim Stanley Robinson is quite famous for weaving science and politics into his books…
Find out more »September 2020
Stefen’s Bookclub – September
A Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter M Miller Jr When I set this book for earlier in the year I hadn’t expected it to be quite so appropriate. I also had no idea I’d be running the club online via Zoom, but there you are. There’s so much in this book that it seemed a shame that we didn’t get to do it properly with a full house, so it’ll be our first ‘do-over’. I’d decided on and ordered the…
Find out more »October 2020
Stefen’s Bookclub – October
The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa This is a strangely compelling story set on a small island that is under the control of The Memory Police who decide for reasons of their own to remove things from the island. When they do this, not only are the physical objects taken away but the memory of them. Anything could be selected, a type of flower, a style of garment, a foodstuff and finally people. Those who question the Memory Police and…
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