Some Days You Just Have to Laugh

What Do You Read When You Just Need Cheering Up?

Some science fiction is read for the laughs. This series is one: EarthCentAmbassador. Currently the 16 books are listed with Kindle Unlimited.The stories are based on the adventures of an Earth ambassador to Union Station where the sentient planets send their ambassadors. The first in the series is Date Night on Union Station, rated 5 star on Amazon. Most of the series is rated 4.5-5 stars.


What is unique about these books is that they are suitable for all ages. The author E. M. Foner claims he wrote the first book as a relaxing relief from the toils of writing his science fiction epic. His comedic and personable style can be enjoyed in the author bio on Amazon and in his blog. 

 Another series takes place in contemporary Earth-- the AI Diaries.

In the AI Diaries an AI travels to today's Earth to observe humans. The Turing Test is the first in the series.

In Meghan's Dragon, a teenager in this coming-of-age novel must mature into a mage and control her dragon. Foner states that his goal in writing this book is to explore the world of young adults who must face challenges as they interact with aliens and AI in adventures that are not world-shatteringly dangerous.
Enjoy the laughs!

And read these out loud to the kids. Or let them read these themselves. Have fun.

I am also a believer in using good science fiction to encourage reading, to encourage an interest in science, to expand the ability to imagine and conceptualize, and to foster discussions between teachers/parents and youth. As a science teacher, I have written about this in various blog posts and my websites. Check out some of these posts by clicking on the labels. 

A New Set of Military Space Operas to Read

Ok, so actually they were new to me because I recently discovered them. I read the first one and got hooked on the series in each case. So I am telling you about them. (Click on the books to go to Amazon for more info and to get your copy.) (Updated 2020)

My Favorites

You might remember from past posts that my favorite space opera authors are these, although not in this order:

1. David Weber
2. Elizabeth Moon
3. Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

David Weber has a new series called Manticore Ascendant that introduces a new hero as a midshipman. Although in the Honorverse, there is little mention of Honor Harrington. Also, this book can be read by a young adult. It is a good coming of age novel.

For the YA Reader

Then there is the series for YA readers that features a teenage Honor Harrington. This series begins with the book A Beautiful Friendship. 

Trade Secret by Lee and Miller is another book for YA, but it has a higher reading level than some. At least the grades 7-9 kids I introduced to it thought it difficult to relate to. The story is rather complex, but I enjoyed it.

Elizabeth Moon long ago wrote Sheepfarmer's Daughter that is part of The Deed of Paksinarrion anthology. Paks is another warrior that the YA reader will enjoy knowing.

For You and Me, as Adult Readers:  Space Operas to Enjoy

But let's get back to the military space operas. Some have female heroes. Some are actually in the space service of the universe. Some have several trilogies in the series; some just a few. All have lots of challenges to be solved and plenty of interpersonal relationships with ongoing friendships, different crew members with which to deal, families and at times a love interest.

Then there are the different approaches to what a spaceship is like. And how it moves through space. Seldom is there an alien species, but what the hey. These were enjoyable and I even paid to read the next one when the first was from Kindle Unlimited, but not the next or 5th or whichever. There are hundreds more.

• Trading in Danger (Vatta's War Book 1) by Elizabeth Moon
• Space Viking by H. Beam Piper
• Midshipman Henry Gallant in Space (The Henry Gallant Saga Book 1) by H. Peter Alesso
• On Basilisk Station (Honor Harrington Book 1) by David Weber
• Star Nomad by Lindsay Buroker
• Dragon and Thief by Timothy Zahn

... ... ... ...... ... ...

More to come.

This picture and the spaceship above are from Fotolia, which is now part of Adobe Stock.

Book Review: Haze by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.

Haze by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.

A Book Review by Valerie Cosrkey

A book suitable for a YA audience in content--easy-going, but interspersed with lively action; implicitly deeply philosophical; no obscenities, overt sex, or pathological-character action; and mild violence--Haze gently leads the reader to question the authority of a successful government's control over the lives of its citizens. It posits a near-Utopian society as the enemy of such a government. The main character is an enforcement agent with the rank of major who finds himself assigned to infiltrate and spy on the enemy culture.

The book reveals Agent Major Roget's character in a series of flashbacks to other missions he had accomplished on the home world of Earth. That is the bare bones of the story outline, but within this skeleton is fine storytelling that begins almost too gently to persuade one to finish the book until you realize that you really care about Roget and wonder what all the flashbacks are trying to tell you.

By the end of the book, and with no pedantic passages, you have had an education in democracy, political and governmental institutions, freedom vs. governance, and philosophy. However, the book is filled with wonderful 1-2 sentences of quotable remarks on these subjects, especially appreciated from a Humanist worldview. A discussion of this book in high school and college classes of history, government, and science would be enriching. There is much in the writing style, plot structure, themes and symbolism to make this book usefully instructive in a literature class. Yet the story itself is less than 200 pages long--just right for a mature YA audience. Like  Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, this book is easily read but deceptively deep.

A short quotation from the beginning of pages of the book expresses a secondary theme of the book. In the first chapter Kuang says, Full freedom is another word for chaos and mob rule.

(©2009; A Tor Book, Tom Doherty Associates, LLC; New York, N.Y.; p. 18.) 

Throughout the book, there is a tension between freedom and government, with examples of different levels of freedom and different governments maintaining control. This tension is a strong theme, probably the primary theme.

The Courtesan Prince by Lynda Williams A Book Review by Valerie Coskrey

I recently discovered a new science fiction universe to explore. The deftly built Okal Rel Universe is visited through the books of the Okal Rel Saga by Lynda Williams and her proteges. The central character of the saga is introduced in The Courtesan Prince as Von who is, well, a popular gigolo of the royal ladies of the court. He is also a young man who was stolen at birth and is just discovering his specialized genotypic heritage. He is, unbeknownst to anyone, a Sevolite, genetically engineered and of royal descent.

In a society with legal prostitution, courtesans are used openly by society's elite. This is the story of how one such man becomes a popular lover, a valued friend, a protector of children, and a spaceship pilot. It is the story of a society in chaos and of its promise of better days with a new leader. It is a story of how contact between planetary societies is reestablished after centuries of mutual avoidance following a destructive war. And, finally, it is the story of the relationships that are possible when society sets artificial taboos on who is allowed to love and what types of sex are permissible.

It is not a story rife with explicit descriptions of sexual acts, but there are numerous sexual encounters and the development of a few romantic-love relationships. There is an underlying theme of the consequences of abuse and the victim's emotional growth needed to cope with an abusive past and present. The book has numerous characters allowing for a variety of stories to be told and relationships to be examined, from both homosexual and heterosexual perspectives; from the ugliness of abuse to the passivity of prostitution, to the passion of infatuation, to the caring of friendship and the love of mates.

Lynda Williams builds a cohesive universe populated with real people in real, slightly dysfunctional societies, with believable interactions and adventures. It is an action-packed adventure with sword fights, politics, murder, spaceship battles, justice and betrayals.

I enjoyed it and plan to read the others in the series. The Okal Rel series spans about 15 books to date, including some written by proteges of Lynda Williams. They can be purchased through Amazon.com; but to get the list of all books available, visit the Okal Rel Universe website.

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Much of this text is also in my blog Dirt Poor Books. Note: I updated the Amazon links and added labels to this post in July of 2014. Lynda Williams had written several books since then, and has greatly advanced the saga.

My Article on Robert J. Sawyer and his Books Wake and Far-Seer

I have posted an article on Robert J. Sawyer, science fiction author, on the RFF Reflections blog. I invite you to read it. He writes exciting tales of aliens and of computer networks.

Of his books displayed on his website, these are the ones I want to read first.

. .. Then I would want to read Calculating God followed by Illegal Alien. Then I would want to finish the trilogies and maybe start on the Hominids series.

I suspect that the ones listed above will be suitable for teens. Far-Seer has been reviewed as a YA novel.  Wake's main character is 15.

Check them out and tell me what you think.

My Book Review for Krysia Anderson's Misfit Leaves Home

Today I posted a book review for Misfit Leaves Home, a sci fi novella in Lynda William's Okal Rel Universe and written by teenager Krysia Anderson. The book review for this charming YA and middle school novella can be found in the Reading for the Future Reflections blog. Check it out.

The book is hard to find and must often be specially ordered even at the larger bookstores Barnes & Noble and Borders. But you can get it here!

The Wonderful Paper Dolls of Tom Tierney

Back around Labor Day on a visit to downtown Smithville, TX, during a family visit I discovered a store where the owner is Tom Tierney. Turns out he does paper doll books for Dover. That is he writes historical and factual commentary for the dolls and costumes that he illustrates. The books are published by Dover Publications.

I bought a paper doll greeting card from a set that is no longer in publication and he graciously signed the card for me. We talked for quite a while, as it is a small town and everyone quickly becomes acquainted; and he is a charming, interesting man. He gave me a signed set of his paper doll series on classical Hollywood actresses. He signed them all for me as I stood there.

Mom and Dad came in and we all chatted. He is 81 so he and Dad connected.

One of his booklet sets is from the 2008 presidential campaign, which adds to his U.S. presidents and their families series. He has one booklet each for John McCain and his wife and then Barack Obama and his wife and daughters. I had hoped to get the Obama book eventually. It is $10.00. His books are sold internationally, so a signed copy will be a collectible, I couldn't help but think.

He told me that he tries to sign all books sold in his store if the customer wants him to.

I went back this past weekend and found that the campaign booklet was sold out, but I purchased the book of fashions worn to date by President Obama and his family. Since Tom was gone for the day, I left the booklet with his great-niece for my promised autograph. Today, I picked up the book and had a pleasant visit with both Tierneys. I figure that after I have enjoyed the booklet for a time, I will give it to my granddaughter.

What makes his books so special? First, they are beautifully illustrated. From what he said and from what I discovered when I looked him up online later, he was once a fashion illustrator in Dallas and then in New York. His drawings are historically and technically accurate. His series of booklets range from Grimm's Fairy Tales and Disney characters, periods of European and American history, international historical costumes, movie characters, pirates and their heroines and cohorts as depicted in the movies, Sherlock Holmes, European royalty, U.S. presidents and their families, and other iconic figures.

Then there are the narratives that are also historically accurate in Tom Tierney's History of Fashion Collection, being well researched. Teachers would find the booklets useful for history and social studies lessons. Interactive bulletin boards and models for worksheets are other teaching ideas. And think of the role playing and stimulus for creative writing such booklets could be used to generate.

I have an idea that using paper dolls to generate conversation would motivate students to read books about a topic. It might spark questions that students could research for reports. Definitely the illustrations make historical figures more concrete.

Now if I could only get him to do fairies and science fiction characters from the universes of my favorite authors, which are all those listed in my website estore. Imagine the richly sensuous or the highly practical fashions of Lee and Miller's Liaden Universe on the actual characters as glorious 8" tall paper dolls. And what about Pax from Elizabeth Moon's series set alongside the warriors of David Weber's and John Ringo's military space operas and Moon's spaceship heroes and heroines. One booklet of warriors, since they tend to wear the same thing each day. And what about the characters of the Okel Rel Universe by Lynda Williams?

These wonderful writers all describe world's so richly that one lives in the Universe for a time. Wouldn't you enjoy making the characterization more concrete? Don't you visualize the fashions of these characters as you read their stories? Would this make students grades 5-12 want to read the books?

I think I will mention this to my friends at Reading for the Future; at least I should mention it on the RFF page on Facebook or the new blog "Reading for the Future Reflections."

If you are ever in Smithville, TX, look for Tom-Kat Paper Dolls on Main Street. Or get paper doll books from Tom Tierney on Amazon.com.

You can also order booklets on eBay from Tom-Kat Paper Dolls.

For a short bio of Tom Tierney's earlier careers, visit his website: www.tomtierney.com.

Book List for k-12 Designed to Motivate Reading using Science Fiction

 Last month I made a book list of award-winning authors and their science fiction or fantasy books written especially for youth. The list has books categorized by grade levels K-12.  I did this as a volunteer effort for Reading for the Future, which has since incorporated and is soon to be a non-profit organization. I used the Golden Duck Awards list, the Hal Clement Awards list and the Science Fiction Library as references for the book list.

Then I put the list on my other blog, Valerie's Memos. Do visit and download the list.  All are great reads. Teachers, you can safely use these books with children and young adult readers, even the ones not classified as YA when published.

Reference url: http://vmemos.blogspot.com/2010/10/suggested-readings-for-k-12-from-golden.html

Sci Fi on YouTube

I thought this video was charming. Enjoy.
If the YouTube video doesn't show, use this link: http://www.youtube.com/v/epXvjQcJdrQ

Get these Resources on Global Warming!

The Planet 1-4 are important documentaries showcasing evidence for Global Warming and some of the cultural change that this phenomenon has already wrought. They are useful for high school and homeschool. They do have a political message, but it is one shared by many in the field of ecology and biology today: Global Warming is here.

Link TV is currently showing the 4-part series The Planet, which look for evidence for Global Warming. It airs several times this week including at 12:00 noon EST beginning Tuesday, 3/3/08, with Part 1 and ending Friday, 3/6/08, with Part 4. It is also shown in the middle of the night for those of you who, like me, record things during the sleeping hours; and at other times during the week. Get the schedule.

I watched The Planet 1 this past Sunday. The presentation this week runs 90 minutes because it is interspersed with interviews and Link TV fund-raising announcements.

And such interviews! Peter Coyote interviewed several scientists and authors this past Sunday, including Kim Stanley Robinson and William Steffen. Each have books and talks about the politics and science of Global Warming. The interviews are as interesting and informative as the documentary. I highly recommend that you catch the showing of The Planet this week to be sure to see the interviews.

I tried to locate The Planet documentaries for purchase, but could not find it at Amazon. Maybe later. I did find the books by Steffen and Robinson that are part of the gift package that Link TV was giving for a $300.00 donation. If you want to give less, as I did, but still want the books, they are available at Amazon. I offer them here.

The non-fiction books I recommend as references for student reports. These are the books by Steffen.

Concerning the books by Kim Stanley Robinson, these are fictional accounts of what could happen in the very near future. Robinson offers knowledgeable scenarios of the the individual and governmental responses to this looming crisis. Critiques of the books are on the Amazon pages. I offer links to the more informative ones that I deem useful for teachers and homeschool parents. These critiques mention the concepts covered in the book and will prove helpful in lesson planning.

Furthermore, the book review of one of the books in the trilogy by a school librarian publication, Library Journal Reveiw, indicates that these books are appropriate for use with youth. I haven't yet read them, but I think they will be safe. I believe the ones I have read--Red Mars and Green Mars, both on the terraforming and colonization of Mars by Robinson--are safe enough.

Read these informative critiques on the book that let teachers know what topics are covered so these books can be used in the classroom. The Library Journal review on the book page of Forty Days of Rain implies that the book is suitable for a high school library.

• Discussion of the science, politics, and readabiliy of the book
• Sixty Days and Counting


• Fifty Degrees Below

..

..

Read more about Link TV and some of its offerings at Valerie's Memos later this week and, of course, at the Link TV website itself.

Getting Kids to Read

One of my passions is encouraging kids to read my favorite books: great science fiction.
In fact I even joined a group that facilitates just that. You can visit their website at Reading for the Future, which links to other sites with the same mission.

In the back of my mind for years has been this idea. I present it you today.

Yes, I know that authors do not having their works butchered or censored. However, kids are kids; and there are a few things about adult literature and kids that either are incompatible or intimidating.

I have not checked to see if this is already being done. Is it?

What if we did this to some of the exciting adult science fiction:

1. Make a reading list of the best pages in a long, complex "future history" with many interlacing threads.  What if that list dealt with only one thread and were placed in a mini-story for kids?
2.  What if the stories were illustrated in the same manner as the old Treasure Island and Star Wars books (art rather than photos)?
3.  What if a list of the pages of only one subset of readings were in a reading list or lesson?
4. What if new anthologies were published with certain words removed and story subsets were included--like the old literature books we grew up with but with book passages as well as short stories?

These could be short, 100 pages or so. They could be ebooks. They could be illustrated. They could be packaged as youth books. They could be paperback and library-bound hardbacks. They could have links to author bios, information about the "rest of the story" and lessons online--all those things that would make the book more like a textbook removed from the book itself but made easily accessible.

Teachers and Librarians, would this work?

I have a long list of books--the ones in my bookstore online--that I would love included in such a project. I have another set that I have recently read that I would want included, too.

Yes, I would love to be tagged as an editor for such a project.

The picture at the top is of a slide that is a PowerPoint Template Design. To me this design is a bit other-worldly. I thought it would add ambiance to this post.

Postscript: I reread this page today, 10/8/10, and -- oops! -- found typos.  I corrected several. Hope I got them all! Sorry. --Valerie

Yet Another Reason to Read Science Fiction

"...creative perception often anticipates scientific findings..."

so says Science News this week (2/2/08, v 173, p. 79)when it lists a book called Proust was a Neurologist. The book summary states," Lehrer analyzes artistic discoveries such as (these)...(that) add up to a plea for scientists to pay attention to the arts. The summary lists examples where Lehrer posits a novelist that described in the story a sensation, a cause and effect, or a phenomenological description of a human response or activity that was later studied by scientists.

(Whew. The summary in SN says it sooo much better!! And they use the number of words needed to say it right, too.Me? I once summarized 1000+ years of history into one 4 paragraph answer on an essay test. Think I'm kidding?)

The summary states that "(t)he poet Walt Whitman made consciousness biological before scientists did. He wrote, 'Behold, the body includes and is the meaning, the main concern, and includes and is the soul.' "

Personally I found the book summary to be another argument for reading science fiction. I also found the summary to be another reason for encouraging today's students to read science fiction since they are the scientists of tomorrow.

Visit www.sciencenews.org to read the book summary. Buy the book. If you would rather that your money went to Science News than to me, then go to Science News bookstore page to order the book. Both sources, them and me, will take you to Amazon.com.

Now if I could find the time to actually read the book itself!!