Sci-Fi Book Club

Embark on a journey through the cosmos of imagination with our monthly science fiction book group! Join us every 3rd Thursday of the month for an exploration of distant worlds, futuristic technologies, and mind-bending concepts. Whether you’re a seasoned sci-fi enthusiast or a curious newcomer, all are welcome to dive into the vast universe of speculative fiction.

Meetings
Date: 3rd Thursday of each month
Time: 6pm-7pm
Location: Aldrich Room, Howe Library
This book discussion program is HYBRID. We will meet in the Aldrich Room, but you may also attend via Zoom. Email Tessa at tessa.johnson@thehowe.org for an invitation or more information.

This Month’s Book is Womb City, by Tlotlo Tsamaase

This genre-bending Africanfuturist horror novel blends The Handmaid’s Tale with Get Out in an adrenaline-packed, cyberpunk body-hopping ghost story exploring motherhood, memory, and a woman’s right to her own body.

Nelah seems to have it all: fame, wealth, and a long-awaited daughter growing in a government lab. But, trapped in a loveless marriage to a policeman who uses a microchip to monitor her every move, Nelah’s perfect life is precarious. After a drug-fueled evening culminates in an eerie car accident, Nelah commits a desperate crime and buries the body, daring to hope that she can keep one last secret.

The truth claws its way into Nelah’s life from the grave.

As the ghost of her victim viciously hunts down the people Nelah holds dear, she is thrust into a race against the clock: in order to save any of her remaining loved ones, Nelah must unravel the political conspiracy her victim was on the verge of exposing—or risk losing everyone.

Set in a cruel futuristic surveillance state where bodies are a government-issued resource, this harrowing story is a twisty, nail-biting commentary on power, monstrosity, and bodily autonomy. In sickeningly evocative prose, Womb City interrogates how patriarchy pits women against each other as unwitting collaborators in their own oppression. In this devastatingly timely debut novel, acclaimed short fiction writer Tlotlo Tsamaase brings a searing intelligence and Botswana’s cultural sensibility to the question: just how far must a woman go to bring the whole system crashing down? – penguinrandomhouse.com

What to Expect:

  • Engaging Discussions: Share your thoughts, theories, and questions with fellow spacefarers as we dissect the chosen book.
  • Diverse Perspectives: Our group welcomes readers of all backgrounds and experiences, ensuring a rich tapestry of viewpoints.
  • Community Building: Connect with like-minded individuals who share your passion for the extraordinary realms of science fiction.
     

Who Can Attend:
This Science Fiction Book Group is open to everyone! Whether you’re a library regular, a casual reader, or someone who just discovered the wonders of sci-fi, you’re invited to join our cosmic rendezvous.

Books can be checked out by any Upper Valley resident, regardless of library membership.

Mark your calendars, set your coordinates, and prepare for an odyssey of literary discovery! The future awaits, and we can’t wait to explore it together in the pages of captivating science fiction. See you at the next meeting!

Books we’ve read so far:

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