Friday, November 1, 2013

Happy Sci-Fi Month!!


It's here, it's here! It's finally Sci-Fi month! There are so many awesome posts that'll be done this month, so make sure to check the schedule daily (I know I'll probably be glued to my computer for the next month... goodbye social life).

So now for my introduction post! For those of you who don't know me, my name is Annie and I'm a Professional Writing senior at the University of Oklahoma (Boomer!). My blog is dedicated to reviews and discussions of all things Young Adult fiction because someday, I would like to be a published YA author. I'm a little bit new in the Science-Fiction community, meaning I haven't read much Sci-fi and all my love for it comes mostly from the television shows and movies I watch. I think the reason the genre is so appealing to me, and to many others, is because it lets us into a whole new world. It's a world full of "what ifs" and "could happens", and our imaginations can easily get sucked into those concepts. It's also a world full of technology and, sometimes, aliens which is appealing because it's so different from what we're used to. Sci-fi seems to be the perfect escape for readers, and I think that's my favorite thing about it. I also love how much it makes me think. It's a genre that's very involved with its audience and requires a lot of thought. Basically, you can't be passive and be a Sci-fi fan.

Now for my favorites. As far as books go, I tend to lean more towards the Dystopian sub-genre of Sci-fi and obsess over series like The Hunger Games and Divergent (especially this one... which leads me to promote my review of Allegient because it's now my favorite series). I also really enjoyed The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld. But I'm always looking for more YA Sci-fi book recs, so send them my way. Now, the television shows are probably what caused my love for Sci-fi the most. Well, it was mostly Doctor Who. How do I explain my love for Doctor Who? Without going into a deep analysis that lasts days, that is. Doctor Who has changed the way I view television shows, the way I read books, and the way I write my own stories. It didn't become the longest running Sci-fi show because of sub-par writing. It consistently captures my attention with every episode, and makes me feel like I'm a part of that world. What do you mean The Doctor isn't real? I still refuse to accept that. The characters are complex and the story lines are convoluted (in the best possible ways), and I love it with all my heart. I also love Star Trek and Star Wars, but in the great battle between the two, I lean more towards the Trekkie side... I'm more partial to the stuff that happens in the future than in the past. I also have a never ending list of shows to start watching (aka Firefly), so someday, I'm hoping to conquer that list.

So here's what I have planned for Sci-fi month:
-Thursday, November 7th- "What's so great about Sci-fi", a generic post about why people other than myself love the genre. I've collected some feedback from my lovely followers and friends, and I'm so excited to share their thoughts with you guys.
-Thursday, November 14th- I review the YA Sci-fi book, Transparent by Natalie Whipple
-Thursday, November 21st- I interview the awesome Sci-fi writer, Kim Lakin-Smith (author of Queen Rat), on her thoughts about Sci-fi and the community.
-Saturday, November 23rd- Woah, not a Thursday, that's weird! In honor of the Doctor Who 50th celebration, I wrote a post on Doctor Who: 50 Years of Inspiration in Sci-Fi Books.
-Thursday, November 28th- I review the YA Sci-fi book In The After by Demitria Lunetta

Basically, make sure to plan your life accordingly for the next month and check out all the other blogs that are participating. Also, today is the start of NaNoWriMo so get writing!

-Annie

p.s. Ender's Game just came out today in America, so make sure to go see it if you have the chance!

9 comments:

  1. Haha, tell me about it! What with commenting, tweeting and generally catching up, maybe I won't get as much reading done this month as planned ;D

    Hopefully you'll find some great book recommendations via the event. Have you read Scott Westerfeld's Levithian? I'm reading that one next, and like you have read the Uglies series.

    Still waiting for the TARDIS to turn up. I actually heard a noise like the beginning of the arrival of it earlier and nearly jumped out of my seat at work!

    I didn't realise you'd collected other people's thoughts for that post, that's really cool! Looking forward to that, and all the others!

    Thanks for joining in Annie, you were actually one of the first people to reply =D

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    1. I haven't read Leviathan yet, but I really want to! It's on my TBR list so hopefully I'll get to it soon.

      Oh darn, too bad it wasn't the actual TARDIS. I'm still convinced it'll find me, but probably when I least expect it so maybe we should just always be prepared? If I run into the Doctor, I'll make sure to send him your way :)

      So glad to be a part of this event! It's been so much fun reading everyone's posts and seeings everyone's thoughts on such an awesome genre!

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  2. Yayee, so I met another Doctor Who fan. So glad that there's a chance that I'll be a fellow Whovian soon which is what I'm hoping for!

    So I've one awesome sci-fi rec for you: All Our Yesterdays. I just LOVE the book to bits. It's awesome. I'll be reviewing it very soon on the blog and I hope to not just rant about how good it is.

    And wow, looking forward to all your posts especially the one about people's thoughts on sci-fi. That has got to be insightful.

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    1. I love meeting Whovians, that's probably one of the coolest things about that little community! :)

      All Our Yesterdays sounds really interesting, I'll make sure to put it on my TBR list. And I'll definitely check out your review on it, even if it is a rant on how good it is.

      I've loved seeing why people love sci-fi so much, and you're completely right, it's been very insightful. Thanks for stopping by, Sana! :)

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  3. Hi Annie! I'm Ara and nice to 'meet' you :) WOW, you go girl! :) I'll definitely look forward to reading your books in the future.

    I'm new to the sci-fi community as well. I guess I've always been fascinated with the genre and just didn't have the chance to explore more. And I'm missing out, really. So now, I've decided to read more sci-fi books than usual. :)

    I'll surely check out the books you've mentioned here. I have The Hunger Games on Kindle and paperback. I just haven't had the chance to read it (can you believe that?).

    I look forward to your posts. It's going to be reallllly fun! :)

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    1. Thank you so much, Ara, and it's so nice to 'meet' you too!

      This is the perfect chance to get into the sci-fi genre, and I'm super excited to explore some cool books this month. I'm so glad that you're as excited as I am!

      Also, enjoy The Hunger Games, it's such a wonderful series and I know you'll love it :)

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    2. Thank you. You know, I didn't watch the movie coz I wanted to read the book first so I know the difference, etc.

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  4. Hallo, Hallo Annie!!

    I am winding down now as I started making my rounds to other SFN blogs earlier yesterday and carried on through the night & early morning hours of now! I was hoping to tweak my Doctor Who posts (one about why I am entering the Whovian Universe & one about the first four episodes I saw last night!).... I think exhaustion is going to claim me!

    However, what has been quite lovely are all the lovely bloggers I am starting to interact with and find that we each approach science fiction differently but we each have such a conjoined passion for it that its a beautiful celebration this month! :) I'm thankful to be a part of it!

    You shouldn't feel bad!! I was reading most of all the science fiction and high fantasy novels that I know of when I was seventeen to my early twenties! I had to take a break from reading for a long time, and when I re-entered into it, I realised that breaking back into this genre wasn't as easy as I had hoped it would be! :( :( Actually if I hadn't clicked on a badge for Tomorrow Comes Media and become a blog tour host for them I might still be in the dark on how to find wicked sweet sci-fi and fantasy!! The last book I read on one of their tours has left me dreaming merrily of dragons! (Redheart!)

    It has opened up this new door for me, and prior to finding them, I saw this being adverted (SFN) and knew that if I wanted a good way back into a genre I have missed, now is the time! I am going to be taking heaps of notes on the books everyone will review or discuss, as much as the fact I am challenging myself to read 3 separate focuses of the main genre as a way to stretch my comfort zone and resume where I left off! :)

    Mind you, tonight I was meant to write about my adventures in discovering Doctor Who but I was distracted by "Intro Posts",... your not the only one glued to the screen even if her eyes are begging for her to take a break! Oyyy.

    OOh how interesting! I have Divergent on my shelf! All the books I am reading this month are borrowed through my local library, and that was one that I was either told was a good choice to read OR I found it myself, but its hard to tell which at this moment! I am never sure about a book until I open it, but you seem to be speaking in favour of it and the series!?

    You'll have to jump over to my blog and read my first Feature (Seventeen to Seven) and you'll find we have more in common than Who! :)

    Okay I am bookmarking your blog! I'll be returning poste haste to see your posts throughout SFN!! I look forward to seeing you drop by JLAS as well! :)

    Happy SFN!

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    1. Hi Jorie and thanks for stopping by! :)

      I'm so glad you're enjoying Sci-Fi Month so far, I know I am too and I've come across some really lovely blogs- including yours (my dad and I watch Star Trek together too)! Redheart sounds very interesting, since most of the time I tend to forget that dragons aren't actually real (oops), and I'll have to add it to my TBR list. I'm hoping that list will grow significantly in the next month with all the reviews and recommendations that I come across!

      Glad I'm not the only one who has been insanely distracted by all the posts... Finishing up this semester might be a bit difficult now :) But your Doctor Who post sounds wonderful, I always love seeing the reactions of people who watch it for the first time!

      Divergent is wonderful and it's perfect if you haven't read much Distopian novels, but be warned, the series is an emotional roller coaster ride! Overall though, I have nothing but praise for the series and I definitely recommend it.

      I'm so glad you enjoyed my post and I can't wait to see your thoughts on others! I'll definitely be following your blog as well :)

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