The Flight Attendant on TV, Locus SF Awards, Costco Picks School of Essential Ingredients, Sandman Coming to Netflix, The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas, Shift and Dust by Hugh Howey and All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Though I was never a big fan of The Big Bang Theory, I am excited to see that one of its stars, Kaley Cuoco is going to be producing a series based on the book The Flight Attendant. 

TV: The Flight Attendant

Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) "is staying at the studio behind the blockbuster comedy series with an expansive new agreement at Warner Bros. TV Group that includes a series pickup by WarnerMedia's upcoming streaming platform of thriller drama The Flight Attendant http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz41112662," based on the novel by Chris Bohjalian, Deadline reported. Cuoco will star and executive produce, with Greg Berlanti's Berlanti Prods. producing alongside Warner Bros.

Cuoco launched her Yes, Norman Productions company in 2017 with a pod (production overall deal) at WBTV, and the first project under that deal was The Flight Attendant, with Cuoco optioning the rights to the book before it had been published by Doubleday. Steve Yockey (Supernatural) wrote the adaptation. Filming is expected to begin this fall.

I am also thrilled to see that The Calculating Stars, a book that I read, enjoyed and reviewed favorably here on my blog has won a coveted Locus Award for best science fiction novel! Kudos to Mary Robinette Kowal and all the winners.

Awards: Locus Winners

The winners of the 2019 Locus Awards http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz41112666, sponsored by the Locus Science Fiction Foundation, are:

Science Fiction Novel: The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor)Fantasy Novel: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (Del Rey)Horror Novel: The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay (Morrow)Young Adult Novel: Dread Nation by Justina Ireland (Balzer + Bray)First Novel: Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse (Saga)Novella: Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (Tor.com Publishing)Novelette: The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander (Tor.com Publishing)Short Story: "The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington" by Phenderson Djèlí Clark (Fireside 2/18)Anthology: The Book of Magic edited by Gardner Dozois (Bantam)Collection: How Long 'til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US)Magazine: Tor.comPublisher: TorEditor: Gardner DozoisArtist: Charles VessNonfiction: Ursula K. Le Guin: Conversations on Writing by Ursula K. Le Guin and David Naimon (Tin House)Art Book: The Books of Earthsea: The Complete Illustrated Edition by Ursula K. Le Guin, illustrated by Charles Vess (Saga)Special Award 2019: Community Outreach & Development: Mary Anne Mohanraj

I've read and loved every book written by the delightful Erica Bauermeister, who was kind enough to let me interview her for different publications twice. Her first book, the School of Essential Ingredients is a delicious dream of a novel that stays with you long after you've turned the final page. I am so glad that Costco's book buyer has chosen this fine book as their July pick for readers.

Pennie Picks: The School of Essential Ingredients

Pennie Clark Ianniciello, Costco's book buyer, has chosen The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister (Berkley, $16, 9780425232095) as her pick of the month for July. In Costco Connection, which goes to many of the warehouse club's members, she wrote:

"Life is made up of small moments, and Erica Bauermeister captures a collection of those moments beautifully in her novel The School of Essential Ingredients, this month's book buyer's pick.

"When eight strangers gather for a monthly cooking class they are all at different places in their lives. Over the duration of the class, readers learn about each character as the characters, in turn, learn about themselves.

"This book gives readers plenty to feast on."

 Another book that I read and loved years ago is actually a graphic novel series written by the incredible Neil Gaiman. I am thrilled that it will become a Netflix series most likely debuting next year. I can hardly wait! 

TV: The Sandman

Netflix has "given an 11-episode series order to The Sandman http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz41138404>, based on Neil Gaiman's DC comic, from Warner Bros TV," Deadline reported. Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman, Grey's Anatomy) is slated to write and serve as showrunner on the series, with Gaiman executive producing alongside David Goyer.

"We're thrilled to partner with the brilliant team that is Neil Gaiman, David S. Goyer and Allan Heinberg to finally bring Neil's iconic comic book series, The Sandman, to life onscreen," said Channing Dungey, v-p, original series, Netflix. "From its rich characters and storylines to its intricately built-out worlds, we're excited to create an epic original series that dives deep into this multi-layered universe beloved by fans around the world."

Gaiman, who will write the first episode http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz41138405 with Heinberg and Goyer, noted on Twitter: "I'm hoping we can make something on television that feels as personal and true as the best of the Sandman comics did. Just set thirty years later than Sandman the comic."

The Guardian offered a project summary: "Moving between the dawn of time http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz41138406 to the eve of the new millennium in London and the Renaissance, the Sandman follows Morpheus as he comes to grips with the changes that have taken place in the world as he lay captive. It also tells the stories of his six siblings, the Endless, who include Death, Destiny and Desire."

The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas was one of those books recommended to me that at first blush looks like it would be right up my alley. Strong female protagonists and a science fiction/fantasy narrative set in England are all signs that a book will appeal to me. Unfortunately, the author wasn't able to create a cohesive plot or storyline, and her prose was erratic, while her characters were mostly reprehensible, evil and weak. The book jumps from different era to different era and various character POVs with each chapter, so readers have a hard time figuring out what is going on and whose story is being told. Even the ending was a disappointment. Here's the blurb: In 1967, four female scientists worked together to build the world’s first time machine. But just as they are about to debut their creation, one of them suffers a breakdown, putting the whole project―and future of time travel―in jeopardy. To protect their invention, one member is exiled from the team―erasing her contributions from history.
Fifty years later, time travel is a big business. Twenty-something Ruby Rebello knows her beloved grandmother, Granny Bee, was one of the pioneers, though no one will tell her more. But when Bee receives a mysterious newspaper clipping from the future reporting the murder of an unidentified woman, Ruby becomes obsessed: could it be Bee? Who would want her dead? And most importantly of all: can her murder be stopped?
Traversing the decades and told from alternating perspectives, The Psychology of Time Travel introduces a fabulous new voice in fiction and a new must-read for fans of speculative fiction and women’s fiction alike.

I wouldn't call this a must read for science fiction fans at all. It will only frustrate those who like well written and well told tales of time travel. From what I could discern from this confusing story, the main thrust is that the head of the time travel scientists, Margaret, is a narcissistic, cruel sociopath who lives to make herself more powerful and wealthy while making everyone around her miserable and dead or mentally destroyed. Her polar opposite is supposed to be Barbara, who has a nervous breakdown at their first press conference, and spends the rest of her life plotting ways to get back into the Conclave (Time travel business), though readers will know that she never will be able to get back in while Margaret is alive. The other time travel pioneers are complicit in the shunning of Barbara, and are also pretty awful people, until they become older and wiser, supposedly, though none of them struck me as particularly kind or moral creatures. Ruby, Barbara's grand daughter seems to be a halfway decent character, but she gets lost in the labyrinthine plot which is so weighted with superfluous characters that it collapses into incomprehensibility. I'd give this book a C, and I can't really imagine anyone without OCD wanting to read this book. 

Shift and Dust by Hugh Howey are the second and third books in his Silo trilogy, which began with Wool, an exceptional work of speculative dystopian fiction. I had high hopes for Shift and Dust, and though I was expecting a certain amount of 'sophomore slump' from Shift, I was not expecting to be so depressed by the lack of forward momentum in Dust. Shift is mostly backstory, with jumps backward and forward in time to let readers know how these politicians decided to destroy the world,kill billions of people and set up a select number of humans in 50 underground silos where their politician leaders sleep for centuries and only thaw out to work in shifts, to keep the other silo populations isolated, drugged and in line with a codified book of rituals and rules,available only to those who are brainwashed into the upper eschelons of silo society. Here are the blurbs, first for Shift: In 2007, the Center for Automation in Nanobiotech (CAN) outlined the hardware and software platforms that would one day allow robots smaller than human cells to make medical diagnoses, conduct repairs, and even self-propagate. In the same year, the CBS network re-aired a program about the effects of propranolol on sufferers of extreme trauma. A simple pill, it had been discovered, could wipe out the memory of any traumatic event. At almost the same moment in humanity’s broad history, mankind discovered the means for bringing about its utter downfall. And the ability to forget it ever happened. This is the second volume in the New York Times best-selling Wool series.

Dust: Wool introduced the world of the silo. Shift told the story of its creation. Dust will describe its downfall.
Juliette, now mayor of Silo 18, doesn’t trust Silo 1, especially its leader, Donald. But in the world of the Silos, there is no black and white — everything is shades of gray. Donald may not be the monster Juliette thinks he is, and may in fact be key to humanity’s continued survival. But can they work together long enough to succeed? 

I liked Juliette in the first book because she was such a strong female protagonist who got sh*t done, and didn't know the word impossible. Unfortunately, the author seems to have believed that even strong women can't survive without a love interest, so Juliette has a weird sort of long distance relationship with Lukas, who inevitably dies, though we really don't get a sense that Juliette was deeply in love with him to begin with. Still SPOILER, I was glad that Juliette lead a small group of people to freedom on land that was unspoiled where they can rebuild society, but there was no indication of whether or not there were still people alive in the other silos that she could rescue from their scripted lives underground and free them to live above ground in the open air. I was also gratified to see that Donald gave his life to destroy the evil Thurman and the other frozen politicians in order to stop Thurman from killing everyone in the other silos for his dark vision of the future. Howey's prose is muscular and sharp, and his plots, at least for the first and third books, are swift and sturdy. That said,I felt that the second book, Shift, dragged in several spots and was just too long. I'd give the series as a whole a B+, and recommend it to those who like dystopian fiction with a lot of mechanical details, or who find engineering, mechanical, computer and social, fascinating.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells is a short science fiction novel that takes place on a distant planet, and delineates the story of an android (security) who has become self aware and self motivating. The prose is clean and sharp, and the plot moves along at a brisk pace.  Here's the blurb:

"As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure."
In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.
But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.
On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid — a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.
But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.

Murderbot doesn't seem to like most people, yet it works hard to save and protect them when it doesn't have to, because it removed its 'governor' module so that it has free will. This book was kind of like a murder mystery in space, with action, an odd android and a crew of misfit scientists thrown in for good measure. I loved that Murderbot had a penchant for soap opera style stories/videos,and spends its free time watching/reading them. Though the ending was open ended, I liked this short work, but I don't really feel invested enough in the main character to seek out more books in this series. I'd give it a B, and recommend it to anyone looking for a good short science fiction beach read.