<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">I asked our newest reading group member, Ann Katsios, to suggest books to vote on at our next meeting on January 3rd for our May book to read.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Below are her suggestions.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"></div><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">---------- Forwarded message ---------<br>From: <strong class="gmail_sendername" dir="auto">ananya</strong> <span dir="auto"><<a href="mailto:ann_wazup@rocketmail.com">ann_wazup@rocketmail.com</a>></span><br>Date: Mon, Dec 16, 2024 at 2:09 PM<br>Subject: Re: NESFA Reading Group email<br>To: David G. Grubbs <<a href="mailto:dggrubbs@gmail.com">dggrubbs@gmail.com</a>><br></div><br><br><div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px" dir="ltr"><div></div>
<div dir="ltr">Hi David,</div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr"> <div>After some delightful hours of book-hunting, I am excited to share three books that I think will make interesting reads. While searching for books that the group hadn't already read, I stumbled upon so many fascinating titles that my own to-read list has grown quite a bit!<br><br>Attached are the book descriptions straight from Amazon for convenience, along with some reviews and awards each book has received. I look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts on these suggestions.</div></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr"><span>1. In Ascension -- <span>Martin MacInnes <br></span></span></div><blockquote><blockquote><div dir="ltr"><span><span><span><span><i>Martin MacInnes has been published in 13 languages and is the winner of a Manchester Fiction Prize, a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award and a Somerset Maugham Award. His third novel, In Ascension (2023), was longlisted for the Booker Prize, shortlisted for the Kitschies award, and won the Arthur C. Clarke award, Blackwell's Book of the Year, and the Saltire Prize for Fiction. In Ascension is a Times bestseller and has been optioned for film.</i> - Goodreads</span></span></span></span></div><span><span><span><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><i>Leigh grew up in Rotterdam, drawn to the waterfront as an escape
from her unhappy home life and volatile father. Enchanted by the
undersea world of her childhood, she excels in marine biology,
travelling the globe to study ancient organisms. When a trench is
discovered in the Atlantic ocean, Leigh joins the exploration team,
hoping to find evidence of the earth's first life forms - what she
instead finds calls into question everything we know about our own
beginnings.<br>Her discovery leads Leigh to the Mojave desert and an
ambitious new space agency. Drawn deeper into the agency's work, she
learns that the Atlantic trench is only one of several related phenomena
from across the world, each piece linking up to suggest a pattern
beyond human understanding. Leigh knows that to continue working with
the agency will mean leaving behind her declining mother and her younger
sister, and faces an impossible choice: to remain with her family, or
to embark on a journey across the breadth of the cosmos. </i><br></span></div><br><span><span><span><span>Winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award 2024</span></span></span></span><br>Listed for the Booker Prize<br>Blackwell's Book of the Year<br><br></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><div><span>'Utterly compelling' </span><span>The Times</span><span>, Books of the Year</span></div><div><span>'Profound and thrilling' </span><span>New Statesman</span><span>, Books of the Year</span></div><div><span>'A far-reaching epic' </span><span>Financial Times</span><span>, Books of the Year <br></span></div><div><span><br></span></div></span></span></span></span></blockquote></blockquote><span><span><span><span><div dir="ltr"><span></span>2. <span>The Mountain in the Sea — Ray Nayler</span></div></span></span></span></span><blockquote><blockquote><div><i>When pioneering marine biologist Dr. Ha Nguyen is offered the chance to travel to the remote Con Dao Archipelago to investigate a highly intelligent, dangerous octopus species, she doesn't pause long enough to look at the fine print. DIANIMA - a transnational tech corporation best known for its groundbreaking work in artificial intelligence - has purchased the islands, evacuated their population and sealed the archipelago off from the world so that Nguyen can focus on her research.<br><br>But the stakes are high: the octopuses hold the key to unprecedented breakthroughs in extrahuman intelligence and there are vast fortunes to be made by whoever can take advantage of their advancements. And no one has yet asked the octopuses what they think. And what they might do about it.</i><br><br>Locus Award 2023 - Winner of First Novel award<br>Nebula Award 2023 Finalist.<br>Ray Bradbury Prize 2023 Finalist.<br>Shortlisted for the 2024 Arthur C. Clarke Award</div><div><br></div><div dir="ltr"><div>'I loved this novel's brain and heart'<br>DAVID MITCHELL, AUTHOR OF CLOUD ATLAS<br><br>'A first-rate speculative thriller, by turns fascinating, brutal, powerful, and redemptive'<br>JEFF VANDERMEER, AUTHOR OF ANNIHILATION<br><br></div><br></div></blockquote></blockquote>3. <span>Venomous Lumpsucker -- Ned Beauman</span></div><blockquote><blockquote><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px" dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><i>The venomous lumpsucker is the most intelligent fish on the planet. Or maybe it was the most intelligent fish on the planet. Because it might have just gone extinct. Nobody knows. And nobody really cares, either. Except for two people.<br><br>Mining executive Mark Halyard has a prison cell waiting for him if that fish is gone for good, and biologist Karin Resaint needs it for her own darker purposes. They don't trust each other an inch, but they're left with no choice but to team up in search of the lumpsucker. And as they journey across the strange landscapes of near-future Europe - a nature reserve full of toxic waste; a floating city on the Baltic Sea; the lethal hinterlands of a totalitarian state - they're drawn into a conspiracy far bigger than one ugly little fish.</i></div><br></div><div dir="ltr"><span>Arthur C. Clarke Award (2023)</span></div><div dir="ltr"><span><span>Sunday Times Science Fiction Novel of the Year</span></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span><span><br></span></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span><div dir="ltr">'Brutally satirical and grimly hilarious' Daily Mail <div dir="ltr"><span>'A laugh-out-loud novel about mass extinction (yes, really)' </span><span>Sunday Times</span><span><br> </span><span>"<span><span>It's not often a book manages to be hilarious, terrifying, and deeply moving all at the same time.</span></span>" - Nemo on goodreads<br></span></div></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div></span></div></div></blockquote></blockquote><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px" dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><span><div dir="ltr">Best,</div><div dir="ltr">Ann Katsios<br></div></span></div></div><blockquote><blockquote><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px" dir="ltr">
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On Tuesday, 10 December 2024 at 11:08:06 GMT-5, ananya <<a href="mailto:ann_wazup@rocketmail.com" target="_blank">ann_wazup@rocketmail.com</a>> wrote:
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<div><div id="m_463569791895192412ydpc084f48eyiv8606248888"><div><br clear="none"><div>Yes, I can definitely get it to you before then.</div><div><br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"><div id="m_463569791895192412ydpc084f48eyiv8606248888ymail_android_signature"><a shape="rect" id="m_463569791895192412ydpc084f48eyiv8606248888ymail_android_signature_link" href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&c=US_Acquisition_YMktg_315_SearchOrgConquer_EmailSignature&af_sub1=Acquisition&af_sub2=US_YMktg&af_sub3=&af_sub4=100002039&af_sub5=C01_Email_Static_&af_ios_store_cpp=0c38e4b0-a27e-40f9-a211-f4e2de32ab91&af_android_url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yahoo.mobile.client.android.mail&listing=search_organize_conquer" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Yahoo Mail: Search, organise, conquer</a></div> <br clear="none"> <div id="m_463569791895192412ydpc084f48eyiv8606248888yqt92141"><blockquote style="margin:0 0 20px 0"> <div style="font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:#6d00f6"> <div>On Tue, 10 Dec 2024 at 11:00, David G. Grubbs</div><div><<a href="mailto:dggrubbs@gmail.com" target="_blank">dggrubbs@gmail.com</a>> wrote:</div> </div> <div style="padding:10px 0 0 20px;margin:10px 0 0 0;border-left:1px solid #6d00f6"> <div id="m_463569791895192412ydpc084f48eyiv8606248888"><div><div dir="ltr"><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">The idea is to present three books at the January 3rd meeting, which is 3.5 weeks from now. Will you have time between now and then?</div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><br clear="none"></div></div><br clear="none"><div id="m_463569791895192412ydpc084f48eyiv8606248888yqt31000"><div><div dir="ltr">On Tue, Dec 10, 2024 at 10:57 AM ananya <<a shape="rect" href="mailto:ann_wazup@rocketmail.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ann_wazup@rocketmail.com</a>> wrote:<br clear="none"></div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">Hi,<div><br clear="none"></div><div>Please engage someone else to do so. This week is a bit chaotic for me. </div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>Thanks,</div><div>Ann Katsios<br clear="none"> <br clear="none"> <blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 20px"> <div style="font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:rgb(109,0,246)"> <div>On Tue, 10 Dec 2024 at 10:47, David G. Grubbs</div><div><<a shape="rect" href="mailto:dggrubbs@gmail.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">dggrubbs@gmail.com</a>> wrote:</div> </div> <div style="padding:10px 0px 0px 20px;margin:10px 0px 0px;border-left:1px solid rgb(109,0,246)"> <div id="m_463569791895192412ydpc084f48eyiv8606248888m_-4452619943822530859yiv5644966832"><div><div dir="ltr"><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Ann,</div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><br clear="none"></div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Do you want to suggest three books for the NESFA Reading Group? If not, please tell me so I can engage someone else to do so.</div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><br clear="none"></div></div><br clear="none"><div id="m_463569791895192412ydpc084f48eyiv8606248888m_-4452619943822530859yiv5644966832yqt93797"><div><div dir="ltr">On Sat, Dec 7, 2024 at 11:49 PM David G. Grubbs <<a shape="rect" href="mailto:dggrubbs@gmail.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">dggrubbs@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br clear="none"></div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">I got a note from Wes that you showed up to this month's book discussion and gave an email address to add to our reading group mailing list: <a shape="rect" href="mailto:ann_wazup@rocketmail.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ann_wazup@rocketmail.com</a></div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><br clear="none"></div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Can I ask for your full name? Please forgive me if I immediately believe "Wazup" is a joking reference to the advertising-award-winning 2000 Budweiser commercials and the current meme that "Scary Movie" parodied.</div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><br clear="none"></div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">I assume you saw the vote for the April book at yesterday's discussion. Those were my suggestions, but I had a rehearsal last night and couldn't make the discussion. Wes or someone else may have read aloud my review of yesterday's book at the meeting.</div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><br clear="none"></div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">In any case, are you ready to suggest books?</div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><br clear="none"></div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">The way we've done it for some years is to rotate through the group and have someone suggest three books that the group votes on for a future discussion. New people get pushed onto the front of the rotation.</div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><br clear="none"></div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">We have chosen books to read up through April. If you have three ideas for books, your suggestions will be voted on at the January 3 meeting and the winner will become our May selection. You don't necessarily have to promise to be there in May. We want everyone to get a chance to suggest books and new ideas are always welcome.</div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><br clear="none"></div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">So, please either tell me you can't (or don't want to) do it next month or pick three books and for each book, send their titles and some clips from various review sites (like Goodreads, or others). At least a week before the next meeting (on January 3).</div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><br clear="none"></div><div style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><br clear="none"></div></div>
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