A quick reminder! SF&F Literati's time (Aug. 28, 2017) has almost come!

Date: Monday, August 28, 2017, at 7:00 p.m.
Title: Just One Damned Thing After Another
Author: Jodi Taylor
Available from: Fine Booksellers, including Barnes & Noble
Meeting Location: Barnes & Noble #2352, 2nd Floor, 11323 W. 95th Street, Overland Park, KS 66214

NOTE: All are welcome to the meeting, whether you’ve read the book or not. ADDED BONUS: This month's the meeting where the Fall/Winter book selections are chosen, so come prepared with a list!

Jodi Taylor, International Woman of Mystery, guides us into a whole new realm of historical studies (don't call it "time travel"!) with St. Mary’s Institute of Historical Research, in which historians “investigate major historical events in contemporary time.”

This madcap British romp through history takes readers "From eleventh-century London to World War I, from the Cretaceous Period to the destruction of the Great Library at Alexandria," alongside the "disaster-magnets" of St. Mary's.

Even if you haven't read (or haven't finished) the book, the group would love to see you there, to discuss this beloved series-opener.

IMAGE: Many thanks to Goodreads for the cover image.

Time is running out! You have TWO WEEKS!

Time may have more elastic properties for the historians of St. Mary’s Institute of Historical Research, but in our space/time continuum there are only about two weeks left before the August 28, 2017 meeting of the Kansas City SF&F Literati book club.

The Barnes & Noble overview offers us a glimpse of what's in store: "The first book in the USA Today bestselling British madcap time-travelling series, served with a dash of wit that seems to be everyone’s cup of tea.

“'History is just one damned thing after another.' —Arnold Toynbee

"Behind the seemingly innocuous facade of St. Mary’s Institute of Historical Research, a different kind of academic work is taking place. Just don’t call it 'time travel'—these historians 'investigate major historical events in contemporary time.' And they aren’t your harmless eccentrics either; a more accurate description, as they ricochet around history, might be unintentional disaster-magnets.

"The first thing you learn on the job at St. Mary’s is that one wrong move and history will fight back—sometimes in particularly nasty ways. But, as new recruit Madeleine Maxwell soon discovers, it’s not only history they’re often fighting.

"The Chronicles of St. Mary’s tell the chaotic adventures of Max and her compatriots—Director Bairstow, Chief Leon Farrell, Mr. Markham, and many more—as they travel through time, saving St. Mary’s (too often by the very seat of their pants) and thwarting time-travelling terrorists, all the while leaving plenty of time for tea.

"From eleventh-century London to World War I, from the Cretaceous Period to the destruction of the Great Library at Alexandria, one thing is for sure: wherever the historians at St. Mary’s go, chaos is sure to follow in their wake."

Several copies of each month's selection are normally available through the Johnson County Library or Mid-Continent Public Library. It's also available from meeting host Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Amazon, and Kansas City's own Rainy Day Books.

The meeting will be held on the second floor of the Oak Park Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Overland Park, KS, at 7:00 p.m. the evening of Monday, August 28, 2017. Everyone is welcome to come, even if they haven't read the book.

IMAGE: Many thanks to Goodreads for the cover image.

Since our time is linear, order or reserve a copy now!

The clock is ticking! Optimize your time to read the August selection for the Kansas City SF&F Literati by making arrangements now, to get a copy! This time around, the book is Jodi Taylor's Just One Damned Thing After Another, the first book in Taylor's popular British "Chronicles of St. Mary's" series.

Several copies of each month's selection are normally available through the Johnson County Library or Mid-Continent Public Library. It's also available from meeting host Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Amazon, and Kansas City's own Rainy Day Books.

"Behind the seemingly innocuous facade of St. Mary’s Institute of Historical Research, a different kind of academic work is taking place," the Barnes & Noble overview explains. "Just don’t call it “time travel”—these historians “investigate major historical events in contemporary time.” And they aren’t your harmless eccentrics either; a more accurate description, as they ricochet around history, might be unintentional disaster-magnets.

"The first thing you learn on the job at St. Mary’s is that one wrong move and history will fight back—sometimes in particularly nasty ways. But, as new recruit Madeleine Maxwell soon discovers, it’s not only history they’re often fighting."

Taylor's Amazon author profile offers a taste of her sense of humor: "Jodi Taylor, International Woman of Mystery, spent some time working undercover for North Yorkshire County Library Service. Heavily disguised as the world's most incompetent Facilities Manager she shifted dead dogs, fell out of mobile libraries, and spent far too much time in the gents' toilets. The idea to re-write history first came to her while studying history 'A' level at an evening class. Just One Damned Thing After Another is her first novel and was originally self-published on ebook where it was downloaded by more than 60,000 readers on Amazon. Jodi lives in Gloucestershire."

IMAGE: Many thanks to Goodreads for the cover image.

SF&F Literati announce summer selections

The selection for May 22

The Kansas City SF&F Literati book club meets every fourth Monday of the month (except in December and May) at 7:00 p.m., at the Oak Park Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Overland Park, KS. Each month, they discuss a reading selection drawn from science fiction, fantasy, or related speculative genres.

The group maintains a Facebook Page as their primary means of communicating with members and the interested public. It includes a page of links to discussion notes about each of their previous selections since 2012.

The April 24th meeting was summer selections night, when those who attended chose the book selections for the next four meetings. The selections are:

The selection for June 28

May 22: Quantum Night, by Robert J. Sawyer
June 28: Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge, by Paul Krueger
July 24: Radiance, by Catherynne M. Valente
August 28: Just One Damned Thing After Another, by Jodi Taylor

As is the usual custom, their May selection is a recent book written by this year's ConQuesT Writer Guest of Honor (the May meeting is held on the third Monday, so it won't conflict with the Memorial Day Weekend timing of ConQuesT, Kansas City's longest-running science fiction convention.

The selection for July 24

This year's Writer GoH is Robert J. Sawyer, a Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author with a reputation for writing provocative, cutting-edge science fiction. The May selection, Quantum Night, was published in 2016.

Paul Krueger, author of the June selection, describes himself as "a man who thought it would be a good idea to make a career out of playing with his imaginary friends." Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge, "about a secret society of bartenders who fight demons with alcohol-magic," is his debut novel. It also was published in 2016.

The selection for August 28

New York Times bestselling author Catherynne M. Valente has won a whole shelf full of awards, including the Andre Norton, Tiptree, Prix Imaginales, Eugie Foster Memorial, Mythopoeic, Rhysling, Lambda, Locus, Romantic Times’ Critics Choice and Hugo awards. She also has been a finalist for the Nebula and World Fantasy Awards.

Radiance, the July selection, was published in 2015 and is described as "a decopunk pulp SF alt-history space opera mystery set in a Hollywood-and solar system-very different from our own."

Jodi Taylor's bestselling British "Chronicles of St. Mary's" series is now up to eight novels plus a prequel and six short stories, according to Library Thing's listing. Beloved for its "madcap humor" and skewed history, it has a Goodreads fan group and admirers worldwide. Just One Damned Thing After Another, the August selection, is the first book in the popular series, which only recently (July 2016) has been published in the US. The first British edition was published in 2013.

Book selections for September, October, November, and possibly January of 2018, will be made at the August 28 meeting.

IMAGES: Many thanks to Amazon.com for the cover images for May, June, and July. Thanks are due to Goodreads for the August selection's cover.