Okay geeky readers, I have something important to say.

When reading a book, it is always better to feel like this person:

Belle on a library ladder

Than this person:
Gaston reading a book: DaFuq is dis?

In the disney-fueled world of my childhood, I’ve always identified with Belle’s love of books, and despised Gaston for his ignorance. That being said, the recent Philip K. Dick award nominee I read was so mind-bending, I felt more like the second person.

Omigod. I just compared myself to Gaston. The horror.

Considering it was nominated for a prestigious award, it’s obvious that some people loved it. In fact, I enjoyed some of it very much, which is why I rated it three stars. However, it was just not for me.

A fact that the publisher even called me out on. I must say, I was torn between delight and chagrin at that mention.


Self Reference ENGINE coverYes, the book was Self-Reference ENGINE, and although it was unusual and experimental science fiction with a strange space-time construct, it was not my type of book.

That’s the thing about books. I firmly believe there is a book out there for everyone. Not every reader will enjoy the same book. This is why I love that GeekyLibrary has a number of reviewers. We may all be geeks, but we are all very different.

Here’s a perfect example. Most geeks love The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Here’s a quote from my review of hitchhikers:

“Thank you Douglas Adams, for injecting a huge dose of wacky humor into the genre of Sci-fi. Without you, what would we do?” –From Kallen’s review of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Here’s a quote from our primary reviewer on this book, Jason:

“A brilliantly written battle scene should not end with the antagonist suddenly turning into a potted plant. ” –From Jason’s review of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Ancillary Justice Jason, our numbers guy, loves science fiction adventure, but prefers his books to be based on some form of logic.

By the way, Jason is currently reading the 2013 PKD Nominee Ancillary Justice,  and is enjoying it. His review should be posted soon.

Taylor loved nominee Countdown City, the second in The Last Policeman series as his background in law enforcement made The Last Policeman a perfect fit for him.

He is eagerly awaiting the last in the trilogy, World of Trouble, due out July 15th, from Quirk Books.

And although I read it over a year ago, I was moved to tears by The Mad Scientist’s Daughter.

We plan on reading the rest of the Philip K. Dick Award nominees before the winner is announced at Norwescon (April 17th-20th), and will bring even more reviewer perspectives, with  Teka reading Life on the Preservation and LisaKaren reading A Calculated Life.

By the way, a couple of us at GeekyLibrary will be attending Norwescon. See you there?