Amy H. Sturgis's Blog, page 175

Dystopian Trailers Ahoy!

Many thanks to everyone who took part in my recent Halloween poll. My month-long "spooky post" blogathon definitely will be back this October, and I'm looking forward to it!

* Presenting Lenore is celebrating dystopian August this month on her blog.

* I just finished reading the dystopian novel Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. (My review is up on Goodreads.) I now realize this was good timing. The film adaptation is due out in theaters next month. Here's the trailer:




And speaking of trailers (...

Poll Time! Looking ahead to October

Sunday is August 1, or, as I like to think of it, the day that marks only two months until October. Since I'm the anal, pre-planning sort, and I have a somewhat crazy fall season ahead, I thought I'd get a head start and post this poll early.

FYI, for those of you who don't know, for the last five years I've had a tradition of turning this blog into a month-long celebration of Halloween, making a "spooky post" every day in October. You can see my past October posts here.

(Note: If you're not on...

Young Adult Dystopias at Wake Forest University (IHS)

Today I will be at Wake Forest University, speaking to the undergraduate and graduate students attending a summer seminar sponsored by the Institute for Humane Studies. I'll be lecturing on the phenomenon of young adult dystopian literature: "Why 'Worlds Gone Wrong' Are Hot."

For those attendees and others who may be interested, I am posting the bibliography of primary and secondary sources used to prepare my talk. (Note: If you follow/bookmark ...

YA Dystopias at Wake Forest University (IHS)

Today I once more will be at Wake Forest University, speaking to the undergraduate and graduate students attending a summer seminar sponsored by the Institute for Humane Studies. I'll be lecturing on the phenomenon of young adult dystopian literature: "Why Worlds Gone Wrong Are Hot."

For those attendees and others who may be interested, I am posting the bibliography of primary and secondary sources used to prepare my talk. (Note: This list has been updated since my last posting. If you follow...

Dystopias, Butterflies, and Birthdays

* For those of you who, like me, are inclined toward all things dystopian, here's a quiz: "Which Dystopian Future Is Right for You?"

* And this: "The Nine Greatest Dystopian Music Videos."

* Speaking of the dystopian tradition, I will be giving another guest lecture this weekend at an Institute for Humane Studies seminar at Wake Forest University. Once again I'll be talking about the trend of dystopian thought in current young adult fiction. My next post will be for this presentation.

* It's th...

Some Days It's Good To Be A Geek

Okay, it's always good to be a geek. But some days it's especially good.

* Kudos to The Onion for this gem: "Budget Cuts Force British Government To Shut Down Mysterious Seaside Village."

* The Interactive Lovecraft is coming!

* Speaking of Lovecraft, one of my very favorite podcasts, The H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast , is now posting a complete reading of Lovecraft's "The Haunter of the Dark" read by actor Andrew Leman.

* And speaking of podcasts, StarShipSofa now has a video introduction crea...

Bengali SF, The Iron Heel, & Intelligent SF Film

My most recent StarShipSofa "History of the Genre" segment, which is about the pioneering feminist science fiction of Bengali author, educator, and reformer Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, is now available in the latest episode of the podcast. You can download it or listen to it here. If you listen, I hope you enjoy. (A full list of my past podcast segments, with links, is available here.)



In other news...

* An unabridged recording of Jack London's classic 1908 dystopia The Iron Heel is now available ...

Book Giveaway! Etc.

I am giving away a copy of my latest book project, the deluxe illustrated edition of Baron de la Motte Fouqué's masterpiece The Magic Ring (hardcover, with over forty new illustrations by fantasy artist Jef Murray, published June 2010), through the Goodreads: First Reads giveaway program. This giveaway is open to readers in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and Germany. From now through August, you can enter here for the chance to win this book.

And in other news...

* From Publishers Weekly: "T...

Reviews, Congrats, and Virginia

Since the year is half over, I thought I'd recommend my three favorite books read thus far in 2010...

Normally this "soft SF" young adult novel might not have appeared on my radar, but it received such terrific reviews from readers I trust that I gave it a try. I'm so glad I did. This beautifully crafted story depicts a "Groundhog Day"-type scenario in which a teen girl relives the day of her death over and over again until she uncovers the mystery behi...

Goodreads, Dystopian August, Etc.

* I've taken the plunge: I now have an author's page on Goodreads. If you're on Goodreads, or if you're thinking about joining, please stop by and visit!

* I thoroughly enjoyed "Dystopian February" at Presenting Lenore's blog (syndicated as presentinlenore ). Lenore has just announced that Dystopian August is coming! I'll be looking forward to it.

* Happy birthday to the fabulous fungus_files !


While reading Rain Is Not My Indian Name, I came across a quote that's much too good not to share:

"At ...