Chris’s Comments (group member since Feb 25, 2011)

Chris’s comments from the Beyond Reality group.

Hello everyone!
Can you believe it? It's time to open nominations for our October 2025 Books of the Month. What do you want to be reading this fall?

Each group member may make 1 science fiction and/or 1 fantasy nomination in this thread. If you would like to make a nomination, please reply to this post with the title and author of the book(s) you would like to put forward for the group’s consideration. A couple of suggestions to keep in mind:

1. Telling us a little about the book and why you think it would be a good group read can help get other members interested in reading (and voting for) your nomination. If possible, please use a link to the book and author in your nomination post. Click on “add book/author" for an easy way to do that.

2. To see if your nomination has already been read by the group, you can check:

a. the group's bookshelf for Previous Books of the Month

and/or

b. these threads:
Master list of Previous Books of the Month 2018 - Present
Master list of Previous Books of the Month (Apr-Dec 2017)
Master list of Previous Books of the Month 2012 - 2017
Master list of Previous Books of the Month 2006 - 2011

Books the group has read in the past 2 years are not eligible for current consideration. Being chosen as a past BotM prior to that time is not an automatic disqualification, but be aware that it may hinder your nomination’s chances at the polls.

General guidelines:
• Feel free to re-nominate a book that didn’t win in the polls in previous months!
• For questions regarding specifics such as book formats, books in series, self-nomination and various rules for nominations, please see the group FAQ.
• Seconding isn't necessary in this group.
• Friendly discussion & debate is strongly encouraged, but let's please keep things civil.

Poll schedule:
• Nominations will remain open through Thursday July 17.
• The first (preliminary) round of polls will open Friday July 18 and will run through Thursday July 24.
• The final run-off polls go up Friday July 25 and will be open through Thursday July 31.

Thanks!
Chris, Moderator

NOMINATIONS SO FAR:
SCIENCE FICTION:
Brightness Falls from the Air
Version Control
Faller
Shroud
The Stars Undying

FANTASY:
The Witchstone
The Amalfi Curse
The Waking of Angantyr
The Raven Tower
The Hurricane Wars

Final polls are now open! We have lots of interesting choices this month. What would you like to read in September 2025?

Please vote! Polls close Monday June 30 2025.

Final Fantasy Poll

Final SF Poll

Preliminary polls are now open! We have lots of interesting choices this month. What would you like to read in September 2025?

Please vote! Polls close Monday June 23 2025.

Preliminary Fantasy Poll

Preliminary SF Poll

Random wrote: "Would anyone object if I change my SF nomination from Faller to Foe by Iain Reid?

I just finished it yesterday morning and I really want to talk about it with others. I think this ..."

You are absolutely allowed to change your nomination. Done!

I'll propose a couple!

For fantasy, The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson. I've just started this, but I'm already drawn in by the worldbuilding and clever writing.

For scifi, The Abyss Beyond Dreams by Peter F. Hamilton. I've read other books by this author and enjoyed them.

Hello everyone!
It's time to open nominations for our September 2025 Books of the Month. What do you want to be reading when the new school year starts?

Each group member may make 1 science fiction and/or 1 fantasy nomination in this thread. If you would like to make a nomination, please reply to this post with the title and author of the book(s) you would like to put forward for the group’s consideration. A couple of suggestions to keep in mind:

1. Telling us a little about the book and why you think it would be a good group read can help get other members interested in reading (and voting for) your nomination. If possible, please use a link to the book and author in your nomination post. Click on “add book/author" for an easy way to do that.

2. To see if your nomination has already been read by the group, you can check:

a. the group's bookshelf for Previous Books of the Month

and/or

b. these threads:
Master list of Previous Books of the Month 2018 - Present
Master list of Previous Books of the Month (Apr-Dec 2017)
Master list of Previous Books of the Month 2012 - 2017
Master list of Previous Books of the Month 2006 - 2011

Books the group has read in the past 2 years are not eligible for current consideration. Being chosen as a past BotM prior to that time is not an automatic disqualification, but be aware that it may hinder your nomination’s chances at the polls.

General guidelines:
• Feel free to re-nominate a book that didn’t win in the polls in previous months!
• For questions regarding specifics such as book formats, books in series, self-nomination and various rules for nominations, please see the group FAQ.
• Seconding isn't necessary in this group.
• Friendly discussion & debate is strongly encouraged, but let's please keep things civil.

Poll schedule:
• Nominations will remain open through Monday June 16.
• The first (preliminary) round of polls will open Tuesday June 17 and will run through Monday June 23.
• The final run-off polls go up Tuesday June 24 and will be open through Monday June 30.

Thanks!
Chris, Moderator

NOMINATIONS SO FAR:
SCIENCE FICTION:
The Imago Stage
The Measure
The Abyss Beyond Dreams
Foe
Change Agent
New York 2140

FANTASY:
Empire of Wild
Written on the Dark
The Raven Scholar
Garth Marenghi's TerrorTome
The Folk of the Air

Final polls are now open! What would you like to read in August 2025?

Please vote! Polls close Saturday May 31 2025.

Final Fantasy Poll

Final SciFi Poll

Preliminary polls are now open! We have lots of interesting choices this month. What would you like to read in August 2025?

Please vote! Polls close Saturday May 24 2025.

Hello everyone!
It's time to open nominations for our August 2025 Books of the Month. What do you want to be reading in those hot final days of summer?

Each group member may make 1 science fiction and/or 1 fantasy nomination in this thread. If you would like to make a nomination, please reply to this post with the title and author of the book(s) you would like to put forward for the group’s consideration. A couple of suggestions to keep in mind:

1. Telling us a little about the book and why you think it would be a good group read can help get other members interested in reading (and voting for) your nomination. If possible, please use a link to the book and author in your nomination post. Click on “add book/author" for an easy way to do that.

2. To see if your nomination has already been read by the group, you can check:

a. the group's bookshelf for Previous Books of the Month

and/or

b. these threads:
Master list of Previous Books of the Month 2018 - Present
Master list of Previous Books of the Month (Apr-Dec 2017)
Master list of Previous Books of the Month 2012 - 2017
Master list of Previous Books of the Month 2006 - 2011

Books the group has read in the past 2 years are not eligible for current consideration. Being chosen as a past BotM prior to that time is not an automatic disqualification, but be aware that it may hinder your nomination’s chances at the polls.

General guidelines:
• Feel free to re-nominate a book that didn’t win in the polls in previous months!
• For questions regarding specifics such as book formats, books in series, self-nomination and various rules for nominations, please see the group FAQ.
• Seconding isn't necessary in this group.
• Friendly discussion & debate is strongly encouraged, but let's please keep things civil.

Poll schedule:
• Nominations will remain open through Saturday May 17.
• The first (preliminary) round of polls will open Sunday May 18 and will run through Saturday May 24.
• The final run-off polls go up Sunday May 25 and will be open through Saturday May 31.

Thanks!
Chris, Moderator

NOMINATIONS SO FAR:
SCIENCE FICTION:
The Corridors of Time
Terrestrial History
Here and Now and Then
The Ministry of Time

FANTASY:
Sour Cherry
The Folk of the Air
The Stone Witch of Florence
Baking Bad

Reminder: polls are open through April 30!

Final polls are now open! What would you like to read in July 2025?

Please vote! Polls close Wednesday April 30 2025.

Final Fantasy Poll

Final SF Poll

Preliminary polls are now open! We have lots of interesting choices this month. What would you like to read in July 2025?

Please vote! Polls close Wednesday April 23 2025.

Preliminary Fantasy Poll

Preliminary SF Poll

We only have a few nominations for July BOTMs. Does that mean everyone is excited with the existing nominees, or are you just waiting until the last moment??

Nominations are open through Wednesday April 16. Submit now!

For SF, I propose 1984. It feels a bit timely, somehow.

For Fantasy, I propose Someone You Can Build a Nest In. It is a Nebula and Hugo nominee this year. I admit, I was a bit put off by the description, but I recently started reading this for another book club and I'm really enjoying it.

Hello everyone!
It's time to open nominations for our July 2025 Books of the Month. What do you want to be reading by the pool this summer?

Each group member may make 1 science fiction and/or 1 fantasy nomination in this thread. If you would like to make a nomination, please reply to this post with the title and author of the book(s) you would like to put forward for the group’s consideration. A couple of suggestions to keep in mind:

1. Telling us a little about the book and why you think it would be a good group read can help get other members interested in reading (and voting for) your nomination. If possible, please use a link to the book and author in your nomination post. Click on “add book/author" for an easy way to do that.

2. To see if your nomination has already been read by the group, you can check:

a. the group's bookshelf for Previous Books of the Month

and/or

b. these threads:
Master list of Previous Books of the Month 2018 - Present
Master list of Previous Books of the Month (Apr-Dec 2017)
Master list of Previous Books of the Month 2012 - 2017
Master list of Previous Books of the Month 2006 - 2011

Books the group has read in the past 2 years are not eligible for current consideration. Being chosen as a past BotM prior to that time is not an automatic disqualification, but be aware that it may hinder your nomination’s chances at the polls.

General guidelines:
• Feel free to re-nominate a book that didn’t win in the polls in previous months!
• For questions regarding specifics such as book formats, books in series, self-nomination and various rules for nominations, please see the group FAQ.
• Seconding isn't necessary in this group.
• Friendly discussion & debate is strongly encouraged, but let's please keep things civil.

Poll schedule:
• Nominations will remain open through Wednesday April 16.
• The first (preliminary) round of polls will open Thursday April 17 and will run through Wednesday April 23.
• The final run-off polls go up Thursday April 24 and will be open through Wednesday April 30.

Thanks!
Chris, Moderator

NOMINATIONS SO FAR:
SCIENCE FICTION:
When the Moon Hits Your Eye
Autonomous
1984
New York 2140

FANTASY:
Spells for Forgetting
The Bloodprint
Someone You Can Build a Nest In

Final polls are now open! What would you like to read in June 2025?

Please vote! Polls close Monday March 31 2025.

Final Fantasy Poll

Final SF Poll

Preliminary polls are now open! We have lots of interesting choices this month. What would you like to read in June 2025?

Please vote! Polls close Sunday March 23 2025.

Preliminary Fantasy Poll

Preliminary SF Poll

I have read all of the Wayfarer series books. While they all take place in the same universe, they can all be treated as stand alone. There are a few instances of character overlap (I don't recall if Galaxy has any), but there's always enough context for a standalone read.

I'll throw a couple of choices this month

Science Fiction: Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty. I've enjoyed other books by this author, and I'm a fan of the mystery/scifi cross genre stories.

Fantasy: City of Dancing Gargoyles by Tara Campbell. Honestly, it's just the name that grabs me ....

The Alex Benedict series is fantastic. Try Seeker and you'll be hooked.