Kat, Science Fiction Lover, Reader, and Recommender

     Kat is a transplant to New Mexico from the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a fanatic for science fiction and all things to do with outer space. She likes to dabble in languages, taking any opportunity to practice with customers in French, Tagalog, Arabic, Hindi, amongst others. Though her vocabulary is limited, her enthusiasm is not. If she catches you in the shelves for science fiction, she's likely to bend your ear about the classics and her favorites. Take heart, she is gregarious, but rarely dangerous (except to herself).

The Last Lecture By Randy Pausch

     On September 18, 2007, computer science professor Randy Pausch stepped in front of an audience of 400 people at Carnegie Mellon University to deliver a last lecture called “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” With slides of his CT scans beaming out to the audience, Randy told his audience about the cancer that is devouring his pancreas and that will claim his life in a matter of months. On the stage that day, Randy was youthful, energetic, handsome, often cheerfully, darkly funny. He seemed invincible. But this was a brief moment, as he himself acknowledged.

     Randy’s lecture has become a phenomenon, as has the book he wrote based on the same principles, celebrating the dreams we all strive to make realities. Sadly, Randy lost his battle to pancreatic cancer on July 25th, 2008, but his legacy will continue to inspire us all, for generations to come.
 

Lilith's Brood by Octavia E. Butler

     Lilith's Brood was originally called the Xenogenisis series, and in it Ms. Butler explores the difficulties of dealing with an alien species offering the last of humanity its only hope of survival - by exchanging genes to create a combination species. Not all of the remaining humans are pleased with their choices (trade or stasis). Winner of the MacArthur Genius Award, Ms. Butler's trilogy, collected in this volume, is a powerhouse of literary science fiction.

Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin

     Le Guin, after translating the Aenied from the original Greek into English, decided to flesh out the character of Lavinia, the future queen to the refugees of falled Troy. Using Virgil as a minor character in the background, Le Guin offers a fresh persepective to the story, and brings to life the woman's side of the story. A fantastic read from one of the most revered authors of speculative fiction.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

     The Red Tent tells the Genesis story of Dinah from her perspective, beginning with her childhood amongst the women in Jacob's tribe to her ill-fated marriage and her escape to Egypt. Inspiring, heart wrenching and evocative, this novel breathes new life into an old Bible story.

 The Wild Girls by Ursula K. Le Guin

     Review Coming Soon!