Sci-Fi November is back!

Last year, I participated in Rinn Reads' Sci-Fi November event and it was probably one of my favorite blog-related things I did in 2013! I made some new friends, learned a lot about the genre, and got so many book recommendations it was ridiculous.

So, what is Sci-Fi November? Only an awesome celebration of all things science fiction. Basically, a bunch of great bloggers post different reviews, interviews, giveaways, etc. that relate to sci-fi, and it's happening again this year! Don't contain your excitement, feel free to let it all out!

For this year, Rinn is teaming up with the lovely ladies at Oh, the Books! to make the event even bigger than last year. Woah. I'm looking forward to participating again this year, but I need your help to do it.

Here's where you come in: Since we still have a couple months before the event, I have plenty of time to brainstorm ideas for some awesome sci-fi posts that you guys are going to like. But, I'm super open to suggestions. That means, if there's some YA sci-fi book that you'd like to see me review, let me know. If there's an author you want me to interview, tell me about it and I'll see what I can arrange. If there's a sci-fi tv show that you want me to watch, I'll give it a try and write a post. I want you to have some control over what you see on my blog.

This is going to be such a great November, I can already tell. If you're dying to participate in Sci-Fi November, here's all the information you need to do that. It's going to be super fun, and it's such a great opportunity to connect with other sci-fi fans. Mark your calendars, November's only a couple months away!

-Annie

P.S. But really, YA sci-fi book recs are what I live for! *makes grabby hands*

What's so great about Sci-Fi?

So week 1 of Sci-Fi month is practically over, but don't you worry your pretty little heads, there's still so much going on. Be sure to check the schedule, follow @SciFiMonth on twitter, and tweet with the hashtag #RRSciFiMonth to be involved in all the great conversations happening this month. Also, you should probably head over to Rinn Reads and give all your love to Rinn for organizing and slaving away to make this event so freaking awesome!

The greatest thing about Science Fiction as a genre is that there really is something for everybody. It has a ton of sub genres (Steampunk, Dystopia, etc) that you really don't have an excuse to not find something that's your cup of tea. And if you don't like the books, head over to the movies, tv shows, and video games department. For today's post, I asked people why they loved Sci-Fi so much and a couple more questions to get a feel for how other people view the genre. The responses were so fun to read through and I want to thank everyone who submitted. Here are a couple of responses I got. Unfortunately, I couldn't include all of them or this post would be way too ridiculously long  and you would all hate me after.

Let's start with mine because I'm a little bit narcissistic and answering questionnaires are fun!

Name:
Annie D

Blog:
Um, the one you're reading right now...

How long you have been a sci-fi fan:
On and off ever since I read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engel, but it's become more prevalent since I started watching Doctor Who.

Favorite sci-fi book/movie/tv show/video game/graphic novel/etc:
Like I've said before, I'm very partial to Dystopian novels, Doctor Who, Misfits, Star Trek, Inception.

Why you love sci-fi:
Because it's such a wonderful escape and a completely different world, and you really never know what's going to happen. There could be time travel, or space travel, or travel into the center of the earth.

The coolest thing about the sci-fi community and/or the genre itself:
Since I've started participating in this event, I've really gotten the chance to see the sci-fi community and interact with them, and let me tell you, they're awesome! They're passionate, intelligent, and open to making new friends (I've talked to so many cool people the last week!). The community is just full of good people with vivid imaginations.

Anything else you want to share about sci-fi:
It's great and you should explore it. Ask for recommendations from any of the other bloggers, and you're sure to receive something that you'll enjoy.
_________________________________________________
Name:
Haley W

Blog:
None

How long have you been a sci-fi fan:
Ever since I saw Star Wars as a kid.

Favorite sci-fi book, movie, tv show, video game, graphic novel, etc:
Inception

Why you love sci-fi:
It is a great escape from boring reality and makes you think about what the future could maybe someday hold.

The coolest thing about the sci-fi community and/or the genre itself:
The advancement in technology.
__________________________________________________
Name:
Sean M

Blog:
http://beardygeekguy.tumblr.com/

How long you have been a sci-fi fan:
Pretty much since I first saw Transformers G1 when I was younger, maybe about six or seven. Been a long happy journey since then.

Favourite sci-fi book: Dune
Movie: Either Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back, Blade Runner, The Thing or Inception
TV show: Battlestar Galactica!
Video game: The Mass Effect, Deus Ex and Half Life series, special mention to Dead Space!
Graphic novel: The Red Star
Tabletop: Needs to be Warhammer 40,000 doesn't it!

Why you love sci-fi:
I love sci-fi because a lot of it is in the realm of 'could be' or 'might one day be'. It's the best form of escapism I feel, as although a lot of it could be beyond us now, it feels like it could happen in the future. I love Hard Sci-Fi, but I also love the themes that come with like what it is to be human, the melding of human and machine, do we have souls? It's all wonderful!

The coolest thing about the sci-fi community and/or the genre itself:
It is so far reaching, from the pristine corridors of Star Trek to the dribbling horrors of Dead Space, the feel-good air punch of Pacific Rim to the complex despair of the Dune series, it's all amazing!

Anything else you want to share about sci-fi:
Go read the Red Star series by Archangel Studios, it's amazing!
_________________________________________________
Name:
Ava D. (This is my lovely cousin!)

Blog (if you have one):
Nope!

How long you have been a sci-fi fan:
About a year.

Favorite sci-fi book, movie, tv show, video game, graphic novel, etc:
The Walking Dead for a TV show, for a book I would have to say it's Enclave or Divergent.

Why you love sci-fi:
I like the different ways they make the society change. I think it's really creative in the way that is seems perfect but it's really not.

The coolest thing about the sci-fi community and/or the genre itself:
I like the way the society usually carries secrets and the main character/characters find out and try to solve the problem.

Anything else you want to share about sci-fi:
It's one of my favorite genres. I find it really interesting and usually my favorite books come from it! (or Historical fiction!)
________________________________________________
Name:
Tia M.

Blog (if you have one):
None. :( No time.

How long you have been a sci-fi fan:
Definitely my whole life. I kind of grew up on it because of how obsessed my dad is with the whole genre.

Favorite sci-fi book, movie, tv show, video game, graphic novel, etc:
I love Sci-Fi TV shows (basically anything on SyFy really), and I especially adore Stargate (the movie) SG-1 (the series). As for book, the first book that really got me into the genre was Sci-Fi and it was called The Dark Side of Nowhere by Neal Schusterman. It was amazing.

Why you love sci-fi:
I love Sci-Fi because it offers up an artists perspective on what the future could be. I love that Sci-Fi is all about creation and imagination and interpretation. I really love that there is just always something new in Sci-Fi, like you can't exactly write something that has already been written because people will know. It's also an interesting genre because there are constantly new things coming out and new interpretations on our future. 

The coolest thing about the sci-fi community and/or the genre itself:
It's such a broad community, and I feel like there are a lot of subgroups in the community and they all equally support each other. I think the coolest part is that it is so cool to have so many people interested in the future and looking to fiction to learn the nonfiction in life. 

Anything else you want to share about sci-fi:
I think that there is something for everyone in the Sci-Fi genre, and anyone that thinks otherwise simply hasn't delved far enough in.
_____________________________________________
Again, a ginormous thank you to everyone who participated in my questionnaire. I loved all your responses and you gave me so much more insight to Sci-Fi that I never even thought about before. And I hope all you readers enjoyed it as well.

Anyway, next week, I will be doing a review of a YA Sci-Fi book recommended to me by one of my professors (whose book judgment I completely trust). Be sure to stop by and check it out!

Transparent by Natalie Whipple
(synopsis from Amazon)

Transparent’s Fiona McClean could be a superhero. She has a mutation that allows her to become invisible. But her father, a Las Vegas crime lord, forces her to use her power for evil. Since she was five, she’s been stealing cars, robbing banks, and spying on people.

Fiona’s had enough, so she escapes to a small town far from her father’s reach. Happiness is hard to find surrounded by a mother she hates, a brother she can’t trust, and a guy at school she can’t stand, but Fiona manages to make some friends. And when her father finally tracks her down, Fiona discovers how far she’ll go to protect everyone she’s come to love.

Fans of strong heroines like Daughter of Smoke and Bone’s Karou or Maximum Ride’s Max will fall in love with Transparent by Natalie Whipple.

Have an awesome week and be sure to check out the other Sci-Fi posts!

-Annie

Happy Sci-Fi Month!!

It's here, it's here! It's finally Sci-Fi month! There are so many awesome posts that'll be done this month, so make sure to check the schedule daily (I know I'll probably be glued to my computer for the next month... goodbye social life).

So now for my introduction post! For those of you who don't know me, my name is Annie and I'm a Professional Writing senior at the University of Oklahoma (Boomer!). My blog is dedicated to reviews and discussions of all things Young Adult fiction because someday, I would like to be a published YA author. I'm a little bit new in the Science-Fiction community, meaning I haven't read much Sci-fi and all my love for it comes mostly from the television shows and movies I watch. I think the reason the genre is so appealing to me, and to many others, is because it lets us into a whole new world. It's a world full of "what ifs" and "could happens", and our imaginations can easily get sucked into those concepts. It's also a world full of technology and, sometimes, aliens which is appealing because it's so different from what we're used to. Sci-fi seems to be the perfect escape for readers, and I think that's my favorite thing about it. I also love how much it makes me think. It's a genre that's very involved with its audience and requires a lot of thought. Basically, you can't be passive and be a Sci-fi fan.

Now for my favorites. As far as books go, I tend to lean more towards the Dystopian sub-genre of Sci-fi and obsess over series like The Hunger Games and Divergent (especially this one... which leads me to promote my review of Allegient because it's now my favorite series). I also really enjoyed The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld. But I'm always looking for more YA Sci-fi book recs, so send them my way. Now, the television shows are probably what caused my love for Sci-fi the most. Well, it was mostly Doctor Who. How do I explain my love for Doctor Who? Without going into a deep analysis that lasts days, that is. Doctor Who has changed the way I view television shows, the way I read books, and the way I write my own stories. It didn't become the longest running Sci-fi show because of sub-par writing. It consistently captures my attention with every episode, and makes me feel like I'm a part of that world. What do you mean The Doctor isn't real? I still refuse to accept that. The characters are complex and the story lines are convoluted (in the best possible ways), and I love it with all my heart. I also love Star Trek and Star Wars, but in the great battle between the two, I lean more towards the Trekkie side... I'm more partial to the stuff that happens in the future than in the past. I also have a never ending list of shows to start watching (aka Firefly), so someday, I'm hoping to conquer that list.

So here's what I have planned for Sci-fi month:
-Thursday, November 7th- "What's so great about Sci-fi", a generic post about why people other than myself love the genre. I've collected some feedback from my lovely followers and friends, and I'm so excited to share their thoughts with you guys.
-Thursday, November 14th- I review the YA Sci-fi book, Transparent by Natalie Whipple
-Thursday, November 21st- I interview the awesome Sci-fi writer, Kim Lakin-Smith (author of Queen Rat), on her thoughts about Sci-fi and the community.
-Saturday, November 23rd- Woah, not a Thursday, that's weird! In honor of the Doctor Who 50th celebration, I wrote a post on Doctor Who: 50 Years of Inspiration in Sci-Fi Books.
-Thursday, November 28th- I review the YA Sci-fi book In The After by Demitria Lunetta

Basically, make sure to plan your life accordingly for the next month and check out all the other blogs that are participating. Also, today is the start of NaNoWriMo so get writing!

-Annie

p.s. Ender's Game just came out today in America, so make sure to go see it if you have the chance!