Sci-Fi Summer Reading 2011 by Thomas Knowlton, Outreach Librarian, MyLibraryNYCMay 24, 2011

Summer Reading is not just for aliens, kids, or cyborgs anymore! Here at Mid-Manhattan Library, we are gearing up for a universe of different events for older teens and adults this summer.

NEW! You can also log all of your summer books, movies, music, and even video games by creating an account at www.summerreading.org.

NEW! Follow us on Tumblr for free sci-fi downloads throughout June, July, & August.

Take a look below to see just some of our upcoming Sci-Fi Summer 2011 programs and keep your eye on this space for even more!

All summer, we will be blogging about our favorite sci-fi books, movies, and television shows. Read more below:

Reader's Den: Software by Rudy Rucker
Online Book Discussion by Thomas Knowlton
Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4

Sci-Fi Summer Film Series
Plan 9 From Outer Space by Karen Rose Ginman
Cat-Women of the Moon by Karen Rose Ginman

Sci-Fi Summer Television We Love To Watch
Star Trek: The Next Generation by Ryan Donovan
Mulder, Scully, and the X-Files by Ryan Donovan
The New Battlestar Galactica by Ryan Donovan
The Fifth Column Lives! V by Ryan Donovan
4400 Taken, 4400 Returned by Ryan Donovan
J.J. Abrams and Fringe by Ryan Donovan
Into the Vortex! Sliders by Ryan Donovan
The Teen Aliens of Roswell by Ryan Donovan

Sci-Fi Summer Feature Articles
A Classic Doctor Who Starter Kit by Hannah Rothman
Rare Doctor Who Stories at the Library by Hannah Rothman

What is "anime"? It's short for Japanese "animation," which exploded in its home country in the 1960s, rose to international popularity in the 1980s, and has since only grown in visibility. Join us for our monthly summer screenings, hosted by Ryan Donovan, on the first Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m.

TITLE	DATE
Gun x Sword	June 1
Sgt. Frog	July 6
Kaleido Star	August 3

Come play your favorite classic games or try a new one at this monthly gaming event! In the spirit of summer reading, we’ll be playing (Sci-Fi) Scrabble, Battleship (Galactica), Checkers, Taboo, (Intergalactic) Monopoly and other fun, low-tech games.

DAY & TIME	DATES
Last Friday of the month, 5-7 p.m.	June 24; July 29; August 26

Join us each week in June, on the Reader's Den, for an online book discussion of the cyberpunk classic, Software by Rudy Rucker.

Participants can request a print copy of the Ware compilation through the NYPL Catalog or download a free ebook version (available under a Creative Commons license).

Get started by asking a question or posting a comment on the first week's post!

This summer, explore dystopian visions of the future, wacky low budget B-movies, and classic science fiction films at our weekly screenings on Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m.

B-MOVIES	DATE
Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959, 79 min)	June 8
Cat-Women of the Moon (1953, 64 min)	June 15
Teenagers From Outer Space (1959, 72 min)	June 22
Killers From Space (1954, 71 min)	June 29

DYSTOPIAN FILMS	DATE
H.G. Well's Things To Come (1936, 100 min)	July 13
Last Man on Earth (1964, 84 min)	July 20
Peter Greenaway's The Falls (1980, 195 min)	July 27

B-MOVIES	DATE
Atom Age Vampire (1960, 65 min)	August 10
The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962, 82 min)	August 17
Rocketship X-M (1950, 77 min)	August 24
The Amazing Transparent Man (1960, 57 min)	August 31

Brush up on your technology skills or pick up some new ones in these cutting-edge technology classes held on the fourth floor of Mid-Manhattan Library. Registration is required and opens one week in advance, starting at 1 p.m.

CLASS TITLE	DATES
Cell Phone Buyer's Guide 2: Smartphones	June 14; July 26; August 16
Getting More Out of Cloud Storage	June 23; July 14; August 25
What Do I Read Next? (Sci-Fi & Fantasy)	June 3; July 5; August 1
Introduction to eBooks	June 28

MIXED BAG: STORY TIME FOR GROWN-UPS

Love a good story? Sit back and relax as we read you a story or two at lunchtime. Every Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. Brown bag lunches welcome!

SELECTIONS	DATE
A Delicate Architecture by Catherinne M. Valente The Farmer’s Cat by Jeff VanderMeer	June 15
The Hanging Stranger by Philip K. Dick Scroogled by Cory Doctorow	June 29
Time of the Snake by A. M. Dellamonica The Thing on the Roof by Robert E. Howard The King of Beasts by Philip José Farmer	July 13
Fair Game by Philip K. Dick The Night Wire by H.F. Arnold	July 27

View all posts by Thomas Knowlton

Comments

Patron-generated content represents the views and interpretations of the patron, not necessarily those of The New York Public Library. For more information see NYPL's Website Terms and Conditions.

The Nature Walk

Submitted by Louis Profeta (not verified) on May 26, 2011 - 5:50pm

Every morning I walk The Green Belt in Staten Island at 6:00am I do this because I feel best in Nature's grip, I feel part of it, related sounds best. Thinking about it's future I become sad because the future is in young people's hands and there are no young people in the park, this makes the future dubious.

Nature Is Dead

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on June 10, 2011 - 7:26pm

There is no nature in future. We live in a world of concrete and steel. The fact that you see no young people in the park is proof that we are going to be great leaders. We look forward to the techno-cities of the future, not the green places of the past.

confusion

Submitted by Ryan Donovan on June 30, 2011 - 3:28pm

You both make some valid points here, but I'm not sure what either of these comments have to do with an adult Summer Reading Program at the library. You guys just musing on the future in general?

Kind of

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on July 13, 2011 - 9:32pm

Yes, and I didn't agree with that guy. I'd love to come to one of these events by the way. :)

Scifi group

Submitted by Dana Zeno Gabri... (not verified) on August 31, 2011 - 12:00pm

Hello, If anyone is interested in continuing to read, watch, play, discuss and gather around the scifi (this summer's or any other) please contact me. Forming a scifi NYPL-world circle. E-mail me at zenogabriel@rocketmail.com with the title SCIFI in the heading.