Half a Dozen New PM Press Books
Tags: PM PressIt’s always a good day when we get a new batch of books from PM Press. This lot includes a couple of books that spring from punk (The Spitboy Rule: Tales of a Xicana in a Female Punk Band and Going Underground: American Punk 1979–1989, Second Edition), mothering, and a folklorish exploration of “what it means to be a peacemaker in the midst of violence” — A Wolf at the Gate, which received a starred review from Kirkus and looks very tempting:
“Van Steenwyk writes in sharp, muscular prose highly suitable for the fabulistic subject matter, deftly navigating both the darker and lighter segments of the story. The true standouts of the book, however, are the illustrations by Joel Hedstrom . . . full-page illustrations in brilliant colors that feel simultaneously ancient and stylishly contemporary. The result is a book out of time: a coupling of narrative and illustration that should stoke the imagination of any young modern reader. A visually stunning work addressing themes of peace, generosity, and forgiveness.”
Martin Luther King Jr. Day reading suggestions
Tags: Martin Luther King Jr., PM PressI searched for Martin Luther King Jr. on the site and came up with two interesting looking books, both perhaps not surprisingly from our politically minded friends at PM Press.The first is We Have Not Been Moved: Resisting Racism and Militarism in 21st Century America by Elizabeth Betita Martínez et al. which is directly inspired by the work of King: “Among the historic texts included are rarely-seen writings by antiracist icons such as Anne Braden, Barbara Deming, and Audre Lorde, as well as a dialogue between Dr. King, revolutionary nationalist Robert F. Williams, Dave Dellinger, and Dorothy Day. Never-before-published pieces appear from civil rights and gay rights organizer Bayard Rustin and from celebrated U.S. pacifist supporter of Puerto Rican sovereignty Ruth Reynolds.”
The second book inspired by Dr. King is Waging Peace by David Hartsough and Joyce Hollyday and is filled with “Engaging stories on every page provide a peace activist’s eyewitness account of many of the major historical events of the past 60 years.”
Peace in our time!
Science and Herself
Tags: Karen Joy Fowler, PM Press
I’m really enjoying the whole Outspoken Authors series from PM Press and last week I read Karen Joy Fowler’s entry, The Science of Herself, and now I want you to go and read it, too. And, bonus, today it is on super sale! (Full disclosure: I know Karen, published a collection of her work, and really want you to read her books!)
The title story “The Science of Herself” is about (ok, forgive me, it’s about a lot of things) Mary Anning, who from an early age, was one of the foremost fossil hunters in Britain. Of course, she wasn’t recognized as such: those who bought her discoveries claimed them as their own and Mary and her family had to struggle for their daily bread. This is Karen in her element: writing about women in history doing their own thing, investigating the world, and not always being recognized or even noticed by the men around them. She mixes in some Jane Austen — after all, she did write The Jane Austen Book Club — and breaks your heart over and over. (That is kind of her specialty.)
The second story, “The Pelican Bar,” won both the World Fantasy and Shirley Jackson Awards and is a spectacular story, although all the spectacle is slipped underneath the surface. In the interview, Terry Bisson asks whether the story (which is about a North American teenager) was inspired by the Guantánamo Bay detention camp and Karen says:
“Definitely Guantánamo. Also Abu Ghraib. But even more directly, from the chain of overseas schools run by the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS), particularly the notorious Tranquility Bay in Jamaica and High Impact in Mexico. I read online a statement that we shouldn’t be surprised that Americans are OK with torturing foreign prisoners, because apparently we are OK with the torturing of American children, as long as it happens overseas. That statement was the seed of my story.”
The last story is “The Further Adventures of the Invisible Man” which was originally published in Conjunctions 39: The New Wave Fabulists and is another fabulous how does she do it story.
And, you know, the stories are fabulous, but the two pieces of nonfiction are what makes this book a must have. Karen is one of the smartest people I know and any time I can see her on a panel or listen to an interview (or even read one), I do. Her conversation with Terry Bisson is worth the price of the book alone, and, given that The Science of Herself is on super sale today, I hope you’ll give it a shot.
Happy Holidays
Tags: Apex Magazine, Electric Velocipede, PM PressMerry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Weightless!
We know there are hundreds of places to get books and magazines around the world so thank you for choosing Weightless for your DRM-free, always available ebooks. We’re always happy to help readers find good books on the site and would love for you to help spread the word.
I have a few quick gifting recommendations before the actual day of Christmas rolls around. The quickest and easiest gifts are gift certificates which you can give in any amount you choose: $0.99 to $999.00 (or more!). The certificate is good for anything on the site and does not expire.
Sending friends and family and fellow readers ebooks is also very easy. Just check the “This is a gift order” button when checking out.
For recommendations:
The last issue of Electric Velocipede is a huge, great read.
Apex dropped the price of many of their back issues: issues 15 through 29 are now $1.99 (down from $2.99).
Do you read ebooks on an iPad or other tablet? PDFs are a good way to go and all the Lightspeed, Nightmare, and Fantasy Magazine issues now have PDF versions! Check them out here.
And don’t forget you can get collections from Ken McLeod, Ursula K. Le Guin, Karen Joy Fowler, Kim Stanley Robinson, Nalo Hopkinson, Terry Bisson, and Cory Doctorow for 50% off from PM Press.
Want to get rely into the holiday spirit? Try Season of Wonder edited by Paula Guran and featuring Harlan Ellison, James Patrick Kelly, Ellen Kushner, Charles de Lint, M. Rickert, Connie Willis, Robert Charles Wilson, and Gene Wolfe, among others.
Happy holidays and be excellent to one another!
So many excellent subscriptions!
PM Press: 50% off!
Tags: PM PressGreat news: all PM Press books are on sale this month: they are all 50% off!
Just enter the coupon
PM
and all your PM Press titles (cookbooks! politics! science fiction) will be 50% off all this month! Remember: PM Press books also make excellent gifts. And gifts can be scheduled for any special day . . .
New Dean Alfar, Icarus, Nancy Kress,& more
Tags: Dean Francis Alfar, Flipside Publishing, Icarus, PM Press
Ok first before I forget: remember we have verrrrry handy Gifts & Gift Certificates available which should take the pressure off any holiday fever you have going. Send them a gift certificate, let them pick our their own DRM-free ebooks and, Voila! Bob’s your uncle, you’re all done.
Suggestions? How about this week’s two new titles from Flipside? More Dean Francis Alfar is always welcome so I’m glad to say we’ve added his first book, The Kite of Stars. The second title is if anything even more interesting, Alternative Alamat edited by Paolo Chikiamco has eleven stories which start off from the basic elements of Philippine mythology and then build on or question the underlying assumptions.
Nancy Kress fans? Pick up a copy of her thriller Dogs. Want more? How radical are you? How about this: Earth at Risk: Building a Resistance Movement to Save the Planet. “These speakers offer their ideas on what can be done to build a real resistance movement, one that includes all levels of direct action—action that can actually match the scale of the problem.” Let’s be part of the solution!
For those who love subscriptions, this week’s recommendation is Icarus edited by Steve Berman. You can pick up four issues at 75% off the cover price ($6.99) here. The new issue, #15, includes Peter Dube, Richard Bowes, Christopher Barzak (whose first novel was just optioned to film!), Stephen Graham Jones (who was a huge hit with the Clarion West students this summer), and JL Merrow.
Subscription segue: Later this week we’ll have the new issue of Beneath Ceaseless Skies to keep fantasy fans happy.
For the holidays, coming up fast so the calendar says, I’d like peace on earth and for people to be nice to each other. Once those have been accomplished, on the material goods list, maybe an excellent pair of vegan boots? Since next Tuesday is Christmas Day we may not have any new books (although we may, I’m always the last to know) and I will be busy looking for Christmas cake, hoping for a selection box, and playing with wrapping paper. Check out these bestsellers as a place to start for gifts to send all those happy folks with new ereaders to fill.
PM Press sale: 33% off until Nov. 20
Tags: Michael Moorcock, Nalo Hopkinson, PM Press, Terry Bisson, Ursula K. Le Guin
I am not entirely sure how Michael makes the magic happen behind the scenes on Weightless but if you like me wondered just how this 33% coupon works, apparently all you need to do is add any PM Press book to your cart and, boom! It’s done.
That $8.95 copy of Nick Mamatas’s Sensation is suddenly $5.97. You add Ursula Le Guin’s The Wild Girls (because you’ve heard the interview is amazing) and suddenly you’ve saved $5.97. Ok, you realize the discount is basically 3-for-2, so the last book is sort of free. Maybe Byzantium Endures: The First Volume of the Colonel Pyat Quartet by Michael Moorcock, or Terry Bisson’s Left Left Behind?
Wait! What’s that book by Nalo Hopkinson? Report from Planet Midnight. Is it a PM book? Yes! Awesome. Or maybe your brain is more organized than mine and you already have your eye on some of their books. Either way, for a week or three, all of their books are automagically 33% off!
Welcome Dagan Books + Gift Certificates!
Tags: Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Dagan Books, Less Than Three, PM Press
We welcome a new publisher this week, Dagan Books, with two awesome titles: Cthulhurotica (“A new anthology of erotic horror, inspired by the writing of H. P. Lovecraft”) and IN SITU (“a new anthology of science fiction stories featuring alien archeology, hidden mysteries, and things that are better off left buried”) both edited by Carrie Cuinn.
We also have a nice balance of erotica and politics this week: a dozen new books from Less Than Three Press (Finding the Wolf) and almost as many from PM Press (The Laughter of Carthage: The Second Volume of the Colonel Pyat Quartet by Michael Moorcock).
Somewhere in there we keep adding more and more Wildside Books.
And, wait, what was that Gift Certificates?
We now have them! I find this a bit more awesome and exciting that I probably should. Thanks go to Jeff VanderMeer for the nudge and Michael for making it happen. You can now send friends, family, enemies and frenemies a Weightless Gift Certificate.
Speaking of Jeff, we’ll be adding a new title from Cheeky Frawg next week: Jagannath by Karin Tidbeck (“A vital voice.” – China Miéville)
And don’t forget the BCS Fall Subscription Drive. Subscribe or buy a copy of Best of BCS Year Three and we’ll send you Best of BCS Year One or Year Two free!
Fireside, PM, Wildside
Tags: Fireside Press, PM Press, subscriptions, Wildside Press
Next week’s going to be a big week here: we’re going to be adding 100+ titles from the fab West Coast publisher PM Press. You might know them from their novella+ books they’ve published by Ursula K. Le Guin, Cory Doctorow, and more, but they publish tons more. Last Christmas I gave someone Pistoleros!: The Chronicles of Farquhar McHarg — how can you wrong with the real story of a Glasgow boy dropped by chance into Barcelona’s revolutionary underworld at end of the Great War—and now writing his memoirs as fast as he can because he fears he’s next on the assassin’s list? They have tons of great books on their list and we’re proud to be bringing them to you, as ever!, DRM-free.
Over the next week or two we’ll be adding something like 500(!) Wildside Press titles. A lot of them are titles that it is awesome that they are in available as ebooks. More on those as we get them online. (For publishers only: we’re now working with Ingram CoreSource, so we can now get your titles from them. Ooh!)
And: we just added a new magazine, Fireside, which will launch on April 17th.
I first heard of Fireside’s Kickstarter campaign on a blog (Genreville?) and figured it would be worth supporting and I was happy to be one of 254 backers who pledged $7,000+ to get the first issue out the door. Of course once there was one issue . . . there had to be another, so now we are also selling subscriptions (which only seem to be $8 for 4 issues, which is 50% off the issue price, just saying . . . ).
While I’ve been slowly writing this post Fireside has been outselling Irregulars. Will it be able to keep up the pace? It’s a challenge!
Anyway, it’s the weekend (well, in publishing Friday afternoon = the weekend) so I hope y’all have something good to read!