Administrative Notes

Well, I’m back. I went away for a while because, frankly, this project stopped being fun. Instead, I read more contemporary fiction, including Game of Thrones, though not any of the books that follow it yet, and watching lots and lots of Star Trek TNG.

In the interest of making this blog fun for me again, I am instituting the following changes:

1. Short stories: I will no longer blog each short story separately. It was tedious and driving me crazy (I’m looking at you, Ray Bradbury). Instead, I will blog collections of short stories based on the year the collection was published. I will miss out on some of the chronological, evolution of sci-fi stuff this way, but it will greatly enhance my interest in blogging.
2. Science: I will still do general science commentary, but will not try to be super scientific about it. I’m a well informed lay person, not an expert, and have no interest in being an expert in anything except science fiction paperbacks before 1970, the field I make my living in, and my other hobbies.
3. No, that’s about it. Two changes to note. I think that will make things better.

Alrighty then. That’s that. What have you been reading lately?

About Alien Territory

The Setting: A cozy living room with a cozy red couch and a friendly black and white cat.

The Background: My husband and I love books.  We gradually become enamored of/obsessed with vintage paperbacks, especially science fiction paperbacks.  Our collection grows with each trip to the used book store.  I get the itch to read all of the vintage paperback science fiction in our collection.

The Project: To read all of the vintage paperback science fiction in our personal library in chronological order.  As of today, there are 148 books which fall under this category.

The Rules:

1. Each book will be read, from beginning to end, no matter how ridiculous it is or how painful the prose.
2. Books and short stories shall be read in chronological order of first publication of the work.  This will result in collections of short stories being broken up.
3. Any new vintage paperback science fiction purchased during the course of the project shall be incorporated into the project.
4. Books included in the project must be 1) paperback, 2) science fiction (or at least apparently so from the cover and front and back blurbs), and 3) vintage.  For our purposes, vintage paperbacks consist of those published before 1980 (more or less) with neat-o cover art.
5. I will read approximately one book per week, or approximately fifty books per year.