How I Met My Sci-Fi
By Book Moon
By Book Moon
Ever since grade school, science fiction/fantasy was my go-to genre. I don't know why. Certainly, no one around me was reading these books or suggesting anything remotely "weird" or "nerdy" to read. I'm sure it all started in the library; my mother took me every weekend since I can remember. I would pick books at random, no list, just pure instinct. In this case, instinct meant "which book cover was the coolest?" The spaceships and aliens seem to have won out. I wish I knew which book was my tipping point. Do libraries keep records from the 90's?
I distinctly remember Brian Jacque's Redwall series featuring heroic rodents, mustelidae ,and other small mammals wielding swords and shields, fighting for honor. They were basically the rodent, children's version of A Game of Thrones. I also remember John Christopher's The Tripods and heavy hitters like The Chronicles of Narnia series, The Giver, and Ender's Game series. I was reading all of these in grade school, I know this because 5th grade and middle school was all about The Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter. But that wasn't all I read during those extremely awkward three years. I remember Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, Orwell's Animal Farm, Lord of the Flies, and The Time Machine. By that point, I was a sci-fi/fantasy goner.
The following list contains the books that made me the nerd I am today, and a few I wish I'd read but didn't until much later.
Lord Brocktree
Brian Jacques
$8.99 $8.36I was obsessed with the Redwall series. Rodents in shining armor? Sign me up!
The White Mountains (Reissue)
John Christopher
$8.99 $8.36This may be the first book I ever read about aliens. I remember my heart racing while I read.
A Wrinkle in Time
Madeleine L'Engle
$8.99 $8.36A book I unfortunately missed out on as a child. But don't worry, I read it later.
A Wizard of Earthsea, 1
Ursula K. Le Guin
$10.99 $10.22Again, missed out on this one too. You see, I had to find all my sci-fi/fantasy books on my own; no one handed me a list. Oh well, it's still fun as an adult.
Night of the Living Dummy (Classic Goosebumps #1): Volume 1
R. L. Stine
$7.99 $7.43Ok, first of all, the new cover is not nearly as scary as the original. That's half of what made the book so scary—the cover. I hope the Goosebumps titles still have the raised lettering with the neon colors. That also made the book(s) scary. I will never forget the PBJ sandwich. Never forget.
The Invasion (Animorphs #1): Volume 1
K. a. Applegate
$7.99 $7.43Again, the original covers for these books were way cooler. Oh well. Still a great series.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: Three Books to Chill Your Bones: All 3 Scary Stories Books with the Original Art!
Alvin Schwartz and Stephen Gammell
$19.99 $18.59Who knew I had so much nostalgia tied to book covers, but here we are with a new edition. Maybe the original art is inside? Do yourself a favor and look up the original cover for this book illustrated by Stephen Gammell. It truly contributes to the creepiness of these stories. Classics, all of them.
Harry Potter Paperback Boxed Set: Books 1-7
J. K. Rowling
$100.00 $93.00Harry Potter is special to a lot of people, adults, children, teenagers. But what made the Harry Potter experience so cool for me, was that the books were being published during my childhood and teen years. So, as Harry grew up, I grew up too. I'll never forget the Harry Potter midnight release parties, staying up all night to finish the books in one go and then calling my friends after who'd done the same. These are nothing short of iconic for my generation.
Ender's Game
Orson Scott Card
$13.99 $13.01I debated whether to include this book in the list only because of the author's comments on homosexuality (they're not good). Of course, I knew nothing of this when reading the book. The story greatly affected me as a child, especially that killer ending. So here it is with that caveat. The same discussion could be had with J.K. Rowling's transphobic remarks recently. Should these books be 'canceled'? I'm not sure. Reader's choice.
The Giver
Lois Lowry
$11.99 $11.15Ok, this cover is getting closer. A classic sci-fi coming of age story that really had me shook as a kid. Great premise and a great ending.
The Hunger Games (Hunger Games, Book One): Volume 1
Suzanne Collins
$14.99 $13.94This was published after my adolescence, but I'm including it here because as far as I'm concerned, it's a classic. And I might be wrong, but it seems to have been the catalyst for the dystopian YA genre.
Dune
Frank Herbert
$10.99 $10.22I'm including Dune because I read it as a young teen and it blew my mind, though I don't think it's considered YA. (I actually like this new cover). Just, whatever you do, don't stick your hand in that dang Gom Jabbar!
Lord of the Flies
William Golding
$12.00 $11.16Wait your turn for the conch shell. And sucks to your ass-mar.
Howl's Moving Castle
Diana Wynne Jones
$9.99 $9.29A funny, magical adventure. Not a bad movie either.
The Chronicles of Narnia: 7 Books in 1 Hardcover
C. S. Lewis and Pauline Baynes
$34.99 $32.54Now these are the books I stayed up too late reading under the covers with a flashlight. I'll never forget freaking myself out reading "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" at night.
Many moons ago, Amanda first worked as a bookseller at Buffalo Street Books Co-Op in Ithaca, NY. She’s thrilled to be back among the books, especially here in Easthampton where she’s lived for two years. Amanda holds a B.M. in Music Composition and a minor in English Lit. from Ithaca College. She enjoys all kinds of books but is especially partial to anything involving science fiction, speculative fiction, feminist/LGBTQ themes, and writers of color. She’s a nerd’s nerd and loves being a part of this amazing community of book lovers. Come talk to her about her strange taste in music (jazz fusion, anyone?), books, artsy films, and the Fermi Paradox.