Buy a book! And recommend a book! Then repeat the process!!

Thursday!  You know what you should do on Thursdays?

Buy a book!  And recommend a book! Then repeat the process!!

Today's recommendations are five excellent Science Fiction works with strong women as their protagonist. And I think you should take a look at when you get a moment:

The Calculating Stars: A Lady Astronaut Story by Mary Robinette Kowal
An alternate history of the Space Program full of good science, a diverse cast of characters, and a strong look at women in the face of adversity. Kowal's book takes place in an alternate version of the 1950's when a meteorite strike on the nation's capital changes everything. The impact will bring about a possible extinction of the human race and it's a race to get to the moon. Elma York, the MC, is a brilliant pilot and mathematician and she and her fellow pilots struggle to join the astronaut-corp even though they're "only women." - Side note: The author is also the reader of the Audible version and she is FABULOUS.

Paige's Story by A.J. Bass
It's the story of 13 year old Paige Bryan - a very smart, funny girl trying to live on a military base with sentient robots - Synthetics. Her mom and dad have been called in to help study the growing sentience in these machines and Paige gets caught up in the move. Paige has to face all the problems of trying to be a teenager while also dealing with the fact she is alienated from others simply because she lives on base... with the machines. Not to mention the religious protestors... It's a fun story with sarcasm, mystery, and a whole load of great characters. While the book is 400 pages long - it is an easy read that I had trouble putting down.




The Last Adventure of Constance Verity by A. Lee Martinez
What happens when you're granted an adventurous life by a fairy godmother? Well, you have adventures! But what happens when the adventurous life becomes a little too much for you? You try to have that spell removed. Constance Verity is a delightful book full of fun, adventure, and, well, ninjas, trolls, aliens, and secret cabals of super villains. Constance is an adventurer through and through and she's not met an alien armada, time jumping super villain, or group of ninja assassins that she can't handle. The 2nd book - Constance Verity Saves The World is next on my "to read" list.



The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
John Scalzi's new "Interdependency Series" starts out strong with a very mixed cast of characters and a new spin on civilization. Centering around new Emperox Grayland II - formerly known as Cardenia. She is smart and capable - but she wasn't meant to take on the role of Emperox. The death of her brother, and then her father, leaves her in charge of the empire... just in time for it to fall apart. We also have the brazen Lady Kiva... and she's just an awesome, foul-mouthed force of nature that you can't help but be in awe of.


Artemis by Andy Weir
Jazz Bashara is a smart, no-nonsense girl who just happens to live on the Moon in the city of Artemis. But she doesn't just live there - she works the docks and runs a side business of smuggling in contraband for a little extra cash on the side. She's no saint, but she is awesome. And when things get bad - she steps up to the challenge.
This isn't the same theme or tone as "The Martian" - but the science, humor, drama, and excellent story that made The Martian so loved by fans all shows through in Artemis.
Side note: The audiobook is read by Rosario Dawson and she NAILS the delivery. Just an excellent job on narration.