What we’re about
This meetup is for the Science Fiction/Fantasy Book Club, which is sponsored by and takes place at Quail Ridge Books, at North Hills in Raleigh, NC.
The Science Fiction/Fantasy Book Club reads both science fiction and fantasy novels, new and old, with a focus on diverse characters and authors. Moderated by Quail Ridge staffer and eternal super-geek Amber Brown.
Readers of all ages are welcome, but please note we will likely discuss mature themes.
You don't have to buy your book at Quail Ridge Books, but if you do, all book club books are 21% off! Just tell your cashier it's for a book club.
Group Guidelines
Respect each group member and their opinion.
Each group member will have their own opinion since reading and text interpretations are subjective. We respect and elevate all opinions.
Exercise consideration and respect in your speech and actions and attempt collaboration before conflict.
We may discuss topics that can become heated, particularly as they relate to different identity groups. It’s important to understand everyone is at a different point in their own knowledge journey. Don’t assume that a person has bad intentions, and instead, offer ways to collaborate and help them advance their own thinking. However, being mindful of your own energy is important. Don’t feel an obligation to educate others.
Minimize interruptions.
While you aren’t expected to raise your hand, be mindful of interrupting other group members, even if you disagree with the point being made. Ensure that everyone has a full uninterrupted opportunity to voice their opinion.
Work to limit side conversations.
Keep in mind that side conversations can be distracting to other group members. Additionally, it’s likely that you have something that the whole group would love to hear. Make sure you let the group know what you’re thinking.
Focus on the book at hand, though related books are acceptable.
Our meeting is focused on one book each month. Members may relate themes, concepts, or writing styles to other books they have read or other books read by the group. In fact, this may help other members pick their next read! However, there’s time before and after the meeting to discuss unrelated books and genres.
Pause of frequent speaker.
We love to hear your opinion, but keep in mind there are other group members. If the moderator notes that you’re frequently contributing, you may be asked to pause for a short time (a few minutes) to allow other group members the opportunity to speak. Please note, this is not a punishment. We just want to provide conversation space for everyone.
Assist others to ensure they are heard.
If you’re sitting next to someone and they’re having trouble voicing their point, advocate for them and let the group know they have something to say. Sometimes points are coming rapid fire and it might be difficult to interject. Offer others agency.
Provide space for fringe opinions that disagree with the majority of the group.
For a book that has a majority opinion, we will pause during the conversation and offer ample space for those with dissenting opinions to discuss their thoughts.
Upcoming events (4)
See all- Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Club: THE WILL OF THE MANY by James IslingtonQuail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC
Buy your copy from Quail Ridge Books and get a 21% discount! https://www.quailridgebooks.com/science-fiction-fantasy-book-club
The Catenan Republic – the Hierarchy – may rule the world now, but they do not know everything.
I tell them my name is Vis Telimus. I tell them I was orphaned after a tragic accident three years ago, and that good fortune alone has led to my acceptance into their most prestigious school. I tell them that once I graduate, I will gladly join the rest of civilised society in allowing my strength, my drive and my focus – what they call Will – to be leeched away and added to the power of those above me, as millions already do. As all must eventually do.
I tell them that I belong, and they believe me.
But the truth is that I have been sent to the Academy to find answers. To solve a murder. To search for an ancient weapon. To uncover secrets that may tear the Republic apart.
And that I will never, ever cede my Will to the empire that executed my family.
To survive, though, I will still have to rise through the Academy’s ranks. I will have to smile, and make friends, and pretend to be one of them and win. Because if I cannot, then those who want to control me, who know my real name, will no longer have any use for me.
And if the Hierarchy finds out who I truly am, they will kill me.
- Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Club: JADE CITY by Fonda LeeQuail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC
Buy your copy from Quail Ridge Books and get a 21% discount! https://www.quailridgebooks.com/science-fiction-fantasy-book-club
The Kaul family is one of two crime syndicates that control the island of Kekon. It's the only place in the world that produces rare magical jade, which grants those with the right training and heritage superhuman abilities.
The Green Bone clans of honorable jade-wearing warriors once protected the island from foreign invasion--but nowadays, in a bustling post-war metropolis full of fast cars and foreign money, Green Bone families like the Kauls are primarily involved in commerce, construction, and the everyday upkeep of the districts under their protection.
When the simmering tension between the Kauls and their greatest rivals erupts into open violence in the streets, the outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones and the future of Kekon itself.
- Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Club: CURIOUS TIDES by Pascale LacelleQuail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC
Buy your copy from Quail Ridge Books and get a 21% discount! https://www.quailridgebooks.com/science-fiction-fantasy-book-club
Ninth House meets A Deadly Education in this gorgeous dark academia fantasy following a teen mage who must unravel the truth behind the secret society that may have been involved in her classmates’ deaths.
Emory might be a student at the prestigious Aldryn College for Lunar Magics, but her healing abilities have always been mediocre at best—until a treacherous night in the Dovermere sea caves leaves a group of her classmates dead and her as the only survivor. Now Emory is plagued by strange, impossible powers that no healer should possess.
Powers that would ruin her life if the wrong person were to discover them.
To gain control of these new abilities, Emory enlists the help of the school’s most reclusive student, Baz—a boy already well-versed in the deadly nature of darker magic, whose sister happened to be one of the drowned students and Emory’s best friend. Determined to find the truth behind the drownings and the cult-like secret society she’s convinced her classmates were involved in, Emory is faced with even more questions when the supposedly drowned students start washing ashore— alive —only for them each immediately to die horrible, magical deaths.
And Emory is not the only one seeking answers. When her new magic captures the society’s attention, she finds herself drawn into their world of privilege and power, all while wondering if the truth she’s searching for might lead her right back to Dovermere…to face the fate she was never meant to escape.
