Swarthmore Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Club

September's book is the 2023 International Booker Prize winner (the English translation) and was one of The New Yorker's best books of 2022. Originally written in Bulgarian by Georgi Gospodinov in 2020, it was translated into English in 2022 by Angela Rodel. The author was inspired by the rise of the populism movement and Brexit in 2016.

Where to find the book (as of 08/01/2025):
(If there are other local sources I should add, let me know)

Hard Copies:
Delaware County Libraries - 2 of 3 copies available
Free Library of Philadelphia - 1 of 4 copies available (1 hold)
Montgomery County Libraries - 6 of 7 copies available

eBooks:
DCL - 0 of 0 copies
FLP - 0 of 3 copies (1 hold)
MCL - 1 of 1 copies

Audiobooks:
DCL - 0 of 0 copies
FLP - 2 of 5 copies
MCL - 0 of 1 copies (0 holds)

Summary:

Award-winning Bulgarian author Georgi Gospodinov has enthralled readers around the world with his labyrinth-like, Kafkaesque tales of contemporary Europe.

In Time Shelter, an enigmatic flâneur named Gaustine opens a “clinic for the past” that offers a promising treatment for Alzheimer’s sufferers: each floor reproduces a decade in minute detail, transporting patients back in time. As Gaustine’s assistant, the unnamed narrator is tasked with collecting the flotsam and jetsam of the past, from 1960s furniture and 1940s shirt buttons to scents and even afternoon light. But as the rooms become more convincing, an increasing number of healthy people seek out the clinic as a “time shelter”—a development that results in an unexpected conundrum when the past begins to invade the present. Intricately crafted, and eloquently translated by Angela Rodel, Time Shelter announces Gospodinov to American readers as an essential voice in international literature.

Published April 29, 2020
304 pages, 10h 19min

We're ready for something spooky for October. New member, Amy, has chosen My Best Friend's Exorcism, by Grady Hendrix. It was a nominee for the Goodreads Choice Award for readers' favorite horror of 2016. It's been called a mix of Exorcism and Heathers, horror and comedy. If you're into any of that, or just the 80's, this is for you. It's also been made into a movie on Prime Video.

Where to find the book (as of 08/29/2025):
(If there are other local sources I should add, let me know)

Hard Copies:
Delaware County Libraries - 5 of 6 copies available
Free Library of Philadelphia - 1 of 3 copies available
Montgomery County Libraries - 6 of 9 copies available

eBooks:
DCL - 0 of 1 copies (7 holds)
FLP - 0 of 5 copies (12 holds)
MCL - 0 of 0 copies

Audiobooks:
DCL - 0 of 1 copies (2 holds)
FLP - 0 of 5 copies (11 holds)
MCL - 0 of 0 copies

Summary:

Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fifth grade, when they bonded over a shared love of E.T., roller-skating parties, and scratch-and-sniff stickers. But when they arrive at high school, things change. Gretchen begins to act….different. And as the strange coincidences and bizarre behavior start to pile up, Abby realizes there’s only one possible explanation: Gretchen, her favorite person in the world, has a demon living inside her. And Abby is not about to let anyone or anything come between her and her best friend. With help from some unlikely allies, Abby embarks on a quest to save Gretchen. But is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?

Published May 17, 2016
330 pages, 10h 11m