Adults
Match+Book: Get Started in Sci-Fi
Want to get started reading science fiction, and don't know where to start? Librarian Paul Kibala has you covered!
You can check out these titles with your EBPL or LMxAC library card.
The Martian by Andy Weir
Sunsets
Sunsets by Virginia Lee (a Short Story Contest entry)
"Come on, Bear."
The leash dangles limply from Rebecca's hand as her Labrador trails behind her, tongue lolling out of his gray muzzle. She sits on the bank of the lake and he flops down next to her, resting his head in her lap. She strokes Bear's fur as the sun sinks below the glittering water.
Tomorrow will bring tears and goodbyes, but for now they have this moment. They have each other.
Recovery Walk
Other’s success stories inspired the man’s practice following his doctor’s declaration of permanently lost walking ability. After enough recovery for independent slow strolls and questioning the claim, the doctor confessed his reluctance to admit the lack of certainty of recovery. The patient advised to instead encourage waiting for answers after long term practice and treatment. The doctor apologized and agreed to hereafter inspire patients, congratulating the man’s wisdom, recovery progression, and hopeful persistence.
Triumph
Triumph by Diane Alfinito (a Short Story Contest entry)
The school bell rang the end of day at Lincoln High School. Marcy ran frantically out the door before her tormentors could dump on her.
She heard them laughing, shouting, "FATTY you'll never get the boys to like you".
Marcy found solace in writing and martial arts. One day she shouted back "ENOUGH" surprised, the bullies stumbled, their laughter silenced. Marcy walked the halls unbothered - a quiet triumph in her step.
The Next Mourning
You didn’t need a doctorate, to know something was wrong. Grief was a beast,
and attacked from the inside out. So, they stepped up. Church was on Sundays,
and couldn’t kill them. Long walks were healthy for everyone involved. Movie nights brought
laughter. When the cemetery gates opened for her, it was for all of her, not the pieces his
Death had left behind. It was the least they could do, after all.
The Interrogation
Recovery Walk
Recovery Walk by Maina (a Short Story Contest entry)
Other’s success stories inspired the man’s practice following his doctor’s declaration of permanently lost walking ability. After enough recovery for independent slow strolls and questioning the claim, the doctor confessed his reluctance to admit the lack of certainty of recovery. The patient advised to instead encourage waiting for answers after long term practice and treatment. The doctor apologized and agreed to hereafter inspire patients, congratulating the man’s wisdom, recovery progression, and hopeful persistence.
The Next Mourning
The Next Mourning by Amanda Visokay (a Short Story Contest entry)
You didn’t need a doctorate, to know something was wrong. Grief was a beast, and attacked from the inside out. So, they stepped up. Church was on Sundays, and couldn’t kill them. Long walks were healthy for everyone involved. Movie nights brought laughter. When the cemetery gates opened for her, it was for all of her, not the pieces his Death had left behind. It was the least they could do, after all.
The Interrogation
The Interrogation by Shikhar Dixit (a Short Story Contest entry)
Detective Rappaport decided Gordon Tho's guilt the day they met. A weird man with difficulties socializing, Tho brought down Rappaport's wrath. The detective "interviewed" Tho in a small, tight and hot room after Tho admitted he was on antipsychotic medication that overheated him.
The detective took a break every hour. Tho sweated through his fleece shirt within one hour. Requests for water were ignored.
After seven hours, Rappaport had a confession.