You're Ready for the Total Eclipse
I've got a handful of space books for you
Hi friends,
I hope you’re doing well. Life intervened this weekend with my writing time so, in honor of the today’s total eclipse of the sun, I’ve rounded up three books from the archives about space.
Are you catching the eclipse? Let me know from where in the comments.
And, now, what to read if…
You’re Side-Eyeing the Eclipse Conspiracy Theories
Comet Madness by Richard Goodrich
I shouldn’t be surprised, but apparently “the solar eclipse is the Super Bowl for conspiracists,” according to Wired. There’s some truly bonkers ones including a claim that Masonic rituals timed to the eclipse will “usher in a New World Order.” For more on space conspiracies, check out Comet Madness by Richard Goodrich.
In 1910, Halley’s Comet was set to return, a development that thrilled astronomers worldwide and set off a global panic that Armageddon was near. Newspaper editors, knowing that fear sells papers, clipped quotes from scientists, implying that as the Earth passed through the comet’s tail, humanity would die from the change in atmosphere. The constant headlines — and completely fabricated stories — drove dozens of Americans to commit suicide and countless more to spend months living in dread.
Comet Madness is a fascinating look at historical issues that we still struggle with today — media overhype, the tension between the scientific process and the need for headlines and, yes, not knowing what’s in the skies above us. It’s chock-full of fun historical tidbits (Mark Twain was born in 1835, when Halley’s comet had previously appeared and accurately predicted he would die with its return) and provides a peek into a historical period I knew nothing about.
You Wish Jessica Fletcher Visited Space in “Murder, She Wrote”
Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty
Mallory Viridian has an unfortunate tendency to stumble upon dead bodies — and solve murders. But, unlike the police in Jessica Fletcher’s hometown of Cabot Cove, authorities assume Mallory, who fictionalized her experience in a mystery series, is a nuisance at best and a serial killer at worse. Feeling cursed to bring harm to those she loves, she exiles herself to a sentient space station, where she’ll be one of three humans living among aliens.
Her excursion goes well — none of the ETs turn up dead — until a group of humans arrives at the station, and both the aliens and earthlings begin to die. Mallory teams up with Xan, another human hiding a big secret, and sympathetic aliens to dismantle the murderous plot and attempt to finally understand why she’s some sort of murder magnet.
I loved the way Mur Lafferty delivers a well-plotted mystery while also mocking the genre convention that has murders occurring at absurd rates (a phenomenon appropriately called “Cabot Cove syndrome”). As someone who doesn’t read a lot of sci-fi, I found the beginning a bit slow because of all the necessary world-building, but I’m so glad I stuck with it.
You’re Looking for a Total Eclipse of the Heart
The Astronaut and the Star by Jen Comfort
Fun fact: Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” was orginally called “Vampires in Love” because the writer was working on a “Nosferatu” musical. If you’re looking for a NASA-infused romance, look no further than The Astronaut and the Star by Jen Comfort.
Astronaut Reggie Hayes’ entire life is organized around one goal: becoming the first woman on the moon. Just as she’s on the cusp of achieving her dream, a PR disaster causes NASA to ground her. Reggie is given the chance to rehabilitate her image by teaching actor Jon Leo how to play the role of an astronaut in preparation for an upcoming movie. The two agree to live in a lunar simulator, and the close quarters cause sparks to fly. Reggie suggests they pursue a casual relationship, but Jon sets out to prove to her they could be something real.
I am an avowed space nerd, so I appreciated the science and space travel facts Comfort worked into a compelling love story. Reggie and Jon both help each other grow into better, stronger people, with Reggie learning to acknowledge her emotions and Jon beginning to trust his brain and his gut. A fun, fast read.
Thanks for reading! I’ll be back next week with three fresh picks.
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Not "Blindness" by Jose Saramago? 😊
These are so much fun to read! I'm planning to watch today.