WWWednesday: March 4, 2020

Not genre at all, but interesting: The Washington Post explores the need for, and implications of, the “momcation.”

Awards:

File 770 is gathering information to help people vote on the Hugos. This column discusses those eligible for Best Editor, Long Form.

World:

The Centers for Disease Control have issued guidelines for prevention of contracting the novel coronavirus COVID-19. These guidelines are similar to many if not most viruses, but it’s reassuring to have it all in one place. My biggest take-away? If you are sick, don’t go in to work.

Chuck Wendig approaches the topic as a convention-guest and attendee, with suggestions for Con-runners. It’s a good column. Be aware that Chuck Wendig is a professional writer so he does mention his own book more than once, and that he has strong political views which he doesn’t mind sharing.

The Game Developers Conference (GDC) made the difficult decision to cancel this month’s annual conference.

Publishers, agents and event planners are rescheduling the Bologna Book Fair after quarantines in Italy.

Cover of The Last Emperox by John Scalzi. Photo by Tor Book.

Books and Writing:

The Washington Post sees the COVID 19 as very science-fictional, and shared a list of “outbreak” books. They include zombie books. Do those really count?

There is probably some overlap in SF readers and action-adventure readers, and for those in the second category, Clive Cussler who passed away last week at age 88, will no doubt be missed.

Publishers Weekly shares this week’s best-sellers. In Science Fiction William Gibson heads up the list, but Emily St John Mandel re-appears with her post-epidemic novel Station Eleven. (She has a new book upcoming.)

This group provides books and reading classes to small towns in Afghanistan. Inspiring.

IO9 shares some exciting upcoming books.

John Scalzi posted the projected tour dates for his book tour for The Last Emperox.

Mary Robinette Kowal hosts Anna Charnock as she talks about her favorite bit in her new novel, Bridge 108.

Movies and TV:

Black Girl Nerds talks to the cast of Altered Carbon on Netflix about what it might be like to move your consciousness from body to body at will, and other things.

Rachel Leishman of The Mary Sue recommends I Am Not Okay With This, with some caveats.

Ars Technica likes The Invisible Man.

A scene from The Invisible Man.

Internet:

A botanist in Kaua’i Hawaii discovered a plant formerly believed extinct, that had once before been mistakenly identified as a plant that was extinct. Because that’s how the internet works.

And, to finish out this week’s fear-of-contagion theme, here is a DIY recipe for hand sanitizer. I think I will use the witch hazel. I can think of better applications of vodka.