Summer book club continues with an imaginative collection of speculative fiction

The KUOW Book Club and Seattle Public Library are continuing our summer reading series this month with "Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century" by Kim Fu.

If you missed June's picks, there's still time to catch up and dive into Fu's collection of 12 surreal stories with the club.

RELATED: Summertime and the readin's easy: KUOW Book Club and Seattle Public Library partner for live author series

This pick isn't new; it came out in 2022. But honestly, I didn't know Fu was local until Stesha Brandon at SPL told me. "Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century" has been on my list since it came out. I can't explain why I've left it waiting so long — except maybe one of the forces in these pages has been pulling the strings all along, waiting for this moment to share the book with you all. In any case, I admit this is a slightly selfish pick.

Considering the short story collection has won a ton of awards and accolades, including the 2023 Pacific Northwest Book Prize and 2022 Shirley Jackson Award for Short Fiction, I don't think y'all will be disappointed.

Here's the plan:

• Read the first six stories (through the story titled "Twenty Hours") by July 14.
• Join Fu and me at the Seattle Central Library on July 30 for a live conversation.
• Finish the book by August 1.

As per usual, I’ll send out a newsletter at the halfway point and when we finish the book to share our conversation.

RELATED: Subscribe to the KUOW Book Club newsletter here

I'll include the audio and video from the live event in the latter, but I encourage everyone to attend if you can. Tickets are free, and attendees will have an opportunity to ask Fu questions.

Register to attend here.

Those of you who came out for my conversation with Ijeoma Oluo last month know these live events are special. It's one thing to read a great work of modern literature. It's quite another to hear from the author directly about what inspires them, what got them here, and what makes them just a generally neat person to know.

The KUOW Book Club has given us opportunities to hear from some of the most talented writers in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. Fu is definitely one of those writers.

Please note, all library events are free and open to the public, but registration for this event and our next one in August is required. I hope to see y'all there.

RELATED: The revolution is written in the latest book from Ijeoma Oluo, bestselling author of 'So You Want to Talk About Race'

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spoiler alert: We'll continue the summer series with Seattle Public Library in August, when we'll read Lynda V. Mapes' new book, "The Trees Are Speaking: Dispatches from the Salmon Forests." It just came out in April and is already being hailed as essential reading for anyone interested in environmental stewardship. In a nutshell, the book considers how old-growth forests play an irreplaceable role in the environment, but much like the forests themselves, it's so much more than that.

Look out for the reading schedule on Aug. 4. And don't miss our live conversation on Aug. 27.