Towel Day has been an annual tradition celebrated on May 25th to honor the work and remember the life of author Douglas Adams. Best known for probably the best science fiction book ever written, “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy,” Mr. Adams had a career that would endear him to the soul of the even the most casual reader and science fiction connoisseur. His work was imbued with a humor that was rare and an idea that life is to precious to waste. Hold your towel close today and if you’re looking for a really wonderful read, be sure to check out my list of recommendations below. Thank you, as always, to Rangewoman Inc for her tireless work in helping me format this post and be sure to check out her page for special events and interviews to celebrate the day.
A selection of reviewed books to read for Towel Day 2015.
Philosophy and the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Nicolas Joll
nonfiction, philosophy, h2g2
Philosophy and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a collection of nine essays examining the philosophy behind “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy,” the best-selling work by late author Douglas Adams. Read review here.
Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams
nonfiction, environment, humor, h2g2
Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine head out on an epic adventure in search of the strange and exotic creatures with whom we share our world. Read review here.
Don’t Panic: Douglas Adams & The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Neil Gaiman
nonfiction, biography, humor, h2g2
Don’t Panic: Douglas Adams & The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy best-selling author and Dr. Who writer, Neil Gaiman, takes readers behind the curtain to discover the late Douglas Adams through his life and work. Read review here.
Seven Beyond by Stella Atrium
science fiction
Dr. David Christopher Meenins, Lady Drasher Elizabeth Tasgneganz, Dr. Virgil Augustus Grammario and the mysterious Linda Deemer are on a journey to the one place where an alien race called the Longists might reappear. Will this band of merry travelers find the answers they seek? Read review here.
Creator Class by K.M. Breakey
science fiction, series
It’s 2084 and the area formerly known as Vancouver is now known as Area 87. The people live happily following the laws of Earthism and those who don’t simply disappear. Shawn Lowe, an 18-year-old “P-Classer” knows that there’s more to his universe than what he can see, and his beloved Nana, who lived through the Great Transformation, confirms his suspicions. Shawn unknowingly has connections in very high places and he’s about to discover more than he ever wanted to know but will the price he pays for the knowledge be too high? Read review here.
Then Frederick Ran by Nicolas Budgen
science fiction, short stories
This is a collection of 14 stories with a futuristic theme. Topics range from a man teaching a machine to play chess, to a young woman breaking things off with a longtime love, to a sleep study that explores dreams. Read review here.
Beyond the Pale by the Authors: Jim Butcher, Saladin Ahmed, Peter S. Beagle, Heather Brewer, Kami Garcia, Nancy Holder, Gillian Philip, Jane Yolen – Editor: Henry Herz – Cover Design: Abigail Larson
fantasy, paranormal, anthology
An anthology of 11 fantasy and paranormal short stories by popular authors. Read review here.
Million Dollar Question by Ellie Campbe
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humor, chick-lit
Rosie is a single mother of twins working as a teaching assistant and facing redundancy when she wins one million pounds. Olivia is a high rolling workaholic engaged to one of Time Magazine’s Most Eligible Bachelors when she discovers her boss is a criminal and her world falls apart. Can these two women who have nothing in common on the surface survive the extremes of life? Read review here.
Rondo by Tell Cot
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western, adventure, series
Rondo (first met in “Confessions of a Gunfighter—Landon Saga Book 1) is ready to settle down and commit to one town where he has hopes of putting down roots and raising a family. His dreams seem unattainable when a friend is killed and Rondo again faces the reality, brutality and violence of the Wild West. Read review here.
The Dark Citadel (The Green Woman) by Jane Dougherty
science fiction, dystopia, series
Deborah Givenchild was taken from her parents when her mother fled and given to a family without a daughter. She has been reviled but has grown up not to cave as her gender is supposed to do but to fight back. At the age of 15, she’s about to be married off to the man of the elder’s choice. He’s a purposeful brute meant to put her in her place and Deborah simply isn’t going along with the plan. When she’s taken to the House of Corrections she meets Zachariah, a boy with dreams. He wants to be an engineer, but the career path is at the whim of the elders, and he knows that things simply aren’t right. Can Deborah escape her fate and find her mother, the one woman who knows what Earth was like before everyone lived his or her bleakly planned lives in a dome? Read review here. Free download on Towel Day, see book list.
The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde
fantasy, humor
Dragons and the people of Hereford have lived by the Dragonpact for 400 years. When 15-year-old Jennifer Strange, the acting manager of a magical employment agency, hears that the seers are predicting that the last dragon will die at the hands of the Last Dragonslayer, she has no idea that she is indeed that Dragonslayer. She’s determined not to carry out the prophesy but something big is coming and no one, not even the Last Dragonslayer, may be able to stop it. Read a review here.
Alien Invasion of the Zombie Apocalypse by Ford Forkum
science fiction, humor, satire
Aliens who are bored decide to attack a planet and enslave a few hundred people just for the kicks, choose Earth. They arrive to find the planet in the midst of a Zombie Apocalypse and themselves no match for zombies. The lone survivor, Ursa Minor, teams up with students that he finds on the roof of a building and their vapid and affectionate vampire friends to find a way out of the ultimate invasion gone wrong. Read review here.
Beers in Heaven by Ford Forkum
fantasy, humor, satire
Zach Preston arrives in Heaven after a relatively short life to find his memories gone and a need to regain his memories and readjust through Heaven’s orientation process. Seems Heaven is not as perfect it’s cracked up to be. Zach must adjust to his new life and learn the secrets of enlightenment. Read review here.
They Call Me Crazy by Kelly Stone Gamble
mystery, southern fiction
Cass Adams has always been a bit crazy but in recent years she’s gone off the charts to the extent that her husband had to move her out of town. When she’s found with her dead husband’s body, everyone knows what happened. Roland was well liked in the community and gregarious and no one knows what he was doing with Crazy Cass. Cass has always been a person without a filter and the quirky residents of Deacon, Kansas with the exception of her Grams and Roland’s brother, Clay, are ready to see her fry. Is everything as simple as it looks? Read review here.
Mademoiselle: Coco Chanel and the Pulse of History by Rhonda K. Garelick
nonfiction, biography
An intimate look at the life of fashion icon Coco Chanel, the way she changed the face of fashion for women in the 20th century and her abiding legacy. Read review here.
Dalek I Love You: Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Edition by Nick Griffiths
nonfiction, science fiction, Dr. Who
Nick Griffiths’ memoir of his life, loves and his continuing love affair with Doctor Who. Read review here.
Atomic Times by Michael Harris
nonfiction, memoir
The review of “The Atomic Times” will be publish shortly.
Free download of the prequel “Nuked” on Towel Day, see book list.
The Chanel Caper by Ruth Harris
mystery, humor
Blake and Ralph have been married for twenty-seven years when Ralph, an ex-cop and security specialist, hits 60 and starts working out and dressing better. Is Ralph doing other things to feel young, Blake wonders? She heads out for her own self-indulgence of a knock-off Chanel handbag and winds up embroiled in a mystery that she needs the help of her husband, a man she’s not sure she trusts, to solve. Read review here.
A Kiss at Kihali by Ruth Harris
adventure, romance, environment, ecology
Zuri is a baby rhino who witnesses the murder of her mother by poachers. She is injured in the brutal attack. When Renny, director of an animal orphanage, and Starlite, a young Veterinarian, come upon the injured rhino, they know that they must do whatever they can to save her. “A Kiss at Kihali” is a story of love, loss, revenge and fighting for what is right. Read review here.
American Goddesses by Gary Henry
science fiction, series, stand-alone
When Megan and Trish, average women, are taught to release the superwoman within, they find coping with the new abilities difficult. It seems with power comes violence. Will their relationships survive their new abilities and will they be able to survive the dark new evil that can slip in at the most unexpected times? Read review here. Free download on Towel Day, see book list.
Rogue Goddesses by Gary Henry
science fiction, series, stand-alone
Years have passed since the world came to know the Helpful Ladies—female superheroes with unique powers. The women have set up a Ladies’ Net and the world looks to them to solve difficult problems and save lives. Trish and Megan, the original American Goddesses have thrived and now have their own children, each with a daughter that may or may be on the cusp of realizing their own Helpful Lady powers. When Melinkova returns with an obsession to destroy Trish and Megan and gain indomitable power for herself, is she the one foe the Helpful Ladies cannot defeat? Read review here.
Cuffed by Marc Horn
psychological thriller
Razors is that cop you want on the case, but not the one you want on your force. He’s brilliantly unpredictable but has a sense for the bad guy. Razors is getting a god complex in a literal sense and what if he’s right? What will that mean for all of us? Read review here.
Timer: Season 1, Episode 1 by Marc Horn
science fiction, thriller, series
What would you do if you knew how many years you had left to live? In an After Timer world, people know exactly how their choices impact their longevity. Connor only has two years left on his timer. Is starting a relationship the right thing to do? With a Grim Reaper type of serial killer on the loose killing those with timers about to expire? D.I. Frank Stewart must work to find the killer and his next victims. Read review here. Free download on Towel Day, see book list.
Cold Angel Days by Clive S. Johnson
science fiction, series, stand-alone
Falmead has lost his memory and forgotten his beloved Geran. Presinda, Geran’s sister, decides that she will do what it takes to return Falmead’s memory. No matter the price. Read review here.
The Infinity Bridge by Ross M. Kitson
science fiction, steampunk
Sam and his brother Ben have an ability to see things that others can’t; Nick is a computer genius able to design the sort of computer viruses to end the technological world and Annie is a highly trained fighter. These teens stand between their world and the dark forces looking to find the Infinity Bridge, a device that could destroy everything. Read review here.
Chef Maurice and a Spot of Truffle by J.A. Lang
mystery, humor, series
Chef Maurice has a problem. Ollie Meadows has been the mushroom supplier for Chef Maurice’s little restaurant in the Cotswolds for some time, but Ollie has disappeared! When Chef Maurice visits Ollie’s home, he finds that his trusted vendor has been holding out and hoarding rare white Alba truffles. With the help of his newly adopted pig, friend Arthur, sous chef Patrick and P.C. Lucy Galveston (why not involve the police), Chef Maurice has a mission. He will solve the mystery of where Ollie found the delightful truffles and perhaps where Ollie has gone. Read review here.
Chump Change by Jeff Lee
mystery, humor, satire, series
Morris “Fish” Fishbein is a man with a lot of hats. He’s everything from a chef to a bounty hunter and is considering adding reality television star to the list. When a group of FTAs he’s been contracted to find start dying, Fish finds that his task is a new one. Can Fish find the killer? Read review here.
The Deadliners by Rachel Medhurst
paranormal, fantasy
Before a spirit is sent to Earth, it decides if after that life is done, it will help people who have reached their “Deadline” pass to the other side. They may bargain for extra time for those they wish to help, and for their loved ones. Anna has been keeping her mother alive by bargaining with another Deadliner to keep his wife alive. Another Deadliner bargains for a rich man to have more time so that he can give his money to a cause that will do some good. When the Deadliners start to go off-script and doing what their human emotions tell them they should instead of following their directive, things go wrong.
Intergalactic Terrorist (New Dimension) by J.F. Monahan
science fiction, humor, series
Charlie Pinwright is the most forgettable man on earth. As a child, his mother frequently picked the wrong boy up from school simply forgetting his face. After losing his girlfriend to a Spanish cake decorator, losing his job and being forced to share his flat with another family (the landlord leased the bedroom simply forgetting that Charlie was there), Charlie is kidnapped by an alien bounty hunter. Charlie soon finds out that the continuation of existence as we know (and don’t know) it may rest on his shoulders. Can one forgettable man save the galaxy? Read review here.
An Android Dog’s Tale by D.L. Morrese
science fiction, humor, series
The Galactic Organic Development Corporation observes planets to determine which it will save. MO-126 bears the appearance of a dog and is an employee of this agency. If primitive specifies are declared fit, they’ll be moved to planets to work in the agricultural division of this organization. MO-126 is a special kind of android. What determinations will he make in his 15,000 years of observation? Read review here.
Brane Child by D.L. Morrese
science fiction, counter-fantasy, humor, series
When Commander Lisa Chang and her team take the Brane Skip device on a test flight they expect to revolutionize space travel. What they don’t expect is to land in a medieval world while Orcs are attacking. In an unexpected world of dragons, magic and a king can they find their way home? Read review here. Free download on Towel Day; see book list. Free download on Towel Day, see book list.
The Unexpected Vacation of George Thring by Alastair Puddick
humor
George Thring is a man who feels trapped by life. Every day after work, he drives past his home and farther away. On the day that he gets lost, Thring finds himself at a festival of Elvis impersonators and becomes embroiled in adventure and mishaps the like of which he’d never previously imagined. Read a review here.
Ghosts of the North Carolina Shores by Micheal Rivers
nonfiction, folklore, tales
Ghosts of the North Carolina Shores is a look at the history, geography and haunting of the region. Read review here.
Verliege by Micheal Rivers
paranormal, fantasy
Adrian Bolt was convicted by a German court of killing his wife at Verliege Castle, their new home. Adrian is sent back to West Virginia where he hasn’t spoken in the two years since she was found at his feet. Dr. James Pellitier is able to get a terrible story from him and heads to Germany with a paranormal investigator at hand. Will they prove that Adrian killed his wife or are darker forces at work? Read review here.
Vaporized by Simon Rosser
science fiction, apocalypses
Busy lawyer Amber Lee has found time to relax in short supply and is very happy to have an extra day off for a holiday weekend. As the weekend begins the world wakes up to find that following strange objects reported to be heading for the poles that the earth’s water has vaporized. When Amber suddenly finds herself alone can she survive after such a cataclysmic event?
Wreck of the Nebula Dream by Veronica Scott
science fiction, romance, series, stand-alone
Wreck of the Nebula Dream is a re-imagining of the Titanic disaster in future space. Special Forces Captain Nick Jameson messed up his last mission and is seen as a kind of a burn-out by his commanders. He boards the luxury spaceship Nebula Dream, not so interested in the ambition of the crew to break space travel speed records. He just wants to get home and even considers going into stasis for the trip. Nick suspects problems with the ship that are confirmed when the liner crashes in enemy territory. Too few lifeboat pods leave 8,000 passengers stranded. Can Nick and his small band of two children, a socialite, a contracts expert and a mercenary survive and make it home? Read review here.
Mission to Mahjundar by Veronica Scott
science fiction, romance, series, stand-alone
Princess Shalira was blinded as a result of an assassination attempt as a child. Her best chance to escape her home and cruel stepmother is to agree to an arranged marriage. Princess Shalira convinces Mike Varone, a Sectors’ Special Forces officer, to escort her to her groom. The connection between Mike and Princess Shalira is unreliable, and when complications in the transport arise will they be able to resist the attraction and manage to stay alive? Read review here.
The Assassination of Michael Collins by S.M. Sigerson
nonfiction, history
The Irish Revolutionary Leader Michael Collins died on August 22, 1922 at Béal na mBláth, a small village in County Cork, Ireland. Author S.M. Sigerson delves beyond the official story of an ambush presenting a new picture of the event by exploring the evidence and eye witness accounts. Can Sigerson crack this cold case? Read review here.
Gabe’s Plan by Andrew Stock
humor
Gabe Mapel is a small town D.A. when hometown boy and big shot movie star, Chad Tibbs, rolls back into Pine Springs, Colorado. Chad is attracted to Kalia, the local barista, but she has eyes for Gabe. Out of jealousy, Chad bullies Gabe little knowing that he’s picking on the wrong man. Gabe and Kalia develop a plan to make Chad pay though Kalia doesn’t know about their third co-conspirator—the sixteenth President of the United States. Figment of Gabe’s troubled imagination, he is very convincing when it comes to making Gabe do those little things he may not have done before. Will Gabe change his mind before it’s too late? Will they get away with their plan to ruin Chad’s life? The world will be watching. Read review here.
Condor Moon by Tanna Thornburg
mystery suspense, series
Rima hoped to start a new life in California, but when her father back in Arizona has a heart attack and her sister is flitting around the world, Rima must return to Arizona to care for him. In the interest of supporting herself, she finds a job doing an environmental assessment for a highly contested potential mining operation. Rima soon realizes that her position may pose a threat to her life. But she may not be in this alone. Read review here.
How to be Dead by Dave Turner
fantasy, humor, satire
Dave Marwood is pretending at life. He goes to work, pines for his co-worker, goes home and…repeats. His life is the same, day after same day. When Dave has a near Death experience, Death offers him a job and a way out of his day-to-day life. Will Dave continue on his path of stagnant existence or go where few men had gone before and lived to tell the tale? Read review here.
Particle Horizon by Selso Xisto
science fiction, space opera
A Galactic Holy War begins and unfolds into what is called in the Amazon description, a space opera featuring several key players all fighting toward their own goals. At the heart of the conflict is a new elemental power that can change the game for everyone. Read review here.
Return to the Towel Day Event 2015 page or the free download book list.
Tammy, I am thrilled that two of my books are listed among so many talented authors in this event. Thank you and Rangewoman Inc.