Anchorage Public Library has partnered with Science Friday to bring the Sci Fri Book Club to the science and reading enthusiasts in our community. The SciFri Book Club is a program created by Science Friday to bring people together around all things science reading – anything from sci-fi short stories to nonfiction science books to science articles from various publications to science-y poetry!
There’s lots of ways to participate: Read the book, join our community space, attend an event, or send a message on the SciFri VoxPop app.
April Selection
This April, the SciFri Book Club is reading The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) by Katie Mack. Join us on a tour through five possible endings of the universe as we know it—the Big Crunch, Heat Death, the Big Rip, Vacuum Decay, and the Bounce—and which ones could technically happen at any moment. Through upbeat, elegantly explained science, Mack leads readers through how astrophysicists retrace the past and peer into our future.
The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) brings together a range of topics, including astrophysics, space, history, cosmology and more—and we’ll touch on these ideas throughout this Book Club season.
Get the book or CD from the Anchorage Public Library. Ebook and audiobook available from the Alaska Digital Library.
This Book Club season kicks off Monday, April 1, and you can read along with us! We’ll be (loosely) following this schedule, but all our readers are welcome to join us at their own pace:
- April 1-7: Chapters 1-2
- April 8-14: Chapters 3-4
- April 15-21: Chapters 5-6
- April 22-30: Chapters 7-8 + Final Thoughts
Plus, we’ll be hosting events throughout the month! Keep an eye out on our website or join our Events newsletter to be the first to know.
There are so many ways to dive in and participate! You can buy a copy of the book (and support the author and SciFri), read an excerpt from The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking), join the discussion in our online Book Club community, sign up for our email newsletter, or RSVP for our upcoming Book Club events. Check out all the details below.
Book Club Meeting
Want to meet other SciFri Book Club members, talk about the book selection, and find more resources for deeper learning—all without leaving your home? Our community meeting is the place for you!
The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking)
Monday, April 29, 4 PM - Zoom
This discussion meeting will focus on themes and topics featured in The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking). You’re welcome to join us no matter your reading progress—come chat with other science-interested folks about astrophysics, space, history, cosmology and more.
Virtual Author Event
Join us online for a conversation with the author on the science topics featured in the SciFri Book Club pick. Come with your queries and wonderings—we’ll be taking your questions in the livestream comments!
The End of Evereything: Author Livestream and Q&A
Friday, April 26
8 AM, Science Friday's YouTube livestream
How many ways could the universe actually, realistically end? (At least 5!) Will we even be around to witness the moment? (Probably not, but maybe!) Come noodle on the universe’s inevitable end with astrophysicist and author Katie Mack.
Upcoming Selections
- May: Is Math Real? by Eugenia Chang. Ebook available from the Alaska Digital Library (Libby).
- June: The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. Ebook and audiobook available from the Alaska Digital Library (Libby). Audiobook always available on Hoopla.
