my 2017 reading year in perspective
Jun. 10th, 2018 01:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dagibbsGoing into 2016, I set a couple reading goals for the year, to read at least a book a week, and to diversify my reading away from straight-white-male authors. I recorded what I read to see how I did. I continued that into 2017.
It classifying authors, unless I know something about them, I have done so naively. I have assumed that "Kristine Kathryn Rusch" is female, for example. I've assumed that Michael A. Stackpole is male (and white). And, I've assumed an author is straight unless I have clear reason to know otherwise. Generally, unless I know an author is farther from SWM on the diversity spectrum, I have assumed them to be less so for my analysis. (So, obviously, I'd be under-counting work by someone such as James Tiptree Jr, for example.) And, non-white is tricky as well... is someone born and raised in Mexico, then moved to Canada... white or non-white?
Also, some of the books were longer than others. Of course. :)
Total books read: 79
Straight white male: 10 + 1 edited by + 1 collection with un-declared editor.
Not-SWM: 67. (85%)
Woman: 61 (77%)
Non-white: 14 (18%, I could do better here)
Non-straight: I won't try to guess. Ok, I know Melissa Scott and Samuel R. Delany aren't straight. And, I'm pretty sure John Scalzi is. But for most of the rest, I don't want to try and track it down.
(My actual stated goal was that new-to-me authors should be not-SWM, that I would be willing to buy ongoing work by authors I knew I liked, but for trying new authors, not so much. Mostly I have followed that -- but I've been picking up some Humble-Bundles which included work by new-to-me male authors, and in a couple cases books strongly recommended by friends.)
It classifying authors, unless I know something about them, I have done so naively. I have assumed that "Kristine Kathryn Rusch" is female, for example. I've assumed that Michael A. Stackpole is male (and white). And, I've assumed an author is straight unless I have clear reason to know otherwise. Generally, unless I know an author is farther from SWM on the diversity spectrum, I have assumed them to be less so for my analysis. (So, obviously, I'd be under-counting work by someone such as James Tiptree Jr, for example.) And, non-white is tricky as well... is someone born and raised in Mexico, then moved to Canada... white or non-white?
Also, some of the books were longer than others. Of course. :)
Total books read: 79
Straight white male: 10 + 1 edited by + 1 collection with un-declared editor.
Not-SWM: 67. (85%)
Woman: 61 (77%)
Non-white: 14 (18%, I could do better here)
Non-straight: I won't try to guess. Ok, I know Melissa Scott and Samuel R. Delany aren't straight. And, I'm pretty sure John Scalzi is. But for most of the rest, I don't want to try and track it down.
(My actual stated goal was that new-to-me authors should be not-SWM, that I would be willing to buy ongoing work by authors I knew I liked, but for trying new authors, not so much. Mostly I have followed that -- but I've been picking up some Humble-Bundles which included work by new-to-me male authors, and in a couple cases books strongly recommended by friends.)
no subject
Date: 2018-06-10 05:44 am (UTC)Certain Dark Things - Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Rules of Conflict - Kristine Smith
Thomas the Rhymer - Ellen Kushner
The Fifth Season - N. K. Jemisin
Law of Survival - Kristine Smith
Lhind the Thief - Sherwood Smith (YA? Some bits seemed... too transparently simple)
In Hero Years... I'm Dead - Michael A. Stackpole (fun)
Contact Imminent - Kristine Smith
Endgame - Kristine Smith (conclusion, good series)
The Obelisk Gate - N.K. Jemisin (damn, its a trilogy, with major cliff-hanger)
10
Santiago - Mike Resnick (fun)
The Emperor's Soul - Brandon Sanderson (novella, quite interesting, look for more?)
The Three Body Problem - Cixin Liu, translated Kevin Liu (Hugo, good, strange)
The Queen of Attolia - Megan Whalen Turner
The King of Attolia - Megan Whalen Turner
A Conspiracy of Kings - Megan Whalen Turner -- I didn't like it as much as the previous three, though still ok.
The Guardian Hound - Leah Cutter (good)
War Among the Crocodiles - Leah Cutter (gets too choppy with too many view-point characters)
A Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger (book club. Can't recommend.)
Staying Dead - Laura Anne Gilman (fun, get more in series)
20
A Local Habitation - Seanan McGuire (continues fun)
Discount Armageddon - Seanan McGuire (didn't like as much as October Daye series, might be worth giving it one more, or not)
Goddesses & Other Stories - Linda Nagata (she seems stronger at longer length -- best story in collection was the longest, too)
Signal to Noise - Silvia Moreno-Garcia (mostly not my thing, but hits in the feels at the end. Has a certain magic-realism feel to it)
An Artificial Night - Seanan McGuire (still fun)
The Bohr Maker - Linda Nagata (good, maybe get others in series?)
Stories of Your Life and Others - Ted Chiang (ok, short stories, 2nd "Understand" seems it should reference "Flowers for Algernon" as an influence/inspiration, but doesn't.)
Promises to Keep - Laura Anne Gilman (fun, short novel)
Work of Hunters - Laura Anne Gilman (fun, short novel/novella/novellette?)
The Bloodline Feud - Charlie Stross
30
Hammers on Bone - Cassandra Khaw (novella? - short. Too horror for me)
The Disappeared - Kristine Kathryn Rusch (good, get more)
Racing the Dark - Alaya Dawn Johnson (very good, get more)
Binti - Nnedi Okorafor (short, very good)
Arrows of the Sun - Judith Tarr (good, first of series, bought rest in ebook)
Spear of Heaven - Judith Tarr
Tides of Darkness - Judith Tarr
Ninefox Gambit - Yoon Ha Lee (good, first of series, buy more as they come out. )
Invisible Planets - Ken Liu (editor, translator)
Everfair - Nisi Shawl (I wanted to like this, but just couldn't. Apparently even great/different steam punk isn't my thing.)
40
The Fey: Changeling - Kristine Kathryn Rusch (still good, need books 3 + 4 - I have 1,2 and 5.)
The Stone Boatmen - Sarah Tolmie (not bad, but didn't entirely work for me, either)
Deathless - Catherynne M. Valente (I think I'd have liked this better if I had a better grounding in the (fairy) tales it was based on.)
Heroine Complex - Sarah Kuhn (fun, buy the next one)
Every Heart a Doorway - Seanan McGuire (good, but short -- novella)
One-Eyed Jack - Elizabeth Bear (good. buy earlier in series? Felt a bit like American Gods initially, but followed own course)
The Rerigerator Monologues - Catherynne M. Valente (hard, good but not great)
Two Travelers - Sarah Tolmie (liked it better than The Stone Boatmen, but not sure Tolmie is for me)
Word Puppets - Mary Robinette Kowal (short story collection, mostly good)
The Collapsing Empire - John Scalzi (good, clearly starts series, not good enough to continue in hard-cover, though.)
50
The Rook - Daniel O'Malley (good; pick up Stiletto -- the sequel)
Raven Strategem - Yoon Ha Lee (good, but not as good as first)
Dreamwalker - C. S. Friedman (good, but not as good as earlier stuff by her, still buy more)
Wake of Vultures - Lila Bowen (good, buy sequels)
The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Novellas: 2015 (some good, some ok)
Approaching Oblivion - Harlan Ellison (some good, some ok -- for Ellison)
The Untold Tale - J. M. Frey (good, a bit meta, a bit lecturey)
Obsession - Kim Antieau [editor] (ok)
Conservation of Shadows - Yoon Ha Lee (short stories, excellent; one I'd read before, mostly good to excellent stories)
Crossing the Boundaries - Bragelonne/Marsonne (collection of French(France) stories in translation. Ok)
60
What I Didn't See and Other Stories - Karen Joy Fowler (ok. Well-written, but much that isn't my thing. Slipstream/Alt-Hist/Mainstream.)
Wonder City Stories - Jude McLaughlin (fun, very very queer, very very diverse. Lovely in this. Look for more)
Off Armageddon Reef - David Weber (decent, look at more. Weber does like Victorian England & the age of sail.)
Time Travel: Recent Trips - Paula Guran (ed) - mixed.
Salt Roads - Nalo Hopkinson. Excellent, but hard. (rape)
Mairelon the Magician - Patricia C Wrede
The Moon Etherium - L Rowyn (pretty good, actually. sequel? maybe.)
Dreamseeker - C.S. Friedman
Dreamweaver - C.S. Friedman (decent, but other/earlier Friedman was better)
Exo - Fonda Lee (excellent)
70
Beyond the Gates - Catherine Wells (ok)
Bloodchild (and other stories) - Octavia Butler (good, read some before)
Babel 17 - Samuel R. Delany (strange, but good)
Stiletto - Daniel O'Malley (ok, but not as good as _The Rook_, to which it is a sequel.)
Conspiracy of Ravens - Lila Bowen (ok, not as good as _Wake of Vultures_, to which it is a sequel)
Banewreaker - Jacqueline Carey (ok)
The Last Good Man - Linda Nagata (good, interesting view of the short-term future of automated warfare)
Godslayer - Jacqueline Carey (conclusion to Banewreaker. Still ok.)
Death by Silver - Melissa Scott & Amy Griswold (pretty good)
no subject
Date: 2018-06-23 05:39 pm (UTC)Given the direction you're heading in, I can recommend Becky Chambers' The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet and A Close and Common Orbit; I can lend you the first anytime and the second soon (when I finish it).