tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post2529677805481206686..comments2024-03-20T19:40:58.078-05:00Comments on The OF Blog: Two more Best of 2009 lists and associated problemsLarry Nolenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001420558511460998noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-70419457200774962852009-12-29T10:35:16.505-06:002009-12-29T10:35:16.505-06:00It's gratifying to see awareness of the gender...It's gratifying to see awareness of the gender disbalance issue. <br /><br />Out of about 90 books read this year, 19 were by men. Plus the two Clockwork Phoenix anthologies - Mike Allen is the editor, but there's excellent gender mix in the stories he picks, and I also read <i>The Fortunate Fall</i> by Raphael Carter (very good, btw). I didn't read any urban fantasy (those damn <i>Twilight</i> books excepted, I will always bear the shame). <br /><br />If you're curious, here's my best of 2009 reading list: <br /><br />1. <i>Palimpsest</i> - Catherynne M. Valente. (And also <i>A Guide to Folktales in Fragile Dialects</i>, her second poetry collection, amazing.)<br /><br />2. <i>The Living Blood</i> - Tananarive Due<br /><br />3. <i>The Maerlande Chronicles</i> - Elisabeth Vonarburg<br /><br />4. <i>Fire</i> - Krisin Cashore<br /><br />5. <i>Dread Empire's Fall: Convention of War</i> - Walter Jon Williams (also <i>Metropolitan</i>)<br /><br />6. <i>Wings of Wrath</i> - C.S. Friedman (also <i>The Wilding</i>)<br /><br />7. <i>Night's Master</i> - Tanith Lee (and everything else I've read by her this year: <i>Vivia</i>, <i>Elephantasm</i>, <i>Heroine of the World</i>, reread of <i>The Birth Grave</i>)<br /><br />8. <i>The City and the City</i> - China Mieville <br /><br />9. <i>Clockwork Phoenix: Tales of Beauty and Strangeness</i> - Mike Allen, ed. (collecion of short stories)<br /><br />(now this is where I cheat)<br /><br />10. <i>Air, or Have Not Have</i> - Geoff Ryman<br /><i>Pandemonium</i> - Daryl Gregory<br /><i>All the Windwracked Stars</i> - Elizabeth Bear<br /><i>The Steam Magnate</i> - Dana Copithorne<br /><i>The Burning Girl</i> - Holly PhillipsNephtisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-79532777266913242362009-12-28T10:42:54.572-06:002009-12-28T10:42:54.572-06:00Just my thoughts on the female authors thing...the...Just my thoughts on the female authors thing...the site I work with gets a lot of review copies from both male and female authors, and an awful lot of the books from women authors are urban fantasy. That's a subgenre I myself don't read (at least, not above a YA level), and I sigh every time I walk through the SFF section at a bookstore to see how much of it is there. I think it does no favors for the representation of women authors on Best Of lists.Elenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09285405662294874917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-42581564604275656102009-12-28T07:43:09.485-06:002009-12-28T07:43:09.485-06:00Of the close to 60 books I reviewed this year 9 we...Of the close to 60 books I reviewed this year 9 were written by women and 4 warranted mention in my best of post.The Mad Hatterhttp://booktionary.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-91472523222408726032009-12-28T00:59:59.946-06:002009-12-28T00:59:59.946-06:00Can one develop a blogger paranoia? I mean after s...Can one develop a blogger paranoia? I mean after so many years and having been in people's mouths for a long time I am sure Pat is already preparing defensive posts on whatever he starts, so that he does not need to do so later. I am a bit on the over-exaggeration wagon, but just an observation on my part. <br /><br />Anyway, I've read not enough 09 releases in 09, which makes my data screwed up [but seriously why publishers don't send to me is a mystery. Need to bug them in 2010 again.] I am more on the other spectrum. I have more female authors than male. 60 to 40 or sth like that.Harry Markovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09140305922494369576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-80919170883697024442009-12-27T23:14:22.981-06:002009-12-27T23:14:22.981-06:00Agree on both counts (the story and what I recall ...Agree on both counts (the story and what I recall hearing from others as well). That novel, whenever it comes to my door, will be read and reviewed. Simple as that.Larry Nolenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16001420558511460998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-42157986933978503562009-12-27T22:59:48.420-06:002009-12-27T22:59:48.420-06:00Kelly has a good story in the VanderMeer's pir...Kelly has a good story in the VanderMeer's pirate anthology. <br /><br />She's also a nice person. Which is completely independent of her being a good writer. <br /><br />Her first novel is coming out from Little, Brown in the fall, titled <i>The Boy Without a Face</i>.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-54894363671205708852009-12-27T22:59:15.939-06:002009-12-27T22:59:15.939-06:00That's true Larry - it is a New Year's Res...That's true Larry - it is a New Year's Resolution of sorts for me to be better this year (at least as far as I have New Year's Resolutions since as a New Year's baby I refuse to take part, but I digress). <br /><br />And funny that you mention Kelly Barnhill - I didn't read many short stories this year, but one by Kelly Barnhill in the Fast Ships, Black Sails Anthology was one of my favorites.Nethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16963540055415924510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-87836686550807872492009-12-27T22:53:29.226-06:002009-12-27T22:53:29.226-06:00Ken,
I've found that when I made myself aware...Ken,<br /><br />I've found that when I made myself aware of the disparity, that the disparity shrunk somewhat...and that I discovered quite a few cool authors. Just finished reading one of the final anthologies for this year, <i>Clockwork Phoenix 2</i> and I really enjoyed Kelly Barnhill's story in it, "Open the Door and the Light Pours..." Don't think I've read a bad story by her, come and think of it.<br /><br />So maybe, just read a few more anthologies and short story collections in the coming year and that might help matters?Larry Nolenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16001420558511460998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-24151180172096575912009-12-27T22:24:54.240-06:002009-12-27T22:24:54.240-06:00It's an interesting issue that I though about ...It's an interesting issue that I though about when I did my best of list - I also posted a few interesting stats and one I found most interesting is that I only read 3 female authors last year - a bit less than 10% of the books read and reviewed. Only one of those made the list, and that book wasn't in the top 10. <br /><br />I'm not sure why - most of the books by female authors I'm getting these days are the new urban fantasy that I don't care for, but I do have a number of interesting books to choose from, so that reason only goes so far. <br /><br />I'm guessing that the reason is that the books I want to read these are happen to be books written by men - the underlying reasons for that...well, I'm not sure of, but I plan to give it some thought.Nethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16963540055415924510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-11396470046688923662009-12-27T19:28:45.685-06:002009-12-27T19:28:45.685-06:00Pfft! :P Maybe next time, go piss on a live-wire ...Pfft! :P Maybe next time, go piss on a live-wire electric fence each time such terms are employed? ;)Larry Nolenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16001420558511460998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-45906353840819333772009-12-27T19:25:09.978-06:002009-12-27T19:25:09.978-06:00Ibve being plauyingg the drinjkging gasme by musel...Ibve being plauyingg the drinjkging gasme by muself .<br /><br />Im drrnk now an I jusy sstarted reading hus bloog posyt.<br /><br />GG<br /><br />aidantAidan Moherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11680602160285884082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-24868663388714589582009-12-27T18:49:32.618-06:002009-12-27T18:49:32.618-06:00Zach,
I thought one of the best comments on his p...Zach,<br /><br />I thought one of the best comments on his post was made by Jeff VanderMeer, where he noted that when so many lists tend to exclude heroic/epic fantasies, lists like Pat's can serve as a corrective that represents the tastes of a significant portion of the spec fic reading audience. While my tastes don't align with Pat's, at least I can appreciate the list for covering what it sets out to cover.<br /><br />Just rather amusing the lectures a couple of people gave Jeff about "accessibility," considering the book he recently had published.<br /><br />Aidan,<br /><br />Should we start a drinking game with "wankers"? :PLarry Nolenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16001420558511460998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-23398633500711712852009-12-27T18:03:48.715-06:002009-12-27T18:03:48.715-06:00I intserted my name in whenever he used the word &...I intserted my name in whenever he used the word 'wanker' and had a good chuckle. Especially when he started talking about <strong>The Magicians</strong>.<br /><br />Nice deconstruction of the two articles, Larry.Aidan Moherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11680602160285884082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-54715537878706526932009-12-27T14:50:37.427-06:002009-12-27T14:50:37.427-06:00Unfortunate that Pat took such a confrontational t...Unfortunate that Pat took such a confrontational tone, but nothing new. Many people around the book scene tend to express their own taste by ripping on other people's, as if reading is some kind of competition for status.<br /><br />- Zach H.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-80714922084599977702009-12-27T11:58:51.229-06:002009-12-27T11:58:51.229-06:00Three of the four women that did make it onto my 2...Three of the four women that did make it onto my 25 Favorite Fictions list were purchases; only <i>The Red Tree</i> was sent to me by a publisher. Oh, I received other books by female authors from publishers, but most of those were from a subgenre that I just do not enjoy that much in comparison to others. That being said, several collections and anthologies I read this year either were edited by women or contained several good stories by female authors. Again, most of those were not sent to me. Interesting, no?Larry Nolenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16001420558511460998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-49567254649076625852009-12-27T11:40:48.283-06:002009-12-27T11:40:48.283-06:00There is a chance of Priest in the forecast, yes. ...There is a chance of Priest in the forecast, yes. <br /><br />Interesting point about what the publishers send. The majority of what I've received was written by men, though I did get more female written books than Adam did. The books written by women, though, were almost all books I had a strong desire to read. <br /><br />That's not necessarily the case with the men.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-43909518792936129242009-12-27T11:26:35.085-06:002009-12-27T11:26:35.085-06:00Adam,
I understand your situation (having been in...Adam,<br /><br />I understand your situation (having been in it myself in recent years on occasion) and I didn't mean that as a personal criticism, but rather as an observation about trends I've noticed that includes myself. Perhaps the root might be publishers sending mostly-male authors to male reviewers? Who knows. I wouldn't worry about it any, to be honest. As I hope I made clear, I got much more out of your list than I did out of Pat's and the focus on the books rather than on the person was refreshing, to say the least.Larry Nolenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16001420558511460998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-40070385035098252142009-12-27T11:08:16.563-06:002009-12-27T11:08:16.563-06:00Due to unemployment and resulting financial woes, ...Due to unemployment and resulting financial woes, I was completely dependent on ARCs and Amazon Vine for almost all of my 2009 releases, and unfortunately between them I only received two books by female authors and one short story collection with female contributors in it. I did receive a few more ARCs I didn't get round to reading, but of those only one more (Justina Robson's latest SF/fantasy crossbreed) was by a female author.<br /><br />So whilst I admit fully I do need to read more female authors, this year's problem was more down to what the marketing departments were sending me, which in itself is an interesting question.Adam Whiteheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11383677312079611311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-38191684863345097952009-12-27T10:18:30.511-06:002009-12-27T10:18:30.511-06:00Ha! :P Do hope you get the chance to read it in t...Ha! :P Do hope you get the chance to read it in the near future, as I enjoyed it quite a bit. Going to guess that Cherie Priest's <i>Boneshaker</i> made it to your list as well, right?Larry Nolenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16001420558511460998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-8914057388275696282009-12-27T10:01:39.925-06:002009-12-27T10:01:39.925-06:00Hmm...no...I think The Red Tree is too elitest for...Hmm...no...I think <i>The Red Tree</i> is too elitest for me. <br /><br />Or, I just happened to not read it this year. <br /><br />Yeah, my list represents the stuff i felt was "best" out of what I read during the year. No more, no less.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-67547573384045055952009-12-27T09:55:51.213-06:002009-12-27T09:55:51.213-06:00I suspect that those who care, Joe, are those who ...I suspect that those who care, Joe, are those who like to place themselves in the roles of being victims of some nefarious "elitist" conspiracy to poormouth their favorite works. It's all rather silly. I don't expect much agreement with the choices for my year-end awards (considering that several others' favorites did not crack that list, as I posted the other day), but at least it's <i>my</i> list and is meant to be a conversation-continuer more than anything else.<br /><br />Looking forward to seeing your list. Any chance of <i>The Red Tree</i> appearing there?Larry Nolenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16001420558511460998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-65964747148449175802009-12-27T09:44:36.076-06:002009-12-27T09:44:36.076-06:00Pat's defensiveness was the first thing that s...Pat's defensiveness was the first thing that struck me. I thought it was way over the top and ultimately unnecessary. <br /><br />Who cares? Really?<br /><br />I think Adam does good work, though. I rather enjoy reading his coverage and series read-throughs. <br /><br />Regarding gender and lists: wait for mine this week.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-78735777974943997532009-12-27T09:11:31.634-06:002009-12-27T09:11:31.634-06:00I often regret linking to his blog because I feel ...I often regret linking to his blog because I feel like all I'm doing is singling out the worst over there, but...it's hard at times to read things written in that tone. Then again, I probably have similar-sized faults in my own writing, so I perhaps ought to explore correcting those first before worrying about how another views his part in things.Larry Nolenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16001420558511460998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-58379980201721655742009-12-27T07:42:34.129-06:002009-12-27T07:42:34.129-06:00Pat's self-congratulations are getting ridicul...Pat's self-congratulations are getting ridiculous. It's nothing more than poorly veiled egocentrism. <br /><br />"Im just a dumbass but this and this famous author says I'm the best".<br /><br />Most influental blogger/book reviewer? I'm laughing here:)<br /><br />Focusing more on the books and less on himself should do him good.Lichnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-10502819348858766962009-12-27T04:04:18.057-06:002009-12-27T04:04:18.057-06:00Wow...that is quite weirdly defensive isn't it...Wow...that is quite weirdly defensive isn't it? "Elitist wankers"? It's always a bad sign when people who write about books start banging the anti-intellectual drum.Jonathan Mhttp://ruthlessculture.comnoreply@blogger.com