I haven't really been following Ian Sales' SF Mistressworks project, because I haven't really been keeping up with the SF blogsphere but he makes some good points here.
He plans to only read books by women in July and considering the fact that my own reading is dominated by male authors I feel I could definitely gain by following suit. I read about 4 to 5 books a month so here is a list of authors by whom I have one or more unread books that could make it into next month's reading list:
Jessica Amanda Salmonson
Jeanette Winterson
Sarah Hall
Angela Carter
Jane Yolen
CJ Cherryh
Minette Walters
That's by no means a comprehensive list, but it covers several books that I was planning to read soon anyway. In every case I've already read something by this author, so maybe I should also add a couple of new discoveries to the mix, but here's the shortlist of authors I will be choosing from.
He plans to only read books by women in July and considering the fact that my own reading is dominated by male authors I feel I could definitely gain by following suit. I read about 4 to 5 books a month so here is a list of authors by whom I have one or more unread books that could make it into next month's reading list:
Jessica Amanda Salmonson
Jeanette Winterson
Sarah Hall
Angela Carter
Jane Yolen
CJ Cherryh
Minette Walters
That's by no means a comprehensive list, but it covers several books that I was planning to read soon anyway. In every case I've already read something by this author, so maybe I should also add a couple of new discoveries to the mix, but here's the shortlist of authors I will be choosing from.
6 comments:
Yeah, there's a bit of a ferment in the SF blogosphere over this.
You've read Sarah Waters' The Stranger? Though it's closely modeled on Josephine Tey's The Franchise Affair, it tilts slightly towards horror.
(Not sure if you're only looking at spec fic here.)
Other writers i'd recommend: Suzanna Clarke, Scarlet Thomas, Barbara Kingsolver (I *loved* Lacuna), and any of the early 20th C crime writers. If you haven't already, please give Georgette Heyer a shot?
Hey Spacey. As you will see frm my list I am not limiting this to spec-fic. I have read everything by Susanna Clarke and loved it. Not read the Waters or the Tey. Minette Walters is a crime writer, I like her work and find that the crime genre has a somewhat better gender mix than sf. Never heard of Thomas. Georgette heyer: really? I thought she wrote, um, period romances?
Yes. And you should read her! (I mean, she practically invented a now-thriving sub-genre).
But am I at all likely to like her stuff? I'll give it a shot anyway, but are you suggesting this in a campy spirit or for real?
Absolutely for real, unreserved recommendation. I re-read Heyer at least one book a month. Even though she wrote Regency romances, she is also incredibly funny in a way that only early 20th C writers were. Plus being excellent on period detail.
Would recommend The Grand Sophy (with a warning that it's a bit anti-semitic), The Talisman Ring, Sylvester, Friday's Child, to begin with. (Though, once anyone gets into Heyer, there are minute, subtle gradations of preferences).
I'll give it a try!
I have of course read Dorothy L,. Sayers, whom I suspect you may have been alluding to earlier.
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