June's female sci-fi and fantasy month: The Group Read

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June's female sci-fi and fantasy month: The Group Read

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1clfisha
Jun 1, 2013, 8:42 am

So June is here and it's time to burrow into the TBR, skip to library and make booksellers happy by getting all those get books we keep meaning to try and celebrate women authors.

So over to you.. for reviews, merry discussions and a general heads up about what your are reading.

Question: I am happy for this thread to be about any type of books really but do we want a separate thread for non genre?

Anders: Hope you don't mind me setting up this thread.

2clfisha
Jun 1, 2013, 8:46 am

And to start it off I am planning to start with the Sci fi serial killer thriller The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes. The are some creepy book trailers to be found on http://www.theshiningirls.com & it's just been optioned into a TV show.. I can't wait

3lkernagh
Jun 1, 2013, 10:55 am

Thanks for setting up this thread, Claire! Right now I am planning on reading the ER e-book I won from the May batch, Type by Alicia Hendley, which is billed as a Young Adult Sci-Fi read. Hendley is also a 'new to me' female author read, if we are tracking for both here.

4cammykitty
Jun 1, 2013, 3:03 pm

I'm starting with my ER novel We are completely beside ourselves. It is very science based, but may not really be science fiction. Karen Joy Fowler is known for blurring the genre line. So far, it's about a dysfunctional scientific family that hosted an experiment. They raised their daughter and a chimp as twins.

Fowler was one of the women who began the Tiptree award. After that, I'll switch to one of the Tiptree books, probably Women of the Iron People, unless Suite Francais comes in at the library first.

I'd say this thread is fine for non-SF & F too. After all, women are behind in almost all genres except romance... which ironically is the biggest selling genre.

5majkia
Jun 1, 2013, 3:16 pm

I'm currently reading Janny Wurts's Peril's Gate. So maddening and so addictive!

6avatiakh
Jun 1, 2013, 5:56 pm

I've made a start on Seraphina by Rachel Hartman.

7Her_Royal_Orangeness
Jun 1, 2013, 6:13 pm

I'm currently lost in Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell and wondering why I allowed the enormity of this wondrous tome to delay my reading of it for so very long.

8SouthernKiwi
Jun 1, 2013, 10:39 pm

I've started with Gaie Sebold's Babylon Steel, right from the first page I knew I would enjoy this one :-)

9GingerbreadMan
Edited: Jun 2, 2013, 2:01 am

Thanks for setting up the thread, Claire! I have to finish the book I'm reading now first, and world's end before it's due back at the library next week. But I'll join you shortly!

10hailelib
Jun 2, 2013, 2:27 pm

I've started Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier which has Mary Anning, a fossil hunter, as one of the main characters. Historical fiction with some science interwoven.

11psutto
Jun 3, 2013, 5:12 am

I'll also join shortly

>7 Her_Royal_Orangeness: - great choice, that's a brilliant read

>8 SouthernKiwi: - I thought it was a lot of fun, the sequel is even better

12psutto
Jun 3, 2013, 7:14 am

why this thread & sub-challenge is important

http://www.annaguirre.com/archives/2013/06/02/this-week-in-sf/

13norabelle414
Jun 3, 2013, 10:56 am

I'm currently reading
The Grand Tour or The Purloined Coronation Regalia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer (1810s historical fiction & fantasy)
The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge (1950s historical fiction and fantasy) and
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks (1660s historical fiction)

14lkernagh
Jun 3, 2013, 11:02 am

> 12 - Good article Pete!

I don't as a rule read science fiction or fantasy so I couldn't help but notice that of the books I own, not a single one - outside of the book I just won through LTER - is a sci-fi or fantasy book written by a female author. As libraries are amazing places for finding books that one might not otherwise own, I searched the online catalogue of my local library for books to read for this month sub-challenge. The results were not all that promising. Once I had narrowed my search to New Titles - Fiction - Science Fiction - English (language), a whole 91 hits were produced. 13 of those books (a paltry 14%) were written by female authors. Trying to find a book with an interesting premise in that very short list was challenging, but not impossible.... Mary Pearson's Fox Forever looked interesting but it is book three in a series so I have instead placed a hold for The Adoration of Jenna Fox. I also placed a hold for Lea Tassi's Green Blood Rising - no touchstones because no works by Lea Tassi exist in LT, which is not surprising considering it is a local small press publication. What got me is that of those 13 books, 7 (just over half) are listed as Juvenile Fiction.

I did have more luck (more choices) running a similar search for Fantasy Fiction - 177 hits producing 84 books (47%) by female authors. Sadly, a large number of those books had covers that give the impression that there is a strong romantic element to the story.... not a selling feature when I am on the hunt for a fantasy novel to read.

15cyderry
Jun 3, 2013, 2:53 pm

I got Seraphina as an ARC but when I was ready to read it, I couldn't remember which shelf I put it on. I'm still looking but if I find it, I'll put it on my list for June.

16-Eva-
Jun 3, 2013, 10:45 pm

I'm about to start Le Guin's Earthsea for this group read. I have the first three books in one omnibus, which I bought sometime in the 80s but never got around to reading. About time! :)

17Dejah_Thoris
Jun 3, 2013, 10:54 pm

>12 psutto: Brilliant post from Ann Aguirre - I've only read one of her books and wasn't blown away, but I appreciated what she had to say so much I'll give her another try.

Thanks for posting the link, Pete.

BTW, what's the feeling about books co-authored by a woman and a man? Do they count for the GR?

18clfisha
Jun 4, 2013, 4:34 am

14 that's really depressing especially since you think a library would try and retain the classics so the weighting would be higher than normal.

19psutto
Jun 4, 2013, 5:07 am

>17 Dejah_Thoris: - I'd say that it's your challenge, make of it what you will

I am thinking of including an ARC short story collection as it's edited by two women but not all the stories are by women....

20mathgirl40
Jun 4, 2013, 7:20 am

>14 lkernagh:: I don't think you'll go wrong with The Adoration of Jenna Fox. I thought it was a very good book.

It's too bad you're having so much trouble finding candidates in your library, but maybe it's just the classification is not so good? One of my local libraries has Atwood's Oryx and Crake listed as "literature" rather than "sci-fi". This, of course, raises the question of whether we're reading "female SFF authors" or "female authors writing SFF", but I tend to agree with Pete's sentiment that it's your own challenge so make the rules as you like.

I also noticed A Discovery of Witches and Pretty Monsters, both among my candidates, don't have the "fantasy" tag associated with them in the library catalogue. Instead, they're under "fiction" and "young adult".

21majkia
Jun 4, 2013, 7:26 am

Peril's Gate by Janny Wurts ate my weekend! What a read! Maddening, compelling, and non-stop. Now to catch my breath!

22clfisha
Jun 5, 2013, 5:49 am

21 I love it when that happens. It's hard to follow up after that though!

Just finished The Shining Girls which was probably one of the most gripping books I have read all year. Its expertly paced, and just complicated enough to be fascinating without overwhelming. Anyone who didn't like the Zoo City due to its sprawling nature may want to check it, this is tightly plotted to within the inch of its life.

23mathgirl40
Jun 5, 2013, 7:17 am

>12 psutto:: Just got caught up on the SFWA controversy that motivated Aguirre's article. Wow. Hard to believe there are such dinosaurs among SF writers. I'd always thought this group was made up of mostly forward-thinking people.

24inge87
Jun 5, 2013, 3:37 pm

I've already read a couple of female-authored SF/F this month: A Million Suns by Beth Revis, a YA sci-fi sequel not worth remembering, and The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter, which I really enjoyed.

25Her_Royal_Orangeness
Jun 5, 2013, 7:10 pm

I've finished Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - absolutely adored it! What a brilliant piece of work.

I also have read The Birth of Love by Joanna Kavenna. It has four narratives - one in the past, two in the present, and one in the future - which are all very loosely connected. The overall theme of the book is essentially the sacredness and fragility of motherhood and birth. It can be very loosely labeled as sci-fi because of the one future-based narrative.

And now I'm on to Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, which I've intended to read ever since I finished Kindred, which I loved. That was about two years ago, so I guess it's time!

26cammykitty
Jun 5, 2013, 9:37 pm

Pete, wow. Thanks for that post by Anne Aguirre. Wow. The con I started at was WisCon, the feminist SF con, so I forget how it is. For me, WisCon is the norm and the other cons aren't. That's my world. And it's another good time to mention my Aha moment when reading The Battle of the Sexes in Science Fiction by Justine Larbalestier, women haven't had the vote for 100 years yet in the United States. 40% of us may be out-earning our male spouses in an economic downturn, but that doesn't mean we're near equal yet.

Speaking of The Bloody Chamber, we had a tentative small group read scheduled for this month. It's short. Anyone want to include it in this month's reading?

I just finished reading We are all completely beside ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler. Horribly named, but the book itself was excellent, in a weird way. It was science fiction, but not in the space craft way. It was all psychology and animal science that had already happened. I don't know much about chimpanzee studies, but there were enough I recognized that she mentioned that I knew she wasn't making any but the main case up. I call the novel weird simply because it was non-chronological and non-linear. She put to doubt memory in it, complete with the studies to throw doubt on memory. Too fresh to right the review just yet, but definitely worth the read.

27SouthernKiwi
Jun 6, 2013, 3:49 am

>11 psutto: Good to know, I'll have to start looking for the rest of the series :-) Just about finished Babylon Steel and it is lots of fun.

>16 -Eva-: I've had Earthsea on my shelf for quite a while now, I'm hoping to get to this month so I'll look forward to your comments Eva.

Wow, that's quite an article from Ann Aguirre, very depressing though.

28clfisha
Jun 6, 2013, 4:15 am

25 I really liked Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell too, I think you have to be in the right mood to settle into it. I do wonder if she will ever write another book...

26 Look forward to your review of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, you have intrigued me!

27 and glad you are enjoying Babylon Steel, I hope to read the sequel this month.

29psutto
Jun 6, 2013, 4:36 am

- so far I've still not finished the Lavie Tidhar books! going to start this very soon though (and will probably go into July as well since I'm running a week late!)

Strange & Norrell is great, she did write the ladies of grace adieu as well

There's a 3rd Babylon Steel coming as well apparently, not sure of release dates though

30AHS-Wolfy
Jun 6, 2013, 12:09 pm

Finished my first entry for this yesterday and added a review today for Temeraire by Naomi Novik. Divergent or Fugitive Prince are the strong candidates for me to move onto next.

31cammykitty
Jun 6, 2013, 5:01 pm

I started The Mists of Avalon last night. Oh no!!! 1000 pages! I might not read much else. For being a King Arthur tale, it sure is feminist so far.

32avatiakh
Jun 6, 2013, 7:25 pm

Elizabeth Knox's Mortal Fire launched today, it's set in a similar world to her Dreamhunter books. I've already read the first chapter and loving it but will have to finish Seraphina before I continue.

33mathgirl40
Jun 6, 2013, 10:53 pm

>31 cammykitty:: I really liked The Mists of Avalon, though it did feel as if it took forever to read. It felt like more than 1000 pages to me, because each page in my edition had about twice as many words as a page in a "typical" novel! If you finish only that book during this month's challenge, that would still be an achievement. :)

I started with a couple of shorter works. The first was Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey, which was enjoyable enough. The second was volume 2 of the Digger series by Ursula Vernon, which I absolutely love! This is a Web comic which you can find here.

34SouthernKiwi
Jun 7, 2013, 4:29 am

Katie I read most of Mists of Avalon last year and with only about 200 pages left I ran out of steam - I'll be interested to hear how it all ended up :-)

35clfisha
Edited: Jun 7, 2013, 6:43 am

33 Thanks for the link to the web comic, I had forgotten about it!

36ccookie
Edited: Jun 7, 2013, 9:17 pm

Not sci-fi / fantasy but definitely by a woman.
I am partway through Fifty Shades Darker by E. L. James.

I find these books to be compelling reads but SO BADLY WRITTEN. Screams out for an editor. I would like to see a different phrase than 'I peeked up at him'!! over, and over and over again

37psutto
Jun 7, 2013, 4:20 pm

Belatedly starting with the brides of rollrock island

38clfisha
Jun 8, 2013, 5:51 am

36 I think that's partly why I enjoyed it, it's like watching a really bad movie. It can be fun

39AHS-Wolfy
Jun 8, 2013, 3:28 pm

Back in work for another night shift and after having finished Divergent this morning I thought I'd move straight on to its sequel. I won't have as much reading time tonight though so won't finish Insurgent off in more or less one sitting.

40hailelib
Jun 8, 2013, 4:42 pm

So far this month I've finished Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness, Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier and By the Sword by Mercedes Lackey. Two fantasy and one historical fiction.

41avatiakh
Jun 9, 2013, 9:14 am

I've started listening to Among Others by Jo Walton as well as my other reads.

42lkernagh
Jun 9, 2013, 8:14 pm

I finished Type by Alicia Hendley this afternoon. Overall, a rather good YA dystopian novel by a new to me female author. Full review can be found on the book page and here.

Next up, I am going to start Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series by reading Soulless.

43norabelle414
Jun 9, 2013, 8:24 pm

I finished The Grand Tour, or The Purloined Coronation Regalia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer, and now I'm reading War for the Oaks by Emma Bull (urban fantasy). I'm really enjoying it so far!

44clfisha
Jun 10, 2013, 4:26 am

Finished reading Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti by Genevieve Valentine. Such a nice surprise finding such an interesting, fabulous book. Her 1st too.

45GingerbreadMan
Jun 10, 2013, 6:24 pm

Finally starting my monthly challenge - a little late. I plan to read only female writers this month, and probably almost all SFF. I also plan to spill into july a bit to make up for it. I'm starting with Natural history by Justina Robson. Somewhat slowgoing in the beginning, but feels interesting!

>31 cammykitty: I'm reading that one too (one of my blind picks - Eva's!), but I feel I need to get at least a few other books under my belt first!
>37 psutto: Got it on my shelf. Looking forward to see what you think of it! (or, well, you've probably already finished by now, I'm sadly behind on all threads again)

46cammykitty
Jun 11, 2013, 10:49 am

I avoided Mists of Avalon 20 years ago when "everyone" was reading it. I didn't like that "Arthurian" stuff, but so far it's written from the women's perspective which makes it a bit different. It also deals more directly with the clash of religions than the typical (Mabinogian) versions of Arthur do. I picked it up because it was one of about three clearly SF&F books listed in my 500 Great Books by Women. The other two I've read, Kindred by Octavia Butler and Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy. So far I'm liking it, but yes, it does take forever. Hopefully I won't be thinking it's dragging right around the end!!! That's a little too late to pearl rule.

And other stuff, 3 of us are doing a mini-group read of The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter and if you'd like to join us or follow along, the thread is http://www.librarything.com/topic/155206

47cammykitty
Jun 11, 2013, 10:52 am

#43 Norabelle, you're reading the Minnesotan's canon of SF&F! I'm assuming you read Sorcery and Cecilia which is great fun. Hope you enjoy The War for the Oaks. That pooka is naughty.

48-Eva-
Edited: Jun 11, 2013, 10:56 pm

I just finished Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea and I have no idea why I've been waiting so long to read it! Highly recommended. Now on to The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan.

49psutto
Jun 12, 2013, 4:17 am

Just started a room of one's own by Virginia Woolf, not genre but it is a famous feminist polemic about fiction so I think it fits...

50clfisha
Jun 12, 2013, 4:29 am

Just started Jagannath by Karin Tidbeck. 1st story was quite wonderful (a man who falls in love with a airship) so I have high hopes.

51majkia
Jun 12, 2013, 7:28 am

Beginning Foreigner. My first Cherryh, so far as I can remember.

52norabelle414
Jun 12, 2013, 8:51 am

>47 cammykitty: A lovely coincidence :-) After I'm done with War for the Oaks, I'm going to read Throne of Jade, which I bought at Uncle Hugo's Bookstore in Minneapolis!

53psutto
Jun 12, 2013, 8:54 am

More thoughts on sexism in writing, this time from Chuck Wendig

http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2013/06/10/25-things-to-know-about-sexism-misogy...

There are two follow up posts that are also worth reading...

54majkia
Jun 12, 2013, 11:03 am

Oh good for Chuck. I loved Blackbirds and I thought his woman heroine was awesome.

55cammykitty
Jun 12, 2013, 2:16 pm

I have Blackbirds but haven't read it yet. I'll go read his post in a few minutes. Speaking of, I was at my writers group last night and one of the women was reading How to Suppress Women's Writing by Joanna Russ. I read that years ago, but I'm sure much of it still applies.

56DeltaQueen50
Jun 12, 2013, 7:13 pm

My first sci-fi book authored by a woman this month was Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold. I appreciated that the author kept the technical information on the light side yet still managed to give me a few flashbacks to early Star Trek episodes. I loved the story of two mature lovers kept apart by moral and ethical conflicts, and have now added this series to my list.

57psutto
Jun 15, 2013, 9:47 am

On Claire's recommendation as to what to read next out of my pathetically small pile of books by women I've not read yet I've just started mechanique

58Crazymamie
Jun 15, 2013, 11:36 am

I am reading The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin and getting some very good suggestions for other books to try as I have not explored science fiction much.

59mamzel
Jun 15, 2013, 1:18 pm

I read The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker. It is written from the viewpoint of a 12-year old girl who narrates the events as they unfold when the Earth's rotation slows. Interesting speculation about what effects arise but since the narrator is so young, we don't get overloaded with science.

60hailelib
Jun 15, 2013, 1:41 pm

I recently read Bimbos of the Death Sun which was a short and somewhat humorous mystery by Sharyn McCrumb featuring an Sf and fantasy con. Since then I've started The Sparrow by Russell.

61DeltaQueen50
Jun 15, 2013, 4:08 pm

I finished Boneshaker by Cherie Priest this morning but unfortunately this book left me rather flat. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but this book sounded as if it had all the right ingredients for me to really enjoy reading it. I probably will not continue with the trilogy.

62majkia
Jun 15, 2013, 4:54 pm

DQ: I did not much care for Boneshaker either. I never really cared what happened to the protagonists for some reason.

63GingerbreadMan
Jun 16, 2013, 3:45 am

>61 DeltaQueen50: Boneshaker was a close-but-no-cigar kind of read for me too. But I liked the world a lot, and will give Dreadnought a chance.

Speaking of which: this month's group read goes slowly for me. Natural History is fascinating but complex, and I find I'm often too tired to make much progress. And with The mists of Avalon lined up, it looks like I won't get many titles done in june. I'm thinking of devoting another month to this theme, later this year.

64PawsforThought
Edited: Jun 16, 2013, 6:50 am

48. I'm SO GLAD you liked Earthsea, Eva! It's one of my favourites.

65fuzzi
Jun 16, 2013, 11:41 am

(51) Glad you've started Foreigner!

Note to those who have not read CJ Cherryh before: she sometimes starts slowly, and does not spoon feed you the scenario, but if you give her works an honest try, you might love them as much as I do!

66Her_Royal_Orangeness
Jun 16, 2013, 12:54 pm

My Wish List has grown exponentially this month, courtesy of this thread and the discovery of the Worlds Without End website.

I've finished Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler. I enjoyed this duology and found it thought provoking, but also found the pacing to be quite slow and the end-of-the-world concept to be dated.

I also read The Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia McKillip and was quite disappointed. The story idea was marvelous, but the execution seemed very juvenile and contrived to me.

And my most recent read was Beauty by Sheri S. Tepper. I LOVED this book! It's incredibly well written and so very original. I was completely enthralled and wanted to do nothing but read. I'm definitely adding more of Tepper's work to my Must Read list.

67psutto
Edited: Jun 16, 2013, 2:35 pm

Just read mechanique in pretty much one sitting, fantastic book, review to follow soon

Starting darkmans which at about 900 pages isn't going to be quite so quick!

Like Anders ill probably carry over this sub-challenge. I'm aiming to do the rest of my female reads next month, the ones that aren't SF&F

68lkernagh
Jun 16, 2013, 5:52 pm

Finished two more books over the weekend: Soulless by Gail Carriger, which was a fun bit of escapism in Carriger's alternate history Victorian England; and His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik set in Novik's alternate world of the Napoleonic Wars - with dragons - which is currently my favorite read of the year so far!

Review of Soulless can be found here and review of His Majesty's Dragon can be found here

69Her_Royal_Orangeness
Jun 17, 2013, 4:50 pm

The Silver Metal Lover by Tanith Lee. “The Jetsons” meets “Fifty Shades of Grey.” Basically...awful.

70mamzel
Jun 17, 2013, 11:50 pm

Quite the interesting comparison!

71psutto
Jun 20, 2013, 4:20 am

came across this today - interesting for this group read I hope

http://sfmistressworks.wordpress.com/

72christina_reads
Jun 20, 2013, 11:26 pm

I'm starting Spirit's End by Rachel Aaron. I absolutely love this series, so I'm really looking forward to this final volume!

73avatiakh
Jun 20, 2013, 11:52 pm

I finished listening to Jo Walton's Among Others today and really enjoyed it. I'm about halfway through Seraphina and will start reading more of Mortal Fire.

74AHS-Wolfy
Jun 21, 2013, 4:59 pm

Read Falling Free, chronologically first in the Vorkosigan Saga, while in work over the last two days. Can't say that I was working but staring at a screen makes it marginally look like I was at least. Also continuing with Fugitive Prince by Janny Wurts which is going to take me a while longer yet.

75majkia
Jun 21, 2013, 6:10 pm

Just finished my second book for this group read: Foreigner by C.J. Cherryh. Interesting attempt to depict a clash of biological and cultural differences. Be prepared to not be sure what the heck is going on through it!

76Her_Royal_Orangeness
Jun 21, 2013, 7:15 pm

>71 psutto: - That link is fantastic...thanks!

>74 AHS-Wolfy: - Oh dear. I thought Shards of Honor was the first book. Now I'll have to get my hands on a copy of Falling Free and start with that one.

My most recent read was The Rapture by Liz Jensen. It was good, but not fantastic.

77AHS-Wolfy
Edited: Jun 22, 2013, 4:05 am

76, Falling Free is a prequel and doesn't have much to do with the main series I believe. It's set 200 years prior to Cordelia and Miles and doesn't even mention the Vorkosigan's at all. I think you'll be safe in stating with Shards.

78cammykitty
Jun 22, 2013, 5:41 pm

63 & 67 I'm with you. One month isn't enough to devote to this sub-challenge, especially with Mists of Avalon hogging up so much time. Deservedly hogging up so much time, but it's a chunkster! I've got two non-sf books from the library that may have to wait until July, Yoruba Girl Dancing and Recollections of Things to Come by Elena Garro, which is a Mexican novel. Not many Latinas get translated into English, and I don't think many of them get published in the first place.

79cammykitty
Jun 22, 2013, 5:45 pm

Pete - cool link! Lots of C.L. Moore reviewed. I've only gotten around to reading one novel of hers. She's hard to find now. I was amazed at how up-to-date it seemed.

80-Eva-
Jun 22, 2013, 6:49 pm

I was going to try to get Mists of Avalon into my June reads as well, but it is a bit too long to finish in a week, so I'll try to finish Changeless instead.

81mathgirl40
Jun 22, 2013, 11:14 pm

I finished the final books of two excellent series: Gathering Blue, Messenger and Son, the sequels of Lois Lowry's The Giver, as well as Deadline and Blackout, the sequels of Mira Grant's Feed. Both series were about dystopian worlds but were otherwise quite different in scope and writing style. However, they both featured great characters and thought-provoking ideas.

82SouthernKiwi
Jun 23, 2013, 12:49 am

I've just finsihed the 1st of the Earthsea Quartet books A Wizard Of Earthsea and I have to say I was underwhelmed. I won't be continuing the series any time soon and am happily moving on to The Age Of Miracles. Whether it fits into June or not I'm also keen to start Kristen Cashore's Seven Kingdom's Trilogy.

83humouress
Edited: Jun 23, 2013, 6:01 am

I've just discovered this thread.

In June, so far I've read:

Crown Duel and Court Duel by Sherwood Smith,
Turning Point by Lisanne Norman,
Soulless by Gail Carriger,
Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder and
The Uncrowned King by Rowena Cory Daniells.

I've only just finished Sherwood Smith's books, which were originally published as two books, but the edition I read has them rejoined in one book with an additional short story at the end. I have to say, I'm still immersed in her world.

Turning Point is a first contact book, and the only one that is sci-fi; I tend to read more fantasy. It is the first in the Sholan Alliance series, and interesting enough that I will probably carry on reading the series.

Soulless is the first in the Parasol Protectorate steampunk / paranormal series, as recommended by so many LTers, and I have the next book out already from the library.

Magic Study is the second in the Ixia/ Sitia series, following on from Poison Study.

The Uncrowned King is the second in King Rolen's Kin trilogy, following on from The King's Bastard.

ETA: I've just realised that the reason why I hadn't found this thread before is because I'm not in this group - sorry! Thought it was in the 75 book challenge :0)

84avatiakh
Jun 23, 2013, 6:10 am

#82: Nina, comeback, this year we are merging the group reads in both groups, so please keep posting here.

85clfisha
Jun 23, 2013, 8:10 am

83 yes the more the merrier, please stay.

@78 And I think I am going to continue you into next month. A couple of blokes like Mr Gaiman snuck in. Plus I am enjoying this thread :)

I finished Karen Tidbeck short story collection Jagannath, which I think pretty much for anyone who enjoys fantasy/Sci fi etc and anything slightly odd. Really excellent small collection. Now I am onto Redemption in Indigo, a modern day Africn fairy tale.

86humouress
Edited: Jun 23, 2013, 8:45 am

>84 avatiakh:, 85 : Thank you, ladies; I'll definitely stick around then.

I'm currently a few chapters into The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, which has been enthusiastically recommended on LT.

ETA: I'll mention this thread on the June TIOLI page, shall I, since challenge 8 ties in with it?

87majkia
Jun 23, 2013, 9:20 am

yes, sure, do mention it!

88mathgirl40
Jun 23, 2013, 9:21 am

I'll probably continue this theme into next month too, as there are several books on my list that I've not yet started.

I followed up my recent string of excellent reads with an average one Tempestuous by Lesley Livingston, and a downright disappointing one, Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.

89avatiakh
Jun 23, 2013, 3:38 pm

I'm now onto Mortal Fire by Elizabeth Knox and sneaking an occasional chapter of When we wake by Karen Healey.

90-Eva-
Jun 23, 2013, 3:54 pm

->83 humouress:
Yes, absolutely stick around - the cross-pollination between the groups is why the challenge wiki-pages were made in the first place. Hopefully we'll continue it next year too! The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making is waiting on my NOOK - looking forward to hearing what you think.

->85 clfisha:
Karen Tidbeck is on my wishlist thanks to you - like Anders, I am amused that I'm getting bookbullets of a Swedish writer from a non-Swede. :)

91cammykitty
Jun 23, 2013, 5:46 pm

Just have to say Guinevere is such a ninny!

Still on Mists of Avalon.

92lkernagh
Jun 23, 2013, 11:47 pm

Finished Angela Carter's short story collection The Bloody Chamber this afternoon. Interesting and in some cases rather shocking adaptations of various fairy tales and folklore but all written in wonderfully beautiful prose.

93cammykitty
Jun 24, 2013, 12:31 am

Lori, I almost finished The Bloody Chamber today too, but decided to start The Ladies of Grace Adieu (and read about Guinevere being a ninny) instead. I'll catch up with you soon!

94clfisha
Edited: Jun 24, 2013, 5:07 am

Finished the Redemption In Indigo by Karen Lord, which wasn't my cup of tea really, bit too simple with a storyteller narrator than would have worked fine as an audio book.

Also finished the excellent novella The Grass-Cutting Sword by Catherynne M Valente. A reworking of the Japanese myth of creation and the slaying of 8 headed dragon Yamata no Orochi

Not sure what to read next, maybe Dangerous Gifts by Gaie Sebold.

95humouress
Jun 24, 2013, 5:03 am

I've read Sorcery and Cecilia - or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot, instead of continuing on with The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland (but I will get back to that soon).

It was great fun to read; consisting entirely of correspondence between two cousins, one in London for her Season, and the other left behind at home, in an alternative Europe where magic exists and Wizard Wellington uses it in the war. There are nefarious doings afoot, involving an enchanted (of all things) chocolate pot.

I like the afterword, in which the two authors (Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer) take turns to tell us how the book came into being, as they wrote letters to each other in the personae of the two heroines, with no knowledge of the other writer's plot.

96norabelle414
Jun 24, 2013, 8:21 am

I finished War for the Oaks by Emma Bull and Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks, and now I'm reading Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal (Austen-esque comedy of manners/romance, with magic thrown in) and listening to The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (mythology retelling).

97humouress
Jun 24, 2013, 8:40 am

Austen-esque comedy of manners/romance, with magic thrown in

I could say the same for Sorcery and Cecilia, or, The Enchanted Chocolate Pot.

98psutto
Jun 24, 2013, 8:40 am

I've finished Darkmans and pondering what's next:

on the list -

deathless by Cat Valente
the grass-cutting sword by Cat Valente
among others by Jo Walton
boneshaker by cherie priest
redemption in indigo by Karen Lord

will definitely be taking this into next month, will be opening it up to other books by women in July though

99norabelle414
Jun 24, 2013, 11:06 am

>97 humouress: They so have a similar feel, though the magic in Shades of Milk and Honey is more subtle, and Sorcery and Cecelia is written in a much more modern style.

100GingerbreadMan
Edited: Jun 25, 2013, 3:39 am

I've finally wrapped up my first read for this group read! Natural history was complicated and not totally convincing, but still well worth it. I'm now picking up At the mouth of the river of bees and hope to finish it before june ends.

Like many other here I'll let this theme spill into july (after all, I still have Mists of Avalon to tackle, right?), but will then allow some non-genre books by women I need for work. I'll probably wrap up my Sandman group read too.

>85 clfisha: Glad you enjoyed it! I thought it was excellent. And thanks so much for pointing it my way, like Eva said!

>98 psutto: Very much looking forward to your review on Darkmans!

101clfisha
Jun 25, 2013, 6:44 am

I am really tempted join in with Mists of Avalon read but instead I am going to wait for everyone to read it first and see if its universal liked. I may have a slight aversion to Arthurian stories...

@90/100 and no problem.. how many times has some non UK person recommended an English author ;)

102cammykitty
Edited: Jun 25, 2013, 4:51 pm

Ay! Didn't know I was starting a small trend with Mists of Avalon. Gwen is still a twit. I'm liking it, just not Gwen.

100 Anders, can't wait to see what you think of At the Mouth of the River of Bees. She made a small splash with Fudoki here, and I've been meaning to read something more of hers than one or two short stories. Fudoki looks good.

@94 Claire, Redemption in Indigo has been on my radar too. Yours is the first mention I've seen of it though. Sorry you didn't like it better. Hmmm... Maybe it slips lower on the WL. I usually agree with your assessment of books.

103SandDune
Jun 25, 2013, 4:52 pm

I thought there were some great stories in At the Mouth of the River of Beeswhen I read it last year.

104clfisha
Jun 26, 2013, 4:35 am

102.. well it may have suffered from more complex books I read previously. It was it is: a nice modern day piece of storytelling.

I enjoyed At the Mouth of the River of Bees when I read it, hope you enjoy!

105GingerbreadMan
Jun 26, 2013, 5:52 am

>104 clfisha: I know you did :) Another one of the numerous books you've nudged in my direction. I like it a whole lot so far.

106lkernagh
Jun 28, 2013, 9:58 pm

I finished A Book of Tongues book one in the Hexslinger series by Gemma Files during my lunch hour today. It is my last female SFF read for June and unfortunately, it wasn't that great of a read for me. I guess I will have to continue reading female SFF in July so that I don't end this theme read on a sour note! For anyone interested, review can be found here.

107cammykitty
Jun 29, 2013, 12:05 am

At the Mouth of the River of Bees is definitely going on the WL then! I just finished reading The Ladies of Grace Adieu and liked it a lot. I can see why people either love or hate Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. Even in the short stories, Clarke has a wandering style that gets to a point eventually, and then keeps going. I really enjoyed the collection, but think it lost 1/2 a star because I was listening to it on audio before bed and frequently got lost in the story telling simply because I was tired. I think I listened to the last disk three times before I actually heard it. That's reader error though! No fault of the book. Very interesting new tales mostly of fairy lore. I'll attempt Strange & Norrell sometime, but I think two chunksters a year is enough. It will have to wait until 2014. Yes, still reading Mists. Gwen is now a conniving twit, worse than just a plain twit. 280 pages left to go.

108humouress
Jun 29, 2013, 12:53 am

'Gwen is now a conniving twit, worse than just a plain twit' I would never do something as inelegant as snort, but you get my gist.

I've just finished Agent of Change (from the Liaden universe) co-written by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller; I assume that counts?

Still working on The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland....

109cammykitty
Jun 29, 2013, 3:46 pm

108 Cowritten counts. What did you think of Agent of Change. The ratings are pretty high on it. Cover is ugly, but Baen is known for ugly covers. ;)

110GingerbreadMan
Jun 30, 2013, 5:16 am

>107 cammykitty: Gee, you're really selling me Avalon, ain't you?

111avatiakh
Edited: Jun 30, 2013, 6:08 am

I finished Mortal Fire by Elizabeth Knox. It's set in the same world as her Dreamhunter Duet but there is negligible crossover and this story is set after WW2.
For July I've lined up a few female fantasy/scifi reads including Year of the Griffin by Diana Wynne Jones, Sarah Canary by Karen Joy Fowler and A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley.

edit: need to add The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater to my July list

112clfisha
Jun 30, 2013, 6:07 am

I am reading the comic Digger by Ursula Vernon, which is online as well as printed. Really enjoying it, so thanks Paulina!

Also started reviewing these books The Shining Girls mammoth review is in my thread :)

Oh shall we have a new thread or are we ok with this one?

113psutto
Jun 30, 2013, 2:02 pm

Currently reading and enjoyibng Deathless after abandoning among others, just couldn't get into that one....

114humouress
Jun 30, 2013, 2:40 pm

>109 cammykitty:: Good; thanks cammy (I meant co-authored by male and female, but I think you understood that).

Agent of Change was fun, and if I can find them, I'll carry on with the Liaden series. I did like finding a whole super-race that is about my height ;0)

As for the cover, I downloaded the free e-book from the Baen website, which has a generic graphic, which isn't especially exciting.

115DeltaQueen50
Jun 30, 2013, 6:42 pm

I forgot to come here and report on my reding of Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari, but frankly, I didn't enjoy the book and really couldn't recommend it to anyone.

116-Eva-
Jun 30, 2013, 7:30 pm

I managed to round off the month with Changeless - silly and lovely all at the same time!

I'm definitely in on continuing with a July thread as well!

117ronincats
Jun 30, 2013, 9:57 pm

I haven't been posting much during the month, but here is a summary of the science fiction and fantasy I've read this month written by a female author:

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver
The Magistrates of Hell by Barbara Hambly
Limits of Power by Elizabeth Moon
The Orphanage of Miracles by Amy Neftzger
Wednesdays in the Tower by Jessica Day George
Lady of Devices by Shelley Adina
Poison by Bridget Zinn
Sister Mine by Nalo Hopkinson
Hellburner by C. J. Cherryh

I love Agent of Change, and Changeless is good fun, although probably the weakest book of the series imho.

118clfisha
Jul 1, 2013, 7:13 am

117 How did you find Sister Mine? I keep meaning to try Hopkinson

119clfisha
Jul 1, 2013, 9:10 am

new thread here.. hmm no option to continue the thread
http://www.librarything.com/topic/155946

(just because June in the title is going bug me)

120ronincats
Jul 1, 2013, 4:05 pm

I liked Sister Mine. It's the second Hopkinson I've read. The other one I've read is The New Moon's Arms, which has much more of a Caribbean influence apparent in it. This one is urban fantasy set in Toronto (Hopkinson currently lives in Canada), a gritty tone with some demigods running things for the Big Man and a pair of half-demigod sisters dealing with issues.

121cammykitty
Jul 1, 2013, 10:31 pm

@110 I'm sort of conflicted about Mists so far. I've never been a real Arthurian legend fan, or a Medieval Romance fan, so Anders, take what I say with a grain of salt, but don't doubt for a second that Gwenivere is a twit!

122BookLizard
Jul 4, 2013, 8:22 pm

My June recap:

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
City of Bones & City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers
Hot Blooded by Amanda Carlson
Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor