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| I am often intimidated by the thought of trying new authors as I don't know which book of theirs to start with. I know I could just grab any book of theirs off the shelf, but I don't want to read just any novel, I want to read THEIR ABSOLUTE BEST!
I figured in this thread we could help each other out. In each post list an author from the Women of Genre challenge and list what books of theirs you'd recommend. You can also ask people to suggest books for authors you are unfamiliar with.
So, in my case:
Recommendation: Octavia Butler, 'Kindred,' 'Parable of the Sower.'
Looking for recommendations on which Kelly Link novel I should read.
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Location: Washington state | Oh, I love Kelly Link. I don't know that she's written any novels, though... I believe she's generally known for short stories and (excellent) collections of such.
My absolute favorite of her collections is Magic for Beginners. It was full of wonders, both subtle and strange (and some not so subtle yet even stranger.) The collections Stranger Things Happen was also very good, but overall it didn't grab me as strongly as MfB.
I have not read her young adult collection Pretty Monsters, although there are a handful of stories in it that also feature in one of the two collections above.
Note that both Magic for Beginners and Stranger Things Happen are available for free download under Creative Commons license (in many formats) on the site of Small Beer Press, the indie/small press founded by Link and Gavin Grant. (Maureen McHugh - another excellent female author who is currently in the WWE database - also has a collection there for free, Mothers and Other Monsters.) Here's the page to the free CC downloads: http://smallbeerpress.com/creative-commons/ |
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| Anyone have a Nalo Hopkinson recommendation? I'm leaning towards Midnight Robbers. |
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Location: Florida | I've seen a few people post their list of WoGF choices for the year around this site and their own blogs. I'm curious how people have been choosing their random pick? I'm thinking of asking someone else to randomly choose an author for me. Anyone have some kind of crazy method? |
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Location: SC, USA | I looked at the pictures of the authors others had picked on the WoGF page and chose an interesting face. I ended up with a good one--Leigh Brackett. |
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| Butler is one of my choices for the challenge so thanks for the rec.
I concur that any of Kelly Link's collections are a great place to start. I would say Pretty Monsters as that was the most recent title of hers I read and a couple of the stories stayed with me for a while afterwards. |
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| JamesVirgil - 2013-01-04 12:13 PM
Anyone have a Nalo Hopkinson recommendation? I'm leaning towards Midnight Robbers.
I quite enjoyed Brown Girl in the Ring. It's the one she's most famous for. . . |
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| Tantara - 2013-01-02 4:09 PM
Oh, I love Kelly Link. I don't know that she's written any novels, though... I believe she's generally known for short stories and (excellent ) collections of such.
My absolute favorite of her collections is Magic for Beginners. It was full of wonders, both subtle and strange (and some not so subtle yet even stranger. ) The collections Stranger Things Happen was also very good, but overall it didn't grab me as strongly as MfB.
I have not read her young adult collection Pretty Monsters, although there are a handful of stories in it that also feature in one of the two collections above.
Note that both Magic for Beginners and Stranger Things Happen are available for free download under Creative Commons license (in many formats ) on the site of Small Beer Press, the indie/small press founded by Link and Gavin Grant. (Maureen McHugh - another excellent female author who is currently in the WWE database - also has a collection there for free, Mothers and Other Monsters. ) Here's the page to the free CC downloads: http://smallbeerpress.com/creative-commons/
Thanks for the info, especially the Creative Commons link. I think that's convinced me to finally buy an E-reader. One of my New Year's resolutions was to read more short stories, so 'Magic for Beginners' sounds perfect. |
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| JamesVirgil - 2013-01-03 4:13 PM
Anyone have a Nalo Hopkinson recommendation? I'm leaning towards Midnight Robbers.
I also read and enjoyed 'Brown Girl in the Ring,' though I haven't read her other novels so I don't know how it stacks up against them. |
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| If you're looking for recommendations, I'd say that Margo Lanagan, Catherynne M. Valente and Kelly Link are three of the most interesting genre writers of the 21st century, irrespective of gender. Each bring their own unique style to bear: Lanagan's is fiercely feminist, Valente's is surrealistic/fabulist, and Link's is, well, KellyLinkian. Kelly doesn't have any novels yet, but her About "Two Houses" (Shadow Show: All New Stories in Celebration of Ray Bradbury - 2012) gives evidence that a novel may not be that far off.
Link's Stranger Things Happen is one of the most significant genre collections ever. But any of her three collections should be eagerly sought after by anyone with a pulse. 
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| Any chance of Marion Zimmer Bradley's "The Door Through Space" being added to her list? I just read and reviewed it on my blog. Thank you. |
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| Jim Black - 2013-01-09 12:00 AM
Any chance of Marion Zimmer Bradley's "The Door Through Space" being added to her list? I just read and reviewed it on my blog. Thank you.
You might have more luck suggesting this in the other thread. This thread is more for people suggesting books to each other, rather than which books should be added to the database. |
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| Now I am curious - which of fiercely feminist Lanagan's books would you recommend to someone who considers herself so -but has never read anything by her!
thanks, g |
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| Tender Morsels is the only one listed in the database. It won the WFA and is pretty recent so its probably a good bet. |
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| Oddly enough, although I think Lanagan has a dark streak of intentional or unintentional misandry in her books, I hadn't really thought of her as a fierce feminist, at least in her fiction. I did actually find The Brides of Rollrock Island a bit unpleasant in the extent to which it was simply assumed that all adult men were evil - but I guess I don't really get the impression of an '-ism' behind Lanagan's works. She feels more naturalist than that (even when she's describing things that are unnatural).
That said, I would encourage you to read her anyway - she's a brilliant prose stylist and a writer of distinctive, odd, finely observed and realistic, often slightly disturbing stories. Both Tender Morsels and The Brides of Rollrock Island are very good books indeed (though I don't think they're unreservedly brilliant - I seem to be in a minority in that respect). I'd say Tender Morsels is maybe the more accessible book - in that more happens and it's closer to having a traditional plot. By the way, although Brides may not have won any major awards itself, it's an expansion of a WFA-winning novella.
However, personally, I think that her collection, Black Juice, is better, or at least more interesting, if you like short stories. It won the WFA for Best Collection, and the main story won the WFA for Best Short Fiction. |
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| Thanks for the thoughtful reply- having read up about some on her books - I was confused how she earned the feminist label but not having actually read anything -i thought I'd give her a try- I will see if Seattle libraries have the story stories - otherwise it looks like it'd be Tender ...
happy reading,
g |
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Location: France | 2 books I can thoroughly recommend that do not appear to have had much attention.
Floating Worlds by Cecelia Holland. i read this many, many years ago but it was my favorite for years.
I read The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia more recently (actually I listened to the audiobook) and it was fabulous. |
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| I second Floating Worlds. Haven't read the other one. |
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Location: Austria | First of all, I can't thank you guys enough for creating this challenge. I have tons of books written by women on my TBR and, you know how it is, I plan to read them all - eventually. But thanks to this challenge, I'm now reading Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan and loving it. It is really dark and mythical and actually made me very uncomfortable (there's rape and incest in no small amount). But it's also brilliant. So far, I can definitely recommend it.
Because it was mentioned here before: The feminist streak is definitely there, but personally, I don't feel like Lanagan is lecturing me. There is at least one decent male character so far and a whole range of others that are just human - flawed and not always likable. Not all men are inherently evil in Tender Morsels. |
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Location: Chicago | I have a long-ish commute and I'm thinking about having an audiobook for at least one of my challenge books. Does anyone have any recommendations for good audiobooks with good readers? Major bonus points if it's available on Audible, where I already have an account.
I'm thinking of trying To Say Nothing of the Dog, whose reader has good reviews on Audible. Are there any others?
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| If you haven't read Sparrow by M Russell -it is a great provocative read- available as audiobook- although I don't know about Audible company. |
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Location: Chicago | Thanks gloker, that looks great! |
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| Forgot to say that I listened to commercial version from local library and I thought it had a good reader, but I can't give you a name. I keep a look out for your review of the book to see what you think. |
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Location: Richmond, California | Oddrid - YMMV but I really didn't like To Say Nothing of the Dog although I LOVED Connie Willis' The Doomsday Book. I also liked, but didn't love, Blackout/All Clear.
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Location: Richmond, California | Some audiobooks I would recommend which fit into this challenge (besides The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis) include:
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (I loved The Handmaid's Tale when I read it back in the day but I haven't heard the audiobook version)
The Shore of Women by Pamela Sargent
The Host by Stephanie Meyer
The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
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Location: Chicago | Carla - thank you so much for the recommendations! My partner just listened to Parable of the Sower and really loved it. I was planning on doing hard-copy for that book, but it depends how much time I end up having. I've read the Hunger Games and Oryx and Crake and enjoyed them both. I also loved the Doomsday Book, and so far I am really loving To Say Nothing of the Dog too! I think I can now call myself an official fan of Connie Willis! |
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Location: France | thanks for the recs Carla.
I would second the Host (far superior to Twilight) and The Hunger Games Trilogy - though personally having done both I think the written version is better since in the audio her writing style is highlighted unfavorabley (so many he said, she saids)
I can't use Margaret Atwood or Octavia Butler since they aren't new to me but I will look out for the Pamela Sargent one.
You prefer Science Fiction or Speculative Fiction rather than Fantasy don't you. Let me see if I can recommend authors (though they probably aren't new to you)
2 I have already recommended Floating Worlds by Cecelia Holland (Interplanetary Conquest)
the Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia (the audiobook is great) (steampunk)
All of the Newsflesh Trilogy by Mira Grant (aka Seanan McGuire) (zombies but with a scientific basis)
Anything by Maureen McHugh
Anything by Sherri Tepper
Becoming Alien by Rebecca Ore
Anything by CJ Cherryh
superluminel by vonda MacIntyre (not currently in the DB)
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Location: Chicago | Oh wow... I JUST realized that we're supposed to read all authors we've never read from before! I need to seriously revise my reading list.... |
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Location: Richmond, California | Oddrid, lol - I'm glad you're enjoying it. Yes, the hard part is that it has to be authors we've never read before and, having always been interested in fiction by women, it is hard for me to find any unless they are either new (started writing in the past 10 years for example) or in a sub-genre I don't usually like.  Kindred by Octavia Butler is also great and, of course, Parable of the Talents follows on from Parable of the Sower and is equally good. I liked Thigpen's interpretation of Parable of the Sower so recommended that instead of Kindred, the reader being someone I didn't enjoy quite as much. I'd read all of Butler's short stories and novels previously in hardback and paperback. (!) I'm a lifelong fan and was lucky enough to meet her a few times over the years. I was really saddened by her death at a relatively young age.
Dihenydd, Thanks for the recommendations! I've read all of Sheri Tepper's adult fiction and would love it if she wrote more. My favorites of hers are probably Grass and Beauty but I really did enjoy them all. I've also read Vonda McIntyre and enjoyed that, though it was decades ago. I don't know how I'd react now. I've noticed, in recent years, that it pays me to reread things I read when I was younger because I see the world so differently now. Luckily, most of the authors I've loved hold up to repeat readings but, once in a while, I get a big (unpleasant) surprise! lol
I'll look into all of the others you've mentioned - I have kind of avoided Cherryh but, admittedly, it's been because of the book cover art and the comments on the back! Blatently unfair - I'll give her a try and then, at least, if I don't like her writing it will be that which puts me off instead of silly things like cover art and the comments of reviewers. When I was a kid, I'd read anything and everything and that's how I found the authors I love. I guess I've been pickier in the past 20 years or so because it's harder for me to find the time but, also, I get frustrated when I pay good money for books I end up hating. Luckily, a lot of books are becoming available as ebooks and audiobooks even at the public library and I may be able to get past the cost aspect that way. |
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Location: Richmond, California | More recommendations - this time just books, not aware of them being available in audiobook or not:
Elizabeth Hand - The Speed of Dark
This is one of the best books I've ever read, period. Well-written and it has an exciting and satisfying story arc but it's the main character, and Hand's ability to speak from his viewpoint, which makes the book such a unique and wonderful experience.
Kit Reed - Fort Privilege, Attack of the Giant Baby, Thinner Than Thou
Reed is one of those authors you can love one year and find incomprehensible the next (YMMV) but I highly recommend reading these three books because the first is just a great story and well-written, the second is hysterically funny and scarily observant, and the third is both timely and well-observed. She is always right square in the middle of what's going on in current society and extrapolating it outward into directions which might be possible, if not probable.
Joanna Russ - Picnic on Paradise
In spite of the ridiculous title, I found the book to be a truly resonant read. All of the things she talks about in this book were so well-observed as to seem prescient as time has gone by. Her main character, Alyx, is just one incredibly interesting woman and her job is fascinating. Her relationships with the people she has to guide through a life-threatening situation are layered and real. I won't say more than that - just read it.
Anything at all by Octavia Butler is worth reading - and, usually, rereading. My favorite stand-alone novels of hers include: Survivor, Kindred, and Clay's Ark. There are ways that Survivor and Clay's Ark fit into universes shared by other novels of Butler's but one doesn't have to have read anything before them to have the full experience.
Nancy Kress is someone whose writing I enjoy but the book of hers that really stands out for me is Beggars in Spain. The sequels aren't as strong to my way of thinking. Her other series, Relativity Space et all, was also entertaining for me.
Zenna Henderson's The Anything Box and Holding Wonder were favorites of mine when I was a lot younger. I should reread them and see what I think of them now. I read them when they came out in the 60's.
I really love Amy Thomson's books The Color of Distance and Through Alien Eyes. I still see them as the best depiction of interactions between humans and an alien species that's ever been written. (Though Butler's work is also stellar in this area!) I also enjoyed her book Virtual Girl.
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| I think you mean Elizabeth Moon not Elizabeth Hand. |
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Location: Richmond, California | Too right Justified! I had just been talking to someone about Elizabeth Hand and wrote her name instead of Moon's - hope there's a way I can fix the initial post but, if not, forgive my mistake Ms. Hand and Ms. Moon! Thanks for the correction. |
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| Hi, first post here--topic caught my attention as I have been (a woman!) writing science fiction for years--first professional sf publication was in Writers of the Future in 1993 as D. A. Houdek with Borealis. I've published numerous sf shorts since.
I recommend recent publication, BLACK HOLE PROJECT, by C. Sanford Lowe (Candy Lowe), a woman author who works IT at Stanford, co-written with G. David Nordley. As well as being sf by a woman author, it's HARD SF, featuring numerous strong women characters--scientists, starship captains, researchers. I found it a pleasure to read women in these roles in a technically accurate story.
Edited by debhoudekrule 2013-03-16 2:45 PM
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| Start with Sheri S. Tepper's Singer From The Sea -- it works on so many incredible levels, and there is a complete game-changing reveal halfway through that will absolutely blow your mind! |
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| I know oddrid mentioned the audiobook version of To Say Nothing of the Dog and I have to highly second that recommendation, it's a really fun and funny book about time travel, and the narrator does a great job.
I've started reading The Shadow Speaker by Nnedi Okorafor and it's neat, a near-future sort of thing where science and magic exist side by side. Marketed as YA, but definitely works for older readers too. |
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Location: Dallas, Texas | megaparsecs - 2013-06-10 5:36 PM I know oddrid mentioned the audiobook version of To Say Nothing of the Dog and I have to highly second that recommendation, it's a really fun and funny book about time travel, and the narrator does a great job. To Say Nothing of the Dog has just been added to the SF Masterworks list too for a bit of extra incentive. |
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| I'm intending to read Malinda Lo for the Challenge but not sure if I should start with Huntress or Ash. Thoughts? |
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| Great recommendations, Carla!
I came to this thread specifically to suggest Amy Thomson be included on the website - after first finding Joanna and Octavia, of course!
So many books, so little time!!
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Location: Richmond, California | Thanks Bete! Nice to know there are some like minds around. :D
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Location: Zagreb | I found on Amazon pages that Pat Murphy book "The City, Not Long After", for which some people said that may be difficult to find, is getting Kindle release on September 30. It looks like promissing read. |
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| (cross-posted from the LGBT Challenge thread) Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi (who is of Japanese/American heritage) has a LGBT, POC protagonist and would be eligible for either the LGBT Challenge, the Women of Genre Fiction Challenge, or the 2014 Authors of Color Challenge. In addition, the main character suffers from a severely-debiliting chronic, terminal illness -- and I thought that theme was really well-handled. I quite enjoyed the book. I prefer my SFF very light on the romance (regardless of whether it's gay, straight, or other), so I thought the romantic stuff was a bit OTT. But YMMV -- and the book is fantastic, especially for a debut author. |
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