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WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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dihenydd
Posted 2013-01-25 3:34 PM (#4619 - in reply to #4427)
Subject: Re: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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I hope this isn't a stupid question. I only found this site today and am thrilled to take this challenge.

If an author writes under more than one name is that considered 2 separate authors. For instance I have read (and enjoyed) Mira Grant, but not yet read any Sean McGuire.
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Administrator
Posted 2013-01-25 4:36 PM (#4620 - in reply to #4619)
Subject: Re: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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dihenydd - 2013-01-25 3:34 PM I hope this isn't a stupid question. I only found this site today and am thrilled to take this challenge. If an author writes under more than one name is that considered 2 separate authors. For instance I have read (and enjoyed) Mira Grant, but not yet read any Sean McGuire.

Welcome to WWEnd, dihenydd!  Glad you found us and that you're taking part in the challenge.

That is an interesting question!  I honestly hadn't given that any thought but the answer is no, you can't.  In our system we only have one author record for each actual person so on the Seanan McGuire page we include her books written as Mira Grant.  Books under wither name will be recorded as being by Seanan.  The WoGF only sees the 1 real person record.

It has happened in the past that we created author records for pen names when we were not aware they were pen names but somebody usually points them out to us eventually - James S. A. Corey is one that comes to mind.  If we have any like that now, which is a real possibility, you could do it.  If we knew K. J. Parker was a woman, but we still didn't know her real name, we'd probably include her in the challenge so that's another case where it would be possible to read and tag 2 books by the same author.

 

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dihenydd
Posted 2013-01-25 4:53 PM (#4621 - in reply to #4427)
Subject: Re: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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Thanks for the clarity - it isn't as if there aren't enough to pick from!
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dihenydd
Posted 2013-01-26 7:44 AM (#4624 - in reply to #4427)
Subject: RE: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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I'm assuming audiobooks count... that it is the author not the format you are targeting?

Edited by dihenydd 2013-01-26 7:45 AM
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Administrator
Posted 2013-01-26 10:28 AM (#4627 - in reply to #4624)
Subject: RE: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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No problem.  There will be more authors to choose from as the year goes on too.  We've already added 26 new authors since the first of the year along with a couple hundred new books.

Yes, audiobooks count as well.  As you said, it's the authors that matter not how you consume their work though I would say that movies or other adaptations don't count.

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carlajpatterson
Posted 2013-02-25 2:54 AM (#4741 - in reply to #4427)
Subject: Re: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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My only problem with this challenge is that I don't generally like horror or fantasy - I'm a hard sci fi person. Also, I've read everything by many of the women in the list who write sci fi. I would love to find authors I like whom I haven't yet read, though, so I'll check out the recommendation thread to see if I can find 12 books which might work for me.
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Administrator
Posted 2013-02-25 10:11 AM (#4746 - in reply to #4741)
Subject: Re: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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Welcome to WWEnd, Carla! I hope you're enjoying the site and our community. Let me know if you have any questions.

carlajpatterson - 2013-02-25 2:54 AM My only problem with this challenge is that I don't generally like horror or fantasy - I'm a hard sci fi person. Also, I've read everything by many of the women in the list who write sci fi. I would love to find authors I like whom I haven't yet read, though, so I'll check out the recommendation thread to see if I can find 12 books which might work for me.

I'm with you on this one - much prefer SF over fantasy or horror - but I've not read many women at all so I don't have any selection limitations like you have.  I wouldn't let it dissuade you from joining in the challenge though.  You don't need to worry about finding 12 books up front, you just need 1 book to get started then you have the whole month to find one for next month and so on down the line.  We'll be adding more books all year and I'm on the lookout for SF in particular so I'll do what I can to get more in the list.  And remember, you're not limited to just the authors we have in our DB so if you find something outside what we've got we'll get it in there for you.

That's my 2 cents, anyway. 

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carlajpatterson
Posted 2013-02-28 1:56 PM (#4782 - in reply to #4428)
Subject: Re: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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Why don't you consider any of Margaret Atwood's books science fiction, horror, or fantasy? I'm thinking specifically of The Handmaid's Tale, After the Flood, and Oryx and Crake. Really curious!
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Administrator
Posted 2013-02-28 2:06 PM (#4783 - in reply to #4782)
Subject: Re: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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carlajpatterson - 2013-02-28 1:56 PM Why don't you consider any of Margaret Atwood's books science fiction, horror, or fantasy? I'm thinking specifically of The Handmaid's Tale, After the Flood, and Oryx and Crake. Really curious!

Is that a question for me?  If so, Margaret Atwood is most definitely a genre fiction writer even if she does not own up to it.

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Rhondak101
Posted 2013-02-28 3:27 PM (#4784 - in reply to #4782)
Subject: Re: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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Here's a link to a blog I wrote last year about Atwood and SF. I think she does write SF.

 http://blog.worldswithoutend.com/2012/01/outside-the-norm-margaret-atwoods-the-blind-assassin-and-oryx-and-crake/

 

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justifiedsinner
Posted 2013-02-28 4:38 PM (#4786 - in reply to #4427)
Subject: Re: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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Atwood has a very slippery relationship with SF. I am nearly finished with her non-fiction book "In Other Worlds" which shows her love (and deep knowledge) of genre fiction. It also shows her admiration for Ursula Le Guin an author I like to compare to Atwood and who I think would have gained much wider acceptance if she had followed Atwood's marketing strategy.
Part of her problem is that she doesn't want to be labelled an SF writer and thus decrease her sales then neither did Kurt Vonnegut. Both successfully stayed labelled as mainstream writers and reaped the financial benefits that that entailed.
I'm not a fan of Orynx and Crake, I think it was sloppily written, but The Handmaid's Tale is a masterpiece of SF and Women's fiction and I think it will stay a classic for years to come.
I think things have changed and there is more recognition of quality SF in the Lit mainstream. Writers like Chabon and Lethem are leading the way. But they are a new generation or perhaps a return to the older generation of Orwell and Huxley.
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carlajpatterson
Posted 2013-03-03 12:09 AM (#4791 - in reply to #4427)
Subject: Re: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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I know what you mean about some authors not wanting to be labeled - but it's still true that one reaches fewer readers and doesn't make as good a living by being tarred with the genre fiction brush. Not just in scifi, but in other genres as well (mystery, romance, western, horror, fantasy, etc.). So, I'm not surprised.

I really liked Oryx and Crake - not sloppily written at all from my point of view. I totally agree about the Handmaid's Tale and I wish it were required reading in school. It's funny that you compare Le Guin and Atwood since I find Le Guin much more compassionate. But, that doesn't preclude a comparison, obviously, since that's only one component of either's work.

Since I started reading scifi so long ago, I've seen it change so many times that I sometimes don't know why I stick with it. But, I still seem to find my favorite reading experiences in science fiction - just when everything seems derivative, pandering, poorly written, or just dumb, I will stumble onto a new voice, world, character(s), idea and I'm happy for a while.
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justifiedsinner
Posted 2013-03-03 11:04 AM (#4794 - in reply to #4427)
Subject: Re: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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By sloppily written I wasn't referring to her technical skills. I just found her attitude to science, business and politics rather black and white and lacking in the nuance one would expect of someone of her intellect. It's all too easy to say science bad - photosynthetic humanoids good, it's a form of stereotyping and as a writer it's as bad in one's ideas as in one's characters.

Edited by justifiedsinner 2013-03-03 11:05 AM
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carlajpatterson
Posted 2013-03-03 10:18 PM (#4796 - in reply to #4427)
Subject: Re: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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Ah! Now I see what you mean. I forgot what it's like to expect that kind of thing from authors! All I ask from them, these days, is entertainment. If I get something to agree with or admire in a book I read, that's icing on the cake. A case in point - I really loved Orson Scott Card's science fiction writing. Then, I read one of his essays on American politics and society from a few years ago (and why he supported the Bush administration and the war in Iraq) and I almost felt like throwing up that I'd ever liked anything he'd written. Not because he isn't allowed to have a differing opinion from mine but because it seemed like a betrayal of the compassion and care with which his books all seemed to have been written. So, I checked myself - after all, it's FICTION. There is no way to know how much of what an author writes reflects his or her personal beliefs and/or actions in his or her own life. In fact, it's almost certain that most fiction doesn't reflect their own realities very closely or why take the time to write it? Fiction is intrinsically not reality-based and only reflects the real world obliquely. Secondly, my interpretation of what a book means is mine, not the author's. There's no way for me to know whether or not what I read into a book is there from anyone else's POV. So, the long and the short of it is that I try not to find out too much about authors whose work I like in case it undermines my ability to like their work. It's hard enough for me to find books I can stand to read past the first chapter as it is. ;)

Edited by carlajpatterson 2013-03-03 10:22 PM
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justifiedsinner
Posted 2013-03-04 9:06 AM (#4797 - in reply to #4427)
Subject: Re: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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Atwood has always positioned herself as an artist as opposed to an entertainer (not that there's anything wrong with entertainment) so the ideas, philosophy call it what you may are an intrinsic part of the novelists art. Her purpose being "higher" I think she needs to take more care to show a thought out approach. The narrow focus of Handmaid's tale, it's almost mythic approach allowed a black and white view but dealing with issue such as science, overpopulation etc. are more complex.
Card writes to entertain but that said his early Worthington Saga (Hot Sleep et. al.) had some pretty dark sadistic stuff in it.
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carlajpatterson
Posted 2013-03-04 7:36 PM (#4800 - in reply to #4427)
Subject: Re: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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Yep.
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carlajpatterson
Posted 2013-04-06 11:40 PM (#4920 - in reply to #4427)
Subject: Re: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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So, I've been reading my books and added some of them to the bookshelf for this challenge but now I can't find it and I don't see my stats in the Jan, Feb, or March stats lists. What am I doing wrong? (Besides not being here very often!)
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Administrator
Posted 2013-04-08 8:32 AM (#4924 - in reply to #4920)
Subject: Re: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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carlajpatterson - 2013-04-06 11:40 PM So, I've been reading my books and added some of them to the bookshelf for this challenge but now I can't find it and I don't see my stats in the Jan, Feb, or March stats lists. What am I doing wrong? (Besides not being here very often!)

Hey Carla, in looking at the WoGF page I can see you've got 2 books tagged as read for your challenge and you have one book tagged as being read.  The rest of your slots are empty.  I'm not sure what you mean by you can't find it or what you mean by the stats lists.  Can you be more specific?  If you like, I'd be happy to do a Skype session with you and walk through it all.  We can clear up any confusion and it will give me some useful info on how we can improve our interface or instructions.  Just let me know via email at: dave @ worldswithoutend dot com.

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carlajpatterson
Posted 2013-04-08 1:21 PM (#4928 - in reply to #4427)
Subject: Re: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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Hi, Dave... it's that I can't find the WoGF page where it shows my authors and books tagged as read. I thought it would be easy to find again here in the forum but I don't see a link. That's why I haven't been able to update the slots in my list.

I think I might have misunderstood the stats thing - I think what I took to be a list of books read (how many for each book), was actually a list of reviews only. I'll read through again and make sure. Thanks for the skype offer! I may still take you up on it if I can't figure this out by reading things more carefully!
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Administrator
Posted 2013-04-08 1:34 PM (#4929 - in reply to #4928)
Subject: Re: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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carlajpatterson - 2013-04-08 1:21 PM Hi, Dave... it's that I can't find the WoGF page where it shows my authors and books tagged as read. I thought it would be easy to find again here in the forum but I don't see a link. That's why I haven't been able to update the slots in my list. I think I might have misunderstood the stats thing - I think what I took to be a list of books read (how many for each book), was actually a list of reviews only. I'll read through again and make sure. Thanks for the skype offer! I may still take you up on it if I can't figure this out by reading things more carefully!

Oh, I see.  Well, you can click any of the WoGF logos on the site like in the footer or in the main menu or in any of the blog articles about the challenge.  Let me know if you need any other help!

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carlajpatterson
Posted 2013-04-08 1:42 PM (#4930 - in reply to #4427)
Subject: Re: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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Thanks! I figured it would be something simple and felt a fool for not seeing it!
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carlajpatterson
Posted 2013-04-08 10:51 PM (#4934 - in reply to #4427)
Subject: Re: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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I was just reading the logo for WoGF and it says 12 books/12 months/12 reviews. So, does that mean we're required to write a review for each book we read? Which is fine, just want to be sure. Secondly, does that mean we can't get ahead of ourselves? I have done 5 so far but it's only April - do I have to wait until May to see the 5th one show up in my WoGF list? I remember some people were talking about doubling up but I don't remember the outcome of that discussion.
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Administrator
Posted 2013-04-08 11:31 PM (#4935 - in reply to #4934)
Subject: Re: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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carlajpatterson - 2013-04-08 10:51 PM I was just reading the logo for WoGF and it says 12 books/12 months/12 reviews. So, does that mean we're required to write a review for each book we read? Which is fine, just want to be sure. Secondly, does that mean we can't get ahead of ourselves? I have done 5 so far but it's only April - do I have to wait until May to see the 5th one show up in my WoGF list? I remember some people were talking about doubling up but I don't remember the outcome of that discussion.

To complete the challenge you do have to write 12 reviews.  The challenge is only 12 books to make it relatively easy for anyone to finish.  If you're a slow reader or have limited time it's not a dealbreaker.  If you read a lot it should be easy to work 12 books into your usual reading.

You can read at your own pace of course so no biggie if you finish your 12 early or even double up like some folks have considered.  You can tag your books as you go or wait until the next month if you want a shot at the montly prizes.  To keep things fair for all we'll only post one review per person per month even if you write 3 bad ass reviews.  There are no prizes for finishing first.

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carlajpatterson
Posted 2013-04-09 11:31 PM (#4936 - in reply to #4427)
Subject: Re: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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Okay, sounds fine. I'm not really looking for prizes for anything... just want to find some authors I like whom I haven't read yet.
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TrishHeinrich
Posted 2013-04-18 9:31 PM (#4958 - in reply to #4427)
Subject: RE: WoGF Reading Challenge Q & A
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is there a list of the women authors for this challenge somewhere on the site? and is there a specific number we are shooting for? new here and i love this challenge, want to participate.
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