tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73542502024-03-14T01:09:24.876-05:00Adventures in ReadingFor the love of books.Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.comBlogger2063125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-15770324849605859942017-06-19T15:31:00.000-05:002017-06-19T15:31:32.963-05:00Books Read: May 20171. The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion, by Margaret Killjoy<br />
2. Version Control, by Dexter Palmer<br />
3. Ill Will, by Dan Chaon<br />
4. Penric and the Shaman, by Lois McMaster Bujold<br />
5. A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers<br />
6. The Princess Diarist, by Carrie Fisher<br />
7. Two Serpents Rise, by Max Gladstone<br />
8. Borne, by Jeff VanderMeer<br />
9. City of Miracles, by Robert Jackson Bennett<br />
10. Starfire: A Red Peace, by Spencer Ellsworth<br />
11. Death's End, by Cixin Liu (translated by Ken Liu)<br />
12. Exit West, by Mohsin Hamid<br />
13. The Geek Feminist Revolution, by Kameron Hurley<br />
14. Brothers in Arms, by Lois McMaster Bujold<br />
15. Ninefox Gambit, by Yoon Ha LeeJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-17736025466969797752017-05-31T09:10:00.003-05:002017-05-31T09:10:36.647-05:00Books Read: April 2017Much delayed and without the normal commentary. Here's April. <br />
<br />
1. Behind Her Eyes, by Sarah Pinborough<br />
2. The Collapsing Empire, by John Scalzi<br />
3. Chalk, by Paul Cornell<br />
4. The Ghost Line, by Andrew Neil Gray and J.S. Herbison<br />
5. Certain Dark Things, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia<br />
6. Mapping the Interior, by Stephen Graham Jones<br />
7. Final Girls, by Mira Grant<br />
8. Blood of Tyrants, by Naomi Novik<br />
9. The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, by Tamora Pierce<br />
10. All That Outer Space Allows, by Ian Sales<br />
11. The Harrowing of Gwynedd, by Katherine Kurtz<br />
12. Madness in Solidar, by LE. Modesitt, Jr<br />
13. Bridging Infinity, by Jonathan Strahan (editor)<br />
14. The Photo Ark, by Joel Sartore<br />
15. The Nix, by Nathan Hill<br />
16. The Stranger in the Woods, by Michael Finkel<br />
17. This Census-Taker, by China MievilleJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-73408142250691271682017-04-13T20:28:00.002-05:002017-04-13T20:28:45.432-05:00Books Read: March 2017Now that another month has come and gone, let's take a look at the books I read last month.<br />
<br />
1. Empire Games, by Charles Stross<br />
2. Greedy Pigs, by Matt Wallace<br />
3. The Sport of Kings, by C.E. Morgan<br />
4. Killing Gravity, by Corey J. White<br />
5. All Systems Red, by Martha Wells<br />
6. Grantville Gazette: Volume II, by Eric Flint (editor)<br />
7. Down Among the Sticks and Bones, by Seanan McGuire<br />
8. Feedback, by Mira Grant<br />
9. Earth and Space: Photographs from the Archives of NASA<br />
10. Much Loved, by Mark Nixon<br />
11. Impersonations, by Walter Jon Williams<br />
12. Otherworlds: Visions of Our Solar System<br />
13. Proof of Concept, by Gwyneth Jones<br />
14. Amberlough, by Lara Elena Donnelly<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Best Book of the Month</b>: Amberlough.<br />
<br />
<b>Disappointment of the Month</b>: Proof of Concept. <br />
<br />
<b>Discovery of the Month</b>: Still Amberlough. Holy crap it's good.<br />
<br />
<b>Worth Noting</b>: If you're a fan of astronomy, I'd recommend checking of the Otherworlds photography book.<br />
<br />
<b>Gender Breakdown</b>: 6 of the 14 books I read in March were written by women. This brings my total for the year to 23 of 44, or 52.27%.<br />
<br />
<br />
Previous Reads:<br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2017/03/books-read-january-2017.html">January </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2017/03/books-read-february-2017.html">February</a>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-25280671682391477502017-03-07T13:26:00.002-06:002017-03-07T13:26:28.057-06:00Books Read: February 2017Now that another month has come and gone, let's take a look at the books I read last month.<br />
<br />
1. My Name is Lucy Barton, by Elizabeth Strout<br />
2. Lightning in the Blood, by Marie Brennan<br />
3. Sweet Lamb of Heaven, by Lydia Millet<br />
4. <a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2017/02/microreview-book-stars-are-legion-by.html">The Stars Are Legion</a>, by Kameron Hurley<br />
5. We Love You, Charlie Freeman, by Kaitlyn Greenidge<br />
6. River of Teeth, by Sarah Gailey<br />
7. LaRose, by Louise Erdrich<br />
8. Sudden Death, by Alvaro Enrique<br />
9. Buffalo Soldier, by Maurice Broaddus<br />
10. Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi<br />
11. The Complete Peanuts: Vol 26, by Charles M. Schulz<br />
12. Mister Monkey, by Francine Prose<br />
13. The Girl Who Drank the Moon, by Kelly Barnhill<br />
14. The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe, by Kij Johnson <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Best Book of the Month</b>: <a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2017/02/microreview-book-stars-are-legion-by.html">The Stars Are Legion</a> is fucking amazing.<br />
<br />
<b>Disappointment of the Month</b>: I would say that My Name is Lucy Barton was a disappointment (because it was), but I also didn't have any sort of positive expectations for a novel from Elizabeth Strout. I'd previously read her Pulitzer Prize winning novel, now this one is in the Tournament of Books. It's a miss for me.<br />
<br />
<b>Discovery of the Month</b>: Damn close for me in the running of best book is Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing.<br />
<br />
<b>Worth Noting</b>: For years I've referenced a book that I read as one of the crazier
titles / concepts for a novel, which would be George Bush, Dark Prince
of Love (written about the first President Bush, this is a real book).
Well, Lydia Millet wrote it and now I've read a second one of her books<br />
<br />
<b>Gender Breakdown</b>: 11 of the 14 books I read in February were written by women. This brings my total for the year to 17/30, or 56.66%. <br />
<br />
<br />
Previous Reads:<br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2017/03/books-read-january-2017.html">January </a>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-41799547187161308402017-03-01T20:14:00.003-06:002017-03-01T20:14:29.333-06:00Books Read: January 2017Now that another month has come and gone (and then yet another has come and gone because I'm so late in getting this up) let's take a look at the books I read in January<br />
<br />
1. Standard Hollywood Depravity, by Adam Christopher<br />
2. Order to Kill, by Kyle Mills<br />
3. The Sun is Also a Star, by Nicola Yoon<br />
4. Agents of Dreamland, by Caitlin R. Kiernan<br />
5. The Last Days of New Paris, by China Mieville<br />
6. Scrappy Little Nobody, by Anna Kendrick<br />
7. Grief is the Thing With Feathers, by Max Porter<br />
8. The Warren, by Brian Evenson<br />
9. Arcanum Unbounded, by Brandon Sanderson<br />
10. Fool Moon, by Jim Butcher<br />
11. Black Wave, by Michelle Tea<br />
12. The Magicians, by Lev Grossman<br />
13. Miniatures, by John Scalzi<br />
14. A Time of Omens, by Katharine Kerr<br />
15. Brother's Ruin, by Emma Newman<br />
16. The Autumn Republic, by Brian McClellan<br />
<br />
<b>Best Book of the Month</b>: It's always a delight to read more Deverry. <br />
<br />
<b>Disappointment of the Month</b>: I'm reading through the short list of the Tournament of Books and Grief is the Thing With Feathers did not hit with me. It's a weird combination of prose and poetry and it's not for me.<br />
<br />
<b>Discovery of the Month</b>: There's a part of me that thinks I could potentially be friends with Anna Kendrick. Independent of that, I really enjoyed her memoir.<br />
<br />
<b>Worth Noting</b>: My wife has told me that I need to read The Magicians for several years now and I finally broke down and read the book. It's not that I don't trust her, it's more that I keep having other things out from the library to read or review, <br />
<br />
<b>Gender Breakdown</b>: 6 out of the 16 books I read in January were written by women, which is a huge step back from the last two years of finishing over 50%, but it is only one month and the first of the year and since I'm posting this so late, I can tell you that February was much stronger and flipped almost entirely the other way.Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-34451814391989963862017-02-20T13:40:00.000-06:002017-02-21T15:39:45.166-06:002016 Nebula Award Finalists<a href="http://nebulas.sfwa.org/sfwa-announces-2016-nebula-norton-bradbury-award-nominees/">From the press release</a>:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America is pleased to announce the nominees for the 51<sup>st </sup>Annual
Nebula Awards, the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic
Presentation, and the Andre Norton Award for Outstanding Young Adult
Science Fiction or Fantasy Book.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span>
<br />
<b><span class="gmail-m_-4689121553717365441gmail-m_-245368523910346159gmail-m_-2235303935704775698gmail-Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Novel</span></span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>All the Birds in the Sky</b>, Charlie Jane Anders (Tor; Titan)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Borderline</b>, Mishell Baker (Saga)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>The Obelisk Gate</b>, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US; Orbit UK)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Ninefox Gambit</b><i>,</i>Yoon Ha Lee (Solaris US; Solaris UK)<br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Everfair</b>, Nisi Shawl (Tor)</span></li>
</ul>
<b><span class="gmail-m_-4689121553717365441gmail-m_-245368523910346159gmail-m_-2235303935704775698gmail-Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Novella</span></span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Runtime</b>, S.B. Divya (Tor.com Publishing)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe</b>, Kij Johnson (Tor.com Publishing)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>The Ballad of Black Tom</b>, Victor LaValle (Tor.com Publishing)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Every Heart a Doorway</b>, Seanan McGuire (Tor.com Publishing)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“The Liar”, John P. Murphy (<i>F&SF</i>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>A Taste of Honey</b>, Kai Ashante Wilson (Tor.com Publishing)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><span class="gmail-m_-4689121553717365441gmail-m_-245368523910346159gmail-m_-2235303935704775698gmail-Apple-style-span">Novelette</span></b><b> </b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“The Long Fall Up”, William Ledbetter (<i>F&SF</i>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“<a href="http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/sooner-or-later-everything-falls-into-the-sea/">Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea</a>”, Sarah Pinsker (<i>Lightspeed</i>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/the-orangery/">The Orangery</a>",<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam (<i>Beneath Ceaseless Skies</i>)</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“<a href="http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/blood-grains-speak-through-memories/">Blood Grains Speak Through Memories</a>”, Jason Sanford (<i>Beneath Ceaseless Skies</i>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>The Jewel and Her Lapidary</b>, Fran Wilde (Tor.com Publishing)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“<a href="http://uncannymagazine.com/article/youll-surely-drown-stay/">You’ll Surely Drown Here If You Stay</a>”, Alyssa Wong (<i>Uncanny</i>)</span></li>
</ul>
<b><span class="gmail-m_-4689121553717365441gmail-m_-245368523910346159gmail-m_-2235303935704775698gmail-Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Short Story</span></span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“<a href="http://uncannymagazine.com/article/talons-can-crush-galaxies/">Our Talons Can Crush Galaxies</a>”, Brooke Bolander (<i>Uncanny</i>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“<a href="http://uncannymagazine.com/article/seasons-glass-iron/">Seasons of Glass and Iron</a>”, Amal El-Mohtar (<b>The Starlit Wood</b>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“<a href="http://mythicdelirium.com/a-clockwork-phoenix-featured-story-6">Sabbath Wine</a>”, Barbara Krasnoff (<b>Clockwork Phoenix 5</b>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“<a href="http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/miller_06_16/">Things With Beards</a>”, Sam J. Miller (<i>Clarkesworld</i>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“<a href="http://firesidefiction.com/issue29/chapter/this-is-not-a-wardrobe-door/">This Is Not a Wardrobe Door</a>”, A. Merc Rustad (<i>Fireside Magazine</i>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“<a href="http://www.tor.com/2016/03/02/a-fist-of-permutations-in-lightning-and-wildflowers-alyssa-wong/">A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers</a>”, Alyssa Wong (Tor.com)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“<a href="http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/welcome-to-the-medical-clinic-at-the-interplanetary-relay-station/">Welcome to the Medical Clinic at the Interplanetary Relay Station│Hours Since the Last Patient Death: 0</a>”, Caroline M. Yoachim (<i>Lightspeed</i>)</span></li>
</ul>
<b><span class="gmail-m_-4689121553717365441gmail-m_-245368523910346159gmail-m_-2235303935704775698gmail-Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Bradbury</span></span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Arrival</b>,
Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Screenplay by Eric Heisserer, 21 Laps
Entertainment/FilmNation Entertainment/Lava Bear Films/Xenolinguistics</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Doctor Strange</b>,
Directed by Scott Derrickson, Screenplay by Scott Derrickson & C.
Robert Cargill, Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Studio Motion Pictures</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Kubo and the Two Strings</b>, Directed by Travis Knight, Screenplay by Mark Haimes & Chris Butler; Laika Entertainment</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Rogue One: A Star Wars Story</b>, Directed by Gareth Edwards, Written by Chris Weitz & Tony Gilroy; Lucusfilm/ Walt Disney Studio Motion Pictures</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Westworld</b>: ‘‘The Bicameral Mind’’, Directed by Jonathan Nolan, Written by Lisa Joy & Jonathan Nolan; HBO</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Zootopia</b>,
Directed by Byron Howard, Rich Moore, & Jared Bush, Screenplay by
Jared Bush & Phil Johnston; Walt Disney Pictures/Walt Disney
Animation Studios </span></li>
</ul>
<b><span class="gmail-m_-4689121553717365441gmail-m_-245368523910346159gmail-m_-2235303935704775698gmail-Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Norton</span></span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>The Girl Who Drank the Moon</b>, Kelly Barnhill (Algonquin Young Readers)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>The Star-Touched Queen</b>, Roshani Chokshi (St. Martin’s)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>The Lie Tree</b>, Frances Hardinge (Macmillan UK; Abrams)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Arabella of Mars</b>, David D. Levine (Tor)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Railhead</b>, Philip Reeve (Oxford University Press; Switch) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies</b>, Lindsay Ribar (Kathy Dawson Books)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>The Evil Wizard Smallbone</b>, Delia Sherman (Candlewick)</span></li>
</ul>
Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-84477901852266850012017-01-03T13:21:00.001-06:002017-01-03T13:21:19.243-06:00Books Read: December 2016Now that another month has come and gone, let's take a look at the books I read last month.<br />
<br />
1. The Rise of Io, by Wesley Chu<br />
2. The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead<br />
3. Everything Belongs to the Future, by Laurie Penny<br />
4.The Four Thousand, The Eight Hundred, by Greg Egan<br />
5. News of the World, by Paulette Jiles<br />
6. You'll Grow Out of It, by Jessie Klein<br />
7. Barkskins, by Annie Proulx<br />
8. Three Parts Dead, by Max Gladstone<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
9. Cold-Forged Flame, by Maria Brennan</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
10. Talking As Fast as I Can, by Lauren
Graham</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
11. Today Will Be Different, by Maria
Semple</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
12. After the Crown, by K.B. Wagers<br />
13. Swing Time, by Zadie Smith<br />
14. The Mothers, by Brit Bennett</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<b>Best Book of the Month</b>: The Mothers is excellent. You probably come here for genre recommendations, but go read The Mothers. So good.<br />
<br />
<b>Disappointment of the Month</b>: None, really.<br />
<br />
<b>Discovery of the Month</b>: Whhhhhyyyyy have I never read Max Gladstone before. Three Parts Dead is his debut novel and it's fantastic. I love the setting, I love the characaters, I love how smart it is, and I can't wait to see how he grows as a writer.<br />
<br />
<b>Worth Noting</b>: If you were concerned about how Wesley Chu would pull off a Tao-verse novel without actually featuring Tao and a Tan, rest assured that The Rise of Io is excellent.<br />
<br />
<b>Gender Breakdown</b>: 10 out of the 14 books I read in December were written by women. This brings my final total for 2016 to 95 out of 169, or 56.21%. This is the second consecutive (and possibly second ever) year with at least half of the books I've read written by women. <br />
<br /><br />
<br />
Previous Reads<br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/02/books-read-january-2016.html">January</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/03/books-read-february-2015.html">February </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/04/books-read-march-2016.html">March</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/05/books-read-april-2016.html">April </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/06/books-read-may-2016.html">May </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/07/books-read-june-2016.html">June </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/08/books-read-july-2016.html">July</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/09/books-read-august-2016.html">August</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/10/books-read-september-2016.html">September </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/11/books-read-october-2016.html">October </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/12/books-read-november-2016.html">November </a>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-39133319197734170922016-12-12T20:25:00.000-06:002016-12-12T20:25:37.301-06:00Books Read: November 2016Now that another month has come and gone, let's take a look at the books I read last month.<br />
<br />
1. City of Wolves, by Willow Palacek<br />
2. Nightshades, by Melissa F. Olson<br />
3. The Association of Small Bombs, by Karan Mahajan<br />
4. Winter Tide, by Ruthanna Emrys<br />
5. Ceteganda, by Lois McMaster Bujold<br />
6. The Ghoul King, by Guy Haley<br />
7. <a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2016/12/nanoreviews-elysium-hammers-on-bone.html">A City Dreaming</a>, by Daniel Polansky<br />
8. Passing Strange, by Ellen Klages<br />
9. Binti: Home, by Nnedi Okorafor<br />
10. The Fortress at the End of Time, by Joe M. McDermott<br />
11. <a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2016/12/nanoreviews-elysium-hammers-on-bone.html">Elysium</a>, by Jennifer Marie Brissett<br />
12. <a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2016/12/nanoreviews-elysium-hammers-on-bone.html">Hammers on Bone</a>, by Cassandra Khaw<br />
13. Cold Counsel, by Chris Sharp<br />
14. Another Brooklyn, by Jaqueline Woodson<br />
15. Ethan of Athos, by Lois McMaster Bujold<br />
16. <a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2016/12/microreview-book-babylons-ashes-by.html">Babylon's Ashes</a>, by James S.A. Corey<br />
17. Idle Ingredients, by Matt Wallace <br />
18. Heroes of the Frontier, by Dave Eggers<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Best Book of the Month</b>: Any month I can read a Matt Wallace novella is a good month. I love his Sin du Jour and Wallace's forthcoming Idle Ingredients is one to wait for.<br />
<br />
<b>Disappointment of the Month</b>: As much as I loved Daniel Polansky's novella The Builders, I hated his novel A City Dreaming. It was so disjointed and reminiscent in some ways of A Confederacy of Dunces - which many people would think is a complement, but I HATE A Confederacy of Dunces.<br />
<br />
<b>Discovery of the Month</b>: So, I'm not a Lovecraft reader and generally don't care about anything that touches on Lovecraftian mythos - but Ruthanna Emrys' Winter Tide is a beautiful and wonderful and fantastic novel. Check it out this coming March.<br />
<br />
<b>Worth Noting</b>: November was a very heavy month on Tor.com novellas. I don't know how many more months I expect to get through 18 books.<br />
<br />
<b>Gender Breakdown</b>: 10 of the 18 books I read in November were written by women. This brings my total to 85 out of 155 and sneaks the percentage up to 54.83%. With one month left in the year I expect to end a second year with at least half the books I've read written by women.<br />
<br />
<br />
Previous Reads<br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/02/books-read-january-2016.html">January</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/03/books-read-february-2015.html">February </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/04/books-read-march-2016.html">March</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/05/books-read-april-2016.html">April </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/06/books-read-may-2016.html">May </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/07/books-read-june-2016.html">June </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/08/books-read-july-2016.html">July</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/09/books-read-august-2016.html">August</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/10/books-read-september-2016.html">September </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/11/books-read-october-2016.html">October </a>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-60044735546433818812016-11-02T20:47:00.000-05:002016-11-02T20:47:04.427-05:00Books Read: October 2016Now that another month has come and gone, let's take a look at the books I read last month. <br />
<br />
1. Heartless, by Gail Carriger<br />
2. The Jewel and Her Lapidary, by Fran Wilde<br />
3. Lions, by Bonnie Nadzam<br />
4. The Maze Runner, by James Dashner<br />
5. Girls of Fire, by Robin Wasserman<br />
6. The Wolf Road, by Beth Lewis<br />
7. The Vegetarian, by Han Kang<br />
8. The Vor Game, by Lois McMaster Bujold<br />
9. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, by Gabrielle Zevin<br />
10. Commonwealth, by Ann Patchett<br />
11. A Thousand Words for Stranger, by Julie Czerneda<br />
12. Infomocracy, by Malka Older<br />
13. Spiderlight, by Adrian Tchaikovsky<br />
14. Signs Preceding the End of the World, by Yuri Herrera <br />
<br />
<b>Best Book of the Month</b>: One of my most anticipated novels of the year was Malka Older's Infomocracy and I am happy to report that it did not disappoint. I don't think it was quite was I expected, not that I'm at all sure what I did expect, but I couldn't stop thinking about Infomocracy any time I had to put the book down. It's also interesting reading the book during the closing days of this election cycle in the United States, but Older's look at how information and elections are traded at manipulated at both a global and a micro scale is friggin fascinating and intense. More, please.<br />
<br />
<b>Disappointment of the Month</b>: Having heard such good things about Fran Wilde's Updraft, I was looking forward to reading this novella of hers - and somehow, I didn't care. I don't know that there was anything particularly wrong with it, but somehow it didn't grab me. I've noticed that other people who loved Updraft didn't connect with the Jewel and her Lapidary, so I'll still give Updraft a shot one day. It's just farther down my to-read list now.<br />
<br />
<b>Discovery of the Month</b>: I've somehow never read Adrian Tchaivosky before despite having a few of his novels (Shadows of the Apt) on my bookshelf for years as review copies. Tor.com Publishing's release of Spiderlight was a more bite sized opportunity to jump into a standalone and - it's compelling with a cast of really distasteful characters, the heroes I mean. It's very Tolkien-esque / standard epic fantasy feeling as the core of the novel, with heroes of the Light questing out to serve a prophecy and defeat the Dark Lord - except the heroes are collectively all assholes and not in the charming asshole sort of way. They're pretty shitty people. Despite that, Thchaivoksy's storytelling is compelling. <br />
<br />
<b>Worth Noting</b>: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry was a complete charmer. My wife read it, immediately handed it to me and I read the first chapter. I didn't want to put the book down. I'm not sure what, specifically, I loved about it so much that I could put into words, but it was a friggin delightful book.<br />
<br />
<b>Gender Breakdown</b>: 11 of the 14 books I read in October were written by women, which is likely my strongest month of the year. This brings my total to 75 out of 137 and increases the percentage to 54.74%. With two months left in the year, I feel good about ending the year with at least half the books I've read being written by women.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Previous Reads<br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/02/books-read-january-2016.html">January</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/03/books-read-february-2015.html">February </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/04/books-read-march-2016.html">March</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/05/books-read-april-2016.html">April </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/06/books-read-may-2016.html">May </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/07/books-read-june-2016.html">June </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/08/books-read-july-2016.html">July</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/09/books-read-august-2016.html">August</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/10/books-read-september-2016.html">September </a>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-89811090573823691692016-10-03T00:00:00.000-05:002016-10-03T00:00:25.476-05:00Books Read: September 2016Now that another month has come and gone (and we're halfway through yet
another), let's take a look at the books I read last month. <br />
<br />
1. Everything's Eventual, by Stephen King<br />
2. The Best Team Money Can Buy, by Molly Knight<br />
3. The Lost Child of Lychford, by Paul Cornell<br />
4. Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day, by Seanan McGuire<br />
5. Tripwire, by Lee Child<br />
6. Behind the Throne, by K.B. Wagers<br />
7. The Girls, by Emma Cline<br />
8. Poisoned Blade, by Kate Elliott<br />
9. Sweetbitter, by Stephanie Danler<br />
10. The Obelisk Gate, by N.K. Jemisin<br />
11. War Porn, by Roy Scranton<br />
12. Fates and Furies, by Lauren Groff<br />
13. Dark Matter, by Blake Crouch<br />
14. Pieces of Hate, by Tim Lebbon<br />
15. The Turner House, by Angela Flournoy <br />
<br />
<b>Best Book of the Month</b>: The review is pending, but The Obelisk Gate is the best book I've read so far this year, let alone this month.<br />
<br />
<b>Disappointment of the Month</b>: Depends how you want to look at this. As a whole, I've thoroughly enjoyed the Tor.com Novella line, so finding even one that doesn't quite hit is a disappointment (most recently Pieces of Hate), but I think the real disappointment has to be Roy Scranton's War Porn - a novel which was very well received on publication and I found it too disjointed to actually tell a coherent story. As three discrete novellas, I think I would have appreciated the novel far more. Perhaps the overlap of the stories was meant to be more to show the shape of the war and how people back home / soldiers / Iraqis interacted and dealt with the war, but Scranton's novel never quite came together for me. <br />
<br />
<b>Discovery of the Month</b>: I expect to read much more from K.B. Wagers. I didn't review Behind the Throne because one of our other Nerds of a Feather reviewers already took the novel on. I found that I would have given the same exact score (7/10), but the review would have read much more positively. I thought Behind the Throne was delightful and fast paced and an overall kick ass novel. Loved the setting, loved the voice, loved Hail as a lead character and a source of introduction to that world - I want to see more. Good thing, there's going to be at least one more book. <br />
<br />
<b>Worth Noting</b>: It won't be published until January, but keep an eye out for Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day from Seanan McGuire. It's really friggin good.<br />
<br />
<b>Gender Breakdown</b>: 9 of the 15 books I read in August were written by women, which brings my total to 64 out of 123. The percentage continues to climb back to 52.03% through nine months.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Previous Reads<br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/02/books-read-january-2016.html">January</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/03/books-read-february-2015.html">February </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/04/books-read-march-2016.html">March</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/05/books-read-april-2016.html">April </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/06/books-read-may-2016.html">May </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/07/books-read-june-2016.html">June </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/08/books-read-july-2016.html">July</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/09/books-read-august-2016.html">August</a> Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-55549599506733833002016-09-20T08:53:00.000-05:002016-09-20T08:53:05.042-05:00Books Read: August 2016Now that another month has come and gone (and we're halfway through yet another), let's take a look at the books I read last month. <br />
<br />
1. Pride's Spell, by Matt Wallace<br />
2. Borderline, by Mishell Baker<br />
3. Hamilton: A Revolution, by Lin Manuel Miranda & Jeremy McCarter<br />
4. The Heart, by Maylis de Kerangal<br />
5. Deep South, by Nevada Barr<br />
6. The Core of the Sun, by Johanna Sinisalo<br />
7. A Darker Shade of Magic, by V.E. Schwab<br />
8. A Taste of Honey, by Kai Ashante Wilson<br />
9. The Race, by Nina Allan<br />
10. The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo, by Amy Schumer<br />
<br />
<b>Best Book of the Month</b>: I don't know how to write about this novel featuring chili peppers as a controlled narcotic in a intensely policed Sweden, but The Core of the Sun was amazing.<br />
<br />
<b>Disappointment of the Month</b>: None.<br />
<br />
<b>Discovery of the Month</b>: After not really appreciating Kai Ashante Wilson's Sorcerer of the Wildeeps, I very much enjoyed his A Taste of Honey, a story which is so much more a tighter romance than the swords and sorcery of the previous novella.<br />
<br />
<b>Worth Noting</b>: You're all reading Matt Wallace's Sin du Jour novellas from Tor.com, right? They are so freaking good and Pride's Spell is no exception.<br />
<br />
<b>Gender Breakdown</b>: 7 of the 10 books I read in August were written by women, which brings my total to 55 out of 108 for the year. The percentage has now pushed back over 50% to 50.92% through eight months. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Previous Reads<br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/02/books-read-january-2016.html">January</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/03/books-read-february-2015.html">February </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/04/books-read-march-2016.html">March</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/05/books-read-april-2016.html">April </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/06/books-read-may-2016.html">May </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/07/books-read-june-2016.html">June </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/08/books-read-july-2016.html">July</a>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-22363922037947166912016-08-25T08:55:00.004-05:002016-08-25T08:55:58.904-05:00Books Read: July 2016Wow, folks, I'm really late on this. But - Now that another month has come and gone, let's take a look at the books I read last month.<br />
<br />
<br />
1. The Complete Peanuts: 1999-2000, by Charles M. Schulz<br />
2. Flesh and Wires, by Jackie Hatton<br />
3. Consequence, by Eric Fair<br />
4. A Time of Exile, by Katharine Kerr<br />
5. The Sorcerer's Daughter, by Terry Brooks<br />
6. Red Rising, by Pierce Brown<br />
7. Hit, by Delilah S. Dawson<br />
8. Blameless, by Gail Carriger<br />
9. The Operators, by Michael Hastings<br />
10. Dark Run, by Mike Brooks<br />
11. Storm Front, by Jim Butcher<br />
12. Roses and Rot, by Kat Howard <br />
<br />
<b>Best Book of the Month</b>: Flesh and Wires. I could read another hundred pages of this and only hope that Jackie Hatton plans to write more - whether in this particular setting or elsewhere.<br />
<br />
<b>Disappointment of the Month</b>: None<br />
<br />
<b>Discovery of the Month</b>: The only previous Dresden Files novel I had read was last year's Hugo nominated <i>Skin Job</i>. Since I enjoyed that book, I decided to go back and start the series from the beginning. I had heard the first several novels were noticeably weaker, but I did very much enjoy <i>Storm Front</i>, though there was a bit of an odd quiet sexism running through Harry Dresden that I didn't remember from book 15 in the series. <br />
<br />
<b>Worth Noting</b>: I don't remember a time in my life when I wasn't reading Charles Schulz's <i>Peanuts </i>comic strips. Fantagraphics have collected the full 50 year run of Peanuts and have been releasing them in volumes collecting two years at a time, two volumes per year. So, I've been re-reading (and discovering strips I had never seen before) these collections for the last 13 years. And now...I'm done. Charles Schulz passed away in early 2000, so there haven't been any new strips for the last 16 years, but now there is also no more new Peanuts for me to discover either. Once again, I am sad. <br />
<br />
<b>Gender Breakdown</b>: 5 of the 12 books I read in July were written by women, which brings my total to 48 out of 98 for the year. That's 48.98% and is down from the perfect 50% the first six months of the year brought me. If I keep bouncing on either side of the 50/50 line, I'll be content, but I'll be happiest if I land on the 50%+ side.<br />
<br />
<br />
Previous Reads<br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/02/books-read-january-2016.html">January</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/03/books-read-february-2015.html">February </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/04/books-read-march-2016.html">March</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/05/books-read-april-2016.html">April </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/06/books-read-may-2016.html">May </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/07/books-read-june-2016.html">June </a>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-75339650866495935892016-08-01T09:33:00.002-05:002016-08-01T09:33:22.443-05:00Hugo Awards 2016: My Final BallotNow that the deadline has passed and I have done all the Hugo reading
and consuming that I am going to do this year, the final ballot I
submitted is below. The full list of nominees <a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/04/2016-hugo-award-nominees.html">can be found here</a>.<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Best Novel </b>(<a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2016/06/reading-hugos-novel.html">my thoughts</a>)<br />
1. The Fifth Season, by N.K. Jemisin<br />
2. Uprooted, by Naomi Novik<br />
3. Ancillary Mercy, by Ann Leckie<br />
4. Seveneves, by Neal Stephenson<br />
5. The Aeronaut's Windlass, by Jim Butcher<br />
<br />
<b>Best Novella </b>(<a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2016/07/reading-hugos-novella.html">my thoughts</a>)<br />
1. Binti, by Nnedi Okorafor<br />
2. The Builders, by Daniel Polansky<br />
3. Penric's Demon, by Lois McMaster Bujold<br />
4. Slow Bullets, by Alastair Reynolds<br />
5. Perfect State, by Brandon Sanderson<br />
<br />
<b>Best Novelette</b> (<a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2016/07/reading-hugos-novelette.html">my thoughts</a>)<br />
1. "Obits", by Stephen King<br />
2. "And You Shall Know Her by the Trail of the Dead", by Brooke Bolander<br />
3. "Folding Beijing", by Hao Jingfang<br />
4. "Flashpoint: Titan", by Cheah Kai Wai<br />
5. "What Price Humanity?", by David VanDyke<br />
<br />
<b>Best Short Story </b>(<a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2016/06/reading-hugos-short-story.html">my thoughts</a>)<br />
1. "Cat Pictures Please", by Naomi Kritzer<br />
2. "Seven Kill Tiger", by Charles Shao<br />
3. "Asymmetrical Warefare", by S.R. Algernon<br />
4. No Award<br />
<br />
<b>Best Related Work </b><br />
No Vote<br />
<br />
<b>Best Graphic Story</b> (<a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2016/07/reading-hugos-graphic-story.html">my thoughts</a>)<br />
1. Invisible Republic: Vol 1<br />
2. Erin Dies Alone<br />
3. The Divine<br />
4. Sandman: Overture<br />
5. No Award<br />
<br />
<b>Best Dramatic Presentation: Long Form </b>(<a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2016/05/watching-hugos-dramatic-presentation.html">my thoughts</a>)<br />
1. The Martian<br />
2. Mad Max: Fury Road<br />
3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens<br />
4. Ex Machina<br />
5. Avengers: Age of Ultron<br />
<br />
<b>Best Dramatic Presentation: Short Form</b><br />
No Vote<br />
<br />
<b>Best Editor: Short Form </b><br />
1. Neil Clarke<br />
2. John Joseph Adams<br />
3. Ellen Datlow<br />
4. Sheila Williams<br />
5. Jerry Pournelle<br />
<br />
<b>Best Editor: Long Form </b><br />
1. Liz Gorinksky<br />
2. Sheila Gilbert<br />
3. Toni Weisskopf<br />
4. No Award<br />
<br />
<b>Best Professional Artist </b><br />
1. Abigail Larson<br />
2. Michal Karcz<br />
3. Larry Rostant<br />
4. Larry Elmore<br />
5. No Award<br />
<br />
<b>Best Semiprozine </b><br />
1. Uncanny Magazine<br />
2. Beneath Ceaseless Skies<br />
3. Strange Horizons<br />
4. Daily Science Fiction<br />
5. Sci Phi Journal<br />
<br />
<b>Best Fanzine</b> (<a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2016/06/reading-hugos-fanzine.html">my thoughts</a>)<br />
1. Lady Business<br />
2. File 770<br />
3. Subversive SF<br />
4. Castalia House Blog<br />
5. Tangent Online<br />
<br />
<b>Best Fancast </b>(<a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2016/06/listening-to-hugos-fancast.html">my thoughts</a>)<br />
1. Cane and Rinse<br />
2. HelloGreedo<br />
3. The Rageaholic<br />
4. 8-4 Play<br />
5. Tales to Terrify<br />
<br />
<b>Best Fan Writer</b><br />
No Vote<br />
<br />
<b>Best Fan Artist</b><br />
1. Matthew Callahan<br />
2. disse86<br />
3. Christian Quinot<br />
4. No Award<br />
<br />
<b>John W Campbell Award for Best New Writer </b><br />
1. Andy Weir<br />
2. Alyssa Wong<br />
3. Pierce Brown<br />
4. Sebastiel de Castell<br />
5. Brian NeiemeierJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-50231701034256688312016-07-11T10:00:00.001-05:002016-07-11T10:00:51.918-05:002016 World Fantasy Award Nominees(<a href="http://www.tor.com/2016/07/11/world-fantasy-award-nominees-2016/">Via Tor.com</a>)<br />
<br />
Below are the nominees for the 2016 World Fantasy Awards. Congratulations to all of the finalists! <br />
<br />
<b>Novel</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Kazuo Ishiguro, <i>The Buried Giant</i> (Knopf/Faber & Faber)</li>
<li>N. K. Jemisin, <i>The Fifth Season</i> (Orbit)</li>
<li>Naomi Novik, <i>Uprooted</i> (Del Rey Books/Macmillan UK)</li>
<li>K. J. Parker, <i>Savages</i> (Subterranean Press)</li>
<li>Anna Smaill, <i>The Chimes</i> (Sceptre)</li>
<li>Paul Tremblay, <i>A Head Full of Ghosts</i> (William Morrow & Co.)</li>
</ul>
<b>Long Fiction</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Kelly Barnhill, <i>The Unlicensed Magician</i> (PS Publishing)</li>
<li>Usman T. Malik, “<a href="http://www.tor.com/2015/04/22/the-pauper-prince-and-the-eucalyptus-jinn-usman-malik/" target="_blank">The Pauper Prince and the Eucalyptus Jinn</a>” (Tor.com, Apr. 22, 2015)</li>
<li>Kim Newman, “Guignol” (<i>Horrorology</i>, edited by Stephen Jones, Jo Fletcher Books)</li>
<li>Kelly Robson, “<a href="http://www.tor.com/2015/06/10/waters-of-versailles-kelly-robson/" target="_blank">Waters of Versailles</a>” (Tor.com, June 10, 2015)</li>
<li>Bud Webster, “Farewell Blues” (<i>The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction</i>, Jan./Feb. 2015)</li>
</ul>
<b>Short Fiction</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Selena Chambers, “The Neurastheniac” (<i>Cassilda’s Song</i>, ed. Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. Chaosium Inc)</li>
<li>Amal El-Mohtar, “<a href="http://uncannymagazine.com/article/pockets/">Pockets</a>” (<i>Uncanny Magazine</i>, Jan.-Feb. 2015)</li>
<li>Sam J. Miller, “<a href="http://uncannymagazine.com/article/the-heat-of-us-notes-toward-an-oral-history/">The Heat of Us: Notes Toward an Oral History</a>” (<i>Uncanny Magazine</i>, Jan.-Feb. 2015)</li>
<li>Tamsyn Muir, “The Deepwater Bride” (<i>The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction</i>, July/Aug. 2015)</li>
<li>Alyssa Wong, “<a href="http://www.nightmare-magazine.com/fiction/hungry-daughters-of-starving-mothers/">Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers</a>” (<i>Nightmare</i> magazine, Oct. 2015)</li>
</ul>
<b>Anthology</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Ellen Datlow, ed., <i>The Doll Collection</i> (Tor Books)</li>
<li>S. T. Joshi, ed., <i>Black Wings IV: New Tales of Lovecraftian Horror</i> (PS Publishing)</li>
<li>Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Paula R. Stiles, eds., <i>She Walks in Shadows</i> (Innsmouth Free Press)</li>
<li>Joseph S. Pulver, Sr., ed., <i>Cassilda’s Song: Tales Inspired by Robert W. Chambers’ King in Yellow Mythos</i> (Chaosium Inc.)</li>
<li>Simon Strantzas, ed., <i>Aickman’s Heirs</i> (Undertow Publications)</li>
</ul>
<b>Collection</b><br />
<ul>
<li>C. S. E. Cooney, <i>Bone Swans</i> (Mythic Delirium Books)</li>
<li>Leena Krohn, <i>Leena Krohn: Collected Fiction</i> (Cheeky Frawg Books)</li>
<li>V. H. Leslie, <i>Skein and Bone</i> (Undertow Publications)</li>
<li>Kelly Link, <i>Get in Trouble</i> (Random House)</li>
<li>James Morrow, <i>Reality by Other Means: The Best Short Fiction of James Morrow</i> (Wesleyan University Press)</li>
<li>Mary Rickert, <i>You Have Never Been Here</i> (Small Beer Press)</li>
</ul>
<b>Artist</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Richard Anderson</li>
<li>Galen Dara</li>
<li>Julie Dillon</li>
<li>Kathleen Jennings</li>
<li>Thomas S. Kuebler </li>
</ul>
<b>Special Award – Professional</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Neil Gaiman, Dave Stewart, and J. H. Williams III, <i>The Sandman: Overture</i> (Vertigo)</li>
<li>Stephen Jones, for <i>The Art of Horror</i> (Applause Theatre Book & Cinema Book Publishers)</li>
<li>Robert Jordan, Harriet McDougal, Alan Romanczuk, and Maria Simons, <i>The Wheel of Time Companion: The People, Places and History of the Bestselling Series</i> (Tor Books)</li>
<li>Joe Monti, for contributions to the genre</li>
<li>Heather J. Wood, for <i>Gods, Memes and Monsters: A 21st Century Bestiary</i> (Stone Skin Press)</li>
</ul>
<b>Special Award – Nonprofessional</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Scott H. Andrews, for <i>Beneath Ceaseless Skies: Literary Adventure Fantasy</i></li>
<li>Jedediah Berry and Eben Kling, for <i>The Family Arcana: A Story in Cards</i> (Ninepin Press)</li>
<li>John O’Neill, for <i>Black Gate: Adventures in Fantasy Literature</i></li>
<li>Alexandra Pierce and Alisa Krasnostein, for <i>Letters to Tiptree</i> (Twelfth Planet Press)</li>
<li>Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, for <i>Uncanny Magazine</i></li>
<li>Helen Young, for Tales After Tolkien Society</li>
</ul>
Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-21416048349828001732016-07-06T09:53:00.001-05:002016-07-06T09:53:30.419-05:00Books Read: June 2016Now that another month has come and gone, let's take a look at the books I read last month. <br />
<br />
1. <a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2016/07/microreview-book-unlicensed-magician-by.html">The Unlicensed Magician</a>, by Kelly Barnhill<br />
2. Child of Flame, by Kate Elliott<br />
3. A Song for No Man's Land, by Andy Remic<br />
4. In the Hand of the Goddess, by Tamora Pierce<br />
5. Penric's Demon, by Lois McMaster Bujold<br />
6. There Will Be War: Volume X, by Jerry Pournelle (editor)<br />
7. Zero K, by Don DeLillo<br />
8. East Side Stories, by Joseph Rodriguez<br />
9. The Emperor's Railroad, by Guy Haley<br />
10. The Fireman, by Joe Hill<br />
11. I Know What I'm Doing, by Jen Kirkman<br />
12. End of Watch, by Stephen King<br />
13. Rise of the Rocket Girls, by Nathalia Holt<br />
<br />
<b>Best Book of the Month</b>: Have you read the new Joe Hill novel? I didn't want The Fireman to end. <br />
<br />
<b>Disappointment of the Month</b>: I've generally been a huge fan of Tor.com Publishing's novella line, and even the misses were solid efforts, but I just could not get into A Song for No Man's Land. WWI set trench warfare with werewolves should be something I'd dig into, but not this one. Despite my desire to read the entire line, I might be passing on Remic's forthcoming sequels.<br />
<br />
<b>Discovery of the Month</b>: Nathalia Holt's look at the women who were doing the work of computers before there were actually computers at Jet Propulsion Labs before NASA was even a glimmer and rocketry was almost fringe science is something I want more of. I loved reading the stories of these women who helped build the space program through their work. <br />
<br />
<b>Worth Noting</b>: Though he is noted for finishing otherwise great novels with endings that sort of fizzle out, Stephen King nailed a fairly note perfect conclusion to both End of Watch the novel as well as the overall Bill Hodges trilogy. <br />
<br />
<b>Gender Breakdown</b>: 6 of the 13 books I read in June were written by women, which brings me to a perfectly even 43 out of 86 for the year. That sticks me right at 50%, which is a nice percentage to have. Since the only real goal that I have is to keep the
number
near a 50/50 split, I have finished the first six months of the year holding that line. <br />
<br />
<br />
Previous Reads<br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/02/books-read-january-2016.html">January</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/03/books-read-february-2015.html">February </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/04/books-read-march-2016.html">March</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/05/books-read-april-2016.html">April </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/06/books-read-may-2016.html">May </a>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-37257278686075291372016-06-09T09:56:00.000-05:002016-06-09T09:56:00.846-05:00Books Read: May 2016Now that another month has come and gone, let's take a look at the books I read last month.<br />
<br />
<br />
1. The Art of Rube Goldberg, by Jessica George<br />
2. The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson<br />
3. <a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2016/05/reading-deryni-camber-heretic.html">Camber the Heretic</a>, by Katherine Kurtz<br />
4.<a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2016/06/microreview-book-every-heart-doorway-by.html"> Every Heart a Doorway</a>, by Seanan McGuire<br />
5. This Is Mars, by Xavier Barral<br />
6. The Ballad of Black Tom, by Victor LaValle<br />
7. Playground, by James Mollison<br />
8. Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning, by Elizabeth Partridge<br />
9. The Devil You Know, by K.J. Parker<br />
10. A Criminal Magic, by Lee Kelly<br />
11. An Apprentice to Elves, by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear<br />
12. Wylding Hall, by Elizabeth Hand<br />
13. Changeless, by Gail Carriger<br />
14. Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS, by Joby Warrick<br />
15. 1634: The Ram Rebellion, by Eric Flint and Virginia DeMarce (editors)<br />
16. The Aeronaut's Windlass, by Jim Butcher<br />
17. Then Will the Great Ocean Wash Deep Above, by Ian Sales<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Best Book of the Month</b>: <i>Every Heart a Doorway</i> is everything I didn't know I wanted from a book. Read it. Then, read it again.<br />
<br />
<b>Disappointment of the Month</b>: I've enjoyed all of Eric Flint's <i>1632</i> universe novels / stories I've read so far, but <i>1634: The Ram Rebellion</i> was a bit of a slog. It's not a proper novel, but it is also not quite an anthology. It's more like a mosaic novel (like George R. R. Martin's <i>Wild Cards</i> series), where there is mostly a single storyline running through (the titular rebellion) - but the writing is generally weaker and the stories are much less interesting than anything that has come before. <br />
<br />
<b>Discovery of the Month</b>: We're probably all familiar with Dorothea Lange's famous <a href="http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/lange/dor12-100.htm">Migrant Mother </a>photograph, but Patridge's part biography / part photo collection is an essential look at both the life and life work of a excellent and important photographer. <br />
<br />
<b>Worth Noting</b>: Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City is every bit as good as everyone has said it was, and I really should have read it years ago. But, at least I did read it just in time to visit Chicago over the Memorial Day weekend and sort of recognize a couple of locations mentioned in the book. <br />
<br />
<b>Gender Breakdown</b>: After the relative paucity of April reading, I somehow exploded with a 17 book month in May. 9 of those were written by women, which brings my total to 37 / 73 for the year, or just a smidge over 50% (50.68%). Since the only real goal that I have is to keep the number
near a 50/50 split, I am so far on track to accomplish that.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Previous Reads<br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/02/books-read-january-2016.html">January</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/03/books-read-february-2015.html">February </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/04/books-read-march-2016.html">March</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/05/books-read-april-2016.html">April </a>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-67341820435721048992016-05-15T14:34:00.003-05:002016-05-15T14:34:37.087-05:002015 Nebula Award Winners<a href="http://www.locusmag.com/News/2016/05/10777/">Picked this up from Locus</a>, but it was all over the internet.<br />
<br />
Below are the winners of the 2015 Nebula Awards. Congratulations to all the winners (an an extra congratulations to Sarah Pinsker and Nnedi Okorafor - I LOVED those stories)<br />
<br />
<b>Novel</b>: <i>Uprooted</i>, by Naomi Novik (Del Rey)<br />
<b>Novella</b>: <i>Binti</i>, by Nnedi Okorafor (Tor.com Publishing)<br />
<b>Novelette</b>: "<a href="http://www.asimovs.com/assets/1/6/Our_Lady_of_the_Open_Road.pdf">Our Lady of the Open Road</a>", by Sarah Pinsker (Asimov's June 2015)<br />
<b>Short Story</b>: "<a href="http://www.nightmare-magazine.com/fiction/hungry-daughters-of-starving-mothers/">Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers</a>", by Alyssa Wong (Nightmare Oct 2015)<br />
<b>Andre Norton Award</b>: <i>Updraft</i>, by Fran Wilde (Tor)<br />
<b>Ray Bradbury Award</b>: <i>Mad Max: Fury Road</i><br />
<b>SFWA Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master</b>: C.J. CherryhJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-55423277631669768942016-05-06T15:42:00.001-05:002016-05-06T15:42:42.584-05:00Hugo Award Updates: Naomi Kritzer, Lady BusinessSince the original announcement of the Hugo Award finalists, both <a href="https://www.blackgate.com/2016/05/01/black-gate-declines-hugo-nomination/">Black Gate</a> and <a href="https://improbableauthor.com/2016/04/26/regarding-my-2016-hugo-award-nomination/">Thomas A. Mays</a> declared their intention to decline their nomination / position on the final ballot.<br />
<br />
MidAmeriConII <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MidAmeriCon2/posts/1057386334349839">has announced the new Hugo Award finalists</a> taking those previously vacant spots.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Thomas A. Mays has withdrawn his short story "The Commuter". It
will be replaced on the ballot by the story "Cat Pictures Please" by
Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld, January 2015).<br />
<br />
John O'Neill has
withdrawn the fanzine Black Gate. It will be replaced on the ballot by
Lady Business, edited by Clare, Ira, Jodie, KJ, Renay, and Susan.</blockquote>
<br />
Congratulations to both Naomi Kritzer and Lady Business. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/04/2016-hugo-award-nominees.html">The list of the finalists</a> has been updated to reflect theses changes.Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-11966676665929942382016-05-04T09:10:00.001-05:002016-05-04T09:10:34.203-05:002016 Locus Award Finalists<a href="http://www.locusmag.com/News/2016/05/2016-locus-awards-finalists/">Locus announced</a> the finalists for their annual Locus Award yesterday.<br />
<br />
This is likely worth a longer discussion, but this year's Locus Awards are pretty close to what the Hugo Awards should have looked like in the absence of the Rabid Puppy participants voting a slate in apparent lockstep.<br />
<br />
Granted, Locus splits Science Fiction and Fantasy, and from the best of my memory, if a book hits First Novel it will not also be in one of the two other categories (which allows Locus to spread the recognition around).<br />
<br />
I've read nearly half of the fiction nominees, and they're almost all
really darn good. I also seem to be in the minority on the the ones I didn't appreciate quite so much.<br />
<br />
Now, there are things we can argue with because it isn't an awards list or a list of books at all if there isn't something to argue with. For example, the YA category features five books written by men even though a huuuuuuge number of YA novels are written by women. Further, <a href="https://twitter.com/navahw/status/727619070850387969">Navah Wolfe points out</a> that the nominees in this category are, across the board, writers best known for adult science fiction and fantasy.<br />
<br />
In terms of the Locus Awards, I think this is a bug rather than a feature. Locus (and it's readers who voted / nominated), as a whole, is far more plugged into the adult SFF scene. Their nominees for Young Adult Book very strongly reflects this.<br />
<br />
This isn't to say that these finalists are bad, because they very much are not, but they are also not reflective of the YA field.<br />
<br />
If you want a good overview of what some of the best science fiction and fantasy is today, and what is happening and current in the genre, you can do far worse than reading the finalists for the 2016 Locus Awards.<br />
<br />
<b>SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL </b><br />
<i>The Water Knife</i>, Paolo Bacigalupi (Borzoi; Orbit UK)<br />
<i>Ancillary Mercy</i>, Ann Leckie (Orbit US; Orbit UK)<br />
<i>Aurora</i>, Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit US; Orbit UK)<br />
<i>Seveneves</i>, Neal Stephenson (Morrow)<br />
<i>A Borrowed Man</i>, Gene Wolfe (Tor)<br />
<br />
<b>FANTASY NOVEL </b><br />
<i>Karen Memory</i>, Elizabeth Bear (Tor)<br />
<i>The House of Shattered Wings</i>, Aliette de Bodard (Roc; Gollancz)<br />
<i>Wylding Hall</i>, Elizabeth Hand (PS; Open Road)<br />
<i>The Fifth Season</i>, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US; Orbit UK)<br />
<i>Uprooted</i>, Naomi Novik (Del Rey)<br />
<br />
<b>YOUNG ADULT BOOK </b><br />
<i>Half a War</i>, Joe Abercrombie (Del Rey; Harper Voyager UK)<br />
<i>Half the World</i>, Joe Abercrombie (Del Rey)<br />
<i>Harrison Squared</i>, Daryl Gregory (Tor)<br />
<i>Shadowshaper</i>, Daniel José Older (Levine)<br />
<i>The Shepherd’s Crown</i>, Terry Pratchett (Harper; Doubleday UK)<br />
<br />
<b>FIRST NOVEL </b><br />
<i>Sorcerer to the Crown</i>, Zen Cho (Ace; Macmillan UK)<br />
<i>The Grace of Kings</i>, Ken Liu (Saga)<br />
<i>Signal to Noise</i>, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Solaris)<br />
<i>The Watchmaker of Filigree Street</i>, Natasha Pulley (Bloomsbury US; Bloomsbury UK)<br />
<i>The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps</i>, Kai Ashante Wilson (Tor.com)<br />
<br />
<b>NOVELLA </b><br />
<i>Penric’s Demon</i>, Lois McMaster Bujold (self-published)<br />
‘‘The Citadel of Weeping Pearls’’, Aliette de Bodard (Asimov’s 10-11/15)<br />
‘‘The Four Thousand, the Eight Hundred’’, Greg Egan (Asimov’s 12/15)<br />
<i>Binti</i>, Nnedi Okorafor (Tor.com)<br />
<i>Slow Bullets</i>, Alastair Reynolds (Tachyon)<br />
<br />
<b>NOVELETTE </b><br />
‘‘The Heart’s Filthy Lesson’’, Elizabeth Bear (<i>Old Venus</i>)<br />
‘‘And You Shall Know Her by the Trail of Dead’’, Brooke Bolander (Lightspeed 2/15)<br />
‘‘Black Dog’’, Neil Gaiman (<i>Trigger Warning</i>)<br />
‘‘Folding Beijing’’, Hao Jingfang (Uncanny 1-2/15)<br />
‘‘Another Word for World’’, Ann Leckie (<i>Future Visions</i>)<br />
<br />
<b>SHORT STORY </b><br />
‘‘Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight’’, Aliette de Bodard (Clarkesworld 1/15)<br />
‘‘Madeleine’’, Amal El-Mohtar (Lightspeed 6/15)<br />
‘‘Cat Pictures Please’’, Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld 1/15)<br />
‘‘The Dowager of Bees’’, China Miéville (<i>Three Moments of an Explosion</i>)<br />
‘‘Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers’’, Alyssa Wong (Nightmare 10/15)<br />
<br />
<b>ANTHOLOGY </b><br />
<i>The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirty-second Annual Collection</i>, Gardner Dozois, ed. (St. Martin’s Griffin)<br />
<i>Old Venus</i>, George R.R. Martin & Gardner Dozois, eds. (Bantam)<br />
<i>Hanzai Japan: Fantastical, Futuristic Stories of Crime From and About Japan</i>, Nick Mamatas & Masumi Washington, eds. (Haikasoru)<br />
<i>Stories for Chip: A Tribute to Samuel R. Delany</i>, Nisi Shawl & Bill Campbell, eds. (Rosarium)<br />
<i>Meeting Infinity</i>, Jonathan Strahan, ed. (Solaris US; Solaris UK)<br />
<br />
<b>COLLECTION</b><br />
<i>The Best of Gregory Benford</i>, Gregory Benford (Subterranean)<br />
<i>Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances</i>, Neil Gaiman (Morrow)<br />
<i>The Best of Nancy Kress</i>, Nancy Kress (Subterranean)<br />
<i>Dancing Through the Fire</i>, Tanith Lee (Fantastic Books)<br />
<i>Three Moments of an Explosion</i>, China Miéville (Macmillan UK; Del Rey 2016)<br />
<br />
<b>MAGAZINE </b><br />
Asimov’s<br />
Clarkesworld<br />
F&SF<br />
File 770<br />
Tor.com<br />
<br />
<b>PUBLISHER </b><br />
Baen<br />
Gollancz<br />
Orbit<br />
Tor<br />
Subterranean<br />
<br />
<b>EDITOR </b><br />
John Joseph Adams<br />
Ellen Datlow<br />
Gardner Dozois<br />
David G. Hartwell<br />
Jonathan Strahan<br />
<br />
<b>ARTIST </b><br />
Galen Dara<br />
Julie Dillon<br />
Bob Eggleton<br />
John Picacio<br />
Michael Whelan<br />
<br />
<b>NON-FICTION </b><br />
<i>The Culture Series of Iain M. Banks</i>, Simone Caroti (McFarland)<br />
<i>Lois McMaster Bujold</i>, Edward James (University of Illinois Press)<br />
<i>Letters to Tiptree</i>, Alisa Krasnostein & Alexandra Pierce, eds. (Twelfth Planet)<br />
<i>Frederik Pohl</i>, Michael R. Page (University of Illinois Press)<br />
<i>Ray Bradbury</i>, David Seed (University of Illinois Press)<br />
<br />
<b>ART BOOK</b><br />
<i>Julie Dillon’s Imagined Realms, Book 2: Earth and Sky</i>, Julie Dillon (self-published)<br />
<i>Women of Wonder: Celebrating Women Creators of Fantastic Art</i>, Cathy Fenner, ed. (Underwood)<br />
<i>Spectrum 22: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art</i>, John Fleskes, ed. (Flesk)<br />
<i>Edward Gorey: His Book Cover Art & Design</i>, Steven Heller, ed. (Pomegranate)<br />
<i>The Fantasy Illustration Library, Volume One: Lands & Legends</i>, Malcolm R. Phifer & Michael C. Phifer (Michael Publishing) Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-24221283504501252282016-05-02T00:00:00.000-05:002016-05-02T00:00:07.510-05:00Books Read: April 2016Now that another month has come, let's take a look at the books I read last month.<br />
<br />
1. Runtime, by SB Divya<br />
2. The Tempering of Men, by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear<br />
3. Central Sation, by Lavie Tidhar<br />
4. The Crimson Campaign, by Brian McClellan<br />
5. Nemesis Games, by James S.A. Corey<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Best Book of the Month</b>: Because I take so long in between reading each volume, I forget just how good The Expanse is - both as a series and as individual volumes. Despite separating the crew of the Rocinate, Nemesis Games holds together and feels both broad and tight. And wonderful.<br />
<br />
<b>Disappointment of the Month</b>: Despite reading the praise for years, I've not read Lavie Tidhar's work before. I had reasonably high expectations and despite the praise this particular book is receiving, I bounced off of Central Station. I expect this is a case of wrong book / wrong reader. Or right book, / wrong reader. Whichever is most appropriate for the situation.<br />
<br />
<b>Discovery of the Month</b>: None. Having only read five books this month, it is difficult to discover much.<br />
<br />
<b>Worth Noting</b>: In terms of reading, this was a very down month. Due to a temporary change in my work schedule, I didn't have my usual lunchtime reading hour. To add to that, we were doing some work to the family room, so I lost some time in the evenings after we put the kid to bed where I might be able to do some additional reading. I hope / expect that I'll get more done in May. Five books just seems extra disappointing.<br />
<br />
<b>Gender Breakdown</b>: With such a small volume of books read, it is difficult to analyze much of what happened except to say that 2 out of the 5 books were written by women. This brings my total to 28 / 56, or an even 50%. Since the only real goal that I have is to keep the number near a 50/50 split, I am so far on track to accomplish that.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Previous Reads<br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/02/books-read-january-2016.html">January</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/03/books-read-february-2015.html">February </a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/04/books-read-march-2016.html">March</a> Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-65507846844673057272016-04-26T13:12:00.001-05:002016-05-06T15:32:07.810-05:002016 Hugo Award Nominees<br />
Below are the finalists for the 2016 Hugo Awards. Congratulations to all the nominees<br />
<br />
Update 5/6/2015: Two nominees on the final ballot declined their nominations. MidAmericonII has replaced them on the ballot.<br />
<br />
<b>Best Novel (3695 Ballots)</b><br />
The Aeronauts Windlass, by Jim Butcher (Roc) <br />
Ancillary Mercy, by Ann Leckie (Orbit)<br />
The Fifth Season, by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)<br />
Seveneves, by Neal Stephenson (William Morrow)<br />
Uprooted, by Naomi Novik (Del Rey)<br />
<br />
<b>Best Novella (2416 Ballots)</b><br />
Binti, by Nnedi Okorafor (Tor.com Publishing)<br />
The Builders, by Daniel Polansky (Tor.com Publishing)<br />
Penric's Demon, by Lois McMaster Bujold (Spectrum)<br />
Perfect State, by Brandon Sanderson (Dragonsteel Entertainment)<br />
Slow Bullets, by Alastair Reynolds (Tachyon)<br />
<br />
<b>Best Novelette (1975 Ballots)</b><br />
“<a href="http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/shall-know-trail-dead/">And You Shall Know Her by the Trail of Dead</a>”, by Brooke Bolander (Lightspeed 2/15)<br />
“<a href="http://uncannymagazine.com/article/folding-beijing-2/">Folding Beijing</a>”, by Hao Jingfang, (Uncanny 1-2/15)<br />
“Obits”, by Stephen King (The Bazaar of Bad Dreams)<br />
“What Price Humanity?”, by David VanDyke (There Will Be War: Volume X)<br />
“Flashpoint: Titan”, by Cheah Kai Wai (There Will Be War: Volume X)<br />
<br />
<b>Best Short Story (2451 Ballots)</b><br />
“<a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v519/n7544/full/519498a.html">Asymmetrical Warfare</a>”, by S. R. Algernon (Nature 3/15)<br />
"<a href="http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/kritzer_01_15/">Cat Pictures Please</a>", by Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld 1/15) <br />
<strike>The Commuter, by Thomas A. Mays (Stealth)</strike><br />
“Seven Kill Tiger”, by Charles Shao (There Will Be War: Volume X)<br />
“<a href="http://voxday.blogspot.com/2015/06/if-you-were-award-my-love.html">If You Were an Award, My Love</a>”, by Juan Tabo & S. Harris (voxday.blogspot.com 6/15)<br />
Space Raptor Butt Invasion, by Chuck Tingle (self-published)<br />
<br />
Thomas A. Mays declined his nomination. Naomi Kritzer's "Cat Pictures Please" has been added to the final ballot. <br />
<br />
<b>Best Related Work (2080 Ballots)</b><br />
Between Light and Shadow: An Exploration of the Fiction of Gene Wolfe, 1951 to 1986, by Marc Aramini (Castalia House)<br />
SJWs Always Lie: Taking Down the Thought Police, by Vox Day (Castalia House)<br />
“<a href="http://www.castaliahouse.com/safe-space-as-rape-room-science-fiction-culture-and-childhoods-end-part-1-of-5/">Safe Space as Rape Room</a>”, by Daniel Eness (castaliahouse.com)<br />
“<a href="https://askthebigot.com/2015/07/23/the-story-of-moira-greyland-guest-post/">The Story of Moira Greyland</a>”, by Moira Greyland (askthebigot.com)<br />
“<a href="https://jeffro.wordpress.com/2015/11/23/the-first-draft-of-my-appendix-n-book/">The First Draft of My Appendix N Book</a>”, by Jeffro Johnson (castaliahouse.com) <br />
<br />
<b>Best Graphic Story (1838 Ballots)</b><br />
The Divine, written by Boaz Lavie, art by Asaf Hanuka and Tomer Hanuka<br />
<a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/comics/erin-dies-alone">Erin Dies Alone</a>, written by Grey Carter, art by Cory Rydell<br />
<a href="http://ffn.nodwick.com/">Full Frontal Nerdity</a>, by Aaron Williams<br />
Invisible Republic: Volume 1, written by Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman, art by Gabriel Hardman<br />
The Sandman: Overture, written by Neil Gaiman, art by J.H, Williams III<br />
<br />
<b>Best Dramatic Presentation: Long Form (2904 Ballots)</b><br />
Avengers: Age of Ultron<br />
Ex Machina<br />
Mad Max: Fury Road<br />
The Martian<br />
Star Wars: The Force Awakens<br />
<br />
<b>Best Dramatic Presentation: Short Form (2219 Ballots)</b><br />
Doctor Who: Heaven Sent<br />
Grimm: Headache<br />
Jessica Jones: aka Smile<br />
My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: The Cutie Map<br />
Supernatural: Just My Imagination<br />
<br />
<b>Best Editor: Short Form (1891 Ballots)</b><br />
John Joseph Adams<br />
Neil Clarke<br />
Ellen Datlow<br />
Jerry Pournelle <br />
Sheila Williams<br />
<br />
<b>Best Editor: Long Form (1764 Ballots)</b><br />
Vox Day<br />
Sheila E. Gilbert<br />
Liz Gorinsky<br />
Jim Minz<br />
Toni Weisskopf<br />
<br />
<b>Best Professional Artist (1481 Ballots)</b><br />
Lars Braad Anderson<br />
<a href="http://www.larryelmore.com/store/">Larry Elmore</a><br />
<a href="http://www.abigaillarson.com/">Abigail Larson</a><br />
<a href="http://karezoid.deviantart.com/">Michal Karcz</a><br />
Larry Rostant<br />
<br />
<b>Best Semiprozine (1457 Ballots)</b><br />
<a href="http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/">Beneath Ceaseless Skies</a><br />
<a href="http://dailysciencefiction.com/">Daily Science Fiction</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sciphijournal.com/">Sci Phi Journal</a><br />
<a href="http://www.strangehorizons.com/">Strange Horizons</a><br />
<a href="http://uncannymagazine.com/">Uncanny Magazine</a><br />
<br />
<b>Best Fanzine (1455 Ballots)</b><br />
<strike><a href="https://www.blackgate.com/">Black Gate</a></strike><br />
<a href="http://www.castaliahouse.com/posts/">Castalia House Blog</a><br />
<a href="http://file770.com/">File 770</a><br />
<a href="http://ladybusiness.dreamwidth.org/">Lady Business </a><br />
<a href="http://superversivesf.com/">Subversive SF</a><br />
<a href="http://www.tangentonline.com/">Tangent Online</a><br />
<br />
The editors of Black Gate have declined their nomination. Lady Business has been added to the final ballot.<br />
<br />
<b>Best Fancast (1267 Ballots)</b><br />
<a href="http://8-4.jp/blog/?lang=en">8-4 Play</a><br />
<a href="http://caneandrinse.com/">Cane and Rinse</a><br />
<a href="http://www.hellogreedo.com/">HelloGreedo</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/xRazorFistx">The Rageaholic</a><br />
<a href="http://talestoterrify.com/">Tales to Terrify</a><br />
<br />
<b>Best Fan Writer (1568 Ballots)</b><br />
<a href="https://douglasernstblog.com/">Douglas Ernst</a><br />
<a href="http://file770.com/">Mike Glyer</a><br />
<a href="http://www.castaliahouse.com/posts/">Morgan Holmes</a> (Castalia House Blog, Sundays)<br />
<a href="https://jeffro.wordpress.com/">Jeffro Johnson</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/">Shamus Young</a><br />
<br />
<b>Best Fan Artist (1073 Ballots)</b><br />
<a href="http://www.callahanvisual.com/galacticwarfighters/">Matthew Callahan</a><br />
<a href="http://disse86.deviantart.com/">disse86</a><br />
<a href="http://kukuruyo.com/">Kukuruyo</a><br />
<a href="http://darkcloud013.deviantart.com/">Christian Quinot</a><br />
<a href="http://www.stevestiles.com/">Steve Stiles</a><br />
<br />
<b>John W Campbell Award for Best New Writer (1922 Ballots)</b><br />
<a href="http://www.redrisingbook.com/">Pierce Brown</a><br />
<a href="http://decastell.com/">Sebastiel De Castell</a><br />
<a href="http://www.brianniemeier.com/">Brian Neimeier</a><br />
<a href="http://www.andyweirauthor.com/">Andy Weir</a><br />
<a href="http://crashwong.net/">Alyssa Wong </a><br />
<br />
<br />
As a side note, I expect to have some of my preliminary thoughts up in the next couple of days, either here or at <a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/">Nerds of a Feather</a>.Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-34842346347569406202016-04-06T00:00:00.000-05:002016-04-06T00:00:07.864-05:00Books Read: March 2016Now that we're done with March, let's take a look at the books I read last month.<br />
<br />
1. Bands of Mourning, by Brandon Sanderson<br />
2. The Story of My Teeth, by Valeria Luiselli<br />
3. The Warrior's Apprentice, by Lois McMaster Bujold<br />
4. Bats of the Republic, by Zachary Thomas Dodson<br />
5. Wings of Sorrow and Bone, by Beth Cato<br />
6. Envy of Angels, by Matt Wallace<br />
7. Domnall and the Borrowed Child, by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley<br />
8. Patchwerk, by David Tallerman<br />
9. Ban en Banlieue, by Bhanu Kapil<br />
10. Of Sorrow and Such, by Angela Slatter<br />
11. The Last Witness, by KJ Parker<br />
12. Perfect State, by Brandon Sanderson<br />
13. The Sellout, by Paul Beatty (unfinished)<br />
14. The Absconded Ambassador, by Michael R. Underwood<br />
15. Lustlocked, by Matt Wallace<br />
16. All the Birds in the Sky, by Charlie Jane Anders<br />
17. Meeting Infinity, by Jonathan Strahan (editor)<br />
18. Forest of Memory, by Mary Robinette Kowal<br />
19. Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen, by Lois McMaster Bujold<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Best Book of the Month</b>: Even though I did not read the reviews, I could not avoid seeing the massive hype for Charlie Jane Anders' debut novel <i>All the Birds in the Sky</i>. I was convinced there was no way it could live up to that hype. The deeper I read into the novel, the more impressed I was and the more I wanted to see how Anders could possibly wrap it up. She stuck the landing.<br />
<br />
<b>Disappointment of the Month</b>: My disappointment is for the collective of this year's <a href="http://www.themorningnews.org/tob/">Tournament of Books</a>. While I've enjoyed reading the various judgments and playing along at home with my wife, there have been far fewer books this year which I've enjoyed or even appreciated. <br />
<br />
<b>Discovery of the Month</b>: Matt Wallace's novellas are batshit insane and absolutely fantastic. Everyone should be reading his <i>Sin du Jour</i>. Start with <i>Envy of Angels</i>, then don't stop.<br />
<br />
<b>Worth Noting</b>: This month's count is bolstered by a whole lot of novellas. If you're wondering how I count books, if it is published as an independent volume, I count it as a book I've read (see, Tor.com Publishing's novella line or Brandon Sanderson's Perfect State). However, if it is only available as part of a collection or in a magazine, it doesn't count as a distinct book even if the page count is just as long as those published on its own. I have to draw the line somewhere.<br />
<br />
<b>Gender Breakdown</b>: March was a reasonably strong month, with 9 out of 19 books written by women. This brings my total to 26 / 51, or 50.98%. It's a small drop, but it's also a small sample amount. The numbers should solidify in the coming months. While I do not a have
specific goal this
year to read more books written by women than those written by men, I
would like to at least keep the breakdown near a 50/50 split. Thus far I
am on track to accomplish that. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Previous Reads<br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/02/books-read-january-2016.html">January</a><br />
<a href="http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2016/03/books-read-february-2015.html">February </a> Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-36572839314978820732016-04-01T00:00:00.000-05:002016-04-01T00:00:04.939-05:00My 2016 Hugo Nomination BallotNow that the nominations window has closed, here is my ballot for the 2016 Hugo Awards. I'm sure that you have all been clamoring to see how I nominated.<br />
<br />
<b>Novel</b><br />
Black Wolves, by Kate Elliott (Orbit) <br />
The Fifth Season, by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit) <br />
Ancillary Mercy, by Ann Leckie (Orbit)<br />
Uprooted, by Naomi Novik (Del Rey)<br />
Seveneves, by Neal Stephenson (William Morrow)<br />
<br />
<b>Novella</b><br />
“Ur”, by Stephen King (Bazaar of Bad Dreams)<br />
Binti, by Nnedi Okorafor (Tor.com Publishing) <br />
The Builders, by Daniel Polansky (Tor.com Publishing)<br />
Slow Bullets, by Alastair Reynolds (Tachyon)<br />
Envy of Angels, by Matt Wallace (Tor.com Publishing)<br />
<br />
<b>Novelette</b><br />
“And the Balance in Blood”, by Elizabeth Bear (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 7, November 2015) <br />
“The Heart’s Filthy Lesson”, by Elizabeth Bear (Old Venus)<br />
“The Tumbledowns of Cleopatra Abyss”, by David Brin (Old Venus)<br />
“Obits”, by Stephen King (The Bazaar of Bad Dreams)<br />
“Our Lady of the Open Road”, by Sarah Pinsker (Asimov’s, June 2015)<br />
<br />
<b>Short Story</b><br />
“The Light Brigade”, by Kameron Hurley (Lightspeed, November 2015) – published on Patreon 2015 <br />
“Cat Pictures Please”, by Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld, January 2015) <br />
“Hello, Hello”, by Seanan McGuire (Future Visions, 2015) <br />
“Eyes I Dare Not Meet in Dreams”, by Sunny Moraine (Cyborgology, June 2, 2015)<br />
“Tear Tracks”, by Malka Older (Tor.com, October 21, 2015)<br />
<br />
<b>Graphic Story</b><br />
Bitch Planet: Extraordinary Machine (Vol 1), by Kelly Sue DeConnick <br />
The Sculptor, by Scott McCloud<br />
Lazarus: Conclave (Vol 3), by Greg Rucka <br />
Lumberjanes: Friendship to the Max (Vol 2), by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, and Brooke Allen<br />
Stand Still. Stay Silent, by Minna Sundberg<br />
<br />
<b>Related Work</b><br />
You’re Never Weird on the Internet, by Felicia Day <br />
Back to the Future: The Ultimate Visual Dictionary, by Michael Klastorin <br />
Rocket Talk Podcast, hosted by Justin Landon<br />
A History of Epic Fantasy, by Adam Whitehead<br />
Speculative Fiction 2014, by Renay Williams and Shaun Duke (editors)<br />
<br />
<b>Dramatic Presentation, Long Form</b><br />
Ex Machina<br />
Inside Out<br />
Mad Max: Fury Road <br />
The Martian<br />
Star Wars: The Force Awakens<br />
<br />
<b>Dramatic Presentation, Short Form</b><br />
Game of Thrones: “Hardhome”<br />
Prune – iOS game by Joel McDonald <br />
“<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_XEqPE0pG0">Traveler</a>”, directed by Simon Brown <br />
<br />
<b>Editor, Short Form</b><br />
John Joseph Adams (Lightspeed, Nightmare)<br />
Neil Clarke (Clarkesworld) <br />
Jonathan Strahan (Meeting Infinity)<br />
Lynne M. Thomas (Uncanny)<br />
Ann VanderMeer (Tor.Com, Sisters of the Revolution)<br />
<br />
<b>Editor, Long Form</b><br />
Anne Lesley Groell (Fool’s Quest, Uprooted) <br />
Lee Harris (Tor.com Publishing)<br />
Will Hinton (Ancillary Mercy, Nemesis Game)<br />
Devi Pillai (Black Wolves, Autumn Republic, The Fifth Season)<br />
<br />
<b>Professional Artist</b><br />
Richard Anderson (Empire Ascendant) <br />
Shan Jian (Illustrated Man in the High Castle) <br />
David Palumbo (Binti) <br />
Cynthia Sheppard (Karen Memory)<br />
Sam Weber (Illustrated Dune)<br />
<br />
<b>Fan Artist</b><br />
<a href="http://www.meganlara.com/">Megan Lara</a><br />
<a href="http://orisoni.deviantart.com/art/Solos-583365843">Orisoni / Ariel</a><br />
<a href="http://picolo-kun.deviantart.com/">Gabriel Picolo</a> <br />
<a href="http://erysium.tumblr.com/">Sarah Webb </a><br />
<br />
<b>Semiprozine</b><br />
Uncanny Magazine<br />
<br />
<b>Fanzine</b><br />
Chaos Horizon<br />
Lady Business <br />
Nerds of a feather, flock together<br />
SF Bluestocking <br />
SF Mistressworks<br />
<br />
<b>Fan Writer</b><br />
Brandon Kempner<br />
Bridget McKinney <br />
Abigail Nussbaum<br />
Adam Whitehead<br />
Renay Williams <br />
<br />
<b>Fancast</b><br />
Cabbages and Kings<br />
Fan Girl Happy Hour <br />
Speculate!<br />
<br />
<b>John W. Campbell Award</b><br />
Becky Chambers <br />
Kat Howard<br />
Malka Older<br />
Kelly Robson<br />
Andy Weir Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-84647282592025701572016-03-15T14:51:00.001-05:002016-03-15T14:51:19.696-05:00NoaF: Deryni, Deverry, HugoGood afternoon, folks!<br />
<br />
Just a quick update to point you to some stuff I have up over at Nerds of a Feather.<br />
<br />
1. <a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2016/03/reading-deryni-saint-camber.html">Reading Deryni: Saint Camber </a>- The second in my series of essays on Katherine Kurtz's Deryni novels.<br />
<br />
2. <a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2016/03/reading-deverry-cycle-act-one-deverry.html">Reading Deverry: Act One</a> - Likewise, the first of my series of essays on Katharine Kerr's Deverry novels (this one covers the first four books - read more Deverry)<br />
<br />
3. <a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2016/03/my-favorite-stories-dont-get-nominated.html">My Favorite Stories Don't Get Nominated: A Hugo Love Story</a> - a meditation on why I love the Hugo Awards even though, as the essay title states, my favorite stories don't get nominated.<br />
<br />
I've been busy. Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354250.post-39972120186901970532016-03-01T14:33:00.003-06:002016-03-01T14:33:39.584-06:00NoaF: Black Wolves, Black Sword, and ResolutionsHey kids!<br />
<br />
I'd like to point you to two recent reviews I've done over at Nerds of a Feather. The first is Kate Elliott's excellent <a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2016/03/microreview-book-black-wolves-by-kate.html">Black Wolves</a>. The second is Larry Correia's fairly disappointing <a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2016/02/microreview-book-son-of-black-sword-by.html">Son of the Black Sword</a>.<br />
<br />
For extra Star Wars nerdery, Dean and I have a conversation <a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2016/02/rampant-star-wars-speculation.html">about Star Wars: The Force Awakens</a>. <br />
<br />
For the sake of being amusing, I also collected <a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2016/02/2016-nerds-of-feather-resolutions.html">a much delayed list of New Year's Resolutions</a> from the flock.<br />
<br />
Forthcoming, I have my next Deryni essay coming next week on Saint Camber, a Deverry essay on the four books comprising the first Act of the series, something on the Hugo Awards, and a bit farther out - a review of Emily Foster's The Drowning Eyes. That's just what I have written and scheduled for this month.<br />
<br />
I'm still "working" on reviews of Central Station, Meeting Infinity, Forest of Memory, Runtime, and probably Lightless. By "working", I mean I need to read these. But, if I keep talking about it, maybe I'll actually do something about it.Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16094675116398769415noreply@blogger.com0