Reading the Classics is Never Wrong

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin

Last night, I finished reading The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin [Buy at Amazon or Audible].

So, this is one of those sci-fi books everyone should read. It's the second I've read in the Hainish Cycle but they aren't really a series just seemingly,ever so loosely, very loosely connected, at least for the two I've read so far. But they are both fantastic reads (the other I have read is The Dispossessed which is equally good but totally different).

The Left Hand of Darkness is a story of first contact, not in the traditional science fiction "first aliens to show up on earth" sort of way, but with the first humans making contact with another very distance planet and its peoples sort of way.

The planet alone is so different from what we are used to and the people are so very different in the way they think and live (not really different much physically or in the sorts of jobs they do and what not).

While reading this book, you'll be thinking on deep questions, some of which might be very timely these days, including,
 - What is gender?
 - What is patriotism?
 - What is cold?
 - What is monarchy?

The subject of refugees comes up a few times and it made me think even more about the current refugee situation we have here on earth. The subject of patriotism is mentioned several times and requires the reader to reflect on what this really is and how it shapes us.

This book was published before my fifth birthday and I am now over fifty, yet the themes feel like they fit right into many of society's current conundrums. Of course, some themes are clearly universal.

Have I mentioned that it is beautifully written?  I actually listened to this as an audiobook from Audible and the narrator, George Guildall, is excellent.

If you have any interest at all in the human condition, in the interaction between people, and in deeper intertwined themes of diplomacy, refugees, patriotism, and brotherhood, then you should read this book. If you are breathing, then you should read this book or listen to the audiobook.

ABC Reading Challenge

For those keeping score, I've read 11 of the 26 books for Habitica's ABC Reading Challenge (using authors' last names for each letter of the alphabet. So far this year I've read books by female science fiction authors with last names starting with A, B, C, D, E, F, H, L, M, O, and W, and perhaps another one or two I've forgotten for the moment, as well as a few other books not sci-fi or not by a female author. So, if you have suggestions for female authored science fiction for other letters of the alphabet (using author last name) send them along to me at team.bald @ yahoo.com (remove spaces). I love reading new-to-me authors!

I'm currently working on R and S, so other letters would be useful!

I love reading debut novels!

The Last One by Alexandra Oliva

I've recently finished reading The Last One by Alexandra Oliva [Buy at Amazon]. I believe this is her debut novel.

Honestly, I could not put this book down even though it's not my usual sort of science fiction (no space, no aliens, no space ships or rockets, or visits to distant planets, etc.). I

However, it is riveting. The strong female protagonist is complex and gets very stretched by un controllable circumstances that are just beyond imaginable. The chapters rotate a bit between different periods of the same events, which adds even more depth and suspense.

Part post-apocalyptic thriller, part worse epidemic nightmare, part survivalist worries, and part deeply human fears and conundrums, it's well worth reading.

You really can't help but think: What would I do in these circumstances? Solid 4.5 stars.

ABC Reading Challenge

For those keeping score, I've read 10 of the 26 books for Habitica's ABC Reading Challenge (using authors' last names for each letter of the alphabet. So far this year I've read books by female science fiction authors with last names starting with A, B, C, D, E, F, H, M, O, and W, and perhaps another one or two I've forgotten for the moment, as well as a few other books not sci-fi or not by a female author. So, if you have suggestions for female authored science fiction for other letters of the alphabet (using author last name) send them along to me at team.bald @ yahoo.com (remove spaces). I love reading new-to-me authors!

What I'm Reading Lately

What I'm Reading Lately

I've been on a sci-fi reading binge, partly motivated by the ABC Reading Challenge on Habitica. That challenge isn't about science fiction at all but about reading books by authors with last names starting with all the letters of the alphabet. You'd be surprised how hard some letters are! But we'll talk about that another time. Because my passion is reading more books by women, I've mostly focused on female authors, and because I love science fiction, I'm mostly reading sci-fi, because I can.

I'm about 18 books into my 2017 reading and many of them have been part of the ABC Challenge [abc-read-2017 if you are looking for it on Habitica]. One of the cool things about doing these sorts of challenges it they nudge you out of your usual reading habits. I tend to read new-to-me authors when doing something like this, which means I seriously expand my repertoire of authors whose works I enjoy. What's not to like?

So far this year I've read books by female science fiction authors with last names starting with A, B, C, D, E, F, H, M, and W, and perhaps another one or two I've forgotten for the moment, as well as a few other books not sci-fi or not by a female author. Occasionally, I can't help myself and get on a roll and read more than one by the same author - I'm looking at you Octavia E. Butler, indeed I am. Wow. I finished the Xenogenesis series recently, but that's a topic for another day.

Sometimes I'm reading something recently published or about to be published (Amy DuBoff's sixth in the Cadicle series which just came out) and sometimes it's something published in the past that I probably should have read long ago (Everything by Octavia Butler, of course) and sometimes I'm rereading something I love (Fluency by Jennifer Foehner Wells) because a sequel has come out (Remanence) and I want to work my way in to it.

Omega Rising by Jessica Meats

I just finished reading Omega Rising [Codename Omega #1] by Jessica Meats yesterday. She is a new author for me, although she's published several books. I was given this one to read via Net Galley. I've encountered some very good new authors there.

This is an entertaining novella (just under 100 pages) with a likable and relatable protagonist who finds herself in very unusual circumstances filled with uncertainty and doubt. It's set in York, Great Britain. It's got some funky science-y things going on, and some awkward but so very normal interpersonal things going on, and it's unclear who the good guys are. The uncertainty is good, really.

I believe it's a good sign that I wanted it to continue when it ended. I'd like to know more about the main characters and what is really going on, which hopefully is or will be found in a sequel.

Since this was identified as #1 in a series, I sure hope there are more! This book was published in 2013 and is only $1.99 on Kindle just now.

What's ahead?

More reading! More science fiction! More books by women! And some books that are neither by women nor science fiction, because who wants to be predictable?

In the next blog post, expect Octavia Butler to be mentioned again...

Another Blog about Women and Sci Fi? Really? What in the universe is she thinking?

Well, honestly, she is thinking that since she lived over half a century without becoming acquainted with many of the fantastic female authors who were publishing incredible works of science fiction during her best reading years, it's time she worked to help get the word out about women in science fiction.

Having spent the past couple of years mostly reading books by women, she has decided that something is awry in a universe or at least in a society in which lists of books to be read, best books, new books, and so forth, are almost always dominated by male authors. Why is that?

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It's no secret that in the very distant past, relatively few authors were female. But, seriously, now, it's the twenty-first century and there is still an unearned promotion bonus of sorts for many writers who have the Y chromosome. The result of that is whole generations of women who grow up reading mostly books by men. I was one of those women. I don't want the younger generations to be those women any more.

Science fiction, perhaps more than any other genre, has been male dominated for many decades. Despite a few very productive and talented women over the years who've won Hugos or Nebulas, still the whole scene has been male dominated. Still, in the twenty-first century! Seriously?

So, over here in my little corner of the middle of flyover land in the USA, I will do my best to work for change in the reading habits of girls and women and to work for increasing the familiarity of girls and women with female writers of science fiction.

Perhaps no one will noticed but me. Whatever. I can only do it and see what happens, right?

So, here goes nothing...

Buckle up!

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