| ||
| Random quote:  "It is better, I think, to grab at the stars than to sit flustered because you know you cannot reach them...At least he who reaches will get a good stretch, a good view, and perhaps even a low-hanging apple for his efforts." - R.A. Salvatore - Sojourn - (Added by: Administrator)  | 
  2016 Women of Genre Fiction Reading ChallengeJump to page : 1 Now viewing page 1 [25 messages per page]  | View previous thread :: View next thread | 
       General Discussion -> Roll-Your-Own Reading Challenge | Message format | 
| Administrator | 
  | ||
Admin Posts: 4103 ![]() Location: Dallas, Texas  |   So, the WoGF  is back for the 4th year running!  The rules are the same as last year as everyone seemed to like it that way.  Ping us here when you join in and let everyone know what authors/books you're planning to read.  If you've got any questions about the challenge you can post those here and some old salt will jump in to help you out.Read on!  | ||
  | |||
| Dlw28 | 
  | ||
Extreme Veteran Posts: 306 ![]()  | HI! Thanks for doing this challenge again. I've been part of the challenge for the past three years and it's really helped me get to know many wonderful women authors new to me.   My question: is there a way for me to access my past challenges easily?  | ||
  | |||
| Administrator | 
  | ||
Admin Posts: 4103 ![]() Location: Dallas, Texas  | Glad you're back for another round. You can see the old challenges on the main challenge page. Click the old logo at the bottom of the page and the old challenges will open up for you. | ||
  | |||
| Dlw28 | 
  | ||
Extreme Veteran Posts: 306 ![]()  | I didn't look carefully enough did I?! Thanks! | ||
  | |||
| Administrator | 
  | ||
Admin Posts: 4103 ![]() Location: Dallas, Texas  | Dlw28 - 2016-01-02  10:09 PM  I didn't look carefully enough did I?! Thanks! No problem.  | ||
  | |||
| Sable Aradia | 
  | ||
Veteran Posts: 214 ![]()  | I have a question. "New to you" authors. Two things. One - if the author is totally new to you this year, can you read and review more than one book by that same author? (fFor instance, I have just discovered C.J. Cherryh and may read more than one book by her). Two - I have read quite a few of the great women in sci-fi: Octavia E. Butler, Lois McMaster Bujold, Ursula K. LeGuin, Joan D. Vinge, etc., at least once, but it has been many years since I have read them and I have never done a review for this site. If I am reading one of their books that I have never read before, does that count? Or not, because the author is not "new to me," even though the book is? Thanks! | ||
  | |||
| Administrator | 
  | ||
Admin Posts: 4103 ![]() Location: Dallas, Texas  | Sable Aradia - 2016-01-21  6:32 PM  I have a question.  "New to you" authors.  Two things.  One - if the author is totally new to you this year, can you read and review more than one book by that same author?  (fFor instance, I have just discovered C.J. Cherryh and may read more than one book by her). Two - I have read quite a few of the great women in sci-fi: Octavia E. Butler, Lois McMaster Bujold, Ursula K. LeGuin, Joan D. Vinge, etc., at least once, but it has been many years since I have read them and I have never done a review for this site.  If I am reading one of their books that I have never read before, does that count?  Or not, because the author is not "new to me," even though the book is?  Thanks! Well, the intent of the challenge is to get folks to try new women authors. If it was just "read 12 women" we'd end up with all the top women authors being read because that's what people would gravitate towards - tried and true favorites. We want to hear about the women outside of Butler, Le Guin, Bujold, Willis etc. Get some new names into the conversation if we can and move people outside their comfort zones a bit. The random author requirement is an additional spur. But, having said that, if you feel like some of those authors could be "new-to-you" again because you read them years ago and don't really remember them I say go for it. We don't need to get so hung up on rules that it's a chore. I don't think 2 books by the same author should count though - should still be 12 different authors.  | ||
  | |||
| Sable Aradia | 
  | ||
Veteran Posts: 214 ![]()  | Administrator - 2016-01-21  5:08 PM   Well, the intent of the challenge is to get folks to try new women authors. Ifit was just "read 12women" we'd end up with all the top women authors being read because that's what people would gravitate towards - tried and true favorites. We want to hear aboutthe women outside of Butler, Le Guin, Bujold, Willis etc. Get some new names into the conversation if we can and move people outside their comfort zones a bit. The random author requirement is an additional spur. But, having said that, if you feel like some of those authorscould be "new-to-you" again because you read them years ago and don't really remember them I say go for it. We don't need to get sohung up on rulesthat it's a chore. I don't think 2 books by the same author should count though - should still be 12 different authors. Okay, thank you for clarifying!  | ||
  | |||
| Badseedgirl | 
  | ||
Uber User Posts: 369 ![]() Location: Middle TN, USA  | As a proud feminist, this challenge shames me each year by making me aware of how very few women authors I read each year. I would like to use the excuse that this is a male dominated genre, but again, the site clearly proves that is not the case. I have only read 26 books total by women authors and am going to struggle to complete 12 female genre authors this year. Now to be fair to myself, several of the short stories I am reading for the tor.com challenge are by women authors, but I'm not counting those. I also have a hate/hate relationship with fantasy, and for some reason women authors tend to slide I that direction. I really am pathetic in this category. Anyway I digress, I just finished Viper Wine by Hermione Eyre (That CAN NOT be her real name!) and it was incredibly good in a very different way. I recommend it if your looking for something interesting to read. | ||
  | |||
| Sable Aradia | 
  | ||
Veteran Posts: 214 ![]()  | Some time in the next little while I'm going to write an article for my blog about Andre Norton, Anne McCaffrey, and C.J. Cherryh; the triumvirate of forgotten women sci-fi writers.  When you read their work you see how strongly all three of them influenced the genre; it was never the same after they got involved and we're all better off for it.  But not only have modern readers most often never heard of them, but for such influential works they have a dearth of awards under their belts, even though all three were recognized as Grand Masters (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damon_Knight_Memorial_Grand_Master_Award).  I found this great article in my Twitter feed that is pertinent to our challenge here, about mid-list women writers in sci-fi and their unique challenges: http://strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/columns/me-and-science-ficti... And by the way, if you're looking to support would-be women sci-fi and fantasy writers, I made a post in the Member Projects forum about looking for beta readers.  | ||
  | |||
| Administrator | 
  | ||
Admin Posts: 4103 ![]() Location: Dallas, Texas  | Sable Aradia - 2016-11-14  6:38 PM  But not only have modern readers most often never heard of them, but for such influential works they have a dearth of awards under their belts, even though all three were recognized as Grand Masters (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damon_Knight_Memorial_Grand_Master_Award). Or, you know, maybe here: Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award   | ||
  | |||
| Dlw28 | 
  | ||
Extreme Veteran Posts: 306 ![]()  | I've done this challenge for several years in a row and am always delighted to be introduced to new-to-me women writers. Maybe next year there could be a RYO challenge of women grand masters as well? | ||
  | |||
| Dlw28 | 
  | ||
Extreme Veteran Posts: 306 ![]()  | Thanks again for another great challenge! | ||
  | |||
| Administrator | 
  | ||
Admin Posts: 4103 ![]() Location: Dallas, Texas  | Dlw28 - 2016-11-28  8:28 PM  I've done this challenge for several years in a row and am always delighted to be introduced to new-to-me women writers. Maybe next year there could be a RYO challenge of women grand masters as well? Glad you're enjoying the WoGF, it will definitely be back for 2017! There are not a whole lot of women grandmasters so that could be a little limiting for a challenge but its still doable if you want to create it. I say go for it! It will play well with other challenges so you'll get some takers for sure.  | ||
  | |||
| daxxh | 
  | ||
Extreme Veteran Posts: 591 ![]() Location: Great Lakes, USA  | I will second dlw28 - I love this challenge and have really enjoyed reading all the new women authors. I already have a list of books picked out for 2017 and am looking forward to reading them. | ||
  | |||
| Sable Aradia | 
  | ||
Veteran Posts: 214 ![]()  | Same here!  I tried a whole bunch of brand new things and I've discovered so many authors I'm going to read again and again; Margaret Atwood, C.J. Cherryh, Ursula K. Le Guin and Andre Norton, to name but a few, all of whom I've been meaning to read and not quite gotten around to.  I've also discovered some great one-offs (Fool's War, Brown Girl in the Ring, Becoming Alien and All the Birds in the Sky, for example) and an occasional stinker that I didn't enjoy (Sara Douglass and Jennifer Fallon; sorry to any fans of theirs, but they are definitely not my cup of tea.)  This year I'm planning to read James Tiptree Jr. Robin Hobb and Ann Leckie (just off the top of my head.)  I'm in for Women Grand Masters, by the way. Maybe I'll go ahead and make that one myself, if you don't, Dlw28. There have been five, and they have all left us an amazing body of work, and I'm intending to chew into C.J. Cherryh's work anyway. You would have to allow re-reads though, so I could dig into my Anne McCaffrey books again. Thanks for this!  | ||
  | |||
| Dlw28 | 
  | ||
Extreme Veteran Posts: 306 ![]()  | Totally glad for you to make the grand master challenge and I'll be signing up right behind you! Thanks😊 | ||
  | |||
| Administrator | 
  | ||
Admin Posts: 4103 ![]() Location: Dallas, Texas  | Sable Aradia - 2017-01-01  10:56 AM I'm in for Women Grand Masters, by the way.  Maybe I'll go ahead and make that one myself, if you don't, Dlw28.  There have been five, and they have all left us an amazing body of work, and I'm intending to chew into C.J. Cherryh's work anyway.  You would have to allow re-reads though, so I could dig into my Anne McCaffrey books again.  Thanks for this! If you include the World Horror Convention Grandmasters and WFA Life Achievement Award in the challenge you'll have ~20 more women to choose from.  | ||
  | |||
| Sable Aradia | 
  | ||
Veteran Posts: 214 ![]()  | Administrator - 2017-01-01  9:25 AM   Sable Aradia - 2017-01-01  10:56 AM I'm in for Women Grand Masters, by the way.  Maybe I'll go ahead and make that one myself, if you don't, Dlw28.  There have been five, and they have all left us an amazing body of work, and I'm intending to chew into C.J. Cherryh's work anyway.  You would have to allow re-reads though, so I could dig into my Anne McCaffrey books again.  Thanks for this! If you include the World Horror Convention Grandmasters and WFA Life Achievement Award in the challenge you'll have ~20 more women to choose from. Good idea! In the works! Also, I was wrong. Now there are six. They gave it to Jane Yolan just this year. Which I did not know until I saw it on the site here. That's why I love this place! Did you know that five women have received TWO out of these three possible lifetime achievement awards?! I'm calling them the Empresses of Speculative Fiction (Queens rule one nation; Empresses rule at least two). They are: Ursula K. Le Guin Tanith Lee Andre Norton Chelsea Quinn Yarbro Jane Yolen So I want to be them when I grow up, FYI. Challenge will be up in a couple of hours; just gotta get the graphic done. Edited by Sable Aradia 2017-01-01 3:10 PM  | ||
  | |||
| Dlw28 | 
  | ||
Extreme Veteran Posts: 306 ![]()  | Your banner looks amazing!! Will you also be putting up the women in genre 2017 challenge? | ||
  | |||
| Administrator | 
  | ||
Admin Posts: 4103 ![]() Location: Dallas, Texas  | Dlw28 - 2017-01-02  11:24 AM  Your banner looks amazing!! Will you also be putting up the women in genre 2017 challenge? I'm working on updating the challenge banners and creating the new logo for 2017 now and will set up the WoGF for 2017 shortly.  I always forget how much there is to do to update the RYO at the first of every year. ;(  | ||
  | |||
| Sable Aradia | 
  | ||
Veteran Posts: 214 ![]()  | I am sure!  And us eager beavers rushing you.  Don't worry, I'll just add my books to the list once it is up.  Thanks for all the hard work you do!  Dlw28 - Thanks for your compliments on the banner! Edited by Sable Aradia 2017-01-02 4:44 PM  | ||
  | |||
| Jump to page : 1  Now viewing page 1 [25 messages per page]  |      | 
| Search this forum Printer friendly version E-mail a link to this thread  | 
Books
				BOOK AWARDS
				Hugo Award
				Nebula Award
				BSFA Award
				Mythopoeic Award
				Locus SF Award
				Locus Fantasy Award
				Locus FN Award
				Locus YA Award
				Locus Horror Award
				August Derleth Award
				Robert Holdstock Award
				Campbell Award
				World Fantasy Award
				Prometheus Award
				Aurora Award
				PKD Award
				Clarke Award
				Stoker Award
				Otherwise Award
				Aurealis SF Award
				Aurealis Fantasy Award
				Aurealis Horror Award
				Andre Norton Award
				Shirley Jackson Award
				Red Tentacle Award
				Golden Tentacle Award
				Legend Award
				Morningstar Award
				Nommo Award
			
				BOOK LISTS
				Classics of SF
				SF Mistressworks
				Guardian: The Best SF/F
				NPR: Top 100 SF/F
				Pringle Best 100 SF
				Pringle Modern Fantasy
				SF: 101 Best 1985-2010
				Fantasy 100
				ISFDB Top 100
				Horror 100
				Nightmare Magazine 100
				HWA Reading List
				Locus Best SF
				200 Significant SF Books by Women
				David Brin's YA List
				Baen Military SF List
				Defining SF Books:
				50s | 60s | 70s | 80s | 90s
				SF by Women Writers
				A Crash Course in the History of Black Science Fiction
			
Authors
			Top Authors
			All Authors
			All Women Authors
			AUTHOR AWARDS
			Damon Knight Memorial
			World Horror Convention
			WFA Life Achievement
			
			Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery
			AUTHOR LISTS
			Starmont Reader's Guide
			
		
Publishers
			Top Publishers
			All Publishers
			PUBLISHER LISTS
			Ace Doubles Series:
			D | F | G | H | M | #
			Conversation Pieces
			Classic Library of SF
			Critical Explorations in SF&F
									
			EP Masterpieces of SF
			Fantasy Masterworks
			SF Masterworks
			Laser Books
			Liverpool SF Texts and Studies
			Author's Choice Monthly
			Pulphouse Short Stories
			Winston SF
		
Resources
			Podcasts
			BookTubers
			Magazines
			Conventions
			eBooks
			Bookstores
			SF/F/H Sub-Genres
			Websites
			Clubs & Groups
		
WWEnd
			BookTrackr™
			
			The Responsible Parties
			WWEnd Patrons
			Support WWEnd
			Advertise on WWEnd
			FAQ
			Contact Us
		
My World
Sign Up now and enjoy the enhanced features only available to members.
Blog
			
			ASMR: Sauron’s Helmet from The Lord of the Rings, Sculpted in Wood
In Time for Banned Books Week: A Massive Update to Our List
2025 Nommo Awards Shortlist
2025 Hugo Award Winner
2025 Aurora Award Winner
			
		
Forums
Home | © 2025 Tres Barbas, LLC. All rights reserved.
| (Delete all cookies set by this site) | |
















									
									
 Full Details
 Forgot your Password?
 2016 Women of Genre Fiction Reading Challenge

  








