Reading tally update
Since I’ve done a reading check-in on this date several years in a row, I figured it would be a good idea to keep it up. I was braced for a gentle reminder that I need to do better–I’ve had a lot on my mind this year, and I tend to backslide into old habits if I’m not careful.
But so far, this is a pretty banner year–80% of the authors I’m reading do not identify as male, and 55% are writers of color and/or LGBT writers. Some of this is due to the fact that I’ve been actively seeking out such authors and have new favorites whose books I grab as soon as they come out, but some is also due to the fact that, compared to when I started, there are so many more writers of color and openly gay and trans writers getting published by mainstream publishers and short-listed for awards. So even if I default to just reading what’s hot right now, that’s a much more diverse selection than it used to be.
That being said, the longer I do this, the more aware I am of the flaws in my system. How do I classify authors who are intersectional? As I expand my oversimplified gender breakdown to note non-binary authors, should I use the same category for trans authors, or continue classing trans authors by their declared gender? I’d love to hear suggestions if anyone has them, so I can better challenge myself to seek out authors who broaden my horizons.
And for those looking to broaden their own horizons, the stories that are blowing my mind this year include Zoe Quinn’s Crash Override, Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries, Mary Robinette Kowal’s The Calculating Stars, Sarah Rees Brennan’s In Other Lands, Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver, and both “A Series of Steaks” and “Fandom for Robots” by Vina Jie-Min Prasad.
But so far, this is a pretty banner year–80% of the authors I’m reading do not identify as male, and 55% are writers of color and/or LGBT writers. Some of this is due to the fact that I’ve been actively seeking out such authors and have new favorites whose books I grab as soon as they come out, but some is also due to the fact that, compared to when I started, there are so many more writers of color and openly gay and trans writers getting published by mainstream publishers and short-listed for awards. So even if I default to just reading what’s hot right now, that’s a much more diverse selection than it used to be.
That being said, the longer I do this, the more aware I am of the flaws in my system. How do I classify authors who are intersectional? As I expand my oversimplified gender breakdown to note non-binary authors, should I use the same category for trans authors, or continue classing trans authors by their declared gender? I’d love to hear suggestions if anyone has them, so I can better challenge myself to seek out authors who broaden my horizons.
And for those looking to broaden their own horizons, the stories that are blowing my mind this year include Zoe Quinn’s Crash Override, Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries, Mary Robinette Kowal’s The Calculating Stars, Sarah Rees Brennan’s In Other Lands, Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver, and both “A Series of Steaks” and “Fandom for Robots” by Vina Jie-Min Prasad.
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