Nominations for July 2020

[Oleksandr]

Are there any suggestion from the members about possible themes for the upcoming nominations?

For example, I think a fresh translations onto English can be of interest, for example see The Best Translated Books Awards nominees, where there are two SFF titles https://themillions.com/2020/05/best-...

[Kateblue]

Well, I have no idea. I just read The Scar recently translated I believe. It was kind of like an expanded folk fable/fairy tale kinda. But I have no other knowledge. Why don't you pick a few?

[Antti]

I've been meaning to read The Memory Police, so I'm nominating that.

I will also recommend They Will Drown in Their Mothers' Tears, translated last year, which won the Augustpriset (the most prestigious literary award in Sweden) back in 2017.

Another worthy book is Tender is the Flesh, which seems to has been released as a Kindle edition back in February but the hardback/paperback editions show August publication date - a delay probably caused by the COVID-19.

[Gabi]

"Tender is the flesh" is on my TBR, I would like to get to this one.

[Kaa]

I like the translation theme, and I can think of a lot of options. Some that I'm interested in reading:

Vita Nostra is another recent translation from the authors of The Scar.

Vagabonds, by Hao Jingfang, had a translation by Ken Liu recently released.

A Hero Born is a Chinese classic that was recently released in I think its first English translation.

[Gabi]

"Vagabonds" would have been one of my next audiobooks. I'll postpone it and wait for the outcome of the poll.

[Oleksandr]

The problem is that [a] translated works aren't necessary new in original (say under the link I provided there is Stalingrad by Vasily Grossman originally written in the 1960s IIRC) and [b] I don't know how many members are interested in non-English SFF

[Antti]

Oleksandr wrote: "The problem is that [a] translated works aren't necessary new in original"

We could limit the nominations to just those books that are relatively new (let's say first published after... 2015?) and first translated into English in 2019 or 2020? That would stay pretty true to the "hot off the presses" theme of this group. Although that would disqualify The Memory Police, which would make me sad.

[b] I don't know how many members are interested in non-English SFF

I guess we will see, but I'd expect most members are interested in good SFF, regardless of the original language.

[Leticia]

I heard that Vita Nostra is quite good. A bit with heavy themes tough so I don't know if I have the stamina right now to read it.

[Gabi]

I'm definitely interested in translated SF.

[Kalin]

Gabi wrote: "I'm definitely interested in translated SF."

ditto!

[Silvana]

Gabi wrote: ""Vagabonds" would have been one of my next audiobooks. I'll postpone it and wait for the outcome of the poll."

same

[Kateblue]

well, I loved Vita Nostra but was lukewarm about The Scar

I need to read the Witcher books, actually--though maybe I will just watch the Netflix show, TMB, TLT

More interested in European than other parts of the world, but I will try anything

[Oleksandr]

Kateblue wrote: "I need to read the Witcher books, actually--though maybe I will just watch the Netflix show, TMB, TLT
"

1. the books are better and
2. the TV series is better understood after reading the books.

[Oleksandr]

So, we will read one translated book in July and one 2020 book

Please nominate.

1. The Memory Police

Others, please choose one out of the books you've mentioned in your posts. The requirement is that the book was published in English translation in 2018-2020

[Kateblue]

On the Best Translated Book Awards page you list in message #1 above, are all those books SF?

I looked for a list on goodreads, and there is at least one, but they are not necessarily new books. For example, I found The Overlords Of War on it, a book I loved years ago.

Ok, for recently translated and 2020 I can nominate one book
Daughter from the Dark by Sergey and Marina Dyachenko. Though one review worries me a bit, saying, "At times he hits the girl - the strange, distant, and probably supernatural girl - and he makes her do some really sexist stuff. The girl is 12. Daughter or not, he was just a chore to read and the fact he was our focus through the story was disturbing."

And the rating is only 3.6, lower than I usually pick. But I know I will attempt it at some point, so it might as well be now. And, I can get it from the library, a plus!

[Gabi]

For a 2020 release I nominate The Eleventh Gate by Nancy Kress. "Literary, military hard SF" sounds somehow fascinating.

[Kateblue]

Not to disparage anyone's nominations, but in following your link to the 11th Gate I see that only 13 people have read it on Goodreads but that it has a rating of only 3.31. To me, this bodes ill for the book because usually, the first readers are friends who grade higher than the general public.

Also, it is $8.99 US, and the library didn't buy it. If they don't buy them when they first come out sometimes they will buy things in December, way too late for this buddy read.

Sorry, Gabi. I hope this didn't sound mean, I don't mean it to be mean . . .

[Kalin]

Kateblue wrote: "...usually, the first readers are friends who grade higher than the general public. "

That is a silly assumption. More so for long-established authors.

[Oleksandr]

Kateblue wrote: "On the Best Translated Book Awards page you list in message #1 above, are all those books SF? "

No. only two:
The Memory Police
and
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead - this one is closer to magical realism I guess. The author won Nobel in literature last year, and I guess her can be an educating experience

[Cordelia]

The Memory Police is wonderful. I will nominate (or second or whatever).

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead is also very good , but not really related to SF or magical realism - more of a who dun it.

[Kateblue]

I just read the beginning of The memory police and it looks wonderful.

[Kaa]

I will nominate Vagabonds for the translated category, as I really want to read it.

I'll nominate The Empress of Salt and Fortune for 2020 books.

[Gabi]

@Kateblue: does this mean the nomination of Nancy Kress isn't eligible?
I found one other 2020 release I could nominate, but in general I'm having a hard time finding something new that sounds interesting.

[Cordelia]

I dont think that there is much of anything being published at present. The publishing companies (at least all the small ones) have gone into hibernation over the various lockdowns and are putting off publishing books till later. The most you can get is a kindle or perhaps an ARC.

Perhaps we should shift 2020 nominations to include 2019 this time ???

[Kateblue]

Gabi, no, it does not mean that the Nancy Kress book isn't eligible. But what it probably means is, I will not be reading it with you.

I am ok with the books being either year. I do have some ability to get some newish ones from the library. That's where Docile came from.

You must understand that I am kinda "meh" right now and so nothing sounds good

[Oleksandr]

Nancy Kress is a valid nomination. Moreover, I've never read the author even while I heard the name, so it maybe the book that'll get my vote

[Gabi]

Oleksandr wrote: "Nancy Kress is a valid nomination. Moreover, I've never read the author even while I heard the name, so it maybe the book that'll get my vote"

I've read older works by her and I must shamefully admit that I didn't even know she still writes ^^'. So I'm quite curious what she is up to nowadays.

[Cordelia]

Oleksandr wrote: "Nancy Kress is a valid nomination. Moreover, I've never read the author even while I heard the name, so it maybe the book that'll get my vote"

I had a look. thought it looked interesting. I might vote for it. And it is available on Audible.

Also looked on Overdrive (free through my library) and there were quite a few of her books available. So I borrowed one - Tomorrow's Kin

[Oleksandr]

I will post the current nominee list later today. The deadline for nominations June 7th

[Oleksandr]

2018-2019 translated work:
1. The Memory Police
2. Vagabonds
3. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead

2020 work:
1. The Empress of Salt and Fortune
2. The Eleventh Gate
3. The Sun Down Motel

[Kateblue]

For 2020 work, I renominate this one I nominated in April. I have no idea what it is about, but:

The Sun Down Motel
by Simone St. James (Goodreads Author)
rating 4.10 · Rating details · 24,507 ratings · 4,464 reviews

Lots of high ratings, and lots of ratings period, for something that just came out in March!

Comparatively

The Empress of Salt and Fortune
(The Singing Hills Cycle #1)
by Nghi Vo (Goodreads Author)
rating 4.13 · Rating details · 1,519 ratings · 442 reviews (also came out in March)

and

The Eleventh Gate
by Nancy Kress (Goodreads Author)
rating 3.57 · Rating details · 28 ratings · 3 reviews

[Kateblue]

Just in case you were interested:

The Memory Police
by Yōko Ogawa, Stephen Snyder (Translator)
rating 3.74 · Rating details · 12,236 ratings · 2,021 reviews

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
by Olga Tokarczuk, Antonia Lloyd-Jones (Translator)
rating 3.97 · Rating details · 21,625 ratings · 2,892 reviews

Vagabonds
by Hao Jingfang, Ken Liu (Goodreads Author) (Translator)
rating 3.51 · Rating details · 197 ratings · 104 reviews

[Kateblue]

Post Script to the above notes--a high rating does not always mean that I will love something. One of my favorite books ever is:

The Magicians
(The Magicians #1)
by Lev Grossman (Goodreads Author)
rating 3.51 · Rating details · 221,806 ratings · 21,883 reviews

But I DO look at the ratings when I pick

[Oleksandr]

You pick has been added, Kate.

I assume that here on GR translated works read less than native English ones so the fact that the books have thousands of reviews is telling. Also review to rating ratio can be important.

Just curious, how the current Nebula winner is faring?

Answer: 4.14 · Rating details · 898 ratings · 280 reviews, less than two out of three 2020 nominees in our list!

[Kateblue]

Yes, I went and looked because I wasn't sure you meant my favorite book from last year.

A Song for a New Day
by Sarah Pinsker (Goodreads Author)
4.14 · Rating details · 898 ratings · 280 reviews

Strange that is has so few ratings. I think it might be that people are just not wanting to read it right now . . . But I also think that it might have won because it is so topical.

[Oleksandr]

Today is June 7th, the deadline, the poll will be set up shortly

[Oleksandr]

There are two polls:

Choose July 2020 monthly read, from translated works 2018-2019

and

Choose July 2020 monthly read, from 2020 works

[Kalin]

Olga Tokarczuk recently won the Nobel Prize so I'd love to read that one -- it's got my vote!

[Oleksandr]

Kalin wrote: "Olga Tokarczuk recently won the Nobel Prize so I'd love to read that one -- it's got my vote!"

Yes, she did and if her book wins, I plan to read it in Polish (I already got a copy). Even if she doesn't win, we can buddy read her!

[Gabi]

Oleksandr wrote: "Yes, she did and if her book wins, I plan to read it in Polish (I already got a copy). Even if she doesn't win, we can buddy read her!..."

I would be in for a BR as well in case of not winning.

[Antti]

Finnish translation is scheduled to be published in September: I think I"ll wait for that one before joining the discussion.

[Kalin]

I honestly didn't previously know that the book could be considered SFF, not having looked at it too closely.

[Oleksandr]

Kalin wrote: "I honestly didn't previously know that the book could be considered SFF, not having looked at it too closely."

Like our May 2020 read Sharks in the Time of Saviors it is more of a magical realism book, bordering on SFF. It should that after SFF is out of ghetto, the borders are less defined and it enriches both contemporary literature and SFF

[Kalin]

I'm definitely okay with loose/flexible genre boundaries! :)

[Oleksandr]

The results of the polls were again a tie - this time in translated works. So the monthly reads for July are:

The Empress of Salt and Fortune
The Memory Police
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead

[Gabi]

Yeah! I'm looking forward to "Drive your plow ..."
"The Memory Police" is BotM in another of my groups as well. (same month, I think) So that's two for one - which is good since I'm away half of July and don't know if I'll have much time for reading.

[Oleksandr]

Gabi wrote: "Yeah! I'm looking forward to "Drive your plow ..."
."

I plan to go with the original text, so if there are any hard to understand places I'll try to clarify

[Gabi]

That's great to know, Oleksandr. My Polish unfortunately is restricted to some words I learned in children's day care :D

[Leticia]

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead seems to be crime/mystery and I am always so extremely slow in picking and reading books in this genre, even if my mother loves it and gives me good recs all the time...