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Showing posts with the label 2011

Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature

My reading goals for 2011 were: 1. Find 10-20 good quality science fiction/fantasy novels 2. Make a dent in my list of seminal works to read The second one was virtually ignored, so let's just forget about that. However, I promised a round-up of SFF Literature and I will deliver, although I think this will continue to be an ongoing project here. I read 16 SFF titles this year, 17 including Gloriana's Torch , which has a large alternative history element. Of these, I'm going to designate 6 books/series as part of the elusive category, "Literature." My qualifications for Literature may be slightly or even radically differently from anybody else's, but essentially I look for a distinct and effective writing style that uses language appropriately and creatively, a plot with a distinct structure (beginning, middle, and end, not necessarily in that order but present) that is appropriate to the genre/topic/characters, and characters that feel like real peop...

2011 Reading Meme, Borrowed from Boston Bibliophile

How many books read in 2011? 52, including The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides and The Boy Detective Fails by Joe Meno. I started Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger before the New Year, but finished it afterward. How many fiction and non fiction? 47 fiction and 5 nonfiction. Oops, might want to work on that! Male/Female author ratio? Not counting authors twice, I read 22 male authors and 15 female. I'm actually surprised it wasn't more even. Favorite book of 2011? It's a tough call, but I probably derived the most pleasure from Elizabeth I by Margaret George. Least favorite? A Song of Ice and Fire kind of got on my nerves. So, looking back, did Steal Across the Sky by Nancy Kress. Any that you simply couldn’t finish and why? If I couldn't finish anything, it was probably for a class and because I didn't have enough time. I also never finished The Origin of Species , probably because I wasn't in the right mindset. Oldest book re...

What Do You Do With a BA in English?

I am a college graduate! I felt proud to hold my degree in my hands and I barely want to let it out of my sight. That said, I've been a college graduate for over a week now and am officially unemployed. In the meantime, I'm applying to jobs and studying for the GREs (in case I want to go to grad school, haven't decided yet but leaning in that direction) and contemplating some changes to the blog. I'll probably be changing things around soon, and hopefully things will get more interesting and generate more traffic. Stay tuned!

Book Goals for 2011

57 can be my official number for books read in 2010, it's a tad embarrassing that the last book I read last year was Sister of the Dead . However, I started the New Year off right with a trip to Barnes&Noble (as my patient, loving boyfriend stood by) and bought The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and The Collected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen. The former was a bit of an impulse buy, influenced by my late trashy/fantasy kick and a zeitgeist around the book blogs that YA is where it's at. The latter has been on my list since I attended a panel with Reif Larsen at the first annual Boston Book Festival and when I saw it in the bookstore, I knew I had waited long enough. Apparently, the hardcover is no longer available new and I decided not to wait and buy used, so mine is paperback. However, seeing as the hardcover has some extra features and I expect to enjoy the book a lot, I might see if I could arrange some trade at a later date. Like last year, I've decided no...