to be read

[ironymaiden]

the preliminary Nebula ballot is up. it reminded me how disconnected i am from current short stories. and how many novels are out there. (but it also reminded me what a slow cycle they're on. it's 2009 now and the voting is mostly on things that were released in 2007? who has that kind of memory anymore?)

italics for the thing i've read, strikes for the things i'm unlikely to read, soliciting recommendations from the ones that are left. (i usually enjoy about half the stuff that hits the list.)

the novels:
Abraham, Daniel: A Betrayal in Winter (Tor, Jul07)

Barzak, Chris: One for Sorrow (Bantam, Sep07)

Bull, Emma: Territory (Tor, Jul07)

Doctorow, Cory: Little Brother (Tor, Apr08) the man is proof that ideas alone do not make a book. i've tried two (or was it three) novels and he doesn't float my boat.

Goonan, Kathleen Ann: In War Times (Tor, May07)

Le Guin, Ursula K.: Powers (Harcourt, Sep07)

McDevitt, Jack: Cauldron (Ace, Nov07)

McDonald, Ian: Brasyl (Pyr, May07)

Pratchett, Terry: Making Money (Harper, Sep07) i got kind of bored with Sir Terry a while ago, even though i adore him. i'll get to it eventually. i think i may be subconsciously saving up for when he can't write anymore.

Rothfuss, Patrick: The Name of the Wind (DAW, Apr07) this was an excellent book, and i'm looking forward to reading the inevitable volume two and three. (but it's a fat fantasy novel and i like to see the Nebula go to SF, dammit.)

Comments

[raevnos.livejournal.com]

I've read 2.5 of those, which is a lot for me for recent award lists. Making Money, Cauldron and Brasyl.

I either really love Ian McDonald books or bounce hard. Brasyl is the latter.

MM has a couple of really good laugh-out-loud bits. Read it someday.

Jack McDevitt's written a couple of really good books (A Talent for War, and The Engines of God), and lots of readable but not outstanding ones. Cauldron's in that category. If you like him, read it. If you've never heard of him, it 's not a good starting point -- it's part of a longer series.

[raevnos.livejournal.com]

For what it's worth, after having now read Little Brother (Yay for author-supplied electronic copies of books!), I think that if I was voting, I'd pick it -- probably even if I wasn't a Doctorow fan. Which I am. And which doesn't really help you since you aren't.

[e-bourne.livejournal.com]

I have liked kathleen goonan, at least her earlier stuff. I'd at least give it a try. I feel like I ought to like leGuin. I am a bad person because really, not that much. OK, OK, Left Hand of Darkness was great. But nothing else has ever worked for me.

[kijjohnson.livejournal.com]

In War Times won last year's John W. Campbell Award -- it's based on and uses material from her father's WW2 diaries.

[e-bourne.livejournal.com]

Just read Daniel Abraham's short story in Ellen Datlow's 2008 best of the year, and it freakin' rocked. The only one to so far knock my socks off besides Kij's (yes, I read my friends first).

Based on that, I'm now going to get his book.