2011: The "Women of Fantasy" & "Women of Science Fiction" Book Clubs!

I've (already!) signed up for participation in two book clubs next year that I would like to mention here in case anyone else want to join in the fun too.


Firstly, Erika from Jawas Read, Too! is running the "Women of Fantasy" book club where each month we'll be reading a book published by a female author in the Fantasy genre. The perfect accompaniment to this is that TJ, from Dreams & Speculations, is hosting "The Women of Science Fiction" book club. I think that both the reading lists look fantastic and I am really struggling to resist the temptation to dive in to the selection right now.

These book club announcements have come at the perfect time for me. One of the (many) wonderful things about moving to this house is that I now have a room (rather grandly referred to as my "Library"!) in which all my books live. All of my books. In one room. In genre-themed sections. Bliss. As I unpacked box after box after box of books a couple of months ago, and settled them into their new homes, I realised that I have very little Sci-Fi and Fantasy by female authors and started to actively seek to redress that balance.

Although I have read four of the books Erika and TJ have selected that does leave 20 new books (and between them fourteen female authors whose work I have never read!) to get me going and that is a great start in the right direction - although I might need a bigger "library"...

February Reading List

I can't believe that another month has passed and that it's time to re-cap my reading list as well as to make my donation of £1 per book to Book Aid International as part of my commitment to the Year of Readers challenge.

I've been really busy this month and don't seem to have found time to post book reviews but I'll do my best to catch up today! I'd say I'll do better next month but I suspect that won't actually be the case! :D

Wildwood Dancing - Juliette Marillier
Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein
The Gone-Away World - Nick Harkaway
The Android's Dream - John Scalzi
The Convenient Marriage, The Nonesuch and Faros Daughter - Georgette Heyer
The Way of Shadows - Brent Weeks

RIP III Challenge

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Thanks to Chris over at book-a-rama, I've joined the fun looking RIP III Challenge which runs from September 1st to October 31st, 2008.

RIP stands for R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril and I'm looking forward to this one as it covers the genres of "Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. Dark Fantasy. Gothic. Horror. & Supernatural". I'm aiming to complete Peril the First - which is to read Four books of any length, from any subgenre of scary stories that you choose by the end of October.

So - on to my list! Neil Gaiman's forthcoming The Graveyard Book is an absolute must although it's released on the 31st October so I'll have to be quick on that one - could this be the excuse I needed to go to London to get a signed copy and hear him talk? Also on my possible reading list are:

The End Of Mr. Y - Scarlett Thomas
Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen
The Quincunx - Charles Palliser
The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
The Woman in Black - Susan Hill
We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson
Little, Big - John Crowley
The Mysteries of Udolpho - Ann Radcliffe
Ghost Stories - MR James

Later Additions to the list:
The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield (thanks to deslily)
The Ghost-Feeler - Edith Wharton (thanks to katrina)

I will read at least four from this list but it could end up being more as there's lots there to tempt me.

Looking at my shortlist, I feel as if I need to add something from horror/dark fantasy or supernatural as I don't read in that genre and it would be nice to do so. I also seem to be the only person in the world who is not or has not read something by Stephanie Meyers... Perhaps this is my time. Any additional reading suggestions would be gratefully received!