prepping for hugo nominations

[sophia_sol]

Somehow it is ALREADY hugo awards season again, and I am once again behind on reading books published in the last year that I might want to consider nominating. Nominations close at the end of April! That's less than 2 months away! And I have so many books to read.

Here are the books I'm currently thinking of reading before the end of nominations, to bulk out my familiarity with the books of 2022 with the most interest to me before I decide what to nominate.

Do you have any opinions on which of these I should prioritize? Or which are not worth reading? Or, perish the thought, books I haven't thought of which are worth adding to the list? If so please let me know!!

1. Nettle & Bone - T Kingfisher


2. A River Enchanted - Rebecca Ross


3. The Spear Cuts Through Water - Simon Jimenez


4. Babel - RF Kuang


5. The Unbalancing - RB Lemberg


6. Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves - Meg Long


7. Hunt the Stars - Jessie Mihalik


8. City of Orange - David Yoon


9. Spear - Nicola Griffith


10. Saint Death's Daughter - CSE Cooney


11. End of the World House - Adrienne Celt


12. The Monsters We Defy - Leslye Penelope


13. The Dark Between the Trees - Fiona Barnett


14. The Stardust Thief - Chelsea Abdullah


15. The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy - Megan Bannen


16. The Stars Undying - Emery Robin


17. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida - Shehan Karunatilaka


18. A Half-Built Garden - Ruthanna Emrys


19. Geometries of Belonging - RB Lemberg


20. Under Fortunate Stars - Ren Hutchings


21. Uncommon Charm, by Emily Bergslien and Kat Weaver


22. Unraveller, by Frances Hardinge


23. A Garter as a Lesser Gift, by Aster Glenn Gray

as an aside, here's the books I've already read, and are on my longlist for nomination in at least one category at the moment:

1. Siren Queen, by Nghi Vo


2. Nona the Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir


3. Ocean's Echo, by Everina Maxwell


4. When the Angels Left the Old Country, by Sacha Lamb


5. All the Horses of Iceland, by Sarah Tolmie

Comments

[profiterole_reads]

I recommend Spear by Nicola Griffith. I don't know the exact length, it might be in the novella category? Same for A Garter as a Lesser Gift by Aster Glenn Gray.

Have you read Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans?

[sophia_sol]

excellent, thank you, I will bump those up to the top of the list!

No, I haven't heard of Notorious Sorcerer, tell me more!

[profiterole_reads]

I found my post. Up there with Ocean's Echo and When the Angels Left the Old Country, I think (I haven't read the other ones on your list).

[sophia_sol]

ooh, sounds fun, I am adding it to the list!

[cahn]

Oh this is so useful for directing my reading!!

With no expectation that you will or should follow this, here is my preference for your priorities (Garter is the only one of these I have read):

-A Garter as a Lesser Gift, because I read it and loved it (though I am a total sucker for Arthuriania)
-Unraveller, because the last time I read a Hardinge because it was on the ballot it was amazing (I will try to read this)
-A Half-Built Garden, because I keep hearing interesting things about it and yet I might not get through it unless it's on the ballot, so I want everyone to nominate it :)
-Spear, because Griffith (I am planning to read this) - although I can't remember, do you actually like Griffith?

[sophia_sol]

Those all sound like excellent priorities to me, thank you! :D

I've only read one Griffith before, Hild, and I loved it - except that the ending involved one of my major squicks, which I didn't know about beforehand because it's a spoiler, sigh. So I feel a bit wary about her as an author, but also know she can definitely write well.

[seekingferret]

A Half-Built Garden is the only one on your list I've read, and it's definitely going on my nominations list. The only other one you mention that's on my radar to-read is Babel.

And it's not a novel, but Eric Choi's "A Sky and a Heaven" is the new shorter work that most affected me and which I'm definitely nominating (apparently it's novelette length? lengths of short works are confusing).

[sophia_sol]

Yes I've heard excellent things about A Half-Built Garden! I'm looking forward to reading it.

Is "A Sky and a Heaven" available to read anywhere online? Or do I need to find Choi's anthology?

[seekingferret]

I read it in the Jewish alternate history anthology Other Covenants, don't know if it's online anywhere.

[sophia_sol]

good to know, thank you!

[hamsterwoman]

Ooh, thank you for the reminder that Unraveller and Babel, which I have sitting in my TBR pile in pretty, pretty hardcovers, are eligible and I should do something about them XD and maybe also move 'Nona' up my hypothetical reading list.

(out of curiosity, did you get ANY communication from Chengdu Worldcon? It let me in with my email, so I guess it knows that I'm eligible to nominate, but I didn't know Hugo nominations had finally opened until I googled for it...)

[sophia_sol]

Excellent, glad I could remind you about them! :D

No, I haven't heard anything from Chengdu worldcon either and I am unimpressed! Contacting the previous year's members about nominations seems important to me!!

[hamsterwoman]

Yeah, unimpressed as well... I feel like "hey, remember you're eligible to nominate based on last year's membership" is the part that's easiest for someone to overlook, and thus most important to communicate proactively (my first year being eligible to nominate, I don't think I would've remembered about it). And especially with the nominations opening quite late this year and ending at an unusual time, too.

[sophia_sol]

Finally got an email from them yesterday! I guess they were just a little behind on getting round to this aspect of things.

[hamsterwoman]

I finally got mine too! I guess it took them a while to actually email people? Or maybe just to email people who had supporting memberships from last year and nothing else? In any case, I'm glad to have it now.

[seekingferret]

I didn't get any email telling me Hugo nominations were open, but I did get an email from the con a couple weeks ago saying that Hugo nominations were coming soon. Two emails, actually.

[sophia_sol]

Finally got an email from them yesterday about nominating as a member from last year! I guess they were just a little behind on getting round to this aspect of things. This is the first email I've gotten from them at all.

[seekingferret]

I got that email yesterday as well. In addition to being a member of Chicon, I also voted in the Discon site selection so I think I am a full attending member of the Chengdu Worldcon (even though I'm not planning to attend). That might be why I got the earlier emails, because I was on a different list?

[sophia_sol]

ah, yeah, that would make sense!

[hamsterwoman]

That might be why I got the earlier emails, because I was on a different list?

That was my hypothesis for why some people were getting the earlier emails and I wasn't (I also finally got one yesterday)

[whimsyful]

I really liked both Unraveller and The Stars Undying. I have both Babel and A River Enchanted on my ereader as well - I should bump those up my TBR!

[sophia_sol]

excellent, thank you!

[lirazel]

What a good list! The only one I've read on your to-read list is Nettle & Bone, which I liked but didn't love (though lots of other people loved it a ton, so don't take that as an anti-endorsement), but there are so many there I'm interested in!

Obviously as a Hardinge stan, I'm biased towards Unraveller. I am still eagerly awaiting my copy--it's been in processing at my library for SO long!

[sophia_sol]

I find that Kingfisher is always solidly enjoyable for me even if I don't entirely love a book of hers!

I adore Hardinge but also find it takes a lot of emotional commitment to read her books because she's so intense. So idk if I will actually read Unraveller until I have, like, a firm reason to do so! I might just nominate it, and then read it once it's on the finals list :P

[lirazel]

So understandable!

[(Anonymous)]

Of those, I've read Nettle & Bone, Spear, and The Spear Cuts Through Water, all of which I liked but didn't love -- and in the case of the last two, I even respected them more than I liked them. Spear is a very quick, bite-sized novella, though.

Fwiw, I hear Babel is wildly divisive, so it might be interesting to try just to be able to come down on a side.

[chestnut_pod]

Oops, this was me.

[skygiants]

I have also heard this about Babel so I'll be interested to see more thoughts!

[sophia_sol]

hm, yeah, my last Jimenez I also remember respecting more than liking. but sometimes it is good for me I think to read books like that. keep stretching me a bit.

that is interesting about Babel! I just went and took a look at some Goodreads reviews and wow yes, divisive is right. I'm curious now what I would think too! but I think that's one that I'll read if/when it makes it in the list as a finalist, but will not prioritize it for right now

[glitteryv]

Haven't read any, but wanted to give my $0.02 based on general impressions from Booktubers who I trust (for the most part)

- Everyone seems to like Nettle & Bone. I've heard it's a tough read in parts but T.Kingfisher is much liked.

- Babel is ~controversial/divisive. Most ppl found it thought-provoking.

- A Garter As A Lesser Gift is a good Arthurian novella.

- Hunt the Stars is a good book for folks who like action and romance.

- The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is the one book that has gotten the lowest ratings (per what I've seen on Booktube.) Criticisms included: being tropes only (i.e. having no actual plot), the story having too many plotlines that never quite gelled, and the writing style and choices. YMMV obvs

[sophia_sol]

Ooh thank you, that's all good to know!

[kareila]

Nettle & Bone by T Kingfisher was fantastic and is going on my nominations list.

I haven't read Babel by RF Kuang but everyone I know who has says it is very deserving.

A Half-Built Garden by Ruthanna Emrys also merits consideration, I believe.

[sophia_sol]

excellent, thank you!