Insert Witty Journal Title Here

After one episode (really less than one episode) of Atlantis on BBCA, I decided I didn't need to watch more. I deleted the 3 eps I had and the season pass. If someone convinces me that watching white guys run away from animals/creatures 3 times in one episode is something I should be doing, I'll track down the original uncut 6 minutes longer BBC version.

I have not managed to catch Almost Human, because it's opposite something... now have 1 random episode I can't watch.

I managed to miss an episode of Dracula, so I have to track that down before watching the last one.

Meant to watch the Carrie Underwood Sound of Music, because, but forgot. Oh well.

Have not watched any Christmas specials. Will make up for that later.

Finished season 6 of Stargate SG-1. I'm on the downward slope! I've watched more episodes than I have episodes left to watch.

Anticipating - Christmas Doctor Who, Christmas teaser for Sherlock, New Year's Sherlock (you think I'm waiting for PBS? Ha ha ha!)

Witches of East End - I found myself not paying a lot of attention to episode 2.

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland - Pretty good for a pilot. Interesting. Also a bit strange, but I suppose it is Wonderland. I want Alice to acquire a harem. Two boys and a rabbit isn't enough. Give her a couple more. :)

Ironside - Watched two episodes. Not bad, but it's a cop show. I usually need more of a hook in a cop show.

Tomorrow People - Recorded, not watched yet.
Sean Saves the World - Season passed, but it hasn't managed to record an episode because of other conflicting things, so not seen it.

So far my new recommendations are: Sleepy Hollow, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Mom, Michael J Fox Show (which I have trouble catching).

SHIELD is just not cutting it. And I thought Sleepy Hollow was going to be the dud!

Still to come - Dracula, Almost Human

So I waded through the comments on the io9 article about the Strange Horizons number-crunching. A lot of people replied to one specific request for female authors, with varying levels of enthusiasm, for lots of women to check out.

I did a tally.

Any time a female author was mentioned, I noted it. Whether they were directly a suggestion or just came up in the discussion. Here's the results:

Six Times
---------
Ursula K. Le Guin
Octavia Butler

Five Times
----------
Connie Willis (once in the context of Harlan Ellison)

Four Times
----------
Lois McMaster Bujold
Anne McCaffrey

Three Times
-----------
N. K. Jemisin
Nalo Hopkinson
Robin McKinley
C. J. Cherryh
Tanith Lee
Jacqueline Carey
Kage Baker
Mira Grant/Seanan Maguire

( More behind the cut )

Things I noticed:

* The Jane Austen Book Club was referred to without mention of the author, Karen Joy Fowler (who also isn't in the above list)
* Harry Potter was referred to without mention of the author, J. K. Rowling (who also isn't in the above list)
* The Hunger Games was referred to without mention of the author, Suzanne Collins (who also isn't in the above list)

Who's Missing?

(This isn't a trick question.)
(Or is it?)

If you're looking for more discussion and recommendations of dystopian YA with LGBT characters, you can't do much better than starting here with The Outer Alliance spotlight #96.

Katharine Quarmby's top 10 disability stories

This is from the author of a new book, Scapegoat: Why We are Failing Disabled People.

That subtitle reads a little funny to me. Maybe it's the Us Versus Them of it.

Because of my bookfast, I can't read this book, or any of the books on the list (unless they happen to be in the house, which actually, several of them probably are).

I am puzzled as to why Gulliver's Travels is on there. The size difference is not related to a disability. Dwarfism and gigantism are not solely about size, there are often medical complications. And just.. yea.

"It's also interesting to note that there are fewer disabled characters in the canon nowadays, except in children's literature, where there has been a deliberate attempt to promote positive images of disabled children and adults, thanks to activists like Richard Rieser and Susie Burrows."

I'd say it's probably because it's gone beyond the careless use of disabled characters to 'I'd better not get it wrong and offend people, so I won't do it at all.' Except that I wonder what she's been reading? Because I can think of a ton of examples. And at least three of her examples are considered children's/teen books anyway.

Though I have to weed through my mental list to remove the children's books. (Odd. Why did I think Count Olaf had a hook? Was that one of his disguises?)

You can read most any of Bujold's books to find disabled main characters. Look at television and there's House front and center. And having just watched X-Men, there's Professor Xavier, and the whole extended mutant metaphor.

Blind characters make great superheroes and detectives, apparently. Deaf characters make great murder victims or witnesses. Characters on the autism spectrum (I know some have trouble with the label disabled on this one) are appearing more and more.

Then again, what's 'canon'? Maybe it's 'books everyone is supposed to read'.

Looking at my most recently read books, here's some:

Skyfall by Catherine Asaro - One of the main characters is epileptic
The Broken Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin - Main character is blind
The Colony by Jillian Weise - The book is pretty much about the main character's disability (a 'missing' leg + other stuff)
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (1960s) - Main character has mental retardation brought on by untreated PKU.

Those are all adult books, and only two are recent releases. But this is just my reading for less than 2 months. And while I might specifically read a book for the presence of a disabled character, that was not the case with any of these. Two were for Triple Take. One was because it made the Tiptree list, and the other was because I knew it would be awesome. I wasn't even aware there were disabled characters except for in Flowers for Algernon.

Now, it so happens that two of those are about disability. And all of these are generally positive portrayals, I think.

So, yea.. what have you been reading, Quarmby?

Other notable books I've read from this past year that would also qualify:

Among Others by Jo Walton
A Wizard of Mars by Diane Duane (perhaps iffy)
Babel-17 by Samuel Delany (also perhaps iffy)
Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman
Mean Little deaf Queer by Terry Galloway (memoir)
Forest Mage by Robin Hobb (if obesity counts, which it does according to Quarmby's list)

The iffyness because there are autistic characters that have been in some way 'cured', and I'm not sure if it's been done well or not.

If I go too far back, I find books I barely remember, so whether they had disabled characters or not isn't something I can easily answer!

But you can tell most of those are sf/f, even if they are adult sf/f. So maybe those don't count as 'canon'.

Things I want to read before Wiscon:

Carmen Dog, by Carol Emshwiller
Steam-powered, edited by JoSelle Vanderhooft
The Secret Feminist Cabal, by Helen Merrick
Who Fears Death, by Nnedi Okorafor (I asked for this on librarything and 'won' an arc, but I never received it. So I don't think I own it yet...)
Half-Life, by Shelley Jackson
"Eros, Philia, Agape", by Rachel Swirsky

Man, that's a lot of reading, and I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff. I requested at least 2 of the Tiptree honor/long list books through ILL. They should come in this week.

On top of that, I need to read the following for Triple Take before Wiscon:
Turing book, Science of Doctor Who, A Spy in the House, Flowers for Algernon, The Einstein Intersection, and I am J.

I should also make a list of books to buy at Wiscon, so I don't end up buying books I already have and just haven't read yet. Or I could just buy books I haven't even heard of until Wiscon. That might be safer.

It'll be my first time doing Wiscon with a smartphone. I can have lists in my pocket! Er.. wait, I could always have lists in my pocket, couldn't I? Well, um.. yea.

If there's something else I should read before Wiscon, or buy at Wiscon, let me know in the comments!

Someone at work made the comment that she thought I'd be happier living in Wonderland. And my reaction was 'noooo, definitely not'. And then I started to consider it. You know, there aren't a lot of worlds like that that I would want to live in.

Wonderland -- Definitely out. It's too weird and.. cruel.

Narnia -- No, not really. I can't even imagine how I'd fit in there. I can't imagine being happy.

Neverland -- Well, if I was a Lost Boy, maybe it wouldn't be too bad. I definitely can't go as myself! Though I think even as a Lost Boy, I'd grow bored fairly quickly. Neverland's chief fault is a lack of books!

Oz -- I haven't read all the Oz books, and my memory of it is definitely overwhelmed by the musical(s). It's.. a big enough and varied enough place that I guess if I _had_ to live there, it'd be okay. But I'd definitely rather not.

Pern -- A nice place to visit. A cool place to visit, even. But I wouldn't want to live there. About the only place there that I'd fit in and be reasonably happy is in a Crafthall, but it'd have to be the right Crafthall, and I'm not even sure which one that would be. You'd think Harpers, but I hate all that daft music they'd have to do all the time. Was Starcraft a real Hall from earlier or later in the timeline? That'd be okay. Although I think it'd be more exciting to be earlier in the timeline, before the women started being less equal. :P Rather than going to live there, can I just have a firelizard please?

Hogwarts/Etc -- Oh, definitely! Sign me up! I'd even put up with Voldemort and Umbridge for a chance to be a wizard. Does this explain the popularity of Harry Potter?

Middle Earth -- No. Freaking. Way.

The Starship Enterprise -- Not a fantasy world in any traditional sense, but oh yea, you can sign me up for this too. I am not, however, wearing a red uniform. I might be slightly happier on Deep Space Nine though. More shopping and entertainment potential. Less falling into black holes.

The Universe of the Four Gods/Whatever the Fushigi Yuugi world is called -- As long as I didn't have to be part of the story, yea, it'd be cool. Though, I think, maybe I would prefer to visit it than to stay. Though I could stay. As with Neverland though, could I get to be a boy? I think it'd be better to be male in that world.

Fantasia -- Even moreso than Oz, Fantasia (from Neverending Story) is larger and more varied. There ought to be someplace interesting to live in there where I'd be happy. Not hunting the purple buffalo, or mooning about without a name, but.. somewhere.

--

Have I left out any biggies? I don't really remember Un Lun Dun, except it's one of those weird ones.

I was going to say that liking the world means I'll like the story and vice versa. But actually I really like Peter Pan, though I said I didn't want to live in Neverland. And I like the world of Pern, sort of, more than I can stand the books.

I prefer my fantasy worlds to not be weird. I like to be able to understand them. I like them to be.. large enough society-wise that I could find a comfortable place to fit in. They absolutely must have books. Some sort of technology or magic that we don't currently have is a big plus. The female of the species needs to be equal, though more than equal would be an interesting change. If there are talking animals, there must also be a fair number of humans. Indoor plumbing and good medicine are fairly essential. Low on violence, crime, wars.

Hrrrrm. Probably some more things I'd want, but those will do for a start. Oh, people I could relate to and be friends with. You look at Alice in Wonderland and you would not want to have a prolonged conversation with any of them.

How sad would it have to be to choose between going to Narnia or going home? That's why I love that scene with all the pools, where _one_ leads to Narnia, and the rest don't. I want options. I want a travel visa. Mmm. That and a TARDIS should do pretty well. Then again, one incarnation of the Enterprise had a holodeck.

Or I could just go read some more books.

Over on SF Signal, they asked a bunch of writers Q: What science fiction, fantasy, and/or horror books do read and re-read again? (sic)

And why should they get to have all the fun?

I have started keeping track of everything I read from about the middle of 2002. And I did my best to mark those that were rereads with an (R). So this should be a fairly easy question to answer. I may not limit myself to sf/f books. I won't list everything I've reread. These are ones I will probably reread yet again.

-- Ender's Game | Orson Scott Card

Not necessarily the rest of the serieses, although the next time I reread it, I will probably follow it up with Ender's Shadow. This was my all time favorite book from the time I discovered it in junior high until I discovered OSC was a homophobic jerkwad. So now I still like it, but it's tainted.

-- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series | Douglas Adams

Probably my gateway to British television. Not necessarily to British science fiction novels.

-- The Seafort Saga | David Feintuch & The Still and The King | David Feintuch

I was really really bummed when I learned of his death. I had only recently discovered him and didn't even have a real chance to be eagerly awaiting each new book as it was published. For those who don't know, the Seafort Saga is like.. the Royal Navy, in space. Very male, but in an interesting way. The author seems to want the best out of men. And brotherhood, fatherhood, friendship, all of that is a very central theme. Gay characters are portrayed well. At least I think so. Wikipedia says he had announced another book was finished and at the publishers, but.. what happened to it? It's been 5 years now. :(

-- Harry Potter series | J. K. Rowling

As each new book came out, I felt compelled to reread. Though I probably didn't for book 6 and definitely didn't when we got to book 7. Book 5 loomed large as a lead weight in the middle. Nonetheless, I have reread a number of these. My favorite is book 3, though it was really book 4 that got me hooked on the series. I still play on a Harry Potter MUSH, although my Gryffindor backpack needs to be retired. It's falling apart.

-- The Last Herald-Mage trilogy | Mercedes Lackey

After I found this series, I went on a Lackey binge. But none of them were ever as good as this series. And the most recent one I read, just about a year ago, was absolute drek. So I'm kind of wary of rereading these, but the library has them as ebooks, so I probably will eventually.

-- Luna | Julie Anne Peters

I know I've mostly listed series so far, but Luna is just like.. awesome. I've read it twice and I want to read it again.

And finally two series that I have not really reread, but fully intend to at some point:

-- The Vorkosigan Saga | Lois McMaster Bujold

If only to remind myself of what happened up until this point so I can finally read the latest book. And Baen gave us all (but one) as ebooks, so I can totally do this.

-- The Smoke series | Tanya Huff

My favorite of Tanya Huff's series. And since the main character in this started off in the Blood series, I may have to reread that as well.

---------------

So what does this all tell us? Series are where it's at, man. And I guess female authors win. Would not have guessed that before I made this list. I figured more 50/50. Though with the exception of Luna, all of the main characters of these series are male. And if you know anything about Luna, you know there's a bit of an asterisk there.

Hrrrm.

Will add to this list if something else occurs to me.

ETA: Thinking it over while making food, I also realized that, while some of the main characters are gay or transgender, young and old, even disabled, they are all, so far as I know, white. With a tendency to also be British.

What have I taken to watching this new Fall season? I'm so glad you asked.

The Event

The first episode was playing around with time with so many flashbacks that I gave up on it first go-round and had to come back and try again. After the annoyance of Persons Unknown (can you believe they decided to just not air an episode? And didn't tell me?) and the still-recent what-the-frell of Lost, I wasn't sure I was willing to put up with a show that was going to make me think too much and try to be all mysterious.

Right now there are 2 episodes on the Tivo, one half-watched, the other not watched at all. Car chases, people running around with guns, semi-mysterious this, uninteresting character that. I think I'm about ready to give up.

But here's my prediction for how it turns out. Sorry if this turns out to be a spoiler later. It's just I'm totally awesome and psychic, that's all. But the 'aliens' turn out to be evolved humans from the future. (Naturally or by human genetic manipulation, you decide.)

Outlaw

If you like lawyer shows, you could certainly do worse. Jimmy Smits is kind of fun to watch. The cases are fairly interesting.

But K says it's been canceled already. So :P

Still, I can't get too worked up about it.

Undercovers

I do like this show. It's different. The main characters are a youngish married couple (I think they've been married 5 years or so) who also happen to be black, and former CIA agents. This is by J. J. Abrams, who I should totally hate for Lost, but who I kinda like for Star Trek. I like the couple's relationship. I like the dorky guy who helps them out. The actual plots are kinda dull.

I'd be a little sad to see this get canceled.

No Ordinary Family

Family of four turns superhero. It made me laugh in the first 10 minutes. Unfortunately, it failed to do that.. well, ever again, I think. I do like the Dad, which is unusual for most TV Dads. They're usually ineffectual in some fashion. But they've yet to do anything truly interesting with the concept.

And the Tivo grabs something else in its time slot, so I have to make more an effort to watch this. So.. I probably won't keep going much longer. (Missed last week's, for example.)

Survivor: Nicaragua

Yea, okay, so I've totally been watching this. Why? I don't know! I preferred the concept of Survivor. Back when we all thought maybe they'd actually be trying to survive. Now they just show up, don't know how to make fire, slap a shelter together, and wait for a fish to flop its way to camp, or for the producers to give them some rice so they won't sue for malnutrition. And then they scheme.

I know I wasn't watching it for that football dude. I don't even know who he is. Was I watching it because it was Old Versus Young? Well, it's not anymore. Considering I do have to download this, I don't know why I bother. But.. dangit, it's more interesting to watch than any of the shows I listed above. Somehow!

Amazing Race WhateverNumberThey'reOn

K and Jun and I have a bet going on AR and tend to watch it 'together' on Sundays. That's made it more interesting than it otherwise might be. This year we get bonus points if we've successfully guessed an animal used in a challenge. My bet's on chickens. But Jun might get points if they're eating a sheep's head this Sunday.

The Next Iron Chef

This summer I started watching more Food Network. I think the Tivo made it easier to grab the interesting shows and avoid the uninteresting or annoying (I'm looking at you, Bobby Flay.) And Next Iron Chef has Ming Tsai. As a competitor! Plus, like.. it's reality tv and a food network show, so.. score.

Sherlock

I already watched these, but they're coming to PBS this week, so you should ALL TOTALLY WATCH THEM THEY'RE AWESOME!

Sarah Jane Adventures

These just started back up. They'll sort of tide me over until new Dr. Who and Torchwood. Sort of. If I see one more Slitheen though, I'm going to wring someone's neck. Someone in Cardiff.

Merlin

Nearly typed Arthur there. Well, with so many eponymous shows and the two of them really being a double-act, the show really should've been Arthur and Merlin. But, anyhow, these also started back up. I even transferred the first ep to my new media player. Have not started watching. I really should. Better than any American show we've got going on with the exception of..

House

Still awesome. Still totally awesome. DON'T CANCEL IT PLEASE!!!

Bones

Did you knows Bones's car gets like good gas mileage and stuff? And it's a... well, no, I don't know what type of car it is! I know, I totally should, right? Since they cram it down our throats every other week, but I don't! So ha!

(Is it a Prius? Is it totally a Toyota Prius? Don't tell me if it is.)

Community

Still rocks, even though I have to download it every week. It totally rocks. You should all watch it. Frasier's going to be on it tonight.

Outsourced

Best new show! Dude's been sent to India to manage a call center for a novelty company. It's very funny and, dude, I think I'm actually totally learning things about India. Well, even though I couldn't point to a specific thing I didn't know before.. and even though you totally shouldn't try to learn about a country and its people from a sitcom. Still..

How I Met Your Mother

Still good.

Big Bang Theory

Still needs more girl geeks. But still good.

Shatner My Dad Says

Eh. Not so good. I wish Boston Legal was still on.

Grey's Anatomy

I know, right? Someone might think I'm a girl or something.

The Apprentice

I'm ashamed to admit this one. And Trump is even worse than I remembered from before I stopped watching this show. He shouts. And he's a sexist pig. And if he wasn't head of his company, he'd be fired so fast... And dude is totally running for President? Gah!

Daily Show/Colbert Report

It's still not too late for me to bum a ride down to the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear. But.. I'm afraid. And perhaps too sane for my own good.

Medium

It has its moments. But sometimes the episodes are crap. I do like the kids though.

Teach: Tony Danza

So Tony Danza is totally teaching English in this school in Philadelphia. Or trying to anyway. It's interesting. I will never, ever be a teacher. Not in HS anyway. And we don't pay teachers enough. But you knew that, right?

Undercover Boss

More interesting than the UK version. Honestly. The UK bosses never seem to screw up, somehow. Need more women CEOs though.

--

And.... I watch way too much television. That's not even all of it. No wonder I have 50 library books I haven't read yet.

Don't believe me?

Go look!

januaryhat brings you Boobieships and Titrockets.

If you agree with me, consider donating a couple bucks to the Clarion Write-a-Thon in Jan's name. She provides a link at the bottom of the post.

EDIT: Fixed the link so it goes to the top of the page and doesn't jump down to my comment on the page.

It's still awesome!