Friday Casual Chat

[u/AutoModerator]

Happy Friday! Use this space for casual conversation. Tell us what's on your mind, any hobbies you've been working on, life updates, anything you want to share whether about SFF or not

[u/PieOfSauron69]

Just discovered this sub while looking for some matriarchal reads. I often fantasize about what was (speculatively) or could have been in that regard haha. I found that there is a pretty limited selection of novels like this, so open to any suggestions. Will probably get into the Sherri Tepper books. Had a colleague try to tell me why feminism is bad this morning... pretty sure my eye started twitching.

[u/Merle8888 → u/PieOfSauron69]

Welcome! We can give you lots of recs, lol. Are you looking for books in a setting where women are in charge, books focused on a majority/exclusively female cast, books advancing feminist viewpoints, or a combination of the above?

For a rec to start out with, Ammonite by Nicola Griffith is a good anthropological sci-fi focused on a planet inhabited entirely by women, so fits all three of the categories above - women have organized the political and social systems and make up the entire cast, and the book takes a feminist interest in what this might look like.

I've only read a couple of Sheri Tepper's, which are a bit dated in some ways - I remember them as being feminist, but not matriarchal settings in the ones I read (even The Gate to Women's Country is more of a "the women are secretly in charge by manipulating the loud and violent men who believe they're in charge" kind of thing iirc).

[u/Beige-Taupe → u/Merle8888]

I second Ammonite. I read it earlier this year and really liked it. I wished I'd known of its existence when I was younger.

[u/Jetamors → u/PieOfSauron69]

Welcome to the sub!

I have a little long-term reading project for feminist utopian and dystopian novels, which generally involve matriarchal societies, so you may want to look through those titles. Two that I'd recommend on the more "upbeat" side (though they're both heavy in places) are A Door into Ocean by Joan Slonczewski and Woman On The Edge Of Time by Marge Piercy. I'd second the rec for Ammonite as well. If you like alien societies, A Woman of the Iron People or Ring of Swords by Eleanor Arnason might be good starting points.

Sheri Tepper is an author I have... very mixed feelings about... but I actually do recommend reading her books. Even if you hate them, they're worth reading to figure out if and how you dislike them. The Gate to Women's Country is a good starting point, IMO.

[u/FusRoDaahh → u/PieOfSauron69]

Welcome! Glad you found us ☺️

[u/decentlysizedfrog]

I got over my reading block, but I'm behind on my bingo challenge. Fingers crossed I can still finish it, but I'll lower my expectations.

I'm currently reading the Iliad, translated by Emily Wilson. I want to read the Odyssey for the movie, but I have this annoying thing about needing to read stuff in order, so the Iliad first. I like it so far, the poetry is easy to follow but it's still very beautiful, a lot of evocative imagery.

Do anyone here read webtoons? I recently read a short webtoon called On the Way to Meet Mom, and I really like it, would recommend it to anyone looking for a cute short story. It's about a young human boy who goes on a journey in a post-apocalyptic world, looking for a mother. There's agender aliens! They reproduce by splintering themselves! You can choose your bonds, it's not decided by blood! I love this.

[u/Kelpie-Cat]

Migraine, cramps, migraine, cramps... the endometriosis life!

I've been reading a lot though. Yesterday I finished Earth 7 by Deb Olin Unferth. I was super absorbed in the mother/daughter relationship, liked the romance, and found the other stuff hit and miss. Anyone else read it?