Feminist Science Fiction Fans discussion

Hi everyone! Your opinion about group reads or anything else you'd like to see happen here is hereby requested.
If you don't speak up, make no mistake: you're voting for doing nothing.

I - The problem
II - A proposal
III - What now?

Feel free to skip section one if you don't care to hear about problems.

I
I've tried to solicit people's opinions in various threads and private messages for a while.
While I'm OK with not doing group reads, there are still a few group members who are occasionally participating in group reads or who have expressed their interest in setting up more reads next year. But the way I see it, the last time there was a sustained discussion between more than two people about a scheduled read was well over a year ago.
At this point, someone who wanted to discuss a book with group members would do better to choose a book based on past discussions (some of us are still around and might be willing to discuss the book in question) than to read the book of the month.
In fact, participation is currently so low that it's discouraging people from participating or even from reading the books (see messages 2 and 7). This is evidently a vicious circle and I'm not going to keep it going if I can help it. I am therefore resolved not to schedule any group read until enough group members have expressed a credible comittment to participate. And for the time being I don't intend to schedule group reads every month or on some other fixed schedule. If you disagree, feel free to volunteer to become the group's moderator.
The commitment that would matter isn't some abstract, long term thing. What I think is needed is genuine interest in participating to just one thing. And so my opinion is that the first step in getting people interested is to find books interesting enough that more than a couple of group members figure they're worth discussing. The day more people participate on a regular basis, the group might have fun checking out random books but right now I don't think that would work.

II
Feminist SF is pretty niche and we have different ideas about how to define it. There are some obvious go-to authors but beyond that, we don't necessarily know where to look to find works we'd want to read.
One of the roles of this group has been to make us aware of less obvious or underrated books. One example during the past year has been Halfway Human. While few of us have written anything about it in the appointed thread, Alexa did perform a valuable service in bringing that book to our attention. I'd like to see that continue regardless of whether we'll end up reading the most intriguing suggestions alone or as a group.
To that end, I'd like to get something permanent started. Past recommendations have been scattered among a dozen pretty repetivive threads and polls. I'd like to consolidate that and, after mulling over a few other alternatives (do tell if you'd like to discuss them), I've created a group shelf featuring a few books for illustration:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/bookshelf/117576-feminist-science-fiction-fans?shelf=longlist
I could add more books but I'd rather start by encouraging you to add some books you think we might want to read. In order to do so, start by typing the title of the book you have in mind or the name of its author in the search box next to the "Search" button before clicking on it. After clicking on "Add to Group" and "choose shelves", check the "longlist" and "to-read" boxes before clicking on "close" and finally "Save Group Book". As you can see, you can add old books as well as new ones, books which aren't obviously feminist as well as books which are, short fiction as well as novels and so forth. We're not going anywhere so can do it whenever you have a good idea.
Please note that you can add comments to each book, for instance to explain why you think the book would be of interest to the group or to express your interest in a book someone else added to the shelf. Click on "about" to read comments when browsing the bookshelf. As you can see, I've used comments when adding relatively obscure books but that's not compulsory.
Please note also that you can quickly check out the reviews posted by group members about a book which intrigues you by clicking on "view activity".

III
There are a few things you can do right now besides adding books to the shelf linked above:
-post here to tell us what you think about this message or about some other ideas you have for the future of the group
-nag someone you think might be interested and point them here
-post here to tell us why you are interested in participating in a group read of a particular book (or possibly of several related works) with us or to ask a question about any of the shelved books
As you might have noticed, I thought about using a second shelf for books which are being considered for a group read. There would need to be some kind of rule about who is allowed to put what book in that shelf. We'll get to that if the first shelf grows large enough.

So far, I have broadcast no notification to group members.
There are well over 500 members and the last notification was sent a long time ago. In order to increase the likelyhood that people might be activated by a notification, I'd like to get some activity going before reminiding everyone about this group.

If you've read this far, thanks for your attention!

Thanks so much for all the time and thought you've already put into this Outis!

And there are also all the books that got listed here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

And I couldn't get hold of a copy of November's book, but Karen Memory (December) is something I've wanted to read for ages and will gladly read and discuss if anyone else is planning on it.

Happy to be here. Just joined, so I haven't read any of the books yet (unless they're books I've already read).

Welcome V.R.!

Alexa wrote: "And there are also all the books that got listed here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/..."
Lynn has already added to the shelf the books she mentionned in that thread, plus a couple of others (thanks!). Others should feel free to follow her example or to make a case for any of these books.
The group has never done a Tepper but, of the classics currently shelved, I keep thinking The Dispossessed would make the best group read because the setting is relatively mundane. Much of content relevant to the group is subject to interpretation, and we understand enough to about the context to make our own interpretations.

Availability is something I intend to address more systematically if there is enough interest in continuing to do regular group reads to make that worthwhile. It's not something that should stop anyone from shelving a book but it's certainly something to consider when scheduling group reads.
As to Karen Memory, I don't plan to read it (or the January read for that matter). But I figured others might so I didn't take it upon myself to cancel the upcoming reads. As a result, we still have plenty of time to come up with proposals for what's going to happen afterwards.

I've been watching a while, waiting for my degree papers to magically write themselves to give me time to read a club book; however, I'm also a selective reader. Usually I have time to read books for work, but can cut into that for the right conversation. Genuinely, I've been watching to see the type of feminist science fiction that appeals to the group before diving into discussion.

I've read December's book, Karen Memory, and am looking forward to hearing more views about it. Not only do I love that tiny slice of the genre, but Karen is a forward character and the book doesn't creep me out in its interests or viewpoint, but was only marginally interested in October's read and didn't participate as a result. In fact, based on discussion I put October's book way down on my list of someday reads despite having purchased it with the intention of participating.

This month I'm reading Company Town by Madeline Ashby and feel it would be a good match for feminist scifi talks, despite some issues.

Glad to see you speaking up as well Juniper!
Yes, we will probably end up doing less frequent group reads. A book per month is too much for me unless of course we're talking about novellas and such (which is why I shelved a couple of them and not only fat books). But if there are enough members who vounteer to read more than I do, I'll accomodate their appetite.

Your vote for Tepper and Le Guin is noted.
Do tell if one title or type of book is especially appealing to you (there's no rule against revisiting a past group read by the way). Availability-wise, a collection like this one should accomodate everyone because many of the stories have been printed in a bunch of other books (here's an example).

New person here. I just saw the moon for December. I hope to get my hand on it this week. Why did I join this group because I felt that I could find great books to read. A month book read is OK but for me I am already reading a few books. Currently I am reading club dead by Charline Harris. I find myself reading more and more lately ... It might have become an addiction... jkjk

I forgot another odd read is Heroes of the Frontier by David Eggers

Welcome Santiago! I'll look at your recommendations later.

Kari wrote: "Genuinely, I've been watching to see the type of feminist science fiction that appeals to the group before diving into discussion."
That was also my attitude at first but I've mostly given up. My preliminary conclusion was that, unlike me, some people think representation is the main thing that makes fiction feminist. Other than that, after years of observation all I can say is that different people have different ideas about what feminism is all about. Do tell if you end up reaching more penetrating conclusions though!

Kari wrote: "This month I'm reading Company Town by Madeline Ashby and feel it would be a good match for feminist scifi talks, despite some issues."
I wanted to see what group members had to say about it so I took the liberty of adding the book to the shelf in your stead (now anyone can simply follow the "view activity" link to do the same). The book definitely seems interesting but what I've read about it elsewhere raises a couple of red flags for me (how is (view spoiler)[time travel (hide spoiler)] handled?).
While the novel I'm reading is technically feminst SF, I didn't mention it because, as limited as my powers of observation are, I'm pretty sure most people wouldn't want to read that.

I checked out the short list and added two books to my list: Company Town and Remnant Population.

I'd be happy to talk about any of my favorites any time: the Miles Vorkosigan saga by Lois McMaster Bujold- which has some of the best writing and kick ass characters. You start with his Mom and Dad meeting in Cordelia's Honor.

I've read the Honor Harrington Books, but the Star Wars opera stuff gets old. Love the tree cat stuff and strong women though.

I LISTEN to a LOT of books on CD.

I'm just finishing a Quilters series that starts with Quilters Apprentice. It's gone back in time to pre-civil war and current day and is about a group of women quilters that I really like.

My favorite books to listen to are Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. I'm devoted to the books, the Starz TV show, and anything the narrator, Davina Porter reads.

I listened to the entire Isabel Dalhousie collection about a wise woman in Scotland everyone comes to for advice and amateur sleuthing. By Alexander McCall Smith who did the Number 1 Ladies Dective Agency.

Another great feminist SciFi writer is Octavia Butler. I think I've read all of her stuff. Most recently, the Xenogenesis series.

The Bee's by Laline Paull is another quick read that really blew me away. Lots of feminism in that bee colony.

The Parasol Protectorate books by Gail Carriger were fun, easy reads.

Nicolle Griffith has some of my favorite books too, for feminist SciFi.

C.J. Cherryh also has some great books, but I didn't like Foreigner.

Other stuff I've listened to in the last year or so are the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher and Virgin River and Thunder Point books which are basically romance by Robyn Carr.

I'm looking for great series with great female voices and amazing narrators. Help!

I've read all of the Charlaine Harris books and thought the TV show was way better. I also read the Stephanie Plum books and they were way too repetitive. But decent characters.

Welcome Monica!
You might want to make a new thread with a title that will catch the eye of audiobook users. You might get replies from audiobook users who wouldn't read this thread down to the 13th message. I can't help you with audiobooks myself.
Feel free to comment on the old threads about Octavia Butler and Nicola Griffith books but there are also works by both authors the group hasn't covered yet. Is anyone else interested?
If there are SF newbies reading this who haven't read Xenogenesis (AKA Lilith's Brood), you really should remedy that. I don't mind re-scheduling that short series as a group read since it's open to interpretation and there's potentially much to discuss about it.

You know, speaking of Octavia E. Butler, one book of hers that I've never read is Fledgling. I would love to read that in this group!

Fledgling has only the thinnest veneer of SF but the group has done fantasy before so why not? A content warning though: (view spoiler)[it's by no means a revolting book in the grand scheme of things but some people are upset by sex scenes involving a character who looks like a little girl. (hide spoiler)]
Alexa is the most active group member so I'm confident she'd participate in the group read but if anybody who isn't a regular wants the group to do Fledgling, explaining briefly why you'd like to read that book or what you hope to get out of a group read would go a long way to convince me that a minimal participation level is assured. You may also propose a date for scheduling purposes (anything goes).

Cool. So we have two readers so far. Anyone else up for Fledging in February-March? Monica? Do tell if you'd prefer the group read to be scheduled later.
I see Viv has Fledgling shelved as to-read. Are you reading this?

I don't think Fledgling is as deep as Dawn but it's of course not an uninteresting book. And while it's far from the warmest or most cuddly book, it's nowhere as confusing or alienating as last month's Cadigan.

I would love to read Fledgling. Last month I finished the Lilith's Brood collection, and Parable of the Sower is one of my all-time favorite books. The Lilith's Brood read was originally meant to be an informal group read, but everyone ended up reading it at very different rates, so I'd appreciate a second crack at a Butler discussion, because the material is so rich.

Is February OK for you, Dan?
Three readers should be enough to jumpstart a discussion considering we're talking about Butler (she's popular enough that others should join in once you start the discussion thread or after I push a notification to the whole group).
Note that it may be harder to tease out the feminism from Fledgling than from Lilith's Brood. But who doesn't like a challenge from time to time (I had shelved Frankenstein for the same reason)?

By the way, if there's something you still want to discuss concerning Lilith's Brood, feel free to revive the old thread. Some of us have read the books more than once and remember enough to chime in.

I think Fledgling in February is a wonderful idea! I would definitely participate!

Sorry, I've not been very active in this group for a while! I may well join in for Fledgling in February, as I have been meaning to read more Butler since reading Kindred earlier this year.

I'm up for Fledgling! It'll be my first OEB book.

February definitely works for me

Monica wrote: "I checked out the short list and added two books to my list: Company Town and Remnant Population.

I'd be happy to talk about any of my favorites any time: the Miles Vorkosigan saga by Lois McMast..."
ICAM about Charlaine Harris. I liked the HBO series, but when I tried to read the books they just didn't hold my attention.

I'm posting here today mainly to remind those of you who have committed to participate in a group read of Fledgling by Octavia Butler in February that the time is nearly upon you. Of course there is no requirement for you to make some time for this as soon as next week or even the week after that.
And since someone asked a few days ago, you are not just welcome to start a thread about the group read yourself: you are supposed to. It's up to YOU to determine how you want to structure this. If for instance you want to have a separate spoiler-free thread, that's fine. If necessary, I'll moderate the discussion but I'll do it according to your rules.
I read the book only a few years ago so I may chime in but I'm not going to lead this. And since Alexa has suddenly stopped using site (I hope she's OK!), don't be counting on her to do so either.

Something else: since I've last written here, I've finally been granted "librarian" status. I asked for the status so that I might be able to moderate what Goodreads calls a "list". That's a list of books ranked by popularity on which everyone may vote for multiple entries. We might use that in order to select future group reads. Since the group's bookshelf isn't getting many updates, maybe that would enable broader participation? Your thoughts would be welcome.
One downside is that, as I understand the rules, we'd have to define fairly objectively what is and what isn't feminist SF and therefore what books people are allowed to add to the list and to vote for. And I don't know that we have a consensus definition right now (feel free to start a thread about that if you've got a proposal as it would be useful whether or not we end up using a Goodreads list).

I'm brand new to the group and wanted to potentially suggest Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice which delves into the meaning of gender, as well as N.K. Jemisin who has a feminist bent to her writing (The Fifth Season). These are both up-and-coming authors, so perhaps they've already been suggested, but wanted to add just in case. Additionally, I love group reads and certainly want to participate in the future (much more inclined on adult novels rather than YA...). Halfway through The Core of the Sun and looking forward to Fledgling.

Thanks for showing up on the other thread, Jane. I hope you'll enjoy Fledgling as well.

Ancillary Justice has already been a group read: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
As you can see in that thread, I would never have read the book if not for this group. If there is interest among people who have joined since then, we could schedule it again but I would assume most group members have read it by now (though I know Juniper hasn't).
Alternatively, anyone would be welcome to start an unscheduled discussion of any points of particular interest such as what gender means in the book. Chances are there wouldn't be a shortage of opposing views.

I suggested Jemisin's Dreamblood books when someone wanted to do a fantasy group read a couple of years ago: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I haven't read The Fifth Season so far because I don't like having to wait for sequels. But the last book of the series ought to be nearing publication so I wouldn't mind participating in a group read of TFS later this year, in this group or elsewhere.

I'm excited! Just got my copy of Fledgling from the local library.

(I've been meaning to read both Ancillary Justice and Fifth Season for a while now, so I'd be interested in both and either.)

I've been away from Goodreads for a while but imagine my delight and surprise to find that the next group read is an OEB book!

I pretty much fell in love with the Xenogenesis series and I've been slowly consuming her other works (I want to make it last), having just read Kindred a few weeks ago. I should be able to carve out time to read Fledgling along with the group :)

thanks for organizing!

Hi, I've just joined the group and I'm looking forward to discussing science fiction books from a feminist perspective! I don't think I'll get round to fledgling until the end of the month, because I have other group commitments, but I do hope to join in. I like a good group read.

I have added a load of books to the long-list shelf. I hope some of them are helpful. I started with SF books that I've already read that are feminist to me (for those ones I've put a note in the about section). Then I added SF books that I'd like to read that I've heard reported as feminist. Then I just added SF books that are famously feminist that I've never read - you guys have already made a big dent in the list!

I'd like to put forward a suggestion for April/May group read:

The Power

I think it will tick everyone's boxes for feminist SF:

- Lots of strong female characters
- Explicitly explores the issues of sex/gender
- Is definitely SF (although not hard)

I'd really like to read it with a group. The basic story is that in the near future all women develop the power to deliver electric shocks out of their bodies. They can use this power the maim, kill or cure. The book explores what the world would be like if women were suddenly able to easily over-power men. It also has a cool framing device that it's written from the far future where society is radically different and they have a hard time imaging what it was like before the change.

I forgot to say: I don't think I've ever used the list function on Goodreads, so I wouldn't know if it's better than a bookshelf or a poll. Sorry!

Well, you certainly made good use of the bookshelf. I don't think I've ever heard about some of the books you added so thanks. I'll check them out later.

I'd be willing to make The Power the next group read on the strength of Nussbaum's review. I don't necessarily like what she likes but it sounds like it might be an interesting book if nothing else. I had decided earlier this wasn't my kind of book because premise sounded superhero-ish but that may have been a bit hasty (so many books...). I still don't see how it might possibly be SF though. And I suspect I'd decide the book's politics are full of wrong upon reading it. But that's of course not grounds to exclude a book from consideration.
Would anyone else like to read it... or suggest another book?

Outis wrote: "the premise sounded superhero-ish but that may have been a bit hasty (so many books...). I still don't see how it might possibly be SF though.."

Hmm, yes, I hadn't thought about it from that perspective. I do suspect that she's going to handwave how 'the power' comes into existence. Which is exactly like X-men or other super-hero stories so perhaps it shouldn't count as SF. I tend to give most SF a pass on at least one unbelievable premise as long as the implications are logically and rationally explored (which doesn't work for most superhero fiction). After all, there was a period in the 60s/70s when everyone went through a phase of thinking telepathy might one day be a thing and there was serious SF about 'psionics'. And I've known physicists to get really picky about faster-than-light travel, which seems too strict for me!

Outis wrote: "I suspect I'd decide the book's politics are full of wrong upon reading it"

Yes, I think that's very possible! But I'm hoping that either way that will make it very interesting.

I'm more concerned about Alderman not taking into account some of the implications than pseudo-scientific justifications for the unreal premise (hopefully she didn't go there).

Certain parties with financial and editorial power were pushing telepathy and suchlike back in the day. It's wasn't simply an intellectual fashion.
I'm no physicist but am very picky about FTL. Some of my favorite books have it but most people don't understand why it's problematic and often make a incoherent mess of their setting when using it.

Outis wrote: "I'm more concerned about Alderman not taking into account some of the implications than pseudo-scientific justifications for the unreal premise (hopefully she didn't go there).

Certain parties wit..."

Haha! And I'm just like: 'Oooh, spaceships!'

Based on the review you linked, Outis, The Power is a matriarchal dystopia which makes me queasy because of all the viciously misogynist matriarchal dystopias that have been written in the past. (I had a boyfriend in college who called them to my attention. So I was bathing in that slime for a while.) I also think that matriarchal dystopia is necessarily a simplistic way of dealing with gender issues, and the review partially bears this out.

I generally agree about matriarchal dystopias (like I said, I suspect I wouldn't be a fan of the book's politics) but I'm hoping writers can do better nowadays. And I thought UKL did a very good job with Matter of Seggri. Did you also dislike that one? If the title doesn't ring a bell, it's the dystopia with the castles.
If you want to read a matriarchal utopia or something entierly different, do propose something! I you like Nussbaum's reviews, offhand I can remember she reviewed Kessel's stories set in that utopian matriarchial lunar colony. I'll find the link if you care.

Outis wrote: "I generally agree about matriarchal dystopias (like I said, I suspect I wouldn't be a fan of the book's politics) but I'm hoping writers can do better nowadays. And I thought UKL did a very good jo..."

I missed Matter of Seggri. I haven't read The Birthday of the World and Other Stories yet. I put it on the list of books to request from my library when I am able to make another hold request.

I didn't say that I wouldn't read/discuss The Power. I'm willing to give it a chance, but as I said, it does make me queasy.

Hi! I've just found your group through Nick and am excited about it! I know you're over halfway through your current group read. If I can find a copy of Fledging in time to finish by the end of the month I will jump in, if not I definitely plan on jumping in on the next one.

I do like the voting function on lists, if you are still considering switching to that rather than a shelf.

Hi Jennifer! People sometimes don't participate until after the official closing date of a group read, which is fine by me.

@Shomeret: here are some other places where you might get Seggri: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cg...
The Unreal/Real and Found/Lost collections are great.

Since I'd like to give people a fortnight's notice and April is approaching, this is your last chance to propose an alternative to officializing The Power as the next group read.
I don't think there'd be much point in having a poll right now but if this group read is a success, I'll see about setting up a list or a poll for subsequent reads (you may of course volunteer do it yourself).

We could also make The Matter of Seggri or some other story dealing with the same topic a concurrent group read.
The most obvious such concurrent read from an intertextual perspective would be The Handmaid's Tale but I don't think there'd much point in making that a group read since, even if someone hasn't read it by now, the TV adaptation is currently being promoted and should air in 6 weeks.
That is part of the reason why I think The Power would make a good group read right now. Or does anyone think it would be more appropriate to schedule the group read after the TV show airs?
By the way, does anyone know if another Goodreads group is planning to do something in relation to the show? If you have suggestions about doing something in this group, they'd of course be welcome.

The group: The Feminist Readers' Network is currently reading The Handmaiden's Tale. They're in the same situation as this group, with activity being very quiet over the last few months.
So I think the moderator picked it because she's planning to watch the Hulu version, and since there's no real response from the group she might as well please herself, but there's no official Hulu vs. book discussion.

It's not just these last few months: this group only ever had three consistently chatty members. One scaled down her involvement starting about 18 months ago and has now left while the most chatty member disappeared after having requested the current group read...
For more than three years, every new group member has been either silent, quiet or only occasionally active. So unless I'm going to be talking to myself, the only way the group is going to be anything other than quiet is if things change.

Yeah, it's a problem. I have a real life book club on meetup and we have about 250 in the group - and about 6 regulars who actually show up.

I'm one and a half books away from fledgling - so hopefully still on track to have an opinon by the end of the month!

HI, anything is usually ok with me, but I have read The Handmaids Tale already. The Power sounds good, I am almost done with The Core of the Sun.

Since I became a blogger my activity on all groups has diminished. I research the book's topics and the authors when I write my blog reviews. They are time consuming to write. I have only so many hours in the day.

I participate in groups when they are doing something that interests me, or they have a thread that I can post to on a routine basis. Usually that's "What Are You Reading Now?' This group is too specialized to have such a thread. It would be off topic which wouldn't be helpful to the group.

If we had a thread for feminist critiquing of science fiction in general, that would be related to the topic of the group. Just a suggestion. I think such a thread could increase participation and generate useful discussion.

Would you be willing to elaborate your suggestion, Shomeret? I'm not sure I understand what you have in mind.
Or you could start that thread yourself. If you do, feel free to lay down the law (what's on or off topic for instance) if needed.

Outis wrote: "Would you be willing to elaborate your suggestion, Shomeret? I'm not sure I understand what you have in mind.
Or you could start that thread yourself. If you do, feel free to lay down the law (what..."

I mean that it could be a thread where we analyze any science fiction novel or short fiction from a feminist perspective, or discuss trends in science fiction from a feminist perspective. It could be the equivalent of "What Are You Reading Now" only limited to science fiction viewed through a feminist lens.

Discussing trends would be interesting but sounds like it would be difficult to do well unless one were to put actual work into it (like reading a random selection of stories originally published at different times).
Maybe we could use someone's published analysis as a starting point. Did you stumble on anything in the course of your research?

Analyzing a single SF work would be easier but how would we choose the work in question? Would the point be be to deal with books we wouldn't adopt as group reads for some reason or other? Is there anything in particular you might be intersted in?
We could discuss famous works that many of us have read (several titles have come up in the other thread).
Or on the contrary do you want to learn about works you are not likely to have read (for instance there's a book no one else in this group has marked as read and about which the author stated: "My worst nightmare would be for some literal-minded gender studies academic to get ahold of this")?

Notes on a "what are you reading now" basis would be a breeze to set up. But do you think commenting on random stories would be interesting?
As an example, here's what I happen to be currently reading in SF:
-a speculative novella about ethics Subterranean put out as a standalone a few months ago which I have so far found to be mainly interesting in terms of reception: people are worked up about the race angle but don't mention what's going on gender-wise (nothing remarkable, more like the new normal)
-a fluffy self-pub from 2013 featuring very humanoid aliens pushing strange social mores on humans as well as problematic romance (@Kathleen: you have marked it to-read this week; do tell if you want a preliminary opinion)
-a near-future Stephenson story with a lesbian narrator
-a big fat Tepper (need I say more?)
Does any of this strikes you as interesting? If not, what kind of thing would you be interested in reading about?

Outis wrote: "Discussing trends would be interesting but sounds like it would be difficult to do well unless one were to put actual work into it (like reading a random selection of stories originally published a..."

Discussing trends could be a product of a "what are you reading now" type thread. I could bring up a story/novel where a certain feminist issue arose and was approached in a particular way. Then you might chime in and say that you saw that approach in another story/novel. Then someone else could say that they also saw it in another work. We could discover trends that way. I could also discuss essays that I read from Book Riot or Tor.com on science fiction trends in feminist issues, and we could get into trends that way. Any of the stuff that you're reading could be interesting from a feminist analysis perspective. We could make any of it a group read if people commenting on the thread thought the book/story would work as a group read.

I like the idea of a general thread for 'what are you reading now'. Especially if it was themed in terms of 'feminism and SF'. I think a general thread would work well for this group at the moment because we're rather quiet so we don't need to split the conversation off into more specific threads.

This sounds like exactly the sort of thing that I'd enjoy: 'I could also discuss essays that I read from Book Riot or Tor.com on science fiction trends in feminist issues, and we could get into trends that way.' because I am bad at keeping up with genre news and articles, but will read and enjoy them if linked.