ladybusiness | One thing I can do as a reader... (Reply)

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For a reader there seems to be a simple answer. Pay more attention to women bloggers writing about SF/F so that I don't miss half the good books out there on account of this unconscious gender bias.

If I started reviewing books I could consciously buck the trend. Finding the odd male reviewer that bucks the trend could be good too, reward the ones that aren't doing it. When I look at the books I read and love, I find a ton of good female writers.

Ignoring them is worse than panning them. I can't count the number of times I read a nasty review and came away determined to buy the book because the reviewer hated my taste in books. If the reviewer consistently hates my taste in books, that's as good as sharing my tastes. I'll know what's out there, ignore his picks and buy what appeals to me. Ignoring it, I don't know what's there.

I don't read many reviews any more, tend to choose books more on back cover and title or my knowing the author. It's good to know if I hunt down female bloggers that I'll get a good overview of what's available.