I don't even know why I feel the need to justify why I haven't been posting here. But I did say I would post more often, so I feel like I need an excuse. Ok, excuses, excuses. Let's see. I moved. That's the big one, really. I moved a whole 4 blocks, and it unsettled my world for a while.
Anyway, I thought it would be a good idea to try and write at least a few sentences about every book I read. Every time I update my Goodreads account, I feel like I should put something in the review section, and I think, "Aaaaah, I'll do that later." Never happens.
So, starting with the next book I finish, I'll do that. But I did want to make a confession, though. I was talking to a friend recently, who also has a Goodreads account. He was saying that he noticed (someone else might have pointed it out to him) that the books he reads are almost entirely written by men. And a quick survey of the last 100 books I've read, covering about 2 years, revealed the same pattern in my reading. Six books were written by women (intense mathematical analysis tells me that this amounts to 6%), and 3 of those titles were by the same woman (Marilynne Robinson). So, really I've only read 3 female authors in two years. I'm not sure what that says about me. Is this something I need to consciously correct?
4 comments:
Boy oh boy, sometimes I'm not good with the maths. I do believe that would be 4 female authors in 2 years. Good thing I don't have a job where I work with numbers...
“Art is art and to separate writings, paintings, musical compositions, etc. into two sexes is to emphasize values that are not art." -Elizabeth Bishop
(and also, if you're not going to count multiple books from the same female author, then you'd also have to remove all multiple books from male authors, so you're probably best just sticking with the 6% number instead of over complicating it... just saying. </mathnerd>)
I guess I agree with the Bishop quote. I'm more interested in my own psyche and being aware of tendencies, etc. I don't think the fact that I read mostly men makes me an asshole. Or maybe it does, I don't know. I just want to *know* if I'm being an asshole. An oblivious asshole is the worst kind.
nah, an oblivious asshole can learn... an intentional asshole is hopeless :P
but its definitely not an issue of morality, its just an issue of preference. if you enjoy male authors more, then read more male authors.
it's an issue of connecting with the artist. most people connect better with artists from similar backgrounds, and gender can play a role in that.
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