I have always loved books. When I was in elementary school my weekly $2.25 allowance was enough to buy a Hardy Boys book and a Hersey Bar with Almonds. I would start my Saturday afternoon by reading Frank and Joe’s latest adventure. I was pretty far through the series when one year for Christmas I was given Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Jules Verne was my first introduction to Science Fiction and I loved it. I went to see Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey when it came out and then got a collection of his short stories, The Nine Billion Names of God. I should probably reread those stories, because when I was in Jr. High, I tended to read by flashlight in bed at night and would fall asleep mid-story.
We are a family of avid readers. Over the last few years, my wife has gone through some mega book lists. She is always looking for good things to read and suggesting books that I might enjoy. We recently learned about the process for nominating and voting for the Hugo Award, that regular readers could be involved in the Hugo nominations and voting process. It sounds like fun and we decided to read new science fiction and fantasy works from this year and participate.
Next August, at WorldCon 75, the Hugo Award will be given for the best Science Fiction or Fantasy works published in 2016. Those who become members of WorldCon 75 can participate in the selection process. There are two stages. The first is the nomination stage that takes place between January and March. Members of WorldCon 75 can nominate up to five works in each award category. The top five works that receive the most nominations are then voted on between April and July.
There are several categories for nomination and voting including best novel, best novella, best novelette, best short story, best related work, best graphic story, best dramatic presentation long form, best dramatic presentation short form, best editor long form, best editor short form, best professional artist, best semiprozine, best fanzine, best fancast, best fan writer, and best fan artist. It is not required that you nominate or vote in every category.
My wife and I joined WorldCon 75 and we are busy gathering potentially Hugo-worthy works to read. Here is a list of the ones we’ve read.