The Locus Award Finalists have been announced! (Here’s the Locus Magazine post.) This list has more books on it than the Nebula or the Hugo because there are more categories. They have separate categories for fantasy, science fiction, horror, and first novels.
I tend to pay attention to award lists for different reasons. I pay attention to the Women’s Prize for Fiction (this year’s short list and long list) because it is about women’s fiction chosen by a different set of female judges every year. I want to support that. Also, literary fiction is not my strong suit. I read maybe one book a month that falls under that genre. The Women’s Prize helps me narrow things down a little.
With the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus lists: first, I’m checking to see if anything I’ve read and liked ended up on them; second, I’m looking to see which books I want to add to my never-ending TBR pile. Fantasy and Science Fiction are my favorite genres.
Are there awards you pay attention to? Or do you stay away from them? Let me know in the comments below, if you like.