SciFi and Fantasy Challenge 2014

[Kirstie]

I am doing this challenge along side a horror challenge so some of these books luckily kill two birds with one stone. Here is what I'm reading:

1. The Time Machine
2. Frankenstein
3. The Island of Doctor Moreau
4. I Am Legend
5.World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
6.The Road
7.Fahrenheit 451
8.The War of the Worlds
9.Ready Player One
10.I, Robot
11.Foundation
12.Watchmen

[Michael]

Just finished The Martian which completes My Challenge ahead of schedule! I only had 12 books on my list, so it was a modest challenge, and now I can read some bonus books!

I've now read 34 of the club's total 169 books (20%). I might eventually make it to 50% if I keep reading more than 12 a year...

[Michael]

Oh, and I noticed as a whole we're at 34% for The Group Challenge, with 66% of the reading days gone for the year. Uh oh...

[Raymond]

Well, I've definitely joined the SciFi and Fantasy Book Club WAY too late for this one. Any chance there'll be a 2015 challenge?

[Valerie]

I am at 85% of my goal. I guess I might need to step it up. I do have The Martian and Promise of Blood in my queue.

[Michael]

Valerie wrote: "I am at 85% of my goal. I guess I might need to step it up. I do have The Martian and Promise of Blood in my queue."

85% sounds great! The Group Challenge Page doesn't let me see everyone's challenge for some reason. But there are a lot of 0% among the ones I can see...

[Aaron]

Well I have a number of books I have finished that would qualify but I havn't put them in the folder yet.

[Michael]

Aaron wrote: "Well I have a number of books I have finished that would qualify but I havn't put them in the folder yet."

Hmm, maybe that's true for a lot of people. Note: You can put as many books as you want in the folder, it doesn't change your total goal number, and it will only mark them as completed when you change them to "Read" status (and the year read is 2014).

Of course, not everyone knows what they plan to read, but if you were industrious you could copy the group's entire bookshelf (not sure of an easy way to do that) to one of your own shelves. That would be particularly helpful if there was a 2015 (2016, 2017...) challenge, because you could just use the same shelf year after year and just keep adding all the club's new books to it. It would only count books read in the challenge year as going toward the challenge...

Just thinking out loud.

[Kim]

Michael wrote: "Oh, and I noticed as a whole we're at 34% for The Group Challenge, with 66% of the reading days gone for the year. Uh oh..."

I'm not surprised, or worried. I never expected everyone to finish their challenge, it's more to encourage people to read.

Raymond wrote: "Well, I've definitely joined the SciFi and Fantasy Book Club WAY too late for this one. Any chance there'll be a 2015 challenge?"

We haven't really discussed it yet. Towards the end of the year we'll ask for some feedback and make a decision.

I'm currently at 76% finished. Have a couple challenge books on my Kindle that I keep putting off (Little, Big, Red Mars, Weaveworld), one I need from the library (The Suicide Collectors) and then whatever else the group reads this year.

[A.L.]

The War of the Worlds Kirstie. I loved it.

[Michael]

75% of the 2014 Challenge Year has passed as of today! I updated my challenge tracking post; as I mentioned before I met my challenge this month and am now working on bonus reads! Anyone else want to admit how far along they are??

[Maggie]

I am 'on track' lol-I thought for a bit I had over estimated, but a couple months of choices I liked got me back on track.

So far for me it has been:

The Last Wish
Pump Six and Other Stories
Mort
Ancillary Justice
The Gunslinger
The Summer Tree
The Man in the High Castle
Fuzzy Nation
The Dragon's Path
The Assassin's Apprentice
The Yiddish Policemen's Union
Gun, With Occasional Music
Promise of Blood
The Diamond Age
Across the Nightingale Floor

Currently: Leviathan Wakes


I still plan to read:
Stranger in a Strange Land
Moon is a harsh Mistress
Alif the Unseen
Zoo City

[Sarah]

I would love to have a 2015 challenge. Actually I assumed there would be one and I've been mentally separating some books out for next year. So, if it's possible, pretty please? :)

[Paolo]

Looks like I'm back on track! Out of my goal of 15 this year I've read 12 so far:
The Handmaid's Tale
Pump Six and Other Stories
Slaughterhouse-Five
Ancillary Justice
The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
The Island of Dr. Moreau
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
The Left Hand of Darkness
The Martian
Wool
Neuromancer
Hyperion

Currently reading: Leviathan Wakes.

Planned (possibly):
Altered Carbon
The Windup Girl
Oct/Nov/Dec picks?

I am also already thinking about the 2015 challenge...

[Edwin]

21 of my goal of 24 completed, so I am very much on track so far:

my challenge

Also, I think another challenge in 2015 would be swell.

[Valerie]

I am at 19 out of my projected 20 and I just started Leviathan Wakes. I think I'm going to make it.

[Scott]

I am 19 out of 25 so far

[Scott]

oops

[David]

I bumped my goal from 12 to 20 and am on #18 now, so should make it easily. Will do it again next year to make more progress on the bookshelf.

Edit: have hit 20, have updated target to 24, so by year end won't have fallen further behind (sigh).

As long as so many aren't on ebook, have an excuse not to have read them.

[Penny]

I'm at 41 out of 57 which is 1 book behind schedule. This is the first time in ages I've managed to get up to only one book behind schedule which is nice, but I've got some biggies left so we'll see if I make it in the end. I'll certainly try :)

[Hank]

38 out of 24 which is a total surprise to me. I didn't think I would get so obsessed. I am trying, now, to hit the goal of having read 100 of the books on the club's bookshelf and I need 5 more to do that.

[Sarah]

Wow Hank! That's impressive!

[Hank]

Sarah wrote: "Wow Hank! That's impressive!"

It is Penny's fault, she badgered and shamed me into agreeing to shoot for 100 (actually she did neither of those things, just gently suggested). The challenge was a blast, I would have never read as many as I did without it! Your turn next year? And thanks.

[Penny]

Hank wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Wow Hank! That's impressive!"

It is Penny's fault, she badgered and shamed me into agreeing to shoot for 100 (actually she did neither of those things, just gently suggested). The ..."

Hehe, awesome :) Good work Hank! I've still got 16 books to go by the end of the year to make it to 100 read. It's not going to be easy, but it helps that I've finished my thesis and I'm still looking for one of those job things. Leaves lots of time for reading :)

[Sarah]

I think I'll have to wait to make 100 until next year or the year after. I only joined the challenge a couple of months ago. I'm at 15 for the year, but I'm not sure how many total. I would love to eventually read the whole list!

[Valerie]

It has just occurred to me that I will have to step up my game to catch up. When I set my goal at 20 books at the start of the year, I was thinking that would account for 1 book per month and give me leeway to try to catch up to the reading list. Stupid Val! The club picks TWO books per month. Maybe if I cram, by the end of the year I will be at least even with the number of club books unread by the end of the year.

[Michael]

Valerie wrote: "It has just occurred to me that I will have to step up my game to catch up. When I set my goal at 20 books at the start of the year, I was thinking that would account for 1 book per month and give..."

Ha ha, yes, I love that we have to work so hard just to stay in the same place!

That is why I was thinking of a "50% goal". If I read 12 per year in the future, I just have to get to 50% and then I can maintain 50% at that rate. Unfortunately, I need to read 50 more books to get to 50%. Hmm, even at 17 per year it will take me 10 years to get there... Maybe I should look at a 25% goal...

[Paolo]

So at one point I thought I might not complete the challenge, but I stepped it up and with Annihilation looking like it will win the poll for next month, and since I read it earlier this year, that gives me a free additional book! This will leave me at 14 of 15.

The last book might be a future pick or maybe something else...

This leaves me free to read all the sequels I have already lined up:
Acceptance
Echopraxia
The Fall of Hyperion

[Scott]

I was falling behind there for a while but caught back up with Old Man's War, Alif the Unseen and The Graveyard Book all read in a row. So now I'm back on schedule to read 25 of the group's books for the year.

Just 3 to go!!

[Penny]

We've got 10 weeks to go to complete our challenges! I have 12 books to read in that time to make it to 100 books read from our bookshelf, so there's a chance I'll make my challenge, but it's not an easy one so who knows :P I'm determined to keep trying though! I'm on track right now since I just finished Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch. That usually only lasts a day or so but I'll enjoy it while I can :)

[Valerie]

I just completed my original goal of 20 last night when I finished The Handmaid's Tale.

I've been thinking that I would like to hit 25, so I don't fall any further behind on the number of books I still need to read on the group shelf. I think I can do this, especially if I find my way around to finishing Watchmen, Infernal Devices, and Leviathan Wakes - all of which I've started, but got set aside when library holds came tumbling in.

[Sarah]

I didn't join the challenge until August so originally I set my challenge as 12. Then I realized I had read some of the books so I upped it to 20. I'm at 17. I've got Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Watership Down scheduled for next month. Then I plan on joining Zoo City in Dec so I should be good. There are a few others I want to read as well.

[Kim]

I'm down to 4 books left to go. I should hopefully start The Suicide Collectors tonight and then Annihilation next month and we'll see what December brings.

[Scott]

Getting my Fuzzy Nation on and the deciding between Tigana and Leviathan Wakes to round off my challenge. I'm sure I'll end up reading both before the end of the year.

[Bill]

I have 11 of 20 done so pretty far behind schedule. In a reading funk now have barely read the last two weeks.

[Valyssia]

I have 11 out of 20 myself. I might make it. Over all, I'm 22 books away from meeting my 2014 reading challenge goal. I just need to concentrate on books for this club and I should be fine. The only problem I may have is availability.

I'm currently reading Mort, a quick, cutesy little read. I should finish with that today or tomorrow, bringing my total up to 12.

[Sarah]

Scott! Fuzzy Nation is one of the most wonderful books I've read! You'll love it. : )

[Penny]

Sarah wrote: "Scott! Fuzzy Nation is one of the most wonderful books I've read! You'll love it. : )"

Have to agree :)

[Scott]

Thoroughly enjoying it so far. Love me some Scalzi. Can't believe it took me so long to start reading him

[Valerie]

I concur on the enjoyability of Fuzzy Nation!

[Paolo]

Scott wrote: "Getting my Fuzzy Nation on and the deciding between Tigana and Leviathan Wakes to round off my challenge. I'm sure I'll end up reading both before the end of the year."

I hadn't realized Tigana was on the group's bookshelf! I'm reading it right now, so while I thought I had one more book to go to meet my goal of 15... apparently I may finish the challenge tonight!

[Sarah]

I've been thinking of going through the list and putting everything on my to read shelf so I can see if I can do 100 next year. Also, I often miss things and read something not realizing they're on the shelf.

[Robyn]

Three left! But I read Annihilation earlier this year, so I suppose that's only two....should be able to manage that easily.

[Valerie]

Sarah wrote: "I've been thinking of going through the list and putting everything on my to read shelf so I can see if I can do 100 next year. Also, I often miss things and read something not realizing they're on..."

I have created a subshelf for this book club and I've been slowing adding the club books to it. Right now I have nearly half of the books on this shelf (I add those that I am most likely to read soon and those that I've read).

As new books get added each month, I automatically add them to this shelf, whether I've read them or not.

[Sarah]

That's kind of what I was thinking. If I add them to my to read and sci-fi/fantasy bookshelf then I'll never miss putting a read one in there.

I've read things a couple of times and only found out later that it was part of this challenge.

Plus, I've got this ridiculous list on my phone that I could get rid of if I did it this way!

[Edwin]

Sarah wrote: "That's kind of what I was thinking. If I add them to my to read and sci-fi/fantasy bookshelf then I'll never miss putting a read one in there."

OK, my list obsession takes this even further: I have three shelves for this group


--A "F&SF 2014 challenge" shelf which includes the books that I have completed this year for the 2014 challenge

--A "F&SF bookclub-read" shelf which includes ALL books that I have read on the club's bookshelf

and

--A "F&SF bookclub to-read" shelf that includes books on the club's bookshelf that I want to read, including upcoming monthly picks (Hounded and Annihilation for example)

This shelf and list business sure bring out the OCD in me.

[Sarah]

I like you're system and I'm going to steal it. It's much better to be organized from the start. Thanks!

[Sarah]

I had to add a priority shelf, too, but I used your system otherwise Edwin. Thanks! I'm at 18 for the year and 30 for the group. 30 is rather sad... I better get moving.

[Penny]

Sarah wrote: "I had to add a priority shelf, too, but I used your system otherwise Edwin. Thanks! I'm at 18 for the year and 30 for the group. 30 is rather sad... I better get moving."

Don't think of it as sad, think of it as so many great books still to read! When we set up the How many of our Club Books have you read? thread in March 2013 I was on 16. Now I'm on 88, and they've been some of the best books I've read. We have a fantastic bookshelf :)

[Sarah]

I've loved almost everything I've read off this shelf. There have been ones that I've never even heard of and then they're amazing. Fuzzy Nation is now one of my favorite novels, and The Last Wish wowed me. There's just really great stuff.

I don't think I'll be able to make 100 next year though but I can always try!