SciFi and Fantasy Challenge 2014

[Valerie]

Edwin, I don't feel as OCD about my two shelves, sf-f-bookclub and 2014sffchallenge. :D

[Kim]

I have a lot of shelves to track all sorts of data. I may create a new thread just about shelves.

[Michael]

Kim wrote: "I have a lot of shelves to track all sorts of data. I may create a new thread just about shelves."

LOL.

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

Far be it from me to interrupt anyone's OCD, but can't you do the same thing with one bookshelf? Just dump all the SFF Club books onto one shelf, and point to it for the challenge. It will only track the ones you've read this year for the challenge, and you can see the ones you still have to read by "selecting multiple" shelves and select to-read and SFF Club. If your system is more complicated it might not work, but lately I've been trying to go the "less is more" route with my shelves...

[Kim]

Michael wrote: "Far be it from me to interrupt anyone's OCD, but can't you do the same thing with one bookshelf? Just dump all the SFF Club books onto one shelf, and point to it for the challenge. It will only track the ones you've read this year for the challenge, and you can see the ones you still have to read by "selecting multiple" shelves and select to-read and SFF Club. If your system is more complicated it might not work, but lately I've been trying to go the "less is more" route with my shelves..."

I don't know about others but as I was reading club books long before the challenge I keep the shelves separate. That way I know exactly what I read for the the challenge.

Also I did create that thread - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Sarah]

I feel like there are so many books that dumping them into one shelf would be confusing. Until I get closer to having read everything, the multiple bookshelves works best for me. Then I can see where I'm at on my challenge at a glance and sort through only to-reads to fill it up.

[Michael]

It's true clicking between lists is a lot easier than multiple selecting two lists. And the nice thing is that moving books between shelves is very easy on Goodreads.

[Edwin]

Michael wrote: "Far be it from me to interrupt anyone's OCD, but can't you do the same thing with one bookshelf? Just dump all the SFF Club books onto one shelf, and point to it for the challenge. It will only track the ones you've read this year for the challenge, and you can see the ones you still have to read by "selecting multiple" shelves and select to-read and SFF Club. If your system is more complicated it might not work, but lately I've been trying to go the "less is more" route with my shelves... "

Hmm, up until now, I haven't payed much attention to the "select multiple" bookshelf function. Nice idea.

[Claire]

I've read 22 of my 24 book goal so far so happy with that and extremely pleased with the variety and new authors I've come across by dipping into the list of books read. I have a little boy so reading time is very limited but I think I'm only about 3 months behind :)

[Edwin]

This month's fantasy selection, Hounded just got me to my goal of 24. It's now all gravy from here.

[Sarah]

That's great Edwin! I still have 3 left to hit my goal of 25. At the rate I'm going that will be easy.

[Richard]

Congratulations, Edwin!

[John]

I'll hit 20 next week and with 25 as my goal that means I'm gonna be short a few. But I'm good with 21 or 22. I was only reading 3 or 4 books a year period before I joined this group and now I'm reading about 30 a year (10 or so outside the group). And I kind of backed off reading both selections each month to make time to continue some of the series I started with y'all and to read some non group books as well.
Also, I've been amazed how much my reading speed/ skill has increased since reading so much more these last 18 months. Especially considering I'm A) what I thought was a good reader to begin with and B) damn near 40 years old.

[Tawallah]

If this challenge is on in 2015, I'll definitely be joining. I've been trying to read more Sci fi and maybe fantasy. Not really interested in magic but as there are so many sub genres I I'm curious to try.

@ John I agree that the number of books I read had really increased since joining GR and doing challenges.

Good reading everyone. Even if you don't complete your goals at least some books are of your list and you have read some good books and found new authors. And that's the point right

[Sandi]

I have just finished my challenge of 40 SFFBookClub selections and 170 books total for this year! Now, for the rest of the year, I can go back and finish some of the series in which the bookclub list has interested me. I also hope that the challenge is extended for next year. It does provide a small, added incentive to pick up books from authors I never would have heard of or considered otherwise. And, as I finished Old Man's War, my football team won. So - Great Day and Gig 'em! Whoop!

[Scott]

Rounding off my challenge with Tigana - Guy Gavriel Kay, which I'm enjoying so far, pretty early on.

Lots of great books I've read this year and a lot of those have been from the challenge. Really glad it was done because I definitely found some stuff I might not have ever heard of without it.

Might even get above my goal in the next month or so!

[Jim]

Well, my challenge hasn't worked out so well so far. I know that between work, the family, short story reading, and a comic book habit I keep meaning to cut down on, I can usually only manage 1-2 novels a month. I opted to do the 12 minimum, thinking I could do one group read and one other book each month. But I've just had too many other good books, and not enough time. So I've only now hit 6 group books for the year. I may be able to get one or two more in, but I won't hit 12.

[Sarah]

I chose 25 and I'm at 24. For some reason I've made a real run lately. I think I've read four or five recently. My comic book habit has been on snooze lately though, and I have some really great stuff waiting for me.

[Jan]

I hope you enjoy the Moon is a Harsh Mistress. It has been one of my absolute favorites!

[Bill]

Trying for a late year push only have 13 of 20 done. Should have two more this week. So still hoping to get it done.

[Sarah]

Yay! I've finished my goal of 25 :) I'll probably read a few more but I've hit my goal.

[Valerie]

My goal was 20, but I realized this would not help me "catch up" on the list with 24 new books each year. I've been making a push this last quarter and I am now pleased to be at 27.

[Edwin]

Sarah wrote: "Yay! I've finished my goal of 25 :) I'll probably read a few more but I've hit my goal."

Congrats!

[Aneela]

Will definitely be joining this challenge next year.

[Sarah]

Thanks Edwin :)

Valerie, that's fantastic!

I only joined the challenge in August (?) so I am hoping to do more next year. I hope the same challenge is available.

[Valerie]

Wow, 20 since August is great! Kudos!

Is anyone else finding that the more they read from the list, the more they want to read? Further down the hole...

[Sarah]

Yes! I've discovered some fantastic stuff.

[Hank]

Is anyone else finding that the more they read from the list, the more they want to read? Further down the hole..."

Yes! Is there a way we can just freeze all writer's brains for 5 years or so, so we can catch up? Probably some ethical barrier to doing that...

[Michael]

Hank wrote: "
Is anyone else finding that the more they read from the list, the more they want to read? Further down the hole..."

Yes! Is there a way we can just freeze all writer's brains for 5 years or so..."

Sounds great!

I was going to suggest a time machine, but that just makes it worse! Imagine going 200 years in the future and finding out how many more books you have to read??? (But maybe by then you could just download them into your brain port??)

[Penny]

So glad so many people have enjoyed this challenge as much as I have! I'm also loving it! So many great books and I'm reading more than I otherwise would have. I'm doing well, with 6 books to go to make it to 100 books on the shelf read! And that's about to change to 5 since I've already read The Hitchhiker's Guide which is going to be one of the December reads. I think I may make it after all :)

[Edwin]

Penny wrote: "I'm doing well, with 6 books to go to make it to 100 books on the shelf read!"

Show off.

Seriously though, good work, if you can call it that.

[Penny]

Edwin wrote: "Penny wrote: "I'm doing well, with 6 books to go to make it to 100 books on the shelf read!"

Show off.

Seriously though, good work, if you can call it that."

Hahaha! Thanks Edwin :) I did make it a challenge at more than a book a week for the year. I really didn't think I'd make it. Really I think it was all your kind words of support that helped me achieve my goal ;P

[Michael]

Penny wrote: "I'm doing well, with 6 books to go to make it to 100 books on the shelf read! And that's about to change to 5 since I've already read The Hitchhiker's Guide which is going to be one of the December reads."

Oh, I forgot all about Hitchhiker's already being on my Read shelf! I reread last December so unfortunately it doesn't apply to this year's challenge, but at least it increases my overall count, and I don't have to do anything!

[Valerie]

Same for me, Michael.

In addition to the challenge, I have my personal goal of increasing my percentage of group books read. I feel like when the group reads something I've already read it's like getting a freebie. :)

[Penny]

:) My goal for this challenge was to get to 100 books read, so I do get to read one less book because of this. That said, I prefer when we read books I haven't read before cause I'm more likely to get involved in the discussion. But I do enjoy hitting the vote button on the listopia list :) After this year no more votes for me since you can only vote for 100 :( I think they should change that rule.

[Hank]

I was going to ask you what you planned on doing for the list after 100. I have been dropping and replacing so that the books I didn't really enjoy don't get the benefit of my vote. I geeked out and spent/wasted some time sorting the list from best to worst. Makes the vote more fun when I have to figure out where it fits.

[Penny]

Well now I know what I plan to do :) I've got some order to my votes but it got too much to keep up with this year. I'll have fun reordering at some point.

[Sarah]

I'm hoping to hit 100 next year. I'll probably be around 45 by the end of the year so that's basically one per week next year.

I also love it when you read a book and it fits multiple challenges so it feels like a freebie :) This challenge has been so much fun.

[Valerie]

Hmm, I am now up to 51. I like this idea of hitting 100. I might make it my goal for next year.

[Edwin]

Alright, I have to get all warm and complimentary here, which is usually not my style.

Since I joined this group last December, I have been consistently amazed at the quality of the monthly selections and consequently the bookshelf in general. Many of the choices have gotten me out of my comfort zone or introduced me to books that I never would have considered otherwise.

I have especially enjoyed participating in this reading challenge. I would whole-heartedly suggest that we continue in 2015 with another challenge, and even if we don't, I look forward to catching up on all the books that I didn’t get to in 2014. Yeah, like that’s likely to happen.

This is a fabulous and well run group and kudos to our moderators Kim and Penny and to everyone else who is active here for keeping it so. OK, I’m done now.

[Michael]

Edwin wrote: "Alright, I have to get all warm and complimentary here, which is usually not my style.

Since I joined this group last December, I have been consistently amazed at the quality of the monthly select..."

Hear, hear!

[Valerie]

Edwin wrote: "Alright, I have to get all warm and complimentary here, which is usually not my style.

Since I joined this group last December, I have been consistently amazed at the quality of the monthly select..."

I concur on the kudos.

[Sarah]

These books are so awful that I'm sharing the pain. I managed to get Fuzzy Nation voted in to my in person book group. Woo hoo! I'll be surprised if anyone dislikes it.

[Michael]

Sarah wrote: "These books are so awful that I'm sharing the pain."

Wow, I thought I was fluent in sarcasm, but you threw me for a minute there!

[Sarah]

I learned from my brother, who could teach classes on sarcasm.

These books really are great. If something gets all the way through voting you're almost guaranteed to love it. It's made me want to read the whole list, and its so exciting to see what wins the poll every month.

[Scott]

Yay for me! Finished the challenge last night with Tigana - Guy Gavriel Kay, which I'm very glad I read even if it was a bit tedious at times.

Hoping to get a couple more in before the close of the year. This has been a lot of fun working through the shelf. Agreed with others above that there are so many great choices.

::pats self on back::

[Sarah]

Great job, Scott!

[[deleted user]]

I feel a bit inadequate bragging about hitting my goal of 12 when people are talking about doing 100, but anyway... I did it! The group made it easy for me by picking 2 books toward the end (The Martian and Annihilation) that I had already read earlier in the year. I really hope there's a 2015 challenge, the shelf has so many other books I'd like to read. I could read them any way of course (and some I'm sure I will), but the challenge makes it a bit more fun and more of a... well, challenge.

[Hank]

Brag away! If the challenge got you to read more than you would have otherwise then...score! Did you have a favorite?

[Sarah]

I love the profile pic, Andy. Great job on the challenge too. I got a few "freebies" by joining the challenge after I had already read some. It's fun, isn't it? It's a great feeling even though you did the reading either way.

I've been on a sci-fi bender lately. Especially with the Goodreads Choice Awards.

[[deleted user]]

Hank wrote: "Brag away! If the challenge got you to read more than you would have otherwise then...score! Did you have a favorite?"

Hmmm, it's hard to pick a favorite because I really enjoyed all 12 (with the exception of Spin, and possibly Annihilation, which I had mixed feelings about). I would say my favorite was probably Embassytown.

A few of the books that were major new releases I would have read anyway (Annihilation, The Martian, Ancillary Justice), but I would almost definitely not have gotten around to classics like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, The Island of Doctor Moreau or The Lathe of Heaven, or lesser known works by popular authors like Pump Six and Other Stories.

This challenge made up about 1/4 of the books I read this year, but it definitely accounts for some of my favorites.