SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
SciFi and Fantasy Book Challenge
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Coordinating reading books in groups
Here's the latest schedule proposal for the 12 "hot books" in this thread (posting this up top on this page so it is easy to find):(reader count), title, (page count), month (read second half of month):
(9) Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency* - (306pp) - January 27
(6) Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1)* - (539pp) - February 15
(5) Foundation - (296pp) - March??
(5) Oryx and Crake* - (374pp) - April 1
(6) Perdido Street Station - (867pp) - April??
(6) The Left Hand of Darkness* - (304pp) - May 15
(8) Embassytown - (405pp) - June?
(5) The Color of Magic* - (250pp) - July?
(4) Mistborn: The Final Empire* - (647pp) - August?
(6) Leviathan Wakes - (561pp) - September?
(4) Doomsday Book* - (578pp) - October?
(8) The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress* - (302pp) - November?
*means I'm reading it
Night Watch and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? also seem "hot" with 5 readers each, someone may want to propose times to read those...
Between "Night Watch" and "Do Androids...," the latter is the faster read. "Night Watch" is the first of the W-V-W-Z (Witches Vampires Werewolves Zombies) subgenre that is monopolizing the sci-fi field these days. Frankly, I am more than unhappy about this direction, but I guess that is just the Golden ager coming out in me.
Count me in for LeGuin in May :) I have it in my TBR pile and haven´t gotten around to it.
Paolo wrote: "Count me in for LeGuin in May :) I have it in my TBR pile and haven´t gotten around to it."Great, glad to have you!
I plan to try joining in for Perdido Street Station in April. It hadn’t really been on my radar as something I would read soon, but I’ve had it on my Kindle for a while. It seems like a good opportunity to cross another TBR book off my list whilst enjoying the setting of a group read. I enjoyed the Wool group read.
As a counterpoint, I think I will have to bail on the Perdido Street Station discussion - I did enjoy the Wool discussion, but Perdido is quite long and I seem to have overbooked April...
♣ ♣ ♣ MK ♣ ♣ ♣ Happy Saint Patrick's Day :) wrote: "Late March sounds like it will work best for all three of us book addicts ;-)."OK, I am caught up and ready to start Anansi Boys anytime you say go.
Edwin wrote: "OK, I am caught up and ready to start Anansi Boys a..."Great :) (heh I wish I was caught up! :-p). I am still working on:
The Portrait of a Lady
Middlesex
Ireland
Keeper
So, how about, say, 10 days from now? The first one is on audio CD, the third one I'm about a third of the way in, so I should be done or close in 10-ish days.
Valerie, would that work for you too? If you both want to start sooner, I can shuffle one of mine.
MK wrote: "Edwin wrote: "OK, I am caught up and ready to start Anansi Boys a..."Great :) (heh I wish I was caught up! :-p). I am still working on:
The Portrait of a Lady
[book:Middl..."
10 days is good for me--start day March 38 ;)
Edwin wrote: "10 days is good for me--start day March 38 ;) "Ehrm ... you mean 28th right? :D Not St Paddy's Day anymore! You can't get away with being drunk at noontime on the 18th ;-) (heheheheh ~~~)
MK wrote: "Edwin wrote: "10 days is good for me--start day March 38 ;) "Ehrm ... you mean 28th right? :D Not St Paddy's Day anymore! You can't get away with being drunk at noontime on the 18th ;-) (heheh..."
Yes, the 28th it is. It was a typo. Yeah, a typo........
heheheh .... Okay! So, I put the physical copy of the book on hold. Hopefully it'll arrive at my branch by Thursday night, so I should have it for this weekend. Someone checked the ebook out in between when I checked last and today (d'oh!). I should have grabbed it then ... but I didn't know if I'd still have it long enough to finish, if I checked it out then, and didn't start until Friday.
Valerie, are you in for Anansi Boys?
Valerie wrote: "MK, I loved Middlesex. Hope you enjoy it. ..."Edwin wrote: "And I agree, Middlesex is a pretty darned good read. ..."
MK wrote: "... Appreciate the Middlesex feedback! Picking it up from the library Thursday evening. Looking forward to it :) "
Finished Middlesex last night, btw. You were both right, it was a good read. Enjoyed it very much *thumbs up*
if you're still up for Oryx & Crake starting next week, i'm definitely due for a re-read before jumping into the rest of that set!
That's on my list of reads, as well - I was thinking about starting it this week. So that's another person who'd be up for discussion!
I'm still in for the Oryx and Crake read; I was planning to start next week and would love to discuss it with anyone else who wants to read it!Are other folks interested in Perdido Street Station for April? I overbooked and can't do both, but I noticed on my spreadsheet that the people planning to read Oryx this year don't seem to overlap the people planning to read Perdido, so maybe the Perdido group could also start April 1 since it's such a long book. Just an idea, I'll leave it up to anyone who is still planning on reading it...
MK, I am partying in Manhattan with my wife and son for his Spring Break so there isn't a lot of reading getting done right now. I should be able to start Anansi Boys Sat or Sun though.
Michael, I plan to read Perdido but won't probably start until mid April.
Edwin wrote: "MK, I am partying in Manhattan with my wife and son for his Spring Break so there isn't a lot of reading getting done right now. I should be able to start Anansi Boys Sat or Sun though."After the weekend sounds good, Edwin. Enjoy!!! Tomorrow might not be so great, weatherwise, but after that, it really will be spring weather there!
Still haven't heard from Valerie, so a few more days might give her time to see the posts/join us, too. It's not like I don't have a whole pile o books to keep me busy ;-). (I didn't read a single page last weekend, so I still have many to go :D)
Robyn wrote: "That's on my list of reads, as well - I was thinking about starting it this week. So that's another person who'd be up for discussion!"Which one, Robyn? Anansi, or Oryx? Either group will love to have you join, I'm sure :).
Oh, that was unclear! I meant Oryx and Crake! :)
Edwin wrote: "MK, I am partying in Manhattan with my wife and son for his Spring Break so there isn't a lot of reading getting done right now. I should be able to start Anansi Boys Sat or Sun though."As it turns out, I'll likely be heading out of town this weekend for a funeral, so after the weekend works best for me too.
MK, no worries. I will plan to start Sun or Mon.
I am still in for Anansi Boys. I may be a few days late (finishing up those pesky library loans).I am also down for Oryx and Crake.
I think I am going to skip Foundation for now. I have noticed that I don't always take to classic SciFi.
Valerie wrote: "Well, it looks like the stars aligned and I was able to start Anansi Boys. Hurrah!"Great. I plan to start Anansi Boys tomorrow.
It looks like the excitement for Perdido Street Station has subsided, so I may join you and Michael and jump in on Oryx and Crake after Anansi Boys instead. Unfortunately it will be another one of those "first book in a series" books (along with Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1), The Name of the Wind and The Atlantis Gene) that usually makes my to-read shelf all that longer.
. Unfortunately it will be another one of those "first book in a series" books (along with Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1), The Name of the Wind and The Atlantis Gene) that usually makes my to-read shelf all that longer.I have a definite love-hate relationship with series for this very reason....
I already read The Year of the Flood without realising it was the middle of the series ... so at least that means only one more after Oryx and Crake!
I totally agree. I get why book clubs usually only read the first and/or second books from a series, but it ends up wreaking havoc with Type A need to read the series to (hopeful) conclusion.
When I actually have a plan, I try to use a 4-to-1 ratio of continuing series to new series (i.e. don't start a new series until I've read at least 4 other books from series I am already in the middle of). This is based on the idea that the series I'm reading tend to average about 5 books. It's not very easy to keep to this rule, though! So far in 2014 my ratio is 0-to-4. :(Edwin wrote: "I may join you and Michael and jump in on Oryx and Crake after Anansi Boys instead"
Glad to have you, Edwin! I just checked out Oryx and Crake from my library and plan to start in on it tomorrow. The discussion links are here:
First Impressions *no spoilers*
Finished Reading? (Spoilers)
So these characters...(Spoilers)
Not sure what these are, but I assume they have spoilers...
Won't read it
It's the end of the world...
Michael wrote: "When I actually have a plan, I try to use a 4-to-1 ratio of continuing series to new series (i.e. don't start a new series until I've read at least 4 other books from series I am already in the mid..."Valerie wrote: "Well, it looks like the stars aligned and I was able to start Anansi Boys. Hurrah!"
Fabulous! I'm back from unexpected weekend out of town. I need another day to get my sea legs back under me ;-), then I can start tomorrow :D.
Here're some relevant threads I located:
· Anansi Boys
"Anansi Boys" Gut Reaction *no spoilers*
"Anansi Boys" Finished Reading *Spoilers*
"Anansi Boys" Comparisons to American Gods *Marked Spoilers*
Edwin wrote: "It looks like the excitement for Perdido Street Station has subsided, so I may join you and Michael and jump in on Oryx and Crake after Anansi Boys instead. ..."hahaha ... I was going to *try* to too. Just don't know if I actually can squeeze it in. But I did check it out of the library last Thursday *grin*
Michael wrote: "When I actually have a plan, I try to use a 4-to-1 ratio of continuing series to new series (i.e. don't start a new series until I've read at least 4 other books from series I am already in the mid..."Interesting way to balance out your series reading, Michael. It is a much more proactive way of looking at it.
I have this dorkorificc list of reading goals for 2014 (it really is quite ridiculous). My goal is to be "up-to-date" on at least 25% of my open series by the end of the year.
Sound simple? Well, yes, but then I further define my parameters. So, I took a baseline measurement of all my open series at the beginning of the year. My progress is based on taking this same measurement compared as a percentage of the baseline measurement.
Open series to me is:
1. A series that I have decided to continue reading (that way I don't waste time reading clunkers)
2. Book(s) have been published that I have not yet read in this series
Wow...that sounds even dorkier when I type it out loud.
Valerie wrote: "Interesting way to balance out your series reading, Michael. It is a much more proactive way of looking at it."It did at least help me to quantify the problem. (And realize what I'm getting into if I go ahead and start just one more series...)
Love your lists, although I could easily get sucked down the rabbit hole. That is always a danger when I start obsessing...
Edwin wrote: "Michael, are you still thinking of The Left Hand of Darkness next month and if so, when?"Yes, I still have room for this one and keep hearing good things about it - I was thinking starting around May 15 so people have time for the group monthly reads if they are interested. Does that work for you?
I also saw The Left Hand of Darkness on challenge lists for Penny, Richard, Kgwhitehurst, and Maarit, so anyone interested who has date suggestions let me know!
Michael wrote: "Edwin wrote: "Yes, I still have room for this one and keep hearing good things about it - I was thinking starting around May 15 so people have time for the group monthly reads if they are interested. Does that work for you?"The 15th works for me.
15 May works for me for LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS. BTW, what happened to PERDIDO STREET STATION? Yes, it's a long read--I'm only on page 231 at the moment, but I had company for 10 days--but is anybody else reading it for the challenge? I'm actually enjoying it, but it's not a 100 page/day read. It's too rich for that and what plot there is doesn't reach out and grab the reader by the throat. As an exercise in world building, it's brilliant.
Kgwhitehurst wrote: "BTW, what happened to PERDIDO STREET STATION? Yes, it's a long read--I'm only on page 231 at the moment, but I had company for 10 days--but is anybody"I was going to read it this month but didn't think anyone else was, so I jumped in on Oryx and Crake instead. It is still on my list, even more so now after your comments.
Kgwhitehurst wrote: "15 May works for me for LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS. BTW, what happened to PERDIDO STREET STATION? Yes, it's a long read--I'm only on page 231 at the moment, but I had company for 10 days--but is anybody..."It's on my list somewhere, but it's low priority for me due to its length and my other commitments. If someone steps up to coordinate the discussion, you might get some takers. (And I would be happy to add it to my notes in message 102.) Although based on its length and your comments, it sounds like a tricky group read, like something that needs one or two months to digest!
Looking forward to The Left Hand of Darkness, looks like we may get a good sized group!
Perdido St. is still on my list for the year, but I didn't know anyone was still up for discussion on that one. Maybe I'll see if I can cycle it into by reading list a little quicker than anticipated.
I'm sorry I completely disappeared from this thread! Life and stuff :P I see you're reading The Left Hand of Darkness in the middle of May which sounds great! I'm probably keen to join you guys for that.
Penny wrote: "I'm sorry I completely disappeared from this thread! Life and stuff :P I see you're reading The Left Hand of Darkness in the middle of May which sounds great! I'm probably keen to join..."Great, we should have lots of left-handers now.
Michael wrote: "Looking forward to The Left Hand of Darkness, looks like we may get a good sized group!"I just tried to download it and it appears not to be available on Kindle. Interesting. I guess I have to get all old school and track down a real book.
Jonathan wrote: "There are pdf versions online."Thanks.
I should be starting The Left Hand of Darkness tonight. Does anyone know if there is an old discussion thread for this one?
Edwin wrote: "I should be starting The Left Hand of Darkness tonight. Does anyone know if there is an old discussion thread for this one?"Ayup. There's ELEVEN of them :p.
In the 2009 folder:
first bunch - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...
second bunch - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...
(If it worked, those are sorted alphabetically, so the first bunch are at the bottom of the page, and the second are at the top of the page.)
Just thought I would pop in since it's almost the 15th. I've got my (hardcover) copy ready. Here are the discussion threads for this group's previous reading (what's with all the subtopics?!?):"Left Hand..." discussion -- The obligatory First Impressions topic - No spoilers.
"Left Hand..." discussion -- Sex and Gender - Spoilers
"Left Hand..." discussion -- Unrequited love? - Spoilers
"Left Hand..." discussion -- Take a stab at Shifgrethor - Spoilers
"Left Hand..." discussion -- Asking the wrong questions? - Spoilers
"Left Hand..." discussion -- "An Instant Classic" or "Dull, Dull, Dull?" - Appears to have Spoilers
"Left Hand..." discussion -- My impressions & be careful of the edition you read - Appears to have Spoilers
"Left Hand..." discussion -- Best Writing Award
"Left Hand..." discussion -- Coming of Age in Karhide
"Left Hand..." discussion -- Your favorite book by Le Guin
SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
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