December Challenge: Advent Calendar

[Debra]

18/24

[Reija]

msg 74 19/24 and I have finished Neil Gaiman, just meh so now just King's creepy story. Actually it had been very good that I have read only story or two every day, they seem to linger in my mind way too long (because I would rather think something cheerier). I have picked my Christmas Eve story, not King one, Tove Jansson's Moomin story which is about Christmas and they surely not get all fuss about it, it has been kind of tradition to me read it during holidays anyways.

[Sam F]

19/24

[Debra]

19/24

[Blagica , Challenges]

19/20
19/24

[Cassandra]

December 18
The Condition of New Death - China Miéville
Dowager of Bees - China Miéville
In the Slopes - China Miéville

18/31

[Angela Jr.]

updated message 10! 19/20

[Cobwebs-in-Space-Ice]

Wow, Cassandra, that much Mieville woukd make me very happy, and mind-expanded:)

Msg. 69 up to date

[Angela Jr.]

i'd like to expand my goal to 31 please!
i found an old short story collection from high school and since i really enjoy this challenge, i'm going to use it to participate until the end of the month :)

[Debra]

18/24 & 19/24

[ChrisR]

19/24
The Christmas Dinner by Washington Irving

[Nicole]

*UPDATE*

Nicole W. (Msg. 57)

Goal Met So Far: 19/24

[Karina]

Angela: Yay! Expanded your goal (and mine, too)!

Cassandra: Miéville has a pretty varied catalogue of novels! But I think you might like to start with my own favourite, the kinda Philip K. Dick-ian The City & the City.

[Debra]

20/24

[Sam F]

20/24

[Blagica , Challenges]

20/24
20/20 but expanding my goal to 31!

[Adria]

20/24

[Amy (Other Amy)]

Dec 18:
Story: All the Snake Handlers I Know Are Dead by Dennis Danvers from Tor.com
Poem: Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Dec 19:
Story: Thanatos Beach by James K. Morrow from Tor.com
Poem: The Tyger by William Blake

Dec 20:
Story: Dormanna by Gene Wolfe from Tor.com
Poem: Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll

(Liked the 12/18 story, hated the 12/19 story. Today's was sweet but not earth shattering. Back to some other favorites for poetry.)

20/31 for both

[Cobwebs-in-Space-Ice]

Msg. 69 updated

[Cassandra]

Karina, thank you for the recommendation! I'll start there, and will hopefully fit it in somewhere in 2016. :)

[Renee]

I updated post 55 with my latest update: Here

Also - i should have picked more uplifting poetry! To make this a more involved project, i've been doing some quick internet research each night on these actresses, and it's very depressing... I may switch books for some of the remaining days....


Progress: 20 / 24
1. Book of Nonsense: #1- 50
2. Book of Nonsense: #51 - 112 (that went faster than expected)
3. Dark Sparkler: Li Tobler
4. Dark Sparkler: Untitled Actress & Thelma Todd
5. Dark Sparkler: Miriam Lebelle
6. Dark Sparkler: Judith Barsi
7. Dark Sparkler: Peg Entwistle
8. Dark Sparkler: Jean Harlow
9. Dark Sparkler: Martha Anne Dae
10. Dark Sparkler: Jayne Mansfield
11. Dark Sparkler: Carole Landis & Anissa Jones
12. Dark Sparkler: Susan Peters
13. Dark Sparkler: Dominque Dunne
14. Dark Sparkler: Sirkka Sair
15. Dark Sparkler: Cindy Jenkins
16. Dark Sparkler: Brittany Murphy
17. Dark Sparkler: Bridgette Anderson
18. Dark Sparkler: Shannon Michelle Wilsey & Jane Doe
19. Dark Sparkler: Heather O'Rourke & Abigail Nell & Lupe Velez
20. Dark Sparkler: Tarumi Sachdev, Julia Thorp & Sharon Tate

[Renee]

And i should add - if anyone has any favorite (less depressing) poetry collections they would like to recommend, please let me know! I don't read a lot of poetry, and this particular volume isn't helping that trend...

[Clare]

Updated message 11 with my latest 4 stories from Stories on the Go: 101 Very Short Stories by 101 Authors

[Jane]

19/24 "Porcelain and Pink" & "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Jazz Age Stories)

20/24 "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Jazz Age Stories)

21/24 "Tarquin of Cheapside" & "O Russet Witch!" by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Jazz Age Stories)

[Blagica , Challenges]

21/24

21/31

[Amy (Other Amy)]

Renee wrote: "And i should add - if anyone has any favorite (less depressing) poetry collections they would like to recommend, please let me know! I don't read a lot of poetry, and this particular volume isn't h..."

I love A Book of Luminous Things: An International Anthology of Poetry, edited by Czesław Miłosz. I had actually intended to read entirely out of it for my poetry challenge, but I have been getting home pretty late after errands, so I've been reading random poems online to make up for it. I think I will be giving the anthology a reread after the first of the year instead.

[Cassandra]

I haven't been reading as much the past couple of days because I'm getting back into a video game that I used to play, but I'm keeping up with this challenge!

December 19
The Crawl - China Miéville

December 20
Watching God - China Miéville

20/31

[ChrisR]

21/24
Christmas; Or, The Good Fairy by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Also The Sugar Dog (from A First Reader 1887) because 'sugar dog' was in Stowe's story and I searched to find out what it meant.

[Cobwebs-in-Space-Ice]

Updated msg. 69- 4 days to go (must continue!:)

[Sam F]

21/24 - near the end!

[Debra]

21/24

[Angela Jr.]

updated message 10! 24/31
(i need to read ahead a bit, since the next few days are gonna be a stressful nightmare)

[Sam F]

22/24

[Alisia]

22/24

17th- The Man Across the Room by Sheryl Fawcett

18th- The Gambino Theater Gambit by Nathan Williams

19th- Witch in Space by K.D. Hendriks

20th- The Oak Tree by Wendy C. Allen

21st- The Little Chill by Lindy Moone

22nd- The Fiar by Andrew Ashling

All stories from: Stories on the Go: 101 Very Short Stories by 101 Authors

[Cassandra]

December 21
The 9th Technique - China Miéville

21/31

[Sam]

I havent been updating everyday but i have been reading

22/25

[Amy (Other Amy)]

Dec 21
Story: The Woman Who Shook the World-Tree by Michael Swanwick
Poem: Into my heart an air by A.E. Housman

Dec 22
Story: The Sigma Structure Symphony by Gregory Benford
Poem: White in the moon the long road lies by Housman

22 of 31 on both

I have been reading the Tor shorts connected with the The Palencar Project the past few days. These were five stories commissioned around a painting. Final verdict: disappointment, unfortunately.

[Cobwebs-in-Space-Ice]

Msg. 69 upd.

I only had 1 chapter Bird Box, so finished that.
Started The Haunted Bookshop ( 1 chapter on Dec. 22, 2 chapters each Dec. 23-25)

The Haunted Bookshop Is quite delightful.

Bird Box was in a class by itself--amazing work.

[Stefani - SpelingExpirt]

Future Visions: Original Science Fiction Inspired by Microsoft
1. Hello, Hello by Seanan McGuire
2. The Machine Starts by Greg Bear
3. Skin in the Game by Elizabeth Bear
4. Machine Learning by Nancy Kress
5. Riding With the Duke by Jack McDevitt
6. A Cop's Eye by Blue Delliquanti and Michele Rosenthal
7. Looking for Gordo by Robert J Shaw
8. The Tell by David Brin
9. Another Word for World by Ann Leckie

The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick 1: The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford
10. Stability by Philip K Dick
11. Roog by Philip K Dick
12. The Little Movement by Philip K Dick
13. Beyond Lies the Wub by Philip K Dick
14. The Gun by Philip K Dick
15. The Skull by Philip K Dick
16. The Defenders by Philip K Dick
17. Mr Spaceship by Philip K Dick
18. Piper in the Woods by Philip K Dick
19. The Infinites by Philip K Dick
20. The Preserving Machine by Philip K Dick
21. Expendable
22. The Indefatigable Frog by Philip K Dick

22/24

I think I'm going to try and go to the end of the month.

[Debra]

22/24

[Debra]

23/24

[Sam F]

23/24 - A Feast for Crows definitely gets better near the end - in typical Martin fashion. One more section to go!

[Reija]

Cassandra wrote: "I haven't been reading as much the past couple of days because I'm getting back into a video game that I used to play, but I'm keeping up with this challenge!

December 19
The Crawl - China Miévill..."
Oh, what are you playing?

I finished King with kind of dramatic. Just when I had enough horror stories, he wrote something else.. He also talk little bit about Stand the introduction of the short story and now I may need to read it. It is little bit long book but I have heard so much praise for it that I could try, at least. So, 23/24 and tomorrow it will be Moomins.

[Cassandra]

Reija, I'm playing Guild Wars 2 with the new expansion. Also, The Stand is long, but it's really interesting, and for me it went pretty fast given how long it was.

December 22
The Rope is the World - China Miéville

22/31

[Amy (Other Amy)]

Dec 23

Story: The Lady Astronaut of Mars by Mary Robinette Kowal
Poem: This Is Just To Say by William Carlos Williams

23/31 for both

I'm hoping to listen to Tim Curry's version of A Christmas Carol for my treat tomorrow, but I have to be kind of realistic about what I will be able to do at my folks' house. (My dad fusses about it if I read while I'm there.) So it may get moved to when I get back, but I'm going to try to listen to it after we all go to bed. We'll see.

[Cobwebs-in-Space-Ice]

Updated Msg. 69

[Jane]

22/24 "O Russet Witch!" by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Jazz Age Stories)

23/24 "Mr. Icky" by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Jazz Age Stories)

24/24 "Jemina, The Mountain Girl" by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Jazz Age Stories)

I admittedly cheated a bit and read tomorrow's story today as one of many Christmas celebrations start tomorrow and I doubt I will have the time to read. This was a wonderful challenge! Happy Holidays everyone!

[Blagica , Challenges]

I so completely forgot to post my updates I am so sorry!

23/31
23/24 -finishing after midnight tonight I can't wait

[Stefani - SpelingExpirt]

After midnight here so Christmas Eve! Only just realised this was the only advent calender I did this year.

Future Visions: Original Science Fiction Inspired by Microsoft
1. Hello, Hello by Seanan McGuire
2. The Machine Starts by Greg Bear
3. Skin in the Game by Elizabeth Bear
4. Machine Learning by Nancy Kress
5. Riding With the Duke by Jack McDevitt
6. A Cop's Eye by Blue Delliquanti and Michele Rosenthal
7. Looking for Gordo by Robert J Shaw
8. The Tell by David Brin
9. Another Word for World by Ann Leckie

The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick 1: The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford
10. Stability by Philip K Dick
11. Roog by Philip K Dick
12. The Little Movement by Philip K Dick
13. Beyond Lies the Wub by Philip K Dick
14. The Gun by Philip K Dick
15. The Skull by Philip K Dick
16. The Defenders by Philip K Dick
17. Mr Spaceship by Philip K Dick
18. Piper in the Woods by Philip K Dick
19. The Infinites by Philip K Dick
20. The Preserving Machine by Philip K Dick
21. Expendable
22. The Indefatigable Frog by Philip K Dick
23. The Crystal Crypt by Philip K Dick
24. The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford by Philip K Dick

24/24

[Nicole]

*UPDATE*

Nicole W. (Msg. 57)

Goal Met So Far: 23/24