Group Challenge 2017

[Margo]

Maybe we could grab a coffee - I'd love to hear you share your soccer veiws with the englishman heehee

[Paul]

Yeah depending on what way the days fall I'll be free for most of the day . I'll ping you details monday when I figure out my itinerary

[Margo]

No worries Paul, just if you've time on your it'd be nice ;-)

[Paul]

I should do. :-)

[Margo]

Any decisions made on this? Just let me know the categories and rules and I'm good to go ;-)

[Paul]

No idea. Think we had narrowed it down but still a bit of debate on horror and scifi

[Margo]

I suggest we go with 8 catagories and drop contemporary fiction.

Is anyone uncomfortable with that?

[Trelawn]

Works for me Margo

[Colleen]

Works for me too

[Bookworm with Kids]

I would be good with that, Margot & Paul. What do you think, Emma?

[Paul]

Thanks Emma.
In a week or so I'll give notice of the first category to give people a chance ti choose.
I'm looking forward to seeing peoples choices for each section

[Marcia]

This Challenge sounds good :-)

[Seraphina]

does wool count as sci-fi Paul?

[Paul]

Wool is most definitely scifi. Its a combination of dystopic fiction and scifi so covers all the bases ( plus its a great book)

[Paul]

I think we had all agreed we will allow dystopic fiction as part of scifi anyway to open the genre out a little .

[Margo]

Good call Emma :-D

Wool is an excellent choice Seraphina, I've just finished it.

[Paul]

I have decided what the first and last categories will be . Now I just have to work out the order in between .

[Margo]

Go Paul ;-D

[Paul]

No pressures ;-)

[Seraphina]

great, I've decided on a couple of my picks for this. I may not keep up with ye but I'll join in when done

[Paul]

To get people started and give people time to choose and discuss their choices the first category will be -

Travel Books.


I think its a good starting spot as it'll be new to a lot of us without being a hard push outside our comfort zones yet

[Colleen]

Paul are we setting up a separate shelf for the challenge like we did this year ?

[Paul]

Emma is going to let you guys know the shelf set up soon :-)

[Trelawn]

I've also been thinking about my list and here's what I have so far (subject to numerous changes probably)

1. Travel -- I already read a bit of travel writing so I am going to try a new author and have ordered the following Oxford and Manhattan '45.

2. Historical Fiction - decide nearer the time

3. Autobiography/Biography - P. G. Wodehouse: A Life in Letters

4. Sci fi - The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

5. Classic - whatever occurs to me at the time

6. Fantasy - possibly A Darker Shade of Magic

7. crime/thriller - don't know yet

8. Horror/ Gothic - I'll go gothic so maybe something by Le Fanu. Haven't quite decided.

[Paul]

Emma , great choices in Shades of Grey and Gospel of Loki. Two very different and very interesting books.
I'm trying yo think what I'll do for Fantasy and scifi.I'll have to think well outside the box

[Paul]

Darker Shade of Magic is a stunning book . Great choice Trelawn ;-)

[Margo]

Aim to complete this challange with books I already own.

1. Historical Fiction - Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome and Vlad: The Last Confession

2. Crime/ thriller - Mr. Mercedes and Except the Dying

3. Fantasy -The Colour of Magic and Tales from the Perilous Realm

4. Sci-fi - The Man in the High Castle and The Blind Assassin

5. Autobiography/biography - Boy: Tales of Childhood and The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid

6. Classic - Tess of the D'Urbervilles and The Secret Garden

7. Horror/Gothic - The Passage and Hex

8. Travel book - The Odyssey and The Penguin Lessons

[Margo]

Trelawn wrote: "I've also been thinking about my list and here's what I have so far (subject to numerous changes probably)

1. Travel -- I already read a bit of travel writing so I am going to try a new author and..."

Great choice with The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet!

[Trelawn]

Same to you Margo re Boy. It's a great story.

[Paul]

First two line of Boy -
"An autobiography is a book a person writes about his own life and its usually full of all sorts of boring details.
This is not an autobiography. "

Just being cheeky. Its a great book and a great choice for the category. One if my favourites.

[Paul]

The Odyssey is an interesting call for travel. Myself and Trelawn had wondered if anyone would choose it. We both studied it as part of our degrees

[Paul]

So far my thoughts are as follows -
Travel - Around Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks
Historical Fiction - Dissolution by CJ Sansom ( a recommendation from Susan)
Fantasy - Epic of Gilgamesh
Horror - The Quick by Lauren Owens (Suggestion from Trelawn)
Scifi I may go for Dystopic as its the stuff I read the least , Probably go with the obvious and finally read Margaret Atwood.
Classic - Trelawn will pick
Autobiography / Biography - Having a think on this. I'd rather cut out an eyeball than read a celeb or sport one.
Crime/ Thriller. May let my Dad choose here as its his genre.

[SherryRose]

It makes sense to nominate books every month for the category of the month and to vote monthly.

[Paul]

This is for the group challenge rather than the Book of the Month which we'll still be picking as well

[Margo]

OK, someone had to be predictably! I read The Odyssey in my teens during a mythology phase and had pretty much not thought about it til I read The Penelopiad recently. Paul and Trelawn, if you haven't read it you really should. It's all about what Penelopy is thinking about while Oddyssesus is is away having adventures and it really funny, in a typical, black, Atwood way.

[Margo]

Dissolution is another great choice Paul.

[Margo]

Paul, re: autobigrahy, I enjoyed An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth which pretty much covers the story of Chris Hadfields life. I'm sure there's lots of books out there written by people who an eminent in their field - rather than sports field or OK magazine!!

[Paul]

I have thought of Hadfield, for travel first but actually a good call for autobiography

[Seraphina]

hasn't Neil Gaiman got a type of autobiography out at the moment Paul?

[Paul]

Its more a collection of shorts his non fiction . He does have a travel book though called Monkey and Me about his journey through China

[SherryRose]

Paul wrote: "This is for the group challenge rather than the Book of the Month which we'll still be picking as well"

Right. I wasnt thinking at all. I'm having a dumb head day lol!

[Marcia]

I'll be in this challenge.

[Marcia]

When is a classic a classic?

[Colleen]

This is what I'm thinking as of now..
Historical Fiction is my favorite genre so I'll hold off for now and see what grabs my interest.


Crime/ thriller I think I'm looking Fear Nothing or Dark Hollow or maybe evenThe Cuckoo's Calling

Fantasy I'm not sure about this one .I'm thinking maybe A Game of Thrones or The Name of the Wind or is that biting too much off ?

Sci-fi Station Eleven or The Martian
I have a question about when a Dystopic novel becomes horror?

Autobiography/biography I have no idea

Classic I don't remember ever reading Rebecca or would The Dirty Dust: Cré na Cille count as a classic ?

Horror The Fireman

Travel That Summer in Sicily: A Love Story

[Paul]

Colleen, Two long Fantasy choices but Name of the Wind is absolutely stunning. I thing its a lot better than Game of Thrones and probably not a bad crossover book.

[Paul]

Interesting question on dystopic novels and horror.
A few definitely cover both genres such as I Am Legend , World War Z and your horror choice , Fireman ( possibly a little more dystopic than horror but still a good choice)

[Bookworm with Kids]

Like Margo, I want to do this challenge with as many of the books I own as possible. Here are my choices so far:
1. Historical Fiction - Restoration by Rose Tremain I have had this for ages and never got around to reading it.
2. Crime/ thriller - The Blinded Man by Arne Dahl This is signed by the author - I was at a talk that he was on the panel for in Dublin about two years ago!
3. Fantasy - Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas - my daughter loves this series and is after me to read them.
4. Sci-fi - Not sure yet, have to look at my shelf. I may have to raid my sister's books for this!
5. Autobiography/biography - Hitler's Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII by John Cornwell - I may have to ask the moderator if this actually fits the category?
6. Classic - I have a few in this category to read so I'm not sure which to read - Caleb Williams by William Godwin, Middlemarch by George Eliot or Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded by Samuel Richardson?
7. Horror/Gothic - Does Twilight by Stephenie Meyer count?
8. Travel book - I have to look at my shelf for this one.

[Paul]

Hitlers Pope definitely fits the category for biography.
Twilight, for me would be fantasy but as it includes Vampires and Werewolves which are traditionally horror it can be included , I think its more up to each reader where they'll draw the line to allow for interesting choices.

[Paul]

Some good choices all round :-)

[Bookworm with Kids]

Paul wrote: "Hitlers Pope definitely fits the category for biography.
Twilight, for me would be fantasy but as it includes Vampires and Werewolves which are traditionally horror it can be included , I think it..."

I have to admit, I was putting this up as slightly tongue in cheek because I don't think I could ever see myself reading it - I have watched the film and it is horrific! Even my teenagers draw the line at reading it!