Group Challenge 2017

[Margo]

I've added a good few based on this thread!

Colleen - The Name of the Wind is great but bear in mind the trilogy still isn't finished grrrr

[Donna]

I'm looking forward to reading The Princess Bride. I love the film but have never read the book.

[Margo]

what are you reading for fantasy Paul? That will be interesting

[Paul]

I'm trying to go back to the roots Margo and reading The Epic of Gilgamesh. i'll probably read one or two other fantasy books over the time, thinking of finally trying Robin Hobb

[Margo]

Oh The Epic of Gilgamesh sounds really cool. Have you decided which version? I see they range from 72 to 250 pages. I've never come across that figure before. I knew you'd come up with something really interesting

Robin Hobb is a good choice too. I always enjoy her books. I'm in the middle of The Rain Wilds chronicles at the moment ;-)

[Paul]

I have a version of Epic of Gilgamesh bought , its a direct translation around the 140 page mark I think. I'll check.
I have Fools Assassin bought from Hobb

[Margo]

Oh I must get around to that. I read the Farseer trilogy 5 or 6 years ago and enjoyed it.

[Paul]

Shes just one of those writers I havent gotten round to yet. Seems like a good time

[Myra]

Fantasy is genre that I have nearly zero experience with, so this will be a new adventure for me. I like reading your picks and suggestions, and I will forage for some of my own. The Golem and The Jinni sounds interesting.

[Maria Hill]

I've not read it but I think that's Blade Runner , which I would call Sci Fi.

[Paul]

Its definitely scifi cphe. Its a quirky book, very interesting. Quite different to Bladerunner which is based on it so an interesting exercise to watch the film and read the book close together.

[Andy]

for Fantasy will go with whichever Harry Potter book we have gotten to with eldest
probably will be Half-Blood Prince

[SherryRose]

I'm a little behind. I still need to finish my HF book so I can move on and start a fantasy book.

[Paul]

You still have loads of time Sherry . HF runs until the last Sunday of March so all good.

[SherryRose]

Oh! I got mixed up. Very good then. lol Thanks Paul.

[Myra]

My fantasy book is The Golem and the Jinni. It's really long - it might take me 15 years to finish it. haha

[Susan]

Cphe wrote: "Friends have also mentioned The Man in the High Castle for sci fi.

I think I'll be well and truly sci fi'd out.

Now I'm torn.........so many books......so little time.......eeny......."

I saw the first season of the TV show and really liked it which says a lot since I don't like sci fi.

[Paul]

I would warn that the book and TV series have a very different feel to them , or at least I found they did.
Their is a bit more of a technological scifi side and the plot is random

[Margo]

Cphe wrote: "Friends have also mentioned The Man in the High Castle for sci fi.

I think I'll be well and truly sci fi'd out.

Now I'm torn.........so many books......so little time.......eeny......."

Cphe, I'm planing on reading The Man in the High Castle or Ubik for sci-fi. Both are in my bookshelve. Dicks is a new-to-me author

[Paul]

For a first PKD i'm not sure Man in the High Castle is the one to start with. I'd recommend Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Minority Report or Penultimate Truth as easier starting points. TMITHC is a hard book to get your head around if you haven't a bit of PKD experience.
Ubik could also work

[Andy]

have never read Philip K. Dick

A Scanner Darkly and The Man in the High Castle both TBR, may go with one when that part of the challenge rolls around

thinking about another female author for Fantasy (other than JK Rowling) Tanith Lee

[Paul]

Plenty of choice for decent female fantasy writers, NK Jemisin, VE Schwab, Susanna Clarke, Robin Hobb just to name a few I'd highly recomend to anyone looking for an option hHobb.
I've never actually tried Tanith Lee so.of you do read her I'll be curious to see what you think

[Margo]

Paul wrote: "For a first PKD i'm not sure Man in the High Castle is the one to start with. I'd recommend Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Minority Report or Penultimate Truth as easier starting points. TMIT..."

I'm looking out for a cheap copy of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. I loved the film Minority Report and Other Stories so I'll ad that to my wish list. I have a collection of his short stories on kindle that I picked up for 99p - I must check what's in that.

[Paul]

I have two copies of Minority Report , its a good story, and i enjoyed the film .

[Andy]

Cphe - am looking at Tales From The Flat Earth series, which I think would fall in the Fantasy category

Wikipedia tells me some of her work also categorised as Science Fiction and Horror
also wrote lesbian fiction under the pseudonym Esther Garber

[SherryRose]

Maybe I'll dip into some Pratchett for fantasy. It's been while and I love him. (Thanks Paul!)

[Paul]

Pratchett is always a good choice :-)

[Maria Hill]

A work colleague is re-reading the entire Terry Pratchett collection at the moment. He's a great stress reliever for the overworked.

We were having an interesting discussion this morning on the rules of Discworld, the theory of narratorium and whether some of the humour will only ever be fully understood by the British.

[Maria Hill]

I would call it Fantasy yes.

[Lorraine]

Fantasy is such a broad title and I have no idea what to pick. I could play safe with a reread of Pratchett, Douglas Adams or Ursula LeGuin. Haven't read the last two in quite some time but I really want to try something new and also it has to be on my bookshelves.

I have The Gunslinger, Skulduggery Pleasant, Assassin's Apprentice and Charlaine Harris's second book Living Dead in Dallas.

[Andy]

Cphe wrote: "Help!!

Would Storm Front first in the Dresden files be termed "fantasy"

Because I don't read sci fi and fantasy I get a bit confused between them"

Jus caught this & yes its classed as "Urban Fantasy" ie magic in a modern setting :) with Dresden acting as a PI working for Chicago PD who also happens to be a..... wizard! Its a grand series but I would add some find it a little repetitive in the first 2-3 books before the genre opens up & the world that Harry Dresden lives in really comes to life as the series/writer matures. It really is a grand series & one of my fav reads having read them all :D

Good choice Cphe!

[Maria Hill]

Andy wrote: "Jus caught this & yes..."



Nice to hear it picks up. I thought it was a great concept but wasn't really interested to read past book 1 (Storm front) but look into reading a couple more now. As I "read" it on audio it may have been James Marsters Narration, which would be a shame because I am normally a fan of his acting.

[Andy]

Maria wrote: "Andy wrote: "Jus caught this & yes..."



Nice to hear it picks up. I thought it was a great concept but wasn't really interested to read past book 1 (Storm front) but look into reading a couple mo..."

Not sure on who the narrator is for the series tbh but I can say that book 1 & 2 are pure Noir PI style with a bit of wizardry thrown in & the genre is quite repetitive in parts & many go.... Hmmmm this series is a tad overrated..... book 3 the world & characters open up a lot more & come book 4 it's full on & the writing has matured a great deal. If you find the next book still hooks you even jus a little Id recommend reading on as it will reward you. :)

[Elanna]

Can I start the challenge now? Thanks :)
Edit: In case, is it still possible to read and comment past genres in their threads after the next genre's discussion starts? OCD mania for completeness XD

[Paul]

Of course you can and feel free to post and comment on previous genres .Better late than never

[Paul]

Interesting choice. I really enjoyed it and I even got have a chat with Joanne Harris about some of the points in it when I met her last year.

[Elanna]

Paul wrote: "Of course you can and feel free to post and comment on previous genres .Better late than never"

Great!
My plan is to read only Irish books for the challenge. For the fantasy genre I would pick up Eoin Colfer, if Artemis Fowl can be considered fantasy. I gather there are fairies and leprechauns in there...

[Paul]

I would say Artemis Fowl is definitely fantasy so all good. One of our other members is doing all Irish books for the challenge as well. A very interesting way to do it. :-)

[Elanna]

Paul wrote: "One of our other members is doing all Irish books for the challenge as well. A very interesting way to do it. :-)"

Long time due, too! Years after moving to the island, I still am so behind with the local authors' reading list... shame on me. This challenge is a nice way to catch up.
I just downloaded Artemis Fowl from the library. Ready, steady...

[Margo]

Elanna wrote: " Paul wrote: "One of our other members is doing all Irish books for the challenge as well. A very interesting way to do it. :-)"

Long time due, too! Years after moving to the island, I still am so..."

Bet you're not as behind on irish writers as we are on Italian ones Elanna ;-)

[Elanna]

Margo wrote: "Bet you're not as behind on irish writers as we are on Italian ones Elanna ;-)"

One day I will organise an Italy-Ireland literary challenge, starting with Italo Svevo who was a friend of Joyce's! "One day" here means "when I stop procrastinating assignments for college and pass the exams".

[Elanna]

I read Artemis Fowl very quickly. Such a funny book! I am not sure I appreciated all aspects, but I definitely enjoyed it. Let's say that, as an adult, I see the flaws, such as the fantasy element thinly covering an action novel, or the omnipotent evil teenager cum bodyguard, or the deus ex machina solving a plot disaster just to show to humans how fair the fairies really are. Yet I can see a child loving it madly: an empowered, villainous, superintelligent twelve-year-old is someone I would have longed to identify with, at that age! Plus, I see what Colfer did here, with the two all-too-similar worlds sneering at each other without looking at their own defects. Not even too clumsily realised. So, three satisfied stars.
By the way, were not the Fairy people an invention of Norse mythology brought to Ireland with the invasion? Colfer did a small faux pas, describing Ireland not as the place where magic thrived, but as the place Fairy People were created in the first place. Ok, I am a stickler and twelve-year-olds don't give a heck :-)

[Paul]

In most Irish Myths the fairys are the Tuatha Dé Danann who were forced underground by the Celts, and the stories of them predate the Norse by quite a bit, although most were only properly recorded around the time of the Normans

[Elanna]

Wow! Thanks for the clatification.

[Marcia]

I'm going to read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
for my si fi choice. I'm going to read The Princess Bride for the fantasy one. I'm looking forward to both these books.

[Marcia]

I'm about half way through my historical fiction book at the moment. I need to get a wriggle on if I'm going to finish it in time. I might be a bit late starting the next leg.

[Paul]

Don't worry, the 6 weeks is just a guideline so all late reads are fine :-)

[Paul]

Marcia wrote: "I'm going to read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
for my si fi choice. I'm going to read The Princess Bride for the fantasy one. I'm looking forward to both these books."
Love Do Androids Dream.
Try watching Bladerunner after reading the book and its really interesting to see the difference .

[Kara]

Hey everyone! hope everyone is doing well. I've been MIA for awhile, work got in the way :'(. haven't been able to pick a book up for a week! I need to start something soon! lol

[Paul]

Next genre will start 8th May for 6 weeks. So as good a time as any to announce --- Biography --- as the next choice.