2018 TBR Cleanup Challenge!

[Gabi]

Anna wrote: "Gabi wrote: "14. Make a list of 5-7 books and use "Eeny Meeny Miny Moe" to choose one - :) My list consisted of 7 Hainish Cycle books :) - The Telling"

Haha, I used that exact same method, and end..."

:D Love that! Great minds think alike ;)

I will read The Neverending Story in German, to pick up a translated version seems quite weird (although I bet it would be cheaper in English … so far every book has been cheaper). But mainly cause I intend to read it to my boys.

[Anna]

That makes sense, I was just wondering because you had the English edition linked. I was trying to think of a polite way to point out how crazy it would be to not read the original! :D

[Gabi]

Anna wrote: "That makes sense, I was just wondering because you had the English edition linked. I was trying to think of a polite way to point out how crazy it would be to not read the original! :D"

LOL! With me you can be as blunt as you like, absolutely no problem there. ;) - I always link the English version, cause I think this way everybody can follow what I'm reading (i.e. all the Terry Pratchetts I read to the boys at the moment are the German version, but I link the English version, when I talk about them)

[Jennifer]

OK, I'm joining in. My TBR just keeps growing!

1. The 13th book - The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
2. A book written by an author who is/was still in diapers or over-the-hill. - The Princess Bride
3. A book with humor or horror - Checking Out
4. 300-350 pages - The Fever Code
5. A book that reminds you of home - Flashback (because my daughters and I are reading the series together)
6. Suns, skies, stars, or planets on the cover - Let the Sky Fall
7. Chosen for the cover - Wonder Woman: Warbringer
8. "Missed it by that much" - a book you really wanted to read but didn't have time for - The Darkest Minds
9. Based on the blurb or blerg - Angelfall
10. A non-U.S. or UK publication/setting - Seven Days for an Eternity
11. Gold on the cover, in the title, or in the author's name - A Clash of Kings
12. A book with a vehicle on the cover, from a carriage to a spaceship - The Ship of the Dead
13. An author's debut novel - Children of Blood and Bone
14. Make a list of 5-7 books and use "Eeny Meeny Miny Moe" to choose one Daughter of DuskStrange the DreamerChildren Of The DeterrentThunderheadThe Smoke ThievesMidnight Curse
15. A book from a genre that's outside your comfort zone - The Summer of Owen Todd
16. A book with a mystery or romance - The Kiss of Deception
17. Standalone novel - Armada
18. A book with a character you would marry, shag, or kill - Kingdom of Ash
19. Read a genre-bender - Gunslinger Girl
20. A book with an animal, vegetable, or mineral on the cover - To Kill a Kingdom (is an octopus an animal?)

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Great Scott!! I just got so excited seeing your list! These look great! You have to tell us what you think, please!!!

[Bobby]

Back when I joined the group, I didn't have much on my TBR list, so now that I do, I think I'll try these. I may not finish it, but we'll see how it goes.

Can I retroactively add books I've already read? Haha you know, because if I've read them, then I wanted to read them at the time, right? I'll probably do that just for specific ones that I had been wanting to read for a while or had already put on my list before I read them.

Time to make my list!

[Anthony]

Bobby wrote: "Back when I joined the group, I didn't have much on my TBR list, so now that I do, I think I'll try these. I may not finish it, but we'll see how it goes.

Can I retroactively add books I've alread..."

Yes yes yes! It’s all for fun and engagement anyway, and it’s exactly what I did as well.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

What Anthony said!! The goal is "get books off this TBR" so however you're doing it, it's the right way!

And also I love seeing what makes people think of what. It's like discovering books all over again, so selfishly, I hope you'll share what you're thinking!

[Bobby]

1. The 13th book - We Are Legion (We Are Bob).
2. A book written by an author who is/was still in diapers or over-the-hill. - Nimona.
3. A book with humor or horror - The Fireman.
4. 300-350 pages - Autonomous
5. A book that reminds you of home - Midnight Crossroad
6. Suns, skies, stars, or planets on the cover - Old Man's War
7. Chosen for the cover - Redshirts
8. "Missed it by that much" - a book you really wanted to read but didn't have time for - Jade City
9. Based on the blurb or blerg - Snow Crash
10. A non-U.S. or UK publication/setting - Binti
11. Gold on the cover, in the title, or in the author's name - Iron Gold
12. A book with a vehicle on the cover, from a carriage to a spaceship - I Am the Messenger
13. An author's debut novel - The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
14. Make a list of 5-7 books and use "Eeny Meeny Miny Moe" to choose one - Sea of Rust
15. A book from a genre that's outside your comfort zone - The Haunting of Hill House
16. A book with a mystery or romance - Six Wakes
17. Standalone novel - The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
18. A book with a character you would marry, shag, or kill - The Invisible Library
19. Read a genre-bender - Perdido Street Station
20. A book with an animal, vegetable, or mineral on the cover - Fifteen Dogs

Explanations for why I chose each book. This was hard.

1. This one was the 13th book on my TBR, which is great because it looks like a nice fun read to start off with.
2. The author was 23 when it was published, but even younger when she started the web comic. Read with the group
3. Definitely some horror elements in that one, but really good. I had it on my list for a while before the buddy read.
4. I could have used many I've read already, but I wanted a new one, and this is one I've been wanting to read since it was nominated earlier this year. I missed out on a buddy read of it, so this is perfect. It's 303 pages according to Goodreads, and I'm not going to care if the kindle version I get is different.
5. Changed to a book set in a Texas small town that has a TV show adaptation I've wanted to see for a while. I have lived in Texas for all but a year of my life, so this should be fun.
6. Big ole planet on the cover. There are plenty to choose from, but this was the first I came across in my list.
7. Never read Scalzi, and now two? I didn't even have it on my list but this one was definitely one that's been on my radar. I guess both the title and cover made me want to read it without knowing anything about it, so it's at least halfway relevant for this category.
8. Definitely this one. I've been almost about to read it 3 different times.
9. You mean 99% of the books I want to read? I chose this one, because I remember getting super excited to read it when I read the blurb.
10. Just added it, but I might as well put it here. Looks like it's set in Africa and Space, so not U.S./U.K
11. One of my favorite series, but I just never got around to reading the newest one.
12. Taxi Cab on the cover. Looks like a fun adventure, and I've had it on my list for a while.
13. I've been hearing awesome things and I'm pretty sure it's her first novel. I could have added one I read earlier this year, but at this point I'm going all in on new books.
14. Did a random number generator and got this one. It's on the group shelf, so that's a plus too.
15. I'm already doing a buddy read in October for this, and Horror is definitely out of my comfort zone.
16. Can't think of a new one, but I loved the mystery elements of this one
17. I could have used one of the other two Claire North books I've read this year, but I'm going for another new one.
18. I would marry Irene, she's awesome!
19. I've been wanting to read this one for a while. I don't know what genre bending even is, but it was on a Goodreads list, so it counts!
20. Just finished it, but it was on my list for a week or so, which is enough that I'm going to count it.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Woohoo! And Bobby's in! So many here I want to read, or enjoyed reading, too! Love the explanations, too :)

[Kaa]

I made it through 5 last month! But I'm probably going to be slowed down now by the fact that I decided I had to re-read all the previous Temeraire books before I started Crucible of Gold. Whoops.

1. The 13th book (from my TBR in random order): Elephants and Corpses
2. A book written by an author who is/was still in diapers or over-the-hill: The Jewels of Aptor
3. A book with humor or horror: Viscera
4. 300-350 pages: Santa Olivia
5. A book that reminds you of home: Always Coming Home
6. Suns, skies, stars, or planets on the cover: Five-Twelfths of Heaven
7. Chosen for the cover: Beasts Made of Night
8. "Missed it by that much" - a book you really wanted to read but didn't have time for: The Stone Sky
9. Based on the blurb or blerg: A Woman of the Iron People
10. A non-U.S. or UK publication/setting: The House of Binding Thorns
11. Gold on the cover, in the title, or in the author's name: Crucible of Gold
12. A book with a vehicle on the cover, from a carriage to a spaceship: The Black God's Drums
13. An author's debut novel: An Unkindness of Ghosts
14. Make a list of 5-7 books and use "Eeny Meeny Miny Moe" to choose one: A Conspiracy of Stars
15. A book from a genre that's outside your comfort zone: Beyond Shame (this brand of dystopia, not the erotica/romance side of it)
16. A book with a mystery or romance: Mother of Souls
17. Standalone novel: Baker Thief
18. A book with a character you would marry, shag, or kill: The Ruin of Angels - Kai is back!
19. Genre-bender: The Only Harmless Great Thing
20. A book with an animal, vegetable, or mineral on the cover: The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion

[Kaa]

@Bobby: I hope you enjoy Jade City! It took me a little nudging to finally pick it up, too, but I ended up completely loving it.

[Bobby]

Now I just have to decide which one to start. I've got a few of them on hold with the library, but I didn't want to get too many at once.

I noticed I have a lot of Sci Fi in there, which I think is because I tend to read more Fantasy, so I haven't gotten around to my Sci Fi backlog. I like that I'll catch up some, and I've got a lot of AI, Space, and Aliens to look forward to.

[Bobby]

Finished my first in the challenge besides the ones I read before I decided to start the challenge officially. Redshirts was just awesome. I laughed a lot, and that's a nice change of pace.

I also changed my book that reminds me of home to Midnight Crossroad. I drew a blank when I made my list, but this is set in Texas so it's much more fitting.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Nice! Glad you liked Redshirts :) I've been trying to decide my next Scalzi...

[Kaa]

I read John Scalzi's blog for years, but somehow I've never read any of his books. Would you say Redshirts is a good one to start with?

[Bobby]

Kaa wrote: "I read John Scalzi's blog for years, but somehow I've never read any of his books. Would you say Redshirts is a good one to start with?"

It was the first thing I've read by him, and I will happily read more, so it worked for me as a starting point. It has a kind of ridiculous premise, but that just makes it more fun.

In the version I had, the main story ended about 75% of the way through the e-book. Then there were three Codas, which followed side characters and explored the aftermath of the main story. I almost didn't read them because I thought they were just the usual glossaries and previews, but I was glad I paid closer attention and started reading them.

[Bill]

Finished my challenge for the year.

1. The 13th book - Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold - done - 13th book read in August.
2. A book written by a young buck or geezer (use your own age definitions because I ain't goin' there) - Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi - done - 24 years old.
3. A book with humor or horror - Redshirts by John Scalzi - done - humor
4. 300-350 pages - Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews - done - 308 pages
5. A book that reminds you of home - Going Postal by Terry Pratchett - done - my dad was in the postal service for 30 years.
6. Suns, skies, stars, or planets on the cover - Updraft by Fran Wilde - done
7. Chosen for the cover - Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson - done
8. "Missed it by that much" - a book you really wanted to read but didn't have time for - Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones - done - wanted to read since I watched the anime over 10 years ago.
9. Based on the blurb or blerg - River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey - done - fantasy + hippos = I’m in
10. A non-U.S. or UK publication/setting - Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor - done - Africa
11. Gold on the cover, in the title, or in the author's name - The Master of White Storm by Janny Wurts - done
12. A book with a vehicle on the cover, from a carriage to a spaceship - Boneshaker by Cherie Priest - done - airship
13. An author's debut novel - Amatka by Karin Tidbeck - done
14. Make a list of 5-7 books and use "Eeny Meeny Miny Moe" to choose one - Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton - done
15. A book from a genre that's outside your comfort zone - Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris - done - paranormal romance is not for me
16. A book with a mystery or romance - Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn - done - romance
17. Standalone novel - City of Bones by Martha Wells - done
18. A book with a character you would marry, shag, or kill - Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb - done would definitely kill Kyle
19. Read a genre-bender - Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente - done - I guess this would fall into new weird
20. A book with an animal, vegetable, or mineral on the cover - The Fall of the Readers by Django Wexler - done

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Nice, Bill!

[Anthony]

Bill wrote: "Finished my challenge for the year.

1. The 13th book - Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold - done - 13th book read in August.
2. A book written by a young buck or g..."

Congrats! Care to join in on our Midnight Robber buddy read discussion?

[Anthony]

Update, passed the halfway mark With 11 down, 9 to go:

1. The 13th book — The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander (13th book from the top of my TBR shelf, as organized alphabetically by author’s last name)
2. A book written by an author who is/was still in diapers or over-the-hill. Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly (she’s only 28!)
3. A book with humor or horror — The Changeling by Victor LaValle
4. 300-350 pages — All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
5. A book that reminds you of home — Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (I’m from suburban Illinois, which is pretty similar to suburban Ohio)
6. Suns, skies, stars, or planets on the cover — The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
7. Chosen for the cover — The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
8. "Missed it by that much" - a book you really wanted to read but didn't have time for — Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
9. Based on the blurb or blerg — The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells (N.K. Jemisin’s 5-Star review sold me)
10. A non-U.S. or UK publication/setting — Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
11. Gold on the cover, in the title, or in the author's name — The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin
12. A book with a vehicle on the cover, from a carriage to a spaceship — Final Frontier by Diane Carey
13. An author's debut novel — The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
14. Make a list of 5-7 books and use "Eeny Meeny Miny Moe" to choose one — Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold
15. A book from a genre that's outside your comfort zone — I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara (not a big true crime reader)
16. A book with a mystery or romance — Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
17. Standalone novel — Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill
18. A book with a character you would marry, shag, or kill The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (I would shag Alabaster)
19. Read a genre-bender — Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson
20. A book with an animal, vegetable, or mineral on the cover — Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey

[Kaa]

Bobby wrote: "Kaa wrote: "I read John Scalzi's blog for years, but somehow I've never read any of his books. Would you say Redshirts is a good one to start with?"

It was the first thing I've read by him, and I ..."

Cool, I've been doing a lot of pretty serious books lately, so I could probably use something a little lighter. And thanks for the heads up on the material at the end!

[Gabi]

13 down, 7 to go, 3 of them are BRs or re-reads till the end of the year. - Looks promising


1. The 13th book - I took the 13th book I added to my TBR list - The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon, Volume III: Killdozer!
2. A book written by a young buck or geezer (use your own age definitions because I ain't goin' there) - the author was 12, when he wrote that book - Drachenschlag: Im Schein der Welten
3. A book with humor or horror - kind of both - Doomsday Book
4. 300-350 pages - 304 pages - The Left Hand of Darkness
5. A book that reminds you of home - very profoundly -Binti
6. Suns, skies, stars, or planets on the cover - a planet - Children of Time
7. Chosen for the cover - I follow the artist on deviant art and love their way with dynamics- Waters of Salt and Sin
8. "Missed it by that much" - a book you really wanted to read but didn't have time for - well, I thought I should read this one for the last 20 years - The Neverending Story
9. Based on the blurb or blerg - being a former Trekkie, this blurb of course made me curious - Redshirts
10. A non-U.S. or UK publication/setting - the original is Polish, so this counts, doesn't it? - The Last Wish
11. Gold on the cover, in the title, or in the author's Name - I was just staring hard at the cover, that's gold, isn't it? - Tigana
12. A book with a vehicle on the cover, from a carriage to a spaceship - The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
13. An author's debut novel - once I realised that not everything here has to be SFF, I had the perfect debut novel - Without You
14. Make a list of 5-7 books and use "Eeny Meeny Miny Moe" to choose one - :) My list consisted of 7 Hainish Cycle books :) - The Telling
15. A book from a genre that's outside your comfort zone - starts as YA (outside my comfort zone) and ends as a brutal war narrative (outside my comfort zone as well) - The Poppy War
16. A book with a mystery or romance - I guess the last book of the Tamir Triad would count for the romance part -The Oracle's Queen
17. Standalone novel -The Changeling
18. A book with a character you would marry, shag, or kill - have to copy Anthony's answer, cause I totally fell in love with Alabaster - The Fifth Season
19. Read a genre-bender - will go through the list - Circe
20. A book with an animal, vegetable, or mineral on the cover - and in the title - The Fifth Elephant

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

You can do it!!

[Mareike]

I've been slowly adding books to this over the past few days (trying to do the whole challenge this late in the year is probably very unrealistic, but I'll just see how far I'll get.). So this is what my list looks like:

1. The 13th book - The Mere Wife
2. A book written by a young buck or geezer (use your own age definitions because I ain't goin' there) - Home
3. A book with humor or horror - Monstrous Regiment
4. 300-350 pages - Tooth and Claw
5. A book that reminds you of home - Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
6. Suns, skies, stars, or planets on the cover - The Stars Are Legion
7. Chosen for the cover - The House of Impossible Beauties
8. "Missed it by that much" - a book you really wanted to read but didn't have time for - Doomsday Book
9. Based on the blurb or blerg - The Power
10. A non-U.S. or UK publication/setting - Les Rois Maudits
11. Gold on the cover, in the title, or in the author's name - Tigana
12. A book with a vehicle on the cover, from a carriage to a spaceship - Full Circle
13. An author's debut novel - The Invisible Library
14. Make a list of 5-7 books and use "Eeny Meeny Miny Moe" to choose one - Bitch Planet, Vol. 1: Extraordinary Machine
15. A book from a genre that's outside your comfort zone - Say Her Name
16. A book with a mystery or romance - Trail of Lightning
17. Standalone novel - The Word for World is Forest
18. A book with a character you would marry, shag, or kill - MaddAddam
19. Read a genre-bender - Life on Mars
20. A book with an animal, vegetable, or mineral on the cover - Wolf Season

(Edit: Nr. 11 has been giving me trouble for days. The book that comes closest is Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War because the writing on the cover is a weird silverfish/gold, but that's a book I mostly bought for work, so it doesn't feel quite right in a list of books I intend to read for fun.
Edit 2: Decided to add Tigana for Nr.11 because people currently doing the buddy read keep raving about it.)

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Nice! You have quite a selection there, Mareike!

[Mareike]

Allison wrote: "Nice! You have quite a selection there, Mareike!"

I know, right? There's some on there that I've been meaning to read for years. Hopefully this challenge (and my competitive streak) will help in finally getting to them.

[Pat the Book Goblin]

I'm a bit late to this challenge but I'll add the books I've read so far this year. I'll only add fantasy/sci-fi books to make it more difficult.

1. The 13th book
2. A book written by an author who is/was still in diapers or over-the-hill.
3. A book with humor or horror
4. 300-350 pages
5. A book that reminds you of home
6. Suns, skies, stars, or planets on the cover
7. Chosen for the cover
8. "Missed it by that much" - a book you really wanted to read but didn't have time for
9. Based on the blurb or blerg
10. A non-U.S. or UK publication/setting
11. Gold on the cover, in the title, or in the author's name
12. A book with a vehicle on the cover, from a carriage to a spaceship
13. An author's debut novel
14. Make a list of 5-7 books and use "Eeny Meeny Miny Moe" to choose one
15. A book from a genre that's outside your comfort zone
16. A book with a mystery or romance
17. Standalone novel
18. A book with a character you would marry, shag, or kill
19. Read a genre-bender
20. A book with an animal, vegetable, or mineral on the cover

1. Dune by Frank Herbert
2.
3. Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales by HP Lovecraft
4. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K Dick
5. Redwall by Brian Jacques
6. Foundation by Isaac Asimov
7. The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C Clarke
8.
9.
10.
11. The Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle
12. Old Man's War by John Scalzi
13. Blood Song by Anthony Ryan
14. 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C Clarke
15.
16. The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch
17. Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A Heinlein
18. The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
19. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
20. His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

[Pat the Book Goblin]

For numbers 2, 8, 9, 10, and 15 I was thinking...
2. Red Rising
8. not sure what that means
9. Theft of Swords
10. need to do some research lol
15. probably a horror like Blackwood

[CBRetriever]

8 would be, to me, some book you've had for ages and been meaning to read but never had time to start. I picked

Yes, Chefby Marcus Samuelson (not by or about Gordon Ramsey) which I had purchased in 2016

[Leanne]

1. The 13th book - Northen Lights by Philip Pullman
2. A book written by an author who is/was still in diapers or over-the-hill. - Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
3. A book with humor or horror - Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
4. 300-350 pages - Tooth and Claw by Jo Watton
5. A book that reminds you of home - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Illustrated by JK Rowling (home Country)
6. Suns, skies, stars, or planets on the cover - The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
7. Chosen for the cover - Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine
8. "Missed it by that much" - a book you really wanted to read but didn't have time for - Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence
9. Based on the blurb or blerg - The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
10. A non-U.S. or UK publication/setting - Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski
11. Gold on the cover, in the title, or in the author's name - Eragon by Christopher Paolini
12. A book with a vehicle on the cover, from a carriage to a spaceship - You by Caroline Kepnes (train)
13. An author's debut novel - The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
14. Make a list of 5-7 books and use "Eeny Meeny Miny Moe" to choose one - Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton
15. A book from a genre that's outside your comfort zone - Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Still not sure but people keep saying I should)
16. A book with a mystery or romance - Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas (Literally have no idea what to pick so I went with one I know and want to reread anyway(
17. Standalone novel - Mistress of all Evil - Serena Valentino
18. A book with a character you would marry, shag, or kill - A Storm of Swords 2 by George RR Martin (I would KILL Joffrey)
19. Read a genre-bender - As Old as Time - Liz Braswell
20. A book with an animal, vegetable, or mineral on the cover - Assassin's Apprentice - Robin Hobb

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Oh man, another great list, Lola!

[Leanne]

Allison wrote: "Oh man, another great list, Lola!"


thank you. so many good books on my tbr. took a while to make this list.

[Anthony]

@Lola I know we don’t know one another, so please take anything I say with a grain of salt, but maaaaaan The Da Vinci Code was dumb. I regret the time I spent reading it. That Dan Brown fellow writes a page turner, sure, but boy oh boy is his prose bad. But then again, it was a runaway bestseller, so who knows...?

Please feel free to tell me to mind my own business. 😜

[Leanne]

@Anthony
You are very much entitled to your opinion. I have heard many mixed views and to be fair, the only way I'm going to know is to read it myself. If it turns out not to be my cup of tea, I'll just DNF it.
Thanks for letting me know your view though. I'll probably still avoid it until the last moment because its not normally my go to genre.

[Mareike]

Rachel wrote: "Trying to figure out what people are doing for reminds me of home......
Is this just it makes you feel good or takes place in a place like home?(I’m not planning on reading anything set in DC...)"

I struggled with that a bit, too. I ended up choosing a book on my list that's set on the Pacific Crest trail. I'm from a mountainous region originally and I do miss the mountains when I haven't been home for a while. From what other people have said, it seems like there are as many solutions for this as there are readers.

[Rachel]

I ended up reading a Foreigner book for this - kinda funny s book about humans and aliens (really should be humans as the aliens though) in ‘alien’ world is what ‘reminds me of home’
But I took it to mean a level of comfort - and since this was book number umpteen it’s like visiting with old friends.....

[Mareike]

Rachel wrote: "But I took it to mean a level of comfort - and since this was book number umpteen it’s like visiting with old friends..... "

Oh, I definitely know what you mean. When I started the last trilogy in Robin Hobb's "Elderling" series last December it absolutely felt like coming "home" to visit old friends.

[Anna]

I still don't know what to read for "reminds you of home". I could think of reasons to make almost anything fit, but when I'm trying to think of something that would truly fit, there's nothing. I did originally have something that I thought would do, but it didn't feel right later, so I haven't read it. I want to find something perfect, I still have a few months left to ponder. I have a backup option I've already read, if I don't find the perfect thing. But it's definitely the hardest prompt this year!

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Anna wrote: "I still don't know what to read for "reminds you of home". I could think of reasons to make almost anything fit, but when I'm trying to think of something that would truly fit, there's nothing. I d..."

Didn't you JUST read a whole bunch of Finnish children's stories that reminded you of being a kid?

[Gabi]

To me this came as a real surprise. I, too, had no idea, what to do with this, and then I read Binti. There was a young girl with passion for maths and a deep spirituality concerning the earth. This was so much me at that age, that I was flashed. So I found "Home" here not in a geographical sense, but in a feeling - which was so much more profound (yet it was a pure coincedence with this book)

[Anna]

Yes, those are my backup options, there's a difference! Home and childhood aren't the same thing to me. It just doesn't feel right, because it doesn't remind me of a place, or the feeling of home, just a period in my life. Maybe the problem is how I interpret what home means :D I should read the IKEA catalog maybe?

[Anthony]

Lola wrote: "@Anthony
You are very much entitled to your opinion. I have heard many mixed views and to be fair, the only way I'm going to know is to read it myself. If it turns out not to be my cup of tea, I'll..."

I appreciate you taking my words with good humor. I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts!

[Anna]

Hmm, maybe I could count Planetfall as a book that reminds me of home. Without going into spoilers, but those who've read it will know that even if the planet itself doesn't remind me of any place I've ever lived in, it did make me think about some things to do with my apartment!

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Anna wrote: "Yes, those are my backup options, there's a difference! Home and childhood aren't the same thing to me. It just doesn't feel right, because it doesn't remind me of a place, or the feeling of home, ..."

LMAO

Gabi, that's so nice!! I almost did a re-read for mine (and frankly, would have enjoyed that more). My dad is the reason I got into SFF and I have a lot of fond memories for a certain era of spec fic. Instead, I chose an author that I have very warm associations for, and read a new book that was...well. I'm glad home is nothing like the locations or feelings this book gave me.

Also, isn't it interesting that for all of us, the feeling of "home" is still rooted somewhere in our young memories? Did anyone pick a book that reminds them of the home they made for themselves after childhood?

[Anna]

Allison wrote: "Did anyone pick a book that reminds them of the home they made for themselves after childhood?"

Me! Since I just settled on Planetfall.

Which means that I'm reading the last book, and will be done with this challenge in a few days. Just like that, another challenge conquered!

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Anna wrote: "Hmm, maybe I could count Planetfall as a book that reminds me of home. Without going into spoilers, but those who've read it will know that even if the planet itself doesn't remind ..."

See? There you go, being the exception to the rule!

Also, I really hope you're talking about (view spoiler)[ 3D printing some pretty things and not rearranging your hoard (hide spoiler)] because I won't be able to sleep if it's the latter!

[Anna]

lol, no it's because I most definitely don't have (view spoiler)[ a hoard to rearrange, but the book did make me want to do a good scrub of everything! So "reminds me of housekeeping" ? :D (hide spoiler)]

[Gabi]

Now I have to read Planetfall, cause I want to click on the spoiler tags ;)

What you said about home being often connected with childhood gave me a lot to think about, Allison. Completely true, yet I didn't think about it, till you mentioned it. And now I feel somehow ashamed towards my family.

[Anna]

Excellent, I will start sprinkling Planetfall spoilers everywhere, it that'll make people read the book!