2019 Bookshelf Rereads

[Meredith]

Here to do a little promotion for Swords and Deviltry! Get in at the beginning of the classic fantasy series Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. Fritz Lieber pioneered the sword & sorcery genre and was awarded both the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement AND the SFFWA's Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award. Wow! Amazing! Don't you want to read this author? Also, this book will fill the 1970s slot in your Time Traveller challenge and it is SHORT! What more reasons do you need to vote?

[CBRetriever]

I've already read the whole series multiple times?

[Anthony]

Hear, hear! Plus it’s on the group shelf, for those of you who are working on the read-all-the-books challenge. Plus it features an award-winning novella, for those of you who care about reading award-winning titles.

[Meredith]

CBRetriever wrote: "I've already read the whole series multiple times?"

Support your sad, Fritz-Lieber-deprived SFFBC comrades?

[CBRetriever]

nope, sorry, I'm hoping for City of Bones or The Blade Itself. Besides, if I vote for a book or nominate a book, it never wins

[Anna]

Top 6 will become our rereads for October-December. Voting closes on August 25th.
VOTE HERE

16 The Blade Itself (517)
16 Embassytown (345)
16 A Night in the Lonesome October (280)
14 Blackout (610)

13 City of Bones (488)
13 Dawn (248)
13 Zoo City (416)

12 Doomsday Book (578)
12 The Graveyard Book (312)

11 The Fellowship of the Ring (398)
11 Foundation (256)
11 Guards! Guards! (376)
11 I, Robot (225)
11 The Martian (369)
11 Oryx and Crake (400)

10 Alif the Unseen (433)
10 The Anubis Gates (387)
10 Elantris (638)
10 Hyperion (483)
10 To Say Nothing of the Dog (493)
10 Uprooted (438)
10 Wild Seed (320)

----------

And here are the rereads starting on August 15th:

Sabriel >> First impressions | Final thoughts
Kushiel's Dart >> First impressions | Final thoughts

[Silvana]

What would happen if there's a three-way tie?

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

i'd break it ;)

[Anna]

I was going to suggest, in this particular case, that since Lonesome October will only be a few pages on most days, we could fit three rereads into October :) That is if it's needed. There's still plenty of time!

[Beth]

The power of wheel greasing advocacy is not to be underestimated. What a wild ride this quarter's vote has been!

ETA:

Anthony wrote: "And a new appeal, from me, for the great Connie Willis. Blackout, anyone?"

I just picked this up in audiobook, so why not!

[Anna]

Top 6 will become our rereads for October-December. Voting closes on August 25th.
VOTE HERE

17 The Blade Itself (517)
16 A Night in the Lonesome October (280)
14 Blackout (610)
14 Dawn (248)
14 Embassytown (345)
14 The Graveyard Book (312)

13 Doomsday Book (578)
13 The Fellowship of the Ring (398)
13 Foundation (256)
13 The Martian (369)

12 City of Bones (488)
12 I, Robot (225)
12 Uprooted (438)
12 Zoo City (416)

11 Elantris (638)
11 The Golem and the Jinni (486)
11 Guards! Guards! (376)
11 To Say Nothing of the Dog (493)

10 Alif the Unseen (433)
10 Ancillary Sword (356)
10 Dragonflight (299)
10 Hyperion (483)
10 The Killing Moon (418)
10 The Last Wish (384)
10 Neuromancer (271)
10 Oryx and Crake (400)
10 The Sparrow (431)
10 The Yiddish Policeman's Union (414)

[Anna]

Top 6 will become our rereads for October-December. Voting closes on August 25th.
VOTE HERE

18 The Blade Itself (517)
16 A Night in the Lonesome October (280)
15 Blackout (610)
15 The Graveyard Book (312)

14 Dawn (248)
14 Doomsday Book (578)
14 Embassytown (345)
14 Foundation (256)
14 The Martian (369)

13 The Fellowship of the Ring (398)
13 Zoo City (416)

12 Alif the Unseen (433)
12 City of Bones (488)
12 The Golem and the Jinni (486)
12 Guards! Guards! (376)
12 I, Robot (225)
12 Uprooted (438)

11 Childhood's End (224)
11 The Dispossessed (387)
11 Elantris (638)
11 The Last Wish (384)
11 Oryx and Crake (400)
11 The Sparrow (431)
11 To Say Nothing of the Dog (493)
11 The Yiddish Policeman's Union (414)

[CBRetriever]

The Blade Itself is on sale in Kindle version on amazon.com for US residents for $3.99 if that helps folks make up their mind?

[Anna]

Top 6 will become our rereads for October-December. Voting closes on August 25th.
VOTE HERE

20 The Blade Itself (517)
16 A Night in the Lonesome October (280)
15 Blackout (610)
15 The Graveyard Book (312)

14 Embassytown (345)
14 I, Robot (225)
14 The Martian (369)

13 Childhood's End (224)
13 City of Bones (488)
13 Dawn (248)
13 Doomsday Book (578)
13 Elantris (638)
13 The Fellowship of the Ring (398)
13 Foundation (256)
13 The Golem and the Jinni (486)
13 Guards! Guards! (376)
13 Zoo City (416)

12 Alif the Unseen (433)
12 Hyperion (483)
12 Uprooted (438)

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Vote, or I will, thereby breaking the three way tie and deciding all of our fates! Yes, this is a threat! Bring it!

[Gabi]

One vote more for Embassytown? Pretty please!

[YouKneeK]

I also liked Anna’s suggestion in post #409 that we could fit 3 into October with Lonesome October being read a chapter a day.

But that’s easy for me to say because I’m not likely to have more than 2 votes win this round. :)

[Anthony]

What determines which books are in which month? (Excepting Lonesome October, of course.)

[Jemppu]

Gabi wrote: "One vote more for Embassytown? Pretty please!"

Seconded! Anyone? We're out of ammo.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Anthony wrote: "What determines which books are in which month? (Excepting Lonesome October, of course.)"

We (and again, by we, I mean Anna) put together a prospective assortment based on book length, genre-mixing and so on and ask folks if they like it in the BR thread. If someone says they really want to read something but can't that month, we try again until we get the most participation from active members as possible!

[Lost Planet Airman]

Jemppu wrote: "Gabi wrote: "One vote more for Embassytown? Pretty please!"

Seconded! Anyone? We're out of ammo."

I'll throw a vote at it tonight from home.

[Anna]

YouKneeK wrote: "I also liked Anna’s suggestion in post #409 that we could fit 3 into October with Lonesome October being read a chapter a day."

It's up to those who'll be reading all of these books! I could see Lonesome October, Graveyard and Robot making up a nice October. All are fairly short, Graveyard is MG, episodic, and a quick read.

[Anna]

So far it seems like people aren't interested in breaking the tie, just adding more books to the tie-block.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

*Starts stretching to avoid pulling muscles when she exercises mod discretion*

[Meredith]

Stretching before a workout is very important. I’m glad you are taking care of yourself.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Meredith wrote: "Stretching before a workout is very important. I’m glad you are taking care of yourself."

XD

[Anna]

I'm tempted to close voting right now, since things are looking excellent re: ties


21 The Blade Itself (517)
17 Embassytown (345)
17 A Night in the Lonesome October (280)
16 Blackout (610)
16 The Fellowship of the Ring (398)
16 The Graveyard Book (312)

14 Childhood's End (224)
14 Elantris (638)
14 Foundation (256)
14 I, Robot (225)
14 The Martian (369)

[Jemppu]

Mike wrote: "Jemppu wrote: "Gabi wrote: "One vote more for Embassytown? Pretty please!"

Seconded! Anyone? We're out of ammo."

I'll throw a vote at it tonight from home."

\o/ thank you!

[Beth]

I helped! :D

Huh, somehow I didn't even notice Fellowship of the Ring was up there? Maybe that will be an incentive to finally finish the dang thing after ~35 years and four failed attempts.

[Anthony]

Yeah where did Fellowship swoop in from all of a sudden? Not complaining, just surprised!

[Jemppu]

Beth wrote: "I helped! :D"

Yay! Thank you <3 (And the seemingly one other too). Good cause.

I totally get your LotR frustration; it was a struggle.

[Anna]

I actually typed "where the heck did LOTR come from?!" but then removed it, because I noticed it was on the list all the time, just hiding! But yeah, very sneaky! :D

[Jemppu]

Indeed. Did something happen recently in wider media regarding that to peak such interest? Or was this some planned surprise attack by LotR fans from outside community? :D

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

It was probably some fool of a Took who alerted them!

[Jemppu]

Allison wrote: "It was probably some fool of a Took who alerted them!"

:D

[Anna]

lol Allison! XD

If LOTR is indeed on the rereads list, may I suggest the Rob Inglis audiobook? You will forever have "Heyyyy Tom Bombadiiil, Tom Bombadilloooo!" stuck in your head! :S And if you're listening to it when you have the worst stomach flu known to humankind, it'll be such a joy to hear that song repeated a million times <_<

[DivaDiane]

LOTR - the Outlier swooping in for the surprise win.

[DivaDiane]

Oh, Audible says Blackout is the first part of a Duology (All Clear being the second volume)!

[Anna]

Diane wrote: "Oh, Audible says Blackout is the first part of a Duology (All Clear being the second volume)!"

Yes, or rather one book split in two, which is why I'll probably pair it with Lonesome October, so that those who plan to read the whole book have an illusion of more time.

[Anthony]

I’ll be one of those people!

[Beth]

I'll be one, too. Been wanting to read Willis for a while.

[CBRetriever]

Anna wrote: "lol Allison! XD

If LOTR is indeed on the rereads list, may I suggest the Rob Inglis audiobook? You will forever have "Heyyyy Tom Bombadiiil, Tom Bombadilloooo!" stuck in your head! :S And if you'r..."

That's a wonderful reading of the books. I always skipped the songs and poems or else quickly scanned them. Inglis made me appreciate them

[Jemppu]

Diane wrote: "Oh, Audible says Blackout is the first part of a Duology (All Clear being the second volume)!"

If that's how it was meant, can't really read only half of it.

(There are seven titles of "Blackout" on Storytel, not one of them the Willis one *shakes fist*).

[Beth]

Not even a duology, but a single huge novel split into two books.

[Gabi]

Beth wrote: "Not even a duology, but a single huge novel split into two books."

Yup, the first part makes no sense without the second part. I read them both within a week, found them very easy reading and liked them a lot.

[DivaDiane]

Arrgh! Why give them different titles then? Why not “Blackout Part 1” and “Blackout Part 2”?!? At least then it would be clear.

Well, good that I have 2 credits on Audible. And maybe I’ll buy Embassytown in paperback...

[Meredith]

I voted for Blackout too. I read it last year and am hoping to rustle up a buddy read for All Clear after the reread.

[Dawn F]

Already voted for Embassytown long ago so can’t help anymore :D

[Chris]

If Fellowship makes the cut, I plan to follow it up with the rest of The Lord of the Rings. I'm happy to find that my audiobooks (bought long ago) are the versions by Rob Inglis.

[Lesley]

Meredith wrote: "I voted for Blackout too. I read it last year and am hoping to rustle up a buddy read for All Clear after the reread."

I would be totally in for an All Clear BR.