SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
SciFi and Fantasy Book Challenge
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2020 TBR Cleanup Challenge
I'm in!! Read books will have a ☑️ next to the number. 1. Inspired by a meme
Space Odyssey series by Arthur C. Clarke
There are tons of memes out there for it.
2. Nominated for 2+ awards (didn't win)
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
It was nominated for both the Hugo and the Locus award and got neither.
3. Small publisher
I honestly don't know many publishers. The ones I know of for Sci-fi are Tor, Orbit, and Spectra. I don't know any others, so as long as the book isn't published by those three I'm going to count it.
4. Relationship between humans/animals
Probably a Drizzt book.
5. Recommended by a public figure
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
On Oprah's book club list.
OR
The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
It was one of Abraham Lincoln's favorite books.
6. Steal from someone else
The Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks
Took from a friend's house. (He wont mind) AND the character starts out as a thief soooo.
7. Makes you wonder
Ender's Shadow series by OSC
I wondered more about the other characters in Ender's Game and was happy to find this series!
8. Fits a past SFFBC nomination theme
The Once and Future King by T.H. White
9. #ownvoices
Finishing the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
First Person narration.
☑️ 10. Won a smaller or regional award
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Won the British Book Award...among others.
11. What a title?!
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Need I say more?
12. Published in a memorable year
Nemesis by Isaac Asimov
Published in 1989, the year I was born.
13. #relatable
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
I heard Alexei "Alyosha" Karamazov is an INTJ like me.
14. Seven or Twenty
Recursion by Blake Crouch
It was 20th in my "owned-tbr" list.
15. Dialect, slang, or pidgin languages
Probably a Redwall book. The Mole speech is ridiculous lol.
16. Pushing the boundaries
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
Gotta love a conquering military sci-fi novel! (I'm probably pushing the boundaries with this one but meh...)
17. The next [insert popular series here]
Finish the Hyperion quartet by Dan Simmons
18. LOLed IRL
Probably an Old Man's War book.
19. Seen in an ad or on social media
Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
So many people are reading these right now.
☑️ 20. Hindsight is 20/20
Xenocide by OSC
(More for the irony than anything)
Already 6 down.Since I dragged this challenge last year I wanted to start strong (so I can later drag with a better conscience … ^^')
Mod
Dang, Gabi! Haha I'm glad you're planning around yourself. I too often have to trick future me, she's wily.
Allison wrote: "Yay for OaFK on your list, Patrick!!!Dang, Gabi! Haha I'm glad you're planning around yourself. I too often have to trick future me, she's wily."
Yeah, I wanted to read it when the group was reading it last year but I didn't have the room in my schedule lol.
One more down.10. Won a smaller or regional award - The Trials of Morrigan Crow
11. What a title?! - Finn Fancy Necromancy
19. Seen in an ad or on social media - The Wicked King
A few people off to flying starts, especially Gabi. Six down already. Well done.I've read four so far. I've already swapped a couple out as well. And I've found a justification for my selection for number 17 after misinterpreting the prompt.
Completed so far are;
3. Small publisher - A Time to Die: The Untold Story of the Kursk Tragedy.
5. Recommended by a public figure - The World As It Is: Inside the Obama White House.
8. Fits a past SFFBC nomination theme - Exilium - From the 2019 TBR Challenge number 20, a graphic or illustrated novel.
17. The next True Blood (ie, the next series that I will not bother to continue on with unless it improves with this book) - Devil Said Bang.
Still to go;
1. Inspired by a meme - The Prosperity Gospel: How Scott Morrison won and Bill Shorten lost.
2. Nominated for 2+ awards (didn't win) - SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome.
4. Relationship between humans/animals - Dogs of War.
6. Steal from someone else - All the Birds in the Sky.
7. Makes you wonder - Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War.
9. #ownvoices - Dark Emu - Indigenous Australian.
10. Won a smaller or regional award - The Admirals: Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King—the Five-Star Admirals Who Won the War at Sea.
11. What a title?! - What It is Like to Go to War.
12. Published in a memorable year - 2312.
13. #relatable - Man's Search for Meaning.
14. Seven or Twenty - A Canticle for Leibowitz - The 7th Hugo Award winner.
15. Dialect, slang, or pidgin languages - Persepolis Rising.
16. Pushing the boundaries - Genghis Khan.
18. LOLed IRL - Witches Abroad.
19. Seen in an ad or on social media - We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy.
20. Hindsight is 20/20 - Time and Time Again.
Petar wrote: "A few people off to flying starts, especially Gabi. Six down already. Well done.I've read four so far. I've already swapped a couple out as well. And I've found a justification for my selection f..."
With all the books on Kursk and the fact that Glantz has used a fine-toothed comb on it, it makes you wonder what remains untold. Of course that same though holds true about the Battle of the Bulge as well.
Hope you enjoy the book on the Admirals I found it to be a good read.
So for the sixth book of the challenge to be finished I give you my stolen book: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
This was a great book. The author doesn't really do much in the way of what I would call world-building, but the races that she puts into the book are given a detail that is amazing. Each race is given different types of culture, background and in every case racial type. No Star Trek Universe here. It would be great fun to see this done in a video format just to see those races put into full context.
Even with all the detail put into the different races that inhabit this Galaxy, the book is more about interpersonal relations and it is in top form in that regard. It is a great read and I recommend it without the least bit of hesitation.
Dj wrote: "So for the sixth book of the challenge to be finished I give you my stolen book: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet Th..."
I quite enjoyed this too though there were some elements about Chambers' use of language that kind of annoyed me, ie, using current colloquialisms in a future setting. I tend to feel that if a story is set in the future, the writer is best off avoiding colloquialisms or creating a new vernacular from scratch, a la The Expanse (within reason of course. I don't think you can avoid ALL colloquialisms).
Having said that though, the story was very interesting and Chambers does write great characters. Personally I thought A Closed and Common Orbit and Record of a Spaceborn Few were even better than The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet.
Petar wrote: "Dj wrote: "So for the sixth book of the challenge to be finished I give you my stolen book: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet [bookcover:The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet|22..."Thanks. I have already gone out and gotten The Closed and Common Orbit. I had hopes for it, which you have increased. So I am really looking forward to reading it as well.
Number 7 on the list falls. This was the one inspired by a Meme. I saw a meme of President Trump making a face, one of the many on his long list and it said the face your bully makes when owned by a 15 year old. It got me to thinking about books where people were bullied and I recalled that I had been wanting to reread some of the Xanth books.
So this is for: A Spell for Chameleon
So it has been a number of years since I first read this book. I was surprised to find that this wasn't the cringe worthy pun fest that later books would become. It was more of a straightforward Fantasy book that is well written, has some well developed characters and the basis for a solid world to explore and enjoy. Makes me wonder when it became a pun event more than a story, might have to read some more and see if i can find where this transition took place.
Finally making some progress. The beginning of the year is rough with all those "0 books read" challenge statuses.✔️ 3. Small publisher: Rock Manning Goes for Broke, Subterranean Press.
✔️14. Seven or Twenty: Record of a Spaceborn Few, #20 on my TBR by date added.
Can I use a book I already read this year? It was on the right shelf until a few days ago but not anymore.
1. Inspired by a meme Cloaked in Shadow inspired by the Ancient Aliens guy meme2. Nominated for 2+ awards (didn't win) Son of a Trickster Sunburst Award, Scotiabank Giller Prize, Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize
3. Small publisher Blue on Black DSP Publications
4. Relationship between humans/animals Trickster Drift crow and beaver shapeshifters but also the impact of human behavior on animal habitats
5. Recommended by a public figure - Me Talk Pretty One Day recommended by Augusten Burroughs
6. Steal from someone else False Value a heist is a major part of the plot
7. Makes you wonder How to Live in Space: Everything You Need to Know for the Not-So-Distant Future
8. Fits a past SFFBC nomination theme Dread Nation dark fiction/horror
9. #ownvoices Storm of Locusts the author is from the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo nation.
10. Won a smaller or regional award Sufficiently Advanced Magic Reddit Stabby
11. What a title?! An Orc on the Wild Side
12. Published in a memorable year Gyrfalcon 2015 the year marriage equality passed in the US
13. #relatable Toil & Trouble
14. Seven or Twenty Ghosts of Gotham 427 pages
15. Dialect, slang, or pidgin languages Leviathan Wakes residents of settlements in the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars speak a dialect known as belter
16. Pushing the boundaries - The Final Empire the characters push back against the socioeconomic boundaries
17. The next [insert popular series here] Smoke Bitten
18. LOLed IRL The Goblin Corps
19. Seen in an ad or on social media The Grey Bastards
20. Hindsight is 20/20 Red Rising protagonist learns that everything he thought he knew about his world and its history is a lie
Changing yet again:9. #ownvoices
__
__
__Not So Stories edited by David Thomas Moore
__Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories as rewritten by "new and established writers of color from around the world to take the Just So Stories back; giving voices to cultures that were long deprived them."
I've read the first two and they're excellent (Spiders figure in the first one and they're as smart as the ones in Children of Time)
CBRetriever wrote: "Changing yet again:9. #ownvoices
__Worlds Apart: An Anthology of Russian Science Fiction and Fantasy
__Salsa Nocturna: Stories by Daniel José Older..."
Wait, wait, wait ... did I hear "spiders"? Do the stories work when I don't know Kipling's stuff?
yes, they do. I don't remember most of them and I enjoyed the first two I read (Spider and Lion subjects). Hmm, there isn't even a Kipling spider story, so I'd say they were very loosely based on his stories or using the pattern of the stories (How the X got their Y)
So I have finished my seventh book on my list. This is What? book. Voodoo Science: The Road from Foolishness to Fraud
This is a book that is well worth the read. It talks about a few things that are involved in why an amateur or a scientist can go from an honest mistake to an act of fraud. The book doesn't just go after low hanging fruit like people that believe that the world is flat or the Moon Landing was faked, instead it shows how people can allow their actual beliefs to overcome good science and lead them down a wrong path.
Things like Perpetual Motion, Cold Fusion, and even X-Ray Lasers. These are things that can, in fact, sound very plausible especially to those with a less well-grounded scientific background. He gives the rationale behind why such things won't work and in some cases the places where the mistakes were made. This is a great book for looking at what is said as being possible and comparing it to what is probable. (an area that I feel our school systems have singularly failed to prepare US citizens to do) He also explains a little about Scientist Speak. In general, scientists avoid speaking in absolutes, instead couching phrases with things like there is no evidence that shows that cancer is caused by exposure to power lines. This means in a plain language no and trying to find out is a waste of money.
Personally I would like to see books like this as required reading in our Public Schools so that we can stop having comments like Windmills built to provide electrical energy cause ear cancer.
Mod
Allison wrote: "DJ, that looks great! I marked it as something for Jon to look at, he may well find that exactly the sort of book he likes to read."Glad I could provide something that might be enjoyed in your household. I do think I am going to focus on something more Fantasy based for my next one though.
Dj wrote: "So I have finished my seventh book on my list. This is What? book. Voodoo Science: The Road from Foolishness to Fraud ..."I hadn't known that Robert L. Park had written a book. Cool! I remember him from back when I was more active in the physics community. He was considered something of a national treasure for his relentless pursuit of bad science. It's good to see that he gathered it all together. I may need to check this one out as well.
Raucous wrote: "Dj wrote: "So I have finished my seventh book on my list. This is What? book. Voodoo Science: The Road from Foolishness to Fraud ..."I hadn't known that [author:Robert L. Park|91016..."
I am glad that I could bring this tidbit to you. I would suggest you give it a look when you get a chance. It was, for me, an enjoyable read where the explanations on why things worked the way they did or the ideas presented didn't work they way they would have expected without leaving me scratching my head.
I always am impressed by someone who knows the lingo for the science (or anything else) that is the topic of discussion but can still clear it up so that most anyone can understand.
Dj wrote: "Allison wrote: "DJ, that looks great! I marked it as something for Jon to look at, he may well find that exactly the sort of book he likes to read."Glad I could provide something that might be en..."
Yep, this has piqued my interest as well. It's now added to my TBR list.
I was worried that this year's challenge might lengthen my TBR list rather than shorten it *sigh*.
10. Won a smaller or regional award - The Trials of Morrigan Crow 11. What a title?! - Finn Fancy Necromancy
16. Pushing the boundaries - Siege and Sacrifice (so the bad guy tries to (view spoiler) )
19. Seen in an ad or on social media - The Wicked King
Petar wrote: "Dj wrote: "Allison wrote: "DJ, that looks great! I marked it as something for Jon to look at, he may well find that exactly the sort of book he likes to read."Glad I could provide something that ..."
Just remember if you have books still to read you can live forever. No dying with unread books on the table.
That's my theory and I am sticking to it, proof or no proof. LOL
Mod
I AM IMMORTAL!!
Allison wrote: "DJ, this is the best theory I've ever heard. Accepted as my new belief structure.I AM IMMORTAL!!"
Yep, I'm running with it (reading with it?)
So I finished the ninth book in the challenge. This is the book nominated for two or more awards but didn't win. Alphabet of Thorn
A book that doesn't seem to have the standard direction that is expected from Fantasy works. The cast is divided up between A Library Transcriptor, a Queen, and the Wizard Advisor. There is little that brings them together at the start save for location. In steps a small book that seems to be nothing more than a tale of old conquests. The back and forth and the writing style hold this together much better than it might have been otherwise. At times a difficult read but well worth the effort to stick to.
I am a bit late to the party, but want to jump in!1. Inspired by a meme
2. Nominated for 2+ awards (didn't win)
3. Small publisher
4. Relationship between humans/animals
5. Recommended by a public figure
6. Steal from someone else
7. Makes you wonder
8. Fits a past SFFBC nomination theme
9. #ownvoices
10. Won a smaller or regional award
11. What a title?!,
12. Published in a memorable year
13. #relatable
14. Seven or Twenty
15. Dialect, slang, or pidgin languages
16. Pushing the boundaries
17. The next [Wheel of Time]
18. LOLed IRL
19. Seen in an ad or on social media
20. Hindsight is 20/20
You can never be too late to this party! As long as it's still 2020 :D
10. Won a smaller or regional award - The Trials of Morrigan Crow 11. What a title?! - Finn Fancy Necromancy
14. Seven or Twenty - Small Spaces - 7th book I've read of the year
16. Pushing the boundaries - Siege and Sacrifice (so the bad guy tries to (view spoiler) )
17. The next [insert popular series here] - Stitching Snow - a lot of reviews were comparing it to the Lunar Chronicles
19. Seen in an ad or on social media - The Wicked King
My reads so far:4. Relationship between humans/animals - His Majesty's Dragon - Dragon and Rider
6. Steal from someone else -The Eye of the World - LotR remake
9. #ownvoices - Transcendent 2: The Year's Best Transgender Speculative Fiction 2016 - self explanatory
10. Won a smaller or regional award - The Last Unicorn - They Will Drown in Their Mothers' Tears - Augustpriset for Fiction 2017 (Swedish)
13. #relatable - After Atlas - like all Planetfall books I can highly relate to the anxiety of the characters
16. Pushing the boundaries - All the Light We Cannot See - reading a book set in WWII is pushing my own boundaries a long way
18. LOLed IRL - The Adventures of Elizabeth in Rügen - full of supercute giggle moments
20. Hindsight is 20/20 - The Psychology of Time Travel
@Gabi how was All the Light We Cannot See? It’s on my TBR.
Anthony wrote: "@Gabi how was All the Light We Cannot See? It’s on my TBR."It is one of those very slow paced, very beautiful stories which I treasure - but I'm not sure I could recommend it, cause over most of the book nothing much happens and I'm pretty sure this can become quite boring for readers. (perhaps if one is alright with Murakami this book could work as well)
The atrocities of the war and the Nazis most of the time are told 'offscreen', so I could stomach it.
I really liked it, in the end, despite having to endure the awful narration in the British version by Julie Teal. As Gabi said, it is very beautiful and a slow burn. If you don’t have a problem with UKL’s pacing, you won’t mind this. It’s lovely to follow the two young people.
Read so far:4. Relationship between humans/animals (or plants): Interference
- OK, maybe this is a stretch but it's a great read about relations between humans, aliens and sentient plants. Pulled an all-nighter reading this one
7. Makes you wonder: Senlin Ascends
- When the subject is the Tower of Babel in a steampunk era Ur, there is going to be many wonders and many mysteries!
19. Seen in an ad or on social media: Gideon the Ninth
- One of my Facebook friends was adamant about how much they enjoyed this book. How it really spoke to them too. Jeez it was a great read for me too.
20. Hindsight is 20/20: One Word Kill
- Time travel is always 20/20, but in this case the future self interacts with present day self.
finished these:9. #ownvoices
__
__Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories as rewritten by "new and established writers of color from around the world to take the Just So Stories back; giving voices to cultures that were long deprived them."
and
20. Hindsight is 20/20
__
__makes me wonder about the human propensity towards war
and that makes 6 books
I just found out that Gideon the Ninth fits in my Own Voices spot. It was already high on my list, so it's nice to find it fits a challenge too.
Here's a start on this year's TBR challenge. There have been... changes. I'm not sure why I make up a list of what I'm going to read at the start of the year. Perhaps it's to convince myself that I can think of something for each of the categories. My reading direction is far too random to hold to it.Progress: 4/20
✔︎ 3. Small publisher: Toad Words and Other Stories (Red Wombat Tea Company)
✔︎ 13. #relatable: Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World (Allegedly what I did much of my career. I have very mixed feelings about this as an overview. It's less #relatable than I'd hoped.)
✔︎ 19. Seen in an ad or on social media: The Ten Thousand Doors of January (I can add SFFBC group choice to my earlier sightings.)
✔︎ 20. Hindsight is 20/20: Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World (It's sad how few of these women I knew anything about despite having worked in the sciences for decades.)
I try to fit some of my older TBR pile into the categories so I won't keep ignoring them. Otherwise, I try to go with books I keep putting off reading.
Yes if all of my goodreads friends would stop making books sound so interesting, that would help.I have finished 10/20
1.The House of the Spirits
3. Underland
5.Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill
7. The Light Brigade
9. Shout
11. The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack
12. Starfish
13. The Gospel of Loki
16. Parable of the Sower
19. This Is How You Lose the Time War
I'm up to six done, and so far I've managed to stick pretty much to what I originally selected:✔4. Relationship between humans/animals: Dogs of War
✔5. Recommended by a public figure: Don't Call Us Dead (recommended by Noname)
✔10. Won a smaller or regional award: Her Body and Other Parties (won the Bisexual Book Award for Fiction in 2017)
✔11. What a title?!: The Trans Space Octopus Congregation: Stories
✔17. The next [insert popular series here]: David Mogo, Godhunter (the next American Gods)
✔18. LOLed IRL: The Affair of the Mysterious Letter
Kaa wrote: "I'm up to six done, and so far I've managed to stick pretty much to what I originally selected:✔4. Relationship between humans/animals: Dogs of War
✔5. Recommended by a public fig..."
An Octopus Congregation? What was that about?
Dj wrote: "An Octopus Congregation? What was that about?"A collection of short stories! If I recall correctly, only one of them actually had octopi in it, but there were several about space and many that had trans characters.
wrong threadI'm currently reading my LOL'd book Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible and most definitely LOLing. the snide comments are perfect in most cases, especially the bits where the author wonders why there are so many prostitutes in the bible.
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Maybe not as many laughs as an actual Dahl book but it does have both laughs and interesting facts. More for a person who reads and knows more about the author than someone like me who has read exactly one of his books, but it did bring up interesting facts that made me appreciate the Dahl as a human being much more than reading any of his books would have. I am very glad that I time to read this book honoring his life.
There were in fact a few of the entries that did make me actually laugh out loud. Although to be fair there were quite a few more that made me think WTF.