SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
SciFi and Fantasy Book Challenge
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2020 Read All the Books: Seven Wonders
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Lost Planet Airman
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Jun 06, 2020 08:31AM
"Retro reads". That is the word I have been looking for!
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I'm at 18/36 read, and 2 previously read books have already made it to the shelf, so I guess that puts me at 20/36, since my target isn't to read 36 books in 2020, but add 36 books to my SFFBC shelf, so previously read ones also count. There's a good chance the next scifi poll winner is also on my previously read list, but I can't count that before the polls close :)Either way, I'm accidentally exactly on target! (Or ahead if I count the previously read ones.)
Ahead, definitely ahead. Nice job. For the second year in a row, I decided not to do this challenge and then did it anyway. 19/20 for new books to the read shelf right now.
It's much easier to achieve greatness when there's no pressure!
I'm at 7 out of my goals of 15 from the group shelves this year, plus one I'm currently reading, which means I'm also on target! (I am not choosing to count the books I've read before that are being added to the shelves, but I already have one and expect at least one more from this month's voting.)
Having finally finished 40k in Gehenna, I am now at 8 of my pledged 12 books - so I'm ahead! That brings me to 82 books on the shelves that I've read. I have a further 40 books from the shelves that I already own, so I try to force you all to reread those in our votes, but I am only minimally successful!
I'm 21/50 for my yearly goal. I just hit 200 finished of the group bookshelf with Forty Thousand in Gehenna.
Steve wrote: "On course to do my 12 for 2019 - So I'm putting 12 as my goal for 2020 too! Ah, The Belgariad is great! Although I think it depends on one's age - it's a good YA series. It is a gateway book and series, though! One of my foundational fantasy classics back in highschool. Naomi Novik's books are also great.
Stephanie wrote: "I'm planning on 12..."Oh, Tigana is amazing. I did read it a really long time ago, but it was just so different from what else I'd read then, and its premise and how things play out are both heartbreaking and intensely poignant. Beautiful in a sad and personally, nationally, heroic way. I loved his idea of the central difficulty being that the inhabitants of Tigana could no longer even speak its name.
Oooh I just discovered the bookshelf re-read post, and now I'm really tempted to read The Fifth Season at once, since it's a July re-read. But I also want to read Servant of the Underworld, since it's the BOM, and I also want to read a bunch of others that you guys have mentioned here. In other words, I have too many great books on my to-read list, lol. - And a lot of them are thanks to this group! If I sound grumpy, that's not the case, I just a little lost in the candy store of fantasy and sci-fi, that's all. :D
That does tend to happen to many of us reading these threads! :D
I just joined the group and saw this challenge. It's late in the year, but I put myself down to read 7 books. I already have read 2 from the group shelf a few months ago, 2020. And I saw that I had read several other titles from the bookshelf in the past. One of those, our F2F book club is discussing in September, but I already read it the end of last year. If I have time to reread it, I'll count it for this year. Otherwise--oh well. LOL
Mod
My initial goal was to read 16 from the group shelf this year. So far, I'm up to 13 read, plus I've picked up 4 retro-reads. My total SFFBC bookshelf reads is 121.Since my last update (~2 months ago), I've read:
Ghost Bride
The City & the City
The Dispossessed
The Bear and the Nightingale
Memory Police
and added retro-reads:
Servant of the Underworld
Dreamsnake
Planning to read next: City of Bones
10/18: I'll just keep editing this until the thread goes to page 6.Read:
Currently reading:
On deck (subject to change!):
New member here. Thanks for having me. I tried to do 20 last year, but couldn't get past 19. This year I thought 20 was too easy so I went for 30. Got past that in July, and now I'm going for 50. At 40 right now. Chugging along.
Mod
Good reading, James!I started this challenge in August, late in the year, so I kept my goal low since I have other challenges going too. I already had 2 bookshelf titles I'd read earlier in 2020, and I was able to meet my 7-book goal in Sept, but then decided to increase that goal to 10.
Here's are the titles I've read so far:
1. THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE by Neil Gaiman
2. NEVERWHERE by Neil Gaiman
3. HOUNDED by Kevin Hearne
4. GOOD OMENS by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
5. THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY by Alix E Harrow
6. THE GODS OF JADE AND SHADOW by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
7. THE YIDDISH POLICEMEN'S UNION by Michael Chabon (reread)
My next book will be: THE COLOR OF MAGIC by Terry Pratchett.
Don't give me too much credit. My free time has increased significantly since last year so I have an advantage over most people.Great job lanlynk. I should take a look at this Neil Gaiman guy. It seems like you enjoy his writing and story telling. I'm grateful for you sharing your list. That's the whole reason I joined this club. My only source before this was whatever Sci-Fi or Fantasy book Unlimited pushed on me.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks, James. I've gotten into a magical realism kick lately, and many of Neil Gaiman's books fit into that category. I only discovered him a couple of years ago, but he's become one of my fav authors. :)
lanlynk wrote: "Thanks, James. I've gotten into a magical realism kick lately, and many of Neil Gaiman's books fit into that category. I only discovered him a couple of years ago, but he's become one of my fav aut..."I'll read #1 on your list by him and give him shot. I'm just going to read a couple Unlimited to get my money back on the month. The summary looks intriguing. Thanks for recommending it to me.
lanlynk wrote: "Good reading, James!I started this challenge in August, late in the year, so I kept my goal low since I have other challenges going too. I already had 2 bookshelf titles I'd read earlier in 2020,..."
I'm halfway through "The Ocean at the End of the Lane." It's a different kind of fantasy than I'm used to, but I do enjoy it. I can't really capture what it reminds me of as far as fantasy goes, but it's cool.
I almost get a feeling of Bed Knobs and Broomsticks meets Practical Magic. Forgive me, it's been nearly 30 years since I watched the former, but it gives this childlike feeling of it that makes me nostalgic for that movie without being anything related to it. Bed Knobs is more childlike fun and charming while this leans darker and this is where I feel Practical Magic entwines into the fabric of the story.
Anyhow, I really appreciate you introducing me to the author. I'm going to give him another go with 1602. Coincidentally, the day I bought the book you recommended, he appeared as a cameo on a rerun of The Big Bang Theory, probably a promotion of 1602, but it just felt like it was meant to be so I decided to add that to the list.
I hit my goal of reading 16 from the shelf and added another. So, I am at 17 read this year plus 4 retro-reads putting me at 125 books read from the shelf.Since my last update, I've read
The Vanished Birds
City of Bones
Recursion
Plus the group read The City We Became, which I read earlier this year, so that's sort of a stealth retro-read (since it's the same year and not a previous year read).
Congrats, Meredith! I have several bookshelf titles that I've read in past years. Is that what you mean by retro-reads? How are you handling those?James, it's that combo of fantasy and reality in Neil Gaiman's stories that I enjoy. Hope you like 1602. It was the first thing of Gaiman's that I read. Good story. BTW, if you haven't discovered them already, Gaiman has five short stories on his website that you can read. Fun, interesting stories. He pays homage to Lovecraft and Conan Doyle in a couple: https://www.neilgaiman.com/Cool_Stuff...
lanlynk wrote: "Congrats, Meredith! I have several bookshelf titles that I've read in past years. Is that what you mean by retro-reads? How are you handling those?..."Yes, retro-reads are any books picked by the group this year that I read in a previous year. So, they don't count for this challenge since I didn't read them this year. But they still count as books I've read from the shelf. I counted The City We Became for this year's challenge since I read it this year (even though I was a couple months ahead of the group).
I'm joining this challenge with a low number, as I only just joined the club. I'm setting the goal to 8, with Ready Player One and The Colour of Magic I already have 2 books off the bookshelf that I read this year, so with a BOTM for the rest of the year and 3 other picks, I should be able to hit this goal in 2020.Titles read:
1: The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett 11/01/2020
2: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 19/01/2020
3:
4:
5:
6:
7:
8:
Mod
Meredith wrote: "So, they don't count for this challenge since I didn't read them this year. But they still count as books I've read from the shelf."Thanks, Meredith. I guess I'll pull together a separate list of the bookshelf titles I've read in the past. If I decide to reread any of them, I'll count those in the current year, otherwise not. :)
Hi, Alexander! I just recently started this challenge too. I read THE COLOR (COLOUR) OF MAGIC last week. Fun book. I also read READY PLAYER ONE a couple of years ago, so doesn't count for this year, but I really enjoyed it.
lanlynk wrote: "Meredith wrote: "So, they don't count for this challenge since I didn't read them this year. But they still count as books I've read from the shelf."Thanks, Meredith. I guess I'll pull together a..."
There's also a discussion for how many (total) bookshelf books people have read: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I hit my goal of 15 for the year tonight so anything else I read off the shelf is a bonus.
Mod
lanlynk wrote: "Congrats, Meredith! I have several bookshelf titles that I've read in past years. Is that what you mean by retro-reads? How are you handling those?James, it's that combo of fantasy and reality in..."
Thanks lanlynk. I'll check them out.
HeyT, congrats on completing your goal. :)Meredith, thanks for the link to the discussion for total bookshelf titles read. I'll be sure to go through those posts too.
So I reached my initial goal of 12 and surpassed it by 2 so far. I might change my goal to 15 and read (at least) one more. And the shelf that keeps tabs, says I've read 100 books from the SFFBC book shelf in total! Yay! So far this year I've read:The Way of Kings
Kindred
Embassytown
Dragonflight this was a reread
Watchmen
The Farthest Shore this was a reread (aloud to my son)
This Alien Shore
Nine Princes in Amber
The Fifth Season
The Three-Body Problem
Forty Thousand in Gehenna
Servant of the Underworld
Dreamsnake reread (audio book this time)
Shadowshaper
The Man in the High Castle is in progress. I'm reading it aloud to my husband and it's taking forever!!!
With any luck I'll read Moon of the Crusted Snow before the end of the year.
Yay for 100! And completing the challenge of course :)
I set a goal of 12 books from the group shelf and then basically forgot about it. However it looks like I’ve read 4 anyway: Gods of Jade and Shadow, Guards! Guards!, The Invisible Man, and Assassin's Apprentice. Maybe I’ll see if I can read another 8 in this last couple of months of the year.
Mod
Need to read another 32 books to reach my goal for the group this year, but only two more for my overall goal of 104. Time to delve into the lighter reads and hope my library has a few of the audiobooks available, I guess.
Diane, congrats! You're making great progress. I have THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, but haven't read it yet. We watched the series on TV though. Stephen, good luck on your last reads for the year! I also read GODS OF JADE AND SHADOW and enjoyed it.
Ryan, 53 books for this year is great. And you're so close to your overall goal!
I started this challenge late in the year, so kept my goal at 10. I reached my 2020 goal last week. Now I'm going to see how many bookshelf titles I've read in past years. I think there are about 20.
2020 SF/F Bookshelf Reads:
1. THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE by Neil Gaiman
2. NEVERWHERE by Neil Gaiman
3. HOUNDED by Kevin Hearne
4. GOOD OMENS by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
5. THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY by Alix E Harrow
6. THE GODS OF JADE AND SHADOW by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
7. THE YIDDISH POLICEMEN'S UNION by Michael Chabon (reread)
8. THE COLOR OF MAGIC by Terry Pratchett
9. GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm
10. FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Mod
Allison, thanks! I discovered Neil Gailman not too long ago (a year?) and have been enjoying his stories. I've also been loving Kevin Hearne's Druid character Atticus. Good fun. Alix E Harrow was a new author for me. I recently read her other book, THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES, which I also liked.
One thing I started doing this past month is listening to LibriVox audiobooks at Gutenberg--a few classics I hadn't read yet.
Thanks, Ianlynk! And you’ve made great strides in a short time!!
Since I started working from home in late March I haven't had as much time devoted to reading (used to read on the 40mins train ride to work and back), and the mood also did not help... but I just managed to finish my modest goal of 10. The first half+ of this list feels like from a different year....
1. The Calculating Stars
2. The House of the Spirits
3. The Collapsing Empire
4. The Sword of Kaigen
5. Station Eleven
6. The Stand
7. The City We Became
8. The Vanished Birds
9. Moon of the Crusted Snow
10. China Mountain Zhang
Anat, congrats on reaching your goal! Interesting list of titles too. The only one I've read is THE HOUSE OF SPIRITS by Isabel Allende. Great author.And I've added STATION ELEVEN by Emily St John Mandel to my Want to Read list. Thanks! :)
Wohoo, gratz to all who have already made their goal. Nice list of books you got Anat, it looks like we will have two in common as Sword of Kaigen and Moon of Crusted Snow are on my to read for the final 7 weeks of 2020.
Made my 42! Upped my goal to 49 for the year. In 2021, RATB is only 4th priority, so I will likely set the sights lower (although... I did just chart the available formats for my outstanding book and discovered I have access t many more free audio books than I thought!)
The Forty-Two
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