SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
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SciFi and Fantasy Book Challenge
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Getting Ready for 2015
Michael wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Okay, I didn't count June, Jes, Richard, Andy, Djaisin, or Hank because they sounded like they were talking personal goals rather than reading with the group. Please correct that if ..."You are absolutely awesome! I've been trying to convince myself to get out a spreadsheet and organize this for two days. Now I can quit dragging my feet. Plus, I didn't think of doing what you just did. I take it you like analysis :)
Also, I apologize in advance for all the times I basically said "Hey, that sounds good". Which just made it more difficult to track.
Sarah wrote: "Michael wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Okay, I didn't count June, Jes, Richard, Andy, Djaisin, or Hank because they sounded like they were talking personal goals rather than reading with the group. Please ..."Thanks! I was waiting for a lull in my life - mine came first!
Speaking of which, when you made your new priority list, does that mean you are only voting for those, or are you also voting for the ones where you said "hey that sounds good" to? Here are the ones that are not on your priority list:
Foundation
Old Man's War
American Gods
Dune
Long Earth, The
Warded Man, The
Ancillary Justice
Railsea
Snow Crash
Sparrow, The
Zodiac
I think I should count them in your votes to determine the books with the most overlap, but correct me if I'm wrong! (Notice I threw things in like Zodiac when you said "everything by Stephenson"...)
Sarah wrote: "Of these I still want:Old Man's War
Dune
The Warded Man
Snow Crash
Zodiac
Huge thanks :)"
No problem. Thank you!
Based on that feedback for my numbers, here are my latest counts:
Fuzzy NationFuzzy Na 5 C E X S V
Altered CarbonAltere 4 H X S V
Handmaid's Tale, The 4 E H X S
Martian Chronicles, 4 C E X V
Ready Player OneRead 4 E M X S
Old Man's WarOld Man 3 C S V
City & The City, The 3 M X S
Dispossessed, TheDis 3 M X S
World War ZWorld War 3 E X S
Forgive the title formatting, I've got some formulas going on; should still be decipherable. The letters after the counts stand for our names: Chris, Edwin, Hillary, Maggie, X (Me), Sarah, Valerie
Anyone not in that list who wants to be counted, let me know. Again, I think this is enough to pick the first 3 or 4 months, and then when other people start posting in January, we can flesh out the year.
Maggie, I see what you mean about Ready Player One being the only one with you in it in the top 5. I rescind my concern and think Fuzzy, Handmaid's, and Ready Player are a great first 3, that would include everyone on this list at least once...
I wonder how I ended up with 7 for Fuzzy Nation? I knew I needed more organization.It looks like we should swap Martian Chronicles or Altered Carbon for World War Z, since the last only had 3 votes.
Two other things:Maggie, I noticed you were the one who proposed World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War for April, but I didn't see it on your list. Does that mean you are interested in reading and discussing that one? (It would push it into the tie for second place votes)
March: Since Edwin confirmed an interest in Martian Chronicles, I am liking the "double up" proposal even more. Chris, Edwin, me, Valerie (and any other random people) could read/discuss The Martian Chronicles, while Maggie, Sarah, any other random people, and I (discuss at least) could do Ready Player One. Or Edwin could read both!? Thoughts?
Sarah wrote: "I wonder how I ended up with 7 for Fuzzy Nation? I knew I needed more organization.It looks like we should swap Martian Chronicles or Altered Carbon for World War Z, since the last only had 3 votes."
See my question to Maggie in message 107. Also, I should probably wait a day or so to give people time to correct my counts, and to shout out if they want to be included for the discussions...
I like the double up proposal. If we want to read Ready Player One later, I can read something else with Maggie that month.
Re: wwz-it is not on my list(i already read it)-i just mentioned it because a lot of other people listed itI also already read martian chronicles so i dont careabout that
The only ones on your list i havent read are ready player one, the city & the city andthe dispossessed.
Maggie wrote: "Re: wwz-it is not on my list-i just mentioned it because a lot of other people listed it..."Thanks for the reply!
So maybe we will wait to pick April when we get more votes? I have this as the proposal so far...
Jan: The Handmaid's Tale
Feb: Fuzzy Nation
Mar: Ready Player One, The Martian Chronicles
And I'm assuming we would start around the 15th of each month again to avoid conflicts with the monthly Group Reads?
Maggie wrote: "The only ones on your list i havent read are ready player one, the city & the city andthe dispossessed. "Oh, and I am definitely interested in LeGuin and Mieville this year; if nothing else you, me, and Sarah could do a few on our own if we don't drum up enough interest from others!
Definitely. To hit 100 total I have to read about 5 per month this year. So I'm willing to do LOTS of side reads. Maggie, of your original list the only one I'm not interested in is Blackout. Michael, on yours I've already read Slaughter-house Five, Zoo City, and The Martian Chronicles. Otherwise I'm willing to read others. I'm particularly interested in Boneshaker and Perdido Street Station. And yes, I'm deliberately not tagging these! There's been enough confusion.I didn't know about starting on the 15th!
Sarah wrote: "Oh, and Wild Seed.""particularly interested" or "already read"?
The 15th seemed to work last year as a way to avoid the current monthly reads, but we can always change based on preferences. For January, I won't be able to start The Handmaid's Tale until the 15th, but others can start earlier if they want...
Particularly interested for Wild Seed. I haven't read Octavia Butler and she has so many books that look good.The 15th definitely works for me. It just explains why I always felt off. Like I was ready and nobody else was or vice versa.
Hey all. I am away for the week with limited internet access and only on this stupid smart phone. I am good with all of the thoughts so far and quite open to most reading choices unless it is something I have recently read. And thanks Michael for leading the charge here.
Michael, that is some pretty awesome analysis. Interesting numbers from last year's participation. Thanks for the number crunching.I am good with the 15th being our target start for these side reads.
Valerie wrote: "Michael, that is some pretty awesome analysis. Interesting numbers from last year's participation. Thanks for the number crunching.I am good with the 15th being our target start for these side ..."
Thanks! You're welcome!
And stop changing your profile photo - it's confusing! ;) Pretty cool art, though.
LOL...both pieces were commissioned and given to me as surprises. Hard to top hanging with the Hulk in a bar surrounded by nerd gear, so I should be set.
Valerie wrote: "LOL...both pieces were commissioned and given to me as surprises. Hard to top hanging with the Hulk in a bar surrounded by nerd gear, so I should be set."Wow, great gift idea!
Richard wrote: "[some sort of email address]"Richard, is this on purpose - did I miss something?
Edited: to remove the actual email address.
I've noticed a couple posts exactly the same. I've deleted them but there may be an issue with his account.
Kim, Michael, and others worried about my sanity. It great depends on how I write my posts. If from my Identity Safe browser, it blows my personal E-Mail address everywhere and gone. So I am relying on other means, but yes, Squidoo here has been guilty of bad posts, and I deeply apologize. I finally realized the error of my new Galaxy Tab 4 which I am using as my e-reader now. Sorry for the confusion!
I'm new to this group, but this challenge seems a good way to read some classics I missed. I don't know how many books I will read from this collection, but in my neverending wish-list there are:
Stranger In a Strange Land by H. Heinlein
The Left Hand of Darkness U.K. Le Guin and the Earthsea cycle by the same author
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Stranger In a Strange Land by H. Heinlein
The Left Hand of Darkness U.K. Le Guin and the Earthsea cycle by the same author
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Michael wrote: "So maybe we will wait to pick April when we get more votes? I have this as the proposal so far...Jan: The Handmaid's Tale
Feb: Fuzzy Nation
Mar: Ready Player One, The Martian Chronicles
And I'm assuming we would start around the 15th of each month again to avoid conflicts with the monthly Group Reads? "
The 15th of the month works well for me, and I am good for both of the March suggestions. I think Kim is planning to post another challenge thread for 2015 next week, so I am presuming we will meet there to coordinate these reads as we did last year.
I am pumped, and was able to get our first choice, The Handmaid's Tale, as a $1.99 download during Amazon's 12 Days of Christmas sale this week. Let the reading begin!!!
I love that book. I'm going to pay full price for the lovely new paperback edition at Barnes & Noble. This is very uncommon for me.
Richard wrote: "Kim, Michael, and others worried about my sanity. It great depends on how I write my posts. If from my Identity Safe browser, it blows my personal E-Mail address everywhere and gone. So I am relyin..."No problem, wanted to make sure you were aware of it! (And I deleted my quotation of the original email, in case that helps)
Sarah wrote: "I love that book. I'm going to pay full price for the lovely new paperback edition at Barnes & Noble. This is very uncommon for me."And I am waiting to reserve it from my library - I guess I'm the cheapskate!
Have you read it before? I did the library last time but this time I want the real thing so I can fall into it.
I am thinkingthat since you all are going to do Atwood that i will read The Year of the Flood for my january replacement. Been trying to get to that forever!
Did you like Oryx & Crake? That one is still in my TBR.
Excellent! I tried The Blind Assassin and couldn't seem to do it. I've been worried about Oryx & Crake.
I, myself hope to read at least 30 more books from the SciFi/Fantasy bookshelf along with maybe 30 continuing series books. I really appreciate the group since it exposes me to authors I never had the time to encounter before. I tend to be a lurker on these boards simply because I would rather read the books than read/write posts on the computer and by the time I do get onto the computer, someone else has already expressed some version of my thoughts, opinions, and observations and I abhor redundancy when I can avoid it. Anyway, thanks for the experience.
Sarah wrote: "Excellent! I tried The Blind Assassin and couldn't seem to do it. I've been worried about Oryx & Crake."The Blind Assassin is nothing like Oryx and Crake. I had trouble with the former myself, finishing it felt like a slog. It made such an impression on me honestly couldn't tell you what it was about. The latter is a strange but elegant romp in comparison. I enjoyed it so much that when the final book came out I read it and the Year of the Flood again.
I'm shooting for 25 again, it worked well for me last year. I actually ended up with more than my goal, guess I should've saved some of those for next year but what can ya do?I can't pick my list in advance because I never know what I'll be in the mood for at a certain point. There were 3 or 4 books I started for the group read but gave up on within a couple chapters so I'll probably try getting to those this year.
Have fun everyone!
Sandi wrote: "I, myself hope to read at least 30 more books from the SciFi/Fantasy bookshelf along with maybe 30 continuing series books. I really appreciate the group since it exposes me to authors I never had ..."Glad you're enjoying it! Personally, I love knowing that there are people out there participating "silently", it makes the threads seem bigger somehow. And I know what you mean about posting, sometimes I think it is a lot to keep up with, but I guess I just like the interactive aspect enough to keep plodding away!
Sarah wrote: "Have you read it before? I did the library last time but this time I want the real thing so I can fall into it."No this will be my first time, so yes I'm probably holding out to make sure I like it. I loved Oryx and Crake but it is creepy. Creepy in a, wait this might actually be what happens to our world and that's no fun kind of way...
I do love it. I don't know that I've ever had such a strong emotional reaction to a book. Which is saying something since I'm an emotional reader. It's really not a happy book, but it's very very good.I need to read Oryx & Crake.
Sarah wrote: "I need to read Oryx & Crake. "I have to also recommend this one. Very thought provoking and a little disturbing, but not horribly so. Good stuff.
Three recommendations... that one may have entered next month's list!
Michael, based on what I am reading about the plans for the group within group read togethers, I would like to try my hand again at it. There are omly two that I did read in 2014 -- Fuzzy Nation and Old Man's War. The rest are in the TBRL but may not be on my original list, but I can certainly make changes and adds as needed. I was never really certain when things were going on, probably my lack of attention to group items since I had so much going on in my reality -- hoping 2015 is less eventful, less stressful, and certainly less depressing. Please feel free to nudge me in the ribs, smack me in the head or whatever it takes to bring me back to rights and the right reads for the reading group within the group. Thanks!
Michael wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Of these I still want:Old Man's War
Dune
The Warded Man
Snow Crash
Zodiac
Huge thanks :)"
No problem. Thank you!
..."
Michael wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Of these I still want:
Old Man's War
Dune
The Warded Man
Snow Crash
Zodiac
Huge thanks :)"
No problem. Thank you!
..."
Michael, please include me on your list for minigroup reads this year. The only ones I have completed and reviewed are Fuzzy Nation and Old Man's War. If I can get a timeline on when to read what, I will get it synch'ed with my calendar and be sure to read what the smaller group wants to read together. Please see my post 144 in this discussion for my apology for not doiing better last year.
That's awesome, Richard! Having another reader is always a good thing. :)
Yes, welcome Richard. The more the merrier.
Richard wrote: "Michael, based on what I am reading about the plans for the group within group read togethers, I would like to try my hand again at it. There are omly two that I did read in 2014 -- Fuzzy Nation a..."Request for nudging and prodding received! Thanks, glad to have you back!
I might be interested in joining you guys, if you'll have me. I don't have a list, but will read what the rest agree to, or find a side group if I've already read the primary. Does that sound doable?
That sounds great, Barbra. I'm always happy to have more people.
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SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Doomsday Book (other topics)Watchmen (other topics)
The City & the City (other topics)
The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia (other topics)
Altered Carbon (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Connie Willis (other topics)Dave Gibbons (other topics)
Alan Moore (other topics)
Fuad Lechin (other topics)
Richard K. Morgan (other topics)
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This is interesting. I went back to some of the discussions from 2014 to see how they compared to the initial sign-ups. It turns out I was overestimating the number of people who would be contributing to the discussions. Just because they posted their list, didn't mean they contributed. Here are some counts from the ones that I tabulated:
I was using the "Listed" count to rank them, but this did not correspond to people interested in the discussion. Almost always the no-shows were bigger than the ones who showed up to the discussions. However, the "Surprise" category is people who did not have the book on their list, but ended up contributing to the discussion. In every case the surprise contributors more than made up for the no shows, although the rankings would have ended up being different. (That's why I didn't see anything amiss during the year since we actually ended up having good discussions).
So I think it is worth it to try to focus on the lists of people who are actually committing to participating in the discussions. (At least as of now, we know things can always come up later to interfere.)
Here are the folks I see interested in group reads. Let me know if your name is missing!
Sarah
Edwin
Valerie
Michael (me)
Maggie
Chris
Hillary (I put you down for the 2 you mentioned. Did you ever get to Mieville this year?)
Seems interested in our discussions but doesn't have a list:
Galaxy Press
Kiwi
Flash Beagle
Has a list but did not express interest in group reads specifically
June
Jes
Richard
Andy
Deedee
Now I will double-check the most-popular numbers so far...