2021 TBR Cleanup Challenge

[Anna]

Don’t worry, I’m about to take a nap so you have plenty of T. Kingfisher reading time!

[Stephen]

10/20

4. Charade

The Glamour - Apparently deals with appearance and reality. ✔️

An excellent novel to which I gave 4 stars. The main genre content is an interesting treatment of invisibility. There is also a love triangle, shown at length from two sides. The principal male character, Richard Grey, victim of a terrorist bombing, attempts to recover from amnesia affecting his memories of the woman with whom he was in love. We are also given Sue’s version of events, which doesn’t jibe with Grey’s recovered memories. Sue struggles to escape an unhealthy relationship with Niall and persuade Grey of the truth of her perspective. The storytelling is gripping, but the book is also an unstraightforward and tricky examination of people building narratives and memories and seeing what they want or expect to see.

I have unread copies of 3 other Priest books on hand and will continue to read through his works.

[Helena]

SO I've finished The Raven and the Reindeer by T Kingfisher, and I'm wondering why didn't I know about this writer before? Clearly, I've been out of touch! I have no excuse for my abysmal ignorance.

I grew up on Fairy Tales, and I always love a new take on an old story. I am so very glad I've read this book. I will be on the lookout for more of T Kingfisher's work.

[Anna]

Helena, go here to find all the (very many) T. Kingfisher buddy reads and discussions we have in this group! :)

[Helena]

I'm also going to do a swap for one of my choices. For 8. An 8 or 21 I originally had Tiamat's Wrath by James Corey, as it is the 8th book in the series. Right from the beginning, I didn't think I'd get to it, simply because I was just starting book 5.

So I'm going to swap this one to Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton. This book has won four ABIAs (Australian Book Industry Awards), and the author has won another four. That's 8!

For the non-Australians out there, in 2019 this book won:
Book of the Year
Literary Book of the Year
the Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year
Audio Book of the Year

And in relation to this first book, the author won
UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing
People's Choice Award at NSW Premier's Literary Awards
Indie Book Awards Book of the Year
MUD Literary Prize

To be honest, I often run screaming from books that win awards as so many of them don't live up the expectations I build within myself around the book's hype. In this case, however, a friend gave it to me and said it was a good read. That's all the recommendation I need. It was just handy it had won all those prizes so I could force it to fit into one of this year's TBR categories . . . (smile)

[Helena]

Anna wrote: "Helena, go here to find all the (very many) T. Kingfisher buddy reads and discussions we have in this group! :)"

Many thanks Anna. I will go through the list and add them all to my "want to read" list!

[Tamie-lee]

TBR Cleanup Challenge 2021

Progress: 8/20

1. Take a gamble - Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End
2. Red or black Heart's Prisoner
3. Behind the eight ball
4. Charade
5. Agreeable alliteration - Darkness Before Dawn
6. Jackpot
7. Pawns - Blood-Kissed Sky
8. An 8 or 21
9. Dealer's choice
10. X marks the spot
11. Murrderrrrr - Don't Bait Me
12. Back from the dead A Torn Paige
13. Features a game or puzzle
14. I have no gift for strategy
15. Features best friends
16. Queen of hearts - Becoming Marie Antoinette
17. Role-play
18. Amazing race
19. Taboo
20. Critical hit - Horde

[Dj]

For X marks the spot I read: Secrets of the Crown This is a good read but it does have a lost step. The main characters are the Familiars of Wizards or more to the point Wizards in waiting since they are children, but it doesn't have the same freshness that the first book in the series had. Still an enjoyable romp and a perfect book for looking for a treasure at the end of a quest. I will be moving on the finish the third in the series to see how things turn out.

[CBRetriever]

Finished

7. Pawns = Live Free or Die by John Ringo Earthlings are pawns of an alien race

This was a book i really did not like.

[CBRetriever]

Added another one:

13. Features a game or puzzle = The Replicant War by Chris Kennedy
About a role playing video game as far as I can tell

this one was OK Very YA. but much more interesting than Live Free or Die. It makes 13 out of 20 completed

[Dj]

For my Agreeable Alteration I chose: The Washington War: FDR's Inner Circle and the Politics of Power That Won World War II

A book that shows even in the worst of times, politics is still politics. In a way it makes one realize just how amazing it is that the US was able to get as much done during the war as it was. In fighting, backstabbing, and all the usual political games that are played for gaining and holding power are on full display in this book. It seems we were able to achieve the production rates and the building of a world-class Army and Navy in spite of the political leadership in Washington D.C. than because of it.

A scary look at the inner workings of a political system.

[Stephen]

11/20

9. Dealer's choice

Dead Astronauts- A book I want to read that didn’t seem to fit any other category. I guess I’m the dealer.✔️

A weird, somewhat difficult experimental novel, related to the author’s earlier Borne. Three strange characters attempt again and again across alternate timelines to attack the sinister Company. We also get the experience of other “characters”, humans or bioengineered creatures, involved as victims and participants in the Company’s activities. And, back at a relatively early point in some timeline, the experience of a homeless woman hiding a notebook kept by the perpetrator of some of the evil. I didn’t understand everything in the book by any means, but I read it all and took a good deal from it. There are compelling passages of narrative prose, natural description, and poetry. Also pages of repetition of simple sentences or paragraphs, typographic oddities, and marginal numbers that seem to demarcate timelines. Tortured characters inflict pain on others. Human beings and the Company torture animals and nature in pursuit of their ends.

A difficult read and not a quick one, but for me involving and powerful and not as depressing as my attempt at description may suggest.

It’s an odd coincidence that the last two books I’ve read for this challenge include themes related to two H. G. Wells novels I read last year: invisibility in the case of The Glamour, and cruel biological experimentation, as in The Island of Dr. Moreau, in this case.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

good progress and excellent thoughts

[Rachel]

Yes Dead Astronauts was a 5 star read fir me last year.

[Meredith]

I started out slow, but I'm finally making some progress on this challenge.

6/20 read

5. Agreeable alliteration — Assassin's Apprentice
9. Dealer's choice — Catfantastic: Nine Lives and Fifteen Tales, an edited volume is a dealer’s choice
11. Murrderrrrr — The Word Is Murder, murrderrrrr
12. Back from the dead — Midnight Taxi Tango, ghosts and stuff
16. Queen of hearts — A Hope Divided, it's a romance
18. Amazing race — Ancestral Night, characters on the run across the galaxy

Currently reading:
13. Features a game or puzzle — Dying with Her Cheer Pants On, (changed from original pick: A Gathering of Shadows)
14. I have no head for strategy — Raven Stratagem

[DivaDiane]

I recently read Parable of the Sower (for the 8-ball one), which brings me to 7 of 20. Next up? Maybe Winter's Orbit

[Dj]

This is from my No Head for Strategy book. And it has to be one of the best made-up lines I have read in anything where the subject is classified.

P-2–{Remains Classified} [It’s totally about you. It probably refers to the NRO’s mission to spy on your house.]

Houghton, Vince. Nuking the Moon (p. 184). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

[Raucous]

I've finished three more books for my TBR challenge:

✔︎ 7. Pawns: The Wonder Engine (the carnivorous tattoos are a clue)
✔︎ 19. Taboo: Defekt (You want to do what with your sick leave?)
✔︎ 20. Critical hit: Elatsoe (on so many "best of" lists last year)

Elatsoe deserves the acclaim that it's received. It's refreshing, creative, and a fascinating read. This may end up being my favorite book of the year.

I always look forward to T. Kingfisher stories and The Wonder Engine was no exception. I enjoyed this book but the characters didn't work for me as quite well as the ones in Swordheart. There were a surprising number of parallels between the two.

The "serf to the corporate overlord" start to Defekt was both heavy-handed and slow for me. Once it got weird it was much better. Overall I didn't fall for it quite like I did for Finna, the first book in this series.

Progress: 15/20

I'm getting towards the end of the challenge and into books that I'm a bit less enthusiastic about. We'll see how that goes.

[Dj]

This was my book for Pawns: The Island of Dr. Moreau

While I found this book intriguing and well worth the effort I can't say that it was enjoyable in any sense of the word. Sometimes a difficult read, but one that really makes you think of the line between Human and Animal as well as where do you draw the line in a search for knowledge? Probably never on my list of must-read books, it is still a book that should be read.

[CBRetriever]

Finished

12. Back from the dead = Reanimators by Pete Rawlik
I wouldn't normally read this book from a Humble Bundle, but is is about bringing people back from the dead

I've now finished 14 out of 20

Normally I don't like this type of book as it had zombies, Frankenstein monsters and was very Lovecraftian, but it was a good quick read.

[Dj]

So this was my Critical Hit read. Tuesdays at the Castle here are my thoughts

A book solidly in the Young Adult leaning, but one that is well written and not dumbed down. Pretty much a straightforward fantasy plot with a major twist. The castle is magical and aware. Having a magical self-aware castle might seem like a great thing, but as the story points out it all depends on which side of the Castles feelings you are on. A book I might not have read under normal circumstances but I am very glad that I did. It was a fun adventure and the added twist of the Castle more than made it very enjoyable.

[Dj]

This is the book for my I have no gift for strategy read: Nuking the Moon: And Other Intelligence Schemes and Military Plots Left on the Drawing Board

Okay, books like this are not supposed to be fun to read. Subjects like an attempt to turn a cat into a mobile listening device, setting off Nukes in the Ocean to create tidal waves, and of course nuking the moon are not exactly topics that cry out to be enjoyed. The author however is very good at bringing out the humor in many of the cases of this book. Which makes it a curious and fun book to read. Some of it has to do with the way he treats the attempts for sneaky and underhanded operations like turning Bats into incendiary devices to burn down Japanese Cities. Also using the large number of extraordinary means that were brought up to get rid of Castro. All in all this book was much more enjoyable than it had any right to be. My favorite is still the Cat though.


So this is number 11 for the TBR challenge putting me at little over half way.

[Stephen]

I haven’t read any more books as yet for this challenge but I’m swapping one out after reading a couple of pages. Not a fan of late Heinlein.

19. Taboo

(No way I’m going to read this) To Sail Beyond the Sunset - apparently includes some kind of incestuous relationship

(Replacement book) The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner

[Dj]

This is the review for my take a chance read. I probably won't be taking any more chances in the expanded Dune universe going forward.
Dune: The Butlerian Jihad

Where the original Dune was a layered and complex story this one is brutally straightforward and lacking in so many of the things that made the original great. This is not altogether unexpected even the original was something of a one-off with the lightning never really striking twice. This book covers one of the major points of the original, Humanities rise to overthrow the Rule of Thinking Machines. It goes further than that though in trying to show how all the various groups of the Empire in Duen came into existence, always a project that is more ambitious than wise. For one thing, it overlooks the fact that institutions like that develop over time, and in no way would they all come about in such a short time frame. The book is over-ambitious, lacking in world-building, the character development is sparse and the interactions seem forced.

[CBRetriever]

Finished:

16. Queen of hearts = Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly
Love story of a late 30s couple with several children and she's queen of his heart

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. The characters are not run of the mill types and the story has some nice twists and turns

This makes 15 out of 20 finished and I will complete the series for the Quartet in the Series challenge

[Petar]

So as per usual my TBR list seems to have gotten longer rather than shorter, seeing so many other selections on other people's lists.

I've completed 12 so far and into number 13, Broken Angels, now. I had made a start on Hunting Party but it just did not grab me and I DNF'd after a bit more than 100 pages. I also had the second book of that series on the list so I've exchanged both of them for others.

Completed so far are;

3. Behind the eight ball – Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West – Tom Holland. I enjoyed this. Holland is a good writer and it's a period in history that I've not explored much previously.

4. Charade –Hounded – Kevin Hearne. This was pretty fun. A few eye-rolling moments but fun nonetheless.

5. Agreeable alliteration – Sin City, Vol. 1: The Hard Goodbye – Frank Miller. This was great. Gritty, violent and darkly funny. The artwork perfectly complements the noir setting.

7. Pawns – Saga, Vol. 8 – Brian K. Vaughan. Rivals Preacher as my favourite comic/graphic novel series ever.

9. Dealer's choice – The Adventures of Tom Sawyer – Mark Twain. Technically a re-read, though I hadn't read it since high school (which was too long ago). Still a great book.

10. X marks the spot – The Persian Expedition – Xenophon.

 A bit of self-serving pseudo-history, but still an interesting read.

11. Murrderrrrr – The Fifth Season – N.K. Jemisin. Probably the pick of my reads so far this year. Great story, great characters. Easy to see why this has won so many awards.

12. Back from the dead – The Crow: Special Edition – James O’Barr. A little disappointing perhaps. The Crow has been one of favourite movies ever since it was released and I had been meaning to read this ever since then. I think my expectations had risen to impossible levels.

15. Features best friends – Post Captain – Patrick O’Brian. Aubrey and Maturin. A re-read as well though, like Tom Sawyer, I read it a loooong time ago. I'd forgotten how much of a 'regency romance' it is.

16. Queen of hearts – Sin City, Vol. 2: A Dame to Kill For – Frank Miller. See my comments for The Hard Goodbye.

18. Amazing race – Grandpa's Great Escape – David Walliams. Great fun while addressing a pretty serious topic; Dementia. Walliams has been compared to Roald Dahl and he is very much in the same vein.

20. Critical hit – Persepolis Rising – S.A. Corey. Not as good as some other entries in the series. I thought the conflict been the crew members of the Rocinante was a little bit forced, but it's a very good set up for the last couple of books.

[Dj]

CBRetriever wrote: "Finished:

16. Queen of hearts = Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly
Love story of a late 30s couple with several children and she's queen of his heart

I thoroughly enjo..."

Moving right along. Should reach the end with no issues. Congrats

[Stephen]

12/20

11. Murrderrrrr

Complicity - non-genre work by a great sf writer, apparently involving a serial killer✔️

Excellent literary thriller; good on both levels. Also seems to be about anger at the state of the world. (In some ways not really much different back in 1993, when this was published.)

Banks was certainly a good writer.

[Midiain]

20/20

I wish I could say that I made a dent in my tbr list but it keeps growing.

1. take a gamble - Caliban's War
gambling that a single, small ship can save the galaxy

2. red or black - Way of the Argosi
red and black cover

3. behind the 8 ball - The Warded Man
the characters are in a massively disadvantaged position

4. charade - The Windup Girl
character pretends to be something he is not

5. agreeable alliteration - Misfit Mage

6. jackpot - Fuzzy Nation
the character (Jack haha) finds a treasure.

7. pawns - Orconomics
the characters are forced into a possibly suicidal job

8. 8 or 21 - The Root #21 on tbr list

9. dealer's choice - Promise of Blood

10. x marks the spot - Annihilation
Area X

11. murrderrrr - Six Wakes
clones investigating their own murders

12. back from the dead - The Book of Phoenix
main character has the ability to resurrect herself

13. features a game or puzzle - The Torch that Ignites the Stars
lit rpg where the characters have to solve puzzles in a tower/dungeon

14. I have no head for strategy - The Poppy War
character learns military strategy in a school for warriors

15. features best friends - Birthplace

16. queen of hearts - Queen of the Conquered

17. role-play - The Mere Wife
the wives are forced to play the roles expected of them by their society

18. amazing race - Leviathan
main character is on the run

19. taboo - The Bear and the Nightingale
religious step-mother forbids the pagan rituals that appease the spirits

20. critical hit - Ancillary Justice
it was a hit with the critics

[Anna]

Congrats on finishing the challenge!

[Gabi]

Woohoo, Caillen! Good job, congratulations! It's only half year, so lot more time to make that dent :D

[Petar]

Well done Caillen. Maybe you should choose another 20 and start again? ;-)

[Dj]

Caillen wrote: "20/20

I wish I could say that I made a dent in my tbr list but it keeps growing.

1. take a gamble - Caliban's War
gambling that a single, small ship can save the galaxy

2. red or..."

Some really nice choices there. Hope you enjoyed them all.

[Midiain]

Petar wrote: "Well done Caillen. Maybe you should choose another 20 and start again? ;-)"

lol Maybe? I felt like I took on so many challenges this year but I've been reading a lot more than I had expected. I'm not sure if I want to try this one again or maybe find another challenge to start.

Dj wrote: "Some really nice choices there. Hope you enjoyed them all."

Most of them. There were a couple of that weren't really to my taste or maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for them, but most of them were pretty excellent. I'm looking forward to reading more of The Expanse, Southern Reach, and Imperial Radch series.

[Dj]

Caillen wrote: "Petar wrote: "Well done Caillen. Maybe you should choose another 20 and start again? ;-)"

lol Maybe? I felt like I took on so many challenges this year but I've been reading a lot more than I had ..."

I have really enjoyed the Expanse and Radach books that I have read and am always looking forward to the next one. I find that is the mark of a good author that knows their audience.

[Raucous]

Three more completions towards my TBR challenge:

✔︎ 8. An 8 or 21: A Desolation Called Peace (number-based name system)
✔︎ 12. Back from the dead: Paladin's Grace (When your god dies what is left behind?)
✔︎ 13. Features a game or puzzle: Olive, Mabel and Me: Life and Adventures with Two Very Good Dogs (What does a sportscaster cover during a pandemic?)

These were all a bit dissatisfying - or perhaps it's just that time of the year/challenge for me. In any case this was the weakest trio of the TBR series for me.

Progress: 18/20

[Dj]

Raucous wrote: "Three more completions towards my TBR challenge:

✔︎ 8. An 8 or 21: A Desolation Called Peace (number-based name system)
✔︎ 12. Back from the dead: Paladin's Grace (..."

Sorry to hear that, hope the last two redeem the read.

[CBRetriever]

Finished

4. Charade = Vacuum Flowers by Michael Swanwick
Person masquerading as an implanted persona

implanted personas and all, this wasn't a book I really enjoyed. Anyway, this makes 16 out of 20 completed

[Meredith]

I've made some changes to a few picks and so I'm (back) on track with this challenge, having read 10/20 by the end of June.

2. Red or black — Sorcerer to the Crown, red cover; Change to: Black Bead, black.
3. Behind the eight ball — I Am Legend, describes the main character's situation; Change to: The Ghost Train to New Orleans, several characters were in this situation
13. Features a game or puzzle — A Gathering of Shadows, there's a magic 'Games' in the story; Change to Dying with Her Cheer Pants On, cheerleaders cheer at football games
14. I have no head for strategy — Raven Stratagem

currently reading:
6. Jackpot — Pachinko, pachinko is a slot machine game

[Anna]

I don't think I want to read Immunity Index for #5 (Agreeable alliteration) after all (I cancelled my preorder because I just wasn't feeling reading this in 2021), so I started looking for an alternative. Allison, are you *SURE* that it has to be literal? :( Because I keep going back to The Frost Fair Affair again and again, it would be so perfect! :D I have read two other books that would be exact fits, but they don't spark joy :P

OK, monologue over, I'm switching #5 to Frost Fair aFFair, and if someone thinks that's cheating, don't worry, I'll add the other books as backups!

Now I'll just have to find other options for some of the other ones I'm no longer excited about, and then maybe I'll finish this thing eventually.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

when did i say i was sure? do it!

[Anna]

Allison wrote: "when did i say i was sure?"

On April 23rd!

[CBRetriever]

I did my alliteration with the last letters Rats, Bats & Vats:

the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning end of adjacent or closely connected words. Otherwise i had nothing to fit the category

[Anna]

Rats, Bats & Vats XD

[Anna]

Vats and vats of rats and bats!

[CBRetriever]

it actually was a kind of funny book even though it's something I normally wouldn't read. I should go recommend it in the thread someone started looking for fast paced SF.

[Michelle]

Allison wrote: "Read so far:

16. Queen of hearts - Everfair lots of lovers in this one
20. Critical hit: [book:Stop Walking on Eggshells: Taking Your Life Back When Someone You Care about Has Bord..."

Allison, what did you thing of the BPD book? Both my mother and one of my daughters were diagnosed with it. Do you find that it was worthwhile or helpful?

[Dj]

CBRetriever wrote: "I did my alliteration with the last letters Rats, Bats & Vats:

the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning end of adjacent or closely connected words. Otherwise i had ..."

It is an old family recipe for Cracker Jacks. LOL.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Michelle wrote: "Allison wrote: "Read so far:

16. Queen of hearts - Everfair lots of lovers in this one
20. Critical hit: [book:Stop Walking on Eggshells: Taking Your Life Back When Someone You Car..."

I wrote a review with all of my thoughts, but my overall impression of Stop Walking on Eggshells is that it's a good place for a start if you've been hurt and are frustrated or scared by the person in your life with BPD, but that it focuses on extremes and talks about "cures" and such which I'm not entirely sure is a good outlook to promote for a personality disorder.

[Michelle]

Gotcha. And thank you!