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SciFi and Fantasy Book Challenge
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2021 TBR Cleanup Challenge
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Allison, Fairy Mod-mother
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Jul 04, 2021 05:26PM
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Finished:3.
The main character is definitely behind the 8 ball as he's not part of either of the two main factions in this world
but it turns out the main character is often in front of the eight ball .
ETA: this makes 17 out of 20
I have a question, in my challenges it show that I read 3 books for this challenge, but when I click in "view my books" it shows 5 books. Any idea why?
Mod
The challenge doesn't update very often, but clicking to the books view updates it, so refreshing the challenge/profile/whatever page after you've looked at the list of books will usually update it.
Two last books to complete my TBR challenge: ✔︎ 14. I have no gift for strategy: Million Mile Road Trip (nothing says "no strategy" quite like a high school graduation road trip)
✔︎ 16. Queen of hearts: Soulless (a refreshingly direct approach to hearts)
Million Mile Road Trip reads like Hunter S. Thompson on math with more than a nod to Jack Kerouac. The writing is rough in places and the characters are annoyingly juvenile at times but it's unquestionably a wildly inventive ride.
Soulless was an enjoyable mashup of supernatural, Victoriana, romance, mystery, and adventure. Multiple hearts were involved and most of them survived.
Progress: 20/20
Some challenge statistics:
Books that were in the original (December) challenge list: 6
Books written by authors who aren't SWODs: 17
Change in TBR list size by the end of the challenge: +19%
Full list: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Way to go Raucous! Congrats on completing the challenge :)
I’m on a roll! I read 2 more: Artificial Condition for “Murderrrr” and Winter’s Orbit for “I have no gift for strategy” (which I can see now how it fits, I just trusted someone else who knew).
Raucous, I chucked to see that your TBR has increased 19% since doing the challenge. I shudder at the thought of calculating this for myself. Congrats on completing though!
don't do it Liane. I just did mine and I'm up 25%
I'm reading The Witness for the Dead for prompt #14 (I have no gift for strategy). It was my original pick, because based on the blurb the protagonist seemed to value honesty over strategy, but as I started reading it, I found these quotes:"I had no gift for comfort, and myself found the truth no comfort at all, only duty."
"'I have no gift for conversation,' I said truthfully."
So I guess I accidentally picked an excellent book for this prompt! :D
Wasn't sure if I'd be able to finish this one by the end of the year, but I'm at 15/20 so far... so lookin' pretty good!Seems like quite a few people have already finished with the challenge. I am humbled by you; I bow to you.
I’m on book #13. Still optimistic I’ll complete the challenge.
Looks like I need six more to finish up for the year. Should be close.
3. Behind the eight ballThe Ministry for the Future - Our common situation ✔️
A major science fiction treatment of the climate change issue. Didactic, intermittently powerful, wide-ranging, sometimes sentimental. After the opening depiction of a terrible heat wave, we get a lot of public policy discussion, as smart people of good will grapple with the situation. Political, economic, and geoengineering issues are presented and discussed. The main viewpoint character (among many more anonymous perspectives) is the UN bureaucrat who leads the top-down effort to cope with the crisis. She has an odd relationship with a heat wave survivor, to me the most interesting character in the book, whose importance fades as the story develops. Ultimately the book is optimistic, perhaps unrealistically so. I found it very interesting. I like KSR’s work a lot and that includes this novel.
13/20
hah! I'm reading my behind the eight ball selection now too: The Barbed Coil:From the blurb: Tessa McCamfrey, young and rootless resident of Southern California, has never found much in life that interests her. All of that changes when she stumbles upon a ring that transports her to a distant time and place.
To me being thrown into an unfamiliar milieu definitely puts one behind the eight ball.
14. I seem to remember reading this in paper format over 20 years ago and vaguely remember that the heroine had no head for strategy.
the heroine did have no strategy in the beginning but eventually improved
this leaves me with Role Playing and X Marks the Spot to complete and I'll start The Black Chalice for X marks the Spot next.
Finished10.
About a quest to find something (X will mark the spot I hope)
turns out a cross marked the spot for the Black Chalice. I did not like this book at all as the main character wasn't very sympathetic
now on to One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence for Role-Playing which I have high hopes for as I usually enjoy his books. This will complete the TBR challenge
14. I have no gift for strategyTerms of Enlistment. Grunt’s eye view military sf, I believe✔️
Military sf isn’t my favourite subgenre, but I found this entertaining. Readable, unpretentious, good action scenes. Old-fashioned in various ways.
I’m now at 14/20 on the challenge.
Finished the Challenge:17.
Another one about a role playing game
it is most definitely a YA book about teenagers playing D&D with time travel thrown in
CBRetriever wrote: "Finished the Challenge: ..."Yay! Congratulations!
CBRetriever wrote: "Finished the Challenge: ..."Congratulations.
CBRetriever wrote: "Finished the Challenge:17. Role-play = One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence
Another one about a role playing game
it is most definitely a YA book about teenagers p..."
Well done CBRetriever.
How was One Word Kill? I have it on my to read list.
I didn't like it at first but then it became more interesting. Maybe the initial dislike was because I'm not the generation that grew up on Dungeons and Dragons? The main character, by book 2, is still only 16 yo. If I didn't know Mark Lawrence wrote this, I would never have known because it's absolutely nothing like his other books (no grimdark)
9. Taboo…
(Replacement book) The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner✔️
This gets me to 15/20 on the challenge.
Scottish novel, published in 1824, set in the early 18th century. A young man commits a series of murders and other crimes, apparently under the influence of a Satanic figure who dominates his life. He is a convinced believer in an extreme form of predestinarian protestant Christianity that includes the doctrine of the “infallibility of the elect”, which seems to mean that those predestined to salvation are allowed to do anything. The narrative is in two parts, the character’s own “confession” and a more detached description of some of the same events by someone called the “editor”. It’s not clear on what level the Satan character, who has the ability to change his appearance and seem to be someone else, is real. The main character is clearly disturbed. The novel also includes humourous scenes and many of the minor characters behave in realistically individual ways. An unusual and interesting book.
CBRetriever wrote: "I didn't like it at first but then it became more interesting. Maybe the initial dislike was because I'm not the generation that grew up on Dungeons and Dragons? The main character, by book 2, is s..."I am pretty keen to get into this series. I might have to work it into next year's challenge.
Two more down to take me to 15.14. I have no head for strategy - The Rules of the Game: Jutland and British Naval Command. Considered a classic of naval history/strategy and I can see why. Gordon's depth of research and analysis, while making the narrative readable and engaging, is very impressive.
6. Jackpot - Flashman. Harry Flashman is an irredeemably horrible person. He's not the type of 'anti-hero' that you root for in spite of their faults. He's just a horrible human being. But he is interesting, and Fraser built an engaging narrative around Flashman's involvement in the first Anglo-Afghan War in the 1840s. I enjoyed this in spite of the repulsive main character.
CBRetriever wrote: "Finished10. X marks the spot = The Black Chalice by Steven Savile
About a quest to find something (X will mark the spot I hope)
turns out a cross marked the s..."
Sorry to hear about Black Chalice, but glad to hear you are so close to being done with the challenge.
16. Queen of heartsBeren and Lúthien - love story✔️
I don’t know how I let this sit on the shelf for several years. I love Tolkien.
This gets me to 16/20 on the challenge.
For my Behind the Eight Ball read I chose Fahrenheit 451 here are my thoughts. In the end, I found this book a disappointment. I had been looking forward to reading it for some time, but I am not sure what it was about it but I never found it compelling me to read more. I found the story good, but somewhat pedestrian it didn't seem to flow or gather speed so much as jerk around from scene to scene. Made me sad.
Fahrenheit 451
For the Dealer's Choice, I had Tales before Tolkein. A series of short stories that may, or may not have influenced Tolkein in his writing of Lord of the Rings. Here are my thoughts on the book. Like most collections of stories, it is somewhat uneven. Some of the stories are very good, some are less good. Still, it is interesting to see which of these stories may have had an influence on Tolkien and his Lord of the Rings work.
Tales Before Tolkien: The Roots of Modern Fantasy
Dj wrote: "For the Dealer's Choice, I had Tales before Tolkein. A series of short stories that may, or may not have influenced Tolkein in his writing of Lord of the Rings. Here are my thoughts on the book. ..."
I have an unread copy of this on a TBR shelf. I’ll get to it one of these days. I have read the editor’s later anthology Tales Before Narnia: The Roots of Modern Fantasy and Science Fiction, which is the same sort of thing only for C. S. Lewis instead of Tolkien. It too was uneven, but I liked a lot of the stories.
Stephen wrote: "Dj wrote: "For the Dealer's Choice, I had Tales before Tolkein. A series of short stories that may, or may not have influenced Tolkein in his writing of Lord of the Rings. Here are my thoughts on t..."I would say that I liked at least half of them which for a book with this many stories is a good thing really. There were only a couple of them I just couldn't even finish, One that sticks out in my mind is what happens to a dragon when you tame it. Would say more but don't want to spoil anything.
Another one down, just four to go now.13. Features a game or puzzle – The Peripheral – William Gibson. Someone witnesses what she thinks may be a murder while beta testing a new game.
I wanted to like this more than I did. It's a pretty cool concept but the action is a little confusing, and there's not much character development going on, though there are some elements that add depth such as one of the characters' struggle with a drinking problem. Gibson writes in a, kind of, shorthand style where, in some instances, it's not very clear what's just happened so I found myself re-reading a few passages. This is my first William Gibson book (I have Neuromancer on the challenge list as well) so I don't know if it's just this book or Gibson's style in general. I did enjoy it, I just wasn't completely on board with Gibson's style.
Just finished, 20/20.My final read, The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood was my "Critical Hit" choice and a pretty darned good book to end on.
Mod
Edwin wrote: "Just finished, 20/20.My final read, The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood was my "Critical Hit" choice and a pretty darned good book to end on."
Always good to end on a high note.
Fahrenheit 451
This was my Behind the Eight Ball Read
In the end, I found this book a disappointment. I had been looking forward to reading it for some time, but I am not sure what it was about it but I never found it compelling me to read more. I found the story good, but somewhat pedestrian it didn't seem to flow or gather speed so much as jerk around from scene to scene. Made me sad.
Tales before Tolkein
This was my Dealer's Choice book
Like most collections of stories, it is somewhat uneven. Some of the stories are very good, some are less good. Still, it is interesting to see which of these stories may have had an influence on Tolkien and his Lord of the Rings work.
Woken Furies
This was my Back from the Dead Read.
I didn't write an actual review for this one, but I can see why the Netflix series ended where it did and I am pretty glad it strayed from the books. This one seemed a bit tired after the first two. More formulaic and less fresh.
Snow White and the Seven Samurai
This was my Charade book
This book keeps making me think it is working too hard to be funny. Any one skit could be enough on its own, but it mixes, matches, and pushes on with at least six different plot lines to show how messed up things are. After a time it starts becoming real work to move forward in this book. I will not be looking for anything further from this author.
And now there is only four left for my TBR challenge
Dj wrote: "Fahrenheit ..."
Nice work there DJ, almost there.
I read Fahrenheit 451 as youngster in school and remember being pretty disappointed with it considering it is regarded as a classic. I've been meaning to re-visit it for some time but I've just never brought myself to do it.
I read Broken Angels for the challenge and was pretty disappointed by that as well. I'm sure I'll get to Woken Furies at some point but after such a great start in Altered Carbon, it feels like that series took one almighty dive.
Petar wrote: "Dj wrote: "..."
True that. The Series that Netflix did seemed to keep more of the excitement of the first book than the series of books did. Maybe it was Poe. LOL.
Petar wrote: "I read Fahrenheit 451 as youngster in school and remember being pretty disappointed with it considering it is regarded as a classic."Fahrenheit 451 is one of those books I reread every few years. It's due for another reread, actually. Sure, there are things about it that could've been better, but I just love Bradbury's prose. It's so lyrical. And I think the message is very powerful. Also, bits of it are quite prescient.
I get to check off another from my list!✅1. Take a gamble - Seanan McGuire Every Heart a Doorway new to me author, I'm not sure I'm going to like.
I don't love horror and my understanding is that Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant leans into horror. This one is YA, so the horror (mostly body horror) was kept in check. I enjoyed this way more than I expected to and I will continue reading the series, since I got them all from TOR.
I still have 11 books to read on this challenge. I doubt I'll manage, but I've chosen my next eye-read, which will check off No. 7. Pawns - Interference
DivaDiane wrote: "Petar wrote: "I read Fahrenheit 451 as youngster in school and remember being pretty disappointed with it considering it is regarded as a classic."Fahrenheit 451 is one of those books I reread ev..."
No argument about the message. And I will never say anything about someone else enjoying a book I didn't. Opinions are a joy when they are different. If they were all the same what would we talk about?
Dj wrote: "DivaDiane wrote: "Petar wrote: "I read Fahrenheit 451 as youngster in school and remember being pretty disappointed with it considering it is regarded as a classic."Fahrenheit 451 is one of those..."
Yep, also on board about the message. And echo DJ's comments about differing opinions. I like a lot of stuff that other people can't stand, but I like Nickleback regardless ;-)
Petar wrote: "Dj wrote: "DivaDiane wrote: "Petar wrote: "I read Fahrenheit 451 as youngster in school and remember being pretty disappointed with it considering it is regarded as a classic."Fahrenheit 451 is o..."
Wait. I like some Nickleback. To be fair though it is generally the stuff that is on the raunchier side. LOL.
The Anubis Gates
I will just say that for me, Time Travel isn't my favorite form of fiction.
The Crown Conspiracy
So many books try to be funny, try to have that easy conversational style that makes the characters stand out and believable. Many fall short, some get one or the other but so few get both and have a great story and world-building to back it up. This book was a pure joy to read.
His Majesty's Dragon
In general, I am not a fan of alternate history. Often it seems to be more of a case of showing off what the author knows about the past than worrying about a good story. To make matters worse having read a fair bit of military history, and most alternate versions seem to take place around battles I can find it very disconcerting when the action is changed up.
Maybe it was the addition of the Dragons, but the author avoided that with this book at least as far as I was concerned. It could have been that it focused more on the interactions on the smaller scale and worried less about the actual historical events and didn't get lost in the minor details of the society at the time and just drove on with the story.
I found it quite enjoyable.
And with these three I now only need six more to reach a break-even point of 24 books for the year on the bookshelf.
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