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2015 Group Challenge Reading Calendar/Planning
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Michael
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Jul 15, 2015 05:16PM
No problem, folks! I am first in line for Altered Carbon at two different libraries, so I will be right behind you, Edwin!
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Im was so jealous you all are reading Altered Carbon I decided to read Broken Angels!
Lol! I'm struggling with Altered Carbon. I keep telling myself that you loved it and I don't see a lot of five stars from you.
I doo have a soft spot for detective noir though
It's kind of hit and miss but I do usually enjoy it. I whined about it on the thread already ;) but the sex and/or sexual comments are way too much for me. Like WAY too much. I'm going to give it another try though. Audio may have really been a bad idea.
I've been listening to Altered Carbon on Audible (25%) and I definitely see Sarah's point of view. Ordinarily not my cup of tea, but I'm fascinated by this somewhat near-future, plausible world. I want to see where this is going...
It's funny, but when I was reading it, the sexual aspect did not hit me quite as hard. Yeah, his initial sexual attraction coming out in a new body, to which he makes a reference and for which I was okay with, then the sexual encounters - to which I wasn't nearly as sympathetic or attuned and for which I knocked my rating down a star. Morgan seemed to writing as a guy with a guy's sensibilities. Even with that said, I really liked the book.
Glad there are so many thoughts on Altered Carbon. Head over to the discussion threads and post away, there are some fun discussions already starting!Altered Carbon
"Altered Carbon" Starts off with a bang! *no spoilers*
Altered Carbon Final thoughts
"Altered Carbon" Problems with the Story, Setting, Characters, etc? **Spoilers Allowed**
Yeah, something absolutely vile happened at 91% and I will never forgive the author.
I think I am supposed to update the links for August books this week. Do we really only have one (American Gods) on the docket? Maybe it will help us recover from the 3 last month! I'll update them when I get a moment...
I wrote it down that way. It's quite shocking :)
I have gotten so far off track from our calendar. The arrival of library loans has totally thrown me off this year.But, I finished American Gods, so I am ready to go!
Took me a minute, sorry!American Gods
"American Gods" First Impression *no spoilers*
"American Gods" Final Thoughts **Spoilers**
Oh, and I had to add the Final Thoughts thread because I didn't see one. Please let me know if you find one and I just missed it!
Just a reminder to visit the American Gods threads if you've been reading it (two posts above this one). I do see that people have been making posts there.Next week (September 15), we are scheduled to start two books:
1Q84
"1Q84" First impressions *no spoilers*
"1Q84" Final thoughts *spoilers*
Dawn
"Dawn" First Impressions *No Spoilers*
"Dawn" Final Thoughts *Spoilers*
So for those following the schedule, or new folks interested in joining us, make sure to find a copy of one or both!
I'm starting both next week :) I'm very excited about both.
I started 1Q84 and I think it's amazing so far. Can't wait to discuss with you guys. I'm planning I listening to Dawn but it will be a little later in the month.
Dawn sounds intriguing so I might join you again...
I'm hoping to get the entire trilogy in before next month's Warbreaker. I'm doing all on audio. I've had Dawn for a really long time.
Monica wrote: "To spice the pot (so to speak) about Dawn, another reading group found this tidbit: interesting..."Wow, thanks for the info! I think it would be perfect for a series, actually. Does anyone know if any of Butler's works have previously been used for film/TV?
I'm planning to join the The Word for World is Forest discussion later this month. (The other reading is Old Man's War).Wikipedia says there is a novella version and a novel version of The Word for World is Forest. I only see the novel version listed on Goodreads. Does anyone see the novella version? Is there any chance I would pick up that version by mistake??
"The novella version, originally published in Again, Dangerous Visions, was nominated for the Locus Award for Best Novella in 1973[3] and won the 1973 Hugo Award for Best Novella.[4] Both the novella and novel The Word for World Is Forest were initially published with no introduction, but Le Guin wrote an introduction for Gollancz's 1977 single-volume reprint."
I bought mine off of Amazon. It's 189 pages but I don't know if that's the novel or novella.I'm planning on both of these books this month.
Michael wrote: "I'm planning to join the The Word for World is Forest discussion later this month. (The other reading is Old Man's War).Wikipedia says there is a novella version and a..."
I've seen a few copies of the novel in various libraries and I think never the novella, so my guess is it isn't easy to find by mistake.
I just started The Word for World is Forest and should be joining you all for the discussion later this week. So for I am not overly impressed.
Edwin wrote: "I just started The Word for World is Forest and should be joining you all for the discussion later this week. So for I am not overly impressed."Oh nooooooo! I haven't started it yet but I'll look for you in the discussions, Edwin!
Okay, I just requested The Word for World is Forest from my backup library. (My "backup library" is the one in the next county I just joined for $40. I have 23 books on my to-read list that I can only get in that library system so I'm hoping it will pay for itself this year!)I should start reading by this weekend!
I also ordered The Word for World is Forest from another library in my system yesterday and it should arrive here today (if not, then next week Thursday as they move books between libraries once per week around here). I'm not sure if I'm joining the conversation yet, though, as I also borrowed The Dispossessed from my own library and I'm not sure if I will read it before I start The Word for World is Forest. (Note: I will read translations, I'm just too lazy to link them here :)).
That is funny, I read those two books back to back as well over the summer (or mostly back to back). They have similarities, of course but are very different in complexity.
They definitely aren't direct sequels.
Michael wrote: "Okay, I just requested The Word for World is Forest from my backup library. (My "backup library" is the one in the next county I just joined for $40. I have 23 books on my to-read lis..."I just finished The Word for World is Forest and ended up enjoying it more that I thought I would at the start. It is a quick read, so I will wait a few day to consolidate my thoughts and to let you and any one else catch up before I start posting.
Also, I plan to take a pass on World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War next month. With us just coming off of The Girl with All the Gifts this month, well, that's just just too much Z for me.
I'm doing World War Z on audio I think. But I didn't read The Girl with All the Gifts this time around. I'm really curious about World War Z and I'm excited to finally read/listen to it.Also, I was not polite and I've already posted on Word for World is Forest... Sorry.
LOL to both of you. Still haven't got my book yet, hopefully tomorrow...
Edwin wrote: "I just finished The Word for World is Forest and ended up enjoying it more that I thought I would at the start..."The first time I picked up the book, I read the first couple pages, said yechh, and left the book alone for years. Then one day I was desperate for something to read, so I got through the first pages and discovered this book is up there with the rest of Le Guin's work.
Hmm, it looks like I never posted the links to the discussions for books we are reading from October 15 - November 15. Of course, they are always in the first post of this thread on page one, but for those who only live in stream of consciousness, here they are again:Old Man's War
First Impressions *No Spoilers*
Finished *Spoilers*
The Word for World is Forest
"Word for World..." Gut Reaction & Discussion Leader *no spoilers*
"Word for World..." Humanism *spoiler*
I don't know what is wrong with my new library, it takes much longer to move a book from one branch to the other than it did in my old system! Hopefully "Word for World..." will arrive by this weekend. Grrr.
Good luck :) I'm curious to see what you think.
Michael wrote: "I don't know what is wrong with my new library"Library? What's that?
Yes, good luck. We look forward to your thoughts on this one.
I see a lot of comments already, I'm chomping at the bit! (Just got an email today (at least my library has email) that the book has arrived! Will start this weekend!)
I will start reading the "Word for World is Forest" as soon as I get back home. I'm on short weekend holiday elsewhere and the book is at home, so I'll have a slight delayed start.
So I plan to skip World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War for November but jump in for The Snow Queen in December. Is anyone else in for this one?Also, my 2016 list is already shaping up. I hope we are doing this again next year and that Michael will help with the "2016 Group Challenge Reading Calendar/Planning" discussion thread [hint, hint :)].
Edwin, I read The Snow Queen a little early, but plan to take part in the discussion. I enjoyed it immensely. If anyone is on the fence about it, I recommend it.Just added "review SFF Club books to plan for next year" to my To-do list. I second the nomination for Michael as Group Challenge Read coordinator. :D
I have access to The Snow Queen and will try and get in on it. I am a little behind right now so no guarantees...but it is in my plan.And I'll third Michael as Group Challenge Read Coordinator par excellence!!
Monica wrote: "I have access to The Snow Queen and will try and get in on it. I am a little behind right now so no guarantees...but it is in my plan.And I'll third Michael as Group Challenge Read ..."
Excellent.
Valerie wrote: "Edwin, I read The Snow Queen a little early, but plan to take part in the discussion. I enjoyed it immensely. If anyone is on the fence about it, I recommend it.
Just added "review S..."
Excellent again.
I'm doing The Snow Queen but not until next month. I am doing World War Z and Warbreaker later this month. I can shift things around and do The Snow Queen early in Dec if that helps.
Edwin wrote: "Monica wrote: "I have access to The Snow Queen and will try and get in on it. I am a little behind right now so no guarantees...but it is in my plan.And I'll third Michael as Group Challenge Read ..."
Excellent."
I appreciate the votes of confidence! Unfortunately, after two years of championing the cause, I have burnt out on this position and will be seeking a replacement! If anyone would like to self-nominate, step up!
I will most likely participate in a few of the group reads if they happen, though...
And I read The Snow Queen last year and found it absolutely fascinating. I would love to participate and have a copy if I need to go back and review certain passages...
As a complete neophyte on the workings of your position, could you elaborate and tell us what the position entails. Just to let the next lucky volunteer know whats in store:)I have admired and appreciated how well you have handled these discussion groups. And I am really glad I found this reading group - it has introduced me to so many fabulous authors when I so desperately needed the suggestions.
- And I have read The Snow Queen a long time ago and am looking forward to actually getting to reread it with the group.
Michael wrote: "I appreciate the votes of confidence! Unfortunately, after two years of championing the cause, I have burnt out on this position and will be seeking a replacement! If anyone would like to self-nominate, step up!"Thanks Michael for all of your hard work. We are sorry to see you bow out from the leadership role but glad to see that your voice will still be here. I am willing to help with this project next year, but with my erratic work schedule am not sure I can take it on alone. Sarah??
Here are the discussion links for The Snow Queen, discussion to start Dec 15 or so:
The Snow Queen-First Impressions-no spoilers
The Snow Queen-General Discussion-spoilers
The Snow Queen-Worlds End discussion-marked-spoilers
The Snow Queen-The Summer Queen discussion-marked-spoilers
I admit that I'm a bit reluctant to help because last year was insane. But I'm a serious masochist so I'm willing to help out :)Thank you Michael for everything you did to organize this year. I know it wasn't easy.
Sandi wrote: "As a complete neophyte on the workings of your position, could you elaborate and tell us what the position entails. Just to let the next lucky volunteer know whats in store:)"Thanks for the question, Sandi, and thank you to Edwin and Sarah who have thrown their hats into the "volunteer"'s ring! The "position" is a bit of a mystery since it is partly my own invention and partly group-directed. If I had to describe best practices I have learned for keeping these threads going, I would list them under three main steps.
Step 1: Start the thread.
This is the simplest, but it must be done first if you want the whole year to go smoothly. Start a thread called "2016 Group Bookshelf Reading Calendar/Planning" under the "SciFi and Fantasy Book Challenge" topic. Then reserve the first two posts, by typing something random like "schedule" and "thread description" for them. The reason is the first post will have the schedule for the year in it, and it will need to be edited during the year but only the person who made the post can do it. (At least, I don't know any way around this if there is one).
After you have reserved the second post, go back and edit it with a description of the thread. (You reserve it first so no one responds to your first post before you finish your second post.) Say something like, "This thread is where we will decide on what books from our bookshelf to read in 2016, and what the schedule will be. The schedule will be posted and maintained during the year in the first post of this thread."
Note: I propose the title "2016 Group Bookshelf Reading Calendar/Planning" and not "2016 Group Challenge Reading Calendar/Planning" in case the moderators decide not to do a Challenge in 2016. You can always edit the title later if they announce a Challenge.
Step 2: Voting/planning.
Direct everyone to make their book votes/requests for the year on that new thread. As people post, you should make sure the books are actually on our bookshelf, (letting people know if they aren't) and tabulate the votes (I like using an Excel spreadsheet but Your Mileage May Vary) to see which books are the most popular.
Now set up the reading schedule for the year. This step can be as complicated or as simple as you want. I tried to schedule books so that people who were only reading three or four of the books had those books spread out through the year. Also, we had so many books in 2015 that we needed to read two per month to cover them all and so I tried to have as few people as possible reading two books per month. (Sarah always reads like 20 books a month so don't worry about her. ;)
This step should have some group feedback. They will tell you when your vote counts are wrong (you should post them), and (once you post your schedule proposal) they will let you know if they really don't want to start the year with something as depressing as The Sparrow, for example. When you decide on a final schedule, that is when you go back to the first post and type it in there. This is so all the people following this thread (particularly those on cell phones/small devices) can go right to the top of the thread to find the schedule instead of hunting through the thread discussion.
Step 3: Intra-year updates.
For each month, you will need to post what books are going to be read, the links for the discussions, and any changes to the schedule.
The hardest part is finding the correct discussion threads, because these are old discussions that are hidden all over the place in our past directories and subdirectories. Many of the old threads are listed under archived yearly directories, so you will have to go to our bookshelf to find out when the book was read and therefore what year the discussion will be archived. Also, you really only need two threads for book discussoins, "first impressions" and "final thought", but a lot of the old discussions were not titled this way and some had 6 or 7 threads! If the old threads are not really usable, go ahead and create new discussion threads under the same archive year or subdirectory as the other threads for that book.
When you have found the old discussion links, I recommend posting them in the schedule in the first thread so people can easily find them. It is helpful to repost the links each month for the books that we read in that month, but most people probably use the first post for convenience when looking for the discussion links. You can just look at this thread (the one you are currently reading, this one right here) as an example of how I did it this year.
Each month, announce what books we are reading, when we are starting, and where the discussion threads are located. We started reading on the 15th of each month this year, because we thought that would avoid conflicts with the main new monthly book reads that people usually start reading on the first of the month. After that, sit back and watch the fun (and read the books!), and answer any questions people post to the thread.
You will need to make sure the schedule in the first post is up to date throughout the year. Keep in mind, you don't really have to do that much editing of the schedule during the year if you don't want to. I have tried to keep the "currently reading" books in bold, and strikeout the ones we have completed, but that is because I am such a bells and whistles kind of person. We only added one book (Dune) to the schedule that I remember, and otherwise the schedule has been fixed.
That's it! Piece of cake, right?
SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
The Snow Queen (other topics)The Snow Queen (other topics)
The Philosopher Kings (other topics)
Cyteen (other topics)
The City & the City (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Greg Bear (other topics)China Miéville (other topics)
Ursula K. Le Guin (other topics)
Dean Koontz (other topics)
