2024 Bookshelf Rereads

[Michelle]

Never mind, I did vote for it just to be on the safe side.

[Bobby]

Thanks! Let’s see how it goes. No hurry. I had just seen the book mentioned before but learned a little about it Thursday.

[a.g.e. montagner]

Haruki Murakami has to be the foremost Japanese writer at the moment, and, reportedly, a regular nominee for the Nobel prize.

Several of my friends who either studied or were interested in Japanese literature know his work well; I have only read Norwegian Wood, which I'm told is untypical of his production (and not SFF, for the purposes of this group).

[SFFBC, Ancillary Mod]

Suggested rereads schedule for 2024 Q1.

January is pretty much set, because of the planned series VBC for Broken Earth. I've paired the shortest book with Obelisk Gate, because there's also Stone Sky to get through! The other two months/pairs are open for negotiation, so chime in!

Option A:

January
The Word for World is Forest (160 pgs)
The Obelisk Gate (448 pgs)
+The Stone Sky buddy read, and Broken Earth series VBC

February
The Lathe of Heaven (176 pgs)
Jade City (498 pgs)

March
The Left Hand of Darkness (304 pgs)
Piranesi (245 pgs)

[a.g.e. montagner]

Oh, The Dispossessed didn't make it in the end.
Although it might be selected for Q1 by another group on Goodreads, for those interested in a Hainish jackpot.

The Word for World Is Forest is set before the other Hainish novels, so I think this sequence would also make sense narratively. In my dreams I'd like to read the Three Hainish Novels before all this, but I don't think that's in the realm of possibility.

[Tesseract]

oh awesome, Piranesi made it in the end!

[Aga]

Option A looks good for me.

[Kaia]

Option A works for me, too.

[Cheryl L]

Works for me too! I've already finished the Broken Earth Trilogy but Jade City and Piranesi look fascinating.

a.g.e. montagner wrote: "The Word for World Is Forest is set before the other Hainish novels, so I think this sequence would also make sense narratively. In my dreams I'd like to read the Three Hainish Novels before all this, but I don't think that's in the realm of possibility."

I've got the whole collection of Hainish novels and stories all ready to purchase and am going to enjoy getting to read a couple of them with you all.

[Anna]

Buddy reads are also always an option!

[DivaDiane]

Option A is great!

[Melanie, the neutral party]

I'm not a great participant in these but The Word for World Is Forest is the one LeGuin book I might read. But I also plan to participant in the The Obelisk Gate. I don't know if they can be split up. It's not a deal breaker though.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

So here's the thing lol

I cannot discuss Word for World right now. I can't be...uh removed I guess from its content and how it relates to real world things. I don't want that to be an option for VBC, really, because it's not fair to you all that I, and I think also Ryan, couldn't help but become very globally conscious about how this book relates to things going on right now, and the whole point of VBC is to discuss books in an emotionally safe space.

It's a great book and I think everyone should read it, but right now it's too much for me, personally, and I've asked Anna to help me orchestrate it so that I don't unintentionally radicalize or berate anyone.

[Melanie, the neutral party]

gottcha

[a.g.e. montagner]

The mods of this group do an amazing job, I think you're allowed to sit one out!

Personally I've wanted to read more Le Guin for years and I'm very happy that, if all goes to plan, it's going to happen with y'all. I'm even thinking about a few buddy reads for more Hainish material.

I think at some point (March?) it would be interesting to have a VBR on Le Guin, which could be self-organised.

[Anna]

We will never stop people organizing book chats!

It looks like option A works for everyone, but you have this working Monday (European time) before I finalize! (At least 6 hours from now, possibly more, not sure when I'll get home.)

[a.g.e. montagner]

I'd propose a switch between The Lathe of Heaven (January) and the Word for World (February). This would allow us to start Q1 with the only non-Hainish novel of the lot before deep diving into the Ekumen.

[Olga]

I think The Word for World is best placed in January, that way there's no risk of it getting into VBC, as it's already taken by Broken Earth )))

[Bonnie]

Just FYI, I think this thread is for general UKLG discussion, or any of her books that are not group books and so don't have their own thread:

Ursula K Le Guin Reading Challenge
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I think I'll re-read the first three, early Hainish novellas, and read Lavinia.

[Anna]

Lathe is the likeliest UKLG for VBC so it can’t be in Broken Earth month. (Left Hand has been a previous VBC book.)

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

we could however move the broken earth discussion to February and do lathe in January

[Anna]

Should you ask in VBC thread who is planning on reading BE and which month they prefer? Let’s make this complicated! 😅

[Cheryl L]

a.g.e. montagner wrote: "Personally I've wanted to read more Le Guin for years and I'm very happy that, if all goes to plan, it's going to happen with y'all. I'm even thinking about a few buddy reads for more Hainish material."

I'd be delighted to do buddy reads for anything in the Hainish series!

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

I feel like most of the vbc participants are here, so y'all tell me. I do think if you want a le Guin retrospective, later is probably better? But I've read them all so you tell me haha

[Anna]

We can keep this open for a day or two longer!

[a.g.e. montagner]

I should preface everything I write here with "I am a slow reader, therefore..."
(maybe I should use it as my nickname!)

I still haven't started on the Broken Earth, and the Hainish cycle is rather long if we decide to be thorough (I guess we can think about that as a work in progress).

So this works for me:
VBC on Lathe of Heaven in January
VBC on the Broken Earth in February
VBC on two or more Hainish novels later on.

But I can work with other plans as well. I'm going to read them and I'm in for the ride in any case.

[SFFBC, Ancillary Mod]

Anyone else have opinions on Jan vs. Feb? I'd like to get this closed tomorrow.

(The only difference is that Jan/Feb have been switched around.)

Option A:

January
The Word for World is Forest (160 pgs)
The Obelisk Gate (448 pgs)
+The Stone Sky buddy read, and Broken Earth series VBC

February
The Lathe of Heaven (176 pgs)
Jade City (498 pgs)

March
The Left Hand of Darkness (304 pgs)
Piranesi (245 pgs)

--

Option B:

January
The Lathe of Heaven (176 pgs)
Jade City (498 pgs)

February
The Word for World is Forest (160 pgs)
The Obelisk Gate (448 pgs)
+The Stone Sky buddy read, and Broken Earth series VBC

March
The Left Hand of Darkness (304 pgs)
Piranesi (245 pgs)

[Cheryl L]

I am completely flexible and either Option A or B works for me. I'm going to purchase the Lathe of Heaven and the complete Hainish novels/stories so they're on hand for either option.

[DivaDiane]

I have no preference for either Option A or B

[SFFBC, Ancillary Mod]

Since no one had anything against B, we're going with B!


January 15th
The Lathe of Heaven >> First impressions | Final thoughts & Series (First has some spoilers)
Jade City >> First impressions | Final thoughts & Series

February 15th
The Word for World is Forest >> First impressions | Final thoughts & More & Series
The Obelisk Gate >> First impressions | Final thoughts & Series

March 15th
The Left Hand of Darkness >> First impressions | Final thoughts & More & Series
Piranesi >> First impressions | Final thoughts

[Aga]

Looks good.

[a.g.e. montagner]

Thanks! (as the instigator of option B...)
I hope fans of the Green Bone saga have no problem with this. I'd join myself, but it would be just too many pages all at once!

[Aga]

Actually, starting The Green Bone Saga after New Year is nice. Good time to start a new series.

[Economondos]

That looks like a darn good list.

[CBRetriever]

I'll join that list for Jade City

[SFFBC, Ancillary Mod]

First rereads of 2024 starting soon!

Lathe of Heaven is our Virtual Book Club pick for January.

January 15th
The Lathe of Heaven >> First impressions | Final thoughts & Series (First has some spoilers)
Jade City >> First impressions | Final thoughts & Series

[Aga]

I plan to read both. I’m starting with the Lathe of Heaven as soon as I finish the book I am reading at the moment, so probably next week.

[a.g.e. montagner]

It's still early to vote, but... Any suggestions for Q2?
I'd propose one (one) series reread for Octavia Butler, or Ann Leckie.

[SFFBC, Ancillary Mod]

Vote here: https://goo.gl/forms/joASo8yDfm9oGvDm2
Live results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Voting ends: February 25th

Voting is open for April-June 2024 rereads!

Links to all books on the form (continues in next message):

(view spoiler)[
1Q84 (925 pgs)
The Accidental Time Machine (278 pgs)
Across the Nightingale Floor (305 pgs)
The Actual Star (624 pgs)
The Aeronaut's Windlass (630 pgs)
Against the Tide of Years (454 pgs)
The Algebraist (434 pgs)
Alif the Unseen (433 pgs)
All the Birds in the Sky (320 pgs)
All You Need Is Kill (200 pgs)
Alphabet of Thorn (291 pgs)
Altered Carbon (526 pgs)
American Gods (480 pgs)
Among Others (304 pgs)
Anansi Boys (384 pgs)
Ancillary Mercy (330 pgs)
Ancillary Sword (356 pgs)
Annihilation (195 pgs)
Arcadia (608 pgs)
Ariadne (308 pgs)
Armada (349 pgs)
Artemis (305 pgs)
Babel-17 (192 pgs)
The Best of All Possible Worlds (308 pgs)
A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe (480 pgs)
The Black Company (319 pgs)
The Black Prism (629 pgs)
Black Sun (454 pgs)
Blackout (610 pgs)
The Blade Itself (517 pgs)
Blindsight (384 pgs)
Blood Song (591 pgs)
The Bone Witch (432 pgs)
Boneshaker (416 pgs)
The Book of Koli (416 pgs)
The Book of Phoenix (232 pgs)
Brave New World (268 pgs)
The Briar King (553 pgs)
Broken Monsters (464 pgs)
Cage of Souls (560 pgs)
The Calculating Stars (431 pgs)
Caliban's War (595 pgs)
The Carpet Makers (297 pgs)
Cat's Cradle (179 pgs)
Catfishing on CatNet (288 pgs)
Catseye (224 pgs)
The Caves of Steel (206 pgs)
The Changeling (431 pgs)
Charmed Life (252 pgs)
Childhood's End (224 pgs)
China Mountain Zhang (313 pgs)
The City & the City (312 pgs)
City of Bones (488 pgs)
The City of Dreaming Books (461 pgs)
City of Stairs (452 pgs)
The City We Became (437 pgs)
A Clash of Kings (761 pgs)
A Closed and Common Orbit (365 pgs)
Cloud Atlas (509 pgs)
Cold Magic (528 pgs)
The Collapsing Empire (336 pgs)
The Color of Magic (228 pgs)
The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales (500 pgs)
Daughter of the Forest (554 pgs)
Dawn (248 pgs)
The Dawnhounds (259 pgs)
The Day of the Triffids (228 pgs)
Deathless (352 pgs)
Deeplight (416 pgs)
The Diamond Age (499 pgs)
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (306 pgs)
The Dispossessed (387 pgs)
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (256 pgs)
Doctor Who The Coming of the Terraphiles (343 pgs)
Doomsday Book (578 pgs)
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom (208 pgs)
The Dragon's Path (555 pgs)
Dragonbone Chair (672 pgs)
Dragonflight (299 pgs)
Dreamsnake (312 pgs)
Dune (604 pgs)
Early Riser (403 pgs)
The Echo Wife (256 pgs)
Elysium (199 pgs)
Embassytown (345 pgs)
Ender's Game (324 pgs)
Eon: Dragoneye Reborn (531 pgs)
Everfair (381 pgs)
The Eye of the World (814 pgs)
The Eyre Affair (374 pgs)
Fahrenheit 451 (238 pgs)
The Farthest Shore (259 pgs)
Fate of the Fallen (400 pgs)
The Fellowship of the Ring (398 pgs)
The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) (541 pgs)
A Fire Upon the Deep (613 pgs)
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August (417 pgs)
Flowers for Algernon (311 pgs)
The Forever War (278 pgs)
Forty Thousand in Gehenna (445 pgs)
Frankenstein (273 pgs)
Furies of Calderon (503 pgs)
Fuzzy Nation (303 pgs)
A Game of Thrones (835 pgs)
Gardens of the Moon (666 pgs)
The Ghost Bride (368 pgs)
The Girl with All the Gifts (460 pgs)
The Golem and the Jinni (486 pgs)
Good Omens (430 pgs)
The Gospel of Loki (302 pgs)
The Grace of Kings (623 pgs)
Grass (544 pgs)
The Graveyard Book (312 pgs)
Guards! Guards! (376 pgs)
Gun, with Occasional Music (271 pgs)
The Gunslinger (231 pgs)
The Handmaid's Tale (311 pgs)
Haze (352 pgs)
Hench (416 pgs)
Here and Now and Then (336 pgs)
His Majesty's Dragon (353 pgs)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (216 pgs)
The Hobbit (366 pgs)
Hollow Kingdom (308 pgs)
Homeland (343 pgs)
Hounded (292 pgs)
The House in the Cerulean Sea (394 pgs)
The House of the Spirits (448 pgs)
The Humans (285 pgs)
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (427 pgs)
Hyperion (483 pgs)
I Am Legend (160 pgs)
I, Robot (225 pgs)
In the Night Garden (483 pgs)
Infernal Devices (384 pgs)
Into the Drowning Deep (440 pgs)
The Invisible Library (329 pgs)
Island in the Sea of Time (608 pgs)
The Island of Dr. Moreau (160 pgs)
John Dies at the End (469 pgs)
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (1006 pgs)
The Just City (368 pgs)
Karen Memory (350 pgs)
The Killing Moon (418 pgs)
Kindred (264 pgs)
Kushiel's Dart (1015 pgs)
The Last Policeman (322 pgs)
The Last Unicorn (294 pgs)
The Last Wish (384 pgs)
Legend (345 pgs)
Leviathan (440 pgs)
The Library at Mount Char (388 pgs)
The Library of the Unwritten (384 pgs)
The Lies of Locke Lamora (722 pgs)
Lions of Al-Rassan (528 pgs)
Little, Big (538 pgs)
Lock In (336 pgs)
The Long Earth (336 pgs)
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (512 pgs)
Lord of Light (296 pgs)
(hide spoiler)]

[SFFBC, Ancillary Mod]

Links to all books on the form (continued):

(view spoiler)[
Machine Man (185 pgs)
The Magic of Recluce (501 pgs)
Magician (Riftwar Saga) (681 pgs)
The Man in the High Castle (259 pgs)
The Many-Colored Land (415 pgs)
The Martian Chronicles (182 pgs)
The Master and Margarita (407 pgs)
A Master of Djinn (396 pgs)
A Memory Called Empire (462 pgs)
Memory of Water (263 pgs)
Moon of the Crusted Snow (213 pgs)
More Than Human (186 pgs)
Mort (243 pgs)
The Mote in God's Eye (596 pgs)
The Name of the Wind (662 pgs)
The Native Star (387 pgs)
A Natural History of Dragons (334 pgs)
Neuromancer (271 pgs)
The Neverending Story (396 pgs)
Neverwhere (370 pgs)
Nexus (460 pgs)
A Night in the Lonesome October (280 pgs)
Night Watch (455 pgs)
Nimona (272 pgs)
Nine Princes in Amber (175 pgs)
The Ocean at the End of the Lane (178 pgs)
Old Man's War (362 pgs)
On the Oceans of Eternity (630 pgs)
The Once and Future King (639 pgs)
Opening Atlantis (440 pgs)
Oryx and Crake (400 pgs)
The Outside (401 pgs)
Pandora's Star (988 pgs)
Parable of the Sower (345 pgs)
The Passage (766 pgs)
Pawn of Prophecy (304 pgs)
Perdido Street Station (623 pgs)
Planetfall (336 pgs)
The Player of Games (320 pgs)
The Poppy War (544 pgs)
The Power (341 pgs)
Preludes & Nocturnes (Sandman Vol. 1) (233 pgs)
Prince of Thorns (384 pgs)
Promise of Blood (545 pgs)
Pump Six and Other Stories (239 pgs)
Pushing Ice (458 pgs)
The Quantum Magician (478 pgs)
The Quantum Thief (336 pgs)
The Raven and the Reindeer (226 pgs)
Ready Player One (374 pgs)
Reap the Wild Wind (454 pgs)
Recursion (336 pgs)
Red Country (469 pgs)
Red Sister (469 pgs)
Regarding Ducks and Universes (344 pgs)
Remnant Population (336 pgs)
Rendezvous with Rama (252 pgs)
The Road (241 pgs)
The Rook (486 pgs)
Sabriel (491 pgs)
A Scanner Darkly (219 pgs)
Sea of Rust (416 pgs)
Semiosis (336 pgs)
Servant of the Underworld (432 pgs)
Seveneves (881 pgs)
The Shadow of the Torturer (262 pgs)
Shadow's Son (278 pgs)
Shadowshaper (297 pgs)
She Who Became the Sun (416 pgs)
The Sheep Look Up (388 pgs)
Ship of Magic (880 pgs)
The Silent Tower (369 pgs)
Six Wakes (364 pgs)
Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City (350 pgs)
Slaughterhouse-Five (215 pgs)
Snow Crash (470 pgs)
The Song of Achilles (352 pgs)
Soulless (365 pgs)
The Sparrow (431 pgs)
The Speed of Dark (369 pgs)
Sphere (371 pgs)
Spin (458 pgs)
The Stand (1153 pgs)
The Stars Are Legion (400 pgs)
The Stars My Destination (258 pgs)
Starship Troopers (335 pgs)
Station Eleven (336 pgs)
The Steerswoman (336 pgs)
Storm Front (355 pgs)
The Strange Affair of Spring-Heeled Jack (510 pgs)
Stranger in a Strange Land (528 pgs)
The Suicide Collectors (304 pgs)
The Summer Tree (383 pgs)
Sunshine (405 pgs)
The Sword-Edged Blonde (256 pgs)
Swords and Deviltry (224 pgs)
The Terror (769 pgs)
This Alien Shore (564 pgs)
Those Who Hunt the Night (350 pgs)
The Thousand Names (513 pgs)
Three Parts Dead (336 pgs)
Tigana (771 pgs)
The Time Machine (118 pgs)
To Say Nothing of the Dog (493 pgs)
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars (878 pgs)
The Tombs of Atuan (180 pgs)
Too Like the Lightning (432 pgs)
Touch (426 pgs)
The Traitor Baru Cormorant (399 pgs)
Ubik (288 pgs)
Under Heaven (573 pgs)
The Underground Railroad (306 pgs)
An Unkindness of Ghosts (351 pgs)
Velocity Weapon (544 pgs)
War for the Oaks (336 pgs)
The War of the Worlds (192 pgs)
Warbreaker (688 pgs)
Warchild (451 pgs)
The Warded Man (416 pgs)
The Warrior's Apprentice (372 pgs)
Watchmen (416 pgs)
Watership Down (478 pgs)
The Way of Shadows (645 pgs)
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (383 pgs)
We Are Satellites (378 pgs)
Weaveworld (721 pgs)
The Well of Ascension (590 pgs)
When Gravity Fails (288 pgs)
Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang (251 pgs)
White Cat (310 pgs)
The Windup Girl (359 pgs)
Winter Tide (366 pgs)
The Wise Man's Fear (994 pgs)
Witchmark (318 pgs)
Wizard's First Rule (836 pgs)
The Wolf in the Whale (544 pgs)
Wool (509 pgs)
World War Z (342 pgs)
The Yiddish Policeman's Union (414 pgs)
Zodiac (308 pgs)
Zoo City (416 pgs)
(hide spoiler)]

[DivaDiane]

I would read the Parable duology if it won enough votes. I’ve read Parable of the Sower already, just a few years ago and would love to read the second book.

There are several other series for which only the first is on the bookshelf that I could be enticed to reread with the intention of continuing the series:

Oryx and Crake
The Caves of Steel
The Book of Koli (actually haven’t read this one at all!)

Theee are more, but Diane’s memory = sieve.

[a.g.e. montagner]

Diane, I'll vote for those as well.

Question:
All three books from the original Imperial Radch trilogy are in the mod profile but only two are in the Google module. Perhaps the third volume was a buddy read?

[Anna]

What Google module do you mean?

edit: If you mean Google Forms, this particular round of rereads voting, Ancillary Justice (book 1) is not on the list because it has been reread in the past two years.

edit2: The list of books above is all group books MINUS the ones that we (re)read in the two years before the reading period starts. So all the books we've added to the shelf or reread have been removed. That's why I list them, so you don't have to look at the group shelf and wonder if this one is on the Form or not :)

[a.g.e. montagner]

Haha of course! Thanks Anna.

[SFFBC, Ancillary Mod]

Vote here: https://goo.gl/forms/joASo8yDfm9oGvDm2
Live results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Voting ends: February 25th / GR links to all books here

[a.g.e. montagner]

I should know better than to check the live results daily, at least at this point of the month. But who can resist a poll?

I like the present list: Babel-17 and A Scanner Darkly are both short and stand-alone. The Dispossessed would conclude the UKGL marathon. There are two series in the top six, and I would push for one of them (either is fine for me; the Imperial Radch is perhaps lighter in tone than Butler's Parables?).

[Ryan, Your favourite moderators favourite moderator]

what are you thinking in terms of VBC, age?

[a.g.e. montagner]

I think we were set on the Broken Earth series for the next VBC, since recently we've been (re)reading two out of the three novels. The newsletter says this much, so I guess it must be legit! LOL.

[SFFBC, Ancillary Mod]

Next rereads!

Obelisk Gate and the entire Broken Earth series will be discussed at the end of February in VBC.

February 15th
The Word for World is Forest >> First impressions | Final thoughts & More & Series
The Obelisk Gate >> First impressions | Final thoughts & Series

(Rereads voting above updated.)

[Tamara]

My Google account doesn't work, so I'll cast my vote here:

Tigana