2024 TBR Cleanup Challenge

[Tamara]

Congrats Meredith & CBRetriever! 🎉🥂

[Tamara]

I'm now at 10/20, I doubt I'll finish the whole challenge, but I'll do my best 😅
Seems like this year (yet again) I bought more books than I've read.
In my defense, I've been on this issekai manga kick that I can't seem to shake off, so book reading has taken a back seat for a long while 😶

4. Tender Taurus - soothing, dependable - April 21 – May 21
✔ Dnevnici Ubibota - Prvi deo by Martha Wells ★★★★★
- The first four books of the Murderbot Diaries, in Serbian. This series is my go-to when I'm in a slump 🙂 The translation is good, but I think I love the audio versions in English narrated by Kevin R. Free best.

9. Lively Libra - diplomatic, harmonious - September 23 – October 23
✔ Dark Matter by Blake Crouch ★★★☆☆
- This was more of a thriller than an SF, so I was a little disappointed. I think I'd rather I watched the TV show instead :/

13. A breath of fresh air ★★★☆☆
✔ Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
- So fun!

14. Playing with fire ★★★☆☆
✔ Red Rising by Pierce Brown
- Hunger Games in space!

18. Sweet summer child
✔ The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells ★★★★☆
- Martha Wells does fantasy well too. Very old-school like!

19. Reap what you sow
✔ Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky ★★★★★
- I think this was my favorite new writer this year.

20. On thin ice
✔ Dawn by Octavia E. Butler ★★★★★
- Very interesting, and a bit challenging to read.

[Raucous]

Congratulations Meredith - on both completing the challenge and on the TBR progress!

[Meredith]

Raucous wrote: "Congratulations Meredith - on both completing the challenge and on the TBR progress!"

We'll see if I can maintain it until the end of the year! I almost bought 2 books today and heroically restrained myself.

[Kaia]

Congratulations on completing the challenge, Meredith!

[Stephen]

I haven’t read any more of my selected books since September. I’m still at 13/20. I will probably read one or two more but I may need to change my approach next year.

[CBRetriever]

waiting with anticipation for the 2025 version of this challenge and any other challenges you want to give us

[CJ]

Tamara wrote: "The translation is good, but I think I love the audio versions in English narrated by Kevin R. Free best."

I want to try to read some of the Murderbot books in translation next year because I've been neglecting my other languages (Serbian is not one of them, I am sad to say) but yes, I love Kevin R. Free's narration of the audiobooks.

[Kaia]

I've completed four more since my last update. Down to two now, but I'm not sure if I'll make it. I've had to do a lot of substituting from my original choices for these last ones. (I've at least been trying to substitute with books that have been on my TBR for a while.)

Tender Taurus - soothing, dependable: Replaced original book with re-read of The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K Le Guin (favorite book read many times - though the story itself is not really soothing)

Lively Libra - diplomatic, harmonious: Replaced original book with Provenance by Ann Leckie (main character has to be diplomatic)

Capable Capricorn - protective, noble: Hild by Nicola Griffith (people seek protection from the main character) - this was on my original list!

A breath of fresh air: Replaced with Jhereg by Steven Brust (new author to me)

I'm down to Compassionate Cancer and In Deep Waters, and neither of my original choices are calling to me right now, but also nothing else I'm reading seems to fit these. Here's hoping I have TBR inspiration in December!

[Tamara]

CJ wrote: "I want to try to read some of the Murderbot books in translation next year because I've been neglecting my other languages (Serbian is not one of them, I am sad to say) but yes, I love Kevin R. Free's narration of the audiobooks. "

Have you tried the dramatized versions? I'm kind of scared to even try, Kevin R. Free's voice is Murderbot at this point, I'm not sure anyone else can measure up. 😅

[Monica]

Finished! I've got one/possibly two more scifi this month so the list may change slightly....

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Well done!!!

[Kaia]

Monica wrote: "Finished! I've got one/possibly two more scifi this month so the list may change slightly....

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/..."

Congratulations, Monica!

[CJ]

Tamara wrote: "Have you tried the dramatized versions? I'm kind of scared to even try, Kevin R. Free's voice is Murderbot at this point, I'm not sure anyone else can measure up. 😅"

I feel the same about Free's narration. Many times I've just put on one of the audiobooks when I have really bad insomnia but can't focus on anything else--his voice is so comforting and familiar to me now, lol.

I tried the dramatization of the first novella and quickly DNF'd it. It felt like the main narrator was trying to imitate Free and it all felt very frantic and overstimulating with all the music and sound effects. Wasn't for me.

[CJ]

Congrats, Monica and everyone else who finished!

[CBRetriever]

finished my TBR picks with

3. Active Aries - optimistic, adventurous = Ram = ✔️Legacies by L.E. Modesitt Jr. - Reason = main character is involved with nightsheep and especially a ram

[Kaia]

Congratulations CBRetriever!

[Raucous]

Congratulations Monica and CB!

[Tamara]

Congrats Monica & CBRetriever!

[Tamara]

CJ wrote: "I feel the same about Free's narration. Many times I've just put on one of the audiobooks when I have really bad insomnia but can't focus on anything else--his voice is so comforting and familiar to me now, lol."

I have a similar reaction to the audios, I usually listen to them when I need to de-stress - seems like Murderbot to us is what Sanctuary Moon is for Murderbot haha

CJ wrote: "I tried the dramatization of the first novella and quickly DNF'd it. It felt like the main narrator was trying to imitate Free and it all felt very frantic and overstimulating with all the music and sound effects. Wasn't for me."

That sucks, it would have been nice to have another audio version to enjoy :/ I'll probably try it, but I don't have high hopes.

[Kaia]

Tamara wrote: "I have a similar reaction to the audios, I usually listen to them when I need to de-stress - seems like Murderbot to us is what Sanctuary Moon is for Murderbot haha"

I love this so much, Tamara! What a great analogy.

[CJ]

Yeah, lol, I remember posting on Bluesky when I read through the whole Murderbot Diaries earlier this year that Murderbot was my Sanctuary Moon. It really is. And a lot of other fans say similar things. Martha Wells apparently is a big fan of SF media herself (she wrote tie-ins for Star Wars and Stargate) so I suspect she was drawing on personal experience there.

[Anna]

Nothing wrong with Murderbot love in all the threads, but we do also have a dedicated Murderbot thread :D

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Edwin]

Congrats to all you finishers and almost finishers!

I can't wait to see our prompts for 2025.

[Kristin]

Congratulations to folks who finished! I'm at 18/20 (so close... but so is Dec 31).

Looking forward to the 2025 TBR prompts. (always the best prompts here! :) Any hints on the theme for the coming year? So far in this book group, the 2025 themes are fashion madness and booklover game/combat, so I'm guessing TBR prompts with a game or game show theme.

[Kristin]

20/20 success!

[Meredith]

Yay, congrats!!

[Kaia]

Congratulations, Kristin!

[Tamara]

Niice, congrats!

[Melanie, the neutral party]

@ Kristin & Edwin

2025 prompts are here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Tamara]

I removed the books I didn't read and managed to fit in books I read this year - mostly English language versions of books I loved in Serbian. It got me from 10 to 18 books, now I only have 2 to go that I'm already reading. Yay!

[Kaia]

I finished with only a few days to spare! I had to replace my original choices for the last two prompts, but at least I did it with books that had been on my TBR for quite some time:

Compassionate Cancer - emotional, imaginative: The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord (takes place in an imaginative world and the characters deal with emotions differently)

In Deep Waters: Deeplight by Frances Hardinge (the undersea and sea in general are important settings, also the main character gets in over his head)

[Raucous]

Congratulations Kaia! Those sound like fine choices despite the last minute changes. They're not at all like the time that I had to go back through the year to find something that sort of fit the remaining prompt...

[Kaia]

Raucous wrote: "Congratulations Kaia! Those sound like fine choices despite the last minute changes. They're not at all like the time that I had to go back through the year to find something that sort of fit the r..."

Thanks, Raucous! I had to make a lot of substitutions this year. I was pleased with how those last two worked out, though We'll see if I stick more to my original list in 2025.

[Beth]

I'm tapping out at 17 of 20. Didn't quite make it but this did encourage me to read some books I've had around forever so thank you for the challenge!

Here is my list:
✔️1. Authentic Aquarius - innovative, revolutionary
Lady Chatterley’s Lover
❌2. Popular Pisces - dreamy, artistic
✔️3. Active Aries - optimistic, adventurous
All the Pretty Horses
✔️4. Tender Taurus - soothing, dependable
Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-Earth
✔️5. Gentle Gemini - adaptable, curious
The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness
✔️6. Compassionate Cancer - emotional, imaginative
The Ringmaster's Daughter
✔️7. Limelight Leo - dramatic, humorous
The Lost Metal
✔️8. Veracious Virgo - attentive, analytical
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales
✔️9. Lively Libra - diplomatic, harmonious
Exile's Return
✔️10. Spirited Scorpio - complicated, powerful
My Pen is the Wing of a Bird: New Fiction by Afghan Women
✔️11. Sweet Sagittarius - idealistic, wanderlust
Spiritwalk
✔️12. Capable Capricorn - protective, noble
The Bands of Mourning
❌13. A breath of fresh air
✔️14. Playing with fire
She Who Became the Sun
✔️15. From the ground up
How High We Go in the Dark
✔️16. In deep waters
The Kraken Wakes
✔️17. Spring into action
City of Bones
✔️18. Sweet summer child
Kafka on the Shore
✔️19. Reap what you sow
Prince of Thorns
❌20. On thin ice