2024 Read All The Books 11: Prime Reading Time

[Marc]

Finished my Ursula K LeGuin's Tombs of Atuan, her 2nd earthsea book. Was pretty good, protagonist was NOT the protagonist of the first book, although he did show up later.

Now, onto book 3, Farthest Shore!

[Dj]

CBRetriever wrote: "is it better than the first one?"

Not deep enough into it to say for sure. It is good enough to keep reading it. Slowly for sure but still working on it.

[Marc]

Finished Ursula K LeGuin's The Farthest Shore. Was good, but I really didn't care that much for the resolution. It had to happen, but to me, fell kinda flat.

Anyhoo, I'm gonna continue her Earthsea series, but there's no more of her books on this challenge. I think I'm about 2/5 the way through!

[Economondos]

Marc wrote: "Finished Ursula K LeGuin's The Farthest Shore. ..."

I am about half a book behind you rereading the series. I agree, this is the book that is the hardest for me to pick up and reread. Somehow this book is just not as satisfying as the other 4 I've read.

[Meredith]

Since my last update, I've read 4 more and I am at 11 (a prime) out of my goal of 17 for the year.

Tusks of extinction 3⭐️
The Fox Wife 4⭐️
Down and out in the magic kingdom 3⭐️
Lonely castle in the mirror 4⭐️

[Anna]

This challenge is for reading SFFBC group books, meaning the books that this group has read together. So not all the books you've read this year :)

[Marc]

Found out my hiking book club just so happens to include 3 new books to my list for the next 3 months, so right now, I'm just starting Six Of Crows - Leigh Bardugo.

Next month I'll be tackling long way to a small angry planet (Becky Chambers), and Sept, Fonda Lee's Jade City. now I have 17 books I'm reading this year!

[HeyT]

Since my last update I've read three more books from the shelf:

The Space Between Worlds
An Inheritance of Magic
A Canticle for Leibowitz

[Marc]

wow, Six of Crows was a great book!! I really enjoyed it! it's like the movie Ocean's Eleven, but with magic! Note I stole that comparison, Leigh Bardugo said it that movie was her inspiration!

Anyhoo, reading a non-challenge book next, but at the end of the month, I'll start reading that small angry planet!

[Olga]

When I pledged my target books from the Shelf last December, I thought that I was very ambitious in setting 30 as my target. I left a back door for myself saying that I'll revise the goal mid-summer.

Well. I did not expect that.

It's mid-summer and I just reached the goal of 30 books. But only one was from 2008 (I was going to go chronological and focus on books from 2008 shelf). Hmmm... somewhere I miscalculated.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Haha! you rightly figured something wasn't gonna work in your plan, and you just instinctually corrected. I'm so pleased you're having such a good reading year!

[CBRetriever]

I probably could have made 30, but I'm saving some for next year. I will hit 12 though.

[Marc]

I am now starting my next book on the list, Julian May's Many-Colored Land. 10 down, 7 to go!

[CBRetriever]

finished 12 out of the initial 11 I chose

The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski

it was OK, but not something spectacular

[Marc]

finished Julian May's many-colored land. was an interesting premise, mankind conquered the galaxy, settled planets that were hospitable to our bodies. some scientist invented a one-way time travel to the distant past (no one figured out how to go forward). you try, but you come back as dust. would you go back knowing you stay there? and you can't take any advanced tech or risk changing the timeline. and since things decay to dust, we have no idea what the conditions are if you time travel back. in this book, there's kinda a surprise for those who do go back. not spoiling though!

anyhoo, now moving on to long way to a small angry planet by Becky chambers!!

[Marc]

that was a mostly fun book, 'Long Way to a Small Angry Planet' by Becky Chambers. And haha spoiler, it's not the planet you are probably thinking about! It is a romp through space told mostly from the perspective of a new crew mate to a small ship that builds 'tunnels' through spacetime that other ships can use to quickly go from point A to B without relativistic effects (superlong time, time issues (I stay young on ship, the rest of us are long dead). It got serious at the end.

Taking a quick break, I know I got Fonda Lee's Jade books coming up, be tackling that at the end of september.

[Ivan Darryl]

Ivan Darryl wrote: "Since I'm not that really much particular about different book titles, I'll only include the ones that I've already heard before and that are famous. For 2024, I'll just keep it safe and concise fo..."

I'm down to the last four. Hopefully, I'll be able to get into it before December begins...

[Marc]

thinking I'll be knocking off Legends and Latte's before the Fonda Lee Jade City. sucks that my last books are all series... boneshaker, old man's war, children of time, and yeah, jade city... Gotta do Jade City though, in a hiking book club, it's the october book.

[Marc]

and starting Legends and Lattes now! so far so good!

[Economondos]

I really liked that one!

[DivaDiane]

I really loved Lavinia. But then, I love everything by UKL. :-)

L&L is also lovely.

[Marc]

Travis Baltree's Legends and Lattes was a fun quick read! Now moving on to Lavinia...

[Marc]

and yeah, Lavinia was a great book!

Now on to my next book on this list, Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. I put off Jade City, as the hike to discuss it is October 20th, plenty of time to read it

[Marc]

Oh, I finished boneshaker, great book! I picked up the next book in the series, dreadnaught, but haven't started it yet. Gotta read Jade City, which I'll do mid-October.

[CBRetriever]

and I added a thirteenth

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

[Steve]

Starting my 5th book of this challenge today - The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi ! Been looking forward to it, sounds awesome.

When I'm done, it's still 5 group books I need to do by the end of the year, haha. Must catch up! I'm *nearly* on course for for my general Goodreads challenge of 20, but behind with this bookshelf challenge!

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Oo you're gonna have fun with that one I think! I believe in you! You can do it!

[Bonnie]

17 down, 8 to go
for the year

October's F and SF, the December re-read A Natural History of Dragons...
Not sure yet what else.
Maybe Elatsoe.

[Meredith]

4 more read, 15/17.

Mickey7 3⭐️
White Cat 4⭐️
The Path of Thorns 4⭐️
I, Robot 3⭐️

[CBRetriever]

and I added a 14th: Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky

I will be following and commenting in the discussion threads as I'm not working on the third book in the series

[HeyT]

I've kind of forgotten to post what I've been reading for this challenge but since the last time I posted I've finished:
Ship of Magic
Mexican Gothic
Blindsight
Perdido Street Station
The Once and Future King
Velocity Weapon
Sunshine
which brings me to around 30 for the year. My official goal was 25 but my ideal goal is 36. Hopefully I'll hit it.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Y'all are doing so well! And I know some of those were not "fast", T!

[Richard]

HeyT wrote: "I've kind of forgotten to post what I've been reading for this challenge but since the last time I posted I've finished:
Ship of Magic
Mexican Gothic
[book:Blindsight|4..."

Wow, 🤩 great going.
And what a fantastic list.

[Marc]

read jade city by fonda Lee, a great book!! gotta pick up her follow up books. I have 2 books left to read, old man's war and children of time. got 2 months left, so I should meet my challenge!!

[Marc]

Oh heck, didn't notice THe Spear Cuts through water is on this list (Simon Jimenez). I did read that two weeks ago...

I honestly didn't care for it that much, parts were good, he is a good wordsmith, but a guy who died yet showed up later? wtf?

[Economondos]

It was supposed to be a prime update with 23 of 29 read. However, going over my spreadsheet I hadn't recorded Mote in God's Eye, so this is my two dozen update instead. And I think I will call it at 24. I read the other ones too recently to enjoy a reread yet. They can gel for another year or two.

Five Stars
Wizard of Earthsea
Tombs of Atuan
Guards! Guards!
Mort
The Hobbit
Fellowship of the Ring
Assassin's Apprentice
Those Who Hunt the Night
Mote in God's Eye

Four Stars
Farthest Shore
Color of Magic
Magician (Riftwar Saga)
Pawn of Prophecy
Old Man's War
Way of Kings
Foundation
Leviathan Wakes
Warrior's Apprentice
Lathe of Heaven

Three Stars
Princess Bride
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
Stranger in a Strange Land
Left Hand of Darkness

Two Stars
Frankenstein: The 1818 Text

[Bonnie]

Economondos wrote: "It was supposed to be a prime update with 23 of 29 read. However, going over my spreadsheet I hadn't recorded Mote in God's Eye, so this is my two dozen update instead. And I think I will call it a..."

This is an impressive list. Some great books you have read his year!

[Marc]

Finally starting my 2nd to last book, Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time. so far so good! 25 pages down, 575 to go!

[Netanella]

2024 SFFBC Read All The Books 11: Prime Reading Time

Books Read: 10/11

1. The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin - 01.27.2024
2. The Word for World Is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin - 02.17.2024
3. Mickey7 by Edward Ashton - 08.17.2024
4. Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler - 10.07.2024
5. The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport by Samit Basu - 10.15.2024
6. This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar - 06.01.2921
7. Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach by Kelly Robson - 04.01.2024
8. Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki - 10.21.2024
9. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones - 06.20.2024
10. The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst - 11.28.2024
11.

[Marc]

Just finished Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of TIme. Great book!! happy I read it!

Now moving on to the final book, John Scalzi's Old Man Wars

[Marc]

Well that was fast! finished John Scalzi's Old Man War last night... well, early this morning, like 3:30am finished.

my challenge is complete!

* = read this year

1) Legends and Lattes - Travis Baldree *
2) Nettle & Bone - T Kingfisher *
3) A Master of Djinn - P Djeli Clark *
4) All the Birds in the Sky - Charlie Jane Anders *
5) Children of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky *
6) Uprooted - Naomi Novik *
7) the Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham *
8) Old Man's War - John Scalzi *
9) Boneshaker - Cherie Priest *
10) A Wizard of Earthsea - Ursula K LeGuin *
11) Tombs of Atuan - Ursula K LeGuin *
12) Farthest Shore - Ursula K LeGuin *
13) Many-Colored Land - Julian May *
14) Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood *
15) Six Of Crows - Leigh Bardugo *
16) Long way to a small, angry planet - Becky Chambers *
17) Jade City - Fonda Lee *
18) The Spear Cuts Through Water - SImon Jimenez *

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Oo don't you love a book that keeps you up?? Congrats on finishing your challenge!

[Kaia]

Marc wrote: "Well that was fast! finished John Scalzi's Old Man War last night... well, early this morning, like 3:30am finished.

my challenge is complete!

Congratulations, Marc!

[Meredith]

Congrats Marc!

[CBRetriever]

Excellent!

[DivaDiane]

Well, I have done fairly well and also fairly badly on this challenge.

These are the past books that I said I'd like to focus on this year:

The Sword of Kaigen
Reap the Wild Wind (finish)
The Once and Future King (finish)
The Vanished Birds
The Immortality Thief
The Traitor Baru Cormorant (finish)
Gideon the Ninth (finish)
The City & the City

As you can see, I actually only read one of them. That said, I've read 10 out of the "low-bar" of 11 for the year:

1. The Terraformers
2. My Real Children
3. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
4. Ship of Magic (reread)
5. Gideon the Ninth
6. Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach
7. The Tusks of Extinction
8. Strange the Dreamer
9. Lonely Castle in the Mirror
10. The Path of Thorns

I might read the Poppy war before the end of the year, because it's on the reread schedule for January and I also want to read Homeland (also on the reread schedule for January). But maybe I should read one of the unfinished ones first...

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

That is quite an assortment waiting for your attention!

[Marc]

when is next year's crop of books going to be added for the 2025 challenge?

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

The next challenge is up! It's the same as this one, which book crop did you wanna see? The spreadsheet or the bookshelf have all the books available!

[Saar The Book owl]

I only managed to read 1 book this year. I've got to many challenges and then I forget about them. For next year, I'm writing them all down.