Neta's SFFBC Challenge Threads

[Netanella]

Team Fantasy

Points: 27/28

Shape Shifting (view spoiler)[
✅ Change: Read a book with a character that changes shape or disguises themself - The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar by Indra Das - 01.15.2025
✅ Copy: Read a book with “shape” or “shift” in the title - The Shape-Changer's Wife by Sharon Shinn - 03.17.2025 (hide spoiler)]


Romantasy (view spoiler)[
✅ Love: Read a book where a romantic relationship is central to the plot - The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica - 02.14.2025
✅Pairing: Read a book with a couple on the cover - The Two Princes of Mpfumo: An Early Eighteenth-Century Journey into and out of Slavery by Lindsay O'Neill - 01.25.2025 (hide spoiler)]


Angels and Devils (view spoiler)[
✅ Ying: Read a book where a character has wings and/or horns - Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - 02.12.2025
✅ Yang: Read a book with a black and white cover - White Is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi (hide spoiler)]


Magical Object (view spoiler)[
✅ Powerful: Read a book where a magical object is central to the plot - A Game in Yellow by Hailey Piper - 03.21.2025
✅ Thing: Read a book with the word “magic” in the title - Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow - 03.25.2025 (hide spoiler)]


Poisoner (view spoiler)[
✅ Sick: Read a book where a poisoning is a significant plot point - Lightfall by Ed Crocker - 01.06.2025
✅ Dangerous: Read a book with something poisonous on the cover The Bane Witch by Ava Morgyn - 02.28.2025 (hide spoiler)]


DnD Party (view spoiler)[
✅Characters: Read a book with a rogue, mage, fighter, and/or wizard (classic DnD characters) - Fog & Fireflies by T.H. Lehnen - 01.18.2025
✅Team: Read a book with 4 or more characters on cover or the word “party” in the title - Afterparty by Daryl Gregory - 03.23.2025 (hide spoiler)]


Mythology (view spoiler)[
✅ Story: Read a book with a mythological character or that is considered a retelling of a myth - Mother of Rome by Lauren J.A. Bear 01.02.2025
✅ Alpha-Omega: Read a book with any greek letter on the cover or the word “myth” in the title - Thinning Blood: A Memoir of Family, Myth, and Identity by Leah Myers - 05.26.2025 (hide spoiler)]


Undead (view spoiler)[
✅ Alive?: Read a book with an undead character or a character that returns from the dead - The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark - 01.21.2025
✅ Dead: Read a book the word “dead” or “death” in the title - The Sea Gives Up the Dead: Stories by Molly Olguín - 03.08.2025 (hide spoiler)]


Bestiary (view spoiler)[
✅ Not a Pet: Read a book with a character that would be considered a beast - Wicked Jenny by Matt Hilton - 01.12.2025
✅ Risky: Read a book with any kind of beast on the cover - Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell - 02.26.2025 (hide spoiler)]


Fantastic Flora (view spoiler)[
✅ Greenery: Read a book where plants can be considered a character (protagonist or antagonist) in the book - Green Fuse Burning by Tiffany Morris - 03.29.2-25
✅ Anti-Human: Read a book with plants but no humans on the cover - The Garden by Nick Newman - 02.21.2025 (hide spoiler)]


Magic Powers (view spoiler)[
✅ Sorcerer: Read a book with a character that has any kind of magic- The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo - 03.18.2025
✅ Magi: Read a book with any kind of magician on the cover - White Cat by Holly Black - 04.05.2025 (hide spoiler)]


Fairy Tales (view spoiler)[
✅Story: Read a book that is a collection of related stories - Salt Slow by Julia Armfield - 03.11.2025
✅ Fae: Read a book with fairies on the cover or “tales” in the title - The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood 07.08.2025 (hide spoiler)]


Charged Jewelry
1. Jewels: Read a book where a piece of jewelry is important to the plot - The Zero Stone by Andre Norton
✅ Pretty: Read a book with something sparkly on the cover - Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao


Powerful Weapon (view spoiler)[
✅ Wow: Read a book with a legendary weapon (A weapon of myth, sung of in songs and spoken of in whispers. Old, powerful, and possessing a name) - Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock - 08.07.2025
✅ Ouch: Read a book with someone injured or dead on the cover - Maggie's Grave by David Sodergren - 07.19.2025 (hide spoiler)]

[Netanella]

Full Character Archetypes List

January Protagonist: Big Dumb Hero (view spoiler)[
✅ Strong: Read a book with a character who possesses great physical strength - Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree - 01.23.3035
reason: Viv is a super strong Orc adventurer
✅ unBrianiac: Read a book with a character that is noted for their lack of intelligence - Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher - 01.04.2025 (hide spoiler)]


January Antagonist: Monster (view spoiler)[
✅ Huge: Read a book with a character that is extremely large - Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree - 01.11.2025
reason: Viv is a large orc.
✅ Ugly: Read a book with a character that is noted for an unpleasant appearance - Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi - 01.09.2025
reason: the aliens are ugly and stinky (hide spoiler)]


February Protagonist: Love Interest (view spoiler)[
✅ Pretty: Read a book where a main character is known for their good looks - Ice by Anna Kavan - 02.16.2025
✅ Romance: Read a book with a romantic scene - In the Vanishers’ Palace by Aliette de Bodard - 02.12.2025 (hide spoiler)]


February Antagonist: Rival (view spoiler)[
✅ Better Than You: Read a book where a main character has a rival - The Fourth Consort by Edward Ashton - 02.11.2025
reason: human mc Dalton has a rival in alien Breaker, both of them competing for trade and first contact privileges with another alien species
✅ It’s Personal: Read a book where a character has a personal grievance that is significant to the plot - Revelator by Daryl Gregory - 02.05.2025
reason: Stella returns to the holler to bury the dead and make sure the god stays in the mountain. it's a personal, family thing. (hide spoiler)]


March Protagonist: Sidekick (view spoiler)[
✅ 2nd Best: Read a book with a sidekick character or where the main character is only the 2nd best at something - White Line Fever by K.C. Jones - 03.02.2025
reason: mc has three childhood sidekicks in their Scoundrels gang
✅ Helpful: Read a book where the ‘hero’ needs help accomplishing a goal - The Spare Room by Helen Garner - 03.01.2025
reason: mc needs help with caregiving for terminal cancer patient was takes the spare room for 3 weeks (hide spoiler)]


March Antagonist: Assistant to the Villain (view spoiler)[
✅ Sidekick: Read a book with a character who is a sidekick or a character who has a sidekick - The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean - 03.05.2025
reason: villainous brother Ramsey has sidekick Eland, who takes his orders
✅ Not In Charge: Read a book where the main character is not the person in charge at their organization - Intercepts by T.J. Payne - 03.14.2025 (hide spoiler)]


April Protagonist: Mentor (view spoiler)[
✅ Aged: Read a book with an older main character - The Homecoming by Zoë Apostolides - 04.02.2025
✅ Teacher: Read a book where a main character formally learns (skills or book knowledge) - For She Is Wrath by Emily Varga - 04.02.2025 (hide spoiler)]


April Antagonist: Wicked Stepparent (view spoiler)[
✅ Not My Child: Read a book where a character raises a child that is not theirs by birth - Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo - 04.19.2025
✅ Envy: Read a book where jealousy is important to the plot - The Vengeance by Emma Newman - 04.24.2025 (hide spoiler)]


May Protagonist: Friendly Creature (view spoiler)[
✅ Pet: Read a book where the main character is a pet or has a pet - Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher - 05.16.2025
✅ Companion: Read a book with an animal that is friendly toward the main characters - Eynhallow by Tim McGregor - 05.01.2025 (hide spoiler)]


May Antagonist: Mother Nature (view spoiler)[
✅ Weather: Read a book where a weather event is significant to the plot - Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller - 05.14.2025
✅ You’re Edible Here: Read a book where the main characters encounter a hostile environment - Bloods: Black Veterans of the Vietnam War: An Oral History by Wallace Terry - 05.03.2025 (hide spoiler)]


June Protagonist: Strong Female (view spoiler)[
✅ Girl: Read a book where the main character is female - The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks - 06.06.2025
✅ Stamina: Read a book where a character can sustain a prolonged physical or mental effort - Dracul by Dacre Stoker - 06.04.2025 (hide spoiler)]


June Antagonist: Sociopath (view spoiler)[
✅ No Empathy: Read a book where a character struggles to understand other people or doesn’t care about other people - Goth by Otsuichi - 06.01.2025
✅ Manipulative: Read a book with a manipulative character - Midnight Burning by Paul Levine - 06.16.2025 (hide spoiler)]


July Protagonist: Orphan (view spoiler)[
✅ Child: Read a book where a main character is a child - Ashes of August Manor by Blaine Daigle - 07.06.2025
✅ Parentless: Read a book where a main character doesn’t know their parent or a parent dies in the story - Mina's Matchbox by Yōko Ogawa - 07.05.2025 (hide spoiler)]


July Antagonist: Racist (view spoiler)[
✅ Racism: Read a book where racism is significant to the plot - Every Weapon I Had: A Vietnam Vet's Long Road to the Medal of Honor by Paris Davis - 07.13.2025
✅ Aryan Looks: Read a book where a group of characters are expected to display a uniform trait or dress in identical uniforms - If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home by Tim O’Brien - 07.01.2025 (hide spoiler)]


August Protagonist: Dynamic Leader (view spoiler)[
✅ In Charge: Read a book where the main character serves in any kind of leadership role - The Black Farm by Elias Witherow - 08.08.2025
✅ Fan Club: Read a book where a character has a substantial fandom - Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman 08.31.2025 (hide spoiler)]


August Antagonist: Gang-Boss (view spoiler)[
✅ Illegal Trade: Read a book where illegal trade is important to the plot - Rumor Has It by Cat Rambo - 08.12.2025
✅ Recruiter: Read a book where the antagonist successfully recruits more minions - Our Lady Of Pain by John Blackburn - 08.01.2025 (hide spoiler)]

[Netanella]

Full Character Archetypes List

September Protagonist: Pollyanna
1. Optimistic: Read a book where a character presents as extremely optimistic.
2. Hopebringer: Read a book where a character receives hope after giving up.

September Antagonist: Mad Scientist
1. Dangerous Creation: Read a book where a scientist creates something dangerous.
2. Unintended Consequences: Read a book where a choice or action has unexpected, negative consequences.

[Netanella]

Powerpoints

✅Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez - 02.02.2025
✅ Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi - 02.08.2025
✅Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield - 02.10.2025
✅Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao - 02.20.2025
✅ The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes - 03.16.2025
⬜ We Are All Ghosts in the Forest by Lorraine Wilson
✅ Lost Ark Dreaming by Suyi Davies Okungbowa - 04.26.2025
✅ To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose - 05.10.2025
✅ Annie Bot by Sierra Greer - 04.24.2025
✅ Witch King by Martha Wells - 05.08.2025
✅ You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo - 06.01.2025
✅ The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan - 06.1.2025
✅ Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes - 07.09.2025
⬜ One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
✅ The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong - 07.31.2025
✅ Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman - 08.08.2025

[Netanella]

2025 Read All the Books 12: Books by the Dozen

Here are a Dozen Good Reasons to RATB: 20


✅ Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree - 01.11.2025
✅ Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez - 02.02.2025
✅ Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi - 02.08.2025
✅Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - 02.12.2025
✅The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean - 03.05.2025
✅ The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes - 03.16.2025
✅The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo - 03.24.2025
✅How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu - 03.24.2025
✅Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow - 03.25.2025
✅ Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill - 04.05.2025
✅ White Cat by Holly Black - 04.05.2025
✅Lost Ark Dreaming by Suyi Davies Okungbowa - 04.18.2025
✅A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan - 04.25.2025
✅Witch King by Martha Wells - 05.03.2025
✅The City & the City by China Miéville - 05.11.2025
✅Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller - 05.14.2025
✅Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher - 05.16.2025
✅ You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo - 06.01.2025
✅ Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel - 06.08.2025
✅Neuromancer by William Gibson - 06.23.2025
✅ The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood 07.08.2025
✅ Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes - 07.09.2025

[Netanella]

Summer Bonus! (June 20 - September 22)


Fantasy Settings
Pseudo-Medieval (view spoiler)[
✅ Feudal Government- Read a book where the ruling government is any kind of feudal system or the book’s main character possesses a noble title - In the Veins of the Drowning by Kalie Cassidy - 06.28.2025
✅ Enchanted Forest- Read a book where a forest is a significant setting (even better, but not required, if that forest is magical) - The Brood by Rebecca Baum - 06.20.2025 (hide spoiler)]


Expansive Empire (view spoiler)[
✅ Colonial Acquisition- Read a book where a government has acquired another political entity through force - Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman - 07.23.2025
✅ Resistance Forces- Read a book where an organized (but less powerful) force actively tries to thwart the ‘lawful’ government - The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali - 07.20.2025 (hide spoiler)]


Magical City (view spoiler)[
✅ Urban Fantasy- Read any book classified as urban fantasy - Neighbors by Michael H. Payne - 07.18.2025
✅ Underground Magic- Read a book where magic exists, but most people are not aware of its existence - Eat the Ones You Love by Sarah Maria Griffin - 06.6.2025 (hide spoiler)]



Science Fiction Settings
Multi-Cultural Alien Planet
1. Alien Planet- Read a book set on an alien planet (a planet that has or once had a non-human species living on it).
2. Multiple Species- Read a book where 3 or more species cohabitate.

Intergalactic Empire
1. Colonial Acquisition- Read a book where a government has acquired another political entity through force.
2. Resistance Forces- Read a book where an organized (but less powerful) force actively tries to thwart the ‘lawful’ government.

Tech City
1. Advanced Power Technology- Read a book where a non-electric technology powers a city or a large population.
✅ Cyberpunk- Read any book classified as cyberpunk - Neuromancer by William Gibson - 06.23.2025

[Netanella]

2025 Read the Season Japanese Edition
haru (Spring)
March 20, 2025 through June 19, 2025

haru (Spring) (view spoiler)[
H: A Game in Yellow by Hailey Piper - 03.21.2025
A: Afterparty by Daryl Gregory - 03.22.2025
R: Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill - 04.05.2025
U: "The Bolt Tightener" by Sarena Ulibarri in Lightspeed Magazine, March 2013 - 05.18.2025 (hide spoiler)]


Shunbun no Hi - Vernal Equinox (March 20) (view spoiler)[
S: Shadow: A Parable by Edgar Allan Poe - 03.28.2025
H: How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu - 03.24.2025
U: "The Mirror Test" by Moses Ose Utomi in Fantasy Magazine, Issue 75, January 2022 - 05.18.2025
N: Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo - 04.19.2025
B: The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo - 04.13.2025
U: The Beasts of Love by Steven Utley - 05.18.2025
N: The Vengeance by Emma Newman - 04.24.2025
N: A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan - 04.25.2025
O: Toxic Daughter: Chi-chan by Shuzo Oshimi - 04.02.2025
H: The Homecoming by Zoë Apostolides - 04.02.2025
I: Into the Dread Unknown: Women in Horror Anthology by Azzurra Nox - 05.09.2025 (hide spoiler)]


Showa no Hi - Showa Day (April 29) (view spoiler)[
S: Silence: A Fable by Edgar Allan Poe - 03.28.2025
H: White Cat by Holly Black - 04.06.2025
O: Lost Ark Dreaming by Suyi Davies Okungbowa - 04.18.2025
W: Convergence Problems by Wole Talabi - 03.28.2025
A: Stolen by Ann-Helén Laestadius - 04.12.2025 (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[
N: Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher - 05.16.2025
O: Goth by Otsuichi - 06.01.2025 (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[
H: Your Mind Is a Terrible Thing by Hailey Piper - 04.28.2025
I: Set My Heart on Fire by Izumi Suzuki - 05.11.2025 (hide spoiler)]


Kenpō Kinenbi - Constitution Day (May 3) (view spoiler)[
K: Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar - 04.05.2025
E: For She Is Wrath by Emily Varga - 04.02.2025
N: When Robot and Crow Saved East St. Louis by Annalee Newitz - 06.2.2025
P: Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce - 04.11.2025
O: Mina's Matchbox by Yōko Ogawa - 07.05.2025 (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[
K: This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer - 05.28.2025
I: In the Veins of the Drowning by Kalie Cassidy - 06.28.2025
N: “Wish You Were Here” by Nadia Bulkin in Nightmare Magazine 49: October 2016. People of Colo(u)r Destroy Horror! Special Issue - 06.22.2025
E: Eynhallow by Tim McGregor - 05.01.2025
N: Neuromancer by William Gibson - 06.23.2025
B: Bloods: Black Veterans of the Vietnam War: An Oral History by Wallace Terry - 05.03.2025
I: If I Die in a Combat Zone: Box Me Up and Ship Me Home by Tim O'Brien - 07.01.2025 (hide spoiler)]


Midori no Hi - Greenery Day (May 4)
M: Green Fuse Burning by Tiffany Morris - 03.29.2-25
I: We Spread by Iain Reid - 07.16.2025
D: The Good House by Tananarive Due - 04.12.2025
O: Outsourced by Saul W. Tanpepper - 07.12.2025
R: Silent Spring by Rachel Carson - 04.19.2025
I:

(view spoiler)[
N: All the Fiends of Hell by Adam L.G. Nevill - 06.24.2025
O: Orpheus Builds A Girl by Heather Parry - 07.26.2025 (hide spoiler)]

H: The Worm and His Kings by Hailey Piper - 05.11.2025
I:


Kodomo no Hi - Children's Day (May 5)
K: The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan - 0.13.2025
O:
D: Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow - 03.25.2025
O:
M: Witch King by Martha Wells - 05.03.2025
O:

(view spoiler)[
N: Neighbors by Michael H. Payne - 07.18.2025
O: Manifest Destiny by Pelumi Olatinpo - 07.26.2025 (hide spoiler)]

H: Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao - 05.25.2025
I:

[Netanella]

Read the Month Japanese Edition
sichigatsu (July)
Duration: July 1, 2025 - July 31, 2025

S:
I: If I Die in a Combat Zone: Box Me Up and Ship Me Home by Tim O'Brien - 07.01.2025C:
H: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood 07.08.2025
I: We Spread by Iain Reid - 07.16.2025
G:
A: Ashes of August Manor by Blaine Daigle - 07.06.2025
T:
S: Outsourced by Saul W. Tanpepper - 07.12.2025
U: Unity by Elly Bangs - 07.04.2025


F:
U:
M: Mina's Matchbox by Yōko Ogawa - 07.05.2025
I:
D: Every Weapon I Had: A Vietnam Vet's Long Road to the Medal of Honor by Paris Davis - 07.13.2025
U:
K: Bat Eater by Kylie Lee Baker - 07.14.2025
I:

[Netanella]

2025 Read the Season Japanese Edition
natsu (Summer)
June 20, 2025 through September 21, 2025

natsu (Summer)
N: Neuromancer by William Gibson - 06.23.2025
A: All the Fiends of Hell by Adam L.G. Nevill - 06.24.2025
T:
S: Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art by Rebecca Wragg Sykes - 07.29.2025
U: Unity by Elly Bangs - 07.04.2025


Umi no Hi - Marine Day (July 21)
U:
M: Maggie's Grave by David Sodergren - 07.19.2025
I:In the Veins of the Drowning by Kalie Cassidy - 06.28.2025

N: Neighbors by Michael H. Payne - 07.18.2025
O: Mina's Matchbox by Yōko Ogawa - 07.05.2025

H: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood 07.08.2025
I: If I Die in a Combat Zone: Box Me Up and Ship Me Home by Tim O'Brien - 07.01.2025


Yama no Hi - Mountain Day (August 11)
Y: Kaimu: A Collection of Disturbing Dreams by Kyūsaku Yumeno - 07.30.2025
A: Ashes of August Manor by Blaine Daigle - 07.06.2025
M: The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali - 07.20.2025
A: Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz - 07.28.2025

N:
O: Outsourced by Saul W. Tanpepper - 07.12.2025


H:
I: We Spread by Iain Reid - 07.16.2025


Keirō no Hi - Respect for the Aged Day (September 15)
K: Dark Sisters: A Novel by Kristi DeMeester - 06.30.2025
E: Eat the Ones You Love by Sarah Maria Griffin - 06.26.2025
I:
R: Devil's Gun by Cat Rambo - 07.25.2025
O: Manifest Destiny by Pelumi Olatinpo - 07.26.2025

N:
O: Orpheus Builds A Girl by Heather Parry - 07.26.2025

H:
I:

[Netanella]

Folk Horror

Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom - 06.28.2026
Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon - 07.17.2021
The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen - 04.20.2023
Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand - 05.01.2022


The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares by Joyce Carol Oates
Saffron and Brimstone: Strange Stories by Elizabeth Hand
Devil's Day by Andrew Michael Hurley


But You Scared Me the Most by John Manderino
Angel of the Underground by David Andreas
Husk by Dave Zeltserman
Scarecrow by Richie Tankersley Cusick
The Equinox by MJ Preston
Witch Wood by John Buchan
The Spirit Wood by Robert Masello
3 Gates of the Dead by Jonathan Ryan
Bedfellow by Jeremy C. Shipp
A Cathedral of Myth and Bone by Kat Howard
The Drowning God by James Kendley
The Goat Foot God by Dion Fortune