SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

SFFBC 2018 TBR Cleanup Challenge

1. The 13th book : Red Rising
--counted down from my list of owned & unread, sorted by author

2. A book by an author who is/was over-the-hill : A Clash of Kings
--I think he was only 50 when it was published, but isn't that the age that takes you over the hill? I started reading A Game of Thrones when I first bought it back in 2014, got halfway through and stopped reading for awhile (for no good reason). I started over and am now, once again, at the 50% mark. I've made a personal goal for myself, apart from all my reading challenges, to at least finish AGoT and also get through ACoK THIS YEAR. So I thought, if I add this one to my TBR challenge then I'm basically contractually obligated to finish both books - right?

3. A book with horror : Revenge of the Witch
--recommended to me by my teenage brother's best friend, who probably reads more than any person I've ever met. He's so far never steered me wrong.

4. 300-350 pages : Sundiver
--340 pages. Someone recommended the Uplift series in another thread, and it pretty much had me at uplifted dolphins.. so I'm very anxious to get to book 2.

5. A book that reminds you of home : Mary Poppins Finished 1/15/18
--I grew up in Missouri, but this was one of mine & my dad's favorite movies when I was a kid (still one of my faves). I don't know why we never read the books.

6. Stars on the cover : The Sparrow
--I can't wait to read this! It was one of the first books I learned about through this group that I just knew I had to get my hands on asap.

7. Chosen for the cover : The Dispossessed Finished 3/16/18
--probably my favorite cover of all the books I own, and that's not an easy decision.

8. "Missed it by that much" : Cloud Atlas
--I checked it out from the library early for the group reread last month and was so overwhelmed by Christmas that I didn't finish the books I wanted to finish before starting this one, and I decided to take it back when it was almost due instead of trying to squeeze it in real quick. It sat next to my bed for too long and thus should get the attention it deserves, and soon.

9. Based on the blurb : Dawn
--Everything by Octavia E. Butler sounds great to me, but I think this was the first of her books that I added to my TBR, and bought.

10. A non-U.S. or UK setting : Skin Folk
--From what I understand there are several stories set in the Caribbean and other (non-U.S. or U.K.) places. I could probably come up with a better choice for this category, but I really want to read this.

11. Gold in the author's name : The Princess Bride Finished 4/26/18
--another one I can't wait to read, and should've read long ago. This is my all-time favorite movie.

12. A book with a vehicle on the cover : Pandora's Star
--spaceship (I think?). A friend just finished the Commonwealth Saga and gave both books 5 stars, and it's on the group shelf.

13. An author's debut novel : Alanna: The First Adventure Finished 1/9/18
--another roll-over from December; trying to catch up with the Tortall buddy read group.

14. "Eeny Meeny Miny Moe" : Sphere
--I picked 7 I really want to read; a few each of paperback, Kindle books, and Audible books. I asked my younger daughter to do the "eeny meeny miny moe" since she tends to use that technique a lot in her every day decision making. I'm quite pleased with this choice; it was another favorite movie from my childhood. It terrified me!! I remember introducing it to every friend who stayed the night at my house.

15. A book from a genre that's outside your comfort zone : Outlander
--I'm being difficult here because I don't really want to read outside my comfort zone just now, as there's so many SF/F books I haven't read and need to get to. I'm worried this one will have too much romance for my tastes.

16. A book with a romance : Magic Bites
--urban fantasy with a female main character that takes place where I live = can't miss.

17. Standalone novel : Ammonite
--I voted for this one in the December sci-fi poll, but then switched to The Stars Are Legion when I saw it had a chance of winning. I love this cover, too.

18. A book with a character you would shag : Dead Until Dark
--if Eric Northman is as irresistible as he is on the show. :D

19. Read a genre-bender : Soulless
--It seems to have several different sub genres mixed in, does that count? This was the hardest one for me.

20. A book with an animal on the cover : Dragonflight
--yet another rollover from last year. I got about 10% in but stopped because I just had too much I was trying to read. I'm excited to get back into it.

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Completed 04/20

Currently reading... A Clash of Kings and Revenge of the Witch

SFFBC 2018 Read All The Books Challenge

I'm committing to reading 32 books on the group shelf this year. That's at least one per month of the regular group reads, 8 of the scheduled group rereads, and then 10 of the books on my TBR Cleanup Challenge are on the group bookshelf, and the last two are ones I've owned for awhile and should've read/finished already; A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings.

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1. Touch finished 1/11/18
2. A Game of Thrones finished 1/26/18
3. Ninefox Gambit finished 1/31/18
4. The Handmaid's Tale finished 2/15/18
5. Slaughterhouse-Five finished 2/17/18
6. Winter Tide finished 2/24/18
7. Ubik finished 2/27/18
8. The Girl With All the Gifts finished 3/13/18
9. The Dispossessed finished 3/16/18
10. Neverwhere finished 3/22/18
11. The Invisible Library finished 3/25/18
12. The City & the City finished 3/29/18
13. Fahrenheit 451 finished 4/8/18
14. The Princess Bride finished 4/26/18
15. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch finished 5/3/18
16. Among Others finished 5/4/18
17. The Man in the High Castle finished 5/5/18
18. The Three-Body Problem finished 5/5/18
19. Nimona finished 5/15/18
20. The Eye of the World finished 5/24/18
21. The Fifth Season finished 5/28/18
22. The Last Unicorn finished 6/13/18
23. Brave New World finished 7/30/18

Completed 23/32

Currently reading... A Clash of Kings and Into the Drowning Deep

SFFBC 2018 Owned Books Challenge

Length of Ownership (best guess) (1/bk)
1 year - 10 points
3 years - 50 points
5 years - 75 points
10 years - 150 points

Length of Book (1/bk)
300 pages/10 hours - 15 points
500 pages/17 hours - 75 points
750 pages/25 hours - 150 points
1000 pages/33 hours - 300 points

Series (1/bk)
First book in a series - 5 points
Any subsequent book in a series - 10 points
Fifth book in a series - 20 points
Tenth book in a series - 30 points
Finish a series - 15 points

Other
Forced on you by a friend - 20 points (1/bk)
Received as a gift - 10 points (1/bk)
A book that any group you're a member of reads as a monthly selection - 25 points (1/bk)
Embarrassing cover - 20 points (30 if you read some of it in public without hiding the cover) (1/bk)
Won/Nominated for any kind of award - 10 points (1/bk)
An author you've never read - 10 points (1/bk)
A buddy read - 5 points (20 if you both/all own it) (1/bk)
A 2018 release, but pre-ordered in 2017 - 5 points (1/bk)
Turned into a movie or other media - 10 points (1/bk)
A 2017 Holiday gift - 10 points (1/bk)
A self-pub - 5 points (1/bk)
Oops! Bought it twice - 25 points (1/bk)
Read at least one book in each of the three formats: print, ebook, audio - 25 points (1/yr)
A genre/subgenre you usually avoid - 15 points (1/bk)
Read with a cup of tea or coffee - 5 points/book (1/bk)
Read with a cat or dog on your lap - 5 points (1/bk)

Total Owned Books Read (1/yr)
0-10 - 25 points
11-30 - 50 points
31-50 - 75 points
51-75 - 100 points
76-100 - 150 points
100+ - 200 points

BONUS: If you have fewer unread books on your shelves on 1/1/19 - 500 points

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Total owned before 1/1/18: 147
Total owned & unread before 1/1/18: 119

*Read at least one book in each of the three formats: print, ebook, audio - 25 points (print: Alanna: The First Adventure, ebook: A Game of Thrones, audio: Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said)

1. Alanna: The First Adventure = 50 points (finished 1/9/18)
*1 year - 10 points
*First book in a series - 5 points
*Won/Nominated for any kind of award - 10 points
*An author you've never read - 10 points
*A buddy read - 5 points
*Read with a cup of tea or coffee - 5 points
*Read with a cat or dog on your lap - 5 points

2. Mary Poppins = 35 points (finished 1/15/18)
*1 year - 10 points
*First book in a series - 5 points
*An author you've never read - 10 points
*Turned into a movie or other media - 10 points

3. A Game of Thrones = 245 points (finished 1/26/18)
*3 years - 50 points
*750 pages/25 hours - 150 points
*First book in a series - 5 points
*Won/Nominated for any kind of award - 10 points
*An author you've never read - 10 points
*Turned into a movie or other media - 10 points
*Read with a cup of tea or coffee - 5 points
*Read with a cat or dog on your lap - 5 points

4. Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said = 30 points (finished 1/30/18)
*1 year - 10 points
*Won/Nominated for any kind of award - 10 points
*An author you've never read - 10 points

5. The Once and Future King = 120 points (finished 2/9/18)
*1 year - 10 points
*500 pages/17 hours - 75 points
*An author you've never read - 10 points
*A buddy read - 5 points
*Turned into a movie or other media - 10 points
*Read with a cup of tea or coffee - 5 points
*Read with a cat or dog on your lap - 5 points

6. The Handmaid's Tale = 70 points (finished 2/15/18)
*1 year - 10 points
*300 pages/10 hours - 15 points
*Won/Nominated for any kind of award - 10 points
*An author you've never read - 10 points
*A buddy read - 5 points
*Turned into a movie or other media - 10 points
*Read with a cup of tea or coffee - 5 points
*Read with a cat or dog on your lap - 5 points

7. The Dispossessed = 50 points (finished 3/16/18)
*1 year - 10 points
*300 pages/10 hours - 15 points
*Won/Nominated for any kind of award - 10 points
*A buddy read - 5 points
*Read with a cup of tea or coffee - 5 points
*Read with a cat or dog on your lap - 5 points

8. The Princess Bride = 45 points (finished 4/26/18)
*1 year - 10 points
*300 pages/10 hours - 15 points
*An author you've never read - 10 points
*Turned into a movie or other media - 10 points

9. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch = 65 points (finished 5/3/18)
*1 year - 10 points
*300 pages/10 hours - 15 points
*Won/Nominated for any kind of award - 10 points
*An author you've never read - 10 points
*A buddy read - 5 points
*Turned into a movie or other media - 10 points
*Read with a cup of tea or coffee - 5 points

10. The Man in the High Castle = 35 points (finished 5/5/18
*1 year - 10 points
*Won/Nominated for any kind of award - 10 points
*A buddy read - 5 points
*Turned into a movie or other media - 10 points

11. The Fifth Season = 55 points (finished 5/28/18)
*1 year - 10 points
*300 pages/10 hours - 15 points
*First book in a series - 5 points
*Won/Nominated for any kind of award - 10 points
*An author you've never read - 10 points
*A buddy read - 5 points

12. The Last Unicorn = 45 points (finished 6/13/18)
*1 year - 10 points
*Won/Nominated for any kind of award - 10 points
*An author you've never read - 10 points
*A buddy read - 5 points
*Turned into a movie or other media - 10 points

Nice to involve family/ friends. :)

Cheryl wrote: "Nice to involve family/ friends. :)"

I agree! But sorry, what are you referring to? (I’m blonde).

The “eeny meeny miny moe” part?

Yes, also the brother's friend who rec'd Revenge of the Witch.

My oldest son helped me add my dtbs to GR but he's not a reader so that's just about he did for me. Anyway. Good luck! :)

Cheryl wrote: "Yes, also the brother's friend who rec'd Revenge of the Witch.

My oldest son helped me add my dtbs to GR but he's not a reader so that's just about he did for me. Anyway. Good luck! :)"

My son doesn't like to read either unfortunately, and he's the little genius of the family who started teaching himself to read before the age of 2!

I plan on waiting to read Revenge of the Witch this summer when we go on vacation with my family, because my brother's friend will be with us. That way I can talk to him about it more easily! (They don't live close, so we don't see them often).

My kids will also get to join in on the fun this weekend when we take a road trip and listen to Mary Poppins on audiobook. :)

And thanks, good luck to you too!

You seem to be doing well! And you have some great choices.
I also got round to The Handmaid's Tale this year and I have just finished Red Rising which I enjoyed.
Good luck!

Esther wrote: "You seem to be doing well! And you have some great choices.
I also got round to The Handmaid's Tale this year and I have just finished Red Rising which I enjoyed.
Good ..."

Thank you Esther! I’m behind on my TBR challenge but getting through lots of group books! I loved (if that’s the right word) The Handmaid’s Tale.