SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

a.g.e. montagner wrote: "Can I convince anyone on a buddy read of the Sprawl trilogy?

We have Neuromancer scheduled for the Ides of March as a group re-read and I'm eager to finally experience the trilogy f..."

Was there any interest in the Sprawl BR? I was holding off on starting Count Zero because another GR group is currently voting on an April BotM pick and it's one of the choices (although at this point it looks like it will come in 2nd place)

And guess whose nomination that was...

Meredith said she was interested.

a.g.e. montagner wrote: "And guess whose nomination that was..."

Ah, I thought you were also in that group but wasn't sure !

Well, I'll be happy to join in. Anytime after January works for me.

Cool! If only other groups didn't keep coming up with all these juicy options all the time... I keep piling books on my schedule.

I think I'll try to get to Neuromancer sometime in March, as per official re-read, and move on from there.
And yeah, it doesn't look like Count Zero will win.

If I like Neuromancer, I'd be interested in continuing with the series as a BR.

Cheryl L wrote: "If I like Neuromancer, I'd be interested in continuing with the series as a BR."

Same.

a.g.e. montagner wrote: "Cool! If only other groups didn't keep coming up with all these juicy options all the time... I keep piling books on my schedule.

I think I'll try to get to Neuromancer sometime in March, as per ..."


I'll plan on rereading Neuromancer in March then and we can go from there.

I'm looking forward to the Feb 1 Buddy Read of Remnant Population with Silvana and hopefully others! A friend of mine was so happy to hear I'll be reading it - it's one of her favorites. This will be my first buddy read with this group. Do we finish the book before the discussion or do we read it during the discussion? Either way, I think I'll be starting it today - it's calling to me louder than any other books on the shelf.....

Nadine,

Did you want me to set up a buddy read thread for Remnant Population?

Rempop has threads already (first impression and spoiler thread because it was a BOTM), Anna linked those in one of the previous posts. or you could search using the book title. See you in the threads 😁

Cheryl and I are on a mission to complete The Murderbot Diaries, currently on Rogue Protocol, you can join us here
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

YAY! Love Murderbot

Oh I guess I should put this here:

I am reading through the nominees for the 2025 Philip K Dick awards, over the next couple of months. The winner will be announced on March 29, 2025. The nominees are:

City of Dancing Gargoyles by Tara Campbell
Your Utopia: Stories by Bora Chung
Time's Agent by Brenda Peynado
The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain by Sofia Samatar
Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Triangulum by Subodhana Wijeyeratne

I've recently read Your Utopia, which is a collection of short stories, and am currently finishing Alien Clay. I will be reading Time's Agent next (which Olga pointed out fits the Sci Fi combat prompt for a cover with any timepiece on it). Olga has expressed interest in joining in so I'll make the offer open to the whole group. Feel free to read which ever titles interest you and skip any that don't.

(As for other prompts, Alien Clay has a MC who is a scientist and is set in space)

That looks like the Sofia Samatar's latest... and quite tempting.

Given my reading schedule I'm fairly sure I wouldn't be able to read it before the award is announced, so don't wait for me; but I'd be interested in a buddy read.

a.g.e. montagner wrote: "I'll be reading Poor Things by Alasdair Gray some time in the spring.

Reading Scottish literature while avoiding Gray is basically a funambolic performance, and I ..."

Hello - I think I would like to read this with you. I've been meaning to read some Alisdair Gray for quite a long time.
Sarah

You and I both, Sarah.
As usual I'm already late with my own reading schedule; but my book club for Poor Things will be sometime in April or May so there's a deadline. How does it sound to you?

Sounds good to me. Let me know when you want to start and I'll get the book. I'm actually really looking forward to reading some of his books.

Cheryl and I are going to read A Desolation Called Peace starting Monday, February 10.
Please join if you're interested.

We also have a readalong over on TGS with some other club members - https://app.thestorygraph.com/readalo...

Sarah wrote: "Sounds good to me. Let me know when you want to start and I'll get the book. I'm actually really looking forward to reading some of his books."

Idem!
Have you ever seen a copy of the book? It's completely tongue in cheek and metafictional, full of drawings and typographical quirks. In such cases I prefer paper copies. If I disappear you're welcome to bug me here.

You all are tempting me with a reading of Poor Things. It sounds odd in a way that I would like.

Me too! I loved how wacky the film was.

Tempting is the name of the game here.

Aga wrote: "Early March is ok too..."

As expected it is now last in the poll for BOTM so this is thread for our BR - I put March 10 as starting date.

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

Cheryl L wrote: "You all are tempting me with a reading of Poor Things. It sounds odd in a way that I would like."

I didn't know there was a film of any of his books. I think I'm going to avoid it until I've read the book.
All I really know about Alisdair Gray is from Ken MacLeod and he wrote maybe my favourite quote ' Work as if you live in the early days of a better nation'.

I am pretty sure the opening post has all of the accurate 2025 buddy reads. If this is not so, let me know so it can be fixed.

Is there anyone else interested in buddy reading Space Unicorn Blues next month?

Just a reminder that a buddy read for The Space Between Worlds is to start in a few days.

It fits the multiple dimensions prompt for Sci-fi team in booklovers game.

GR thread - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
TSG readalong - https://app.thestorygraph.com/readalo...?

Just checking back in, as I have Neuromancer down on my calendar for a BR this month. Are people still interested in this? Did we decide on a start date?

Neuromancer is a club re-read starting March 15.
And it looks like it's going to be the March VBC pick.

Melanie wrote: "Is there anyone else interested in buddy reading Space Unicorn Blues next month?"

I would be interested! Just let me know when you'd like to start if you still plan on reading it.

Besides, Neuromancer is shaping up to be the topic of our next VBC for March.

CJ wrote: "Melanie wrote: "Is there anyone else interested in buddy reading Space Unicorn Blues next month?"

I would be interested! Just let me know when you'd like to start if you still plan..."

Let's shoot for a March 20 start. Is that too late for you?

Melanie wrote: "Let's shoot for a March 20 start. Is that too late for you?


No, that'll work for me!

Olga wrote: "Neuromancer is a club re-read starting March 15.
And it looks like it's going to be the March VBC pick."

OK, thanks. We were talking about it as a BR upthread, and just wanted to follow up with that. I'll just plan to start my reread of it on the 15th.

CJ wrote: "Olga wrote: "Neuromancer is a club re-read starting March 15.
And it looks like it's going to be the March VBC pick."

OK, thanks. We were talking about it as a BR upthread, and just wanted to foll..."

I've already started it, but kit'll be a slow read as it's on my Kindle named Bathroom

In case anyone in this group is interested, the Nebula shortlists are out and I'm reading through as many as I can before the winner is announced in early June.

I have a bit of a headstart of the novella shortlist, having already read all but one (Lost Ark Dreaming) so I'm focusing on the novel shortlist, starting with Asunder by South African author Kerstin Hall, which I'm told has Gideon/Locked Tomb vibes so we'll see whether I DNF it like I did Gideon (I kid...or maybe not).

Anyhoo, if anyone else is reading any of the shortlists or planning to, let me know and maybe we can start BR thread for it.

Fair warning, one of the nominees, The Book of Love by Kelly link is a chunker--over 600 pages!

I'm going to remind everybody that the offer to buddy read the Sprawl trilogy still stands.
I have a couple of things to finish, which were postponed till after the VBC; but I'd like to carry on the momentum.

Count me in for a buddy read of the rest of the Sprawl trilogy. :)

a.g.e. montagner wrote: "I'm going to remind everybody that the offer to buddy read the Sprawl trilogy still stands.
I have a couple of things to finish, which were postponed till after the VBC; but I'd like to carry on t..."

I'm still up for this.

I can set up a thread for y'all. What do you want to be the start date?

Thanks Melanie, I was going to ask both things.

Will it be a single thread for both remaining books in the trilogy?
As for the date, optimistically next week, from the 7th April?

My April is jammed, and I have to finish a couple of short things before it can even officially start.
What does everybody think?

One thread seems like a good idea.

The 7th sounds good. It's ok if it's later.

The 7th works for me as well (though, I may start a day or so later). I'll put it on my calendar and look forward to seeing folks in the discussion!

Hey everyone, I am looking for a buddy reader to read Bride by Ali Hazelwood with me and some other book I have on my TBR. Message me if you would like to buddy read with me

Hey Daija,
The way we do buddy reads in this group is not through private messages, but group threads. Decide a start date for your book and a mod or a reader can start a discussion thread.

So the April non fools book has been selected! When are we reading Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures?

There's nothing stopping us from reading one (or more) of the losing books as well, if there's interest. I found Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism rather... titillating.

I'm sure I wIll, too.

I'm also pretty sure I won't be able to get near Entangled Life before the summer. And even when that happens, I'll probably dilute the book over the weeks, as I did with Wohlleben. I like having essays as a sideline to fiction. In short, I'm down with any timetable the group settles on.

Ryan wrote: "So the April non fools book has been selected! When are we reading Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures?

There's nothing stopping us fro..."

I’m open as well. Later April would be fine. Anytime in May is fine too.