SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

i believe in you!

I'm pledging 17 books. My annual 2022 book challenge is 50 books. I read 49 last year. I can fill up the difference with books I purchased last year that are still unread.

Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie
Black Sun, Rebecca Roanhorse
The Book of Koli, M.R. Carey
The Carpet Makers, Andreas Eschbach
City of Stairs, Robert Jackson Bennett
The City We Became, N.K. Jemisin
The Echo Wife, Sarah Gailey
Foundation, Isaac Asimov
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, Becky Chambers
A Master of Djinn, P. Djeli Clark
Old Man's War, John Scalzi
The Poppy War, R.F. Kuang
The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller (Read)
Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel
The Three-Body Problem, Cixin Liu
Velocity Weapon, Megan O'Keefe
We Are Legion, Dennis Taylor

Goal: 7
Read: 2

(As in previous years, I will shamelessly copy Lowell's format for my own challenge.)

Finished:


Currently Reading:
n/a

DNF:


On deck (subject to change!):

Nicci wrote: "I'm pledging 17 books. My annual 2022 book challenge is 50 books. I read 49 last year. I can fill up the difference with books I purchased last year that are still unread.

Ancillary Justice, Ann ..."

Nice list, best of luck on finishing and enjoying them all.

Beth wrote: "Goal: 7
Read: 1

(As in previous years, I will shamelessly copy Lowell's format for my own challenge.)

Finished:


Currently Reading:
[bookcover:The Song of Achilles|13..."

Nice start

This first of my cloud nine books only made it to the fourth level clouds.

The Accidental Time Machine

A great premise, but on occasion, this book seems to go sideways. There are certain parts where I have to wonder if someone knocked on his door and said Albatross to throw him off his process. There are also things that are included or explained that I wonder if the author was trying to be clever or offensive. All in all the book is a fair read but kept thinking that it could have turned out better than it did.

Dj wrote: "Nicci wrote: "I'm pledging 17 books. My annual 2022 book challenge is 50 books. I read 49 last year. I can fill up the difference with books I purchased last year that are still unread.

Ancillary..."

Thanks. I'm dropping my pledge down to 10 books. :-)

Nicci wrote: "Dj wrote: "Nicci wrote: "I'm pledging 17 books. My annual 2022 book challenge is 50 books. I read 49 last year. I can fill up the difference with books I purchased last year that are still unread. ..."

I don't believe there are any pledge police so that should be fine.

I̥ͦ'm̥ͦ p̥ͦl̥ͦe̥ͦd̥ͦg̥ͦi̥ͦn̥ͦg̥ͦ 45 b̥ͦo̥ͦo̥ͦk̥ͦs̥ͦ f̥ͦo̥ͦr̥ͦ 2022

Reed, are you still reading War and Peace?

This is my first book club challenge so I don't really understand the "staying ahead percentage-wise" thing yet, but I'm committed to reading 12 books I'm excited about! With the hope of adding more as group reads unveil themselves.

My list so far:

Preludes & Nocturnes
A Memory Called Empire
A Master of Djinn
Station Eleven
Black Sun
She Who Became the Sun
The Final Empire
The Fifth Season
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Gideon the Ninth
Dawn
Parable of the Sower

I've started on A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark. I'm liking it so far.

Hey Sarah D, there’s an informal Buddy read arranged for Preludes & Nocturnes for February. Feel free to join us!!

@DivaDiane Thanks! Yes, I plan to join!

finished A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark which I loved.

I pretty much stopped using Goodreads last March so only read 4 books from the group shelf last year. Hoping to do some catching up this year. Going for 24. Borrowed 6 of the shorter titles from the library to get going.

5/24

1. The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey - 1/31
2. More Than Human by Theodore Sturgeon - 2/1
3. Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow - 2/2
4. All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka - 2/2
5. Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice - 2/3




Total read 224/347

So far read only one new book for this challenge. I've also re-read The Fellowship of the Ring, but it's in the trilogy version and I'm not counting it to this challenge. I've started Blindsight in Finnish, but it's going on slowly.

Read:


Currently reading

(Blindsight)

Also, is there any short story collections on the groups bookshelf other than Pump Six, which I've read? Just asking for other challenge I'm doing this year, it would be nice to combine these as much as possible.

Maarit wrote: "Any short story collections on the groups bookshelf other than Pump Six..."

Hello Maarit, it is nice when you can kill multiple birds with one stone. I read four last year that were on the past bookshelf from this and my IRL group; Red Mars and Seveneves yet to go.

These would probably count for short stories:

The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury


I, Robot - Isaac Asimov


The Last Wish - Andrejz Sapkowski (The Witcher)


I haven't read this yet but it sounds like stories (crossover for Tiptree Award):
In the Night Garden - Catherine Valente


Oh, and Brothers Grimm.

The Martian Chronicles, I, Robot and The Last Wish all count as short fic collections, but I see you've read them already. There could be others, but these are the ones I can remember for now. I haven't read all the books on the shelf though, so there could be ones I'm not aware of.

edit: lol, not just at the same time, but also in the same order! :D

CBRetriever wrote: "I'll go for 15 this year

Furies of Calderon by Butcher, Jim
Magic of Recluce by Modesitt Jr., L.E.
Homeland by Salvatore, R.A.
Shadow of the Torturer by Wolfe, Gene
Ancillary Sword by Leckie, Ann
..."

The Becky Chambers books are wonderful!

I think I have all of them so they're ready to go sometime soon

I finished The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester which was far more interesting than I thought it would be. Now I need to read the discussion threads for it

My usual -- 42! (Missed it last year, though.)

I started strong with Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings (on audio), and started Haruki Murakami's 1Q84 which pound-for-pound are worth three other club books each... and stalled. But, the year is young!

(Also shamelessly copying Lowell's format.)
Updated: 02 February
Goal: 42
Read: 1

Finished:
||

Currently Reading:


On deck (subject to change!):
I have no idea!

Tail end of 2021:

Caliban's War - to get psyched up for season 6 of The TV show. From what I recall, this book followed ("followed" heh) season 2 pretty closely.

The Dragon's Path - #1 of The Dagger and Coin series. Followed up with another by Daniel Abraham. I liked it so much I continued and read the whole series.

Swords and Deviltry- the Hugo-Nebula group read Gather, Darkness!, so I read that and then another Fritz Leiber.

Wild Seed - this was "on the bookshelf" of my IRL group as well as SFFBC, so could mark it read on two spreadsheets.

Kindred - another Octavia Butler, an Official Re-read. i think I had read this in ninth or tenth grade, but didn't remember much.

January:
Sunshine
Reap the Wild Wind - i liked this enough to keep reading. Unsure if I should continue with #2 of the prequel trilogy, or read the main "Trade Pact" trilogy first then go back to the prequel.
The Song of Achilles - Official Re-read:
The Ten Thousand Doors of January - natch!

February:
The Echo Wife - have started
Ariadne
Across the Nightingale Floor - Official Re-read
The Killing Moon - the Hugo-Nebula group is reading. Hopefully I read that and follow with another N.K. Jemesin, The City We Became.


1. The re-read schedule has been working nicely (for me), every month one of the two = a title I haven't read. Helps to have an assignment, and the pleasure of knowing people are reading the same book at the same time, and hopefully post new bits in the threads.

2. In Q4 I started doing something that sounded quite Extreme to me a few years ago when I heard about people here doing it: scheduling books to read on my calendar!

So for the first of my book shelf challenge books I have: The Martian Chronicles

Here is my review

I have distant memories of reading this back in the 80s and not enjoying it much. I believe after reading it now that this was due to a lack of reference. There are a number of things that come up in this book, which is more a series of short stories linked together, that refer to other things in both literature and real life. Hannibal Missouri is one such reference, but the biggest one is the whole section involving the recreation of the House of Usher and a number of things from the stories of Edgar Allen Poe. Poe isn't someone I would have had much interest in as a High School Student.

With the more informed reading of this book, I found it much more enjoyable. I am glad that I have given it a second chance.

Finished Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher for my third of 15 pledged. At first I didn't like this book, but after finishing, I want to read the next book in the series.

and I'd forgotten I'd finished Sabriel by Garth Nix. This doesn't show up as completed under my shelf because I'm reading the 4 volume The Old Kingdom Collection: Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen, Clariel.

I'm not sure how this works. Do I choose any book that's been mentioned here? Or is there a specific list I can find to choose from. I still get a little lost here on Goodreads.

Hi Laurie,
Yes, this one is specific. It is for people trying to read more of the SFFBC "bookshelf" aka the back shelf, of books the group has already read.... now around 350. Of course there are two more added every month...

-To sign up for the 2022 challenge go to Challenges link.
-To see what is "on the bookshelf" go to the Bookshelf link.
-If you like Data, there is also a Google Spreadsheet containing all the books; you can view it or make your own copy of it and then start filling in which ones you've read: Yes No or Unfinished!
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
-You can also use Goodreads to compare your "Read" shelf to the SFFBC Mod account's "Read" shelf - that is much faster than filling in a spreadsheet column! See #3 in the first post:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
-I think we often use this thread to talk about group books we read or goals and plans to do so, ones which are not active Book of the Month.
-Also, there's the "How many club books have you read?" thread where people talk about their overall numbers or percentages.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
and celebrate milestone numbers/percentages.

It was a little confusing at first but I got used to it!
The fun is the reading and talking about the books

Laurie wrote: "I'm not sure how this works. Do I choose any book that's been mentioned here? Or is there a specific list I can find to choose from. I still get a little lost here on Goodreads."

(Okay it was definitely confusing at first!)

If you want to look at mine as an example, here is the Cloud Nine challenge page, I have pledged 26 books, and GR lays the covers out nicely in a grid:
https://www.goodreads.com/user_challe...

If you look at my personal shelves, you can see the lists I created for this challenge five different years...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
2015-sff-challenge ‎(8)
2016-sff-challenge (13)
2019-sff-challenge (20)
2021-sff-challenge (54)
2022-sff-challenge (8)

Thanks to the pandemic last year plus encouragement from fellow challengers here, I really cranked through a bunch! You write about the book plans here, go admire the covers on the challenge page, then go celebrate in the "How many club books have you read?" thread. There are a few people who have read over 300, and some at 90%.

It will take me a few more years but I keep grinding away at it! "Grind" Of course it is a joy not a punishment because this group reads, and has read, so many great books. :D

Bonnie wrote: "Hi Laurie,
Yes, this one is specific. It is for people trying to read more of the SFFBC "bookshelf" aka the back shelf, of books the group has already read.... now around 350. Of course there are t..."

Okay, I'll do that. It'll be fun! Thanks for the tips. Happy reading!

CBRetriever wrote: "I finished The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester which was far more interesting than I thought it would be. Now I need to read the discussion threads for it"

It is still so good now. Imagine reading it in the world 1950s when it first came out! Hardly can. Mind Blown!

🤯🤔😄

Finished A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab which was fairly good, but doesn't enthuse me to continue with the series.

This is my review for Dawn
Sadly I didn't care for it much.

So this was a Group Read Challenge and in a way, I am glad it came up, just wish it had appealed to me more. It is a long slow build and I read it to about the halfway point before giving up. The Aliens in the book are very alien and when it started getting to the point of sexual activities I just set the book aside and let it fall to the ground. There wasn't enough to hold my attention and want to know more after that.

Bonnie wrote: "CBRetriever wrote: "I finished The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester which was far more interesting than I thought it would be. Now I need to read the discussion th..."
I read it about three years ago and liked it too. It wasn't my favorite sci fi, but still a nice read.

I just finished The Tombs of Atuan. Here's my review:
"This book reads like a myth. I felt like I was one of many villagers sitting around a fire centuries ago our ears cocked in rapt attention as we listened to the storyteller reveal her tale. It all began long ago in a poor but loving household where a toddler rushes into her mother’s arms. Father cautions Mother from getting too attached as this girl-child is not theirs and soon will be taken to fulfill her destiny. Since she was born at the same hour of the High Priestess’s death all believe her to be the guardian of the tombs reborn. Taken at just five years old, she is then raised as has been done for countless generations. She tries to accept her role as Arha,she who is eaten but then when she is in her teens a stranger appears who makes her question everything she has ever been taught."

Laurie wrote: "I just finished The Tombs of Atuan. Here's my review:
"This book reads like a myth. I felt like I was one of many villagers sitting around a fire centuries ago our ears cocked in rapt attention as ..."

It would seem that I have going to have to give this whole series another look. I just remember finding Tombs somewhat slow and the magic, which had been very active in the first book, very passive in this one. Not a bad book, just a bridge book. Something to move the story from the first to the third book. But looking at what other people say, maybe I was just too young to fully appreciate it.

Since my last post, I've only managed to read one book towards this challenge and it's not Blindsight (which is still on my CR-list). Instead I've read one e-book and second is on it's way (I can only read one e-book at a time versus multiple dead-tree books). The new books on my read list is e-book version of The Sparrow, which I liked, though it was kinda disturbing as well. Now my e-book in reading is Three Parts Dead, which currently is about halfway through. The rest are physical books, both loaned from the library and owned.

Read


Currently reading

(Blindsight)

Finished The Shadow of the Torturer but it, like Sabriel doesn't who up in my count because it's part of an omnibus Shadow & Claw. It sure ends with a cliffhanger. I'll probably stop after book 2 because, while the book is OK, it's not really that enjoyable for me.

I've read 5/20 so far for this challenge.


4 ⭐️
Reap the wild wind
Song of Achilles
Sunshine

3⭐️
Across the nightingale floor
Echo wife

Currently reading The Actual Star

I'm not sure it's worth checking in at this point because I've only completed one book for this challenge so far:

Sunshine


I loved it.

But I do have 3 on the go, I think:

Preludes & Nocturnes


Reap the Wild Wind


and Gideon the Ninth


I'm enjoying all of them, but it is slow going.

So far I'm at 6/15 (36) I've got two chunky bois planned next and I might try to fit in this month's books as well.

chunky bois!! yes!

CBRetriever wrote: "Finished The Shadow of the Torturer but it, like Sabriel doesn't who up in my count because it's part of an omnibus Shadow & Claw. It sure ends with a cliffh..."

Well, that is bothersome. I have been plucking my way through Shadow of the Torturer, which is adequate to the occasion but I am finding it nothing really special, I was hoping it might pick up.

Finished Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie and started on Ancillary Mercy

This makes 7 books out of the 15 read (two are in omnibus editions that I've not finished yet)

I'm intending to read a SFFBC chonker sometime this year but haven't decided which one yet. :) Some that immediately come to mind that I haven't yet read are Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Kushiel's Dart, Perdido Street Station

I loved Perdido Street Station! I haven’t read the other two.

CBRetriever wrote: "Finished Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie and started on Ancillary Mercy

This makes 7 books out of the 15 read (two are in omnibus editions that I've ..."

Great Start