SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Having watched a tag video on YouTube, I thought it would be cool for us to share this as well.

I've never heard of booktube tags before, but from what I gather here we just have a number of questions to answer that will allow us to wrap up our reading year. According to Merphy, now is the best time to do it.

So, the questions are:

1. Are there any books that you started this year that you still need to finish?
2. Do you have an autumnal book for the end of the year?
3. Is there a new release you're still waiting for?
4. What are 3 books you want to read before the end of the year?
5. Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?
6. Have you already started making reading plans for next year?

Let's have at it, shall we? ))

Original video: https://youtu.be/x_nWClz_ICU?si=f0EUC...

I am game

1. Nope, I am pretty good about finishing or cutting loose.

2. I, um...what? Sounds something like not wearing white after labor
day :)

3. Lots, but none of which I actually expected in 2023

4. New Moon The Last Watch The Babylon Eye

5. Never say never. So far The Babylon Eye is really good

6. 2024 TBR clean shelf has been created

I'm not a fan of YouTubing and talking to screens, I prefer the written word, which is how I end up on a place like Goodreads.

1. Fuck yeah. I've been re-reading sections of Orlando for the best part of the year, after seeing a production in the West End on New Year's Eve.
2. I've been waiting (endlessly, since August lasted like 80 days here) for the weather to turn in order to plunge in The Complete Brambly Hedge.
3. Both Cal Flyn and Sally Hayden have new books coming out... in 2025.
4. Three? That's neat. The Broken Earth trilogy! Everybody and his cousin knows that, by now.
5. Isn't that why we read?
6. Plans? We've been practically drawing blood for the 2024 re-reads. Besides, I never stick to my plans.

1. Are there any books that you started this year that you still need to finish?
= 6 I'm currently working on
2. Do you have an autumnal book for the end of the year?
= no
3. Is there a new release you're still waiting for?
= 2 on pre-order: House of Open Wounds and Hidden in Shadows which will be released in December
4. What are 3 books you want to read before the end of the year?
= To the Sky Kingdom and The Narrow Road Between Desires and Middlegame
5. Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?
= possibly the Rothfuss one
6. Have you already started making reading plans for next year?
= yes, see my challenge thread

1. After reading and loving The Three-Body Problem, I decided to read the whole series. I'm a bit of the way through The Dark Forest and will end up picking this back up again. I also started the A Court of Thorns and Roses and am halfway through A Court of Mist and Fury. That one will only take a couple of days to finish; I absolutely devour SJM's books.

2. I'm actually not sure what an autumnal book is. Would Gideon the Ninth fall into that category?

3. My TBR list is so long that I'm trying to ignore new releases. "Nothing to see here. Move along, move along."

4. I'm going to reread The Princess Bride for VBC. It's been decades since I last read it. A Court of Wings and Ruin and A Court of Frost and Starlight are on the list as well as Ancillary Sword

5. No idea on this one. As the saying goes, you can't judge a book by its cover, and I completely reserve judgement until I'm into a book.

6. Is this a rhetorical question?? Of course, I have! Who among us hasn't? Ursula K Le Guin's Hainish novels, which may be aided by the 2024 Bookshelf Rereads. Ancillary Mercy to finish out this series and darling Murderbot. I've read All Systems Red and Artificial Condition and am looking forward to the rest. The Calculating Stars is high on the list, along with Binti.

(Haven't read all of this yet but)

Aw Hank yay I'm glad you're liking Babylon Eye!

The Binti series was kinda disappointing after Who Fears Death and has discouraged me from reading more by Okorafor, who apparently recycled the exact same set of tropes. Undercooked, less engaging, and just scientifically wrong, which is surprising from somebody who reportedly is very good at maths.

a.g.e. montagner wrote: "The Binti series was kinda disappointing after Who Fears Death and has discouraged me from reading more by Okorafor, who apparently recycled the exact same set of tropes. Undercooked..."

Oooo, scientifically wrong will be problematic for me since I am a scientist, and things like that irk me.

Okay. Going to do this because I'm driving myself bonkers over in the other thread:

1. Are there any books that you started this year that you still need to finish?

According to my GoodReads I have The Book of Form and Emptiness, but I don't know if I will. It feels extremely long and I'm not taking much away from it but depression.

2. Do you have an autumnal book for the end of the year?
I think I'll probably try and read Holly by Stephen King before the end of the year since it's featured in the Horror category for GoodReads Choice. Not sure if that counts? I also want to read: Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina for the same reason, but also Nick Medina was featured in one of my favorite anthologies this year so I wanted to pick this one up anyway.
(I have no clue how autumnal these books really are, someone says Autumn my mind thinks horror).

3. Is there a new release you're still waiting for?
Not for this year, but a bunch for next year!
The Morningside by Téa Obreht
The Strength of the Few by James Islington
Maybe the two I'm most excited about right now.

4. What are 3 books you want to read before the end of the year?
The Future, The Vaster Wilds, and The Terraformers for SFFBC. (I really wanted to get to it this month but i don't think it will happen.)

5. Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?
Holly has potetnial. I'm not really expecting a five star read but it's Stephen King so it's in the realm of possibility.

6. Have you already started making reading plans for next year?
Not yet! I still have 1 book to read for my 2023 popsugar reading challenge. I will probably check out the list for next year but haven't decided whether i'll give it another go. If not I'll look forward to actually completed SFFBC TBR challenge.
(Also, need to read more owned books in 2024...)

1. Are there any books that you started this year that you still need to finish?
Just the two I'm currently reading. Other than that I've either finished or given up on everything else.

2. Do you have an autumnal book for the end of the year?
I've already moved on to planning winter books even though it's still fall.

3. Is there a new release you're still waiting for?
Not for 2023.

4. What are 3 books you want to read before the end of the year?
The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport, Blitz, and System Collapse.

5. Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?
I've got high hopes for all of the above. But I'll be surprised if anything beats Translation State for my favorite of this year.

6. Have you already started making reading plans for next year?
Of course. All the end of year best of lists really have me energized for the next year's batch of books.

Love all your responses. How fascinating to see what we have in common, and how we differ.

1. Are there any books that you started this year that you still need to finish? Series. I'm planning to read the entire Animorphs series because the carton is still taking up room in the house despite the kids being grown.

2. Do you have an autumnal book for the end of the year?

Nope. I might very well pick one up when I visit the library and see the displays though. I did read several Native American/ Indigenous books because of the display for the month.

3. Is there a new release you're still waiting for? My turn in the queues for System Collapse and Bookshops & Bonedust.

4. What are 3 books you want to read before the end of the year?

Um, too many, so, three random SFF: Salvation, Wonderworks: The 25 Most Powerful Inventions in the History of Literature, How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse.

5. Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?

Um, no, because I could never pick a favorite anyway. :)

6. Have you already started making reading plans for next year?

I'd love to finish all the ones on my priority shelf and read a lot of the ebooks I'm piling up, too. But specific plans, no. I'm just a rabid reader devouring everything that catches my interest.

1. Too many 😬
2. No. My TBR is too long for that.
3. Many. 🥳
4. Will come back to that 🤣😂
5. Always 🎉🥂
6. It’s still November, bugger off 😝

Anna wrote: "(Haven't read all of this yet but)

Aw Hank yay I'm glad you're liking Babylon Eye!"

Yes, really liking it, enough that I already bought the next two

1. Yes
2. No
3. No
4. Mortal instruments first 3 books
5. Idk
6. Nope

So yeah, it's me, starting a thread and not having time to actually participate until the next day. Always late for my own party.

1. Are there any books that you started this year that you still need to finish? - Of course. There are 9 (gosh!) on my Currently reading shelf right now. But I consider it a bit of achievement that all of them I started this year. I got better at actually finishing books and not dragging them for years.

2. Do you have an autumnal book for the end of the year? - Haven't thought about it before. But actually The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches seems to fit the bill perfectly.

3. Is there a new release you're still waiting for? Yes, but not because I want to. When I read Failure Mode, I thought it was the last in the series, but there's one more coming out in December and it destroys my Series Bingo, so I have to read it.

4. What are 3 books you want to read before the end of the year? I'd like to finish my current books very much, plus a few for TBR and Series challenges. Oh, and The Princess Bride for December VBC. Was meaning to read this one for ages.

5. Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year? The Princess Bride? Maybe? None of the rest I have planned seem to have the potential. We'll see.

6. Have you already started making reading plans for next year? Well, I don't make actual plans, like monthly (or even yearly) reading lists, I prefer my reading to be spontaneous. The Broken Earth series is definitely the first thing I'm getting into in January, also I'd like to finish The First Law series and Sanderson's Secret projects 2-4. I'm also re-reading the Stormlight Archive, would like to be done with it by the time book 5 arrives. Plus I have absolutely enormous TBR, hope to get it a bit under control next year.

This is fun!!

1. I blame mercurial library holds. This is my perpetual nightstand buddy - Tales From Earthsea & The Other Wind --- I savor every chapter too much and other books break in like seeing a bag of doritos when you're supposed to be eating your well-balanced feast.

2. About the WW2 siege of Leningrad - The Siege --- the lights went out one night during an autumn storm and I barely noticed because this book is so atmospherically wintry

3. Oh Rothfuss, my perpetual let down. But I keep trying to get into Witch King and can't make it.

4. Despite having read more books this year than ever before, I have yet to complete any of my challenges! Maybe I'll just aim to finish Tales From Earthsea & The Other Wind

5. Hmmm I was surprised by The Mere Wife and Amatka this year - so if a library hold comes up for something similar, that could happen! Or Maybe if someone would rec something similar!

6. Plans did not work this year! The books I liked best fell into my lap. So No Plans is the New Plan.

1. Nothing in particular, my reading list tends to be pretty flexible.

2. Nah, I don't do the seasonal reads thingy.

3. I think my most anticipated reads - The Captain by Erin Michelle Sky and Steven Brown, and Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao - were pushed to next year.

4. The Sword of Kaigen, Ocean's Echo, and Leviathan Wakes. I hope I manage to tackle at least one of them.

5. Any of the above, really.

6. Actually, yes! I was thinking about this just yesterday and decided next year will be dedicated to completing series I've started but never finished, and working on my physical TBR, i.e. the gazillion books I have on my bookshelf but have never actually read.

3.

Hank wrote: "Yes, really liking it, enough that I already bought the next two"

Heads up that the second one is very different! I expected and wanted more of the same and was a bit frustrated to find out it takes place in the real world (hence the title). The third one will take you into a strange, new world again (hence the title) :D

1. Are there any books that you started this year that you still need to finish?

None that I *need* to finish, but I might have books I've started and not gotten back to? This isn't typical for me, but this last year my reading has been all over the place, so it's entirely possible that I have several unfinished books on all my devices. I did just finish several half-read group reads a few weeks ago, so it's also possible that I DNFed the rest I had unfinished, if any.

2. Do you have an autumnal book for the end of the year?

I'm not a seasonal reader, but I did very recently read The Haunting of Hill House and A Haunting on the Hill for some light, spooky vibes :)

3. Is there a new release you're still waiting for?

Paladin's Faith, which I've pre-ordered and plan to read the day (after) it drops.

4. What are 3 books you want to read before the end of the year?

Paladin's Faith - see above, ebook

Unelma puusta (Finnish edition of the final book in Maja Lunde's Climate Quartet) - I have the physical book but no time to focus on it, maybe during Christmas?

Before, After, Alone: A Planetfall Universe short story collection - I've read the stories when they were released for newsletter subscribers, but I haven't listened to the collection, which I have on audio and have been saving for a moment when I really feel like I need it ^_^

I don't really mind if I don't get to any of these in 2023, but they're the three I've already bought that I am most looking forward to.

Honorable mention: Enclave, which I bought when it came out in June 2022, but still haven't read :S

5. Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?

Any of the above, most likely the Lunde.

6. Have you already started making reading plans for next year?

No, my real life is much busier now than before, so I'd like to be an even moodier reader than I already am.

Thanks, Olga - this was fun, and it was interesting to read everyone’s responses!

1. Are there any books that you started this year that you still need to finish?

I generally either finish books or abandon them, but I have one I am slowly reading for work that I doubt I’ll have time to finish - Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom

2. Do you have an autumnal book for the end of the year?

No, but I started the year with Le Guin’s The Lathe of Heaven, so it would be nice to have my last book of the year be another one of hers that is on my TBR.

3. Is there a new release you're still waiting for?

Like Anna, I am very excited about Paladin's Faith!

4. What are 3 books you want to read before the end of the year?

Paladin's Faith, System Collapse (which I am hoping to start this weekend), The Princess Bride (which I’ve never read, though I love the movie)

5. Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?

It’s possible, but I don’t think anything is going to top The Vanished Birds or The Lathe of Heaven

6. Have you already started making reading plans for next year? I’m excited to see what the reading challenges and January book group books will be for next year, but I don’t have anything planned at this point (and I often change my mind as the year goes on anyway).

1. Are there any books that you started this year that you still need to finish?

Haha, I've been a super moody reader recently, so I have a lot of books I've started but haven't finished. Of those, the ones I'd like to maybe get through by the end of the year are Terra Nullius, The House of the Spirits, The Mystery at Dunvegan Castle, and Mammoths at the Gates.

2. Do you have an autumnal book for the end of the year?

Nah, I don't really do seasonal reading.

3. Is there a new release you're still waiting for?

Not really - a couple recent releases I'm looking forward to getting from my library, but nothing I'm super impatient for or think I'll read this year.

4. What are 3 books you want to read before the end of the year?

Woman of Light, Djinn City, The Change

5. Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?

Not likely, I already read The Spear Cuts Through Water this year and it would take something really amazing to surpass that.

6. Have you already started making reading plans for next year?

I'm hoping to read some books with this group and my other book groups, but beyond that I am planning not to plan.

Thank you, Olga, that is a good one to actually start thinking about my books.

1. Are there any books that you started this year that you still need to finish?

^^' The only book that I haven't finished yet that I actually started this year is And Put Away Childish Things, which I dearly have to finish. I bought it as ebook and my reading time this year has been nearing zero. Everything I finished was on audio. So I have to put aside some hours to actually READ.
Yet there are still books on my reading list that I started over a year ago ^^'

2. Do you have an autumnal book for the end of the year?

No, I go for mood so there is no telling what I will read next.


3. Is there a new release you're still waiting for?

Beginning of the year I still had the vanishing hope that Knights of Wind and Truth could probably, maybe and so on released this year, but of course there is no way. It's December 24 now. - but I'm still waiting.

What will be released and what I'm totally excited about is House of Open Wounds. If it won't be on storytel I will use my last audible credit for it before I end my subscription there.


4. What are 3 books you want to read before the end of the year?

House of Open Wounds, The Terraformers and Weltmacht auf sechs Beinen: Das verborgene Leben der Ameisen

5. Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?

It would not be a shock, but House of Open Wounds has all the chances to become my fav of this year.
So far it has been City of Last Chances and A Day of Fallen Night

6. Have you already started making reading plans for next year?

Yes, reading Knights of Wind and Truth in December 24 :D - other than that I just will be happy if I actually start reading on a regularly level again. The last two years have been very meh in this regard.

1. Are there any books that you started this year that you still need to finish?

The first Gobbelino London book. It was removed from Scribd when I had to pause reading it for something, and I think I've found it elsewhere, but have to prioritize it.

2. Do you have an autumnal book for the end of the year?

I read some recently, indeed a book that is significant elsewhere was perfect for this prompt, but for legal reasons (;-) ) I can't name it.

3. Is there a new release you're still waiting for?

Nothing specifically? There are lots of books I'm aware of and eager to read, but nothing that I'd like, take off work for, as I wanted to do with a few others that came out this year.

4. What are 3 books you want to read before the end of the year?

My EOY books are not selected. I'll likely read more than three. I have to balance my men and women authors again and I am trying to read 4 more books by Latin@ authors for the Know Thy Shelf challenge.

5. Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?

Honestly, I've had a pretty mediocre year. But I live in hope that the next one will be the gem.

6. Have you already started making reading plans for next year?

lol. For me? No. For you all? Yes, it has occupied much of my time and I find it very fun!

I enjoy BookTube and Merphy is my favourite booktuber, but I have never tried to do a book tag myself.

1. Are there any books that you started this year that you still need to finish?

I'm currently reading 6 books and it would be nice to finish them by the end of the year. These are: Sleeping Giants (riveting!), Light Bringer (the start was pretty boring, but it should pick up at some point), Ravnenes hvisken (it's pretty meh, but I want to finish the trilogy), The Burning God (intense and dark), Witch King (each new chapter makes me want to DNF, but I keep on torturing myself because of the author) and System Collapse (Murderbot!).

2. Do you have an autumnal book for the end of the year?

I'm not a seasonal reader. I can pick a Christmas romance in the middle of the summer and a horror novel for Christmas.

3. Is there a new release you're still waiting for?

Heartstopper: Volume Five is the last one, I think.

4. What are 3 books you want to read before the end of the year?

The Bone Shard Daughter, Children of Ruin and Zaklęcie dla czarownika? But we'll see how it goes.

5. Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?

That's what I'm hoping for with most books I pick up?

6. Have you already started making reading plans for next year?

I have copied my templates into a 2024 spreadsheet like a month ago and I'm slowly filling it in. I love planning and tracking my reading.

Ooh, Heartstopper and Sleeping Giants, both lovely.

1. I still need to finish up Cain's Last Stand. I’m just about done, but some days recently have been extra long (which have made for short night… er falling asleep a little early).

2. Do you have an autumnal book for the end of the year?
Just want to get through the Cain serries. Hope to make that happen. Only one more to go I think.

3. Is there a new release you're still waiting for?
I might give Mal Goes to War a go.

4. What are 3 books you want to read before the end of the year?
I want to re-read all three of the Remembrance of Earth’s past books (The Three-Body problem, The Dark Forrest, and Death’s End).

5. Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?
Like a few others have already said, hoping to get this out of each book I pick up.

6. Have you already started making reading plans for next year?
When I comes to this type of prep, I’m less of a planning person and more of what rabbit hole looks interesting to jump down in this very moment kind of reader.

Bay wrote: "...5. Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?
Like a few others have already said, hoping to get this out of each book I pick up...."

I've been thinking about this as y'all have been saying it. I'd like to think it's true for me... but, I guess I read so much, I just know that the majority are going to be ok to quite good. Sometimes I envy folks who have a life and therefor only time enough to pick up the books most likely to be wonderful. ;)

This made me realise that my reading system must be quite different from almost everybody else's.

I need books for different moods and modes (like different ones by my bed, around the house, as audio, or in my backpack).

So my answer to each of the questions would be to stare and look dumb and go "eeaaaarmm......"

Ida wrote: "This made me realise that my reading system must be quite different from almost everybody else's.

I need books for different moods and modes (like different ones by my bed, around the house, as a..."

I do have my bathroom Kindle...

1. Are there any books that you started this year that you still need to finish?
Nope, I'm pretty good at either finishing or dropping books.

2. Do you have an autumnal book for the end of the year?
Nope, not really much of a seasonal reader (aside from maybe Halloween).

3. Is there a new release you're still waiting for?
Not for this year, but I'm excited for Stormlight Archive Book #5 next year.

4. What are 3 books you want to read before the end of the year?
American Gods, A Thousand Splendid Suns (Re-Read), and Winter's Heart.

5. Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favorite book of the year?
I highly doubt it, 2023 was a fantastic year of reading.

6. Have you already started making reading plans for next year?
Oh yes, I have documented reading plans for the whole of 2024. :)

Mood reading is a real thing!

CBRetriever wrote: "I do have my bathroom Kindle..."

Well, kind of. I mean Kindle is a way of access to books, not completely different kinds of books.

Allison wrote: "Mood reading is a real thing!"

Thank you for the confirmation that I am not the oddball. (would have been alright, though, I guess)

bathroom = simple easy to put down books
traveling = similar, but usually books/series that will take a while to read
bedside = Delphi collected works = classics. I've been working on Doyle for ages and finished Zane Grey recently

Alex wrote: "4. What are 3 books you want to read before the end of the year?
American Gods, A Thousand Splendid Suns (Re-Read), and Winter's Heart."

I'll be curious to hear what you think of American Gods. I generally enjoy Neil Gaiman's weird perspectives on the world, but I'm worried American Gods might be too scary for me.

I don't remember American Gods being scary, and the violence is handled with the usual class by Gaiman (unlike the gore that was all over the disappointing TV adaptation).
Some people say the novel "gets lost" at some point, but that's the kind of book Gaiman wanted to write, meandering and full of detours; the ending isn't "deflated" but true to the characters.
Sometimes I'll get around to reading Anansi Boys. And then the graphic novels.

Cheryl, I often wish I could read more and/or faster.
I could never keep up with everything the group reads, and I have to choose carefully. I'm happy with the schedule for Q1 2024 rereads because most of the books are short!

a.g.e. montagner wrote: "I don't remember American Gods being scary, and the violence is handled with the usual class by Gaiman (unlike the gore that was all over the disappointing TV adaptation).
Some people say the nove..."

You've convinced me then. American Gods is on my TBR list for 2024.

American Gods/Anansi Boys marathon for Q2?

5. Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?

close for Middlegame and even closer for Sea of Tranquility

Thanks Olga for posting this. I didn’t bother watching the video, but hey, since you posted all the prompts, I didn’t see why I needed to.


1. Book you need to finish? So, so many. This was the worst year yet for starting and not finishing books. And yet, I finished several books that I had started a couple of years ago, finally! I would love to finish them all but I don’t think I’ll be able to finish 15 books by 31 December.
2. Autumnal themed reading? I might reread The Life and Adventures of Santa Clause, A Christmas Carol and The Gift of the Magi. Not autumnal, but seasonal for the end of the year.
3. New Releases? Nope. I still have 2 books I preordered this year (which I never do) to finish! I was excited about them, and yet
4. 3 books to finish before the end of the year: When the Angels Left the Old Country (Lata); The Book that Wouldn’t Burn (in progress); The Terraformers (in progress)
5. Shocking new favorite? I’ve read it before (25 years ago!), but it’s very possible that Assassin’s Quest might become a favorite. Not shocking but this second reading is much more enjoyable than the first!
6. Making plans for 2024? Of course! Plans that I will inevitably abandon, but u enjoy the planning, so never mind.

Cheryl wrote: "Bay wrote: "...5. Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?
Like a few others have already said, hoping to get this out of each book I pick up...."..."

Or maybe the older we get the picker we get (which sometimes means we also get a little stuck in our ways).

a.g.e. montagner wrote: "American Gods/Anansi Boys marathon for Q2?"

I'd be up for this marathon!

Cheryl L wrote: "I'd be up for this marathon!"

It's still early to be planning for Q2 (and this is the wrong thread) but we can lobby when the time comes to vote for rereads. There are several writers I'd like to read or reread and I'm also open to suggestions.

Back on topic.
Apparently question no. 5 has drawn the most interest.
I agree with Kaa that The Spear Cuts Through Water was my book of the year (so far), but I have high expectations for the Broken Earth trilogy.