SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Back once again. The new challenge is up so you can start joining it. You can find the information for the challenge and how to join in here - https://www.goodreads.com/challenges/.... Discuss here how many books you have as a goal, the books you choose and your progress throughout next year.

For 2015 I have it rather easy. My goal is 22 books for now, depends on whether I've read the book choices or not, like I've already read both of the January books.

To push myself more I also do the main GoodReads challenge every year.

Woot! I am in with a goal of 30 this year.

Happy reading, everyone!

I'm aiming for 60 but I'm doing some other challenges and this one has the most flexibility.

Love this. I am, as last year, in for 24, with at least 12 of them from the monthly choices. A goal of 24 keeps me from losing ground, so to speak. And who knows, maybe I will get in some bonus books.

My problem, which is not unique to be sure, is that there are just too many good books in too many genres out there.

It's terrible isn't it, Edwin? I could read a thousand books per year and still miss out on good stuff.

Since I failed so miserably to gain the minimum of 12 last year, I'll set it for that again. If I do go over, I'll raise it.

I tend to read over my goal. Last time it was 20 I read over 40. So I won't do this anymore. I'll read how many I can without worrying where or what number I stop on. hehe

I am going for 18 but am including the goal to not only rate but review the books. I always mean to do that but I get sidetracked.

Thanks, Kim! I'm in for 12 again this year. I did 18 last year so I could probably increase it but it is kind of fun to beat my goal.

Kim - I know you froze the "Getting Ready for 2015" thread, but now there is no way for me to copy and paste my book list (with links) from there. (To do so, I need to "edit" my post.) Is there a way around this? For now, I will just paste the text names...

Edit: Figured out how to edit and copy...

*Definite
*To Say Nothing of the Dog
*Ready Player One
*Neuromancer

Possible Sci-Fi
The Speed of Dark
Childhood's End
Boneshaker
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
Slaughterhouse-Five
The Dispossessed
The Word for World is Forest
Wild Seed
Embassytown
The City & the City
The Handmaid's Tale
Regarding Ducks and Universes
Altered Carbon
Consider Phlebas
The Martian Chronicles
Fuzzy Nation
The Accidental Time Machine

Possible Fantasy
A Wizard of Earthsea
Eon: Dragoneye Reborn
White Cat
Deathless
Zoo City
Those Who Hunt the Night
Weaveworld
Perdido Street Station
The Color of Magic

Wait, never mind! It looks like I can edit my post even though it is frozen. I missed it the first time.

Updating my message above...

I'm starting with a goal of 16 books -- that would be one per month plus one per quarter. I may revise upwards depending on how the year goes.

Starting off with: The Handmaid's Tale

Can anybody tell my why, every now and then, when I enter the shelf name it says "User shelf name not entered"???

I got it figured out. It just happens once in a blue moon. And it's very annoying.

Michael, would it be easier for you if I posted another list rather than that little mess I left on the other thread?

Trying for 30 again. Also, thank you very much for allowing books from period years to count towards the goal!

I'll try for 12 books.

So far:
1. - an enjoyable read, worthy of the hype
2. - I expected to read more bout the triffids, instead I got an intriguing dystopian novel. Some weighty topic such as man-made disasters and its impact, how to manage in a disaster, save self or be altruistic.I can tell it was written in the post war era.
3.
4. - this was different type of post-apocalyptic novel and I enjoyed the interweaving of the comic and the disaster. This will probably be read again.
5. - fast paced and throughly enjoyed fantasy. Adding Sanderson to my must read authors.
6. - I enjoyed the ride with Mark Watney versus Mars. Love the humour and the technical details.
7.
8.
9.
10.

I'm going for 20 - a mix of new and old.

I'm going to shoot for 10. I am already participating in BookRiot's Read Harder challenge (24 books), and I know many of them will overlap here.

Is there anything against listening to audiobooks? I was planning to use The Ocean at the End of the Lane for Read Harder, and was wondering if it would count here.

I committed to read 26. My shelf will probably be a bit heavy on the old, previously read books. I already have 20 there.

I'm committing to read 36. I will also read from my to be read list and the monthly selections.

Kristian wrote: "Is there anything against listening to audiobooks?"

No one's ever said anything to me about it and I always note when I comment if I read or listened. I mostly listen.

*waits expectantly for Kim and company to make the official call*

I've committed to 12 - I would put more, but often I want to continue with a series that only has 1 on the group's shelf so those don't count toward the challenge. oh well. :)

oh, and re: audiobooks - I always figure it's the same as if you read a book aloud to a family member or friend, so it counts as reading.

If anyone is reading books from previous years for this challenge and wants to participate in discussions with other members of the group, let me know on this thread! We had a lot of fun doing this last year and discussed an average of one book a month.

Here are the names of people who have already expressed interest in these group reads:

Sarah
Edwin
Valerie
Michael (me)
Maggie
Chris
Hillary
Galaxy Press
Kiwi
Flash Beagle
Richard
Barbara

I got those names from the preliminary thread, Getting Ready for 2015, but let me know if I missed anyone.

If you want to participate in these group reads and have particular books planned for this challenge - or even books that you are interested in but aren't sure you will read yet - post them here and I will add your book list to the "votes" I am keeping track of to see which books are the most popular for group reads. For example, we have already determined there is a lot of interest in reading The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, and we plan to start reading that on January 15, 2015, after the main monthly read discussions have gotten started.

These group challenge reads are coordinated on a separate thread, and you can check that out here: Coordinating reading books in groups, Richard's 2015 Q1 summary. We've already planned the first three months, but others are welcome to start their own reads, too. Toward the end of January, I will update the votes and we can plan the group reads for the rest of the year. Hope to see you there!

Sarah wrote: "Michael, would it be easier for you if I posted another list rather than that little mess I left on the other thread?"

Thanks, Sarah, I've already got what I need for my spreadsheet, so do whatever you want to keep track. At some point I will post my spreadsheet somehow over on the "coordinating group reads" thread, so everyone can confirm that their books have been counted...

I want to read a couple from last years monthly group reads too.


The Hobbit DONE
The Fellowship of the Ring CR
The Black Prism CR
Ready Player One
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy DONE
The Last Unicorn
The Name of the Wind
Alif the Unseen
Deathless
The Shadow of the Torturer
Magician: Master
The Day of the Triffids
The Left Hand of Darkness DONE
The Dispossessed
The Word for World is Forest
Dune
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? DONE
The Carpet Makers
The Final Empire CR
Mort DONE
Wyrd Sisters DONE
Daughter of the Forest
Way Station
The Dragon's Path
The Rithmatist
The Sword of Shannara
Solaris
Scourge of the Betrayer

Michael wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Michael, would it be easier for you if I posted another list rather than that little mess I left on the other thread?"

Thanks, Sarah, I've already got what I need for my spreadsheet,..."

Thanks!

I'm sticking with the minimum 12 even though I exceeded that last year. I feel like that's a number I can hit comfortably without this challenge dominating my other reading goals for the year. I've got a shelf set up and I've got my first book for the challenge (The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes) purchased and ready to read.

Have fun Andy! I struggled with that one but it was the first comic I read so it just confused me. I loved the artwork though.

I'm reading that one as well, Andy.

I've also upped my goal from 10 to 15.

Here's what I have selected. An * denotes a book that is on my Read Harder list.

01. The Ocean at the End of the Lane*
02. The Princess Bride*
03. 1Q84*
04. The Sandman, vol. 1
05. Dune*
06. Slaughterhouse-Five
07. Annihilation
08. The Last Unicorn
09. Neuromancer
10. The Color of Magic
11. John Dies at the End
12. Ready Player One
13. American Gods
14. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
15. Watership Down

Going with 25 again, it worked out well for me last year. Most will probably be from the previous reads, but I'm sure there will be a few monthly reads that I also take part in.

I'm excited to get through more of the shelf! Don't have a plan as of now, will most likely just read what tickles my fancy at the time.

Happy reading everyone!

Ive already said I was in for 20, and I have more than that on my list!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

I do want to make a priority to read:

The Dispossessed
The Day of the Triffids
The Algebraist
Fahrenheit 451
The City & the City
The Sparrow
The Anubis Gates
Blackout
Watchmen
A Scanner Darkly
A Night in the Lonesome October
The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack

Going with 12, and will probably mostly read some of the classics on the booklist - some will be re-reads but from so long ago they'll feel like first-time reads.
And might pick up a few from the monthly reads as the year goes by.

Will be starting with a re-read of Dune

Kristian wrote: "Is there anything against listening to audiobooks? I was planning to use The Ocean at the End of the Lane for Read Harder, and was wondering if it would count here."

Nope, go for it.

Maggie wrote: "Ive already said I was in for 20, and I have more than that on my list!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Maggie, do you want me to add all the books from your shelf to my count? Just in case a bunch of other people happen to be reading one of your lower priority items?

sure-a group read would move it up!

Oh, Maggie! I can't believe you didn't read The Sparrow! I loved that book and I fully intend to read it again this year.

I'll tag it later, but I'm in for The Sparrow.

Kristian, about half the people in my in person book group use audio. It's gotten to be perfectly normal.

Maggie wrote: "sure-a group read would move it up!"

Done, thanks!

Sarah wrote: "Oh, Maggie! I can't believe you didn't read The Sparrow! I loved that book and I fully intend to read it again this year.

I'll tag it later, but I'm in for The Sparrow.

See, this is why I think I should include all the books you listed and not just your priorities - The Sparrow was on your original list but you had me take it off! I think I will have to add more to my own list now, and include any books I am remotely interested in in case there is a group read...

Sarah wrote: "Have fun Andy! I struggled with that one but it was the first comic I read so it just confused me. I loved the artwork though."

I just rediscovered comics after not reading them for about 20 years. I'll probably read Watchmen too since that's on the group's shelf (and is high up on my list of comics to read anyway).

I'm planning on:
A Fire Upon the Deep
Hyperion
Old Man's War
A Canticle for Leibowitz
The Forever War
The Man in the High Castle
Fahrenheit 451
Foundation
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

And
The Terror
I, Robot
The War of the Worlds / Childhood's End
A bit heavy on SF but that's ok.

Andy wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Have fun Andy! I struggled with that one but it was the first comic I read so it just confused me. I loved the artwork though."

I just rediscovered comics after not reading them fo..."

I still haven't read Watchmen. I've owned it for awhile now, too. I'll get to it someday I suppose.

Michael, part of my problem is that I have such a large challenge that I have room for a bunch of stuff. I think I put 29 books in my actual bookshelf, and those are the ones I'll definitely be reading this year. Otherwise I've got 30 books where I'm really flexible. If it's easier, I can give you my 29 official TBR's and then we can figure I'm willing to read just about anything else?

Okay Michael, here's my official list. I'm reading these 40 books for sure this year. I'm open to other books but I'll stop tossing things in.

The Sparrow
Fuzzy Nation
The Terror
The Island of Dr. Moreau
1Q84
Dawn
Dune
Snow Crash
The Diamond Age
The Handmaid's Tale
The Suicide Collectors
The Mote in God's Eye
Ancillary Justice
Pump Six and Other Stories
Embassytown
Brave New World
Night Watch
Old Man's War
The Native Star
Wild Seed
Watership Down
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
Ready Player One
The City & the City
Oryx and Crake
Red Mars
The Snow Queen
Boneshaker
Fahrenheit 451
Altered Carbon
The Dispossessed
Perdido Street Station
The Speed of Dark
Zodiac
Tigana
Neuromancer
His Majesty's Dragon
The Rook
The Left Hand of Darkness
The Word for World is Forest

This is my last will and testament ;)

Sarah wrote: "Okay Michael, here's my official list. I'm reading these 40 books for sure this year. I'm open to other books but I'll stop tossing things in.

The Sparrow
[book:Fuzzy Nation|964753..."

Thanks, Sarah!

When I post the whole list it will probably help you because then you can see all the books that at least one person voted for. You (and anyone else) can then add your vote for any of those instead of trying to list every possible book you will ever read!

Now that sounds like a plan. This list of mine was a bit ridiculous :)

goood gravy girl.. that's quite a list ya ha there.

but goot.

Don wrote: "goood gravy girl.. that's quite a list ya ha there."

I know! It took me forever to type it up. There are so many great options on the bookshelf.

Please put me down for 12 in 2015.

I'm going for 12, starting with the ones I already have a hard copy of. Hopefully it will be more, a lot more!

I've been a member but non-participant (don't get on goodreads a lot) but I tend to read books I see discussed here.
Put me down for 12.
If I don't like the month's pick I'll pick from the past years.

I'm up to re-read The Hobbit & I put The Carpet Makers on hold at the lib so far.

Going to make a shelf now.

I am in for 12. Also doing two rereads that I plan on reading the rest of the series which conclude this year.

Midnight Riot
Machine Man
The Shadow of the Torturer
Station Eleven
Nine Princes in Amber
Leviathan Wakes
The Killing Moon
Hounded
Ready Player One
Neverwhere
The Dragon's Path - reread
Blood Song - reread
The Golem and the Jinni
Guards! Guards!
The Neverending Story
The Girl with All the Gifts
A Canticle for Leibowitz

I'm picking up The Rook and The Suicide Collectors from the library this week. I'll cross things off as I read them. Will that work okay, Michael? Also, I have a hold on Neuromancer but let me know if you want me to wait to read it.