RYO challenge - end of April update
dustydigger
Posted 2015-05-01 4:36 AM (#10372)
Subject: RYO challenge - end of April update
Quote Reply



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1031
1000
Location: UK
Not a prolific minth(for me!) but here's the list.Its all goingb quite well - at the expense of my challenges on other sites in other genres. Cant resist WWEnd lists,I'm a listoholic!
**************
Detectives - 8/12
12 Awards - 3/12
Have to Read More - 8/12
Listomania - 8/12
The Unloved - 5/9
WOGF - 4/12
YA - 7/12
Clear the Shelves - 7/15
Read the Sequel - 7/12
Somewhere out there - 7/12
Space Opera - 4/9
Sub Genre - 7/10
1950s SF - 15/20
Solar System - 6/12
Pick and Mix - 29/40
Books read 2015 - 35/75
**************
total slots - 287
slots filled - 160 (55%)
total different books read - 35
books reviewed - 20
**************
Read this month;
Theodore Sturgeon - The Dreaming Jewels
Murray Leinster - The Forgotten Planet
Garth Nix - Sir Thursday
Terry Pratchett - Making Money
David Weber - A Beautiful Friendship
Chloe Neill - Dark Debt
Andre Norton - Star Born

Edited by dustydigger 2015-05-01 4:43 AM
Top of the page Bottom of the page
DrNefario
Posted 2015-05-01 6:55 AM (#10374 - in reply to #10372)
Subject: Re: RYO challenge - end of April update
Quote Reply



Uber User

Posts: 526
500
Location: UK
Nothing at all read for any RYO challenges this month for me, since I was having a month off from SF&F, as a different kind of challenge.
Top of the page Bottom of the page
Rhondak101
Posted 2015-05-01 8:00 AM (#10378 - in reply to #10372)
Subject: Re: RYO challenge - end of April update
Quote Reply



Uber User

Posts: 770
500
Location: SC, USA

Argh! Browser not playing nicely with copy/paste--the more I try to fix the more html code appears. Read next post. Sorry!



Edited by Rhondak101 2015-05-01 8:07 AM
Top of the page Bottom of the page
Rhondak101
Posted 2015-05-01 8:07 AM (#10379 - in reply to #10378)
Subject: Re: RYO challenge - end of April update
Quote Reply



Uber User

Posts: 770
500
Location: SC, USA

April

1. Alchemy and Academe Anne McCaffrey (Short Fiction)

2. The Atrocity Archives Charles Stross (Detective)

3. The Doomsday Book Connie Willis

4. House of Many Ways Diana Wynne Jones (Sequel)

5. Sundiver David Brin (Detective, Solar System)

6. The Osiris Ritual George Mann (Gaslamp, Sequel)

7. The Vesuvius Club Mark Gatiss (Detective, LGBT, Unloved, Gaslamp)

 

Detective 6/12

LGBT 6/12

Listomania 1/3

Around the World 4/5

2nd Best 3/12

Short Fiction 5/9

Unloved 7/12

WoGF 4/24

2014 Books 5/8

Clear the Shelves 3/15

Gaslamp 7/18

Sequel 3/6

Solar System 4/12
Top of the page Bottom of the page
justifiedsinner
Posted 2015-05-01 8:22 AM (#10381 - in reply to #10372)
Subject: Re: RYO challenge - end of April update
Quote Reply



Uber User

Posts: 794
500
Only 5 books read for the challenges this month of which the only one of consequence was Michel Faber's Under The Skin. One challenge (Clear the Shelves) completed. I asked HRO to possibly extend the challenge but got no response so I created my own private challenge. I'm seriously trying to diminish my pile of unread books (over 100 SF, about 700 in total).

Clear the Shelves 15/15
-----------------------------------
Listomania 1/3
Solar System 2/3
Short Fiction 2/6
Read Around the World 5/8
Read the Sequel 5/9
12 in 12 4/9
Second Best 4/12
The Unloved 6/12
Literary Prizes 2/12
Books Read:2015 18/25
Un-stack 17/25 (private)
Top of the page Bottom of the page
spoltz
Posted 2015-05-01 10:43 AM (#10388 - in reply to #10372)
Subject: Re: RYO challenge - end of April update
Quote Reply



Uber User

Posts: 370
100
Location: Beaverton, Oregon, USA
5 Books this month. Followed along with The Tolkien Professor's Mythgard Academy lectures on Unfinished Tales and Dune. So that slowed my reading down a bit.

Annihilation - Jeff Vandermeer - Pick and Mix
Countdown City - Ben H. Winters - 12 Awards, PaM, I Just Have to Read
Dune - Frank Herbert - Read it Again Sam, PaM
Spellcast - Barbara Ashford - PaM, Unloved, and if I get a few more new women authors under my belt, I'll jump into WoGF
Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle Earth - JRR Tolkien - 12 Awards, Tolkien

Challenges
-------------------
I Just Have to Read More - 4/12
Clear The Shelves - 4/12
Read it Again Sam - 5/6
Pick and Mix - 8/40
Solar System - 2/3
Tolkien - 7/12
Unloved - 5/12
12 Awards - 3/3
2nd Best - 1/3
LGBT - 0/3

I keep joining at the lowest level on new challenges. I want to join WoGF, but I'm waiting a little longer to make sure I'll have at least three, since I'm reading a lot of books by women I've already read rather than new to me. And Authors of Color I want to join, but it's not broken down by level. Same problem with In Translation.

Hope everyone's having fun!



Top of the page Bottom of the page
daxxh
Posted 2015-05-01 12:22 PM (#10391 - in reply to #10372)
Subject: Re: RYO challenge - end of April update
Quote Reply



Extreme Veteran

Posts: 556
500
Location: Great Lakes, USA
City - Clifford B. Simak - Authors, 50s, P&M - I liked the sentient dogs. (Read most of this while my two little dogs laid on top of me.)
Unlocked - John Scalzi - short - ok
Full Fathom Five - Max Gladstone - Fantasy Series, Sequel, Unloved, P&M - ok - not as good as the first one.
The Goblin Emperor - Katherine Addison - Readers Choice, WoGF, P&M - too much clothing description!
Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel - WoGF, Literary, 2nd, P&M - excellent.
The Bone Clocks - David Mitchell - Author, Literary, P&M - excellent - best book of the year so far.
and one non-genre book (Mary Doria Russells Epitaph)

Finished Challenges
Killer Bs 3/3
Elizabeth Noun 3/3
Gemmell 4/4
Published 2014 20/20
World 5/5
Pick and Mix 10/10 (I will probably move up a level since I use this challenge for the books published in 2014 overflow and for books I check out from the library.)


Ongoing Challenges
Readers Choice 4/5
Read it Again 2/6
SubGenre 2/5
Detective 9/12
Space Opera 0/15
Solar System 1/12
Clear the Shelves 4/15
Somewhere Out There 2/12
Read the Sequel 4/12
WoGF 6/12
More of That Author 9/12
Literary 3/12
Published 2015 0/18
1950s 3/10
Unloved 9/12
Fantasy Series 2/3
Second Best 2/6
12 in 12 2/6
Listomania 2/6
Short 4/12
Books Read 2015 24

I can't believe I haven't read any space opera! I may designate June as Space Opera month.

With all the controversy surrounding the Hugos, I find it interesting that the books that I consider the best that I've read this year are both "literary" (Station Eleven and The Bone Clocks). These books were very well written and were excellent stories. Even though my favorite subgenre is space opera, I consider these books more award worthy that most of the space opera that I read. There's just something to be said for a well written book. (I've already read Ancillary Sword, The Three Body Problem, The Goblin Emperor and have just started The Dark Between the Stars. I think The Bone Clocks is better than any of those.)

I think I'll join the Down Under Challenge. My challenge list is already huge - what's one more.

Edited by daxxh 2015-05-01 12:25 PM
Top of the page Bottom of the page
spoltz
Posted 2015-05-01 12:50 PM (#10392 - in reply to #10372)
Subject: Re: RYO challenge - end of April update
Quote Reply



Uber User

Posts: 370
100
Location: Beaverton, Oregon, USA
Hey @daxxh. I'm glad you liked Bone Clocks. I thought it was the one to beat when I read it last year. But it seems to be getting passed over for everything. I'm hoping to read Station Eleven and The Goblin Emperor in the next few months.
Top of the page Bottom of the page
pizzakarin
Posted 2015-05-01 2:07 PM (#10393 - in reply to #10372)
Subject: Re: RYO challenge - end of April update
Quote Reply



Veteran

Posts: 111
100
Location: Austin, Tx
Well, baby is out and doing great! But I haven't gotten much reading done.

In April I finished The Yiddish Policemen's Union which was part of my "12 in 12", "Clear the Shelves", and "Choose Your Own Winner" challenges. I definitely see the skill and literary merit of the book, but I just didn't enjoy it. I also read Mort(e) (part of "New Books of 2015"), which I also didn't enjoy. It was just nonsensical enough to infuriate me for being cohesively written and wonderfully narrated in the audiobook version. While I was in the hospital (at about 3:30 in the morning when I couldn't sleep and was bored of watching cable) I finished listening to The Golem and the Jinni (part of "12 in 12" and "Women of Genre Fiction") which was the bright star of April. Someone else described it as gentle and that is exactly how I feel. It made my brain relax because it was so good and told so well (and the narrator for the audiobook had such a soothing voice). I needed something that I could relax into.
Top of the page Bottom of the page
daxxh
Posted 2015-05-01 2:19 PM (#10395 - in reply to #10393)
Subject: Re: RYO challenge - end of April update
Quote Reply



Extreme Veteran

Posts: 556
500
Location: Great Lakes, USA
Congrats, pizzakarin! Boy or girl?
Top of the page Bottom of the page
pizzakarin
Posted 2015-05-01 3:22 PM (#10396 - in reply to #10395)
Subject: Re: RYO challenge - end of April update
Quote Reply



Veteran

Posts: 111
100
Location: Austin, Tx
Thanks! Girl. We named her Marceline. She's squishy and perfect. I'm hoping that once all the guests leave and we settle into a scheduled that I'll get even more reading (and...dare I hope?...writing) done than I did before.
Top of the page Bottom of the page
spoltz
Posted 2015-05-01 3:32 PM (#10397 - in reply to #10372)
Subject: Re: RYO challenge - end of April update
Quote Reply



Uber User

Posts: 370
100
Location: Beaverton, Oregon, USA
Congratulations PK! Do I detect a fondness for Adventure TIme in the naming of your daughter? I apologize in advance if you've been asked that too many times already. ;-)
Top of the page Bottom of the page
justifiedsinner
Posted 2015-05-01 6:11 PM (#10399 - in reply to #10372)
Subject: Re: RYO challenge - end of April update
Quote Reply



Uber User

Posts: 794
500
@pizzakarin. One of my favorite quotes comes from Yiddish Policeman. "It takes a sour woman to make a good pickle."
Top of the page Bottom of the page
Weesam
Posted 2015-05-01 7:01 PM (#10401 - in reply to #10372)
Subject: Re: RYO challenge - end of April update
Quote Reply



Uber User

Posts: 613
500
Location: New Zealand
Congratulations Pizzakarin. Beautiful name. Now that's an achievement that can't be topped!

April was a great reading month for me. We're heading into colder weather, and winter will be here soon, so reading should go great over the next few months.

Completed challenges
Read more of author: 12/12
Authors of colour: 12/12
Unloved: 12/12
Clear the Shelves: 15/15
Published 2014: 20/20
Read It Again, Sam: 6/6
Books read 2015: 100/100

Ongoing challenges
Detective SF: 10/12 - 4 books read this month
12 in 12: 9/12 - only one read this month
LGBT: 5/12 - again, only one read this month
Listomania: 11/12 - excellent month in this challenge. Up 6 from last month.
Around the World: 9/10 - 4 books read this month
Second best: 11/12 - 1 to go
Short fiction: 7/12 - 3 read this month
Women: 18/24 - 5 read this month
Published 2015: 6/18 - 3 read this month. Long way to go.
In Translation: 9/12 - 4 read this month
Sequels: 7/12 - 2 read this month
Somewhere out there: 9/12 - 3 read this month
Space Opera: 7/15 - a modest 1 read this month
Sub-genre (time travel): 7/20 - only 1 read this month
Definitive 1950's SF: 19/20 - 4 read this month. I really must finish off the last one.
Pick & Mix: 33/40 - 14 read this month. Clearly this is where most of my efforts went.
Solar System: 8/12 - up 1 this month

New challenges joined in April (I know, I just couldn't help myself - they looked so sad sitting there)
Young Adult: 7/12
Fantasy mini challenge: 2/3
Fantasy Choose A Decade: 1/12
Gaslamp: 6/18
Literary Prizes: 2/12

All in all, April was a good reading month.
Top of the page Bottom of the page
pizzakarin
Posted 2015-05-02 12:29 PM (#10414 - in reply to #10397)
Subject: Re: RYO challenge - end of April update
Quote Reply



Veteran

Posts: 111
100
Location: Austin, Tx
Yes, she's named after Marceline The Vampire Queen (though right now she's more like Marceline La Leche Queen). And I don't mind.
Top of the page Bottom of the page
pizzakarin
Posted 2015-05-02 1:08 PM (#10415 - in reply to #10399)
Subject: Re: RYO challenge - end of April update
Quote Reply



Veteran

Posts: 111
100
Location: Austin, Tx
No doubt the book was full of incredible turns of phrase. That was one of the things that made it hurt a little to not like the book in general. I appreciate that it exists though.
Top of the page Bottom of the page