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Have You Completed a Challenge, Well Here is the Place To Crow! Jump to page : 1 2 Now viewing page 2 [25 messages per page]	View previous thread :: View next thread
General Discussion -> Roll-Your-Own Reading Challenge	Message format

bazhsw

Posted 2014-12-08 3:41 PM (#8988 - in reply to #8505)
Subject: Re: Have You Completed a Challenge, Well Here is the Place To Crow!

Regular

Posts: 92

Only tried one challenge this year which was the SF Grandmasters challenge from 2012. Finished it yesterday with some definite hits but felt I was struggling a little with the challenge towards the end. Not sure what I will try for 2015.

jontlaw

Posted 2014-12-11 11:12 AM (#9003 - in reply to #8505)
Subject: RE: Have You Completed a Challenge, Well Here is the Place To Crow!

Veteran

Posts: 143
100

Location: Alief, TX

Finished my first challenge, The Guardian List Challenge, which I notice doesn't have it's own chat thread.

My seven books were:

A Canticle for Liebowitz, by Walter M. Miller, Jr
The Man Who Was Thursday, by G.K. Chesterton
Neuromancer, by William Gibson
The Prestige, by Christopher Priest
Sirens of Titan, by Kurt Vonnegut
The Space Merchants, by Frederick Pohl & C.M. Kornbluth
The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde, by R.L. Stevenson

This may turn out to be my most satisfying challenge. Several of these books are among my five favorite of the year. It was also one of the easiest challenges, because I already own about half the books on the Guardian List.

On to more reading!

pizzakarin

Posted 2014-12-12 12:30 PM (#9008 - in reply to #9003)
Subject: RE: Have You Completed a Challenge, Well Here is the Place To Crow!

Veteran

Posts: 111
100

Location: Austin, Tx

jontlaw - 2014-12-11 11:12 AM

Finished my first challenge, The Guardian List Challenge

What did you think of The Guardian List?

It was my first challenge and the one I finished first. I found the books on the list to be off the beaten path as far as "fantasy" goes (or science fiction/horror for that matter). I got the suspicion that their definition of fantasy is different than mine. For example, I read both "Crash" by JG Ballard and "The Wasp Factory" by Ian Banks and found them both to be more weird/disturbing than really containing fantastical elements. They're not based in reality, but they don't exactly take place in any world that isn't our own. I am curious how many other books on the list fall into that "not-fantasy, not not fantasy" place.

jontlaw

Posted 2014-12-12 8:44 PM (#9011 - in reply to #8505)
Subject: Re: Have You Completed a Challenge, Well Here is the Place To Crow!

Veteran

Posts: 143
100

Location: Alief, TX

Yes, I really like the Guardian list. It really redefines a lot of categories on the site. Lots of trippy stuff, things that really expand the definition of fantasy. It also really expands the time period the site covers. When you think about it, sticking to just the award years is fairly narrow. This list takes up back a couple of centuries, especially all that early Gothic horror. I've read more books from this list than any other, and I own still more.

spoltz

Posted 2014-12-17 12:05 AM (#9024 - in reply to #8505)
Subject: Re: Have You Completed a Challenge, Well Here is the Place To Crow!

Uber User

Posts: 370
100

Location: Beaverton, Oregon, USA

Woohoo! I finished all my 15 2014 challenges! I had a lot of overlap. I read 62 books. Some were quite short, practically novellas, but a few were huge, taking me 3 weeks in the case of Dhalgren. And I was able to incorporate all the books from my book club. After reading the last couple of posts, I checked the Guardian challenge and just discovered I only need to read one more book to finish the guardian challenge. So I may try to pick up Dune or American Gods, since those are on my Read It Again, Sam challenge. It's been a long time since I read them and need a reread to write reviews. We'll see if I can finish one or the other. Next year, I think I'm going to take it a little easier.

Administrator

Posted 2014-12-17 8:29 AM (#9025 - in reply to #9024)
Subject: Re: Have You Completed a Challenge, Well Here is the Place To Crow!

Admin

Posts: 4005
2000

Location: Dallas, Texas

Well done, Sir! My prediction is that you'll be doing more challenges next year than this year so let's have no more of this "Next year, I think I'm going to take it a little easier." business When we put in the reading levels you'll be able to dip into even more challenges.

By the way, epic beard man!

spoltz

Posted 2014-12-18 12:01 PM (#9026 - in reply to #9025)
Subject: Re: Have You Completed a Challenge, Well Here is the Place To Crow!

Uber User

Posts: 370
100

Location: Beaverton, Oregon, USA

Thanks Dave! It's about 9 months old!

Rhondak101

Posted 2014-12-19 7:05 PM (#9028 - in reply to #8505)
Subject: Re: Have You Completed a Challenge, Well Here is the Place To Crow!

Uber User

Posts: 770
500

Location: SC, USA

I have finished all of my challenges. They are listed below
12 Months/12 Awards
Have to Read More By
LGBT
Short Fiction
WoGF
AofC
In Translation
Marxists, etc
YA
End of the Word
Faerie
Fantasia
Pick and Mix
The Book of Ones
The Guardian
The Second Best
Bucket List

I read 76 books to fill 233 slots in these challenges

My favorite books of the year were:
Among Others
The Golem and the Jinni
Cryptonomicon
The Years of Rice and Salt
Hollow City
The Freedom Maze
China Mountain Zhang
Redwood and Wildfire
Little Brother
Girl Who Circumnavigated the Fairyland

My ongoing challenges that are ending next year are
SFF Detective: 2/12
Gaslamp Fantasy: 4/18
New Books 2014: 0/8

jontlaw

Posted 2014-12-22 6:08 PM (#9039 - in reply to #8505)
Subject: Re: Have You Completed a Challenge, Well Here is the Place To Crow!

Veteran

Posts: 143
100

Location: Alief, TX

Finished the "I Just Have to Read More of That Author" Challenge.

The Pride of Chanur, by C.J. Cherryh
Chanur's Venture, by C.J. Cherryh
Timeless, by Gail Carriger
Dreadnought, by Cherie Priest
Ganymede, by Cherie Priest
Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
Goliath, by Scott Westerfeld
Ghosts of Manhattan, by George Mann
Ghosts of War, by George Mann
A Scanner Darkly, by Philip K. Dick
Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
The Man Who Was Thursday, by G.K. Chesterton

jontlaw

Posted 2014-12-26 6:33 PM (#9047 - in reply to #8505)
Subject: Re: Have You Completed a Challenge, Well Here is the Place To Crow!

Veteran

Posts: 143
100

Location: Alief, TX

Finished the Masterworks Challenge. This was an amazing group of books. Most of them I already owned, and just need a push to get them read. Most of the best books I read all year are listed here.

1. A Canticle for Liebowitz, by Walter M. Miller, Jr
2. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
3. the Difference Engine, by Bruce Sterling & William Gibson
4. Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, by Philip K. Dick
5. The Prestige, by Christopher Priest
6. The Sirens of Titan, by Kurt Vonnegut
7. The Space Merchants, by Frederick Pohl & C.M. Kornbluth
8. The Anubis Gates, by Tim Powers
9. Grendel, by John Gardner
10. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
11. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
12. Witch World, by Andre Norton

justifiedsinner

Posted 2014-12-28 2:26 PM (#9058 - in reply to #8505)
Subject: Re: Have You Completed a Challenge, Well Here is the Place To Crow!

Uber User

Posts: 794
500

Done all I can do. I can do no more but lie a broken man on the far shores of 2014.

Of the 20 challenges I attempted during the year I abandoned one (YA) almost immediately when I found I had misread the rules. Two (In Translation(4/12) and Short Fiction (5/12)) I have made little headway with. I read 63 books to complete the 17 challenges below:

The 35: 35/35
12 Awards: 12/12
Fantasia: 12/12
End of the World: 12/12
Have to Read More: 12/12
2nd Best: 12/12
Read the Sequel: 12/12
Mythopoeic: 12/12
Book of Ones: 12/12
Pick & Mix: 12/12
WoGF: 12/12
Masterworks: 12/12
Trilogies: 9/9
Your Bucket List 9/9
Guardian List 7/7
Creature Feature 6/6
Killer B's 3/3

jontlaw

Posted 2014-12-28 2:40 PM (#9059 - in reply to #8505)
Subject: Re: Have You Completed a Challenge, Well Here is the Place To Crow!

Veteran

Posts: 143
100

Location: Alief, TX

Finished another challenge, The 35. It was a really great way to collect a lot of different things under one heading.

1. The Alienist, by Caleb Carr
2. The Anubis Gates, by Tim Powers
3. At the Mountains of Madness, by H.P. Lovecraft
4. Baltimore, by Mike Mignola & Christopher Golden
5. Behemoth, by Scott Westerfeld
6. A Canticle for Liebowitz, by Walter M. Miller Jr
7. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
8. Chanur's Venture, by C.J. Cherryh
9. The Difference Engine, by Bruce Sterling & William Gibson
10. Dreadnought, by Cherie Priest
11. The Faded Sun: Kutath, by C.J. Cherryh
12. Fiddlehead, by Cherie Priest
13. Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, by Philip K. Dick
14. Ganymede, by Cherie Priest
15. Ghosts of Manhattan, by George Mann
16. Ghosts of War, by George Mann
17. Goliath, by Scott Westerfeld
18. Grendel, by John Gardner
19. The Inexplicables, by Cherie Priest
20. Leviathan, by Scott Westerfeld
21. The Man Who Was Thursday, by G.K. Chesterton
22. Morlock Knights, by K.W. Jeter
23. Neuromancer, by William Gibson
24. Out of the Silent Planet, by C.S. Lewis
25. Perelandra, by C.S. Lewis
26. The Postman, by David Brin
27. The Prestige, by Christopher Priest
28. The Pride of Chanur, by C.J. Cherryh
29. Sirens of Titan, by Kurt Vonnegut
30. Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
31. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
32. The Space Merchants, by Frederick Pohl & C.M. Kornbluth
33. The Strange Case of Dr Jeckyl & Mr Hyde, by R.L. Stevenson
34. Timeless, by Gail Carriger
35. Waiting for the Barbarians, by J.M. Coetzee

Edited by jontlaw 2014-12-28 2:42 PM

daxxh

Posted 2014-12-28 3:35 PM (#9060 - in reply to #9059)
Subject: Re: Have You Completed a Challenge, Well Here is the Place To Crow!

Extreme Veteran

Posts: 556
500

Location: Great Lakes, USA

I finished all of my 2014 Challenges:
Women of Genre Fiction
Read the Sequel
I Just Have to Read More of that Author
Book of Ones
Bucket List
Nebula
Pick & Mix
Creature Feature
Short Fiction
End of the World
Retrohugo
Banned Books
The Number of the Counting Shall Be 3
Masterworks
Guardian
Elizabeth Nouns
Second Best
35
Authors of Color
Fantasia

I also finished the New Books of 2014 Challenge.

My favorite books of the year were:
Annihilation
Ancillary Sword
Remnant Population

I also really liked these:
Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days
Maelstrom
Crux
Servant of the Underworld
Hild
Authority
Acceptance

Now to finish Foundation's Triumph to complete the Killer Bs Challenge for January and to read some nongenre books before the new 2015 Challenges start. I'm thinking I shouldn't join so many this time. But, somehow I don't think that's going to happen.

Edited by daxxh 2014-12-28 3:39 PM

Thomcat

Posted 2014-12-31 5:50 PM (#9076 - in reply to #8505)
Subject: RE: Have You Completed a Challenge, Well Here is the Place To Crow!

Member

Posts: 44

Location: Seattle, WA

In 2014 I took on two challenge and hosted a third. This led me to new Grand Masters, Masterworks, and some intriguing Young Adult books : I finished a total of 25 books for this, which constituted 1/4th of my yearly reading.

The top three for me were all part of the Young Adult challenge:
* The Stars My Destination (Alfred Bester)
* The H-Bomb Girl (Stephen Baxter)
* Ship Breaker (Paolo Bacigalupi)

Three that didn't really work for me were
* Glow (Amy Kathleen Ryan)
* Abarat (Clive Barker)
* Little, Big (John Crowley)

Looking forward to tackling another reading challenge in 2015, and also reading more of your great reviews!
--Thomcat

illegible_scribble

Posted 2015-02-06 10:44 PM (#9542 - in reply to #8505)
Subject: Re: Have You Completed a Challenge, Well Here is the Place To Crow!