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General Discussion -> Roll-Your-Own Reading Challenge	Message format

Sable Aradia

Posted 2016-10-01 10:34 AM (#14371 - in reply to #14359)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

Veteran

Posts: 214
100

Well, I currently have the 27 book option selected, but I don't actually expect to do it. That's just because I don't know which of the books I'm considering reading for the challenge will be the ones I read first (of the ones I haven't yet) so I'm just keeping my options open. I will likely dial it back to the 12 book option. But thus far this year I have read:

Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany (1966 Nebula)
Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson (1999 Locus)
Gateway by Frederick Pohl (1977 Nebula, 1978 Hugo, Campbell and Locus)
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (1987 Clarke)
Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny (1968 Hugo)
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Helnlein (1960 Hugo)
Updraft by Fran Wilde (2016 Norton)
Uprooted by Naomi Novik (2015 Nebula, 2016 Holdstock, Locus, and Mythopoetic)

Most of these I read because I look for award-winning crossovers for other challenges I'm doing; some I read because they came up in reading order for the SF Masterworks challenge/book club that I'm doing. I know for a fact I'll be reading three more by the end of the year because they're coming up on the SF Masterworks list:

The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester (1953 Hugo; the first ever, I think)
Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner (1969 BSFA and Hugo)
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. LeGuin (1974 Nebula, 1975 Hugo and Locus)

So really, I only have to come up with one more. And I intend to read A Song of Ice and Fire before the year is out, so . . .

Having re-examined my list (because I read the description properly) I found that I'd ended up with a lot of books that were eligible for the Second Best challenge, so I joined that one too. Again, I don't expect to finish it really, but we'll see.

bazhsw

Posted 2016-12-03 3:08 PM (#14654 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

Regular

Posts: 92

Well 27 winners are not going to be read this year but I'm up to 16 so far and I may sneak another one in so it's not too bad. My other book challenges have had some monstrous page lengths as has this one which has slowed me down a little in terms of book numbers...

I have recently read 'A Head Full of Ghosts' by Paul Tremblay which is about an exorcism and I was quite looking forward to it. I can't help but think that the book thought it was too clever for it's own good and actually wasn't that unsettling or thought provoking (which I think were the intentions). Anyway, a review is up.

Today I read the novella 'The New Mother' which was better. This one the Tiptree award and was quite clever, starts off with a clever 'What if?' - 'what if women did not need men to conceive' and it explores quite a few ideas. Quite enjoyed it.

I don't like to give up on a good thing so I think next year I will continue with 'finishing' the challenge by getting up to 27 but just in case I don't post in here again this year I would say it's a mixed bag. There was only one book I really didn't like (the tedious and sleep inducing 'A Turn of Light'

. 10 books I scored over 4 stars, the highlight of the year was discovering Adam Nevill. This will likely be my favourite book of the year.

12 in 12 Challenge 2016

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu (Hugo winner) 2.5 / 5
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (Nebula / Shirley Jackson winner) 4.5 / 5
Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie (BSFA / Locus SF winner) 3 / 5
Tales From Rugosa Coven by Sarah Avery (Mythopoeic winner) 4 / 5
Redshirts by John Scalzi (Hugo / Locus SF winner) 4 / 5
No One Gets Out Alive by Adam Nevill (August Derleth winner) 5 / 5
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North (John Campbell winner) 4 / 5
The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell (British Fantasy Award winner) 4.5 / 5
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (Locus Fantasy winner) 4 / 5
Influx by Daniel Suarez (Prometheus winner) 4.5 / 5
The Memory Garden by Mary Rickert (Locus First Novel winner) 3.5 / 5
A Turn Of Light by Julie Czerneda (Aurora winner) 1.5 / 5
The Book Of The Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison (Philip K. Dick winner) 4.5 / 5
Children Of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Arthur C. Clarke winner) 5 / 5
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay (Bram Stoker winner) 2.5 / 5
The New Mother by Eugene Fischer (Tiptree winner) 3.5 / 5

bazhsw

Posted 2016-12-15 4:23 PM (#14720 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

Regular

Posts: 92

I've just read 'Illuminae' by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. There are some neat ideas in here and the book is beautiful. I can imagine many readers loving this but it didn't really cut it for me. It's YA space opera. I couldn't really get into the characters and they annoyed me a little although it got going towards the end.

Maybe sneak another one hopefully by the end of the year.

12 in 12 Challenge 2016

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu (Hugo winner) 2.5 / 5
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (Nebula / Shirley Jackson winner) 4.5 / 5
Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie (BSFA / Locus SF winner) 3 / 5
Tales From Rugosa Coven by Sarah Avery (Mythopoeic winner) 4 / 5
Redshirts by John Scalzi (Hugo / Locus SF winner) 4 / 5
No One Gets Out Alive by Adam Nevill (August Derleth winner) 5 / 5
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North (John Campbell winner) 4 / 5
The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell (British Fantasy Award winner) 4.5 / 5
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (Locus Fantasy winner) 4 / 5
Influx by Daniel Suarez (Prometheus winner) 4.5 / 5
The Memory Garden by Mary Rickert (Locus First Novel winner) 3.5 / 5
A Turn Of Light by Julie Czerneda (Aurora winner) 1.5 / 5
The Book Of The Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison (Philip K. Dick winner) 4.5 / 5
Children Of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Arthur C. Clarke winner) 5 / 5
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay (Bram Stoker winner) 2.5 / 5
The New Mother by Eugene Fischer (Tiptree winner) 3.5 / 5
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (Aurealis SF winner) 2.5 / 5

bazhsw

Posted 2016-12-22 12:13 PM (#14758 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

Regular

Posts: 92

Just got the last one in for the year that I think I will achieve and it's a good one. 'Day Boy' is a book about what is effectively a Vampire servant, running around doing jobs for Vampires during the day. Now YA and Vampires are not really my thing but this is quite an intelligent book. It's quite powerful and even though it is short it seems to pack quite a lot in it, there are undertones of love and tenderness, rage and hate, loss and belonging throughout. Day to day drudgery combines well with an ever present menace. Really enjoyed it and quite a pleasant surprise.

If I don't post again this year hope you all have a peaceful couple of weeks and get lots of books to read next year.

12 in 12 Challenge 2016

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu (Hugo winner) 2.5 / 5
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (Nebula / Shirley Jackson winner) 4.5 / 5
Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie (BSFA / Locus SF winner) 3 / 5
Tales From Rugosa Coven by Sarah Avery (Mythopoeic winner) 4 / 5
Redshirts by John Scalzi (Hugo / Locus SF winner) 4 / 5
No One Gets Out Alive by Adam Nevill (August Derleth winner) 5 / 5
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North (John Campbell winner) 4 / 5
The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell (British Fantasy Award winner) 4.5 / 5
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (Locus Fantasy winner) 4 / 5
Influx by Daniel Suarez (Prometheus winner) 4.5 / 5
The Memory Garden by Mary Rickert (Locus First Novel winner) 3.5 / 5
A Turn Of Light by Julie Czerneda (Aurora winner) 1.5 / 5
The Book Of The Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison (Philip K. Dick winner) 4.5 / 5
Children Of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Arthur C. Clarke winner) 5 / 5
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay (Bram Stoker winner) 2.5 / 5
The New Mother by Eugene Fischer (Tiptree winner) 3.5 / 5
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (Aurealis SF winner) 2.5 / 5
Day Boy by Trent Jamieson (Aurealis Fantasy / Aurealis Horror winner) 4 / 5

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