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2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge
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Deven Science
Posted 2014-05-12 1:37 AM (#7604 - in reply to #5937)
Subject: Re: 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge		Quote Reply



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Location: Sacramento, California		Yeah, I can order a book from any library in the network, which is most of Northern California, and it's absolutely free. I think only one of the books for this challenge so far has come from the library, though. Most I've bought from Amazon, or found them used at a small bookstore.
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Jkl22
Posted 2014-05-19 11:47 AM (#7737 - in reply to #5937)
Subject: Re: 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge		Quote Reply



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Location: Birmingham, England		I'm struggling with Grass at the moment, it needs a revelation about the arbai or other twist soon or I'll give up on it. I've got to page 160.

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Dlw28
Posted 2014-05-19 1:15 PM (#7740 - in reply to #7737)
Subject: Re: 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge		Quote Reply



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Oh I hope you can keep with it. There are mysteries and you learn a little at a time-just as if it was you on the planet trying to understand the culture. It reminds me if the Left Hand of Darkness in that way.
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Jkl22
Posted 2014-05-24 4:13 PM (#7804 - in reply to #5937)
Subject: Re: 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge		Quote Reply



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Location: Birmingham, England		I'm reading the last short of Cities In Flight at the moment. I'll probably go back to Grass after.
I've got a readathon coming up and am considering which of these to read over three days. Tau Zero, Lord Of Light, Blood Music, The Demolished Man, Gateway.
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DrNefario
Posted 2014-05-24 5:47 PM (#7805 - in reply to #5937)
Subject: Re: 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge		Quote Reply



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Location: UK		I read Lord of Light not too long ago and thought it was great, but it wasn't really a page-turner.

I read Gateway and The Demolished Man a long time ago, and absolutely adored both of them. I'm a bit worried I wouldn't like them so much if I read them again now. I loved the idea of Gateway. I wanted that to be my job.
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Jkl22
Posted 2014-05-25 12:11 AM (#7811 - in reply to #5937)
Subject: Re: 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge		Quote Reply



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Location: Birmingham, England		Thanks DrNefario
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Jkl22
Posted 2014-06-04 2:03 PM (#7892 - in reply to #5937)
Subject: Re: 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge		Quote Reply



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Location: Birmingham, England		I've got 50 pages of Grass left to read, so I should finish that tonight.
It definitely had a slow start, but it picked up in the second half.
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Jkl22
Posted 2014-06-09 12:14 PM (#7913 - in reply to #5937)
Subject: Re: 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge		Quote Reply



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Location: Birmingham, England		I read Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man over the weekend, which I enjoyed. I also got halfway through Greg Bear's Blood Music, which has reminded me a little of Grass, Just a lot shorter.
I'm not sure whether to just try the Hugo's now?
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Jkl22
Posted 2014-06-12 2:33 PM (#7929 - in reply to #5937)
Subject: Re: 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge		Quote Reply



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Location: Birmingham, England		I'm currently reading Tau Zero by Poul Anderson
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Administrator
Posted 2014-06-12 4:19 PM (#7930 - in reply to #7929)
Subject: Re: 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge		Quote Reply



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We've just added a few new Masterworks to the lists for your consideration.

Mythago Wood Ombria in Shadow The Long Tomorrow Her Smoke Rose Up Forever Monday Begins on Saturday The Day of the Triffids

The Day of the Triffids is the last of the original hardcover masterworks that doesn't have a paperback in the new series.

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Administrator
Posted 2014-06-17 7:58 AM (#7961 - in reply to #7930)
Subject: Re: 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge		Quote Reply



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Ooops!  I missed one other hardcover that has not gotten the paperback treatment and it's a doozy!

 

The Left Hand of Darkness
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Deven Science
Posted 2014-06-17 11:15 PM (#7967 - in reply to #5937)
Subject: Re: 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge		Quote Reply



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Location: Sacramento, California		I hate to bring up a negative, when this whole thing is doing nothing but promoting reading, but I've noticed that a few of the people that are entered in the challenge are filling up there 12 book requirement with very modern books that are not on the Masterworks lists.

I realize that it's ultimately a challenge for oneself, but it still... bothers me. Maybe I'm too much of a rule follower. I didn't even realize that you could select books that were not on the Masterworks list to be read for the Masterworks challenge.

Is there a way to place the the "2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge" only on books that are eligible?
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Administrator
Posted 2014-06-18 9:23 AM (#7969 - in reply to #7967)
Subject: Re: 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge		Quote Reply



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Deven Science - 2014-06-17 11:15 PM I hate to bring up a negative, when this whole thing is doing nothing but promoting reading, but I've noticed that a few of the people that are entered in the challenge are filling up there 12 book requirement with very modern books that are not on the Masterworks lists. I realize that it's ultimately a challenge for oneself, but it still... bothers me. Maybe I'm too much of a rule follower. I didn't even realize that you could select books that were not on the Masterworks list to be read for the Masterworks challenge. Is there a way to place the "2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge" only on books that are eligible?

Here are some stats to put your mind at ease

  • There are 439 selections for the 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge
  • 271 SF Masterworks selections
  • 87 Fantasy Masterworks
  • 125 Mistressworks selections
  • 15 invalid selections 

There is some overlap between the lists where Mistressworks books are also on either of the Masterworks lists.  Fifteen invalid selections from a handful of members is not too shabby out of 439 selections so the self-policing is working pretty well so far which is how most of the RYO challenges work.

This happens to be a case where we can restrict the checkbox from showing on ineligible novel pages so we're looking into that now.  For the record, it bothers me a little bit too.  I like things to be nice and tidy.

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Guest
Posted 2014-06-18 11:21 AM (#7971 - in reply to #7969)
Subject: Re: 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge		Quote Reply


Administrator - 2014-06-18 9:23 AM

Deven Science - 2014-06-17 11:15 PM I hate to bring up a negative, when this whole thing is doing nothing but promoting reading, but I've noticed that a few of the people that are entered in the challenge are filling up there 12 book requirement with very modern books that are not on the Masterworks lists. I realize that it's ultimately a challenge for oneself, but it still... bothers me. Maybe I'm too much of a rule follower. I didn't even realize that you could select books that were not on the Masterworks list to be read for the Masterworks challenge. Is there a way to place the "2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge" only on books that are eligible?

Here are some stats to put your mind at ease

  • There are 439 selections for the2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge
  • 271 SF Masterworks selections
  • 87 Fantasy Masterworks
  • 125 Mistressworks selections
  • 15 invalid selections

There is some overlapbetween the listswhere Mistressworks books are also on either of the Masterworks lists. Fifteen invalid selections from a handful of membersis not too shabby out of 439 selections so the self-policing is working pretty well so far which is how most of the RYO challenges work.

Thishappens to be a case where we can restrict the checkbox from showing on ineligible novel pages so we're looking into that now. For the record, it bothers me a little bit too. I like things to be nice and tidy.



Oops, I see now that I left the word "box" or "checkbox" out of my last sentence. Luckily, you still understood what I was trying to say.

You're right, though, 15 out of 439 is not bad at all.
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francesashton
Posted 2014-06-30 1:11 PM (#8029 - in reply to #5937)
Subject: Re: 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge		Quote Reply



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Location: Cheshire, England		I keep getting distracted from this challenge but I am aiming to get Valis by PKD done, followed by The Dispossessed by Ursuala le Guin. Then maybe Sherri Tepper's Beauty. Still not done those reviews though. Must get round to them.
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Jkl22
Posted 2014-07-16 12:38 PM (#8201 - in reply to #5937)
Subject: RE: 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge		Quote Reply


I recently tried to read Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny, but I've stopped halfway. It just seems to be going nowhere.
I read a review that said there was a sort of Holodeck experience going on, I must have missed the references.
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spoltz
Posted 2014-08-05 10:34 AM (#8272 - in reply to #5937)
Subject: Re: 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge		Quote Reply



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Location: Beaverton, Oregon, USA		Joining in the discussion late in the game. I've got one book to go to finish the challenge. I'm in a suburb of Portland, OR, and my county library system has a pretty extensive SF/F component, but I've been surprised at how few of the Masterworks and Grand Master titles they have. Even the other two counties in the Portland metro area are sorely lacking in these. I've had to get out-of area inter-library loans on quite a few. But they've been really good about getting them in from Washington, Idaho, and California, two week delivery, max.

I have a lot of overlap between this challenge and the Grand Master challenge, which has been nice. These challenges have been great for getting me to read some authors that I should have read long ago, as well as made me aware of more recent great books, like the early works of Elizabreth Hand, Nalo Hopkinson and Nicola Griffith.

Sorry you didn't enjoy Lord of Light, JKL. It is one of my favorite books, but I love books that play around with religions and mythologies. If it helps, the order of the chapters is 6,1,2,3,4,5,7. That really threw me off the first time I read it. I think my favorite part of the book was where the invention of indoor plumbing was looming and someone was saving up their personal waste to get a jump start on the good karma they'd get for having some much to flush.
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francesashton
Posted 2014-08-16 3:22 PM (#8325 - in reply to #5937)
Subject: Re: 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge		Quote Reply



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Location: Cheshire, England		Virtually impossible to get classic SF at my local library in the UK. Lots of recent stuff though and every now and again you get a gem (Poppy Brite for instance was one I wasn't expecting). I make my library buy them by requesting them for a small fee.

I've got 4 more in the official Masterworks series in by TBR pile but I keep getting distracted by other cracking reads I pick up. Currently WAY into Anthony Ryan and Patrick Rothfuss, which don't help with either of my challenges!
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Deven Science
Posted 2014-08-16 4:17 PM (#8326 - in reply to #8325)
Subject: Re: 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge		Quote Reply



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Location: Sacramento, California		I have let a handful of non-Masterworks books creep in to my reading rotation, as well. I figure I'm ahead of the game so far, so it won't hurt anything. I'm reading Richard K. Morgan's Blackman right now (called Thirteen in the US, I think), and next I'll be reading Red Shirts by John Scalzi. I'm still also muddling through The Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon, but man, that is slow, tough reading.
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francesashton
Posted 2014-09-03 3:28 PM (#8432 - in reply to #5937)
Subject: Re: 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge		Quote Reply



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Location: Cheshire, England		I think I'm done. 12 books, 12 reviews. I've still got some of the Masterworks series in my reading pile though, so done with the challenge, but not the series!
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justifiedsinner
Posted 2014-09-04 9:23 AM (#8435 - in reply to #8432)
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Save it for next year!
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Dlw28
Posted 2014-09-04 9:28 AM (#8436 - in reply to #5937)
Subject: Re: 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge		Quote Reply



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After RYO I'm having a hard time imagining what kind of challenges will be offered next year!
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Guest
Posted 2014-09-04 10:00 AM (#8437 - in reply to #5937)
Subject: RE: 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge		Quote Reply


I feel the same way Dlw28! There are quite a few challenges I didn't do this year that I want to do next year, and some I want to do again. Considering the admin created a challenge recently that goes through next year, I bet we'll be keeping the ryo format and just updating the challenges as people create them. This has been a fun set of challenges! And there's so many more masterworks I want to read still.
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Dlw28
Posted 2014-09-04 10:22 AM (#8438 - in reply to #5937)
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I like that idea too!
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spoltz
Posted 2014-09-04 10:26 AM (#8439 - in reply to #5937)
Subject: Re: 2014 Masterworks Reading Challenge		Quote Reply



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Location: Beaverton, Oregon, USA		Oops, that guest comment was me, spoltz. I was posting from my phone and forgot to login first.
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