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DrNefario
Posted 2014-05-31 1:11 PM (#7862)
Subject: May 2014 Challenge Roundup		Quote Reply



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Posts: 526
500
Location: UK		I think it's time for another monthly summary thread.

Here are my challenge books from May:

Bridge of Birds - Barry Hughart
- 12 in 12 (Mythopoeic)
- Book Ones

The Female Man - Joanna Russ
- WoGF
- Masterworks (SF/MW - I'm counting it as a mistresswork for now)
- Second Best (Nebula)
- End of the World
- Guardian

Sporting Chance - Elizabeth Moon
- Sequel
- Elizabeth Noun

Heir of Sea and Fire - Patricia A. McKillip
- Sequel
- Read More

Dorsai! - Gordon R. Dickson
- Book Ones
- Second Best (Hugo)

Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
- Masterworks (MW)
- 12 in 12 (Clarke)
- End of the World
- Guardian
- Read More

Best book of the month would be between Bridge of Birds and Handmaid's Tale, which are so different I don't know if a comparison is even meaningful.

On the other hand, The Female Man and Dorsai! are probably among my least favourite books from all the challenges to date. The Female Man was too broken up and confusing. I'm sure it was doing something clever and literary, but I like stories. I don't want to be invertedly snobbish about capital-L Literature, but I'm not much of a fan of experimental structures, these days. Dorsai! was just a bit flat and boring. I couldn't help feeling that our superman military genius hero was only a military genius because he had the author on his side.

Having just managed to squeak Handmaid's Tale in under the wire last night, I have also just passed the half-way point on my ever-shifting list of books to read, at 25 of 49.

My challenges:

WoGF: 9/12
Book Ones: 11/12
Masterworks: 6/12 (3 SF, 3 MW)
12 in 12: 6/12 (Neb, Shirley Jn, Campbell, Loc YA, Mytho, Clarke)
Second Best: 7/12 (Loc F, Mytho, BSFA, Loc SF, Loc YA, Neb, Hugo)
Sequel: 6/12
End of the World: 7/12
Elizabeth Noun: 2/3
Guardian: 5/7
Read More: 4/12

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