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

bazhsw

Posted 2016-03-22 9:19 AM (#13050 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

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Posts: 92

I think over the next week or so I'm going to have some deja vu in my reading. For my book group at work I've just read 'Life After Life' by Kate Atkinson about a woman who after every time she dies starts her life again.... The next book I'd identified for this challenge which I'll probably start tomorrow is 'The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August' by Claire North about a boy who relives his life over and over again. Uncanny and unplanned really to read two books with such a niche concept back to back - what a coincidence!

Weesam

Posted 2016-03-22 8:50 PM (#13058 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

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That's funny, Bazhsw, as I did exactly the same thing last year, but the other way around. I read The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, followed by Life After Life.

kristibpatterson

Posted 2016-03-27 2:47 PM (#13088 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

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Posts: 18

Location: Atlanta, GA

Wow. I just finished my 4th book - Rudy Rucker's 'Software'. I think this challenge is really pushing me to read faster than I have before. I may even increase my leading list to 9 or join another challenge if I can keep up this pace. My next book is the classic "The Left Hand of Darkness".

bazhsw

Posted 2016-04-01 4:32 PM (#13127 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

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Posts: 92

I'll be keen to hear what you think of 'Left Hand of Darkness' Krisit - it's been on my to read list for so very long. Glad to see you are enjoying the challenge.

bazhsw

Posted 2016-04-02 2:28 PM (#13141 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

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Posts: 92

'The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August' finished today. It's weird because I read 'Life After Life' immediately before it which deals with similar themes - in fact the main premise is virtually identical. It's weird because we're discussing the Kate Atkinson book on Monday in my book group and I want to discuss the Claire North book instead. I think Atkinson's book is more 'literary' whilst North's book is the better one as there seemed to be more direction in where the book was going. Will put a review up in the next week or so (as an aside I'm finding myself getting jaded with reviewing books on goodreads and on here - I think I need to get a bit more sparkle going to motivate me).

As for the challenge at the end of Quarter 1 I am just about on schedule so the 27 books for the year is still on!

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

kristibpatterson

Posted 2016-04-19 8:44 AM (#13283 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

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Posts: 18

Location: Atlanta, GA

Just finished the classic "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula Le Guin. What a great read. Adventure, politics, love, all wrapped up in an excellently spun tale that had me shivering from the cold climate of the host world. A must read for any SF fan for sure.
On to "The Yiddish Policeman's Union" to finish out my challenge!

bazhsw

Posted 2016-05-22 7:33 AM (#13602 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

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Posts: 92

So, I have been struggling a bit with this challenge. I've had some really long reads recently for my 'physical space' book group. That's been compounded with pretty much every other book I read these days being quite long. David Mitchell's 'The Bone Clocks' is no exception. I really enjoyed 'The Bone Clocks' - at times Mitchell's writing is wonderful, his characters are really strong and there is loads going on. Really enjoyed this one.

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) 4.5 / 5

bazhsw

Posted 2016-06-12 3:25 PM (#13794 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

Regular

Posts: 92

Well, we are nearly half way through the year and my progress has been slow to read a winner from every award this year. Nevertheless I am going to keep on going. Could do with a couple of 300 page novels to help me out a bit! I've finished 'The Goblin Emperor' in the last few days. It's quite a departure from the fantasy I normally read with a central character I really liked.

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 (Locus Fantasy winner) 4 / 5

kristibpatterson

Posted 2016-06-20 6:51 AM (#13831 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

Member

Posts: 18

Location: Atlanta, GA

Finished my 6th book and completed my challenge! Michael Chabon's "The Yiddish Policeman's Union" was a great read. His writing style is just excellent. There were so many lines of text that I wanted to extract and implant in my brain to use at a later date. Not a classic SF tale as many have stated, but still a pleasure to me.
Now on to my other challenges!

Sable Aradia

Posted 2016-07-01 9:15 PM (#13888 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

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Hey all! Just joined the challenge. I wasn't going to do it this year because I figured I had enough reading on my plate, but I realized that I had already read quite a few award winners this year and I thought, what the hell. I don't know if I'm actually going to do the super-master level or not, but I needed the space because I decided to add any award winners I have read or intended to read in existing reading challenges. But, some of those other challenges will continue into mid-2017, so I doubt that all of those options will get finished before the end of the year, and I'll likely edit it back down to the twelve books I've actually read at that point. A lot of these books cross over with the SF Masterworks list, so that's why I've finished quite a few of them, and I intend to finally read A Song of Ice and Fire this year, so that takes care of four, maybe five slots already (if I get around to A Dance with Dragons by the end of the year). Anyway, nice to meet you all and I hope to discuss some great books!

bazhsw

Posted 2016-07-02 1:09 AM (#13890 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

Regular

Posts: 92

Great to have you onboard Sable, please let us know how you get on!

justifiedsinner

Posted 2016-07-02 9:12 AM (#13894 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

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Welcome. I'm only aiming at 12 myself. 27 is a little too daunting.

bazhsw

Posted 2016-07-09 4:59 AM (#13953 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

Regular

Posts: 92

Back to some genre reading and I rattled off Influx by Daniel Suarez this week. Cracking read, thought I wouldn't like it at first as it seemed a little too 'hard sci-fi' nut I stayed with it. Excellent winner for the Prometheus award too as it explores themes such as who can control technology and information, whether we need 'protecting for our own good', whether consciousness can exist without free will. It explores whether Artificial Intelligence can be truly sentient and have feelings and make moral choices. On top of that it is a fast paced tech-thriller set in a near-future with plenty of explosions! Really enjoyed this one.

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

bazhsw

Posted 2016-07-13 4:01 PM (#14003 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

Regular

Posts: 92

I knocked out 'The Memory Garden' by Mary Rickert over the last few days. I quite enjoyed it, it was like eating a nice meal or sitting in a garden on a summer's day. Like sitting around doing nothing all day it was very pleasant but without too much meaning or depth. The book sucks the reader in gently, has a nice conclusion and I enjoyed it - just not a lot of 'wow' factor.

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) 3.5 / 5

bazhsw

Posted 2016-08-28 2:39 AM (#14233 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

Regular

Posts: 92

Well, there is a month of reading I will never get back..... I finished the Aurora winner 'A Turn Of Light' this morning. Really not my kind if book, weighing in at over 800 pages it's clear the author put in every possible detail they'd thought of in but the book definitely needed re-editing. First 100 pages were a confused mess, not an awful lot happens in the book and the lead character is stupid and annoying....

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

Edited by bazhsw 2016-08-28 2:43 AM

bazhsw

Posted 2016-09-03 2:39 PM (#14270 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

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Posts: 92

I read 'The Book Of The Unnamed Midwife' by Meg Elison today and really enjoyed it. A plague infects humanity and wipes out 99% of people. It has a disproportionate effect on women with the added complication of what few women are left (the ratio is 10 to 1 men to women) are more likely to die in childbirth and no children survive. It's a great near future dystopia which addresses a number of themes related to sex, gender, religion and power relations. It's pretty harrowing in places and for much of the book there is a threat of sexual violence. It can be quite grim. The novel also explores our need for love and intimacy, our desires and our need to 'consume'.

Now we've just hit September I'm 2/3 through the year but only half way through the books so the 27 is going to be a push I think. Nevertheless, I'll keep on going. Of the 13 books read so far I've rated 9 of them 4* or above so it's definitely been worth it (although one could argue they should all be since they won an award!)
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

bazhsw

Posted 2016-09-18 4:08 PM (#14330 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

Regular

Posts: 92

My run of (mostly) great books continues! I've just read Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky, the winner of the Arthur C. Clarke award. For me it's perfect SF for me because it goes back to a fundamental question SF should ask, 'What if?'. There is so much going on in this book, it's a novel of evolution, it's Space Opera, it's exceptionally thought provoking. Loved it!

Sadly, I think I'm not going to hit all 27 award winners this year. I think I'll still read a winner from every award but it's going to take a little longer.

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

justifiedsinner

Posted 2016-09-18 6:29 PM (#14331 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

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Finished - at least at the 12 novel level:

BSFA - The Separation
Clarke - Distraction
Campbell - Campbell
Locus (YA) - Un Lun Dun
PKD - The Book of the Unnamed Midwife
Aurora - Starplex
Nebula - Uprooted
Locus (SF) - Ancillary Mercy
Locus (FN) - The Grace of Kings
Hugo - The Fifth Season
Tiptree - China Mountain Zhang
Golden Tentacle - God's War

Edited by justifiedsinner 2016-09-18 6:31 PM

Guest

Posted 2016-09-19 6:42 AM (#14332 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: RE: 2016 12 in 12

Well done JS! What did you think of the books you read? Did you enjoy 'The Book of the Unnamed Midwife'?

justifiedsinner

Posted 2016-09-19 9:51 AM (#14333 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

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Hello Guest - (did you forget to login?). Unfortunately, I didn't care for it, thought it was badly written and gave in 2.5 stars. I posted a review.

bazhsw

Posted 2016-09-19 3:53 PM (#14334 - in reply to #14333)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

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Posts: 92

That's me posting earlier today (I logged in then accidentally logged out!). I really enjoyed 'Midwife'. I thought it had quite a lot going on although I can see how the structure of the novel and some of the language choices could put people off.

justifiedsinner

Posted 2016-09-20 8:54 AM (#14336 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

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It was rather the lack of coherent structure. The novel has a framing story of boys reading a diary then unexplained separate points of view come in. Are they part of the diary? if not where do they come from? Are the boys reading them? It's just sloppy.
I also had a problem with her characterizations. For years there has been a fully justified criticism of male authors writing cardboard thin female characters. Elison seems to have the same problem with men. They are portrayed as either being psychopathic rapists or passive non-entities.

Sable Aradia

Posted 2016-09-29 3:02 AM (#14357 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

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Hey gang, just a quick question; is it only award winners that count for the challenge, or do the nominees also count? Just updating my list, thanks.

bazhsw

Posted 2016-09-29 4:09 AM (#14359 - in reply to #12253)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

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Posts: 92

It's just winners on this challenge Sable, be interested to see your list.

justifiedsinner

Posted 2016-09-30 8:47 AM (#14361 - in reply to #14357)
Subject: Re: 2016 12 in 12

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Yes, just winners. The Second Best challenge is for nominees (as long as they have not won any other award).

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