SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Time to go through your TBR and find books to read in 2020! As in previous years, we are supplying prompts, you supply the books that fit them. Please feel free to interpret each prompt however you see fit, and do tell us why you chose each book!

If you'd like to sign up and track your reads, the official challenge is here.

1. Inspired by a meme
2. Nominated for 2+ awards (didn't win)
3. Small publisher
4. Relationship between humans/animals
5. Recommended by a public figure
6. Steal from someone else
7. Makes you wonder
8. Fits a past SFFBC nomination theme
9. #ownvoices
10. Won a smaller or regional award
11. What a title?!
12. Published in a memorable year
13. #relatable
14. Seven or Twenty
15. Dialect, slang, or pidgin languages
16. Pushing the boundaries
17. The next [insert popular series here]
18. LOLed IRL
19. Seen in an ad or on social media
20. Hindsight is 20/20

I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

20/20


✔ 1. Inspired by a meme - Voyage of the Dogs / Dogsbody
✔ 2. Nominated for 2+ awards (didn't win) - The Memory Police
✔ 3. Small publisher - The Girl With No Hands and Other Tales
✔ 4. Relationship between humans/animals - The History of Bees
✔ 5. Recommended by a public figure - Jagannath
✔ 6. Steal from someone else - The Tiger Flu
✔ 7. Makes you wonder - Medusa in the Graveyard
✔ 8. Fits a past SFFBC nomination theme - Survival
✔ 9. #ownvoices - Love Beyond Body, Space, and Time
✔ 10. Won a smaller or regional award - Wicked Gentlemen
✔ 11. What a title?! - A Wizard's Guide To Defensive Baking
✔ 12. Published in a memorable year - My Real Children
✔ 13. #relatable - Network Effect
✔ 14. Seven or Twenty - The Relentless Moon
✔ 15. Dialect, slang, or pidgin languages - Skin Folk
✔ 16. Pushing the boundaries - The Vela
✔ 17. The next [insert popular series here] - Hollowpox
✔ 18. LOLed IRL - Cat Pictures Please and Other Stories
✔ 19. Seen in an ad or on social media - Gamechanger
✔ 20. Hindsight is 20/20 - The Library of Legends

Reasons for choosing these books: (view spoiler)[



1. Inspired by a meme - ^
2. Nominated for 2+ awards (didn't win) - BTBA, NBA, Booker
3. Small publisher - Ticonderoga
4. Relationship between humans/animals - Humans, bees, and the environment
5. Public figure - Recommended by Ursula K. Le Guin
6. Steal from someone else - Stolen from Kaa
7. Makes me wonder why I didn't read it in 2019
8. Fits a past SFFBC nomination theme - Life scifi
9. #ownvoices - Indigenous LGBT anthology by indigenous authors
10. Smaller award - Gaylactic
11. What a title?! - I love the title! :D
12. Memorable year - I joined GR in 2014
13. #relatable - Murderbot <3 always knows how I feel! ^_^
14. Seven or Twenty - Pub date 07/2020
15. Languages - I'm assuming it'll have Caribbean creole
16. Pushing MY boundaries - Trying a new format!
17. Popular series - Everyone keeps saying this is the new Harry Potter
18. LOLed IRL - What monster wouldn't at least smile?!
19. Social media - I keep seeing this everywhere
20. Hindsight is 20/20 - Historical fiction published in 2020 (hide spoiler)]

Ah! I've been waiting for this. I'm in and filling in the books as soon as I come up with something witty for the more think-around-them prompts.

1. Inspired by a meme - Wild Cards I
2. Nominated for 2+ awards (didn't win) - Passage
3. Small Publisher - TRIsocialization
4. Relationship between humans/animals - His Majesty's Dragon
5. Recommended by a public figure - A Woman of the Iron People
6. Steal from someone else -The Eye of the World
7. Makes you wonder - A Nameless Witch
8. Fits a past SFFBC nomination theme
9. #ownvoices - Transcendent 2: The Year's Best Transgender Speculative Fiction 2016
10. Won a smaller or regional award - They Will Drown in Their Mothers' Tears
11. What a title?! - Condomnauts
12. Published in a memorable year - The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon, Volume XI: The Nail and the Oracle
13. #relatable - After Atlas
14. Seven or Twenty - The Caves of Steel
15. Dialect, slang, or pidgin languages - The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
16. Pushing the boundaries - All the Light We Cannot See
17. The next [insert popular series here]
18. LOLed IRL - The Adventures of Elizabeth in Rügen
19. Seen in an ad or on social media
20. Hindsight is 20/20 - The Psychology of Time Travel

Reasons for choosing:
(view spoiler)[

1. See CBRetriever's Post msg 110
2. nominated for Nebula and Hugo, but didn't win - won the Locus, though … so perhaps I will be exchanging it if I find a more-nominated-non-winning book
3. Self publication
4.
5. recommended by UKLG
6. The story is a complete rip off the LotR.
7. found it on my TBR list and wonder why I put it there; no awards, on no shelves, part of no challenges, nobody I'm friends with on GR has read it and I don't know the author ???
8.
9. Transgender authors writing SF with emphasis on transgender characters
10. As literary award listed there's only one and that's in cyrillic, so I assume it is regional.
11. No explanation necessary, or is there?
12. My first son was born in 2007
13.
14. I took 7 Times 20 and went for the 140th book added to the grouphelf
15.
16. It is a non-SF book About WWII - and this is a topic I usually avoid like a cat avoids the water (call it sins-of-the-fathers-syndrom). So I definitely pushed my boundaries here.
17.
18. While reading this book I so often had to laugh out loud about the cute chaotic way the author writes and how she self-deprecatingly talks about her mishaps.
19.
20. I'm still not sure I understand this prompt, but in this book there is a lot of pondering about things done or not done which fits 'hindsight' for me. (hide spoiler)]

Yay! Been expecting this as well. Excited for it, but this will take some pondering. The prompts look fun.

Love your explanations, Anna! :D

Gabi wrote: "Love your explanations, Anna! :D"

I've had a lot of time to work on them! I know I'll see some brilliant ones from everyone! ^_^

Awesome choices Anna! I love this challenge and look forward to it every year.

completed: 20/20!

✔1. Inspired by a meme
--Off to Be the Wizard by Scott Meyer

✔2. Nominated for 2+ awards (didn't win)
--The North Water by Ian McGuire
--Nominated for, and didn’t quite make: The Booker Prize Longlist, The LA Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller, the Australian Book Industry Award for International Book, and our own Goodreads Choice Award for Historical Fiction. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.
✔3. Small publisher
--Bike Snob: Systematically & Mercilessly Realigning the World of Cycling by BikeSnobNYC
--By Chronicle Books. From their website: Based in San Francisco, our headquarters are in an old maritime machine shop and warehouse. There are 4 floors: one for sales, marketing, and operations, one for editorial and contracts, another for design and production, and meeting space where we all come together. Sounds pretty small to me.
✔4. Relationship between humans/animals
--Borne by Jeff VanderMeer
--About a women and some kind of anemone-like creature. I think.
✔5. Recommended by a public figure
--Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
--Barack Obama is an avid reader, and has discussed and recommended a number of great books and a great number of books. In a 2017 interview with the New York Times, he said "There were books that would blend, I think, really good writing with thriller genres. I mean, I thought “Gone Girl” was a well-constructed, well-written book.” And there it was on my TBR shelf. Voila! By the way, I miss him (Obama)
✔6. Steal from someone else
--A Conspiracy of Paper by David Liss
--This was literally "a steal.” My wife was about to take a box of books to our local second hand book store so I secretly snuck this one out. I don’t think she knows yet.
✔7. Makes you wonder
--How the Scots Invented the Modern World by Arthur Herman
--So yeah, how DID the Scots invent the modern world anyway?
✔8. Fits a past SFFBC nomination theme
--Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin
--Not just fit, but actually nominated two or three times. And failed.
✔9. #ownvoices
--Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
--His autobiography. Duh.
✔ 10. Won a smaller or regional award
--Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
--Won the ALA Alex Award. Whaaat?
✔11. What a title?!
--Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
--An iconic cover and an iconic title.
✔12. Published in a memorable year
--The Great Santini by Pat Conroy
--1976. Our Bicentennial and, uhm, the year I graduated from high school.
✔13. #relatable
--Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho
--This is absolutely and completely relatable because I am going there next year (Ljubljana)
✔14. Seven or Twenty
--Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie
--The seventh oldest book placed on my TBR shelf. So there.
✔15. Dialect, slang, or pidgin languages
--I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
--Maya Angelou’s childhood in Jim Crow South, told in her own words and dialect.
✔16. Pushing the boundaries
--Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy
--Off-puttingly violent, this is going to push MY boundaries for sure.
✔17. The next [insert popular series here]
--Oathbringer
--The next.........[published book in Sanderson’s popular Stormlight Archive series]
✔18. LOLed IRL
--Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach
--I LOL’d IRL when I read the title. Twice, I think.
✔19. Seen in an ad or on social media
--Under the Dome by Stephen King
--I saw a crap ton of ads for the TV series when it first came out, so I figured this is now a good reason to read it.
✔20. Hindsight is 20/20
I felt compelled to change this one midstream
--All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren
--It came out, people read it, and then guess what? It was about Huey Long.
--The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
--I am going to flip this around and say that in this case, foresight is 20/20.

Edwin wrote: "Awesome choices Anna! I love this challenge and look forward to it every year."

It's not all mine! Allison and I have been working on (some of) these since January 2019 December 2018!

I already admit defeat and need help ^^'. I have absolutely no ideas about memes, cause I avoid everything that goes on in this direction on social media. So … if folks could give me some ideas I would be ever so grateful.

My Achilles heel will be the ones based on awards. I have no regard for such.

I hesitate to point you to https://knowyourmeme.com/, Gabi. It might be a bit too comprehensive archive. I'm sure there must be some you too would be familiar with, with enough recalling ^^'

Gabi wrote: "I already admit defeat and need help ^^'. I have absolutely no ideas about memes, cause I avoid everything that goes on in this direction on social media. So … if folks could give me some ideas I w..."

Gabi. I too was a little taken aback by this for the same reasons at first. Look at the dictionary definition of meme, or the Wikipedia page. Our view of memes being a social media concept is a modern bias. It is actually much broader than that.

Choosing is gonna be fun this year, and a large part of the fun is seeing what what everybody else picks.

(I confess I forced the meme prompt on Allison because I wanted to do mine XD )

@Jemppu … I looked at the link, but this just leaves me more confused - I absolutely have no sense for those.

@Edwin: good idea!

I guess I wait and see what others come up with for this prompt.

Here are some memes I made for us:

Well, I certainly LOLed IRL :D

Allison X,D Aah, marvelous.

Woohoo! I know I failed my last one (so hard) but I can still have fun making the list I probably will read only half of, right?!

Also.

I love these prompts. Good job mods!

Sarah wrote: "I can still have fun making the list I probably will read only half of, right?!"

Absolutely! Higly encouraged! :D

Ooh! I too failed miserably in the 2019 TBR challenge, but in my defense, I got a late start! That’s what I’m telling myself, Anyway. I’m looking forward to wrapping my mind around these prompts and to perusing my eBook TBR for this. I totally disregarded it this year.

Thanks Anna and Allison!

Edit to add my "plans" (which will be altered, guaranteed):

1. Meme - see Sarah's post just below (message 21) for Winter themed books
The Winter Triptych
2. 2+ awards no win: Lock In OR The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet OR Slaughterhouse-Five
✔3. Small press (Alban Lake) easy travel to the stars
4. Relationship between Humans and Animals Reigning Cats and Dogs
✔5. Recommended by Ursula K. Le Guin: The Man in the High Castle OR The Receptionist and Other Tales, poems OR ✔ Embassytown
✔6. Steal from someone else: killing 2 birds with 1 stone - Lavinia
✔7. Makes you wonder: A Stitch In Time I wondered a lot when the time travel would actually begin (it was sold to me as a time travel novel). And at a few points I thought, oh here we go, but then at the end it seemed like everything could be explained away as an over-active imagination.
✔8. Fits a nomination theme (Grand Master SF): Cards of Grief
✔9. #ownvoices (LGBT): The Cybernetic Tea Shop
✔10. Small Award (Elgin Award for Poetry Chapbook): The Book of Fly and other poems
11. What a Title?! : ??
12. Published in a memorable year (2009 - the year my son was born): 1Q84 (published in Japan in 2009) In progress!
13. #relatable (Anne McCaffrey, the editor, was a Classical singer, like me): Space Opera
14. 7 (th book from the left of the books I've already chosen for another TBR Challenge: Walk to the End of the World
✔15. Dialect, slang, pidgin: (In hindsight) Forty Thousand in Gehenna. The abandoned azi ended up speaking a sort of pidgin mixed with hand signals and the caliban language of Pattern.
Also, Polar City Blues, where the far future humans speak an extrapolation of English calle "Merrkan".
✔16. Pushing the boundaries (totally stealing from someone who rightly said that even dead Butler is pushing boundaries - this is the next book in the series, read the first already) Kindred
17. The next (series that may never get finished) The Name of the Wind
18. LOLed IRL (I'm assuming): WLT: A Radio Romance
✔19. Seen in an ad or on social media (so so much): The Fifth Season Of course I've heard a ton about this book since before it won the Hugo award 4 years ago. I don't live under a rock. I've just been resisting for some inexplicaple reason.
✔20. Hindsight 20/20: Lavinia (A retelling of the Aeneid by Virgil - totally stole the idea to use this book for this prompt from another challenger - Kari?)

@Gabi - do any of these help?

(view spoiler)[


Cli-fi or set in New England?



Any book with aliens?



King Arthur themed?



Any winter themed books?
(hide spoiler)]

Aw Sarah! Nice ones, they indeed look decent. Thank you! I will check them against my TBR shelf.

These are either going to be hard to find or I don't understand what they mean

1. Inspired by a meme - too bad I already read Redshirts

6. Steal from someone else - someone else's list here? or physically steal?

9. #ownvoices - I presume this is people from other countries writing about their country?

13. #relatable - I have no idea what this is

6. I'm not going to stop you from physically stealing a book from someone in your life, but I'm also not going to encourage you to do that! :D

9. http://www.corinneduyvis.net/ownvoices/

13. Something you can relate to

I just read on my Kindle, so I'd have to steal a Kindle or make an illegal download. I think I'll "steal" someone's favorite book from the 2019 list

Is it sad that I already have plenty of options for stolen books? *shrugs* they never asked for them back and I never thought to remind them.

I was thinking of stealing a rec from someone else’s list though if I’m being honest.

As always, the prompts aren't very strict, interpret as you want! That's the fun part :) Did we have something specific in mind for all of these? Yes, but as long as you're getting something off your TBR list, you can't really do this challenge incorrectly.

We got the idea for #6 from last year's TBRC thread :)

Yay, I'm so excited, these look like fun prompts!

http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books... is a good resource for award information, they track a bunch of awards, plus you can see for each individual book what awards it was nominated for and whether or not it won.

1. Inspired by a meme
2. Nominated for 2+ awards (didn't win)
3. Small publisher
4. Relationship between humans/animals
5. Recommended by a public figure
6. Steal from someone else
7. Makes you wonder
8. Fits a past SFFBC nomination theme
9. #ownvoices
10. Won a smaller or regional award - Earth Girl (read in Feb)
11. What a title?!
12. Published in a memorable year
13. #relatable
14. Seven or Twenty
15. Dialect, slang, or pidgin languages
16. Pushing the boundaries
17. The next [insert popular series here]
18. LOLed IRL
19. Seen in an ad or on social media
20. Hindsight is 20/20

1. Inspired by a meme - Redshirts
2. Nominated for 2+ awards (didn't win) - Empire of Sand
3. Small publisher - The Rage of Dragons DNF
4. Relationship between humans/animals - His Majesty's Dragon
5. Recommended by a public figure - The Name of the Wind
6. Steal from someone else - The Watchmaker of Filigree Street
7. Makes you wonder - Consider Phlebas
8. Fits a past SFFBC nomination theme - I'm a Gay Wizard
9. #ownvoices - Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora
10. Won a smaller or regional award - The Song of Achilles
11. What a title?! - A Natural History of Dragons
12. Published in a memorable year - Downbelow Station
13. #relatable - Record of a Spaceborn Few
14. Seven or Twenty - Rosewater
15. Dialect, slang, or pidgin languages - The Black God's Drums
16. Pushing the boundaries - Gideon the Ninth
17. The next [insert popular series here] - Tinker
18. LOLed IRL - It Devours!
19. Seen in an ad or on social media - There Will Come a Darkness
20. Hindsight is 20/20 - Seven Surrenders

Reasons for my picks:
(view spoiler)[
1. Inspired by a meme - Definitely a concept that's entered the general vocabulary by this point
2. Nominated for 2+ awards (didn't win) - Locus Award Nominee for First Novel (2019), British Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Fantasy Novel (Robert Holdstock Award) (2019)
3. Small publisher - Published September 10th 2017 by Beautiful Beast
4. Relationship between humans/animals - ”an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature”
5. Recommended by a public figure - The McElroy brothers are huge Patrick Rothfuss fans, and that's why it's on my list.
6. Steal from someone else - came across it when Mareike added it to her TBR
7. Makes you wonder - Considering is kind of like wondering
8. Fits a past SFFBC nomination theme - Pride in Fantasy (June 2019)
9. #ownvoices - right there in the title
10. Won a smaller or regional award - Orange Prize for Fiction (2012), Gaylactic Spectrum Award for Best Novel (2013)
11. What a title?! - Sounds very whimsical, and I'm a sucker for whimsy. And dragons
12. Published in a memorable year - I was born in 1981
13. #relatable - I found myself relating to all the main characters in this, in different ways
14. Seven or Twenty - 7th on my TBR
15. Dialect, slang, or pidgin languages - checked the kindle sample and the author does use dialect
16. Pushing the boundaries - seems to be an attempt to do so
17. The next [insert popular series here] - Cover blurb says "Buffy fans will find a lot to like!" I only ever watched, like, half a season of Buffy, but I haven't found anything else to put here, so what the hell.
18. LOLed IRL - Moving It Devours! to this slot because I definitely literally LOL'd on multiple occasions.
19. Seen in an ad or on social media - pretty sure this popped up as a GR rec and seemed interesting enough to add
20. Hindsight is 20/20 - Because I wish I had thought to put this for #14
(hide spoiler)]

Whew! This one's tough.

Amanda, I wonder if we'll consider your prompt #7 to be acceptable! (We will! :D)

Thank you, as always, Anna and Allison, for your inspiring prompts!

1. Inspired by a meme A Little Life
2. Nominated for 2+ awards (didn't win) On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
3. Small publisher The Way of Thorn and Thunder
4. Relationship between humans/animals His Majesty's Dragon
5. Recommended by a public figure The Underground Railroad
6. Steal from someone else The Black God's Drums
7. Makes you wonder Among Others
8. Fits a past SFFBC nomination theme Shards of Honour
9. #ownvoices Americanah
10. Won a smaller or regional award The Great Believers
11. What a title?! Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
12. Published in a memorable year Luck in the Shadows
13. #relatable Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators
14. Seven or Twenty Seven Surrenders
15. Dialect, slang, or pidgin languages Brown Girl in the Ring
16. Pushing the boundaries Cloud Atlas
17. The next [insert popular series here] Black Leopard, Red Wolf
18. LOLed IRL This Is the Way the World Ends
19. Seen in an ad or on social media The Silent Patient
20. Hindsight is 20/20 Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom

(view spoiler)[1. The cover reminds me of memes of men crying. I don’t know how to link a meme here to demonstrate.
2. Nominated for the National Book Award and the Kirkus Prize
3. New Mexico University Press
4. Self-explanatory
5. An Oprah’s Book Club pick
6. Stole from the TBR challenge list of Amanda, above.
7. I wonder how many of the books cited or referred to in this novel I will recognize or will have read.
8. Was a nominee in the Space Pirates category
9. About Nigerian-born characters in their experience emigrating to America, written by a Nigerian-born author who splits her time between Nigeria and America.
10. Won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize
11. One of the best, most evocative titles I’ve ever seen.
12. Published in 1996, the year that Rent opened on Broadway and my life changed forever.
13. I relate to taking down a predator.
14. Self-explanatory
15. Hopkinson almost always includes dialect in a wonderful manner, and does so here as well.
16. From everything I hear, this novel explores trippy connections and pushes the boundaries of reality in the world it depicts.
17. I saw this described as an African Game of Thrones at least once.
18. I read this decades ago and remember laughing out loud at the time. I’ve been wanting to reread it.
19. One of the more commonly seen banner ads on Goodreads. And then was featured in a sales pitch for less than $4 on the Apple Bookstore, and that’s when I snapped it up.
20. The history (hindsight) of a great man who made a huge difference in our country, and hopefully reading it now will bring much-needed clarity (20/20 vision) to our current turbulent times. (hide spoiler)]

reply | flag *

I was hoping this challenge would be back!

2020 TBR Cleanup, January 1 - December 31
Goal: 20/20, 100.00%

01. Inspired by a meme: Jirel of Joiry - 28 Feb 2020, 2/5
02. Nominated for 2+ awards (didn't win): The Memory Police - 10 Jul 2020, 3/5
03. Small publisher: The Wide, Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies - 13 Oct 2020, 3/5
04. Relationship between humans/animals: What the Hell Did I Just Read (John Dies at the End, #3) - 28 Apr 2020, 4/5
05. Recommended by a public figure: Explorations - 17 Jun 2020, 3/5
06. Steal from someone else: The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - 12 Mar 2020, 3/5
07. Makes you wonder: Solutions and Other Problems - 01 Nov 2020, 5/5
08. Fits a past SFFBC nomination theme: Robots Have No Tails - 11 Jan 2020, 2/5
09. #ownvoices: The Female Man - 24 Jan 2020, 2/5
10. Won a smaller or regional award: Gormenghast (Gormenghast, #2) - 21 Feb 2020, 4/5
11. What a title?!: Invitation to a Beheading - 04 Feb 2020, 4/5
12. Published in a memorable year: Downward to The Earth - 11 Jun 2020, 4/5
13. #relatable: The Chrysalids - 25 Apr 2020, 4/5
14. Seven or Twenty: The Seventh (Parker, #7) - 12 Apr 2020, 4/5
15. Dialect, slang, or pidgin languages: Only Human (Themis Files, #3) - 04 Apr 2020, 3/5
16. Pushing the boundaries: Titus Alone (Gormenghast, #3) - 03 Jul 2020, 2/5
17. The next ASoIaF: Sword of Destiny (The Witcher, #2) - 29 Feb 2020, 4/5
18. LOLed IRL: Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #1) - 05 May 2020, 4/5
19. Seen in an ad or on social media: This Is How You Lose the Time War - 16 Jun 2020, 2/5
20. Hindsight is 20/20: Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries, #5) - 22 Jul 2020, 5/5



Options: (view spoiler)[

01. Inspired by a meme: (view spoiler)[

(hide spoiler)]

02. Nominated for 2+ awards (didn't win): International Booker Prize & National Book Award.

03. Small publisher: Hippocampus Press.

04. Relationship between humans/animals: Parents fuss over their kidnapped/returned (view spoiler)[squealing carnivorous grub (hide spoiler)] children.

05. Recommended by a public figure: Mentioned in SF Stories Featuring Abandoned Earths by James Davis Nicoll.

06. Steal from someone else: Stories inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle's Holmes & Watson.

07. Makes you wonder ... how something so silly can be so sad.

08. Fits a past SFFBC nomination theme: Robots, Androids, & Cyborgs Sci-Fi (Feb 2017)

09. Lesbians, one and all! 🏳‍🌈

10. Won a smaller or regional award: W.H. Heinemann Award (1951)

12. Published in a memorable year: 1969 - the first manned moon landing.

13. #relatable: Post-nuclear war hellscape, people living in xenophobic religious fundamentalist society discover outsiders aren't so bad.

16. Pushing the boundaries: Haughty teen runs away to the big city, gives everyone attitude.

17. The next Game of Thrones: for people that have seen the show(s) before reading the book(s).

(hide spoiler)]

1. Inspired by a meme - Demonspawn (based on the necropost meme)
2. Nominated for 2+ awards (didn't win) - Everfair (Nebula, Campbell/Astounding, Tiptree/Otherwise)
3. Small publisher - Crossover (Pyr)
4. Relationship between humans/animals - Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance (wolves and Merlin the pig?)
5. Recommended by a public figure - Blackfish City (Counting it ;-) )
6. Steal from someone else
7. Makes you wonder - Fever Dream (sounds like it will be one or the other!)
8. Fits a past SFFBC nomination theme - Amatka - this poor book keeps getting nominated. I see you, book.
9. #ownvoices - The Way of Thorn and Thunder (own voices Native person)
10. Won a smaller or regional award - The Bone People (okay, sure, it won a Booker, but it also won a New Zealand Book Award)
11. What a title?! - The Blind Owl (I am compelled. I sympathize, owl.)
12. Published in a memorable year - The Rook (year I joined GR and got married, aw)
13. #relatable - Circe - misunderstood women monsters!
14. Seven or Twenty - Scarlet, Book 1 - 7th book on my TBR
15. Dialect, slang, or pidgin languages - Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard - he's a linguist and the founder of the Klingon language society, so it should fit the bill.
16. Pushing the boundaries - The Left Hand of Darkness - I've heard this really is something special and I hope my mind expands for it.
17. The next [insert popular series here] - The Rage of Dragons (this is supposed to be a new Game of Thrones, I think. I hope not though.)
18. LOLed IRL - The Mane Event - I was recommended this during a hilarious conversation.
19. Seen in an ad or on social media - The Wood Wife. The cover got me.
20. Hindsight is 20/20 - How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk - I mean, a bit late now but I'm getting to it.

I've been waiting to see what you came up with for the 2020 TBR challenge. What an interesting selection of prompts. I'll have to put some thought into this. I've been enjoying seeing some others' selections already.

I've decided that my reading next year should be a little more closely related to my work (historical research so that's hardly a chore) so I still want to participate in the challenge, but I think I may be playing a little fast and loose with the definition of 'SFF'; ie, ignoring it completely :-)

I definitely reserve the right to change my picks. :)

20/20 read (as of 3 December))

✔️1. Inspired by a meme: The Consuming Fire, inspired by the 'This is Fine' meme which is a dog sitting calmly in a room being consumed by fire https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/this-i...
✔️2. Nominated for 2+ awards (didn't win): changed to Raven Tower Leviathan Wakes, nominated for Locus and Nebula but didn't win.
✔️ 3. Small publisher: Rock Manning Goes for Broke, Subterranean Press.
✔️ 4. Relationship between humans/animals: changed to Death Masks, because the pet cat, Mister Victory of Eagles, dragons (idea for using this series for the prompt was also stolen)
✔️ 5. Recommended by a public figure: Terminal Alliance, Seanan McGuire recommended this series.
✔️ 6. Steal from someone else: Network Effect, thanks Anna!
✔️7. Makes you wonder: Whispers Under Ground, I wonder what they are whispering (also this whole series makes me wonder)
✔️8. Fits a past SFFBC nomination theme: changed to City of Bones, M. Wells, desert fantasy theme Borderline, mental health (stolen from Kaa)
✔️9. #ownvoices: Lagoon, set in Nigeria and Nnedi Okorafor is Nigerian-American
✔️10. Won a smaller or regional award: Redemption in Indigo, won a Golden Tentacle award.
✔️ 11. What a title?!: A Monstrous Regiment of Women
✔️12. Published in a memorable year: The Bear and the Nightingale, my parent's 50th wedding anniversary year.
✔️ 13. #relatable: The Perks of Being a Wallflower, High School, ugh.
✔️ 14. Seven or Twenty: Record of a Spaceborn Few, #20 on my TBR by date added.
✔️15. Dialect, slang, or pidgin languages: changed to Happy Hour of the Damned which I DNF'd (it was terrible) Midnight Taxi Tango, has slang (confirmed by reading in a little ways)
✔️16. Pushing the boundaries, changed to Tallula Rising, The Light Brigade, it's by Kameron Hurley and sounds totally intense.
✔️ 17. The next [insert popular series here]: The Big Over Easy, reviewers compared it to Harry Potter and Lemony Snicket, plus The Simpsons, South Park and Monty Python for good measure.
✔️ 18. LOLed IRL: Mort, I anticipate lol-ing IRL when I read this.
✔️19. Seen in an ad or on social media: Heartstone, someone I follow on Twitter posted about this book and I had to have it.
✔️20. Hindsight is 20/20: Geisha, a Life, an autobiography

this one is tough. I've been through most of my TBR books and can't find one so far that fits.

15. Dialect, slang, or pidgin languages

maybe Ironclads?

List:

1. Inspired by a meme - The Broken Heavens 4 stars; Jan 21
2. Nominated for 2+ awards (didn't win) - The Passage
3. Small publisher - The Bear 3 stars; Feb 16
4. Relationship between humans/animals - Artemis Awakening
5. Recommended by a public figure - Oryx and Crake
6. Steal from someone else -
7. Makes you wonder - The Gone-Away World
8. Fits a past SFFBC nomination theme - River of Gods
9. #ownvoices - The Only Good Indians
10. Won a smaller or regional award - After the People Lights Have Gone Off, or A Head Full of Ghosts, or The Last Final Girl, or Doctor Sleep
11. What a title?! - Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits
12. Published in a memorable year - Senlin Ascends
13. #relatable - Horrorstör 3.5 stars; Feb 15
14. Seven or Twenty - Or What You Will
15. Dialect, slang, or pidgin languages - Followers 4 Stars; Jan 25
16. Pushing the boundaries -
17. The next [Hitchhiker's Guide?] - The Last Human
18. LOLed IRL -
19. Seen in an ad or on social media -
20. Hindsight is 20/20 -11/22/63

Reasons:
(view spoiler)[1.
2. Nominated for Locus and GoodReads Choice
3. Small Publisher - Bellevue Literary Press- described as a small press on their website
4. Uplifted Animals - I think. Animal companions at the very least.
5. Stephen King Recommended - https://bookriot.com/2019/03/11/books...
6. TBD
7. Because the last Harkaway book I read had me scratching my head
8. Cyberpunk
9. Native American author - Native American Horror Story
10. All won the "This is Horror Award" which I'm just assuming is pretty small. I'd never heard of it before I started looking for a smaller award.
11. This is one of my favorite titles ever.
12. 2013 is the year my daughter was born
13. Because when you've worked in retail every store is a horrorstor.
14. Due to be published 7/7/2020
15. I'm just guessing a book about social media will have internet slang?
16.
17. Okay- so no one has really said it but me, but it sounds like the next Hitchhiker's Guide.
18.
19.
20. Because it was on that TBR 2019 challenge I didn't finish. And probably the 2018 one too. And I've been meaning to read it ever since I bought it 3 years ago. (hide spoiler)]

Still have a few to plug in that I need to think on.

Gabi wrote: "Ah! I've been waiting for this. I'm in and filling in the books as soon as I come up with something witty for the more think-around-them prompts.

1. Inspired by a meme - ARGL! I don't even know me..."

I have read the Nameless Witch. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I'll try 20 of these again this year. Here's a first pass at selections from my TBR list. I'll no doubt end up changing some of these, just like last year, as my reading mood and TBR list shifts in even the lightest wind. I'll update it to show progess.

Progress: 20/20

✔︎ 1. Inspired by a meme: Free Chocolate (Which way to the clubhouse chocolate table?)
✔︎ 2. Nominated for 2+ awards (didn't win): Ninefox Gambit (Worked for me once I read it as fantasy, not science fiction)
✔︎ 3. Small publisher: Toad Words and Other Stories (Red Wombat Tea Company)
✔︎ 4. Relationship between humans/animals: Minor Mage (Who knew that armadillos could be so sarcastic?)
✔︎ 5. Recommended by a public figure: The Murderbot Diaries: Books 1-4 ("I love Murderbot" - Ann Leckie; "We are all a little bit Murderbot.” – Jason Sheehan, NPR)
✔︎ 6. Steal from someone else: City (Stolen from Dj. What ever happened to our flying cars?)
✔︎ 7. Makes you wonder: Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams (A lot of useful information wrapped in a 400 page guilt trip)
✔︎ 8. Fits a past SFFBC nomination theme: The Engines of God ("April 2017 First Contact Sci-Fi" and a good candidate for a future "Reckless and Unprofessional Behavior" poll)
✔︎ 9. #ownvoices: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants (A fascinating book on the intersection of Western science and Indigenous culture)
✔︎ 10. Won a smaller or regional award: Bridge of Birds (1986 Mythopoeic Award - Best Fantasy)
✔︎ 11. What a title?!: The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination: Original Short Fiction for the Modern Evil Genius (It's not as easy as you'd think.)
✔︎ 12. Published in a memorable year: How to Lie with Statistics (No longer represents the state of the art in mass deception.)
✔︎ 13. #relatable: Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World (Allegedly what I did much of my career. I have very mixed feelings about this as an overview. It's less #relatable than I'd hoped.)
✔︎ 14. Seven or Twenty: The Seventh Bride (I'm so far behind)
✔︎ 15. Dialect, slang, or pidgin languages: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ("Stone the crows! There's a perishing motor-car overhead!")
✔︎ 16. Pushing the boundaries: The Core of the Sun (... of chile pepper addiction)
✔︎ 17. The next Wheel of Time: Green Rider (for readers with less epic attention spans)
✔︎ 18. LOLed IRL: T'Ai-Chi for Geniuses: A Practice Companion for the Genius in Everyone (Finally an alternative to the "For Dummies" empire)
✔︎ 19. Seen in an ad or on social media: The Ten Thousand Doors of January (I can add SFFBC group choice to my earlier sightings.)
✔︎ 20. Hindsight is 20/20: Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World (It's sad how few of these women I knew anything about despite having worked in the sciences for decades.)

Why:(view spoiler)[
1. Inspired by a meme: Some day I'll be able to use the clubhouse chocolate table.
2. Nominated for 2+ awards (didn't win): Nominated for both the Hugo and Nebula awards. Hopefully this time I'll finally get into it.
3. Small publisher: This is Ursula Vernon's publishing arm. It doesn't get much smaller than a single author press.
4. Relationship between humans/animals: There's an armadillo on the cover.
6. Steal from someone else: I couldn't find the physical book that I'd planned to chain steal from my spouse, so here is my virtual fallback.
7. Makes you wonder: Maybe if I know why I'll be better about getting sleep
9. #ownvoices: Recommended by an indigenous friend..
11. What a title?!: I'm not admitting to anything here.
12. Published in a memorable year: This was published close enough to the year I was born to be statistically indistinguishable from it. It's also, oddly, the only book that I remember reading from my first (and only) year in an electrical engineering program. My spouse picked it up for a local science book club and there's no shortage of examples in the media so it seemed like time for a reread.
13. #relatable: One of the picks this year for a science book club that my spouse joined. She was drafted into leading the discussion and we were talking about it anyway, so...
14. Seven or Twenty: It's hard to believe that I had a T. Kingfisher left that fit this theme.
15. Dialect, slang, or pidgin languages: What ever happened to Trike?
18. LOLed IRL: I've always been bothered by the "for Dummies" concept so I had to laugh when I saw this genius alternative approach.
19. Seen in an ad or on social media: I've lost track of how many publisher ads/blurbs I've seen on this one.
20. Hindsight is 20/20: Another book from the local AAUW science book club that somehow ended up on my e-reader.
(hide spoiler)]

So excited to see this up!

1. Inspired by a meme The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet which made me think of ALIENS and this meme
2. Nominated for 2+ awards (didn't win) Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti
3. Small publisher Happiness (Atlantic Monthly Press... which I didn't think would be considered small. But this site seems to indicate it is, and it's on the internet so it must be true.)
4. Relationship between humans/animals The Travelling Cat Chronicles
5. Recommended by a public figure Americanah (recommended by President Obama)
6. Steal from someone else I Was Vermeer: The Rise and Fall of the Twentieth Century's Greatest Forger Not sure if I'm interpreting that right
7. Makes you wonder Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them
8. Fits a past SFFBC nomination theme The Scar (For pirates/high seas back in 2010)
9. #ownvoices Everything I Never Told You or Dread Nation
10. Won a smaller or regional award The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis (Military Writers Society of America Award for Historical Fiction) or The Affinity Bridge (Sidewise Award) or Sabriel (Lincoln Award)
11. What a title?! Curses! A F**ked Up Fairytale
12. Published in a memorable year The Shadow of the Wind (Published in 2001)
13. #relatable Was She Pretty?
14. Seven or Twenty China Mountain Zhang (#7 on my TBR) or How to Find Love in a Bookshop (7 words in the title)
15. Dialect, slang, or pidgin languages Something Toni Morrison
16. Pushing the boundaries The Pinks: The First Women Detectives, Operatives, and Spies with the Pinkerton National Detective Agency
17. The next big thing Spin the Dawn
18. LOLed IRL Either Poehler or Kaling or Ayoade
19. Seen in an ad or on social media Tales from the Loop I encountered images from this graphic novel on Imgur ages ago; didn't realize until much, much later there was a story to go along with the fascinating scenes pictured.
20. Hindsight is 20/20 Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong

Yay, I've been waiting for the prompts to be posted! I haven't finished picking all the categories yet, and they are likely to change, but here's a start:

1. Inspired by a meme: The Remedy: Queer and Trans Voices on Health and Health Care
2. Nominated for 2+ awards (didn't win): On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
3. Small publisher: Tender
4. Relationship between humans/animals: Dogs of War
5. Recommended by a public figure: Don't Call Us Dead
6. Steal from someone else: Network Effect
7. Makes you wonder: Triangulum
8. Fits a past SFFBC nomination theme: Borderline
9. #ownvoices: The Way of Thorn and Thunder
10. Won a smaller or regional award: Her Body and Other Parties
11. What a title?!: The Trans Space Octopus Congregation: Stories
12. Published in a memorable year: The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf
13. #relatable: Armed In Her Fashion
14. Seven or Twenty: The Tiger Flu
15. Dialect, slang, or pidgin languages: Lagoon
16. Pushing the boundaries: For colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
17. The next [insert popular series here]: David Mogo, Godhunter
18. LOLed IRL: The Affair of the Mysterious Letter
19. Seen in an ad or on social media: The City We Became
20. Hindsight is 20/20: Trace: Memory, History, Race and the American Land

Reasons for my picks:
(view spoiler)[1. Privacy is a major concern when it comes to queer healthcare.
2. Nominated for the National Book Award, the Kirkus Prize, and GR Choice Award
3. Small Beer Press
4. Dogs and Adrian Tchaikovsky! This book has been on my TBR for ages, and I finally got my library to order it from ILL for me.
5. recommended by Noname
6. double steal - stolen from Meredith who stole it from Anna!
7. What genre is this? What is it about? What does the title mean?
8. Mental health in fantasy
9. written by an indigenous author about indigenous experiences
10. won the Bisexual Book Award for Fiction in 2017
11. Trans! Space! Octopus! Congregation!?
12. the year I graduated college
13. Grumpy, angry ladies are relatable AF
14. I set my tbr shelf on random and picked the 20th book on the 7th page
15. Much of the dialogue is written in Nigerian dialect
16. The format is pushing my boundaries, and the content is boundary-pushing in general
17. The next American Gods
18. The blurb for this book is ridiculous and wonderful, and Alexis Hall is definitely a writer who can make me laugh
19. this has been all over my Twitter
20. exploring more hidden aspects of American history through the lens on the physical landscape (hide spoiler)]

I'm having lots of fun looking at how everyone is getting around the prompts! I already see some excellent options for stealing, too!

Anna wrote: "I'm having lots of fun looking at how everyone is getting around the prompts! I already see some excellent options for stealing, too!"

I'm going with Shannara for this one, since people always say Brooks stole the whole story from Tolkien (and I wanted to read it to my boys anyway)

ETA: Raucous, I love what you did with prompt 17, I may nick this (or does that mean I have it to use for the stealing prompt XD)

Gabi wrote: "...I may nick this (or does that mean I have it to use for the stealing prompt XD)"

There are so many ideas here already! I feel like I will be putting together my whole list so it could fit category #6 too <:D Will def have to nick those award ones anyway.

Number 15 looks like it'll be tough too, indeed.

Anthony wrote: "...12. Published in a memorable year Luck in the Shadows..."

Aww, pushing this on to the next year again? (Loving the reason for it though). I was just checking yesterday how I'll manage to fit this into this week's reading.


Oh, yeah. Does an already started read count? I'm something like 10 pages into a book, which I could carry over here XD

Edwin wrote: "13. #relatable
--Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho
--This is absolutely and completely relatable because I am going there next year (Ljubljana)"

You managed to alarm me for a second there! :o


Petar wrote: "I've decided that my reading next year should be a little more closely related to my work (historical research so that's hardly a chore) so I still want to participate in the challenge, but I think I may be playing a little fast and loose with the definition of 'SFF'; ie, ignoring it completely"

This challenge isn't just for SFF, any book from your TBR (real or imaginary) counts!


Meredith wrote: "6. Steal from someone else: Network Effect, thanks Anna!"

Hey, give that back, I need it!


Jemppu wrote: "Does an already started read count? I'm something like 10 pages into a book, which I could carry over here"

Sure, if you finish it in 2020!

I'll give this challenge a second try in 2020. I completely forgot about all the challenges here. Signing up is starting from January 1st?

Anna wrote: "...Sure, if you finish it in 2020!..."

Great! I will accept to be flogged, if I won't manage that <:D

Saar The Book owl wrote: "Signing up is starting from January 1st?"

Yes, all the challenges will open on the 1st!