SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Lights! Cameras. Fashion! Say YES to your TBR! Match beautiful books to our peerless prompts. We love when folks share what inspired them to pair a book and a prompt in this thread!


1. Welcome to the Red Carpet
2. Suit Up
3. All That Glitters
4. Let Your Hair Down
5. Special Effects
6. Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other
7. Strike a Pose
8. Bohemian
9. Global Inspiration
10. Dime a Dozen
11. Slay
12. Twelfth
13. Cottagecore
14. Oh! the Horrors
15. Punk vs Prep
16. Organic vs Synthetic
17. Modern vs Traditional
18. Avant-garde
19. Bold Look
20. Loungewear

Sign up for the challenge here on January 1st.
Other challenges in here.
Personal challenge threads here.
Find all the different ways to see what's on the group shelf in Current Events.
Challenge on TSG: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading...

this one, as per usual, is wonderfully tricky trying to find/twist a book to meet the prompt

Yay! This is always a fun challenge, and starting to try and find some matches for the prompt has been a nice distraction. So far, I'm leaning heavily on cover art and title words for matches.

As always, I can’t help myself, and plan to participate in this challenge. I will be considering my choices later on this month. For the time being this is just my reserve space.

Nothing to see yet, so I put it behind spoiler tags, so you can just scroll on past!
(view spoiler)[
1. Welcome to the Red Carpet
2. Suit Up -The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
3. All That Glitters
4. Let Your Hair Down
5. Special Effects
6. Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other - The Worlds of Clifford Simak: Six Science Fiction Stories from the Original Edition
7. Strike a Pose
8. Bohemian
9. Global Inspiration
10. Dime a Dozen
11. Slay Rivers of London
12. Twelfth Twelve: Poems Inspired by the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale OR The Midnight Circus
13. Cottagecore
14. Oh! the Horrors
15. Punk vs Prep
16. Organic vs Synthetic
17. Modern vs Traditional
18. Avant-garde
19. Bold Look
20. Loungewear
(hide spoiler)]

Oh gosh, this time the challenge is in finding the books that fit the prompts, rather than in reading. But I'll do my best.

1. Welcome to the Red Carpet - Venomous Lumpsucker - winner of the Arthur C. Clarke award
✔️ 2. Suit Up - Iron Widow - Chrysalis is a hell of a suit
✔️ 3. All That Glitters - The Outskirter's Secret - the Guidestar glitter and shine, and they call our heroes to a quest
4. Let Your Hair Down
5. Special Effects - Shards of Earth - just look at the blowing up planet on the cover!
6. Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other
7. Strike a Pose - Steelheart - the dude on the cover is definitely striking a pose
8. Bohemian
9. Global Inspiration - The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language - English is a global language and a tool of inspiration of our favourite writers
10. Dime a Dozen - Alien Clay - convicts are thrown into ravenous ecosystem with no regard to their lives
11. Slay
12. Twelfth - Storm Front - the twelfth book on the group shelf
✔️ 13. Cottagecore - The Spellshop - the cottage on the cover and it seems like the content also fits
14. Oh! the Horrors - Fairy Tale - well, King... I'm scared even to start reading
15. Punk vs Prep - Snow Crash - cyberpunk, I'm very new to the genre, what should I be prepared for?
16. Organic vs Synthetic - The Prey of Gods - AI/robots and humans
17. Modern vs Traditional
18. Avant-garde - Neuromancer - the revolutionary first cyberpunk novel
✔️ 19. Bold Look - Skyward - Spensa looks very bold standing there in the midst of chaos
20. Loungewear - The Farthest Shore - Le Guin is as cozy and comfortable as it gets for me

Challenge on TSG added in first post!

This will be a challenge on finding books that fit the description. Bring it on!
1. Welcome to the Red Carpet
2. Suit Up
3. All That Glitters
4. Let Your Hair Down
5. Special Effects
6. Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other
7. Strike a Pose
8. Bohemian
9. Global Inspiration
10. Dime a Dozen
11. Slay
12. Twelfth
13. Cottagecore
14. Oh! the Horrors
15. Punk vs Prep
16. Organic vs Synthetic
17. Modern vs Traditional
18. Avant-garde
19. Bold Look
20. Loungewear

I'm stuck on

7. Strike a Pose
18. Avant-garde but have some possibilities here if the price goes down on one of them
20. Loungewear

Loungewear can be any book labeled as cozy.

hmmm, used up my one cosy for 4. Let Your Hair Down I'll have to see if I own another one of that type

I'll probably tinker with this some more, but it's a start.

1. Welcome to the Red Carpet:
Redshirts (Hugo Award; also red cover)
2. Suit Up:
Thieftaker (He's looking very dressy in his uniform.)
3. All That Glitters:
Space Opera (It has a glitter ball on the cover!)
4. Let Your Hair Down:
Magic Burns (On the cover, the woman has long hair hanging loose and free.)
5. Special Effects:
Sunrise on the Reaping (I'm sure the Gamemaker will make sure there are lots of special effects to thrill the audience and make life difficult for the tributes.)
6. Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (sixth book in the series AND it has the word half in the title)
7. Strike a Pose:
Legends & Lattes (They look like they're striking a pose to me!)
8. Bohemian:
The Picture of Dorian Gray (seems very artsy and bohemian to me)
9. Global Inspiration:
The War of the Worlds (global = world)
10. Dime a Dozen:
Pawn of Prophecy (In fantasy, characters who are chosen ones are dime a dozen, but I don't mind.)
11. Slay:
Rivers of London (murder mystery)
12. Twelfth:
On a Red Station, Drifting (released December 2012)
13. Cottagecore:
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries (This sounds like cottagecore in book form to me.)
14. Oh! the Horrors:
A Cosmology of Monsters (guy can see monsters)
15. Punk vs Prep:
Storm Front (Harry Dresden vs. authority)
16. Organic vs Synthetic:
The Caves of Steel (human and robot)
17. Modern vs Traditional:
Snowspelled (woman with modern ideas in a traditional society)
18. Avant-garde:
The Left Hand of Darkness (It was pretty cutting edge at the time of its release.)
19. Bold Look:
The Automatic Detective (lots of cool, bold colors on the cover)
20. Loungewear:
Baking Bad (A cozy mystery with dragons! Cozies are loungewear in book form.)

I'm going to make a list even though by now I know I am likely to fail in spectacular fashion.

1. Welcome to the Red Carpet - The Way of Kings (buzzy book, but also I think you'd roll out a red carpet for a king, right?)
2. Suit Up - Iron Widow or Heavenbreaker (People riding/driving Mech "suits" into battle?)
3. All That Glitters - All That Glitters: A Story of Friendship, Fraud, and Fine Art (the prompt is the title of the book!)
4. Let Your Hair Down - Oathbringer (girl on cover has her hair down)
5. Special Effects - Wind and Truth (looks like special effects on the cover...)
6. Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other The Last Murder at the End of the World (synonyms [last and end] in title) or Ways and Means
7. Strike a Pose - Words of Radiance (guy on the cover is striking a pose)
8. Bohemian - It Will Only Hurt for a Moment (book has an isolated artist colony, seems bohemian)
9. Global Inspiration - All the Water in the World (world/global)
10. Dime a Dozen - The Family Experiment (there are a dozen people/figures on the cover)
11. Slay - The Summer I Ate the Rich or I Was a Teenage Slasher (literally, slay)
12. Twelfth - Through the Midnight Door or The Helm of Midnight or Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil (midnight is the twelfth hour)
13. Cottagecore - Someone You Can Build a Nest In (this is as close to cottagecore or cozy as i come)
14. Oh! the Horrors - The Staircase in the Woods (horror novel)
15. Punk vs Prep - Beautiful Ugly (opposites/antonyms in the title because punk and prep are opposing styles)
16. Organic vs Synthetic - We Lived on the Horizon (Organic humans living with/being ruled by AI, also there is a bio-prosthetic surgeon in the book)
17. Modern vs Traditional - Too Old for This (old woman, modern day)
18. Avant-garde - Sky Daddy (if a woman falling in love with a plane isn't avant garde I don't know what is)
19. Bold Look - Rhythm of War (I think this cover is bold?)
20. Loungewear - or (lounging women on the cover)

Here's what I got so far... will think on it this week, and try hard to fit in as many fantasy science fiction showdown challenge books too

Planned reads:
(view spoiler)[
1. Welcome to the Red Carpet
☐ The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
➡ The TV series based on the book won a lot of awards, including an Emmy (with a Red Carpet event). Also, if you squint, she looks like she's walking a red carpet on the cover of this edition.

2. Suit Up
☐ Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames
➡ Every mercenary needs a suit of armor

3. All That Glitters
☐ Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey
➡ ...might not be a vampire, but it could be a golden dragon

7. Strike a Pose
☐ Black Sky Morning by Hanna Dare
➡... like a topless guy on a romance novel cover!
(hide spoiler)]

Read 8/20:

4. Let Your Hair Down
☑ Ice by Anna Kavan
➡ The female main character is repeatedly described as having long white hair

6. Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other
☑ Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
➡ Would it be worse to die in this reality show/arena, or to survive it?

9. Global Inspiration
☑ Throwing Sparks by igsygrace
➡ Katniss and Peeta inspired a country-wide revolution

11. Slay
☑ The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook by Matt Dinniman
➡ So much monster slaying

12. Twelfth
☑ Peeta's Games by igsygrace
➡ Main characters are the tributes from District 12

17. Modern vs Traditional
☐ Villains Are Destined to Die by Gwon Gyeoeul
➡ The MC is thrown from modern Korea to a world which loosely resembles any monarchical society in Europe's past, with more traditional societal roles and hierarchies.

18. Avant-garde
☑ Black No More by George S. Schuyler
➡ Was considered avant-garde at the time it was published

19. Bold Look
☑ Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman
➡ Carl runs around wearing a t-shirt, a leather jacket, and boxers with a heart pattern, with no shoes and a toe ring.

Sarah wrote: "I'm going to make a list even though by now I know I am likely to fail in spectacular fashion. "

It's only a failure if you don't try! At least I keep telling myself that 😅

2025 TBR Cleanup Challenge

1. Welcome to the Red Carpet
2. Suit Up 02/24/25
3. All That Glitters
4. Let Your Hair Down 05/16/2025
5. Special Effects
6. Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other
7. Strike a Pose
01/10/2025
8. Bohemian
9. Global Inspiration
10. Dime a Dozen
11. Slay
12. Twelfth
13. Cottagecore
14. Oh! the Horrors
15. Punk vs Prep
16. Organic vs Synthetic
17. Modern vs Traditional
18. Avant-garde
19. Bold Look
20. Loungewear

mine for this 2025 TBR Cleanup Challenge

1. Welcome to the Red Carpet = The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis
Reason =stars of the TV series made from this book walked the red carpet for the Emmys (won 6)
2. Suit Up = Saturation Point by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Reason = special suits required to survive in the Zone
3. All That Glitters = Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi
Reason = fighting over a discovery of jewels
4. Let Your Hair Down = Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
Reason =I could say it's because Bald (in the author's name) is the opposite of hair, but Viv needs to let her hair down and relax after being injured
5. Special Effects = I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
Reason =won an Oscar for Visual Effects for the movie based on this book
6. Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other = Finder by Emma Bull
Reason =main character is male or female depending on the people interacting with them
7. Strike a Pose = The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu
Reason = 12 figures on the cover striking poses
8. Bohemian = Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town by Cory Doctorow
Reason = the main character is a middle-aged entrepreneur who moves to a bohemian neighborhood of Toronto.
9. Global Inspiration = Radicalized by Cory Doctorow
Reason = four science fiction novellas connected by social, technological, and economic visions of today and what America could be in the near, near future.
10. Dime a Dozen = Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Reason = disposable convicts are a dime a dozen
11. Slay = Godkiller by Hannah Kaner
Reason = slay = kill and they're killing gods in this book
12. Twelfth = Fledgling by Sharon Lee
Reason = couldn't find anything else with a 12 and it's the 12th book in the series
13. Cottagecore = The Green Man's War by Juliet E. McKenna
Reason = Main character is a proponent of cottagecore
14. Oh! the Horrors = Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes
Reason = If you're desperate freelance journalist Jonno, you do whatever it takes to get the exclusive on a horrific story.
15. Punk vs Prep = The Dreaming Place by Charles de Lint
Reason = Goth pre-teen vs "regular" pre-teen
16. Organic vs Synthetic = Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Reason = Organic (human) vs Synthetic (robot or robots)
17. Modern vs Traditional = The Lost Cause by Cory Doctorow
Reason = Modern Youth against their MAGA elders
18. Avant-garde = Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Reason = comes up on several lists of avant-garde/cyberpunk books and will be first read in Kindle format
19. Bold Look = Dressed for Death by Donna Leon
Reason = corpse (male) is dressed in a rather bold red dress and shoes
20. Loungewear = Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
Reason = suggestion was made to go for a cozy book here and this looks to be one

Seeing the books and the reasons for them is always a highlight of my year <3

Allison wrote: "Seeing the books and the reasons for them is always a highlight of my year <3"

some of us a stretching the reasons to their furthest extents....

It's brilliant. Your imaginations are fun to see meet logic ^^

Okay, here is my first pass at matching the prompts. I will inevitably change some, but I feel pretty good about these so far.

5/20

1. Welcome to the Red Carpet - Red Seas Under Red Skies, red seas, red skies, red cover, red carpets!
reading 2. Suit Up - The Unkindest Tide, selkies must suit up in their sealskins.
3. All That Glitters - Radiance, all the gold details on the gorgeous cover
4. Let Your Hair Down - Cold Fire, cover art the woman has a long curl of hair dangling down
✔️5. Special Effects - Cold Days, Harry Dresden always gets up to some special effects
6. Six of One ... Half a Dozen of the Other - A Brush with Shadows, sixth in the series
✔️7. Strike a Pose - Dragonshadow, absolutely a pose on the cover,
✔️8. Bohemian - A Cat By Any Other Name, MC is an actress and there's other arty people Femme Fatale, a mystery staring Irene Adler who we first met in "A Scandal in Bohemia" and I realize she is not Bohemian, but this is the best I got.
9. Global Inspiration - Crucible of Gold, Temeraire & co. are constantly boating all over the world
10. Dime a Dozen - Birds of America: Stories, there are 12 stories and I got the book for cheap (cheep) at the library used book sale, though not for an actual dime
11. Slay - A Tyranny of Queens, slay queens, slay.
reading 12. Twelfth - Grave Goods, story set in the 12th century
✔️13. Cottagecore - Game of Scones, next in a cozy series set in the English country side with plenty of cottages.
14. Oh! the Horrors - Jane Slayre: The Literary Classic with a Blood-Sucking Twist, plenty of horrors needing to be slayed
✔️15. Punk vs Prep - Fiddlehead, steam punk and they are against some baddies, obviously
16. Organic vs Synthetic - Divine Endurance, MCs are apparently androids supposedly helping people….
✔️ 17. Modern vs Traditional - Moonshine, modern 1920s girl, traditional magic
✔️ 18. Avant-garde - The Girl in the Road, described as original and inventive, seems avant-garde to me
19. Bold Look - A Gathering of Shadows, bold cover art including a very striking outfit
20. Loungewear - Justice Hall, Mary is always wearing smoking jackets and holding a pipe on the covers in this edition

Some of these prompts made me really question if I could match them to my TBR. Fortunately, I have a list that I am looking forward to reading this year.

1. Welcome to the Red Carpet - Stars Collide by Rachel Lacey. Reason: Newbie pop singer ends up working with the singer that made her want to become a star.
2. Suit Up –The Martian Contingency by Mary Robinette Kowal. Reason: Spacesuits on cover. 5 stars
3. All That Glitters - Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao. Reason: The cover looks like it glitters.
4. Let Your Hair Down – The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean. Reason: Character on cover has long hair.
5. Special Effects – Children of Time by Adrien Tchaikovsky. Reason: Cover looks like it’s created using special FX.
6. Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other - The Six: The Extraordinary Story of the Grit and Daring of America's First Women Astronauts by Loren Grush. Reason: Non-fiction book about six female astronauts.
7. Strike a Pose – The Unbroken by CL Clark. Reason: The character on the cover looks like he’s posing for a photo.
8. Bohemian – Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Reason: A theater troupe living in a dystopia is pretty bohemian.
9. Global Inspiration- Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress. Reason: Fallout after a Global experiment forces The Sleepless off Earth. 4 star
10. Dime a Dozen– Witches Abroad by PTerry. Reason: 12th book in a series you could find very cheaply in used bookstores.
11. Slay – Walking Practice by Dolki Min. Reason: Stranded alien has to kill to survive.
12. Twelfth – The World We Make by NK Jemisen. This is her twelfth novel/a.
13. Cottagecore - The Very Secret Society of Irregular WitchesReason: Cozy witchy vibes.
14. Oh! the Horrors– Monster, She Wrote by Lisa Kroger. Reason: Non-fiction about the women who pioneered horror.
15. Punk vs Prep– Bunny: A Novelby Mona Awad. Reason: Outsider becomes entangled with rich girls at a college.
16. Organic vs Synthetic – Emergent Properties by Aimee Ogden. Reason: AI reporter must go against humans to find the truth.
17. Modern vs Traditional - Elegy for the Undeadby Matthew Vesely. Reason: new twist on the zombie trope.
18. Avant-garde - Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson. Reason: Afro-futurism was very avant-garde when this was published in 1998.
19. Bold Look - Atomic Anna by Rachel Barenbaum. Reason: Bold red cover and font is in bold type.
20. Loungewear – Role Playing by Cathy Yardley. Reason: Couple cozily lounging on a couch.

Once again, thank you Mods for some delightful prompts! I believe we can all make it work, because everything looks good with confidence.
I really had to stretch the spandex with some of these, but I dress to impress myself and I’ll just have to see what fits this year.
12/20 - updated: 2025/08/30

1. Welcome to the Red Carpet - *Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb - kicks off with a newly awakened ship, a debut if you will.
2. Suit Up - *How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu - time travel seems like something to suit up for.
3. All That Glitters - *Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly - ... is not gold.
4. Let Your Hair Down - *The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry - I have the book with Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston on the cover, and though it's not “down,” their hair looks oh so stylishly windblown.
5. Special Effects - *Witch and Wombat by Carolyn Cushman - Fantasy land tourism.
6. Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other - *The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake - …six. ::shrug::
7. Strike a Pose - *The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods - About characters taking control of their own lives.
8. Bohemian - y’all, as of now, I got nothing. Excited to see what others choose for this prompt. (Technically, Amberlough could probably fit here, so things might shift later.)
9. Global Inspiration - *The Obelisk Gate by N..K. Jemisin - The trilogy is partially inspired by climate change.
10. Dime a Dozen - *Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard - Based on the description, zombies are suddenly a dime a dozen.
11. Slay - *Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley - Crosley’s essays always slay so I have high hopes for her fiction.
12. Twelfth - Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson - I looked this one up. Twelfth refers to a piece of clothing that can be worn all year around. Sanderson did that year of Sanderson thing in 2023.
13. Cottagecore - *Small Town, Big Magic by Hazel Beck - some small town chic, maybe some magic, maybe some cottages.
14. Oh! the Horrors - *Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer - not to be dismissive, but assistant jobs are often horrific, in any field.
15. Punk vs Prep - *This Savage Song by Victoria E. Schwab - There’s something very teen about this prompt.
16. Organic vs Synthetic - *The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - Meaty human seeks [meets] engineered being. A scifi meet cute.
17. Modern vs Traditional - The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan - I… have no reason for this. It just feels like it fits.
18. Avant-garde- *Nova by Samuel R. Delany - Delaney is avant-garde.
19. Bold Look - *Starter Villain by John Scalzi - Becoming a villain is a bold new look. And there’s a cat in a suit on the cover. :)
20. Loungewear - *How to Stop Time by Matt Haig - Immortal MC just wants to chill out and just teach history to high schoolers (which, TBH, doesn't sound that relaxing).

1/20

1. Welcome to the Red Carpet
2. Suit Up
3. All That Glitters

✔4. Let Your Hair Down: Twisted: The Tangled History of Black Hair Culture Title speaks for itself. Probably the most perfect literal match I will have for this challenge

5. Special Effects
6. Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other
7. Strike a Pose
8. Bohemian
9. Global Inspiration
10. Dime a Dozen
11. Slay
12. Twelfth
13. Cottagecore
14. Oh! the Horrors
15. Punk vs Prep
16. Organic vs Synthetic
17. Modern vs Traditional
18. Avant-garde
19. Bold Look
20. Loungewear

I always love the prompts for this one.

⬜1. Welcome to the Red Carpet
Bury Your Gays
It's got Hollywood. It's got an Oscar nomination. It's got Chuck Tingle. It's got a bloody axe on the cover over Malibu. It's perfect.
⬜2. Suit Up
⬜3. All That Glitters
⬜4. Let Your Hair Down
The Red Tree
Entirely for loose tresses of the woman on this terrible cover.
⬜5. Special Effects
A Haunting on the Hill
A play staged at Hill House - I do have a dozen other cursed film type books on my hope-to-get-to list if this one fails to cinch the prompt.
⬜6. Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other
Demon
The sixth and final book in the Six Stories series. Not SFF, but otherwise perfect.
⬜7. Strike a Pose
Borne
I just see The Thinker every time I look at this cover. Am I the only one?
⬜8. Bohemian
What Feasts at Night
Tentative about this one, but the return of the Sworn Soldier to their fictional European homeland feels like the right vibe.
⬜9. Global Inspiration
Crossfire
Speculative fiction in translation.
⬜10. Dime a Dozen
The Saint of Bright Doors
Pure happenstance; I was about to slot this elsewhere when I read this under the summary: "After a blood-soaked childhood, Fetter escaped his rural hometown for the big city, and fell into a broader world where divine destinies are a dime a dozen."
⬜11. Slay
Into the Drowning Deep
Killer mermaids! What more could you need?
⬜12. Twelfth
⬜13. Cottagecore
Build Your House Around My Body
I believe this is a ghost story, but the title is too perfect.
⬜14. Oh! the Horrors
⬜15. Punk vs Prep
⬜16. Organic vs Synthetic
All Systems Red
Murderbot seems like the natural choice, here.
⬜17. Modern vs Traditional
Bride of the Rat God
Just a wild guess here, but I think this will be directly on point.
⬜18. Avant-garde
Oryx and Crake
Slotting this experiment gone wrong here while I try to remember that perfect book I saw just the other day...
⬜19. Bold Look
Our Share of Night
That cover, those nails, yes!
⬜20. Loungewear

on sale today and considered avant-garde = The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin for $2.99 on amazon.com

✅ 1. Welcome to the Red Carpet - Point of Dreams - mystery set in a theater
✅ 2. Suit Up - Shockwave - the characters have to wear protective gear to traverse areas without atmosphere or other hazards
✅ 3. All That Glitters- The Gilded Page: The Secret Lives of Medieval Manuscripts - sometimes what glitters is actually gold
✅ 4. Let Your Hair Down - Long Live Evil - Rae casts aside any inhibitions and chooses to be her authentic self; the villain
✅ 5. Special Effects - Unnatural Magic - one of the characters uses illusion magic
✅ 6. Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other- Not Till We Are Lost - Most of the characters are replicants based on a single original human mind.
✅ 7. Strike a Pose - Icarus -The protagonist is an artist who likes to do portraits.
✅ 8. Bohemian - What Doesn’t Break - The protagonist makes dolls and puppets from things like scraps of cloth, bones, and a dead rat. Bohemian? Maybe, but it's definitely unconventional art.
✅ 9. Global Inspiration - The Emperor and the Endless Palace - based on Chinese history and folklore
✅ 10. Dime a Dozen - A Vile Season - twelve characters on the cover
✅ 11. Slay - The Dead Cat Tail Assassins - assassins slay plenty of people in the book
✅ 12. Twelfth- Crimes Against Magic - published in 2012
✅ 13. Cottagecore - The Spellshop - cozy cottage in the woods
✅ 14. Oh! the Horrors - Alien Clay - scifi with elements of body horror
✅ 15. Punk vs Prep - The Cleveland Heights LGBTQ Sci-Fi and Fantasy Role Playing Club - Several characters have to make choices about who they want to be vs. how others perceive them.
✅ 16. Organic vs Synthetic - The Fever King - main character is a technopath, able to manipulate computers, electronics, and metal objects with magic powers
✅ 17. Modern vs Traditional - Empress of the Nile: The Daredevil Archaeologist Who Saved Egypt's Ancient Temples from Destruction - biography of the Egyptologist who was largely responsible for the efforts to relocate Nubian temples when the Aswan High Dam was constructed
✅ 18. Avant-garde - Genuine Fraud - the story is told backwards with each chapter set days or weeks before the previous chapter
✅ 19. Bold Look - The Thorn of Dentonhill - a vigilante has to create a bold and daring persona to hide his true identity
✅ 20. Loungewear- Carl's Doomsday Scenario - Carl is stuck wearing the boxers he used to sleep in

2025 is the year I get back to reading/listening to fantasy and science fiction.

1. Welcome to the Red Carpet

don’t mess with this Sister. Nominee for reader’s best fantasy 2017, first in a series.

2. Suit Up
3. All That Glitters
4. Let Your Hair Down
5. Special Effects
6. Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other
7. Strike a Pose
8. Bohemian
9. Global Inspiration

10. Dime a Dozen
I have read the writing is so bad. My used bookstore had dozens on the shelf. Got it for free with my bookstore credit.

11. Slay
12. Twelfth
13. Cottagecore

14. Oh! the Horrors
Lestat tells his story.
.
15. Punk vs Prep
16. Organic vs Synthetic

17. Modern vs Traditional
old school gods vs new.

18. Avant-garde
19. Bold Look
20. Loungewear

I couldn’t resist signing up for this again, even though I failed to complete the 2024 challenge. (I’m going to continue reading those books, with a few substitutions.)

1. Welcome to the Red Carpet - Vermilion Sands Vermilion is red
2. Suit Up - Have Space Suit—Will Travel
3. All That Glitters - The Gold Coast
4. Let Your Hair Down - Space Chantey. loosely based on the Odyssey, but Lafferty was pretty informal
5. Special Effects - Experimental Film
6. Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other - The Spare Man Based partly on Hammett’s The Thin Man, which I recently reread. The idea of a second book that might be seen as a version of an earlier one seems to fit the prompt.
7. Strike a Pose - Skinflick Murder mystery from 1980 set in the world of the California porn industry. Guessing there is some posing involved.
8. Bohemian - The Dharma Bums Kerouac in 1950s bohemian San Francisco
9. Global Inspiration - Osama Notorious terrorist who may have been inspiring to some.
10. Dime a Dozen - In Milton Lumky Territory - protagonist is a salesman
11. Slay - Deathworld 1
12. Twelfth - Station Eleven Start counting at 0
13. Cottagecore - This Census-Taker. Protagonist lives in an isolated house
14. Oh! the Horrors - The Long Loud Silence. unpleasant scenes in post-disaster USA
15. Punk vs Prep - The Magic Walking Stick.
Privileged kid home from boarding school acquires magical object.
16. Organic vs Synthetic - The Simulacra. Humans and androids.
17. Modern vs Traditional - Last Men in London Human descendant from the far future critiques humanity in 1932
18. Avant-garde - Divine Invasions: A Life of Philip K. Dick . Was Dick an “avant-garde” writer? I don’t know, I’m sure a case could be made. I want to reread this biography.
19. Bold Look - The Blue Star. Individual in cover illustration has a bold look on his face.
20. Loungewear - Scales of Justice. An old fashioned cozy English village mystery.

OK, here is mine - I had a hard time finding ones to fit for some of the categories, so I may make changes as I read next year:

1. Welcome to the Red Carpet: The Nightward by RSA Garcia (child character is thrust into role of Queen)
2. Suit Up: either Squire by Nadia Shammas (main character trains to be a knight) or Spear by Nicola Griffith (main character goes on a quest)
3. All That Glitters: We Speak Through the Mountain by Premee Mohamed (takes place in utopian "dome city" in dystopian world)
4. Let Your Hair Down: The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende (book cover has a woman with her hair down)
5. Special Effects: A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett (antagonist has impossible powers)
6. Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other: The Family Tree by Sheri S Tepper (two parallel plots)
7. Strike a Pose: Downbelow Station by CJ Cherryh (characters have to take a stance in fight for independence)
8. Bohemian: Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman (unconventional main character)
9. Global Inspiration: The Water Outlaws by SL Huang (inspired by a classic martial arts tale from China)
10. Dime a Dozen: Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire (#10 - dime - in Wayward Children series)
11. Slay: Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson (title says it all)
12. Twelfth: Twelve Kinds of Ice by Ellen Bryan Obed
13. Cottagecore: The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst (description calls it a cottagecore cozy fantasy)
14. Oh! the Horrors: A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters (the title :-)
15. Punk vs Prep: Death in Delft by Graham Brack (university cleric tries to solve murder & disappearance of town girls)
16. Organic vs Synthetic: City by Clifford Simak (characters include robots & humans & dogs)
17. Modern vs Traditional: The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman (widow decides to become a CIA agent)
18. Avant-garde: The Crown Conspiracy by Michael J Sullivan (description says there will be swordfighting - en garde! I realize this kind of a stretch, but it was the best I could do)
19. Bold Look: Eyes of the Void by Adrian Tchaikovsky (character must boldly look in unspace for the solution)
20. Loungewear: The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong (cozy story)

1. Welcome to the Red Carpet
the book eaters
2. Suit Up
the thousand names
number three all that glitters
lies across America
4. Let Your Hair Down

across the Nightingale floor
5. Special Effects
trader at sky hauled
6. Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other
beware of chicken number four
seven strike a pose
Empire of silence
eight bohemian
silent Lee
9. Global Inspiration
the Mongols coffin
10. Dime a Dozen
contagion of zombies
11. Slay
shards of earth
12. Twelfth
Jade city
13. Cottagecore
station 11
14. Oh! the Horrors
the path of thorns
15. Punk vs Prep
the last shadow night
16. Organic vs Synthetic
recon Marines
17. Modern vs Traditional
stone thieves
18. Avant-garde
adrift
19. Bold Look
starlight sarcasm
20. Long where
tipping the scales
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first change

18. Avant-garde = Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson Replaced by The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

This is definitely my favourite challenge of the year, every year. The best part is trying to interpret the themes and to find the books that fit them. The second best part is trying to bend myself backwards to fit the books I actually end up reading into the prompts in order to finish the challenge. My "shortlist" TBR is over 300 books long, so I definitely have a good pool of books to choose from.

Progress: 14/20

✅ 1. Welcome to the Red Carpet: Redshirts
("Red" in the title.)

✅ 2. Suit Up: Vengeful
("Suit up" phrase is associated with superheroes, and this series is about supervillains.)

✅ 3. All That Glitters: Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales
(Fearie characters often have jewels in their hair and clothing.)

☐ 4. Let Your Hair Down: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
(Book 2 in a lighthearted and entertaining series.)

🔄 5. Special Effects: Abaddon’s Gate
(Each novel in the series is very explosive.)

✅ 6. Six of One... Half a Dozen of the Other: The Ink Black Heart
(Book 6 in a series.)

✅ 7. Strike a Pose: The Night Circus
(Striking a final pose is integral to circus performances.)

✅ 8. Bohemian: Frankenstein: The 1818 Text
(High on the list of bohemian must-reads.)

✅ 9. Global Inspiration: My Brilliant Friend
(A novel translated from Italian.)

✅ 10. Dime a Dozen: The Slippery Slope
(The villains and snow gnats are a dime a dozen.)

✅ 11. Slay: Gardens of the Moon
(The novel begins with a carnage.)

✅ 12. Twelth: Mockingjay
(Katniss comes from District 12.)

✅ 13. Cottagecore: The Spellshop
(Described as "a lush cottagecore tale".)

☐ 14. Oh! the Horrors: Overgrowth
(A horror novel.)

✅ 15. Punk vs. Prep: Neuromancer
(Cyberpunk genre.)

✅ 16. Organic vs. Synthetic: Service Model
(The main character is a robot butler.)

✅ 17. Modern vs. Traditional: Iron Widow
(Ancient China with archaic traditions, but also with transforming mechas.)

☐ 18. Avant-garde: Perdido Street Station
(Mieville's weid fiction is sometimes described as stylistically avant-garde.)

☐ 19. Bold Look: Hyperion
(I have a stunning edition from the Broken Binding.)

☐ 20. Loungewear: The Lathe of Heaven
(Involves dreaming.)

Great choices, Banshee!

Question: does the TBR Clean Up need to be bookshelf books, or can it be any book on our tbr that's sff related?

any book and other genres are accepted (or have in the past)

2025 SFFB TBR Cleanup Challenge

I will post as I go, using books from my tbr acquired before the new year.

Books Read: 20/20

✔ Welcome to the Red Carpet - Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher - 01.04.2025 [red carpet worn as red cape on goblin warrior]
✔ Suit Up - Lightfall by Ed Crocker - 01.06.2025 [Sage the Sorcerer suits up in a metallic armor that rivals that worn by Robocop or Gort]
✔ All That Glitters - Fog & Fireflies by T.H. Lehnen - 01.18.2025 [fireflies glitter and help to scatter the fog that contains monsters]
✔ Let Your Hair Down - The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar by Indra Das - 01.15.2025 [lots of hair play in the book as mc gets his hair taken up and down in braids and ponytails]
✔ Special Effects - Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi - 01.09.2025 [star celebrity Michelle Beck gets her head covered in latex for a special effects project]
✔ Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other - Salt Slow by Julia Armfield - 03.11.2025 [Collection is mixed bag, six stories of meh, half dozen of gems]
✔ Strike a Pose - White Is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi - 01.03.2025 [striking book cover with triple faces with a blank fashion model stare]
✔ Bohemian - Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - 02.12.2025 [Piranesi wears seashells and pebbles in his hair with a bohemian vibe]
✔ Global Inspiration - Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi - 02.08.2025 [set in West Africa city of Timbuktu and Yorubaland]
✔ Dime a Dozen - In the Vanishers’ Palace by Aliette de Bodard - 02.12.2025 [Yen is tossed out of her village as if she were another dime a dozen worthless peasant]
✔ Slay - A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers - 01.14.2025 [Food critic and cannibal killer who likes to cook and eat the organs of her boyfriends]
✔ Twelfth- Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill - 04.04.2025 [Book is published on 12th of September, 2017]
✔ Cottagecore - Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree - 01.11.2025
✔ Oh! the Horrors - Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez - 02.02.2025
✔ Punk vs Prep - The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark - 01.21.2025 [Eveen is a punk and Sky, her other self from a different timeline, is a prep]
✔ Organic vs Synthetic - The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard - 02.10.2025 [shipminds have a synthetic body and organic elements in their heart room]
✔ Modern vs Traditional - The Time Regulation Institute by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar - 01.25.2025 [absurdist satire of old Ottoman Istanbul vs. westernizing secular Istanbul as characters attempt to set all clocks and watches to western time]
✔ Avant-garde - Convergence Problems by Wole Talabi - 03.28.2025 [forward looking fashion in multiple stories of people acquiring electrically conductive skin, a robotic body, or an armored exoskeleton suit]
✔ Bold Look - Mother of Rome by Lauren J.A. Bear - 01.02.2025 [Rhea Silvia gets her head shaved when she becomes an initiate of the Vestal Virgins]
✔ Loungewear - Revelator by Daryl Gregory - 02.05.2025 [Stella makes a few appearances in her sleeping nightshirt]

CBRetriever is correct, any genre. Technically, the books need to come from your TBR list.

Melanie wrote: "CBRetriever is correct, any genre. Technically, the books need to come from your TBR list."

though I have been known to add some from my Amazon wish list as They would have eventually become part of my TBR list

CBRetriever wrote: "Melanie wrote: "CBRetriever is correct, any genre. Technically, the books need to come from your TBR list."

though I have been known to add some from my Amazon wish list as They would have eventua..."

Yes, I surely won't pull the books from someone else's TBR list. 😆😆

Starting to get sorted for the year. This is a good start. I often change it up, but here goes. I have done no real prep, just going off titles or short synopses to try to match these up.

1. Welcome to the Red Carpet Across the Nightingale Floor
2. Suit Up Leviathan Wakes (suit up to go underwater?)
3. All That Glitters Gatsby Girls
4. Let Your Hair Down The Windup Girl
5. Special Effects The House of the Spirits
6. Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other Six of Crows
7. Strike a Pose Magician
8. Bohemian Zodiac (an eco thriller - maybe slightly bohemian? it's a stretch)
9. Global Inspiration Cloud Atlas
10. Dime a Dozen Forty Thousand in Gehenna
11. Slay Legend
12. Twelfth Boneshaker (the clockwork century series)
13. Cottagecore Charmed Life
14. Oh! the Horrors The Suicide Collectors
15. Punk vs Prep Those Who Hunt the Night (oxford academian vs a vamp?)
16. Organic vs Synthetic Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles
17. Modern vs Traditional The Aeronaut's Windlass
18. Avant-garde Recursion
19. Bold Look The Stars Are Legion
20. Loungewear Island in the Sea of Time

It takes me sooo long to make a connection to my tbrs. I'm going to have to come back with additions as I get them in order.

1. Welcome to the Red Carpet
2. Suit Up
3. All That Glitters
4. Let Your Hair Down
5. Special Effects
6. Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other
7. Strike a Pose I Am a Cat
8. Bohemian
9. Global Inspiration
10. Dime a Dozen
11. Slay
12. Twelfth
13. Cottagecore
14. Oh! the Horrors
15. Punk vs Prep
16. Organic vs Synthetic
17. Modern vs Traditional
18. Avant-garde
19. Bold Look
20. Loungewear

SciFi and Fantasy Book Challenge >

Nike's TBR Cleanup Challenge

1. Welcome to the Red Carpet: Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
2. Suit Up: Orlando by Virginia Woolf
3. All That Glitters: The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
4. Let Your Hair Down: Circe by Madeline Miller
5. Special Effects: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
6. Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
7. Strike a Pose: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind
8. Bohemian: Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams
9. Global Inspiration: Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
10. Dime a Dozen: Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
11. Slay: Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
12. Twelfth: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
13. Cottagecore: The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis
14. Oh! the Horrors: Nattskräck by Rikard Slapak
15. Punk vs Prep: The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
16. Organic vs Synthetic: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
17. Modern vs Traditional: 1Q84 #2 by Haruki Murakami
18. Avant-garde: The Night Raven by Sarah Painter
19. Bold Look: The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
20. Loungewear: The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

finished the first one here (also under the Protagonists January Challenge in the SF vs F Challenge)

4. Let Your Hair Down = ✔️Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
Reason =I could say it's because Bald (in the author's name) is the opposite of hair, but Viv needs to let her hair down and relax after being injured

As far as 2024 challenges went, I failed most of them. Here’s to 2025 going better. Regardless, they inspire me to read more.

1. Welcome to the Red Carpet
2. Suit Up
The Last Gifts of the Universe by Riley August

3. All That Glitters
4. Let Your Hair Down
5. Special Effects
6. Six of One … Half a Dozen of the Other
7. Strike a Pose
8. Bohemian
9. Global Inspiration
10. Dime a Dozen
11. Slay
12. Twelfth
13. Cottagecore
14. Oh! the Horrors
15. Punk vs Prep
16. Organic vs Synthetic
17. Modern vs Traditional
18. Avant-garde
19. Bold Look
20. Loungewear

✔ Special Effects - Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi - 01.09.2025 [star celebrity Michelle Beck gets her head covered in latex for a special effects project]

19. Bold Look - Atomic Anna by Rachel Barenbaum. Reason: Bold red cover and font is in bold type.

13. Cottagecore- Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett. Reason: A cottage is the main setting in the book where the characters stay.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

A good start to the year.

✔️ ***** 13. Cottagecore - This Census-Taker

✔️ *** 14. Oh! the Horrors - The Long Loud Silence

✔️ **** 18. Avant-garde - Divine Invasions: A Life of Philip K. Dick

✔️ *** 20. Loungewear - Scales of Justice

One came to mind:
4. Let Your Hair Down - Rapunzel - A German fairy tale
... and maybe the musical > Hair .. was that a book before it became a musical?
... more later :-)

Dieter wrote: "One came to mind:
4. Let Your Hair Down - Rapunzel - A German fairy tale
... and maybe the musical > Hair .. was that a book before it became a musical?
... more later :-)"

let your hair down also means to relax so you could go with that meaning