SFFFCAT -- General Thread, Part Three, With Voting!

The time has come to vote on the monthly themes for the SFFFCAT. Please vote for no more than twelve, although voting is anonymous, so if you want to vote for more, no one will know, but it won't really help us narrow things down! Vote for fewer if you want. Voting does not commit you to anything because the CATs are optional.

Only YES votes will be counted. Voting will remain active for one week, closing at this time on October 2nd. After the voting closes, we will begin taking volunteers to host the chosen topics.

Feel free to make a case for your favorite themes. You can change your vote as often as you like until the deadline. Happy voting!

And for the following votes, please vote YES only once.

That's all, folks. Votes are tallied on October 2nd.

Question on 14. Do you have to read it in translation? I can get German science fiction easily in German, but not in English.

MarthaJeanne, that's entirely up to you. It sounds reasonable to me.

>7 RidgewayGirl: Vote: A monthly theme in the SFFFCAT should be Critters and Creatures -- SFFF Written before 1980

I think that 'SFFF Written before 1980' is due to a cut/copy ?

Thanks, electrice, for catching that. I've fixed it.

**excited!**

For the second set of votes, I said that the person hosting the month should be able to choose, but I hope they'll still consider input from the group.

E.g., if Supernatural/Paranormal gets chosen, I think it would be nice to do that one in October for Halloween, while if the Classics get chosen it would be nice to do that early in the year so that we have it as a foundation when reading later works.

>26 _Zoe_: I agree. I also think it would be good to coordinate with the HistoryCAT where it makes sense. For instance, both groups may have a theme of myths and legends.

>28 Samantha_kathy: High fantasy is Tolkien-esque stuff with elves, dwarves and the like.

>30 Samantha_kathy: Well, if there are dragons I'd say it could fit with c&c. I wouldn't classify elves and dwarves as critters or creatures...

>28 Samantha_kathy: : I personally would put high/epic fantasy in the category Off On a Quest.

....someone destined to slay the dragon/overcome evil/recover the lost magical thing and thus save their kingdom/village/family from eternal ruin

...a quest, a hero, a battle of good vs evil, an extensively detailed imaginary world, a large cast of characters

The Lord of the Rings is the ultimate example of high fantasy and a vast number of fantasy novels in the 80s and 90s were Tolkieneseque. High fantasy is what is what a lot of people think of when they think of fantasy but it's really only a tiny bit of what a "fantasy novel" can be.

I disagree that high fantasy has to have elves, dwarves, dragons, etc. It CAN but it doesn't HAVE TO.

Also, since Creatures & Critters is being defined as anything non-human, elves and dwarves do fit there.

>32 Her_Royal_Orangeness: Yeah, I'd probably put most high fantasy there too, but it depends. Like you said, a lot of it is mimicking Tolkien (LOTR is definitely "off on a quest"!) and so a lot of it is quest-stuff. But I'm sure there are those that aren't like that. I just can't think of any. (I'm not a huge fan of high fantasy, precisely because so much is Tolkien imitation, and so much of that imitation is BAD.)

I disagree that high fantasy has to have elves, dwarves, dragons, etc. It CAN but it doesn't HAVE TO.

Oh, absolutely. But that's probably the most common type out there.

I didn't know creatures and critters had been defined that way. Must have missed it. I'd define it as non-humanoid. Oh, well.

Epic fantasy is a very wide umbrella that can include Tolkien as well as something entirely different like Erikson 's Malazan series or Joe Abercrombie.

Epic fantasy is a very wide umbrella that can include Tolkien as well as something entirely different like Erikson 's Malazan series or Joe Abercrombie.

Yet still the formula.......a quest, a hero, a battle of good vs evil, an extensively detailed imaginary world, a large cast of characters

HRO: Well, for the most part. But the whole good vs. evil part is definitely getting punched in the stomach by a lot of writers these days. ;)

Just posting here as an easier way to continue to follow the discussion. Carry on...

Don't forget to vote if you haven't already. There's still 4 or 5 days left (depending on your location, time zone, etc.) to voice your opinion.

These are the current rankings of the proposed themes:

1. Fairy Tales & Myths 30
2. Time Travel & Alt History 29
3. Other Pasts 25 (Steampunk, Gaslamp and other historical SFFF)
4. What Was That 23 (Supernatural, Paranormal and the Just Plain Inexplicable)
5. Critters & Creatures 23
6. The Classics 22
7. Girl Power 22
8. It's the End of the World 22
9. Off on a Quest 21
10. Slipstream & Interstitial 19
11. Other Worlds 18 (From Space Opera to First Contact)
12. Diversity 15

Under the Influence 13 (Influential and/or Award Winning and Award Nominated SFFF)
You Rotten Punk 12 (CyberPunk, TechnoPunk, BioPunk and the New Weird)
I Think We Need a BabelFish 9
Lab Rats 7

1. Fairy Tales & Myths 31
2. Time Travel & Alt History 30
3. Other Pasts 26 (Steampunk, Gaslamp and other historical SFFF)
4. Critters & Creatures 24
5. What Was That 23 (Supernatural, Paranormal and the Just Plain Inexplicable)
6. The Classics 22
7. Girl Power 22
8. It's the End of the World 22
9. Off on a Quest 22
10. Slipstream & Interstitial 19
11. Other Worlds 18 (From Space Opera to First Contact)
12. Diversity 15

This is where voting stands the day before the vote is counted. After which we will go with a first come first served for volunteering to host months. If you want to volunteer, please choose a month and a theme that no one in the posts above you has chosen, but don't volunteer until the results are posted. Please only volunteer for one month. If spaces remain open, we'll figure out what to do then. And, please volunteer, even if you don't feel like you know a lot about a theme.

What happened to under the influence at 18 and You Rotten Punk at 17?

Apparently a lot of people came by in the hours between Posts 39 and 40 and voted for Under the Influence and You Rotten Punk (and only those two categories). Kinna weird...especially since there was little change in the vote count over the three days between my post and RidgewayGirl's post.

Voting isn't closed yet. There's still one more day.

I have often been amazed at how votes change considerably, especially just before the deadline, and especially if an early state of the vote is posted.

Maybe since you said NOs don't count, they didn't vote otherwise.

yes, I didn't make any no votes for that reason, so I only voted for several of the options.

Same here. I just chose a few YESes.

It's just odd that a bunch of people all showed up in a short amount of time and all voted yes to those two categories......and only those two categories. Crazy coincidence, I guess.

Not really, if they were interested in those categories and saw that they were close, but not quite in. Why bother for those without a chance or those that are certainly in anyway.

I expect that I am not the only one voting late and only for a few categories because most of them I have no idea what is meant.

Not being very well versed in this genre I just selected a few as soon as the voting went up. My thoughts are that whatever is selected will end up being interesting and new for me anyway. The vibe in this CAT is really good and I'm looking forward to challenging my reading horizons with you all next year.

The final votes are in. The SFFFCAT monthly themes will be:

*Does Anybody Know What Time It Is? -- Time Travel & Alternative History

*Fairy Tales and Myths

*Other Pasts -- Steampunk, Gas Lamp and other historical SFFF

*Critters and Creatures -- Non-Humans from Aliens to Dragons

*The Classics -- SFFF Written before 1980

*Girl Power -- SFFF Written By Women or featuring a strong female main character

*What Was That? -- Supernatural, Paranormal and the Just Plain Inexplicable (Urban Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy and Gothic)

Off on a Quest -- Heros, Superheroes, Puzzles and Epic Journeys

*Under the Influence -- Influential and/or Award Winning and Award Nominated SFFF

*It's the End of the World As We Know It -- Apocalyptic, Dystopic and Post-Apocalyptic Novels

*Slipstream and Interstitial (This includes Magic Realism and Genre Benders)

*Other Worlds -- From Space Opera to First Contact

Volunteers will be chosen on a first come, first served basis. If you want to host a month, please specify which theme and which month you would like.

*Taken!

The monthly themes for the SFFFCAT, listed with their hosts:

January -- Other Pasts -- Steampunk, Gas Lamp and other historical SFFF -- hosted by Tanya-dogearedcopy

February -- The Classics -- SFFF Written before 1980 -- hosted by Samantha_kathy

March It's the End of the World As We Know It -- Apocalyptic, Dystopic and Post-Apocalyptic Novels -- Her_Royal_Orangeness

April -- Fair Tales and Mighty Myths -- Fairy Tales and Myths -- hosted by christina_reads

May -- Girl Power -- SFFF Written By Women or featuring a strong female main character -- DeltaQueen50

June -- Does Anybody Know What Time It Is? -- Time Travel & Alternative History -- hosted by LittleTaiko

July -- Critters and Creatures -- Non-Humans from Aliens to Dragons -- electrice

August -- Other Worlds -- majkia

September -- Slightly Out of Wack -- Slipstream and Interstitial (This includes Magic Realism and Genre Benders) -- sturlington

October -- What Was That? -- Supernatural, Paranormal and the Just Plain Inexplicable (Urban Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy and Gothic) -- LibraryCin

November -- Off on a Quest -- Heros, Superheroes, Puzzles and Epic Journeys -- mathgirl40

December -- Under the Influence -- Influential and/or Award Winning and Award Nominated SFFF -- claimed by mamzel

LOL, I don't know much about it, but that's not going to stop me! I would like to host "Other Pasts -- Steampunk, Gas Lamp and other historical SFFF" in January. I'm very flexible though so if there is someone else who would prefer my topic and/or time slot, I will gladly accommodate by ceding either/both in the interest of having stronger discussions :-)

Here's me stepping out of my comfort zone - I'll volunteer for one. I'd like to host "Time Travel & Alternative History," possibly more mid-year, say June or July. Not a strong preference for the month.

I'd love to do Fairy Tales & Myths, preferably in April. But I've hosted CATs in the past, so I'd be happy to step down in favor of someone who has never hosted before!

I can do End of the World in March.

ETA: If I just broke someone's heart by claiming End of the World, I have no issue with covering something else. I feel comfortably knowledgeable about most of the topics so I can take most anything.

I'd be delighted to do any of them, in most any month. But I've done MysteryCAT this year, so if you have new folks who'd like to volunteer, then by all means let them go first!

Ok, I'll volunteer for Critters and Creatures in July. It's a first, so I'll probably ask for help from those of us having already hosted a month.

I'd love to do Girl Power in May if it's still available. I have also previously hosted Cats, so would be willing to step aside if someone else wants to do it.

I'd be happy to take Under the Influence in March.

I'd be happy to not host any month, but to sit back and enjoy the fun of watching it happen!

I just saw that HRO requested March before I did. I can host any month but May and August (end and beginning of school months).

>63 mamzel: I think December would be a great month for Under the Influence as we could (hopefully) end the year with a bang by reading the "great works" of the genre. Just a suggestion. :)

I dunno, HRO. I've read a LOT of Award Winners I thought were only mediocre at best.

Good themes! I am most excited.

I am not planning to volunteer to host a month here, as I'm not a big Sci-Fi/Fantasy reader, plus I've not hosted a month before and have volunteered for both RandomCAT and HistoryCAT, so enjoy choosing your months!

>67 LibraryCin: I hope you will still check in from time to time and see what's up! I never thought of myself as being a SFF reader either, but it's interesting to see how much comes under that umbrella. Though I may not be able to do all the months, I'm going to follow the discussions as much as I can and see if there's something new-for-me! In the meantime, I'll see you over at History CAT :-)

>68 Tanya-dogearedcopy: Oh, yes! I do plan to participate in as many months as possible! I will attempt to participate every month, but I know some months will be trickier than others. I would like to try, though. :-)

Wow, the months are filling fast, which is fantastic! Please look at the line-up in >51 RidgewayGirl: and let me know if there are any mistakes.

And I'm excited, too! It'll be a stretch for me, but I have a few books that might fit and there's the library.

I'll volunteer to host slipstream and interstitial in September.

There are only two spaces left!

Samantha_kathy, those are fantastic! I've added them to the list and now it looks much better.

>64 Her_Royal_Orangeness: December would work fine for me.

>65 majkia: That could be true of any award whether it be book, song, movie, etc. Luckily I would include runners up for the category to give everyone even more choices.

>65 majkia: Not all award winners are meant to be a great story or have widespread appeal or whatever. Sometimes it's about the book being the one that best met the criteria of the prize, like the Tiptree being about "expanding and exploring the idea of gender." Or it's about a book standing out because the author did something a little bit edgy or unique. Or it's about honoring the author for particularly spectacular writing.

Awards like the Hugo, which are chosen by the public....now those are basically all about marketing and popularity. The writing quality may not be stellar but a lot of people know about the book and a lot of people enjoyed the story.

>77 Samantha_kathy: That brings up a question. For the Under the Influence category, are we going with any and all prizes? Or just the significant sff ones - Hugo, Nebula, Clarke, Campbell, Mythopoeic, etc. Or are we doing all significant prizes - the sff ones as well as the literary ones like the Booker, the Orange/Baileys, etc? Or......what?

HRO, it's your call on what you'll accept for that theme. It would be fun to learn about obscure awards, though, through people finding books they want to read that just happen to have won the Letcombe Regis Public Library's People's Choice Award or the Sta-Puff'd Marshmallow Certificate of Excellence in Speculative Fiction. Or short-listed for the Nebula. That works, too.

I'll be sure to select a wide assortment of awards and will do some study to find "influential" works to throw in whether or not they were award winners.

I'd think any award should count.

So where are we on this?

There are two more volunteers needed, but toward the end of the year, so no worries. Majkia, do you want to go ahead and choose a topic (>50 RidgewayGirl:, chosen topics have an * in front of them), and a month (the next post down)?

Ok, then, I'll take Other Worlds, and I don't have a big preference on month.

majkia, I have you down for Other Worlds in August.

Here's what's left: What Was That? -- Supernatural, Paranormal and the Just Plain Inexplicable (Urban Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy and Gothic), and Off on a Quest -- Heros, Superheroes, Puzzles and Epic Journeys. October and November are the months still open.

It would be nice to have the supernatural category in October. Seems more haloweenie...

For all you planners out there (you know who you are...) I've been doing some work on the

wiki : www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/2015_SpecCAT

>89 majkia: it looks great!

It does look good! The lists at the bottom will be especially helpful.

Thanks! If anyone has any suggestions, or needs help adding suggested reads or whatever to the wiki, just shout. I'm starting working at our local Early Voting site here in Florida on Monday, but I'll be around early in the mornings of most days.

>87 RidgewayGirl: and >88 sturlington:
Ok, put me down to host supernatural in October.

I agree that I like it in October. I've not yet hosted anything for the CATs, though I've volunteered to do one of the History ones and one of the Random ones, as well. I wasn't going to volunteer for this one because Fantasy, Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction are not my forte... but having said that, supernatural and urban fantasy are a couple of subgenres that I do like.

I've added you, LibraryCin.

Only one theme left -- Off on a Quest -- Heros, Superheroes, Puzzles and Epic Journeys. Will the new season of Game of Thrones be playing then? And the third Hobbit movie will be opening about then.

>94 RidgewayGirl: I can do this one if no one else wants to take it. I've got plenty on my own TBR list in that category, including a couple of Arthurian books, a few fantasy doorstoppers and some comics and graphic novels.

Sorry I've been rather quiet in this thread lately. I've been following the discussion and I'm really looking forward to the CAT, but the rest of you are doing such a great job organizing things that I haven't felt the need to chime in. :)

YAY! I'm really excited to see what's in store for 2015!
FYI, I probably won't put up the new thread for Other Pasts (Steampunk, Gas Lamp and other historical SFFF) until Thanksgiving week-end. Is that too early/too late?

I still don't understand most of what is going on here, but am interested to follow your progress. When the time come, with some guidance from some of you, I may even participate!

Lois, when the threads go up those of us who are conversant with the genre will certainly chat about it. In the meantime you can ask questions and I'm sure someone will be able to answer most of them.

Tanya, wait until mid-December to open the first SFFFCAT thread.

And this looks so fun! I'm eager to discover new books and authors.

>99 RidgewayGirl: OK! :-)

Maybe now that we are pretty much set we should start a thread entitled: What the Heck Is.... Where those who are confuzzled can ask questions and can find help ahead of time, before the lists go up.

I am finding the links to the lists at the bottom of the wiki very helpful in figuring out what I could possibly read. I have a couple that I am interested in reading but I'm not sure which month they are going to fit in, eg The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston. Where would that go? I'm assuming witches and wizards go somewhere in here.

#102 by @Roro8> It's historical so it could fit in January, written by a woman so could fit in May, and it is supernatural so could fit in October. You are spoilt for choice!

>103 majkia:. Great. Thanks for that.

I am planning on deciding on my reads as we go based on what is recommended and what I find on the lists that have been put up. I don't plan my reading much so that will suit me fine.

We are ready to go! Please take a look at >51 RidgewayGirl:, as that is our line up for the year.

Now to look over the book suggestions and see what I might be interested in.

Yay! I added a few more lists to the wiki for idea generation.

Woohoo! I'm really excited about how this CAT shaped up! :)

>89 majkia: - Thanks for the links again. I'm definitely a planner so having something to reference has come in handy. Tentatively, I'm planning on reading the following:

January -- Other Pasts -- Steampunk, Gas Lamp and other historical SFFF: Possession by A.S. Byatt
February -- The Classics -- SFFF Written before 1980: Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
March It's the End of the World As We Know It -- Apocalyptic, Dystopic and Post-Apocalyptic Novels: Neuromancer by William Gibson
April -- Fair Tales and Mighty Myths -- Fairy Tales and Myths: The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
May -- Girl Power -- SFFF Written By Women or featuring a strong female main character: Parasite by Mira Grant
June -- Does Anybody Know What Time It Is? -- Time Travel & Alternative History: Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin
July -- Critters and Creatures -- Non-Humans from Aliens to Dragons: The Passage by Justin Cronin
August -- Other Worlds: Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams
September -- Slightly Out of Wack -- Slipstream and Interstitial (This includes Magic Realism and Genre Benders): The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
October -- What Was That? -- Supernatural, Paranormal and the Just Plain Inexplicable (Urban Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy and Gothic): Dracula by Bram Stoker
November -- Off on a Quest -- Heros, Superheroes, Puzzles and Epic Journeys: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
December -- Under the Influence -- Influential and/or Award Winning and Award Nominated SFFF: Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

As some of these categories are really new to me, if those of you who are more well-versed in these topics see something that is off, please feel free to let me know if something doesn't fit and I'll rearrange as needed.

Looking forward to next year!

>110 LittleTaiko: Your list looks great! The only one I'm not sure of is The Blind Assassin (by Margaret Atwood.) I read it a couple of years ago and remember it being more of a flashback novel (from the present back to the WWII years) than speculative; but admittedly, I may not understand the "Slightly Out of Whack" qualifications!

I'm thinking Steadfast for January. One at a time...

>111 Tanya-dogearedcopy: Margaret Atwood's books are often considered "slipstream" or genre-bending because they contain science fictional elements but are more literary. In the case of The Blind Assassin, there's a science fiction story embedded within the historical story.

>113 sturlington: - Thanks for clarifying - it kept showing up on "slipstream" lists so I assumed it would work, but really had no idea why.

I love that there are other planners here. I have the first couple of months worked out and in January (Other Pasts) I will be reading Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers and Blameless by Gail Carriger.

For Classics month in February I am planning on The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham and On The Beach by Nevil Shute.

Hmmm. I haven't read On the Beach for years. But I think I will plan on rereading it in March.

>115 DeltaQueen50: Ooh, I really liked Grave Mercy! Hope you enjoy it too! I may be reading a Gail Carriger book in January myself...I've got my eye on Waistcoats & Weaponry, book #3 in the Finishing School series.

>117 christina_reads: I'm probably going to read Gail Carriger too, though I still have to catch up on the second Finishing School book. But I think chances are good that if I read that one then I'll read the third as well.

>117 christina_reads:
>118 _Zoe_:

I haven't tried any Gail Carriger. Sounds like it might be worth a shot.

I'm going to aim for Fever Crumb and Clockwork Prince for January and take it from there.

My planning post is here and I'm sure it will be much more heavily populated as time goes on ;-)

>120 klarusu: Carriger's books are definitely fun. I'd recommend starting with Soulless rather than the Finishing School books, if you want to give her a try.

And now I'm reminded that I might like to read Clockwork Prince as well. I have way too many books that I want to fit into that month.

Coincidentally, our local bookstore's Steampunk book club chose Gail Carriger's Soulless for its end-of-January meeting, so I've got my January pick!

>120 klarusu:, >121 _Zoe_: I really enjoyed the Fever Crumb series, and I liked the first two books of Clare's Infernal Devices series too. I still have Clockwork Princess to read, so maybe I'll try to squeeze that into January as well.

So much Steampunk, so little time ;-)

I missed all the discussion and all the voting but I am really excited about this CAT. I have read a number of stand alone sci-fi books and Anne McCaffrey is one of my favourite authors and I have read many of her series and loved them all. However, my reading experience is definitely limited in this category.

for January: I am looking at these possibilities: any recommendations? - I am probably looking at choosing one or two and I know that some will be able to be placed in another month. These are all tagged or referenced as steampunk, alternative Hx or Gaslamp
I am leaning mostly to those that are on the 1001 list but I need help!

Kate Atkinson - Life after Life
A. S. Byatt - Possession (1001)
Dean Cornish - Foundling (1001)
Kazuo Ishiguro - Never Let Me Go (1001)
China Miéville - Iron Council; The City and the City
Cherie Priest - Boneshaker
Mary Shelley - Frankenstein
Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon (1001)
Jules Verne - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea; Around the World in 80 Days (1001); Journey to the Centre of the Earth
H. G. Wells - The Time Machine (1001); War of the Worlds

HELP!! Please, I am drowning and it isn't even 2015 yet!

>124 ccookie: Although I haven't yet read Life After Life, I always feel that one can't go wrong with Kate Atkinson. Kazuo Ishiguro is one of the featured authors for the British Author Challenge in January at the 75 Group, if you are participating in that challenge.

>124 ccookie: January is for "Other Pasts -- Steampunk, Gas Lamp and Other Historical SFFF" while "Does Anybody Know What Time It Is? -- Time Travel & Alternative History" is in June" so Around the World in 80 Days would definitely work for January. It was arguably the advent of balloon travel that triggered the whole science fiction genre in the 19th century*; and inspired Jules Verne to write The Mysterious Island and Around the World in 80 Days. Jules Verne also fits more into the penumbra of the Steampunk theme than say, Kate Atkinson's Life After Life which might be a better fit for Alternative History in June. Frankenstein I would probably slot for October ("What Was That? -- Supernatural, Paranormal and the Just Plain Inexplicable (Urban Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy and Gothic)") owing to its Gothic Horror overtones, or "Girl Power" in May.

Coincidentally, I recently purchased the same Verne books that you listed above to give myself some more background into the "Other Pasts" theme; though my official read for that month will probably be Boneshaker (by Cherie Priest.) :-)

*Falling Upwards: How We Took to the Air (by Richard Holmes)

>124 ccookie: For those that I have read, I would consider Life After Life more alternate history and Never Let Me Go a dystopia (possibly alternate history, although the setting is pretty much contemporary, with some differences). Boneshaker is steampunk, alternate history, and creatures, so that can go in a lot of places. Cryptonomicon is definitely historical, but it's a loooooonnnnnnnnggggggg book--it took me almost a whole month to read. Frankenstein would be classic, in addition to the options mentioned in >127 Tanya-dogearedcopy:, as would H.G. Wells. The Time Machine is obviously time travel, also dystopia, and The War of the Worlds--well, I think there might be aliens in it. ;-)

Hope that helps some.

I loved loved loved Possession but all the others are good too.

>124 ccookie: I've read Life after Life and I thought it was an excellent book. I don't know what heading it would go under though but definitely a good choice for whatever month it will fit in.

I'm presently listening to Life After Life in my car and I am having a terrible time following it. I'm sure it would be easier to read than listen. Never Let Me Go was really good.

Having spent too much time today filling out my wish list, I am more than ready for this cat to start. In fact, I can't wait!

>131 mamzel: I read Life After Life and it just left me cold, I'm afraid, so it might not be the format. I wanted to like it. The concept intrigued me but the realisation of it really didn't work for me at all. I didn't think it knitted as a whole work and I felt it read more like a series of literary exercises than any cohesive whole. I refused to give up on it in case the end-game brought it all together but it just wasn't for me, unfortunately. I can certainly imagine it might be tough to follow in audio format.

>133 klarusu: Thanks for that info! Now I know it's not just me. I will stick with it, like you did, to find out how it ends.

Thanks everyone for all your input! I have moved a few of them around and, thank God we have two months left. Between all the CAT's and the DOG ... whew!!

>134 mamzel: I wanted my two cents about Life After Life: I loved the book, but I had to go back and re-read the last section over more slowly. I raced to the end the first time and was like WTF?! But after having read it a little bit more carefully, I appreciated it. I also had the benefit of being able to discuss it in a Spoilers-Allowed Thread which was interesting! :-)

I've only known a couple people who have listened to in audio and neither one of them liked it. It makes me wonder if the narrator lacked the direction or ability to drive the ending "home."

Help!

As you may know from my previous posts, this entire category is completely outside my comfort zone. But, I am determined to participate and broaden my horizons. My selections are based primarily on books that I need to read for other challenges. My list, so far, includes:

January -- Other Pasts -- Steampunk, Gas Lamp and other historical SFFF:
February -- The Left Hand of Darkness
March-- Cloud atlas
April -- Cinder: Book One of the Lunar Chronicles
May -- Tooth and Claw
June -- The Eyre affair
July -- Watership Down: A Novel
August -- Other Worlds:
September -- Slightly Out of Wack -- Slipstream and Interstitial
October -- The Halloween Tree
November -- Off on a Quest -- Heros, Superheroes, Puzzles and Epic Journeys:
December -- The blind assassin

I also have the following books that I think could fit it this challenge:

Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters
Embassytown
The House on the Strand

Can anyone suggest a re-arrangement that would allow me to use these three books in addition to the 8 I've already slotted?

Thanks for your help!

You could easily use Embassytown for Other Worlds.

>137 LoisB: - You could move Cloud Atlas to September for Interstitial and use Ella Minnow Pea in March for End of the World. (It's about the collapse of a society so I think it fits there.) And you could move The Eyre Affair to November for puzzles, etc. (it's a mystery so I guess it would work there) and use The House on the Strand in June for time travel.

>137 LoisB: It's a bit of a stretch, but you could put Ella Minnow Pea in November since there is a puzzle aspect to the storyline.

Thanks for your suggestions. My revised list is below. I still don't have a Steampunk choice, but I'm going to wait until all the BACs are announced before I worry about that.

January -- Other Pasts -- Steampunk, Gas Lamp and other historical SFFF:
February -- The Left Hand of Darkness
March-- Ella Minnow Pea
April -- Cinder: Book One of the Lunar Chronicles
May -- Tooth and Claw
June -- The House on the Strand
July -- Watership Down: A Novel
August -- Embassytown
September --Cloud atlas
October -- The Halloween Tree
November -- The Eyre affair
December -- The blind assassin

In the Group Reads thread, I proposed a Liaden Universe group read, which could fit in with August's "Other Worlds" theme. This group read might be good for anyone not familiar with space opera but interested in trying it out, as two of the standalone books are available as free downloads from the publisher.

I am starting an Asimov thread for those that want to read any of Asimov's works this year. I'll post the link here when I've put it up.

https://www.librarything.com/topic/182787

My options for 2015
January -- Other Pasts -- Steampunk, Gas Lamp and other historical SFFF:
The Passion, Possession one of Douglas Adams books, Dirk Gentley
February --The Classics
War of the Worlds, War with the Newts, Crash, The Blind Assasin,
March-- Post Apocalypse or Dystopia
Blindness, The Mote in God's Eye, When She Woke, Cat's Cradle, On the Beach, Lucifer's Hammer A Canticle for Liebowitz
April -- Fairy Tales and Myths
Snow Child, Possession, American Gods, Good Bones & Simple Murders
May -- Girl Power
Atwood, Jordan, Willis or Left Hand of Darkness
June -- Time Travel/Alternate History
Doomsday, Jitterbug Perfume the House of Doctor Dee, 2001: a Space Odyssey
July -- Non Human
War With the Newts, Lord of the Rings, Silmarillion, Wizard's First Rule, Magician Apprentice
August -- Other Worlds
Solaris, Gulliver's Travels, Narnia, The Mote in God's Eye, The Sparrow
September --slipstream, magical realism
Love in the Time of Cholera, Jitterbug Perfume, Orlando
October -- Gothic, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
The Monk, The Wasp Factory
November -- Quest
Silmarillion, Lord of the Rings, Wizard's First Rule
December -- Awards
Rendezvous with Rama, American Gods, Doomsday, ETC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_science_fiction_and_fantasy_literary_awards

I've got too many books that fit the categories, so I'm going to try not to plan too far ahead, but I think I've got some definites figured out, finally. The rest of the months will wait til I get closer...

For January: Majkia's listing of Black Ships reminded me that I've been meaning to read the sequel, Hand of Isis, for ages, and that's a perfect fit here...

For February: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (also something I've been meaning to read for ages)

For March: I think I'm going to read Shelley's The Last Man. It's an end-of-the-world tale, and it's definitely a classic, and I think it fits in with the horror theme for the month too...

For April: The Hero and the Crown

For May: Tales from Earthsea

For June: Outlander

For July: Eragon

I think I will read Blackout in May and All Clear in June. I can't join the Connie Willis read this month because someone has the first book out of the library right now.

I have a lot that would fit for February.

Could someone please chose me something that would fit for March from our library please?

http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?tag=Science+Fiction+and+Fantasy&view...

(That should be the owned fiction collection tagged Science Fiction and Fantasy.)

>146 MarthaJeanne:

I may read The Caves of Steel that month myself. I remember liking it a lot, even better than the Foundation trilogy and it is something of a mystery as well as SF.

#146 by @MarthaJeanne>
I'll probably read Caves of Steel then as well. You also could try I, Robot - nothing like the horrible movie, or Childhood's End which was awesome.

Wouldn't those all fit February better than March?

>149 MarthaJeanne: March is dystopia and apocalypse, correct? I'm assuming the unrated books are the ones you need suggestions for. Lucifer's Hammer would work. I think Childhood's End might fit, also Always Coming Home or City of Illusions. You could read Farnham's Freehold, although I wouldn't recommend it. :-)

>149 MarthaJeanne:

You're right, they would!

Got my months confused...

oops, and I followed along

>150 sturlington: FF is a bit grim, but I have always kind of liked it.

I don't remember either of the LeGuins, although I have probobly read them. I'm not a Niven fan, although my husband and sons enjoy them. I think I'll take City of Illusions.

February I can pick whatever appeals at the time. Probably Asimov because of the year read.

I'm doing this for the first time--I'm not much of a SFF reader, but had a lot of fun picking my list:

January--Steampunk and Other Pasts: The Scar
February--The Classics: Journey to the Centre of the Earth
March--Apocalyptic, Dystopic and Post-Apocalyptic Novels: Riddley Walker
April -- Fairy Tales and Myths: The Warrior who Carried Life
May -- Girl Power: Shikasta
June -- Time Travel & Alternative History: The Anubis Gates
July --Non-Humans from Aliens to Dragons: The Master and Margarita
August -- Other Worlds: Consider Phlebus
September -- Slipstream and Interstitial: The Chess Garden
October -- Urban Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy and Gothic: The Winter’s Tale
November -- Heros, Superheroes, Puzzles and Epic Journeys: His Dark Materials
December -- Influential and/or Award Winning and Award Nominated SFFF: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

#154 by @ipsoivan> Some very interesting choices, Maggie. I wish you well for the Challenge. And, well, for everything!

Thank you, Jean! I'm really looking forward to this.

Would someone else be willing to host March? I have some things going on that may make it difficult for me to do so. Thanks in advance.

Thought I would post my 'hope to read' list and also make a couple of recommendations:

January--Steampunk and Other Pasts: Dreadnought
February--The Classics: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
March--Apocalyptic, Dystopic and Post-Apocalyptic Novels: The Last Policeman
April -- Fairy Tales and Myths: The Crystal Cave
May -- Girl Power: Stray Souls
June -- Time Travel & Alternative History: Procurator (alt history) and The Time Machine
July --Non-Humans from Aliens to Dragons: In His Majesty's Service
August -- Other Worlds: Geist
September -- Slipstream and Interstitial: The Historian
October -- Urban Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy and Gothic: The City & the City
November -- Heros, Superheroes, Puzzles and Epic Journeys: Iron Jackal
December -- Influential and/or Award Winning and Award Nominated SFFF: Nightfall

Some Recpmmendations:
In the Cube is good for a female lead character in a futuristic Boston. She is also a detective, so it crosses genres

For Time Travel there is the Mark Hodder series that starts with Spring Heeled Jack

For Steampunk there is the Weird West tales by Mike Resnick that starts with The Buntline Special.

Also a fun read is Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballantine.

Although it might be considered YA it is also an excellent read - The Extraordinary and Unusual Adventures of Horatio Lyle by Catherine Webb. She is an amazing writer and has an adult series under the name Kate Griffin that starts with The Madness of Angels. It was a difficult read because you start off with no idea what is going on, it is totally incomprehensible but then you realize that it is the same for the character so you just go along with it and it finally becomes clear. Her writing is just amazing.

Jim Butcher is writing a steampunk series but no idea when the first one will come out. Also eagerly awaiting the new Harry Dresden - Peace Talks.

#158 by @mysterymax> Oh! I'll look forward to Jim Butcher doing steampunk. No doubt that will be fun.

>157 Her_Royal_Orangeness:: I'm doing November and would be happy to trade months with you. If you can't do November, then maybe someone else would be willing to do either month.

I read a lot in this genre so I don't have a lot of things planned out yet. What I do have (all subject to change, of course):

January: Thieftaker D.B. Jackson and Black Ships by Jo Graham

February: The Mote in God's Eye by Jerry Pournelle. I read this eons ago so we'll see if it holds up.

March: City of Bones Martha Wells and the next book up for me from the Emberverse series by S.M. Stirling

April: Thomas the Rhymer - Ellen Kushner

May: Ice Forged - Gail Z Martin

June: Cold Magic Kate Elliot

August: I'll be reading parts of the Liaden Universe by Sharon Lee

I also plan to be reading several Sci Fi series, so wherever I am if they fit I'll slot them in also.

>161 majkia: Thanks for posting your list. I will join you for Theiftaker in January. I had no idea what to choose, but given that it takes place in Boston, I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

#162 by @LoisB> I grew up in Connecticut so I'm looking forward to something set in Boston too. :)

I don't plan far ahead like so many others (I'll usually plan mid- month for the following month), and I just realized we'll be planning for January soon already!!!

I'm reading Thieftaker for the AlphaKit.

>158 mysterymax: Oh! How I loved The Madness of Angels: Or The Resurrection of Matthew Swift (by Kate Griffin!) It really got under my skin with its literary synesthesia, high intensity descriptions and its unique premise. While I was reading it though, I had a dream that Matthew Swift was really angry with me and about to smite me. I tried to call up my own power in defense. I woke up then, bewildered as why I couldn't summon my power! Where was my power? (And yes, my hand was outstretched in a futile gesture!) I just wrapped reading the second in the series, The Midnight Mayor: Or The Inauguration of Matthew Swift a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed it nearly as much! Thankfully, no nightmares!

I'm a bit behind with The Dresden Files (by Jim Butcher) but I'm hoping to catch up. I think the next one in the queue for me is the twelfth title, Changes. I want to allow myself enough time to read Ghost Story right after that (I heard that Changes ends on a cliffhanger.) The steampunk effort is called the Cinder series and the first book will be called, The Aeronaut’s Windlass. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but I'm willing to read the first-in-series when it comes out! :-)

How wonderful to find someone that appreciates Kate Griffin/Catherine Webb. She is the most amazing writer, her descriptions are just incredible. I fell in love with her reading the Horatio Lyle series. I have always found descriptions of places difficult because for so many writers it seems like "okay, stop the story, I have to describe this scene for you". Not so with her.

Someday I would like to have to time to sit down and read the Dresden files straight through! Maybe when it's over and you can go from start to finish.

I'm looking forward to reading The Madness of Angels in 2015. Not sure when though

ETA: I knew I had it listed somewhere. I've got it in my TBR challenge.

158> Steampunk from Jim Butcher sounds promising. I need to reread a bunch of them before the new book comes out.

166 & 167> Another Matthew Swift fan here. They get more readable as the series goes on. The first book is very confusing until you figure out what's going on.

157> If you can't find anyone else, I'd be willing to host March.

>169 BookLizard: Actually, it was luvamystery65 and you on your 2014 Cat Challenge thread that hit me with the BB that was The Madness of Angels! I had hoped to be able to read the other two novels in the series before the year was out; but maybe I can get them in for the Urban Fantasy cat... Oh, but then I have the 12th & 13th Harry Dresden books... And the last two Rivers of London titles as well... Hmmm, I could probably stand to spend a month with three wizards! We'll see :-)

So far I'm talking each month as it comes, and trying not to look too far ahead. My reading stacks, plans and demands changed so radically this past year that I need to give myself some breathing room and keep it all fresh. Already I'm feeling a little over-committed so I just need to remember to have fun with it all and roll with it :-)

170> The last 2 Rivers of London books will soon be the last 3 - Foxglove Summer comes out in early January. After the way Broken Homes ended, I might have to reread it before then.

>169 BookLizard: Thanks for covering March BookLizard. Much appreciated!

I've changed the wiki to reflect the new host. Thank you, BookLizard.

172 & 173> Happy to help.

For those of you with Kindles, Amazon is offering a slew of Arthur C. Clarke's novels for $1.99US each for today's specials.

>176 Samantha_kathy: The wiki says 1980, but I don't remember where that date came from.

>176 Samantha_kathy: We had some discussion about a cutoff date, and I think we landed on 1980 so as not to be too recent but also to allow for some of the significant works that were published in the 1970s.

>176 Samantha_kathy: 1980 was the consensus, but as February's host, you can say whatever you want.

You could always say 1985 or before since that's 30 years ago . . . then I might actually get around to reading Ender's Game.

I'm OK with whatever year you decide to use, but using the later date of 1985 would allow us to include a couple of other books, apart from Ender's Game, that I would call "classic": Neuromancer and The Handmaid's Tale.

The April SFFCAT is up: http://www.librarything.com/topic/188953

Oops! Wrong thread!

>183 mamzel: Me? *blush*

>184 christina_reads: No, no, no! I meant to post on the thread for March, not the general thread.

>185 mamzel: Oh ha, OK -- I was getting worried! :) Thought maybe there was a new SFFCAT thread that I missed.

The June SFFFCAT is up: http://www.librarything.com/topic/191177

Hi everyone, just to let you know that the July SFFFCAT thread will be up by the end of the week!

thanks!

August thread is up: http://www.librarything.com/topic/193511

September thread is up: http://www.librarything.com/topic/194586

October thread is up:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/195791

Here's our November thread:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/198263

The December thread is up. Enjoy!
http://www.librarything.com/topic/205141