2018 Reading Challenge - Discussion Thread

[TomTB]

Whoever came up with this challenge is a genius! It's inspired me to finally take the plunge and read The Stand by Stephen King, to tick off the 1000+ page challenge. Got the audiobook this morning. It's 49 hours long!!!!!!!!!

 

[Alucard]

It's 49 hours long!!!!!!!!!

lol
welcome to the party
I have a feeling I'll be reading listening to It until march

 

[Bierschneeman]

Whoever came up with this challenge is a genius! It's inspired me to finally take the plunge and read The Stand by Stephen King, to tick off the 1000+ page challenge. Got the audiobook this morning. It's 49 hours long!!!!!!!!!

just the sort of comment expect for the inventor of challenge #52.


but seriously I love the challenge

 

[Khartun]

What was the issue for you?

These older series can be more of a hit or miss with modern audience.

Well, I know this was written a long time ago and for children but it is story that should have been 400 pages crammed into 200. There is no world or character building. Just straight story. When the MC has to deal with something there is never any sense of foreboding, no worry at all. It's just blah. The top 25 list says the prose is excellent but I just didn't see it. It reminded me of reading The Sword of Shannara.

 

[Alucard]

Well, I know this was written a long time ago and for children but it is story that should have been 400 pages crammed into 200. There is no world or character building. Just straight story. When the MC has to deal with something there is never any sense of foreboding, no worry at all. It's just blah. The top 25 list says the prose is excellent but I just didn't see it. It reminded me of reading The Sword of Shannara.

Hmm..could it be that it's 200 because it's kids fantasy? My experience has been that a lot of these books definitely lack the complexity of books written for adult audience. But some of them don't, and some of them have a kind of charm, that modern books lack. I can't really explain it, but I did a middle-grade fantasy challenge in 2016, and I liked most of them (except Narnia - I hate Narnia), even though they are really simple kids stories or fables and older books to top it off.

 

[Khartun]

Hmm..could it be that it's 200 because it's kids fantasy? My experience has been that a lot of these books definitely lack the complexity of books written for adult audience. But some of them don't, and some of them have a kind of charm, that modern books lack. I can't really explain it, but I did a middle-grade fantasy challenge in 2016, and I liked most of them (except Narnia - I hate Narnia), even though they are really simple kids stories or fables and older books to top it off.

Oh that is definitely the problem. I'm sure it was written that way on purpose. I like some things written for children. This one just didn't do anything for me.

 

[Darth Tater]

I’m game as soon as you edit my post. It won’t affect my reading choices but sounds like fun.

 

[Amaryllis]

Does "A series containing two books" and etc. mean a book series with two books published currently (eventual number of books not mattering), or a self-contained finished 'series' of two books? Or does it mean AT LEAST two books?

 

[TomTB]

Does "A series containing two books" and etc. mean a book series with two books published currently (eventual number of books not mattering), or a self-contained finished 'series' of two books? Or does it mean AT LEAST two books?

Well, when I created the list I envisaged it being a completed series that only contains two books.

Please don't ask me if this includes Kingkiller Chronicles

 

[Ser Pounce]

Well, when I created the list I envisaged it being a completed series that only contains two books.

Please don't ask me if this includes Kingkiller Chronicles

Does this include Kingkiller Chronicles? Asking for a friend. Also, does A Song of Ice and Fire count for 5 books (For the Americans).

 

[TomTB]

Hhmm .. I'll go with no. He said it was a planned trilogy. Despite fact it'll probably end up being a duology.

There's actually not many duologies I want to read, although perusing my 'want to read' list on GR I have found one that I'll probably go with..

ASOIAF is definitely a 5 book series

 

[Darth Tater]

Does this include Kingkiller Chronicles? Asking for a friend.

That’s a good question. Tom, does this include Dinosaur Lords? Asking for Ser Pounce. No way in hades I’m reading it.

Thank you for the edit!!

 

[ofer]

Since we're all asking questions, does challenge 51 - 3 books from the best fantasy you never read list - need to be 3 different entries from the list, or does it count if I read 3 books from 1 series in the list? e.g if I only read A Man of his Word series by Dave Duncan, which is 4 books, will it count as completing the challenge or not?

 

[TomTB]

That’s a good question. Tom, does this include Dinosaur Lords? Asking for Ser Pounce. No way in hades I’m reading it.

Thank you for the edit!!

Miraculously there are now three books in the Dinosaur Lords series. Not sure if any more are planned..

 

[TomTB]

Since we're all asking questions, does challenge 51 - 3 books from the best fantasy you never read list - need to be 3 different entries from the list, or does it count if I read 3 books from 1 series in the list? e.g if I only read A Man of his Word series by Dave Duncan, which is 4 books, will it count as completing the challenge or not?

3 different entries was what I had in mind.

 

[Ser Pounce]

ASOIAF is definitely a 5 book series

There's really only one correct response to this:

 

[ofer]

That’s a good question. Tom, does this include Dinosaur Lords? Asking for Ser Pounce. No way in hades I’m reading it.

Thank you for the edit!!

I don't know...I'm starting to feel a morbid need to read this one, kind of like when I wanted to see Plan 9 from Outer Space when I heard it was the worst movie ever made.

 

[Darth Tater]

I don't know...I'm starting to feel a morbid need to read this one, kind of like when I wanted to see Plan 9 from Outer Space when I heard it was the worst movie ever made.

Have you seen the 1988 movie killer clowns from outer space? That is the dumbest thing ever but somehow CREEPY!!

 

[Darth Tater]

Under the category “a book written the year you were born” can I put the bible’s Old Testament even though the New Testament part came later? That was also self published IIRC. So I will kill two birds with one stone. Three if you count Goliath. Seems like I remember somebody once saying something about casting the first stone but that was so long ago I don’t remember his name. A really nice young fella with a beard, I think...

 

[Jakyro]

Not sure if it has been asked already, but does it have to be fantasy or sciencefiction ?