The Fantasy/Sci-Fi Books Thread Book • Page 97

I usually try to keep it to 2 books at a time, one biography and one fantasy. Probably will up the fantasy count to 2 this year with the liberal usage of audiobooks.

 

I like to plan all mine out so that I can make use of upcoming release schedules then I throw it all away and just run to the first book that appeals to me. Which is great this year because I don't want to feel like i have to read something.

 

Haha really interesting approaches all around. I like that there's a level of chaos in everyone's plans.

For me I've typically got multiple books going at once—like 5 or 6 sometimes—and I tend to make a rough schedule at the beginning of the year and mostly follow it, with most of it SFF but interspersed with other stuff, sometimes sticking to one series, sometimes alternating. Yeah, real rigorous.

But because I currently have such a huge physical TBR, including lots of books I purchased to read but not to keep, so they're just in a giant stack in my closet waiting for me, I've actually got a pretty plotted out timeline this year.

Each month, I'm doing 2 TBRs from the "read and donate" pile, 1–2 TBRs from my actual collection, 1 new release from 2024, and 1 audiobook. Anything else on top of that is a free pick. I also constantly have some YA/breezy series I'm reading through and something I read exclusively on Sundays.

For the "read and donate" TBRs, I get to pick what I read. For the collection TBRs, I've got a list of 60 books in groups of three, and I roll a d20 and then pick one of the three to read. And I've got complicated rules about how I can then read the sequel "for free" if I want or move on. Blah blah. Oh, and anything I purchase or receive immediately jumps to the top of the pile, taking the place of one of the TBRs.

So for January, it's a little something like this:
Donate 1: Eleventh Cycle (not a donation, but it took this slot since it was a gift)
Donate 2: Light from Uncommon Stars (also a Christmas gift)
D20 TBR: Into the Forge (Dennis McKiernan)
2024 Release: The Dragonbone Chair (no 2024 releases that I want to read yet, and I'm halfway through this already)
Audio: Dragons of Deepwood Fen
Free: Prophet of a Blind God (Tim Akers novella)
Free: Long Chills & Case Dough (Sanderson novella)
YA: The Tapestry book 3
Sunday: Tales from the Perilous Realm (Tolkien)

Ideally I'll finish at least the first four books in January, and start four more in February, while the other categories just proceed at their own pace.

And I've got a master list of ongoing comics and manga that I need to catch up on, just reading one collection per week or so.

Gonna do this through the end of June and then reevaluate; hopefully my TBR backlog will have been knocked down quite a bit that I can devote the remainder of the year to series that I'm in the middle of but haven't worked on in a while.

To answer my initial question, I guess that means I've constantly got something SFF going at any given time, since that's mostly what I read anyway, but I've also generally got at least one or two books outside the genre as well, since Sunday and audiobooks vary more. I love doing a series straight through, but when they're longer books I'll usually break them up after one or two with something shorter and different.

Boy. What an interesting and insightful post I've just written.

 

Sometimes there's nothing quite like blasting through a series straight through. I used to do that a lot more, and I think I generally prefer it. But it's helpful to break things up sometimes.

 

Every time I attempt a firm TBR it fails in fantastic fashion. I have a general idea of what I want to read throughout the year (usually this will be series I’m reading with friends) but other than that I tend to mood read.

This month I know I want to read the latest Sun Eater novella and the eARC of book 6 that hits on 1/16. Other than that I’m going with the flow (currently reading book 3 of Bosch, Concrete Blonde, and Elfslayer).

 

Here’s what I have to start for the year. A lot of book ones just in case I don’t gel with the series

 

I'd say about 25% of the time I know what I'm going to read next, though I'm counting a series as a full entity since I tend to finish what I start fairly quickly. The rest of the time I have a fun little half hour or so after I finish a book where I check out deals, google shit, see other recs, whatever I can find until I land on the next series or book.

 

Revelation Space on there is great

 

I’ve only read Eversion and Pushing Ice from Reynolds so far and loved them. Looking forward to finally reading a series. Need a new space opera since I’ve read most of Hamilton now.

 

DCC book 3 spoilers Well shit, right after I was saying how happy I was that they found a reason to keep Mordecai around, he goes and gets himself kicked into time out for I'm guessing the remainder of the book? at least most of it I would assume

 

The Revelation Space series and Pushing Ice are the only ones I've read, but I really enjoyed them all. Introduced me to the concept of "hard sci-fi".

 

finished Baru Cormorant, what a ride. Thanks @Vivatoto for getting me hooked. Gonna jump right into the next one!

 

Awesome! I'm so glad. Like I said it only gets better. The third book in particular might make a top 5 of all time for me. He's on a break of writing it now because he says it's extremely emotionally taxing to write, and I can confirm it's extremely emotionally taxing to read.

His "magic" in particular is an especially horrifying treat.

 

I finished Guards! Guards!, my first Discworld book, eighth Discworld book, and first in the city guard arc.
I came into this with low expectations, since I’m not a huge fan of satire and didn’t think it would be interesting in fantasy literature. But…I couldn’t put this down. Yeah, it’s silly, but the characters are great and the worldbuilding is really unique. Death’s brief appearances make me want to read his books too. And the librarian at the magic university is literally a chimp and gets deputized. This isn’t Mistborn level stuff, but I want to see what this goofy crew is going to get into next.

 

Third Dungeon Crawler Carl was excellent. That climax was something else. The entire time I was waiting for the Katia double cross, which sucks because I liked her, and was sooooooo happy to be wrong. That scene was insane too though, Donut attacking Hekla like that. Fuckin brutal
Pumped to continue.

 

China Mieville and Keanu Reeves!

Keanu Reeves announces new novel, 'The Book of Elsewhere'

 

Only available in US but a great deal:

Humble Book Bundle: Terry Pratchett's Discworld by HarperCollins (pay what you want and help charity)

 

Wow. That's excellent.

 

@Vivatoto I wasn't sure how I was feeling about the 2nd Baru Cormorant book given the sudden change in the narrative, but it's getting better and way darker

 

Just caught up with The Murderbot Diaries series. It was really fun, most of them are novellas but there was one novel in the mix. A killer robot that gains sentience, and just wants to avoid humans and not thinking about the encroaching existential dread by watching TV shows us a fun read.

I’ve moved onto another LitRPG series (since catching up with Dungeon Crawler Carl) called He Who Fights with Monsters. So far it’s scratching the itch and has been fun so far. It’s a good easy read which is a nice break.

 

I’ve read the first couple Murder Bot. Been meaning to catch up on the rest.

 

For the Sun Eater fans, the eARC for Disquiet Gods was released early on Baens website.

All Books

First two chapters have been fantastic.

 

I am so excited but im also going to wait. Im rereading and only on howling dark and ill include the novellas / shorts, so i have a ways to go. So much foreshadowing im noticing now. I should be all re read by 4/2 and itll be spring and perfect to sit outside and read.

My 2024 reading is pretty clear. Suneater then a sanderson reread and catch up so im ready for stormlight 5. I never read rhythm of war or mistborn era 2. At my speed, thats 2024 wrapped.

 

Thought about rereading but wasn’t able to. I listened to recap videos so that helped. Rereading is something I don’t really do but want to.

 

DCC 4 Holy fuck, that Sharktopus boss battle was fucking brutal. My imagination is currently soaked with blood after trying to keep up with that