The Official UN-official SFF/SFFF-KIT for 2017

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The Official UN-official SFF/SFFF-KIT for 2017

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1fuzzi
Editat: nov. 14, 2017, 8:29 pm

Welcome to the unofficial SFF/SFFF-KIT for 2017!

As in 2016, there seems to be some interest in continuing the challenge unofficially, and so I have set up this thread to organize our monthly challenges.

The 2017 Wiki is here:

http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/2017_Unofficial_SF/SFFKIT#2017_Offici...

Thanks, majkia!

Monthly challenges to be added here:

January: "Read an SFF you meant to read in 2016, but never started/completed" - hosted by fuzzi
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/243698)

February: "Space Travel!" hosted by mathgirl40
(http://www.librarything.com/topic/246706)

March: "Religious Themed SciFi/Fantasy" hosted by Kristelh
(http://www.librarything.com/topic/250097#5953721)

April: "Dystopian/Apocalyptic theme" - hosted by DeltaQueen50
(http://www.librarything.com/topic/251830#)

May: "Alien contact" - hosted by majkia
(http://www.librarything.com/topic/255049)

June: "Series Month" - hosted by LisaMorr
(http://www.librarything.com/topic/258055#)

July: "Award Winners/Nominees" - hosted by sturlington
(http://www.librarything.com/topic/259625)

August: "Humorous sci fi/fantasy" - hosted by leslie.98
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/266412#)

September: "Steampunk" - hosted by Tanya-dogearedcopy
(http://www.librarything.com/topic/267186)

October: "Near Future SciFi" - hosted by avatiakh
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/269622#)

November: "Historical SFF" - hosted by inge87
(http://www.librarything.com/topic/272733)

December: "Magic Systems" - hosted by VioletBramble
(https://www.librarything.com/topic/275234)

Pick a month and join us!

2majkia
set. 21, 2016, 8:01 pm

Yes, I'll do the wiki.

3fuzzi
set. 21, 2016, 8:04 pm

>3 fuzzi: ha! I was just about to message you!

4majkia
set. 21, 2016, 8:06 pm

I have powers, fuzzi!

5sturlington
set. 21, 2016, 8:11 pm

I'll definitely participate, and host a month. I'll claim June.

6Kristelh
set. 21, 2016, 8:35 pm

Of course I will participate and host. Thinking....

7mathgirl40
set. 21, 2016, 8:56 pm

Thanks for setting this up, fuzzi! I'll be happy to host a month.

8leslie.98
Editat: set. 21, 2016, 9:25 pm

Just in case anyone is interested, here is a sci fi/ fantasy bingo square:

9majkia
set. 21, 2016, 10:00 pm

>8 leslie.98: That's a nice one!

10DeltaQueen50
set. 21, 2016, 10:19 pm

I volunteer for April with a Dystopian/Apocalyptic theme.

11fuzzi
set. 22, 2016, 7:11 am

>4 majkia: I see! ::awe::

12mamzel
set. 22, 2016, 10:39 am

I had fun in 2016 so I'll participate again.

13Tess_W
set. 22, 2016, 7:15 pm

Can you tell me what SFFF and SF are?

14majkia
set. 22, 2016, 7:29 pm

>13 Tess_W: Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction and Fantasy

15mathgirl40
set. 22, 2016, 8:29 pm

How about a theme of space travel? I'd be OK with hosting any month except for July and August.

16fuzzi
set. 22, 2016, 8:43 pm

>15 mathgirl40: February?

17mathgirl40
set. 22, 2016, 8:59 pm

>16 fuzzi: Sure, February is good!

18dudes22
set. 22, 2016, 10:40 pm

Although I didn't participate this year, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the Cat last year even though I don't consider myself a reader of SFFFFFf. I might think about dipping in and out next year.

>15 mathgirl40: - The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is an excellent book for this theme. One of my top 5 books of last year.

19fuzzi
set. 23, 2016, 7:00 am

>18 dudes22: even though I "hosted" this year's SFF-KIT, I didn't get a book read for every challenge, every month.

Drop ins are very welcome!

20mathgirl40
set. 23, 2016, 7:44 am

>18 dudes22: I agree! I liked the sequel, Children of God, as well.

21majkia
set. 23, 2016, 8:58 am

I'll do May - Alien contact

22sturlington
set. 23, 2016, 9:41 am

For June, let's do Award Winners/Nominees

23fuzzi
set. 23, 2016, 11:57 am

>21 majkia: >22 sturlington: woo! We're moving right along.

Hurry! The rest of you need to grab your month before they're all spoken for...

24Kristelh
Editat: set. 23, 2016, 12:06 pm

I will do a month; some ideas that I would consider would be alternate histories, military/conflicts or religious ideas. I will take March, pick one of these for me and I will go with it.

For sure I want to do Religious Themes in SFF, and if you need me to, I would do another. Give me March.

25fuzzi
set. 23, 2016, 7:38 pm

>24 Kristelh: you've got March. I left the theme open for whatever you ultimately decide. :)

26dudes22
set. 24, 2016, 8:45 am

>20 mathgirl40: - Me too!

27LisaMorr
set. 24, 2016, 11:59 am

How about a series month? We had one this year and it seems everyone always has at least one series to make progress with.

28mathgirl40
set. 24, 2016, 12:23 pm

>22 sturlington: June's a terrific month to do the Awards category! I'll be reading from my Hugo and Aurora Voter Packets then.

29sturlington
set. 24, 2016, 1:06 pm

>28 mathgirl40: That's why I picked it! ;-)

30fuzzi
set. 24, 2016, 8:34 pm

>27 LisaMorr: which month do you want for a series read?

31LisaMorr
set. 25, 2016, 11:32 am

>30 fuzzi: I'll take July.

32fuzzi
set. 25, 2016, 1:21 pm

>31 LisaMorr: added to the OP.

If anyone wants to reword or change their challenge, just say so. I don't mind editing.

33Kristelh
set. 25, 2016, 5:40 pm

Make my challenge; Religious Themed SciFi/Fantasy

34leslie.98
set. 25, 2016, 11:19 pm

I would be willing to do a month on humorous sci fi/fantasy (books such Terry Pratchett's Discworld or The Hitchhiker's Guide) in either August or September.

35fuzzi
set. 26, 2016, 10:44 am

>34 leslie.98: which month do you want?

36leslie.98
set. 26, 2016, 7:14 pm

I will take August. Thanks >35 fuzzi:

37avatiakh
set. 26, 2016, 7:21 pm

>34 leslie.98: Martin Scott / Martin Millar's Thraxas books are less known and have a humorous element. Also his Lonely Werewolf Girl.

38Tanya-dogearedcopy
set. 27, 2016, 3:13 pm

A couple of years ago, when SFFF was a CAT, I hosted the Steampunk month. At the time, it was all new-to-me; but since then I've gotten a better feel for the sub-genre and really enjoy it. Though I wasn't active with this year's KIT, I would like to volunteer to host Steampunk for the month of September 2017.

39fuzzi
set. 27, 2016, 6:36 pm

40Tanya-dogearedcopy
set. 27, 2016, 6:46 pm

>39 fuzzi: Thank you! :-)

41avatiakh
set. 27, 2016, 10:04 pm

I haven't participated before but do read quite a bit of sci fi and would like to host a Near Future sci fi October

42fuzzi
Editat: set. 28, 2016, 7:06 am

>41 avatiakh: you're welcome to join us! I'll put your name on October.

43gilroy
set. 28, 2016, 7:56 am

>14 majkia: Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction and Fantasy

Wouldn't that technically be SFSFF?
And technically Speculative Fiction is an overarching umbrella that encompasses both Science Fiction and Fantasy... So would it not just be SF or SFF?

44fuzzi
set. 28, 2016, 8:51 am

>43 gilroy: I prefer "SFF" as a simple abbreviation of "SciFi" and "Fantasy", but I've seen it rendered in many different ways.

45leslie.98
set. 28, 2016, 10:39 am

I too prefer SFF but have gotten used to the additional (and until now mysterious) F!

46inge87
oct. 2, 2016, 8:44 pm

I'll take November. How about historical SFF?

47fuzzi
oct. 2, 2016, 8:50 pm

>46 inge87: done, and thanks!

48klarusu
oct. 14, 2016, 5:44 am

I'm looking forward to joining this in 2017. I haven't read as much as I would have liked this year so I'm approaching 2017 afresh!

49sturlington
oct. 22, 2016, 11:59 am

Okay, I got confused. For the AwardsCAT, we are reading science fiction awards in July, not in June. Would LisaMorr be willing to switch months with me so we can coordinate the two?

50fuzzi
oct. 22, 2016, 1:26 pm

>49 sturlington: you and LisaMorr let me know, and I'll switch it. :)

51Kristelh
oct. 22, 2016, 2:43 pm

>49 sturlington:, good idea

52LisaMorr
oct. 22, 2016, 4:47 pm

Sure, no problem!

53sturlington
oct. 22, 2016, 4:53 pm

54fuzzi
oct. 22, 2016, 6:07 pm

>2 majkia: I messed up the wiki, help!

I lost the boxes, don't know how. Sowwy.

55majkia
Editat: oct. 22, 2016, 6:20 pm

LOL

ETA: fixed. The boxes appear when you put one space before you type the line.

56fuzzi
oct. 22, 2016, 11:07 pm

>55 majkia: good to know, and thanks!

57VioletBramble
oct. 23, 2016, 2:04 pm

December is stil open? I can do December with a theme of Magic Systems.

58DeltaQueen50
des. 16, 2016, 12:11 pm

I've sent a note to Eva asking her to add the link to the SFF/SFFF-Kit Wiki on the Main Page.

59fuzzi
des. 19, 2016, 9:53 am

60fuzzi
des. 19, 2016, 9:54 am

>57 VioletBramble: I am SO sorry! I missed your request, do you still want December?

61majkia
des. 19, 2016, 10:14 am

>57 VioletBramble: Oh I hope you still want December . Magic Systems would be awesome.

62VioletBramble
des. 19, 2016, 1:36 pm

Yes, I still want December.

63fuzzi
des. 19, 2016, 4:55 pm

All yours!

A week or so before your month, do create a separate thread, so we can share our reads for the month. :)

64mathgirl40
gen. 14, 2017, 5:08 pm

Here is February's thread:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/246706

65Robertgreaves
feb. 22, 2017, 11:18 pm

Do we have a March thread yet?

66fuzzi
feb. 24, 2017, 6:56 pm

>65 Robertgreaves: I don't see one, yet.

Kristelh should be adding one in the next few days, I'm sure. As soon as I see it's up, I'll link it here. :)

67Kristelh
feb. 27, 2017, 8:03 pm

I am so sorry, for some reason I was thinking I was later like April. I will get on it right now.

68Kristelh
feb. 27, 2017, 8:48 pm

Here's the thread for March, http://www.librarything.com/topic/250097

69fuzzi
feb. 27, 2017, 10:02 pm

>68 Kristelh: excellent, thank you! I'll update the OP.

70DeltaQueen50
març 14, 2017, 1:47 pm

The April SFFFKit Thread for Apocalyptic and Dystopian Literature is here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/251830#

71majkia
abr. 14, 2017, 7:32 am

72fuzzi
abr. 14, 2017, 5:44 pm

>71 majkia: thanks!

73majkia
maig 25, 2017, 5:41 pm

no June thread?

74LisaMorr
maig 25, 2017, 5:59 pm

>73 majkia: Thanks for the reminder - I was on vacation last week and forgot all about it - coming up shortly!

75sturlington
juny 15, 2017, 9:02 am

The July thread has been posted: http://www.librarything.com/topic/259625

76fuzzi
jul. 2, 2017, 9:02 am

>75 sturlington: thanks!

Halfway through the year, are y'all enjoying the challenges?

77christina_reads
jul. 5, 2017, 2:38 pm

>76 fuzzi: I'm loving the SFFKIT! It's one of the only CATs I'm regularly participating in this year, but I'm mainly using it as an excuse to read books from my TBR shelves.

78fuzzi
jul. 5, 2017, 4:23 pm

>77 christina_reads: great, thanks for letting us know!

79majkia
jul. 7, 2017, 9:10 am

>76 fuzzi: I do love this KIT. One of the few I'm sticking with too.

80Kristelh
jul. 7, 2017, 4:25 pm

My favorite too, the rest I hit and miss but this one is steady. I also like the Award Cat this year but the rest is hit and miss.

81mathgirl40
jul. 7, 2017, 5:46 pm

>76 fuzzi: I read a lot of SFF anyhow, so I don't need the KIT for motivation, but it's nice to discuss the books with others in this group!

82fuzzi
jul. 7, 2017, 7:55 pm

>81 mathgirl40: it was through this group that I was introduced to two authors new to me: Lois McMaster Bujold and James S.A. Corey, woo!

83AHS-Wolfy
jul. 7, 2017, 8:24 pm

This KIT is the only place (other than my journal in the green dragon group) where I've been providing occasional updates as to what I've been reading this year seeing as I'm not participating in the full challenge.

84DeltaQueen50
jul. 7, 2017, 11:46 pm

This is one of my favorite challenges and I am enjoying seeing what everyone else is reading as well.

85fuzzi
jul. 8, 2017, 1:19 pm

I love the feedback, thank you all.

86LisaMorr
jul. 12, 2017, 3:55 pm

Similar to others, I'm following this Kit more than anything else this year. Long may it live...!

87bluebird_
jul. 12, 2017, 7:49 pm

Me too. Although I've only posted occasionally, this is one of my favorite Kit/Cat's to follow.
I've added many new authors to my TBR shelf and have happily joined the Lois McMaster Bujold fan club.

88sushicat
jul. 28, 2017, 7:26 am

No August thread yet? Need a bit of inspiration to find a book that fits...

89fuzzi
jul. 30, 2017, 9:16 am

>88 sushicat: Piers Anthony comes to mind. His stuff is clever, and funny.

90mathgirl40
Editat: jul. 30, 2017, 1:21 pm

>88 sushicat: >89 fuzzi: I have books by John Scalzi, Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams and Jasper Fforde sitting on my shelves that I'm considering.

91fuzzi
jul. 31, 2017, 9:07 pm

92sushicat
ag. 1, 2017, 7:49 am

I'm a bit tired of Terry Pratchett just now. Need to give him a rest. Never thought of Piers Anthony - ages since I read some of his Xanth novels.

93fuzzi
ag. 1, 2017, 9:42 pm

>92 sushicat: super! I was at the library today, and looked at the Piers Anthony choices, but then selected a Lois McMaster Bujold (lots of humor) and a BRAND NEW Peter S. Beagle book. The latter uses humor in many of his writings, so I'll see if it qualifies.

94sushicat
Editat: ag. 2, 2017, 3:28 pm

Hmm - there's a blank spot there - never heard of Peter S Beagle... The Last Unicorn comes highly recommended... And I just might finally get around to reading Bujold.

95fuzzi
ag. 2, 2017, 7:00 pm

>94 sushicat: oh, oh, OH, never heard of Peter S. Beagle? You're so deprived.

He was popular in the 70s, even before The Last Unicorn was made into a decent animated movie. I also really liked A Fine and Private Place, though I've not read it in a long time.

Bujold is a relatively new author for me: someone here recommended her works last year, and I got hooked.

96fuzzi
ag. 13, 2017, 5:32 pm

>96 fuzzi: aren't you sweet, thanks! And have a lovely and safe trip.

97christina_reads
ag. 14, 2017, 12:56 pm

>96 fuzzi: Bon voyage, and have a lovely time!

98avatiakh
set. 18, 2017, 4:14 am

I've just put up the thread for October - rather be early than forgetful, so here it is: https://www.librarything.com/topic/269622

99fuzzi
set. 18, 2017, 12:38 pm

>99 fuzzi: thanks! I'll update the OP.

100Robertgreaves
oct. 19, 2017, 8:05 pm

Do we have a thread for November yet?

101fuzzi
oct. 20, 2017, 7:03 am

>101 fuzzi: not that I know of.

Give inge87 a few days, we've got over a week til November.

102whitewavedarling
oct. 23, 2017, 8:08 pm

So, I guess I must have completely imagined it, but I could have sworn I was in on a brief conversation about continuing this Kit into 2018. I can't find it now, though, and so I'm left thinking that it was one of those waking dreams, driven by all the other talk of 2018 and my working too much.

Assuming I'm losing my mind and we haven't already had this conversation, what are others thinking? I've loved this Kit, and it's really pushed me to dig into too-long-neglected pieces of my TBR, so I'd certainly want it to continue if folks weren't already feeling too over-extended with other 2018 plans. Thoughts? (And, just because I'm curious, did anyone else imagine that same conversation about continuing it, so that maybe it happened on a thread I didn't re-check in the last few days? Or, you know, there's group hallucinations to be blamed, I suppose...)

103majkia
oct. 23, 2017, 8:21 pm

>103 majkia: I've asked about it for 2018 but haven't seen fuzzi respond. I hope it continues!

104Kristelh
oct. 23, 2017, 10:10 pm

I would be on board but there has been no talk of continuing.

105Tanya-dogearedcopy
oct. 24, 2017, 12:55 am

>103 majkia: I saw it mentioned way at the beginning, and I brought it up again a couple weeks ago, but other than a few comments indicating interest, the energy seemed to head to the CATs and the ScaredyKit discussions. There are now three CATs, two kits, and I think a BINGOdog is in the works. Would a SFFFkit be too much?

106Kristelh
oct. 24, 2017, 6:31 am

It might be that it is time to take a break and incorporate sci fi into other categories as able but like having a place where those that read SFFF can discuss but the 75 group has a thread so that would work. It might be time to take a break.

107mathgirl40
oct. 24, 2017, 7:43 am

Much as I love SFF and will continue reading it, I'd be OK with taking a year off, so that I can devote more time to the other CATs and KITs. I'd probably return to SFFKIT in 2019 (if it's offered then) with renewed enthusiasm.

As an alternative idea, what about having a couple of group reads (one fantasy and one sci-fi)? There are already plenty of CATs and KITs, but the group reads calendar still has lots of space. We could do month-long reads for a single work or an author. These wouldn't get the same kind of participation we're seeing but at least there would be some sort SFF events to look forward to in 2018. Note that there are already Frankenstein for January and Cloud Atlas for March, and these could be considered SFF books too.

108whitewavedarling
oct. 24, 2017, 9:52 am

>108 whitewavedarling:, I was thinking the same thing as I read the above messages! Even with Frankenstein and Cloud Atlas in place, I'd think doing some author months would at least make sense? I admit, I don't have a clue what I'd propose for a particular work as a group read--I think most of what I'd come up with would either already have been read by most here, or would be something I'd be re-reading, which I don't do often...

It probably does make sense to take a break, with all of the plans already in place--I just enjoyed this one so much :)

109mathgirl40
Editat: oct. 24, 2017, 10:24 am

I wonder if there would be any interest in Neal Stephenson. I'm working on Book 1 of the Baroque Cycle right now, and hoping to read the rest of the trilogy plus Cryptonomicon next year. I love Stephenson but his books are intimidatingly long and dense so it's always good to have company and support while reading.

ETA: Just so I don't scare everyone off, there are at least two Stephenson books, Snow Crash and The Diamond Age, which are (relatively) shorter and more accessible.

110mathgirl40
oct. 24, 2017, 11:08 am

Another possibility is the fantasy works of Lois McMaster Bujold. I'd hosted a multi-year Vorkosigan group read, which was very successful, but I think most of us are done with those books now. However, she has written a good number of fantasy works and has recently published several new novellas.

In any case, I'd love to hear the opinions of our gracious host, fuzzi, about the 2018 direction before making any definite plans.

111whitewavedarling
oct. 24, 2017, 4:41 pm

>111 whitewavedarling:, absolutely! It's not like 2018 starts tomorrow, much as we in this group sometimes treat it like it does when October hits :)

112Kristelh
oct. 24, 2017, 9:23 pm

>110 mathgirl40:, I would be up for Neal Stephenson. I have already read Cryptonomicon (great by the way). I have not read the Baroque Cycle. I've read Snow Crash but not The Diamond Age.
>111 whitewavedarling:, There are a lot of the fantasy books that I haven't read. So I would certainly entertain some group reads.

113LisaMorr
oct. 25, 2017, 2:44 am

I'll be reading SFF in 2018. I very much like the idea of author months.

114fuzzi
oct. 25, 2017, 5:23 pm

Hey! I'm here!

I would love to do the KIT again.

I didn't manage to read a book to fit every month's challenge, and I wouldn't sweat it if others missed too. I like the TIOLI attitude: Take It Or Leave It. If you get it done, finish the month's challenge, fine, let's chat. If you didn't, no problem. :)

I'm game for setting it up, and reminding everyone who signs up for a month's challenge.

115majkia
oct. 25, 2017, 6:01 pm

Yay!

116mathgirl40
oct. 25, 2017, 7:23 pm

>115 majkia: Thanks for offering to set it up again!

117whitewavedarling
oct. 25, 2017, 7:27 pm

I'm excited, too :)

118fuzzi
oct. 25, 2017, 9:45 pm

>116 mathgirl40: and that means you'll be happy to set up the wiki again? :)

119majkia
oct. 25, 2017, 9:50 pm

120jeanned
oct. 25, 2017, 10:05 pm

I'm in. :)

121MissWatson
oct. 26, 2017, 3:36 am

Oh, that's great news! I don't always manage a book myself, but I love to drop in and read about new-to-me-authors.

122christina_reads
oct. 26, 2017, 2:31 pm

Looks like there will be a SFFKIT next year -- if so, I'll definitely dip into it!

123DeltaQueen50
oct. 26, 2017, 2:56 pm

I will also be checking in, although perhaps not every month like this year, there so many good challenges next year!

124Kristelh
oct. 26, 2017, 5:58 pm

I will be participating as much as I can. So glad it will be continued in 2018.

125sushicat
oct. 27, 2017, 2:06 am

Yay. I was hoping this would be up again, but kept looking in the new group for any mentions. I'll be reading SFF for sure, but having a nudge in a specific direction every month is fun.

126whitewavedarling
oct. 28, 2017, 11:38 am

>108 whitewavedarling:, >113 LisaMorr:, >114 fuzzi:, >115 majkia:, I'm really excited the Kit will continue, and/but also wondering--would it make sense or no to still try to do one author month for Stephenson or someone else? It seems like a lot of the months are open for Groupreads in the 2018 group and that there hasn't been a whole lot of further discussion beyond what's already been settled, so I thought I'd bring it up. I don't know if you guys would still think an author month for Stephenson would make sense (or someone else), or if it would make sense to try to align it with a particular category in 2018's Kit? (Not in terms of making one month an author month necessarily, but placing a Stephenson month group read, for instance, in the same month where the SFFFKit could most likely lead them to his genre...?) In any case, I just thought I'd bring it up since so many of those groupread months for 2018 are empty at the moment!

127mathgirl40
oct. 28, 2017, 11:56 am

>127 mathgirl40: I'd personally love to have a Neal Stephenson group read. His works cover a lot of SFF subgenres (cyberpunk, steampunk, alternate history, hard SF) so we could probably find at least one month to align it with. Should we ask in the main group reads thread if there is any interest? Is there another author/work that's a better choice? I mean a "better choice" for this particular time and purpose, since there are so many good choices! :)

128majkia
oct. 28, 2017, 1:03 pm

I'm not really crazy about an author month. There are so many good authors to read, I think that's awfully limiting.

Maybe instead we can do something subject or genre-wise to narrow the field and then select authors who fit and then select a book or author to read.

I'm just afraid it will devolve to the most widely read authors and leave all the rest.

129mathgirl40
Editat: oct. 28, 2017, 2:10 pm

>129 mathgirl40: I believe that >127 mathgirl40: meant that we'd have an author or single work proposed as a group read outside of the SFFKIT in addition to the usual SFFKIT activities. It's not meant to replace one of the SFFKIT themes. If there is enough interest for a Stephenson group read, it would be proposed to the entire Category Challenge group, and we could time it to coincide with one of the SFFKIT themes if there is a good fit.

For example, Frankenstein is a scheduled group read for January, and coincidentally (or not), it aligns with the ScaredyKIT's "gothic" theme for January. The ScaredyKIT participants can read any gothic work in January, but the hope is that all the people reading Frankenstein might pop into the ScaredyKIT thread to join in the discussion.

130Kristelh
Editat: oct. 28, 2017, 2:21 pm

>127 mathgirl40:. I thought we could do an author each month instead of or in addition to types of SFFF. In other words, i was thinking that it was a good idea to pick some authors for each month. But we could do and author and a topic, we also could match authors with the AlphaCat for each month (so more than one author.

131mathgirl40
oct. 28, 2017, 2:36 pm

>132 majkia: We did something similar in the Horror group last year. Each month had a theme and a representative author, and participants could choose either. I thought this idea worked pretty well.

132majkia
oct. 28, 2017, 3:01 pm

>130 Kristelh: >131 mathgirl40: >132 majkia:

Oh that sounds okay. I'm not averse to group reads, in fact I like them. Even though I seldom seem to do many of them for various reasons.

133whitewavedarling
oct. 28, 2017, 3:03 pm

>129 mathgirl40:, >130 Kristelh: is right--I'd never suggest replacing a theme/genre/subgenre with an author, as I agree it would be too limiting; I just thought it could be fun to have a 'groupread' focusing on one specific SFFF author, and that some would find it easier to participate if they could pick something that would fit both the author theme & the sfffkit theme at the same time :)

>131 mathgirl40:, that works... >132 majkia:, in horror, did it seem like a lot of readers focused in on the rep. author? I'd only wonder if such a small group picked such an author in a given month, that discussion wasn't what it might be otherwise. For instance, I know I'd participate in an author-month groupread if the author was of interest, but there's no way I'd do it every month, so I'd likely only pick the rep. author once or twice at most...

134mathgirl40
oct. 28, 2017, 3:27 pm

>134 mathgirl40: The Horror group ended up being so small last year that I don't think I can draw any conclusions from the experience. However, I liked the fact that I had the freedom to choose any work that fit the theme, but at the same time, if I chose to read that specific author, there'd always be at least a few people to discuss the works with. It also helped me find books to read. Some months, I did not already have books on my shelves or wishlist that fit the theme, so I looked for books by the proposed author.

I'd be OK with whatever format we decide for the SFFKIT. If authors are added to the themes, that's great, but if not, we could do some separate group reads. I see the CATs/KITs and group reads as serving two different purposes. The CATs/KITs are great for organizing my year's reading and to get recommendations from others. The group reads are better for deeper analyzes of works or to give me motivation to get through longer and more challenging works.

135ronincats
oct. 28, 2017, 3:45 pm

While people are actively participating here, I want to throw out a request for participants in a group read of one of my favorite but relativelyunknown fantasy novels, God Stalk by P. C. Hodgell. The "stalk" refers to stalking gods, not a stem. It is the first of a still ongoing series, but it is a complete story and easy to walk away from after the first book if you wish--indeed, all of us had to wait many years after this one to get a sequel. I am looking at possibly November, December or January for the time frame, but the actual month will depend on what those interested work out. If you would be at all interested, please PM me or drop by my thread and let me know.
http://www.librarything.com/topic/270239

And as I was getting ready to copy this so I can publish it in some other threads, one of the cats came by and erased it, forcing me to rewrite the whole darn thing!

136mathgirl40
Editat: oct. 28, 2017, 4:01 pm

While analyzing all the possibilities, we should keep in mind that the KITs are supposed to be flexible and require less organization than the CATs. :)

Here's a suggestion I'd like to throw out. We can let our host fuzzi decide how to set up the KIT, with or without author suggestions. If fuzzi wants to let each months' volunteer decide on the theme and whether there's an author or focus work attached to it, that's fine too. If there are no authors/works proposed within the SFFKIT (or not enough), then any interested volunteer can propose a separate group read.

By the way, I tried to think of a theme that would accommodate Neal Stephenson but couldn't find any because his works cover so many subgenres. The only unifying theme I could come up with was "doorstopper" so he might be better suited for a group read or distributed over the SFFKIT months. :)

137fuzzi
oct. 29, 2017, 12:14 am

I like the idea to let each monthly "host" decide their theme. If one wants to do a "author" theme, that's their prerogative. It might be a little limiting, but I don't have an issue with it.

I've not read Neal Stephenson at all, so I can't make suggestions on how to include his works in anything but an author theme.

Maybe we could do a "read an author new to you" month?

138Kristelh
oct. 29, 2017, 8:14 am

Instead of having authors featured per month, maybe would be better to do group reads but I think it would be fun to try to match the authors up with the alpha kit.
Such as Stephenson could be July read, Dick could be August, Bujold, September, LaGuin October.

Or we just do Stephenson as a group read in July if that month isn’t taken.

139mathgirl40
oct. 29, 2017, 8:40 am

>138 Kristelh: Thanks, fuzzi. That sounds good. Doing a focus author doesn't have to be limiting if it's in addition to an existing theme and is optional. I agree that devoting one entire month in the SFFKIT to an author alone would be rather restricting. Having said that, we're doing a "Stephen King and family" month in the ScaredyKIT group, but there is a lot of material there to work with! :)

>139 mathgirl40: It sounds like it would be best to do Stephenson as a separate group read. October would work too, for 'N'. I have a slight preference for October, as I'll be working through my Hugo and Aurora packets in July, but July would be fine if it's the preferred month.

140whitewavedarling
oct. 29, 2017, 11:01 am

>139 mathgirl40: and >140 whitewavedarling:, I might also not be able to participate quite as much in July since summers can be really hectic for me, but I'll make it a (reading/LT) priority to participate whenever it happens, should it work out!

141Kristelh
oct. 29, 2017, 2:04 pm

>140 whitewavedarling: and >141 Kristelh:, October works for me.

142fuzzi
oct. 29, 2017, 3:21 pm

Once the 2018 Category Challenge Group is open, I'll create the main thread.

If any of you see that it's been created, feel free to give me a nudge...

144fuzzi
oct. 29, 2017, 3:29 pm

>144 fuzzi: wow, that was fast, ha! Thanks!

145fuzzi
oct. 29, 2017, 3:30 pm

Question: I was going to tweak the name of the KIT to:

"The Official UN-official SFF/SFF-KIT for 2018", removing the extra "F" that seems to confuse some people.

I hope y'all are okay with that. :)

146fuzzi
oct. 29, 2017, 3:38 pm

2018 thread is up!

http://www.librarything.com/topic/272659#

majkia, it's ready for a Wiki whenever it's convenient for you. And thank you.

147majkia
oct. 29, 2017, 4:39 pm

I'll work on the wiki tomorrow. :)

148Robertgreaves
oct. 29, 2017, 7:32 pm

I hate to nag, but we don't have a thread for November 2017 yet and the heading isn't really self-explanatory.

149mathgirl40
oct. 29, 2017, 8:45 pm

>147 majkia: Thanks, fuzzi!

150mathgirl40
oct. 29, 2017, 8:59 pm

>141 Kristelh: >142 fuzzi: I proposed the Stephenson group read for October in the 2018 Group Reads thread:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/268707

151fuzzi
oct. 29, 2017, 9:24 pm

>149 mathgirl40: I'll look into it, thank you. :)

152Tanya-dogearedcopy
nov. 4, 2017, 7:23 pm

>152 Tanya-dogearedcopy: Any word yet as to a November thread?

153Robertgreaves
nov. 4, 2017, 7:34 pm

154Tanya-dogearedcopy
nov. 4, 2017, 7:47 pm

155fuzzi
nov. 5, 2017, 8:43 am

OP is updated. :)

156LibraryCin
nov. 10, 2017, 2:42 pm

I haven't been participating here, but just in case anyone else didn't know about this:

Thought I would give everyone a heads up:

RE: the wikis.

I posted here:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/274788#6241961

And was referred to another thread where the wikis have been turned off due to spam? Until they get some kind of fix.

157fuzzi
nov. 10, 2017, 6:19 pm

>157 fuzzi: thank you SO much for letting us know.

And a big thanks to everyone who is working hard to fight the spammers. I did some chat/message board hosting on AOL many years ago, and know what a challenge it can be.

158VioletBramble
nov. 14, 2017, 2:51 pm

The December thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/275234

159fuzzi
nov. 14, 2017, 8:30 pm

>159 fuzzi: all updated, thanks!