2023 SFFKIT planning thread

Welcome to the SFFKIT! We read science fiction, fantasy : futuristic or set in a world not quite our own.

We generally ask for volunteers to take a month, pick a topic and up up a thread around the 15th of the month before you chose. Anyone new to this we'll we happy to help you with the thread part.

I'll keep track of who has what month and topic here:

January - fuzzi - Why Didn't I Read It Sooner! - https://www.librarything.com/topic/346551
February - JayneCM - SFF Romance - https://www.librarything.com/topic/347834
March - whitewavedarling - The Dark Side - https://www.librarything.com/topic/348623
April - h-mb - Historical Fiction - https://www.librarything.com/topic/349416
May - majkia - Science Fantasy - https://www.librarything.com/topic/350125
June - antqueen - Humourous SFF - https://www.librarything.com/topic/350856
July - DeltaQueen50 - Series - https://www.librarything.com/topic/351529
August - Kristelh - Space - Stars/Comets/meteors - https://www.librarything.com/topic/352260
September - RobertGreaves - SFF written in language other than English - https://www.librarything.com/topic/353010
October - markon - Award Winners - https://www.librarything.com/topic/353676
November - Susanna.fraser - Graphic novels, novellas, short story collections - https://www.librarything.com/topic/354284
December - Wrap Up? - Read something you didn't get to earlier in the year.

The wiki: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2023_SFFKIT

I think we've had it as a topic before, but I am willing to host a month on Non Anglophone SFF, i.e., works originally published in other languages besides English (whether we read them in English translation or in their original language).

>2 Robertgreaves: Sounds great! Which month would you like?

>3 majkia: Any time in the second half of the year

>4 Robertgreaves: I put you in for September which we can change if we need to
.

I could host July with a topic of "Series".

>6 DeltaQueen50: You got it.

I'm going to do science fantasy. I've signed up for May but if someone is hard over for that month I can change it.

Science fantasy is scifi where elements of magic or paranormal stuff is embedded in the story. Think Star Wars or Dune or Witch of the Federation.

If you like, I can host a "Why Didn't I Read It Sooner?" type of challenge.

>9 fuzzi: hah. I need that challenge. What month do you want?

I can do shorter works--novellas, graphic novels, short story collections--in November or December.

>11 susanna.fraser: I'll put you down for November. Great!

>10 majkia: January, February, March, or October...any of those should work.

What about either:

Cross-over SFF (books that may or may not be shelved with SFF in stores, but have SFF elements--thinking things like paranormal crime, some paranormal romance, magical realism, and speculative fiction like Blindness, Never Let Me Go, etc.)

OR

'The Dark Side' (books that are either on the very-dark/horror side of SFF, like sci-fi horror or grimdark, or else where a character is faced with choosing between to go or not go to 'the dark side'?

If either of these work, I could best do March, April, or December.

>13 fuzzi: put you in for January

>14 whitewavedarling: Put you down for March. Both topics sound good so pick your poison!

>15 majkia:, I'll do 'The Dark Side' since we've got a catchy title for that one :) Thank you!

I was thinking maybe a SFF with a romance element for February?

>17 JayneCM: Sounds good!

We still need five hosts for various months.

I can do historical fantasy or award winner : I primise I'll write an alert on my calendar to remember it.

>21 h-mb: great! Pick a month and choose one of those topics!

>21 h-mb: Would you be willing to do historical fantasy if I do award winner in October? That's when the Hugos are awarded, as well as the Ursula LeGuin prize for fiction, and I want to watch this one.

There are many other awards, and I'll list them, but since these two are awarded in October and October is available, I'd like to grab it if that's OK.

>22 majkia: et >23 markon: : OK, I'll take the historical fantasy challenge, in april (I can change the month if necessary)

>24 h-mb: put you both in the list in #1.

Now we only need someone for June, August and December.

>26 majkia: I would like to do a science fiction or fantasy in translation if people would be interested. I would include links to stories that could be read online for folks who don't want to tackle a novel. I could do either June or August.

I can do June... how about humorous SFF?

>27 markon:, Wouldn't that be the same thing as the SFF written in a language other than English that's already slated?

>27 markon: Yeah, RobertGreaves is slated to do that in September. Maybe pick a specific culture instead?

You're right, I should have looked at the list more carefully. I'm scheduled for one in October, I'll be happy with that.

August and December remain.

I can do a sort of generic 'read something you meant to read all year' for december if we want to, or if someone has something specific for December that would be great.

>29 whitewavedarling: >30 majkia: >31 markon: Very similar but not exactly the same. If you can read eg Japanese, reading a Japanese author in Japanese would count for mine but reading something translated into Japanese from English would not.

>33 Robertgreaves: Maybe I'll propose this category next year :)

We've only got August left.

>15 majkia: woo!

August is the month of Perseids; so lets do SFF involving space (stars, meteors, or comets). I will host.

Okay! We are set!

>37 Kristelh: Great idea!

If any hosts feel posting is too much pressure, let me know and I'll post when the thread is due.

The wiki is here: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2023_SFFKIT

>9 fuzzi: "Why Didn't I Read It Sooner?"
I feel that way after reading a book sometimes, but how do you find a book that fits that category before you have read it?

>42 soelo: I've chosen a book that keeps getting recommended to me specifically but that I've been resistant to read because of a book the author wrote later. Either I will be pleasantly surprised and go around exclaiming "Why didn't I read it sooner?" self-deprecatingly but happily or; if I don't like it, uttering the same statement in a cynical way, denoting that I should have read it earlier if nothing else to placate the recommenders and get it off my stacks. The latter will be soon be followed by an "I told you so" :-p

>43 Tanya-dogearedcopy: >43 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I'll wait and see what the host says in the introduction, but for now I'll just choose something that has been in my TBR pile for a long time.

I get it, I get it...

The "Why Didn't I Read it Sooner?" was not meant to be a concrete title, just a "read something you have been meaning to read for a long time" type of topic.

I think I'll title January's challenge "Cobwebs and Dust".

Hopefully I can get the thread up in the next week or so.

>45 fuzzi:

Here it is, January's thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/346551

Thanks!

wrong thread, sorry.

Sorry - forgot to add February's link here!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/347834#n8042888

>49 JayneCM: thank you!

March thread is up! https://www.librarything.com/topic/348623#n8068892

April thread is up : https://www.librarything.com/topic/349416

May thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/350125

June thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/350856

July thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/351529#n8166494

August thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/352260

September thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/353010

October thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/353676

I'm going to be out of town for nine days starting this Saturday, and I'm not sure how good my internet access will be along the way, so I went ahead and prepared...

...the November thread, which is here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/354284

>59 susanna.fraser: thanks!

We're starting to plan the SFFKIT for 2024. Please join us here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/355028