2012 Genre Challenge

[Kell]

 

I know it’s still just over two months till the end of the year, but when it comes to setting up a reading challenge, the sooner you get the word out there, the better!

 

Throughout next year I will be hosting the 2012 Genre Challenge and taking part in the Maxi Challenge. I now have a good two months to decide which genres I will choose and then choose my books to suit the genres as the months approach.

 

I hope all my reading friends out there in Blogland and on the forum will take part too.

 

For full details see the 2012 Genre Challenge page

HERE

[dawnbirduk]

Hi, just looked at your challenge, I am interested never having done a challenge like this, I would worry about which books to go for, so thinking about it

[Isandriena]

I may participate in this if I can find 12 books id like to read.

[Kell]

I do urge people to choose one or two genres out of their comfort zone if possible, just to give other things a try and broaden horizons. I'm determined to try a western (I've never read one before!) and am looking to try more speculative fiction, war and my sadly neglected classics and modern classics.

[Ali9321]

Looks like a great way to expand my horizons! Count me in

[Nali]

Ok... Maybe its just me being really daft... but how does one sign up for this? Do I create my own page and link to that or what?

It says: "Sign up by leaving a comment with your name, a link to your sign-up post / page, and the challenge option you have chosen."

It's late here and maybe I just don't get it

[Kell]

Sorry, I've changed the wording a little - you create a page or post to log your progress in the chellenge and link to that. Then I can list all the links so that all the participants can go and cheer each other on throughout the challenge.

[vodkafan]

Hi Kell,

 

just looking at some of the catagories...how do you define a "saga"? And I thought "speculative fiction" was the same as SciFi, can you explain the difference? Thanks in advance

[Kell]

No problem. I took the genres from a list on Wikipedia, so you can see the kinds of things that comes under them here:

 

Saga

sub-genre - Family Saga

 

Speculative Fcition

Sub-genre - Science Fiction

Sub-sub-genre - Hard science fiction

Sub-sub-genre - Soft science fiction

Sub-sub-genre - Space Opera

 

Other sub-genres:

- Punk (Cyberpunk, Dieselpunk, Atompunk, Nanopunk, Postcyberpunk, Steampunk, Clockpunk, Biopunk)

- Alternative universe

- Scientific romance

 

So, although Sci-fi is a subgenre of speculative fiction, I felt it was so well-known and popular on it's own, it could stand as a seperate genre.

[Ooshie]

This looks a really good idea, Kell, I think it will be my New Year resolution!

[Weave]

I signed up for the midi challenge

[Nali]

signed up for the maxi challenge and left a link to my post on this forum for my progress.

[julie]

I'd like to try it too. Will link to a post in this Reading Challenge area .

Thank you .

[Kell]

Thanks, Julie - I'll update the blog challenge page with a link to your thread.

[julie]

Thanks, Julie - I'll update the blog challenge page with a link to your thread.

 

Thanks Kell

Looking forward to starting, and already choosing which genres I want to pick. Should be fun .

[Weave]

I started a blog too, thanks Kell I have chosen one book so far.

 

Feel free to stop by good people ~ http://worldofweave.blogspot.com/

 

[julie]

Hi Weave

I just visited your blog and tried to post a hello,but I must need a blog or something to be allowed to comment,so I'll just comment on here .

It sounds like you are excited about your first book selection,to have it picked out that far before it is published.

Hope you enjoy it and have fun with the Challenge .

[julie]

Hi Kell

Sorry if someone has already asked ,but what is considered a mash-up book ? I'm a little fuzzy on that .

[chaliepud]

A mash up song is a medley of different songs, kind of mixed together, could a mash up book be a mix be a mix of different books??

[chesilbeach]

That's right chaliepud, the mash ups are the recent(ish) crop of books like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

[julie]

Oh, ok, thanks ,guys ~

I didnt understand what it meant .It almost sounded like a car -chase type book where they crash ?

I'm a little slow on the uptake with the new type books. I think I saw one that was Abraham Lincoln,Vampire Killer or some such thing .

Thanks for clearing it up for me .

[Kell]

Indeed - a mash-up is usually a classic novel which has been given an unusual twist. In many cases it's a horror/supernatural twist (as in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies; or Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters), but sometimes it's a re-working of a classic in a slightly different way (for example Murder at Mansfieild Park, which turns all the characters topsy-turvy).

 

They're a lot of fun.

 

Some mash-up titles to consider might be:

 

• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
  
• Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters
  
• Mr Darcy; Vampyre
  
• Queen Victoria; Demon Hunter
  
• Abraham Lincoln; Vampire Slayer
  
• Android Karenina
  
• Mansfield Park and Mummies
  
• Murder at Mansfield Park
  
• The Meowmorphosis
  
• Jane Slayer
  
• Little Vampire Women
  
• Little Women and Werewolves
  
• I Am Scrooge - A Zombie Story for Christmas
  

 

Actually, looking at this list, I've already read quite a few of them! I have to say I've enjoyed them all (some to a lesser degree than others, but they've all been enjoyable romps!). In the case of the Austen and Bronte mash-ups, they remain particularly faithful to the original story and they work suprisingly well with the supernatural additions!

[Weave]

Hi Weave

I just visited your blog and tried to post a hello,but I must need a blog or something to be allowed to comment,so I'll just comment on here .

It sounds like you are excited about your first book selection,to have it picked out that far before it is published.

Hope you enjoy it and have fun with the Challenge .

 

Thanks Julie

[julie]

Hi Kell

Would the Gregory Maguire books count, the retelling of fairy tales ,such as Wicked , etc ?

Not sure if they'd be mash ups or fantasy or something else .

[Kell]

Theu would be fantasy - retelling a tale from another point of view. Mash-ups are a total subversion of a story, usually with an addition of a different genre element, such as horror or murder-mystery, etc.