The Gauntlet Has Been Thown – A New List to Conquer

I was perusing Facebook updates today when I saw this post from Grace Bridges at Splashdown Books – The Science Fiction Reading Challenge. Considering I hate, loathed, and despised science fiction or fantasy until my late twenties, I feared this list. However, with this blog in mind, my first thought was “OH YEAH, the challenge is ON!”

Talk about a complete change. In grade school, I avoided The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe because the title itself or rather witches scared me. I was so afraid of witches, I was in middle school before I could watch the Wizard of Oz. Although as a Midwesterner that might have been from a fear of tornadoes. As a kid, I wanted stories based in reality. True confession. In fifth grade, I “fake read”, that is thumbed through and wrote down garbage answers for A Wrinkle in Time. I only chose it because, it looked like the next best book to Eight Cousins which was the only book on the list I would have read voluntarily. And I fake read that too.

Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with spec fiction, enough to actually write it. While the writing wouldn’t come until a couple of years ago, the seeds were planted when I read Frank Peretti’s books back in college.  Then came Harry Potter and our church’s production of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe about the same time. At twenty-something, the White Witch wasn’t so scary. Well actually the witch was pretty frightening in a talented actress sort of way, but the story no longer had the power to give me nightmares. And I was enthralled with the Harry Potter story world.

Gradually, read all of the Chronicles of Narnia, the Lord of the Rings, and others. Today, spec fiction stories automatically fly to the top of my TBR pile. Monday, I’ll weigh in on what I’m reading but let’s just say, I’m probably reading my favorite book of 2013 and it’s not a Victorian romance…

My baseline on the Science Fiction Reading challenge is a measly eight. Looking at the list, a number of them are fighting for a coveted slot at the top of my TBR pile. Ender’s Game will probably win since I really want to see the movie.