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[lemmyloop]

Mar 31, 2014 12:16:11 GMT -6 dragonmagic1 said:

Mar 31, 2014 10:43:30 GMT -6 lemmyloop said:

Having read the books I'll keep my mouth shut on any potential spoilers. It's cetrainlyinteresting to compare the characters in the show and in the books. I loved Tywin in the show, but didn't care for him in the books. I much prefer the show Sansa to the book Sansa until much later in the book series.

Gotta love the Jamie Brienne dynamic. Can't quite remember where their status was in the show. Arya of course is one of my favorites. Tyrion is great too. I have so many more but can't think of them right now. Need to give the series a reread.

I think it's okay to mention Oberyn as I've seen him in the trailors/previews of the show. He's interesting but that's all I'll say

And we can't forget Danny and the dragons-

True true! Can't forget about them. I'm definitely looking forward to this season, it's sure to be good.

Unfortunately it'll probably just make me remember that book 6 isn't out yet. I'm normally good at waiting for books but when I'm hyped up it makes me impatient. I'll just have to read them over again. Maybe by the time I finish re-reading then there will be a release date for Winds of Winter.  Or at least an estimate!

[dragonmagic1]

Mar 31, 2014 13:24:52 GMT -6 lemmyloop said:

Mar 31, 2014 12:16:11 GMT -6 dragonmagic1 said:

And we can't forget Danny and the dragons-

True true! Can't forget about them. I'm definitely looking forward to this season, it's sure to be good.

Unfortunately it'll probably just make me remember that book 6 isn't out yet. I'm normally good at waiting for books but when I'm hyped up it makes me impatient. I'll just have to read them over again. Maybe by the time I finish re-reading then there will be a release date for Winds of Winter.  Or at least an estimate!

That's funny, I do the same thing sometimes, other times when I'm into a long collection of books, I try to time them that I am finished reading the last one either a week before or a few days after the latest release. It makes me think I'm caught up until I actually get so engrossed that I do catch up to find that I have another several months before the next release.

[flutterbye]

My son introduced me to GRR Martin's writings about when the first pilot was filming. I don't think I've been so excited about a book series since my first gallop through the Narnia universe.

It's been agony waiting for DwD, and now tWoW. However, I haven't reread the books before the new aGoT series since the first one; I find seeing the differences detracts from my enjoyment.

It's fascinating how my feelings about certain characters have changed for good or bad as the story unfolds. And I also prefer certain characters in each medium, and view them almost as different people.

[dragonmagic1]

I actually got introduced to GoT while I was waiting for the next Wheel of Time book about 7 years ago. The woman at the bookstore told me that she guaranteed that I would like it and if I didn't she would give me a full refund. I had never heard that from a chain bookstore before and have never regretted it but certainly appreciated her insight into the two series.

[lemmyloop]

Several years ago I worked in a library... as such I had a very long reading list based on all the books I shelved. There's no better way to see what people are reading than to see what comes in the book drop, or what books people are requesting. I remember seeing the aSoIaF series on the shelf and it got on the list. Purely from having a cool series title! Of course, life happened and most of that reading list was forgotten. When the TV show got popular, and I looked at the book series a little light went on my head and finally got around to reading them.

I'm very much an SFF junky. In books I lean towards fantasy, and for TV I go for Sci-fi. Kinda funny how that works out!

Got any other books/book series that y'all like? I'm always looking for something new. I've heard good things about the Wheel of Time series. Might have to renew my library card and check them out. (I can never resist a good pun)

[dragonmagic1]

Mar 31, 2014 15:06:24 GMT -6 lemmyloop said:

Several years ago I worked in a library... as such I had a very long reading list based on all the books I shelved. There's no better way to see what people are reading than to see what comes in the book drop, or what books people are requesting. I remember seeing the aSoIaF series on the shelf and it got on the list. Purely from having a cool series title! Of course, life happened and most of that reading list was forgotten. When the TV show got popular, and I looked at the book series a little light went on my head and finally got around to reading them.

I'm very much an SFF junky. In books I lean towards fantasy, and for TV I go for Sci-fi. Kinda funny how that works out!

Got any other books/book series that y'all like? I'm always looking for something new. I've heard good things about the Wheel of Time series. Might have to renew my library card and check them out. (I can never resist a good pun)

I highly recommend you read WoT, there are a few slow parts here and there (book 6 if I remember correctly) but hang through it and it will give you many hours of enjoyment. After he died he still had pages and pages of notes and a relatively unknown writer at the time (Brandon Sanderson) was asked to write a finishing novel with his son. After they went thru the notes they decided to do two books. It is now going to be three that they added and they haven't disappointed. It will be 15 books total, if you decide to read them let me know if you enjoy them.

[flutterbye]

Ahh, I deliberately haven't read that as it was an unfinished series.

I enjoyed a couple of books by Mary Gentle, Ash in particular. Historical, with a sci-fi twist. I also like Julian May's Many Coloured Land and Galactic Milieu series. For an environmental geographer who likes all things faerie and sci-fi, her work is a no-brainer.

[GregDarcy]

Wheel of Time, or as I started calling it,The Never Ending Story, is excellent, though it has a serious dip in the middle. In hindsight that coincides with the onset of his illness. When I started reading it, only book 2 had come out. There was some serious waiting involved, and I got into the habit of re-reading the entire series in anticipation of each new tome.

The Gap series by Stephen Donaldson. Though I hated Thomas Covenant with a vengeance.

Pretty much anything by Terry Pratchett, though his dementia is showing in his latest few books.

A Wizard of Earthsea and sequels by Ursula K LeGuin. Some of her other work is definitely in the experimental writing category though.

JRR of course

Robert Heinlein. Particularly his middle books. NOT a fan of his later "dirty old man" phase I personally think he peaked at The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

I retain a soft spot for Asimov and Clark. Both are quite dated now though

Necromancer and Enders Game of course.

Jacqueline Carey starting with Kushiels Dart. A trilogy of trilogies. The first is the best. Definitely adult reading though. Not likely to ever be successfully adapted to film. Mind you I said the same thing about LOTR before Peter Jackson took a crack at it.

Taking a sharp turn left,
The Little World of Don Camillo and sequels by Giovanni Guareschi (I think I got the spelling right)

Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers. The movie was woeful.

Pride &Prejudice of course. That has remained the #1 download on Project Gutenberg since it was put up.

That's enough to be going on with.

[bansidh]

For a unique take on big fictional lizards, the big fictional lizard Jouster series by Mercedes Lackey is excellent, starting with Joust. It is set in a world with Egyptian overtones.

For an interesting "alternative history" series, Kim Harrison's Hollow series is good. The first book is Dead Witch Walking. It involves your usual witches, vampires, weres, etc., but there are unique twists that make it interesting. I think she's up to 11 books now...

@bonehead, if you like Asimov and Clark, you'd probably enjoy Randall Garrett. Same era, and a lot of his stuff is available at Gutenberg. My first introduction to him was The Gandalara Cycle, co-authored with Vicki Ann Heydron.

The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss are also good, starting with The Name of the Wind. He's a relatively new author, so not sure how many will end up in that series.

[freitag]

Mar 31, 2014 13:24:52 GMT -6 lemmyloop said:

Unfortunately it'll probably just make me remember that book 6 isn't out yet. I'm normally good at waiting for books but when I'm hyped up it makes me impatient. I'll just have to read them over again. Maybe by the time I finish re-reading then there will be a release date for Winds of Winter.  Or at least an estimate!

Careful about what you say. RRMartin has been quoted as saying 'Everytime someone asks me "how long until the next book", I kill a Stark'.

For the rest, I'm a Discworld inhabitant , with periodic incursions into Star Wars. I must've read half the Wookiepedia already.

Another fantasy world I make time for is Walter Moer's continent of Zamonia - when I can find it. The writer illustrates the books himself. It's supposed to be children's literature, but it gets pretty dark in there. The last one I read was about a talking cat whose poor widow-owner died and got so near the point of starving that he sold his potential hypothetical fat to a mean sorcerer who was going to use it to become immortal. The story was about how he uses his wits to get out of the bind.

Since the Never-ending Story there's been quite a lot of good production in Germany.

[vonfirmath]

Mar 31, 2014 16:10:17 GMT -6 GregDarcy said:

Wheel of Time, or as I started calling it,The Never Ending Story, is excellent, though it has a serious dip in the middle. In hindsight that coincides with the onset of his illness. When I started reading it, only book 2 had come out. There was some serious waiting involved, and I got into the habit of re-reading the entire series in anticipation of each new tome.

There's a thread based on books here! I had NO Idea

I LOVED the beginning of Wheel of Time. Gave up after book 4 or 5(I forget exactly where) years ago. It just went on and on And after reading a couple of books where nothing happened I gave up on it. This was BEFORE I was married and we just celebrated our 10th anniversary so I must say its not a decision I regret.

I read the first Honor Harrington book by David Weber. But it wasn't my cup of tea. (My husband enjoys them). Maybe I'll try them again sometime. The series I'm REALLY loving (and referred to) is his Safehold series. First book _Off Armageddon Reef_ (http://www.amazon.com/Off-Armageddon-Reef-David-Weber/dp/0765353970/ref=sr_1_2_bnp_1_mas?ie=UTF8&qid=1396620730&sr=8-2&keywords=safehold+series. I first "read" this on Audio Book checked out of the library while 9-months pregnant with my oldest. Shared it with my husband (Just like Eve) and we've been hooked ever since) Note it is put out by Tor, not Baen so is not available in the free first book thing.

There's some previews on David Weber's site though:
www.davidweber.net/books/43-off-armageddon-reef.html
Audio Samples: www.davidweber.net/downloads/index/recent/series:6

I've never heard of Mary Gentle and _Ash_ has an intriguing title. As well as more to recommend it here in this thread

Elizabeth Moon though sounds familiar. I see she's a native of Texas, which I call home, but I don't recognize any of the titles. I see she had a child late in life, just like me (She's my parent's age, but her had kid at age 38 according to Wikipedia.) Might have to correct that.

Apr 4, 2014 4:21:28 GMT -6 freitag said:

Mar 31, 2014 13:24:52 GMT -6 lemmyloop said:

Unfortunately it'll probably just make me remember that book 6 isn't out yet. I'm normally good at waiting for books but when I'm hyped up it makes me impatient. I'll just have to read them over again. Maybe by the time I finish re-reading then there will be a release date for Winds of Winter.  Or at least an estimate!

Careful about what you say. RRMartin has been quoted as saying 'Everytime someone asks me "how long until the next book", I kill a Stark'.

[crumble608]

SPOILER ALERT - SPOILER ALERT - SPOILER ALERT - SPOILER ALERT
(Regarding the Hobbit)














So : Smaug died tonight (finally) !
I 'm a bit sad that this was officially now the last part of the Tolkien films I hadn't seen
Time to review the LOTR ...

PS : I don't believe that ANYONE here doesn't know the outcome of the Hobbit

[GregDarcy]

Hey! crumble608 Spoiler alert please. Some of us don't have the ability to go to the movies and have to wait for the dvd.

[wOMantraNOM]

Nov 4, 2012 18:44:50 GMT -6 Bliss said:

I got the greeks on my brain now. Starting to reread the odyssey. The Iliad next and then probably to Aeschylus and Sophocles.

Hi, Bliss ! Am reading these old posts and inspired to recommend (if you're finished with that list above) Lindsay Clarke's "The War at Troy" and "The Return From Troy." Clarke is steeped in the myths and the history. His retelling fleshes out the people and lays in the atmosphere, with contemporary understanding.

In addition there are two books written by a psychologist about his work with Vietnam vets where he used the progression of the Odyssey to help the vets with ptsd. These books altogether I read while my grandson was in Afghanistan to help me in case he needed help. (AOK and back in one piece!) 

[wOMantraNOM]

Dec 3, 2012 12:14:40 GMT -6 technofanatic said:

Dec 3, 2012 10:55:30 GMT -6 .TommyB. said:

We don't watch TV, as a rule. We don't even own a TV. We don't have cable or dish or even aerials, so we literally don't have TV. This is because we don't like a lot of the attitudes expressed or modeled, and especially hate the values that are shoved down our throats by the commercials. But occasionally we'll get hooked on a sci-fi series and watch it somehow on the internet. So, to draw on your knowledge, can you recommend any?

It seems as though there are no good old-fashioned sci-fi shows any more. We've enjoyed all the normal ones, like Star Trek, Stargate (SG-1, Atlantis, Universe), Battlestar Galactica (although a lot of that was borderline, according to our values). We loved Firefly. Earth2 was dumb, stopped watching it. SeaQuest was dull, stopped watching it. Have had a hard time getting into Babylon 5. Doctor Who costs money. Seems like nobody makes good space opera any more. Thoughts?

Try Eureka. It loosely fits your criteria and values.

Nobody recommended Andromeda? I named my Andromedan(s) Sorbo(s) (imagine having two!) they had good aliens and science-y story lines, interesting characters. I was already a Sorbo fan (not his politics) from Hercules\Xena but this series impressed me for itself. Farscape had even better aliens, though.

Somebody did recommend Dark Angel (James Cameron's dystopian Seattle) which I copied to CD in reruns. Very well done and Jessica Alba very young and incandescent.

[wOMantraNOM]

So, a bunch of you guys got Likes from 2012! Couldn't help from hitting that Thumbs Up as I was reading the history of this thread. A lotta fun and good ideas.
Read a book together?

[jamesvaler]

Jul 11, 2015 17:47:24 GMT -6 wOMantraNOM said:

Nov 4, 2012 18:44:50 GMT -6 Bliss said:

I got the greeks on my brain now. Starting to reread the odyssey. The Iliad next and then probably to Aeschylus and Sophocles.

Hi, Bliss ! Am reading these old posts and inspired to recommend (if you're finished with that list above) Lindsay Clarke's "The War at Troy" and "The Return From Troy." Clarke is steeped in the myths and the history. His retelling fleshes out the people and lays in the atmosphere, with contemporary understanding.

In addition there are two books written by a psychologist about his work with Vietnam vets where he used the progression of the Odyssey to help the vets with ptsd. These books altogether I read while my grandson was in Afghanistan to help me in case he needed help. (AOK and back in one piece!) 

Unfortunately, bliss has left, I think
Will make sure to add those books to my reading list. 

Anyone want to read some Virgil with me? I'm reading it in Latin and translating it. Already done the letters of Pliny

[GregDarcy]

Jul 12, 2015 1:08:16 GMT -6 jamesvaler said:

Jul 11, 2015 17:47:24 GMT -6 wOMantraNOM said:

Hi, Bliss ! Am reading these old posts and inspired to recommend (if you're finished with that list above) Lindsay Clarke's "The War at Troy" and "The Return From Troy." Clarke is steeped in the myths and the history. His retelling fleshes out the people and lays in the atmosphere, with contemporary understanding.

In addition there are two books written by a psychologist about his work with Vietnam vets where he used the progression of the Odyssey to help the vets with ptsd. These books altogether I read while my grandson was in Afghanistan to help me in case he needed help. (AOK and back in one piece!) 

Unfortunately, bliss has left, I think
Will make sure to add those books to my reading list. 

Anyone want to read some Virgil with me? I'm reading it in Latin and translating it. Already done the letters of Pliny

No. Peter Carey's Bliss is still in print.

And I didn't know Virgil had any spare time over from International Rescue to write anything

[jamesvaler]

Jul 12, 2015 1:45:38 GMT -6 GregDarcy said:

Jul 12, 2015 1:08:16 GMT -6 jamesvaler said:

Unfortunately, bliss has left, I think
Will make sure to add those books to my reading list. 

Anyone want to read some Virgil with me? I'm reading it in Latin and translating it. Already done the letters of Pliny

No. Peter Carey's Bliss is still in print.

And I didn't know Virgil had any spare time over from International Rescue to write anything

Oh yes, he made time for me of course! Hope your not being serious about Bliss. That joke was cringeworthy

[wOMantraNOM]

Does anyone know anything about Cobus? I was enjoying his posts but he hasn't checked in since 2014. His occupation made me imagine The Worst  but hoping he's occupied with wife and babies 

[GregDarcy]

Jul 12, 2015 3:49:56 GMT -6 jamesvaler said:

Jul 12, 2015 1:45:38 GMT -6 GregDarcy said:

No. Peter Carey's Bliss is still in print.

And I didn't know Virgil had any spare time over from International Rescue to write anything

Oh yes, he made time for me of course! Hope your not being serious about Bliss. That joke was cringeworthy

Hey. I'm a dad. I've got to keep my hand in.

[wOMantraNOM]

Jul 12, 2015 1:08:16 GMT -6 jamesvaler said:

Jul 11, 2015 17:47:24 GMT -6 wOMantraNOM said:

Hi, Bliss ! Am reading these old posts and inspired to recommend (if you're finished with that list above) Lindsay Clarke's "The War at Troy" and "The Return From Troy." Clarke is steeped in the myths and the history. His retelling fleshes out the people and lays in the atmosphere, with contemporary understanding.

In addition there are two books written by a psychologist about his work with Vietnam vets where he used the progression of the Odyssey to help the vets with ptsd. These books altogether I read while my grandson was in Afghanistan to help me in case he needed help. (AOK and back in one piece!) 

Unfortunately, bliss has left, I think
Will make sure to add those books to my reading list. 

Anyone want to read some Virgil with me? I'm reading it in Latin and translating it. Already done the letters of Pliny

I'll gladly read your translations! (But I'll have no way of knowing if they're accurate - you could put in dragons!?)