Forrest’s Comments (group member since Dec 19, 2024)

Forrest’s comments from the Beyond Reality group.

I listened to the free 5-minute sample on Audible and found the narrator’s raspy voice a bit sleep-inducing. Since I have the hardcover edition, I think I'll stick with that for now.

Kathi wrote: "Random wrote: "Dawn wrote: "I often wonder if a lot of people don't retire because they don't know what they would be without the job?"

That's one I will never understand, though I know people who..."

Kathi, thank you for sharing all of this with us.

Natalie wrote: "I haven't bought any special editions but there are quite a few publishers who specialize in nice editions. A few of them are:
Grim Oak Press
Folio Society
The Broken Binding
Wraithmarked Creative
..."

Those animated covers on Wraithmarked are so cool.

Here are my current top 10 favorite hardcovers that I own:


This cover makes me laugh.


Charles Vess has artwork throughout this book.


I haven't reached all the scenes depicted on this cover, which makes me want to keep reading and understand the references. This is the 20th Anniversary edition.


I appreciate the simplicity of this book cover. I still need to read this one, but I've recently encountered too many books with similar tropes.


This cover illustrates the beginning and (almost) the end of the characters' journey. This has been my favorite read this year, and I hope everyone enjoys it as much in March for Book of the Month.


This dust jacket is a standout. I'm not sure what material is used for the dust jacket, but this special edition is easily noticeable from across the room. When you remove the dust cover, a bacon icon is engraved underneath—it's quite humorous!


The papercraft wolf howling with the reflective moon in the background inspired me to seek out books with striking covers.


This cover builds on the first book's design and adds the flair (flare!) that I always thought was missing.


When I bought this book, I mistakenly thought the character on the cover was Piranesi!


The artist did an amazing job on this cover; it stands out from anything I own.

I was planning to take pictures of a few of my favorite covers and special editions for a Reddit group. I’ll show them here when I get the chance.

Happy to have read your Susanna Clarke quote earlier this week. The book is very quotable—hoping to finish it in the next few days.

Shel wrote: "I had a really hard time getting into Mr. Timothy so I gave up and returned it to the library and instead went back to Maud with An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed, t..."

This just arrived today. I want to start reading it so badly. It seems like a book I won't be able to put down.

Until recently, I was unaware that the short story "Good Hunting" was adapted into a TV episode for "Love, Death & Robots" on Netflix.

I also forgot to follow up on our discussion after finishing the second half of the book. It has been a while, but I remember that the last three stories captured my attention the most: "Trans-Pacific Tunnel," "Monkey King," and "A Documentary."

Of these, "A Documentary" resonated with me the most. The story of Unit 731 connected some dots on several of my blind spots in geopolitics and our history, especially since a tour guide had commented on one of the topics discussed in that story while I was in Korea. Now I understand.

I need to watch some of Liu's interviews on YouTube because I believe many more of my questions from all his stories will be answered there.

Currently, I am reading The Dandelion Dynasty Boxset. Liu's writing is incredibly pleasing.

Thank you so much for the suggestions!

I was surprised to discover that Dracula has about 6,000 editions on Goodreads and over 9,000 on LibraryThing. Isn't that wild?

That said, I love my 2020 Puffin Books hardcover edition of Dracula. It looks fantastic on my bookshelf and has such a fun, unserious vibe—lol!

I've picked up a few signed and special editions as gifts for others, but I’ve treated myself to very few.

One book I own and look at repeatedly is the complete illustrated edition of The Books of Earthsea, illustrated by Charles Vess. The rest of my special edition books were purchased to replace their paper copy and ebook, allowing for better display on my floating bookshelf of books I love, which visitors can see.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

It was the 2005 Hugo Award winner. The new 20th Anniversary Edition (2024) hardcover by Bloomsbury is stunning.

I enjoyed getting lost in the labyrinth with Piranesi by Clarke; hoping to enjoy this Napoleonic-era read just as much.

My question is: how do you track special editions?

I’m a sucker for any well-designed, artistic hardcover of a book or completed series that I love. However, sometimes when I compare B&N and Amazon paperback and hardcovers online, I see a different cover option in stores—sometimes an even better option than online.

I have no idea how to track the options.

This book was an excellent choice. Thank you for the suggestion!

I passed this book along to a friend whom I know will either enjoy it or absolutely despise it. (We'll see! LOL)

I look forward to reading it again in a few months. For my second read, I have another friend in mind for a buddy-read. The book's style is unique, and you really have to immerse yourself in it to feel the rewards.

a.g.e. montagner wrote: "Currently on a serendipitous trek for Black History Month, courtesy of three different Goodreads groups: If He Hollers Let Him Go by Chester Himes, If Beale S..."</i>

[book:The Reformatory looks good. I also saw it mentioned in Goodreads' 99 Beloved article:

https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2..."

Shel wrote: "How is the adaptation? I loved that book."

My sister said the show was great--a good, brooding disaster. The reviews online are promising for the show, too: 8/10 on IMDb.

Since the emperor was overthrown, I am losing my best friend to our differing ideologies. I'm inside a beautiful "silkpunk" dreamscape, I think.

The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu

For anyone interested, The Terror by Dan Simmons is a historical novel about a doomed Arctic expedition and has been adapted as a series by AMC. You can stream it on Netflix and elsewhere.

I really enjoy this challenge! Of the 619 books from the previous Book of the Month bookshelf, 20 titles are already on my reading list for 2025.

This week, I finished *Kindred* by Octavia E. Butler and started *The Grace of Kings* by Ken Liu.

I won't count these two titles for the challenge, so I'm left with the difficult task of choosing one from the following list:

- *The Name of the Wind* by Patrick Rothfuss
- *A Discovery of Witches* by Deborah Harkness
- *All Systems Red* by Martha Wells
- *The Three-Body Problem* by Cixin Liu
- *Foundryside* by Robert Jackson Bennett
- *Jade City* by Fonda Lee
- *A Game of Thrones* by George R.R. Martin
- *Gideon the Ninth* by Tamsyn Muir
- *Under the Whispering Door* by TJ Klune
- *Flowers for Algernon* by Daniel Keyes
- *This Is How You Lose the Time War* by Amal El-Mohtar
- *Circe* by Madeline Miller
- *Ship of Magic* by Robin Hobb
- *City of Stairs* by Robert Jackson Bennett
- *The Blade Itself* by Joe Abercrombie
- *Gardens of the Moon* by Steven Erikson
- *The Last Unicorn* by Peter S. Beagle
- *The Golem and the Jinni* by Helene Wecker
- *Mistborn* by Brandon Sanderson
- *The Book That Wouldn't Burn* by Mark Lawrence

I’m looking forward to making my selection!

fantasy
The Children of Gods and Fighting Men by Shauna Lawless

Irish mythology, fantasy, and real Irish history. In December, I read Dreams of Fire, a 105-page Kindle prequel (#0.5, not required) that introduces the century before The Children of Gods and Fighting Men (Gael Song, #1). I remember the prequel so vividly that I'd like to make more time for Shauna.

Gael Song #0.5, #2, #2.5, and #3 all have a 4.50-4.60 rating on Goodreads so the series likely has some good payoff.

science fiction
Blue Remembered Earth by Alastair Reynolds
Goodreads rating: 3.88

One hundred and fifty years from now, in a world where Africa is the dominant technological and economic power, and where crime, war, disease, and poverty have been banished to history, Geoffrey Akinya wants only one thing: to be left in peace, so that he can continue his studies into the elephants of the Amboseli basin. But Geoffrey's family, the vast Akinya business empire, has other plans. After the death of Eunice, Geoffrey's grandmother, erstwhile space explorer and entrepreneur, something awkward has come to light on the Moon, and Geoffrey is tasked - well, blackmailed, really - to go up there and make sure the family's name stays suitably unblemished. But little does Geoffrey realize - or anyone else in the family, for that matter - what he's about to unravel.

Eunice's ashes have already been scattered in sight of Kilimanjaro. But the secrets she died with are about to come into the open, and they could change everything.

Or shatter this near-utopia into shards...

I will start this momentarily.

In February, I am committed to reading one book each week by authors recommended for Black History Month. Reflecting on my reading from January, I noticed that out of the 15 books I completed, only 3 were written by authors of color--James Baldwin, Percival Everett, Ken Liu. This highlights the need for me to improve in diversifying my reading choices and to honor a broader range of voices.

What I'm reading in February for Black History Month:

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X and Alex Haley