Christopher’s Comments (group member since Jan 21, 2019)

Christopher’s comments from the Beyond Reality group.

For SF, I would like to nominate Green Mars By Kim Stanley Robinson. I read the first book, Red Mars, back in October for this group as well as for the 24-hour Readathon and I really enjoyed it. I am eager to read about the continuing colonization of Mars after the previous books shocking ending.

For Fantasy, I would like to nominate American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I am still very interested in reading this book and then watching the Starz series as I really like Ian McShane.

For Sci-Fi, I would like to once again nominate Borne by Jeff VanderMeer. He just came out with a new book and I would love to read this book before deciding whether or not to tackle any more by him.

For Fantasy, I would like to once again nominate Beren and Lúthien by J.R.R. Tolkien. The Amazon show is now in production, so I believe that reading one of Middle-Earth's central tales is in order.

For February's SF pick, I would like to renominate Borne by Jeff VanderMeer. I mentioned last time that I picked up a free copy of this book through a local library's partnership with the NEA's Big Read program, but I didn't realize at the time that the author was there signing copies of the book and, thus, missed out on that opportunity. However, as I've read the description and reviews on Goodreads more, I am very interested in picking this book up and discussing it with this group in the near future.

For February's Fantasy pick, I would like to renominate Beren and Lúthien by J.R.R. Tolkien. As it appears that the pre-production of Amazon's Lord of the Rings prequel series is kicking into high gear, I would like to read and discuss this tale from LOTR's First Age that is key to almost everything else in Middle-Earth.

I finished this book last weekend as a part of Dewey's 24 hour readathon. I must confess, I was not totally keen about this book in the beginning. The flash forward intro chapter threw me off and I found the character of Maya to be annoying with no other reason for being in the narrative except as a love interest. However, as the book moved along, it really picked up steam and by the climax I could see how everything from the beginning on had led up to that point. Even Maya turned out to be not as bad as I initially thought. All in all, it was a good read. Don't know when I will get to the sequels, but I do hope to read those one day.

You can read my full review on Goodreads or on my personal blog.

Happy reading!

Before the nominations close, I would like to nominate Borne by Jeff VanderMeer. I was at a local library where, thanks to the NEA's Big Read program, this book was being handed out for free and Mr. VanderMeer was signing copies. Sadly, I didn't know what was going on at the time, so I didn't get my book signed, but I read the description and I would like to read it very soon.

This will be my first time reading Red Mars. I’ve seen it on the shelf at bookstores and its description has always fascinated me, so I am eager to read this for myself at last.

For SF, I would like to nominate Artemis by Andy Weir. I was a big fan of The Martian when I first read it and I've had his sophomore book on my shelf for a while now. I would very much enjoy reading it with a group.

For fantasy, I nominate American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I recently watched Good Omens on Amazon and I have been dying to watch the Starz series for a while (can't afford the subscription right now), as well as read some works by Neil Gaiman for myself. I think this would be a great book to discuss with friends.

For the science fiction pick, I would like to nominate Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson. I nominate this book because it is one of the great classics of science fiction and I have been wanting to read it for a while now.

For the fantasy pick, I would like to nominate Beren and Lúthien by J.R.R. Tolkien because this "lost tale" is one of the key stories in Tolkien's Middle Earth saga prior to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I remember reading The Children of Hurin a while ago and enjoying it, and I hope that others would enjoy this read too.