Rob’s Comments (group member since Jul 06, 2012)

Rob’s comments from the The Sword and Laser group.

AndrewP wrote: "Even better, listen to the audio book :)"

True. The narration is fantastic.

Both. That's what makes Marvel characters so interesting.

(view spoiler)[To the people of Westfield she'll remain a villain. But she did the right thing in the wrong run. (hide spoiler)]

Did you watch the second post credit scene?

I liked it a lot. I thought it was a fitting ending to the series.

(view spoiler)[I'd agree it was more action than the other episodes, but it kind of had to be. They'd basically been building to this climax all season.

My only real disappointment was I was hoping to see what happened with White vision, even if it was just a post-credit teaser.

Speaking of that, I guess Wanda's kids are still out their somewhere.

I think the biggest change to come out of this series is the possibility of mutants.

Until this show they were avoiding calling Wanda the Scarlet Witch and the idea that someone could be born with powers. Those are subtle details, but I think significant developments.

We also never really figured out what's up with fake Quicksilver. Mind controlled by Agatha or not, he seemed to have super speed. Or did that come from Agatha too?

I suspect we'll see Agatha turn from enemy into mentor/frenemy before long.

Overall I think this is definitely more of an "origin story"/transition series than something monumental.

But I'd disagree with it simply be "putting the toys back in the box". (hide spoiler)]

Buzz wrote: "Anybody else here lobbying hard for Rivers of London to win March Madness? I've had it on my Want to Read list for years..."

You could just..you know..read it. :-D

Trike wrote: "(you have the wrong book title, Rob, not that it matters),"

Oh it matters! Thanks for the heads up. Too much copy/paste this morning.

Welcome Luke.

I went 4-4 in round 1.

I may end up reading Legendborn. It barely lost in this round, though I'm not sure I'd have liked it's chances against The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry, which we seem to have badly underseeded.

I'll probably also read The Cloud Roads, which I thought was a bit under seeded, but apparently not..

Dave is trying to steal my thunder I guess (or just couldn't wait for me to wake up and get settled into a computer). I will not be DETERED from doing my end of round summary post!

Participation was way down this year, about 115 fewer people participated in round 1 of this year compared to last. Those people are missing out!

Results from Round 1:

View the full bracket here


Round 1 Statistics
Total Votes Cast: 1,618
Average Votes Cast: 202
Book With Most Votes: The House in the Cerulean Sea - (168 Votes)
Match-up With Most Votes: Rivers of London vs. Enchanted (215 Votes)
Largest Win: The House in the Cerulean Sea (132 Votes)
Smallest Win: Kiki's Delivery Service - (10 Votes)
Average Win: 60 votes

Match 1:

(1) Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - 134 Votes

vs.

(16) The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells - 75 Votes

Winner: Gods of Jade and Shadow
Total Votes: 209
Margin of Victory: 59

---------------------------------

Match 2:

(8) Middlegame by Seanan McGuire - 125 Votes

vs.

(9) The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King - 84 Votes

Winner: Middlegame
Total Votes: 209
Margin of Victory: 41

---------------------------------

Match 3:

(4) Rivers of London / Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch - 159 Votes

vs.

(13) Enchanted by Alethea Kontis - 56 Votes

Winner: Rivers of London / Midnight Riot
Total Votes: 215
Margin of Victory: 103

---------------------------------

Match 4:

(5) Green Rider by Kristen Britain - 108 Votes

vs.

(12) The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley - 84 Votes

Winner: Green Rider
Total Votes: 192
Margin of Victory: 24

---------------------------------

Match 5:

(2) The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Blue Bear by Walter Moers - 64 Votes

vs.

(15) The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner - 129 Votes

Winner: The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry
Total Votes: 193
Margin of Victory: 65

---------------------------------

Match 6:

(7) Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono - 104 Votes

vs.

(10) Legendborn by Tracy Deonn - 94 Votes

Winner: Kiki's Delivery Service
Total Votes: 198
Margin of Victory: 10

---------------------------------

Match 7:

(3) The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon - 122 Votes

vs.

(14) The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull - 76 Votes

Winner: The Priory of the Orange Tree
Total Votes: 198
Margin of Victory: 46

---------------------------------

Match 8:

(6) The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune - 168 Votes

vs.

(11) Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees - 36 Votes

Winner: The House in the Cerulean Sea
Total Votes: 204
Margin of Victory: 132

---------------------------------

Round 2 has begun! Go forth and vote!

Match 1:

(1) Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

vs.

(8) Middlegame by Seanan McGuire

Vote Here

Match 2:

(4) Rivers of London / Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch

vs.

(5) Green Rider by Kristen Britain

Vote Here

Match 3:

(15) The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner

vs.

(7) Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono

Vote Here

Match 4:

(3) The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

vs.

(6) The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

Vote Here

Dana wrote: "I am reading book 5 of Will White's Cradle series. Really enjoying these stories. I read the first 4 books in 2 weeks. If I remember correctly, Rob recommended this series. Thanks Rob! "What else a..."

I might have! I've definitely mentioned it a few times. Glad you're enjoying it.

Melina wrote: "John (Taloni) wrote: "My Goodreads Android app doesn't recognize spoiler tags by others so these comments are always visible on my phone - not sure if that's an issue for anyone else."

Probably. The android (and from what I hear iOS as well) app is so bad I only use it for book updates and nothing else.

To read/reply to the forums on my phone I just use chrome if "full website" mode. It can be a bit of a hassle, but still a lot more functional than the app.

Orders of Battle the most recent Frontlines book is $2 (Just came out in December).

They often have a cheap add-on for audio too, which is how I've been consuming them. Although looks like for this book they didn't get Luke Daniels, which kind of annoys me.

Turns out all books whole series are $2 right now: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B...

I've enjoyed most of these books. I felt like the series was starting to lose steam around book 5 but that 6 was stronger.

I haven't actually listened to the new one yet, though it's waiting for me in my audible library.

Silvana wrote: "I am still processing last March, tbh."

Yeah, I'm still not reading much. I'm sure that's part of it. It was kind of crazy when I realized about this time last year I was being sent home from work and basically didn't leave my house again until late May except for a few runs to get groceries.

I've been trying to read Small Gods for like 2 months now.

I have been enjoying If It Bleeds though. I think mostly because I got to the title story which is about Holly Gibney, who is one of my favorite characters King has written.

For my own personal challenges, I'm finished with:

Personal: 4/25 (16% complete)
Sword: 2/5 (40% complete)
Laser: 2/5 (40% complete)


I finished reading 1 fantasy and 2 sci-fi books in February. Although 1 of those was a book I started in January. 2 were audio, and 1 was an ebook novella.

I barely touched Small Gods in February, every time I think "I might read today" I find other things to do instead. I don't blame the book though, just general lack of reading continuing.

Although I did find myself more motivated to pick up and Dawnshard. Possibly since it was a library book and I wanted to return it. It still took me like a week to finish something so short.

At this point I'm not sure if/when I'll start going back to regular reading again. It will probably remain audio only for awhile.

February Results:

Sword Challenge
Total Participants: 100 (+25)
Total Read: 457 (+264)
Average Books Read: 5 (+2)
Total Committed: 3,160 (+347)
Average Books pledged: 32 (-6)


Laser Challenge
Total Participants: 103 (+26)
Total Read: 421 (+255)
Average Books Read: 4 (+2)
Total Committed: 2,906 (+300)
Average Books pledged: 28 (-6)

The month has begun. Go forth and discuss!

Hard to believe it's been a year since Covid became such a major problem worldwide, also hard to believe it's ONLY been a year since Covid has been a major problem. Time sure has been funny.

What books are you reading this month to distract you?

To be fair to Jim Butcher he went through a messy divorce, got remarried and moved to Montana or something where he had to deal with a well water problem.

I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt, and see how long it takes for his next book before assuming he will take years.