Random Musings.. Showing 851-900 of 1,161

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

You should do a Listopia on goodreads. It's not maybe ideal since you can't label it with the country of each book, but maybe that will be obvious from the titles/blurbs?

[Kat]

But other people can add to it, can't they?

I was thinking of just putting it on my book blog (where the rest of the Internet will never find it....)

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

You might be able to limit it so they can't. I don't recall, but I think there are some permission things you can use. You could always do both though.

It's just a thought.

[Andy]

Jus caught this & to add there are groups on GR like below Kat that might give you some ideas on reading material. https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

Always glad to assist when adding to folk's trl :D

[Kat]

Oooooooh, thank you Andy!

[Andy]

yer welcome, i joined said grp a whilst back with good intentions to travel the world in books...... one day..... one day :D

[Kat]

Hi guys,

have you seen the discussion about Handbook for Mortals on twitter/social media/blogs?

Here's a link: http://www.pajiba.com/book_reviews/di...

...and there was me thinking I was the only one who hadn't heard about that book.

[Ctgt]

No you're not the only one, never heard of it. But I'm not a good barometer, no Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for me.

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

I use Twitter and Facebook fairly often, and I haven't heard of it either.

[Kat]

Since the book is out of stock everywhere, I asked the author on facebook where one could actually buy it. She offered to send me one, so she must have some. I said thank you, but declined citing shipping costs to Germany. I read the preview on Amazon and I don't think I'd be willing to read more.

[Ctgt]

After reading the background I'm surprised a book actually exists.

[Kat]

Me too.

[Kat]

I need your help.

After an absence of 7 years, author J.V. Jones is back and announced she is planning to start writing again. I've been waiting for her planned book Endlords like you cannot imagine. It's supposed to be the final volume of the Sword of Shadows series which I absolutely loved.

She's on patreon now (https://www.patreon.com/jvjones) and I very much want to support her writing that way. I'm a wannabe writer myself, and my book never gets finished because I simply do not have the time to write it, as I have to work 2 jobs to support myself. Writing doesn't pay until after you're finished (and even then you have to sell a LOT of books to live off it).

I noticed I have 7 audible credit to burn. Obviously, I'm just really not an audiobook person, so I decided to cancel my 10€/month subscription and give them to J.V. Jones instead.

Here's my problem: I need to use up my credits BEFORE I cancel the subscription, or they will become invalid. I can keep the audiobooks after I cancel, but not unused credits.

I bought the Magic 2.0 series, because I'm a quarter into the first one and enjoy that. That leaves me 3 credits to burn, and fast.

Can you recommend me something you really liked better in audio than in print? Something where the narrator was just really really good, or another reason why I should get the audio over the print (which I would usually prefer)? I don't want to throw out 30€ worth of credit that I already paid for, but I want to cancel the subscription before it renews for September in a few days.

Rob, I'm looking at you and your vast audio collection :-)

[Lindsay]

You read it a while back, but The Wee Free Men (and any Pratchett with the Nac Mac Feegle in it) is a really great audio. Stephen Briggs is a terrific narrator.

As a reread I'm listening to Illuminae at the moment. The print version is amazing with incredible art design throughout the book that makes the story come alive in ways unique to this series. Lots of people have told me the audiobook is even better and it won an Audie award in the year it came out as well.

Actually, the Audie awards (https://www.audiopub.org/winners) are probably a really good place to help spend those credits :)

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

So rather than just listing my top listens, I'm going off your TBR pile. I can always just post my top listens if this list isnt sufficient though.

I see you have a bunch of Dresden Files on your TBR pile, those are really good in audio, but it looks like you stalled out around book 4.

Same for the Riyria books. Those are all fantastic in audio.

The Martian was really great in audio.

[Kat]

Oh, totally getting the Martian! Thank you!

I remember you told me before about Dresden being good in audio, but I already have all the print books sitting on my shelf at home.

I'm going to check out the awards and see if I can find something that takes my fancy.

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

So I have no idea how good any of this is for you, but some of my top audio listens (apart from those I've already recommended anyways):

Harry Potter (both Jim Dale and Stephen Fry versions are great, not sure what's sold by you, probably Fry).

If you like Star Wars, those books are fantastic in audio. But of course the quality of the stories tend to vary a lot. Most recently I enjoyed Thrawn. There are better books in a general sense, but very few better audio books.

The Red Rising Trilogy (starting with Red Rising) was really good, and it's the same narrator as Riyria.

And Dune has a great audio book too.

I really should make a shelf of best audio. But oftentimes best audio isnt always best book/story. It does tend to make a decent book better though.

[Ctgt]

Without a doubt my favorite fiction audiobooks have been the Peter Grant series, Rivers of London, narrator is fantastic.

If you have an interest in non-fiction I really enjoyed
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood

Born to Run

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Ctgt wrote: "Without a doubt my favorite fiction audiobooks have been the Peter Grant series, Rivers of London, narrator is fantastic."

Oh yeah, that's a good one too. I've only done 2 books so far (and I like Dresden better), but the narrator is great fit for the series.

[Kat]

Same as with Dresden, they're already on the physical TBR pile in paperback.

I looked at Red Rising, which wasn't on my to-read list before, and now I want that in print!

I got the Martian, and 2 German titles from the comedy section, also all the Magic 2.0 books.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions! I may have ordered half of them in print during the process.... oops.

[Bill]

Red Rising was a series that I think was definitely improved by doing it in audio. Tim Gerard Reynolds did an amazing job.

[Kat]

Today I met up with a girl I met on goodreads. She had to visit the consulate, and had a few hours to kill afterwards before her train back to the middle of Germany, so I took the day off work and we met up.

It was great! I'm so pleased I have a new real-life friend now!

Also funny was that we didn't expect each other's accents, as we'd only been writing goodreads messages and emails back and forth. She sounds completely American, and claims I sound totally British... fun!

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

I've met a few people from GR in person now, and it's always a bit strange, but in my case we're all American, so there isn't the accent thing really.

Ctgt doesn't go by that in person for one thing. :-P

[Kat]

What!

And I have even decided for myself how that is pronounced when spoken out loud!

My new friend is originally from Finland, and she told me she was flabbergasted when she first found out that people in the North of Germany (like me) greet each other by saying "Moin" (which sound like 'moyn'). Apparently, Finns do the same.

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

I pronounce it as CT-GT personally. Well in my head. I call him by his actual name now.

[Kat]

Exactly. Ceetee-geetee. Perfectly good name in my opinion.

[Ctgt]

:)

[Kat]

Speaking of Nicknames:

I have a friend who is called Thomas Co. He's in the US airforce, and on his overalls and uniforms he had these nametags with T.Co on them.

I'm often cc'd on emails adressed to him by coworkers from the airforce (I do paperwork for him), and it took me AGES to work out why they call him Tiko.

Duh.....

[Kat]

...do you think I buy too many books if my favourite bookshop just used facebook to wish me luck for my dentist appointment tomorrow?

I'm flattered.

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Haha.

[Ctgt]

Kat wrote: "...do you think I buy too many books if my favourite bookshop just used facebook to wish me luck for my dentist appointment tomorrow?

I'm flattered."

Not sure you can buy too many books.......I keep testing the theory:)

[Suzanne]

So funny story (very condensed) - I'm heading to comic con with one of my best friends tonight - it runs Thursday - Saturday night. On Friday night we are doing a charity authors reception thing where apparantly you schmooze with the authors and play games, etc. Jim Butcher, Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss, Brian McClellan, Timothy Zahn, and several others. I believe about only 50 non-authors (?) The funny part is (for those that know me) - I'm playing Magic with Brandon Sanderson. I'd never played Magic before this week, and now I've played 4 whole games! Gulp. Lol anyway - yeah.....it'll be scary but fun/cool.

[Geoff]

I'd also learn how to play Magic if I had the chance to play Sanderson

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

I'm sooo jealous. Magic is fun, though I haven't played it a lot since summer camp. Sanderson is a huge fan.

Have fun.

[Kat]

Suzanne, that is so awesome!

Are you allowed to take pictures? And don't forget to ask lots of questions about upcoming projects/books. Not just of Sanderson, but of everyone you get to smalltalk with. And pictures!

Edit: AND AUTOGRAPHS!

[Suzanne]

We are really hoping pictures and autographs are allowed - I know we are both super excited and equally nervous. Lol tomorrow we are attending a Sanderson panel entitled "Magic: the Chess of Card Games." That makes me a bit more nervous :)

One thing that helps is talking to Rob a few weeks ago - he said Sanderson was really nice. =)

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

He is!

[Ctgt]

Salt Lake? Have a great time. Think of us while you are shmoozing with all the big names:)

[Suzanne]

When I was at the Seattle one, I mentioned this group to Django Wexler and he remembered us! (Or at least he sounded like he did.)

[Suzanne]

Of course, now when I mention this group, I'll be expecting people to burst into the "Smooth Roberator" song :)

[Kat]

Hahaha :)

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Eww

[Kat]

Depending how the day goes tomorrow I may or may not quit my job on monday.

I hate my current company, and have always thought they were rubbish, even before I started working there. But I was unemployed and it was the only offer I had 4 years ago, so I had to take it.

Keep your fingers crossed!

I shall report back when I have more details.

[Suzanne]

Good luck Kat - fingers are definitely crossed!

[Ctgt]

Good luck!

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Good luck!

[Mark]

Good luck Kat.


Well I am off to a book signing author talk in Newcastle tonight with Peter V. Brett.

Anyone else going from my area?

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

I have 2 copies of The Warded Man (ebook and audio). I really should get around to reading it, especially now that the series is complete.

Enjoy the signing!

[Mark]

Rob wrote: "I have 2 copies of The Warded Man (ebook and audio). I really should get around to reading it, especially now that the series is complete.

Enjoy the signing!"

I have enjoyed the series, but I had issues with the ending of the last book it was infuriating lol.

[Suzanne]

I've been making my way through that series - in fact I'm going to TRY to finish book #3 today - they are pretty long! Have fun at the signing - that's a neat thing to do!