The last book I bought was... Showing 351-400 of 1,805

[Rick]

Bought and am reading City of Stairs and liking it a lot.

Paul - Zoe's tale is fun. Ghost Brigades is the direct sequel to Old Man's War of course. FYI you don't really need to get both Last Colony and ZT since they're basically the same story from different viewpoints with Zoe's Tale having some extra scenes describing what Zoe did when away from the colony.

[Paul, A wanderer in unknown realms]

I think I'll get the full set to be honest but pucked up Zoes Tale as I found a decent second hand copy. I'll pick up Ghost Brigades very soon ☺

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

Arena Mode, The School for Good and Evil and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - Kindle deals :)

Also when I was in Rotterdam a few weeks ago I visited the biggest bookshop in the country and bought Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and The Well of Ascension :D

[Cupcakes & Machetes, Hybrid Creature]

I picked up a couple of urban fantasy books, as it's been awhile and I've been drooling to continue with the Dresden Files.
and

[Kirsty, Jedi Master]

When I was in Fortnum and Mason in London earlier this month (I'm not that posh promise) I saw a beautiful book which i took a picture of and decided I would check out Amazon for at a later date.

Alas I could not find it.

After some research I came across it on the Anglia Ruskin University website store.

I bought it.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses- The edition I have bought doesnt appear to be on GoodReads so I will be checking it out and updating it once I've received it. This edition is illustrated by Sheila Robinson. The illustrations are beautiful. I can't wait to get it!

"The edition of the Brothers Grimm's The Twelve Dancing Princesses, beautifully designed and illustrated by Sheila Robinson in the late 1940s, has never been published before, the original having lived in the Fry Art Gallery in Saffron Walden for a number of years since being donated by Robinson’s daughter, the artist Chloe Cheese.

The original book is in the form of a single completed, hand-made, hand-bound edition, created to the exact format of the Picture Puffin series, alternating between colour and black and white spreads. This first published edition incorporates a wraparound dust jacket showing examples of the preparatory drawings Robinson produced for the book, along with a short essay by Professor Martin Salisbury and afterword from Chloe Cheese."

[Paul, A wanderer in unknown realms]

Sounds fabulous. ☺I visit Fortnum and Masons on any London trip .

[Rick]

Finished City of Stairs - HIGHLY recommended for lovers of big scope fantasy. Love the fact that it's a single book and while it's longish (145k words), it's not insanely long. I wish more authors would do things like this since it's the rare story that really *needs* 4+ volumes to be told.

Ran across the new Leckie, Ancillary Sword and have no willpower on good SF (I loved Ancillary Justice) so that's sitting on my iPad now.

[Paul, A wanderer in unknown realms]

I have ordered book 2 and 3 of the John Scalzi Old Mans War series on the back of the monthly read. Its been a fun read so I'll keep going ☺

[Alan]

Rick wrote: "... and while it's longish (145k words), it's not insanely long. I wish more authors would do things like this since it's the rare story that really *needs* 4+ volumes to be told. ..."

Agreed - fairly strongly. I don't have a wordcount for Tolkien to hand - half/three quarters of a million words? Very few stories indeed need more than that or can hold the readers attention for longer than that. This lesson could be learned (oh, sorry, too late!) by GRRM, Robert Jordan, Stephen R. Donaldson, to name but a few! A series of separate stories in the same world - yes, maybe, take Pratchett's Discworld as an example, or Asimov's Robot universe, or the Dresden Files - but if one story goes beyond three volumes, then it needs re-assessing (preferably prior to publishing!)
This is not an absolute rule - I doubt if there is any such thing as an absolute rule - but it might make a useful guideline.
Oh, another dig in passing - Peter Hamilton tends to write in trilogies - but they are VERY LARGE volumes! (wordage for 4 or 5, maybe 6 normal volumes, then apply the rule above!)
And another long one that does justify its existence - Julian May's work (Saga of the Exiles and Galactic Milieu) - though that breaks down into two sets of four volumes rather than just being one set of eight

[Rick]

A classic example of novels set in a shared universe is Iain M Banks Culture series which don't tell an over arching story but nonetheless let us return to and explore a universe from different angles. Heinlein's Future History books are similar.

This is one reason I don't read a lot of high fantasy - the authors have figured out that there's a substantial number of readers who like to return to a shared fantasy world and just hang out even if nothing really happens during a book... so they stretch series past the breaking point. Annoys the hell out of me - tell you story. Then end it. Tell a new story.

[Rachel]

Just bought Ender's Game, The Stone Monkey, and some old Goosebumps from the library's book sale. $2.95 for all of them! :D

[Cassidie]

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer A little Halloween treat for my Kindle. (And for me. :P)

[Paul, A wanderer in unknown realms]

A George RR Martin feast with the new spwcial edition of The Ice Dragon arriving in the post to be followed by Worlds of Ice and Fire. The new illustrations for the Ice Dragon are worth it alone.
I also got in the post Retribution by Mark C Newton , The sequel to last years Drakenfeld.

[Kirsty, Jedi Master]

Sixth of the Dusk - half way through. Gutted its 96 pages so it doesn't qualify for Avengers challenge!

[Kirsty, Jedi Master]

I just bought A Swarming of Bees and Blood & Beauty: The Borgias on Kindle, as holiday reads, just in case I fancied a break from fantasy/sci-fi!

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

Yesss Kirsty, Blood and Beauty is excellent! I actually just picked up a biography of Lucrezia Borgia from the library too :)

[Freya, Dragon Rider]

I went to BristolCon this year and got signed copies of:

Dragonfly Falling
All Is Fair
Any Other Name
Principles of Angels
Downside Girls

And this one free in my goodie bag courtesy of Gollancz:
Gloriana, Or, the Unfulfill'd Queen. Michael Moorcock

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

Ooh yay, Jaine Fenn books :)

[Tom]

the hunger games trilogy is on kindle daily deals today. Never bothered with them before but might give them a go why they're cheap

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

They're great ;)

[Cupcakes & Machetes, Hybrid Creature]

I went on an Urban Fantasy bing again:
Fool Moon
Silver Borne
Skinwalker

[Cupcakes & Machetes, Hybrid Creature]

Just scored Wizard's First Rule at the used book shop inside the library for $0.50! I've never read a Terry Goodkind book before, I'm excited.

[Roger, Knight Radiant]

hybrid.creature wrote: "Just scored Wizard's First Rule at the used book shop inside the library for $0.50! I've never read a Terry Goodkind book before, I'm excited."

Let us know how it is, I was not a huge fan of that series, but for 50 cents you can't really go wrong.

[Tom]

I enjoyed good kind for first couple of books but after that it was just more of the same, gave up after about book 5 think there's supposed to be about 13 now.
The books were still better than the TV series though, that was shocking.

[Roger, Knight Radiant]

Tom wrote: "I enjoyed good kind for first couple of books but after that it was just more of the same, gave up after about book 5 think there's supposed to be about 13 now.
The books were still better than th..."

I actually finished the whole series, sooooo much anti-communist from Richard up on a podium that it drove me crazy, I'd skip pages at a time...

[Adam]

just purchased The Eye of the World

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut - book sale at uni, didn't see much interesting but this :)

[Joan]

I just bought Ancillary Sword and A Stranger in Olondria, both on kindle. I live only 3 blocks from my library, so I don't buy many books these days unless they are on kindle. Also when I take my contacts out I have eyesight issues, I can read the kindle where I can't read a book. Btw, A Stranger in Olondria is remarkable.

[Paul, A wanderer in unknown realms]

My copy of The Reckoners Novella Mitosis by Brandon Sanderson has arrived in the post. A lovely limited edition and as its quite short I'll probably read this very soon .

[Leigh]

Joan wrote: "I just bought Ancillary Sword and A Stranger in Olondria, both on kindle. I live only 3 blocks from my library, so I don't buy many books these days unless they are on kindle. Also when I take my c..."

I have never heard of A Stranger in Olondria, it looks intriguing! Did you finish it?

I recently picked up (on my kindle, I get all books for my kindle since shipping to Switzerland is crazy expensive) Mistborn Trilogy Boxed Set, The Name of the Wind and Unworthy.

The first two are to help get me into more fantasy and the last because I like to mix in indie/self published works to give lesser know authors a try!

[Paul, A wanderer in unknown realms]

For info Leigh if you miss getting a real book Bookdepository.com delivers free to Switzerland ☺
I haven't bought anything this month as I have a deal with the better half not to in case it ruins a present but I'm annoyed with Amazon as I had preordered Sandersons new novella Legion Skin Deep and they cancelled the order without contacting me. I only found out because I went in and checked . Their customer service can be shocking at times.

[Rachel]

I went on a book binge the other day, and came back with these. I found most of them at the Goodwill so I spent maybe $20 on the whole stack!

The Witches
Hatchet
The Gunslinger
The Waste Lands
Wizard and Glass
Shadowrise
Shadowheart
The Cold Moon

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

Ooh I really want to read The Gunslinger :)

[Rachel]

Rinn wrote: "Ooh I really want to read The Gunslinger :)"

I borrowed it from the library before, and never got to finish it so I'm excited to try reading it again. :D

[Joey]

So many from the Christmas Kindle Sale. But I think Theft of Swords is the top of my list.

[Cupcakes & Machetes, Hybrid Creature]

I just raided Barnes and Nobles since I received some gift cards for Christmas. Unfortunately, other people had the same idea and I left without getting a couple books that I was super intent on having. Anywho, I picked up:

Gardens of the Moon
The Way of Kings
Royal Assassin
Darkfever

I also received the Kindle Fire from my husband and bought Promise of Blood.

I like mixing up genres to keep things interesting but I'm thinking that 2015 is going to be the year of all things Fantasy. >:D

[Kirsty, Jedi Master]

Over the xmas period I have gained:

The Gospel of Loki
The Sleeper and the Spindle
The Sandman, Vol. 2: The Doll's House
The Hedge Knight: The Graphic Novel
Temeraire

Excited!

[Paul, A wanderer in unknown realms]

I really enjoyed the Gospel of Loki earlier this year ☺ I bought the Sleeper and The Spindle as a secret Santa gift . Artwork is amazing ☺

[Paul]

Kirsty wrote: "Over the xmas period I have gained:

The Gospel of Loki
The Sleeper and the Spindle
The Sandman, Vol. 2: The Doll's House

The Sleeper and the Spindle is very good indeed

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

LOVED The Gospel of Loki! I'm hoping to get quoted when they reprint it one day - my review is quoted on the Orion website, Amazon, Barnes and Noble etc... one day!

[Paul, A wanderer in unknown realms]

That could be fun. I was promised the same for a book whrn I said in my review thst it was better than eggy bread . The author quite liked that as a compliment.

[Paul]

Have got a few books in the last week or so:

For Christmas:
Tuf Voyaging
Fevre Dream
The Armageddon Rag

My wife was given some that I hadn't read either, including:
Nothing: From Absolute Zero to Cosmic Oblivion - Amazing Insights into Nothingness
Purple Hibiscus

And got from the library:
Robopocalypse

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

THESE OOPS

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This is what happens when I get to my favourite charity shop after 4 months away. 50p each.

[Freya, Dragon Rider]

I was bought the national trust complete traditional recipe book, fables vol 2: animal farm, and a myths and legends from around the world book for Christmas :)

I bought today; exploring China: a culinary adventure, and the incredible unlikeliness of being: evolution and the making of us :)

[Rachel]

I bought Divergent the other day. My friend keeps assuring me that it's amazing so I thought I'd give it a try. :)

[Joey]

I may have gone a little nuts with year end/beginning Kindle/Gplay sales. I nabbed SO many 2.99 or less books. Ummm, the very last?

[Abrea]

The last book I bought was an anthology that includes a story from Wayland. Already finished and enjoyed it! I really ought to whittle down on my TBR pile before I buy any more books, though (not that this is actually likely to happen!).

HeroNet Files Book 1

[Freya, Dragon Rider]

brand new hardback copy of Alloy of Law for £1 yesterday in Poundland - BARGAIN! :)

[Roger, Knight Radiant]

Joseph wrote: "I may have gone a little nuts with year end/beginning Kindle/Gplay sales. I nabbed SO many 2.99 or less books. Ummm, the very last?

"
I tried to get into this book, got it free from the author, and I just couldn't to me it just seemed like it a rip off of Superman.

[Rinn, (Retired mod) Captain of the SSV Normandy]

@Freya - WHAATTTTTTT! Although I am more of paperback person...