Play Book Tag discussion
June, 2016: Fantasy
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Announcing the June Tag: Share Your Reading Plans and Suggestions
There are 153 titles in that 'Books mentioned in this topic' sidebar. I need to get off the computer and start reading.
Jgrace wrote: "There are 153 titles in that 'Books mentioned in this topic' sidebar. I need to get off the computer and start reading."
Where is this sidebar?
Two Guy Gavriel Kay books recommended in your posting. The only Kay I've read is Ysabel which I found average at best and decided not to read any other books by him. Should I rethink that. Checking on GR, I see it is his worst rated book. ..."I read Ysabel too. I liked it, but it was a lot different than his epic historical fantasy novels, which I loved. Ysabel is YA and was a little more paranormal than the others. It also was set in the real world rather than a fantasy world. I would not write off Kay based on Ysabel.
grace wrote: "There are 153 titles in that 'Books mentioned in this topic' sidebar. I need to get off the computer and start reading."
Where is this sidebar? "
There is a column to the right of the messages on this page (if you are on a desktop). At the top of the column you should see a menu of links to the different parts of the group. Under that menu is where you can search discussion posts. On my page (that has an ad blocker) the list of books mentioned in this post is beneath the search bar. There may be an ad between them if you don't have an ad blocker.
I have a towering stack of fantasy books on my nightstand, so June should be a good month for me for PBT reading. In my stack:The Alchemy of Stone
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
Sabriel
His Majesty's Dragon
Palimpsest
The Raven King
I recommend:
On a Pale Horse (1st in series but fine as stand alone)
The Rook (1st in series)
The Secret History of Moscow
Frankenstein
Last Call
Cora wrote: "I read Ysabel too. I liked it, but it was a lot different than his epic historical fantasy novels, which I loved. Ysabel is YA and was a little more paranormal than the others. It also was set in the real world rather than a fantasy world. I would not write off Kay based on Ysabel. "I've looked at Tigana and The Lions of Al-Rassan and read great reviews by you, Judith and annapi. I also discovered that, although I culled them from my list at Shelfari, they were still on my TBR at GR so at least the list didn't grow. Tigana is not available at the library but could get it with my trial Audible credit in June.
Cora wrote: "grace wrote: "There are 153 titles in that 'Books mentioned in this topic' sidebar.
I need to get off the computer and start reading."
"Where is this sidebar? "
"There is a column to the right of the messages on this page (if you are on a desktop). At the top of the column you should see a menu of links to the different parts of the group. Under that menu is where you can search discussion posts. On my page (that has an ad blocker) the list of books mentioned in this post is beneath the search bar. There may be an ad between them if you don't have an ad blocker.
I found it, thank you. I realized, also, that if I use the "add book/author" feature for the author as well as the book the author would also be listed under the books.
Denizen wrote: "Two Guy Gavriel Kay books recommended in your posting. The only Kay I've read is Ysabel which I found average at best and decided not to read any other books by him. ..."I liked Ysabel, but then I'm not into "epic fantasy" at all. YA is something I'm more likely to be able to handle.
I third (fourth? fifth?) everyone who has mentioned The Night Circus. Basically one of my favorite books I've ever read. I also enjoyed the first book in the Dorothy Must Die series (the 2nd and 3rd books are eh). A Darker Shade of Magic is great! And I read The Eyre Affair this month and I'd recommend that one too! For this month, I might read A Gathering of Shadows since I've had it for a while. I also have The Golem and the Jinni on my TBR and it looks like that's a favorite with a lot of people. And I've been thinking about rereading Harry Potter, so I guess this would be a good month to start that.
On a more serious note:I recommend: The Once and Future King
Other recommendations:
The Hobbit
Cinder
Wyrd Sisters
Once I find out how to figure out finding these shelves, I'll be back with what I will read for this.
I may finally read The Princess Bride
~*Kim*~ wrote: "As for what I'll read...if it's not finished by then I will finish Once Upon Stilettos. Others on my list are:....."I read that series some time ago and it was one of my first fantasy, magical realism type and I found that I really liked it. I was sorry when the series ended but I did understand that it probably had run its course.
I'm not doing so well on the "Series" tag this month so I better refrain from my usual ambition. For some reason non-fiction is dominating my choices.I second other recommendations of The Golem and the Jinni, Watership Down, and The Curse of Chalion. I think If on a Winter's Night a Traveler is a fun and thought provoking read. The City & the City is a wonderful mind bender. In a rare foray into dark sword and sorcery, I was surprised how much pleasure I got from The Dark Defiles.
I hope to follow up the Calvino with his Invisible Cities. It's also about time I tackled The Master and Margarita. I tried Zelazny for the first time and likely will try Lord of Light.
Hmmm, also not a fan of fantasy but there have been some interesting suggestions. Might be a good time to try to tackle Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. I didn't finish it the first time I tried to read it but most people seem to like it.
Nicole wrote: "Jen wrote: "I almost got killed at Book Expo trying to avoid the crazy obsessed fans of the author for An Ember in Ashes."I have heard great things about the book! I do want to read it and the pl..."
I'm not a huge fantasy reader but I did love An Ember in the Ashes. It's a great fantasy choice for readers who like historical fiction.
I'm thinking about The Gunslinger. I read it years ago but can't remember a thing.
Kathy wrote: "Might be a good time to try to tackle Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. I didn't finish it the first time I tried to read it but most people seem to like it. ..."Good luck! I wasn't a fan. It could be one I could add to the "overrated" list (in my opinion, of course!).
So many choices, so little time :-DI have a ton of choices --- I seem to pysch myself out of reading long books which means some of the epic fantasy books sit on my TBR for a long time.
The Lions of Al-Rassan is one of my top 10 fav books of all time. I haven't read Tigana yet. I have it on audio but I find that long fantasy on audio is difficult for me.
I really like the books by Stephen R. Lawhead. He has a Merlin/King Arthur series as well as Robin Hood series. He even has a trilogy about the crusades that have some fantasy vision elements.
Funny enough, my husband is a big-time fantasy reader (he only really reads sci-fi and fantasy). I always said that I didn't really read fantasy, but when we got married and he saw all the books I was reading, he pointed out that while they aren't high epic fantasy, they are still considered fantasy. I was on a king arthur kick for a while or reading about historical fiction with magical elements. So --- there are a lot of choices out there!!
Well, this is another tag I will be sitting out. Not surprised my choice, business, did not gain much traction. Would have made for an enjoyable discussion though. Have fun everyone with your fantasy books. See you in the "other books" world this month.
J.W. wrote: "Well, this is another tag I will be sitting out. Not surprised my choice, business, did not gain much traction. Would have made for an enjoyable discussion though. Have fun everyone with your fanta..."how come? You don't like fantasy books? I didn't vote for fantasy but I do like it on occasion. One of the things that I've loved about PBT is that it pushes me to try and expand my reading horizons and try genres or topics that I might not typically love. I'll often vote for genres or tags that I dislike so that I can challenge myself to find books that may surprise me.
Fantasy is so broad, that you might be surprised to find a book that would actually work for you and your reading tastes. Of course if you absolutely hate it, I understand why you won't want to participate but I would encourage you to at least look at the options and recommendations and consider participating even if it wasn't the tag you were rooting for.
Its not that I hate fantasy, I just have very limited time to read, and thus want my reading to be profitable. I don't see where I would gain much by reading anything that fits in the fantasy tag.
J.W. wrote: "Its not that I hate fantasy, I just have very limited time to read, and thus want my reading to be profitable. I don't see where I would gain much by reading anything that fits in the fantasy tag."Pun intended? Everybody's experience and time is different. I'm in my 60's and also consider time. Based on the average life span, I have about 20 years of reading left assuming the mind and eyes go the distance. My grandmother lived to 102 and read (large print) until about 95. I'm hoping for the same. In the meantime, I've experimented and stretched enough for a lifetime. I've been reading adult books for 50 years (YA wasn't really considered as a genre until some time in the 1960's) and, at this point in my life, I want to read what I want to read.
Someone recently said in this group (Anita?) that a 3 star book was a bit of a disappointment. I agree. I spend a great deal of time trying to hone in on books that will be 4 star or better for me because there are more books that I would love than I will ever have the time to read. Opportunity cost and all that;-)
I enjoy good fantasy so am a happy camper this month.
Jen wrote: "One of the things that I've loved about PBT is that it pushes me to try and expand my reading horizons and try genres or topics that I might not typically love. I'll often vote for genres or tags that I dislike so that I can challenge myself to find books that may surprise me."I agree. Although fantasy doesn't fall into books that I won't read, there are a few genres I would sit out on because I will never, ever read them. Or I'll read a mis-tagged book if I can see why someone would tag it that way (so, I'd never read To Kill a Mockingbird for a werewolf tag, but I might read a certain type of scifi that is mislabelled fantasy; some scifi books are also fantasy).
J.W. wrote: "Its not that I hate fantasy, I just have very limited time to read, and thus want my reading to be profitable. I don't see where I would gain much by reading anything that fits in the fantasy tag."That makes sense to me!
Anita strongly dislikes magical realism? That's a challenge if ever I heard one.
First title that comes to mind:
KindredAbout a black woman in 1976 who is inexplicably sucked through time to the slave owning South. Just in time to save a white boy from death. She finds herself back home safely only to be yanked back again to save him. Again. And Again.
Octavia is considered a science fiction author but this one leans to fantasy. As much fantasy as Outlander really as both their claims lie solely in a time travel element.
-----
For those who enjoy vampire novels, I really enjoyed Fledgling
by Octavia. It is definitely different than any other vampire themed book I've ever read and it's sadly a stand alone which is good for those who don't want to invest in a series. It's an easy pick if I had to pick just one vampire book as my favorite. -----
I could list many more great series in addition to those already named but will simply add my STRONG RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE STORY OF TEMERAIRE
Which begins with
. His Majesty's DragonAnd sadly comes to an end in June with
League of DragonsPETER JACKSON'S next grand movie is about this funny and willful dragon. I can't wait!
I loved His Majesty's Dragon.A couple of you might try Uprooted this month. I would highly recommend that you sample the audio first. I am positive that the narrator ruined the book for me.
JoLene wrote: "A couple of you might try Uprooted this month. I would highly recommend that you sample the audio first. I am positive that the narrator ruined the book for me. ."I thought about listening to this on audio and the narrator got SLAMMED on Audible. Then, I listened to a sample and, no. Just no.
I still think I am going to read it but will stick to print!
JoLene wrote: "I loved His Majesty's Dragon.A couple of you might try Uprooted this month. I would highly recommend that you sample the audio first. I am positive that the narrator ..."
I concur with Nicole. I'm super picky about audios and narrators often ruin the books for me. I will also stick to print
J.W. wrote: "Its not that I hate fantasy, I just have very limited time to read, and thus want my reading to be profitable. I don't see where I would gain much by reading anything that fits in the fantasy tag."That makes complete sense. I have a long commute so have quite of bit of reading time each day. I can see how you might want to ration the time for books you truly enjoy but I that at least one month you find you surprise yourself by finding a book you truly love within a genre you typically dislike. I always love when a tag I love, or voted for, gets selected but I've occasionally been really pleasantly surprised to discover a book I would have never have picked up if not for PBT. I wish that pleasant surprise for others too
Just in case no one has mentioned it yetThe Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell has the "fantasy" tag. (I don't think it fits, but ....)
Barbara wrote: "I read that series some time ago and it was one of my first fantasy, magical realism type and I found that I really liked it. "I'm only on book 2, but I'm liking it so far. It's a light fun read.
Last year I listened to the first 3 books in the Tairen Soul series by CL Wilson. Listening to fantasy has some advantages (in my opinion it helps me with some of the names that tend to be hard to pronounce in my head). In this case the first reader gave the heroine a horrible child like voice. In the second book a new reader didn't pause enough during the transitions from one scene to the next making it a bit confusing. The 3rd book was read by yet another reader and she was fantastic. Each book got better too and I'd recommend them to someone who likes romance with their fantasy. Just listen at your own risk. I'll try to read the 4th book next month.
I personally would not have chosen fantasy… But I am taking it on. I ordered from the library, The lions of Al-Rassan, His Magesty's Dragon, and Outlander 1 - at least I think its one, how does one tell?Still in the middle of Tsar of Love and Techno, and the Beautiful Possible is in from the library. Starting Fates and Furies although my friends are hating it. And plan to start Lilac Girls for my Historical Fictionista's group.
Amy, stick it out with Fates to the 2nd half. The first half was fine, but a little slow and then the second half is where it all comes together (apart?). I loved this one.
Actually finished the tsar of love and techno. Would it shock you, if I said I was reserving judgement, and holding back my review - and that I am restarting it from the beginning? I rarely read more than one book at a time. But because of the nature of the stories and since I just read it, I want to do it alongside F and F. I just feel like I need a second read to pull it together. Does that shock anyone?
Amy wrote: "Actually finished the tsar of love and techno. Would it shock you, if I said I was reserving judgement, and holding back my review - and that I am restarting it from the beginning? I rarely read mo..."I agree. I don't re-read much, but when I read this one I took a break in the middle --- I didn't want to lug a hard-back library book to our vacation house (silly I know). Now I wish that I had read the stories closer together to see the inner connectedness better.
So I'm thinking about reading A Game of Thrones and but now thinking I will probably have trouble/not be able to finish it in 1 very busy month. I normally read about a book a week- but have heard about people taking quite a long time to read this series--- longer than normal. Now I'm second guessing myself... Did this book take longer than average for anyone to read here?
Well May was an epic fail for me and reading. I didn't even finish some of my April stuff. Hopefully June is more successful. I believe I recommended this before back when we were all on Shelfari, but for Fantasy reads I really enjoyed The Once and Future King by TH White. And I'm going to give myself a break and start with one book, which will be The Siren by Keira Cass.
Karin wrote: "FANTASY????" This picture made my day a bit. I like fantasy but this was still funny.
Joi wrote: "So I'm thinking about reading A Game of Thrones and but now thinking I will probably have trouble/not be able to finish it in 1 very busy month. I normally read about a book a week- bu..."It's 800+ pages and fairly dense because of the sheer number of characters and plot lines so I think it does take a long time to read.
Joi wrote: "So I'm thinking about reading A Game of Thrones and but now thinking I will probably have trouble/not be able to finish it in 1 very busy month..."I found the first book fine - it's pretty dense but it's engaging and I read it quite fast. The story lines diverge much more in the later books, and I found the writing style started to drag. I still haven't managed to finish A Dance with Dragons - I've started it a couple of times, but have pretty much decided I can't be bothered any more. Will stick with the TV series instead :D
Jen wrote: "Joi wrote: "So I'm thinking about reading A Game of Thrones and but now thinking I will probably have trouble/not be able to finish it in 1 very busy month. I normally read about a boo..."If you've watched the TV show it might be quicker, but it is about 45 chapters. For the series, I generally try to read a chapter a day which means more than a month ---> but you can start now. Also, you can probably do more than one chapter a day if you are a faster reader or have more time.
I've been having a mental debate about
I Will Fear No Evil. To me it's fantasy because the bits that make it sci-fi are superfluous to what makes the book a near lifelong favorite. So I started a thread to pose the question to the rest of you.
I decided a new tactic for choosing my PBT book.If it's a "shelf" that I use, I'm sorting my own-tbr shelf by ratings and reading the highest rated book.
So.....drum roll. I'm going to try to fit in The Name of the Wind; it's a chunkster so I'm going to start now :-D
Ooh... that's a clever way to choose!
Anita wrote: ".Sorry Anita! There MUST be a fantasy novel out there you'd like though. ."
I'm definitely appreciating everyone's sympathy! But hey, it's not magical realism which I dislike so much more than fa..."
Anita - do you do audiobooks? Gaiman narrates it and he is soooo good! If you do audio, I can send you the audio of neverwhere. I get one free book to share with someone and it's a worthwhile audio
Joi wrote: "So I'm thinking about reading A Game of Thrones and but now thinking I will probably have trouble/not be able to finish it in 1 very busy month. I normally read about a book a week- bu..."The first book went quickly for me - some of the later ones went slower.
JoLene wrote: "I decided a new tactic for choosing my PBT book.If it's a "shelf" that I use, I'm sorting my own-tbr shelf by ratings and reading the highest rated book.
So.....drum roll. I'm going to try to fit..."
Awesome idea. How do I do it without changing my 'read'shelf? I want it set by last read.
Megalion wrote: "Anita strongly dislikes magical realism?That's a challenge if ever I heard one.
First title that comes to mind:
Kindred..."Looking at the reviews, it appears Anita already read Kindred - and liked it! ;)
Kindred is a very powerful story. A 5-star read and a favorite of mine. Personally, I would never tag is as 'fantasy' though since it is more of a social commentary - but not in an overt way. It simply tells a story and allows the reader to fill in the morality lecture by inference. If others have tagged it as fantasy, then it might be a great choice for someone that wants to participate in the monthly read but who is not a fan of typical fantasy, (wizards, dragons, etc), or magical realism, (magicians, corporeal gods, etc).
In my opinion the time-travel element in Kindred should be ignored as much as possible as it is simply an unexplained mechanism the author uses to place her protagonist into a specific situation. It really has little bearing on the points being made.
So, yeah... great book. Thanks for mentioning it, Megalion.
BC's mention of The Sparrow is a good recommendation too. Can't believe someone tagged that as fantasy though. It's more science-fiction but, like Kindred, The Sparrow really transcends genre and speaks allegorically about the human condition by placing the character's in an unprecedented and untenable situation.
Two rather great ideas for this month's read that are both not at all typical to the genre.
JoLene wrote: "I decided a new tactic for choosing my PBT book."JoLene, I absolutely love this idea! I may use it myself.
Blueberry wrote: Awesome idea. How do I do it without changing my 'read'shelf? I want it set by last read..."Blueberry, I'm not sure how you set up your shelves. I have an "exclusive" shelf that is called own-tbr. These are books that I own, but haven't read it.
You can filter by multiple tags, so what I do is select my "own-tbr" shelf. I then go to the bottom of the list of shelves and click on 'select mulitple'. A plus sign will appear on all the non-exclusive shelves. I then selected fantasy, because I use this as one of my shelves. This produces a list of all the books I tagged fantasy and I own, but haven't read. You can then sort by any of the columns showing in your view. I sorted on ratings so then it will order the whole list based on ratings (you might have to click twice because it might go lowest to highest first. I think that this sorting is only good for this view so if you go back and look at your "read" books, it will remain as you had it sorted before. If is doesn't change it, all you have to do is click on the date read (maybe twice again) to get it back to sorting by date read.
For people that want to try this, it only works if you are shelving your books when you enter them, not when you read them. If you don't tag your books to shelves before you read them, you can look up the shelf for the tag. If you have the book on one of your exclusive shelves (like want to read), you will see a biege button instead of a green button.
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
The Castings Trilogy (other topics)The Castings Trilogy (other topics)
The Castings Trilogy (other topics)
Station Eleven (other topics)
The Deed of Paksenarrion (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Gabriel García Márquez (other topics)Stephen R. Lawhead (other topics)
Juliet Marillier (other topics)
Great, I might try the audio! Thanks!