Introduce Yourself!

[Den of Geek]

Welcome to the Den of Geek Book Club! Before we get started, introduce yourself...

1. Where are you joining us from?

2. What is your favorite book or author?

[Kayti]

Hello! My name is Kayti and I am the Den of Geek Book Editor. I will be acting as the moderator for the Den of Geek Book Club.

I live in Worcester, MA, but travel a fair amount for work. Recently, I went to Helsinki for Worldcon 75 where I met so many wonderful speculative fiction authors and readers.

Favorite books include: The Amber Spyglass, Parable of the Sower, Carry On, Never Let Me Go, and Frankenstein.

I recently read Annalee Newitz's new novel Autonomous and LOVED that. I highly recommend it.

[Sergio]

Hello guys, my name is Sergio and i'm joining from Santiago, Chile (I bet you didn't think you had fans in Chile)

I enjoy sci-fi novels and japanese literature but I try to read about almost every subject and genre. My favourites include: 2666 by Roberto Bolaño, Runaway Horses by Yukio Mishima, Beauty and Sadness by Kawabata, Dune, The Lord of the Rings and, of course, The Name of the Wind

[Keith]

Hello. My name is Keith. I am joining from Regina Saskatchewan Canada. My favorite book is whatever good book I happen to be reading. Right now I am reading Queen of the Tearling and it is okay so far. Favorite authors are too many to list, but off the top of my head glen cook, dave Duncan, lois McMaster bujold, George r r , joe Abercrombie, mark Lawrence, scott lynch and many others. I personally consider harry potter not fantasy, and suitable for slow poser readers.

[Jim]

Hey, I'm Jim and I'm part of the comics/tv reviewing team over at Den of Geek with Kayti. I'm in the woods in Vermont.

My answer to question 2 changes depending on when it's asked. I read a ton of comics (current favorite writer is Tom King) and prose whenever I can. The prose book I finished most recently was Seveneves by Neal Stephenson, which felt like 2/3 of a good book that didn't have an ending, followed by a really tedious sequel novella. I was going to jump into A Scanner Darkly by Dick after I finished my reread of the Annihilation-era Marvel Space stuff, until I found out about the book club and decided this was a better idea.

[Chad]

Hi! My name is Chad Paugh and I'm from West Virginia USA.
My favorite books are The Name of the Wind and Wise Mans Fear and I'm patiently awaiting book 3. My favorite author is good ol Pat. I discovered his work while I was still in high school and I was going though depressing times and it really helped pull my out of it. When I first met him and a book signing I was literally star struck and I constantly regret not saying more to him. Anyway hope I win but good luck to everyone else!

Twitter handle is @ChadVsTheWorld

[Ben]

Hello Everyone,
I'm Ben. I live in Brooklyn, NY but am originally from Fairfield, CT. My favorite books are 1984 by George Orwell, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Looking forward to reading with all of you!

[Kevin]

Hello, my name is Kevin. I'm joining you from a small town near Green Bay, Wisconsin.

I'm not sure I could decide on a favorite book. I really enjoyed the entire Dark Tower series and now I'm reading anything by Sanderson and Rothfuss.

I'm not a terribly fast reader (I only ready for a bit before bed each night) so I probably won't be reading each book along with the club but I plan to join in as much as I can!

[Scott]

Scott here. Faves include Rothfuss, Scott Lynch, Joe Abercrombie and GRRM.

[Silvia]

Hi everyone!!!

My name is Silvia, I am Portuguese, but right now I am living in Madrid, Spain.

It is really hard to decide which is my favorite book or author... I have a special feeling for the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini and Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, those two have a special place in my heart. Although I enjoy very much any fantasy book that makes me "feel the light of the moon on my skin" and forget a bit the real world.

[Eon ♒Windrunner♒]

Hello, I am Eon from Cape Town, South Africa, although I'd rather be from a deserted island that has unlimited ice cream and instant book delivery. Also, this introduction is far from over as I believe in "Go BIG or go home!"

☀ Favorite book(s):
- The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1) by Brandon Sanderson
- The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1) by Patrick Rothfuss
- Blood Song (Raven's Shadow, #1) by Anthony Ryan
- Traitor's Blade (Greatcoats, #1) by Sebastien de Castell
- The Lord of the Rings (The Lord of the Rings, #1-3) by J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Copper Promise (The Copper Promise, #1) by Jen Williams
- The Blinding Knife (Lightbringer, #2) by Brent Weeks
- The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson
- The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time, #1) by Robert Jordan
- The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1) by Brandon Sanderson
- The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1) by Scott Lynch
- Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive, #2) by Brandon Sanderson
- The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1) by Joe Abercrombie
- Red Rising (Red Rising Trilogy, #1) by Pierce Brown
- Malice (The Faithful and the Fallen, #1) by John Gwynne
- Warbreaker (Warbreaker, #1) by Brandon Sanderson
- A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) by George R.R. Martin
- Heir of Novron (The Riyria Revelations, Vol 1) by Michael J. Sullivan

☀ Favorite authors: ☝️

☀ Favorite genres: Clearly it is fantasy of all kinds. I do sample all the genres though, but I will always return to fantasy.

☀ Book Girlfriends: Aviendha from Wheel of Time, Wydrin from The Copper Promise, Kate Daniels, Syl from The Way of Kings who also happens to double as Favorite Supernatural Creature, Shai from The Emperor's Soul, Victa from Morning Star

☀ Book Bro's. Because bromance is real people. Sevro from Red Rising, Kelsier from The Final Empire, Lan, Mat, Perrin & Rand from Wheel of Time. Royce from Theft of Swords, Kal & Dalinar from The Way of Kings, Brasti from Traitor's Blade, Aragorn from LOTR & Kvothe from The Name of the Wind.

☀ Book Items I'd most like to have
☛ Nightblood & a shardblade. Because you can never have enough swords. Or knives, I forget. I need to consult The Dogman. Or Ninefingers. I forget who too.
☛ Marauders Map (Assuming it will work anywhere)
☛ Because I still have space in my magical items bag
☛ Because I still have space in my magical items bag
☛ Because I still have space in my magical items bag

☀ When I grow up I wanna be: *takes out blender and throws in wizard, jedi, windrunner, warder & mistborn. Proceeds to extract a cup of AWESOME.

[Kayti]

Keith wrote: "Hello. My name is Keith. I am joining from Regina Saskatchewan Canada. My favorite book is whatever good book I happen to be reading. Right now I am reading Queen of the Tearling and it is okay so ..." Yeah, The Queen of the Tearling was hard for me to get through. Let me know what you think when you're finished!

[Kayti]

Jim wrote: "Hey, I'm Jim and I'm part of the comics/tv reviewing team over at Den of Geek with Kayti. I'm in the woods in Vermont.

My answer to question 2 changes depending on when it's asked. I read a ton o..."

Hi, Jim! I know you were talking about comics, but your Annihilation-era comment reminded me that I have been meaning to check out the Jeff VanderMeer books before the Annihilation movie comes out.

[Kayti]

Sergio wrote: "Hello guys, my name is Sergio and i'm joining from Santiago, Chile (I bet you didn't think you had fans in Chile)

I enjoy sci-fi novels and japanese literature but I try to read about almost every..."

Welcome, Sergio! Can you believe that I've never read Dune? I was VERY into the terrible Children of Dune miniseries when I was in high school. though.

[Kayti]

Chad wrote: "Hi! My name is Chad Paugh and I'm from West Virginia USA.
My favorite books are The Name of the Wind and Wise Mans Fear and I'm patiently awaiting book 3. My favorite author is good ol Pat. I disc..."

I just heard Pat talk for the first time in person at NYCC and it was so great. Not all authors are good storytellers in person, but he really knows how to command an audience.

[Kayti]

Kevin wrote: "Hello, my name is Kevin. I'm joining you from a small town near Green Bay, Wisconsin.

I'm not sure I could decide on a favorite book. I really enjoyed the entire Dark Tower series and now I'm rea..."

Hi, Kevin! Yeah, this is a long one. No worries if you don't get through it by the end of the book club period. You'll definitely be able to join in the discussion. And we can do this all again when the third book in the trilogy comes out...

[Kayti]

Scott wrote: "Scott here. Faves include Rothfuss, Scott Lynch, Joe Abercrombie and GRRM."

Hi, Scott! All solid choices.

[Kayti]

Silvia wrote: "Hi everyone!!!

My name is Silvia, I am Portuguese, but right now I am living in Madrid, Spain.

It is really hard to decide which is my favorite book or author... I have a special feeling for the..."

Welcome, Silvia! I love the feeling of getting lost in a fantasy book world. We'll have to start some book suggestion threads in this group to get you some new fantasy reads. I am reading The City of Brass right now and really enjoying it. It is a djinn-centric story set in the Middle East, and the prose is gorgeous. It's not out yet, but keep your eyes peeled!

[Kayti]

Eon ♒Windrunner♒ wrote: "Hello, I am Eon from Cape Town, South Africa, although I'd rather be from a deserted island that has unlimited ice cream and instant book delivery. Also, this introduction is far from over as I bel..."

Welcome, Eon! I am very impressed with your thoroughness. Are you looking forward to the new Brandon Sanderson book out next month?

[Eon ♒Windrunner♒]

Kayti wrote: "Eon ♒Windrunner♒ wrote: "Hello, I am Eon from Cape Town, South Africa, although I'd rather be from a deserted island that has unlimited ice cream and instant book delivery. Also, this introduction ..."

Thank you Kayti :D

YES!!! Oathbringer is my MOST anticipated book of the year! I just finished off rereading The Way of Kings in both hardcover and graphic audio in preparation. Words of Radiance is next on my list as soon as I finish off The Core by Peter V Brett. Did I mention that Oathbringer is my MOST anticipated book of the year? ;) !!! I might just be counting down the days...

[Vitória]

Hi! I’m Vitória and I’m joining from Brasília, Brazil. It’s always an exciting surprise to enter a forum filled with such good-tasted people (:

Please, don’t make me choose favourite author! Right now, I’d be torn to shreds between Patrick Rothfuss and Brandon Sanderson, really.

I simply love books, especially fantasy, and have numberless favourites, including:
- The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
- A Song of Ice and Fire (George R. R. Martin)
- The Kingkiller Chronicle (Patrick Rothfuss)
- The Stormlight Archive (Brandon Sanderson)
- Mistborn (Brandon Sanderson)
- Lightbringer (Brent Weeks)
- A Court of Thorns and Roses (series) (Sarah J. Maas)
- His Dark Materials (Philip Pullman)
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
- Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
- The Avalon Mists (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
- Harry Potter (J. K. Rowling)
- Percy Jackson (Rick Riordan)
- The Lord of the Rings (J. R. R. Tolkien)
- Dragões de Éter (Raphael Draccon)

Phew! I’m sorry, couldn’t stop once I started, and I most likely still forgot some.
Thanks for the opportunity to be a part of this!

[Hege]

Hi, I am Hege, and I live in Norway.

My favorite books are king killer chronicles and pride and prejudice

[Marx]

Hello, my name is Mary and I'm from Wisconsin.

Favorite book(s) king killer chronicles. My favorite author is Michael Crichton.

[Becky]

Hi. I'm Becky. Joining from Durham NC.

I love scify and fantasy books but my favorite is probably Enders Game. Harry Potter will always hold a special place in my heart as well.

[Teresa]

Hi, my name is Teresa, but, my friends call me Tea. I’m smack dab in the heart of Texas.

My first book love is Sci-Fi/Fantasy but I also love a good Mystery/Suspense and well written fiction. I just finished my second reading of Name of the Win and A Wise Man’s Fear. If you haven’t read Book 2.5, A Slow Regard for Silent Things, you are missing something special. I think Rothfuss told Arie’s story in such a poetic, picturesque way. It was like a kiss to my soul.

Moving on. Of course, Ernest Cline’s RPO is destined to be a classic (if it’s not already.). I recently finished the Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson which I really liked.

I am currently reading Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson. The writing is good but because the chapters bounce back and forth from different POV’s, and adding new characters with almost every chapter, I’m finding it a little hard to follow.

[Nicholas]

Nick from Portland Oregon here. Recently, I have really been into Brandon Sanderson and Tad Williams. I just finished and loved A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. Currently, I am almost done with (and enjoying) my first ever read of Dune by Frank Herbert.

[Aaron]

Hey all! Aaron from KC. Just started going through the book for the second time on the audio book. It's got a pretty excellent narrator, so far at least!

Name of the Wind is possibly my favorite book of all time. Terry Pratchett's books are also high on my list.

[Dexter]

Hello, my name is Dexter and I am joining you all from BC, Canada.

My favourite books I have read range in style and genre from the Dexter novel series written by Jeff Lindsay to the Dragon Age series written by David Gaider.

I have recently shared my love of the Kingkiller series written by Patrick Rothfuss with some friends as they have with me, and have been re-reading it and enjoying it wholeheartedly. The poetic nature of his storytelling through the protagonist is enjoyable each and every time.

Nice to meet you all.

[Anth]

Hi, My name is Anthony and I am from Newcastle UK. My favourite book is The Name of the Wind by Pat Rothfuss, I love all of Pat's work and am currently involved in a Kickstarter made by Pat, exciting times! I also love The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon & the Shardlake series Dissolution by CJ Sansom

[Dominique]

Hi, I'm Juno and I originally hail from London, UK though at the moment I'm living in Bogota, Colombia. With a bit of luck, I'll have relocated to New York City by the end of this year! Fingers crossed!

Like pretty much everyone in this thread, I can't really settle on a favourite book or author but I can give you a condensed list!

- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (Of course)
- The Library at Mount Char by Hawkins Scott (I understood nothing and I loved it)
- Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (I understood even less and it was great)
- Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Rooting for spiders never felt so good)
- East of Eden by John Steinbeck (Most vivid writing ever)
- His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman (doesn't the new one come out today?)
- Red Rising by Pierce Brown (not so much the next two books in the series)
- Chaos Walking Series by Patrick Ness (All fucking three of them)
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (Creepy creepy)
- Lord of The Flies by William Golding (Down with civilization)
- Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (Insaneee sense of time)

I'm particularly into Weird fiction at the moment. You know, what Lovecraft describes in the following way:

"This type of fear-literature must not be confounded with a type externally similar but psychologically widely different; the literature of mere physical fear and the mundanely gruesome. Such writing, to be sure, has its place, as has the conventional or even whimsical or humorous ghost story where formalism or the author’s knowing wink removes the true sense of the morbidly unnatural; but these things are not the literature of cosmic fear in its purest sense. The true weird tale has something more than secret murder, bloody bones, or a sheeted form clanking chains according to rule. A certain atmosphere of breathless and unexplainable dread of outer, unknown forces must be present; and there must be a hint, expressed with a seriousness and portentousness becoming its subject, of that most terrible conception of the human brain—a malign and particular suspension or defeat of those fixed laws of Nature which are our only safeguard against the assaults of chaos and the daemons of unplumbed space."

Funnily enough, I'm not that into Lovecraft though XD

Anyway, the point is: it's nice to meet you and I can't wait to start discussing books! Till then, x o x o x o

[Sam]

Hi,

I'm Sam I live in Canada. My favourite books include Neil Gaiman's Sandman comic series, Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, and of course Pat Rothfuss' books.
I've read the name of the wind so many times the old school paperback I have looks like it's been through a war.

[Kandace]

Hi hi! I'm Kandace and I'm in Atlanta, GA! My favorite author rotates pretty much everytime I read a new book. A better question would be what is my favorite book (s) which would be Green Angel by Alice Hoffman, A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline and last but definitely not least, The KingKiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss!!! I am patiently waiting for the final day!!

[Spenser]

Hi Everyone!! I'm Spenser and I'm in Las Vegas, NV. My favorite genres are comics (lot of stuff from the Image and Vertigo publishers), Sci Fi and anything by my fave authors below. Am trying to get into fantasy, will finally read GOT at some point the near future.

My favorite authors are Stephen King and Christopher Moore.

For Comics, my favorites are Brian K Vaughan and John Layman

[Forest]

Hello! I'm Forest and living in Philadelphia, PA. I don't have a strict theme to my reading but currently enjoy Neil Gaiman's novels. My favorite series is GoT and one book I rate highly is Cloud Atlas.

[Mike]

Hello! I’m Mike from Syracuse, NY. I’m a huge fan of Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss and Mark Lawrence, among others. Love epic fantasy! I really enjoyed reading through the different favorites people are offering. Giving me new titles to add to my need to read list. Nice to meet you all!

[Keith]

am currently reading Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson. The writing is good but because the chapters bounce back and forth from different POV’s, and adding new characters with almost every chapter, I’m finding it a little hard to follow.

It gets worse. Each book introduces more characters and plotlines which was a shame because as you said the writing was really good. I think I tapped out at book 8.

[Sergio]

Kayti wrote: "Sergio wrote: "Hello guys, my name is Sergio and i'm joining from Santiago, Chile (I bet you didn't think you had fans in Chile)

I enjoy sci-fi novels and japanese literature but I try to read abo..."

I was also really into the VERY terrible miniseries as a kid! Trust me, it's never too late to read Dune, at least the original novel, the sequels get reaaaally weird

[Dominique]

RB wrote: "Hello everyone..."

The Bartimaeus books are among my all-time favourites! And on that note: damn it, I knew my fav list was missing things! Thank you so much for reminding me of them! I will have to re-read them now. I remember Bartimaeus was the best ^^

Also: Hi Rose *waves*

[Nick]

Hi Everyone.

I'm Nick, from Australia.

I came across this book club through my google alert for Paty Rothfus. I am waiting patiently, like all of you, for the rest of Qvothe's story.

I have quite a long list of favourite books and authors but, at the risk of sounding cliched...Rothus is by far my favourite author. He is an amazing story teller with such a great mind.

The piece of writing that solidified Rothfus as my favourite is "How Old Holly Came To Be" which is his short story in the anthology titled Unfettered, edited by Shawn Speakman. An excellent piece on a subject matter that I had never considered before I read it.

Also in my list of favourite authors/books are;
-almost anything by Stephen King, Chuck Phalahniuk, Peter Fitzsimmons, David Malouf and Bill Bryson.
-The Odyssey by Homer (translated by Robert Fagles/Bernard Knox).

I enjoy a broad range of books. I am mostly attracted writing styles over the actual story itself... although, a good story helps!

[Jim]

@kayti "Jeff VanderMeer books before the Annihilation movie comes out."

Tell me more...

[Michael]

Hello All, my name is Michael from the Bronx, NY. Favorite authors Steven King and Terry Pratchett. Recent reads are Foundation, Seveneves and just finished rereading Enders Game ( all time classic!) Looking forward to everyone's reviews and recommendations!!

[Neil]

Hi, I'm Neil from Winnipeg, MB. I'm a huge fan of Shel Silverstein's Children's' books and poetry. I recently read Crime and Punishment, and I have to say it's been my favorite book this year. My favorite of all time though has to be The Black Widowers by Issac Asimov.

[Kelsey]

Hi! I'm Kelsey from Westerville, Ohio. Not going to lie, The Name of the Wind is my all time favorite book, so when an article suggested this group, I had to join! I am also enjoying the Stormlight archive.

[Keith]

Mano wrote: "Right now am at the start of book #5, and for me, the things that you've mentioned about being hard to follow and new characters are exactly what made me love Erikson's work. Simply put, there is nothing like the Malazan books nor anything anywhere near them in terms of complexity and epicness of scope.

Before starting w/ GotM Gardens of the Moon i got fairly warned by a friend who couldn't finish it; saying it was too much work. When i confirmed what he said i got the feeling (and it is probably true) that Erikson doesn't want people to have an easy time with the books, and all i could think of that was I accept your challenge :)

I may someday go back and finish the last two books in the series but right now there are so many good books out there and new amazing authors appearing all the time. If you like epic scope and deep world building have you tried the Prince of Nothing series by R Scott Bakker? I think Erikson actually recommends him too.

[Jennifer Elders]

Hi. Jen from NY. My favorites are American gods, mr penumbra’s 24hr bookstore and the riyera chronicles. Name of the wind has been on my list for years, but I haven’t seemed to get to it yet

[Avi]

Hi there everyone. My name is Avi and I'm from Johannesburg, South Africa. I would say that my favourite book at the moment is American Gods by Neil Gaiman

[Cherie Alberski]

Hi, my name is Cherie and I live in Clinton, NY.

I am a huge fan of the works of Mercedes Lackey and John Scalzi among other fantasy/sci-fi authors. Have read all of the current Kingkiller books several times now!

[Alissa]

Den of Geek wrote: "Welcome to the Den of Geek Book Club! Before we get started, introduce yourself...

1. Where are you joining us from?

2. What is your favorite book or author?"
Hello, my name is Alissa, I live in Eureka Springs, Arkansas where I am working on my PhD in Bioarchaeology and I teach Forensic and Biological Anthropology at the local community college (NWACC). I love Les Miserables, Kafka on the Shore, Villette, anything by Robin Hobb, C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Tad Williams, the Bronte sisters, Charles Dickens, Rothfuss, and G.R.R. Martin. I'm excited to join the group and enter the contest!

[Kayti]

Vitória wrote: "Hi! I’m Vitória and I’m joining from Brasília, Brazil. It’s always an exciting surprise to enter a forum filled with such good-tasted people (:

Please, don’t make me choose favourite author! Right..."

Welcome, Vitória! Court of Thorns and Roses is STILL on my to-read list. Must get to it soon.

[Kayti]

Hege wrote: "Hi, I am Hege, and I live in Norway.

My favorite books are king killer chronicles and pride and prejudice"

Hi, Hege! I can always appreciate a Pride and Prejudice fan. One of the most perfectly-structured novels ever, I think.