Fantasy Aficionados discussion
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Achive
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What Are You Currently Reading?
Still can't get through The Passage, Mark. Low on my list to pick up and finish.mark wrote: "i'm looking forward to reading what you think about The Passage. i loved that one."
I hate to make my dear friend from San Francisco sad, but I'm deluged with other books I'd rather read. I'm still jealous that you're in SF and I'm not still there.
right now the weather is miserable and it is raining buckets. you wouldn't want to be here!
I wouldn't care if it's raining as long as it's above 50. Although, today, it is above 50. Whoo-hoo!
Aloha wrote: "I wouldn't care if it's raining as long as it's above 50. Although, today, it is above 50. Whoo-hoo!"Wasn't today great?! We got up to 74 degrees. :-) Bliss.
Ugh 76 here. Miserable. I'd love a nice balmy 60 :)
You're crazy, lol. Balmy 60?
Australia hasn't had much of a summer... it got really hot at one point with a 42 Celsius. It's starting to go back into the twenties. Autumn is on its way :)
Laura - I hope those are good temperatures for you, as an American I have no idea what temps in Celsius mean. Because America is too good for the metric system *rolls eyes* (Did you know that there's only 3 countries that don't use the metric system? *Burma*, *Liberia* and AMERICA. I mean, really America? WTH? lol My childhood could have been so much easier)Anywho, moving on, I just finished reading The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox and I'm still a little perplexed by it. I'm not sure if I still like the book after the ending. It was all rather abrupt.
My next book is going to be out of three that I want to read: A Game of Thrones, Seer of Sevenwaters(the new Juliet Marillier book), or I Am Number Four which the little boy I baby-sit wants me to read. Not sure which direction I'm going in right now.
I am really enjoying Geist! I keep books in odd places - and I had placed Geist in one of my odd places (which is slowing down the read). I haven't read a book that has really grabbed my attention like this in a while.
I just got with my Audible credits Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos, which I also have as an eBook, and A Carnivore's Inquiry, an audio book about my life.
Aloha wrote: "I just got with my Audible credits Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos, which I also have as an eBook, and [book:A Carnivore's ..."LOL! A book about your life...
Has anyone read anything by Karen Marie Moning? I keep seeing her books and I am attracted by the covers but haven't seen or heard much about her? What genre is she?
She's Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy.
I've read two of her series, The Highlander series I really enjoyed. It's light, fluffy time-travel highlander/magic romance. Her Fever series, I read the first few, but never really got into the series. I read PNR for the hot romance. If it's not hot, I won't read it. The Fever series was not as hot as her Highlander series, IMO. It's more Urban Fantasy. But there are better UF I'd rather read, like Neil Gaiman's. For great writing, I go to better writers.
Oh the Fever series is very vey hot. You just have to stick with it and there is a HUGE payoff. I have read both her series 3 or 4x. The worlds overlap but the Feve series is better in my opinion. I read alot of UF and I love th Fever series. But we all like different stuff!
I'm currently reading The White Mare by Jules Watson, and I'm really enjoying it. I read other people's comments, and while some call it a slow read, I can honestly say it's one of the better books I've read in a long time. I might even start a thread about this book once I've finished it.
Hi all.You know, every time I see the heading of this thread I want to post:
"A Book."
I guess I'm weird.
That's strange. I feel like saying, "Your mind."
Ahh, you have learned weird well....
I've taken weirdness to the level of art.
We all need to go with out strengths!
Yes, I need to be the authentic me, a cannibal who reads minds.
...and is a weirdness artist.
Thanks for the Moning recommendations, still not sure if its something I want to read but now I know a little bit more. How would you compare the Moning's Highlander series to Diana Gabaldon's? I'm a big fan of Jamie and Claire.
Moning's Highlander series is typical PNR, big hunky he-man with spunky heroine, full of hot romance and fun. Diana Gabaldon's is more historical, with frustrating and sometimes sad romance, more epic.
I love you guys! Where else does this happen? LOL
I am reading The Black Company this is so boring i have read three books while trying to read it. I have read about 50 pages in 9/10 days, i am on the verge of giving up.
I tried to read the Moning Karen MariFever series, but the main character was just TOO mary-Sueish for me...I hate when books make me want to hit a character for an unvalid reason, and I really wanted to hit her, so I had to stop.EDIT: Maybe the duels at the picnic can be against your most hated character, and I can have a cage match with her there? Socially approved and everything!
Its looking more and more like the Moning books can be skipped. Thanks everyone!
Christine wrote: "Its looking more and more like the Moning books can be skipped. Thanks everyone!"I'm reading them now based on a bunch of recommendations. I am on the third book, more a testament to my stubbornness to truthfully enjoying the series, actually. I think I will finish the series, but as of now I don't think I'd rec them to anyone.
From what I understand -- and from what it seems I am finding as I read -- you have to work your way through four books to get to the only payoff you will see in the series and that comes in the 5th and last book. Not very good structure for a series, imo.
I think each book in a series needs some payoff at the end of each book -- some bit of climactic ending that both closes a thread of a story while keeping open the overall narrative and whetting your appetite to finish the whole series. This isn't happening with this series. It is a never-ending narrative that keeps raising questions without giving any answers and I find it somewhat frustrating.
Christine wrote: "Its looking more and more like the Moning books can be skipped. Thanks everyone!"Oh I disagree. There are many many people who love them. I loved KMM's Fever series from page 1. What I think is that the series strikes people in different ways. I think it is worth it to take a look.
I am reading: I am reading
and listning to the audio of
Hi Machavelli, that was my original take on The Black Company to. It does pick up. I don't know why Cook started it so slowly.Still, it may just not be to you taste. I found them good but I suppose not great as I didn't grab the second series up right away, so who knows. Hope you find it picks up.
I keep putting off The Passage. I've read strong reviews both ways. I'm sort of waiting for the sequels I suppose.
I was mixed about The Passage. I thought parts of it were extremely engaging, but other parts I skimmed. I will likely read the sequel though.
I think people who are into the long-winded fantasy books will enjoy The Passage. I like my horror to either creep or gross me out right away. That's why I prefer The Strain.
Aloha wrote: "I think people who are into the long-winded fantasy books will enjoy The Passage. I like my horror to either creep or gross me out right away. That's why I prefer [book:The Strain|..."Well The Strain just got bumped up the list. :D
I really enjoyed The Passage though. I thought it was great, and I had a few minor issues with it, but not really anything that would ruin my enjoyment of the book. I love the "atmosphere" and tone of the story. I'll definitely be re-reading before #2 comes out.
I hated The Passage. There were so many silly mistakes within the story that I could not suspend my disbelief. I think it's cool that other people liked it. I just did not.
Jason -- like what mistakes? I would be interested in hearing about them ... my main issue was the huge investment of time into characters that just suddenly disappeared. I love thick and volumunous books, but I thought Cronin's work could have been edited down. I also thought Cronin used happenings to kids a little to much to get the reader emotionally invested in the story, rather than the story sustaining interest on its own.
Hmm... what kind of silly mistakes do you mean, Jason?
Uh oh...a can of worms, opened! LOLI'll give one mistake that bothered me a lot. I can't remember a lot of the others.
It's something like a hundred years after the main apocalyptic event, and the new characters (something else that annoyed me about the book, switching characters part way through) find a crate of M-16s. They then use them a little later when things get sticky.
I know that these types of weapons are kept well-oiled an whatnot, but they would not survive 80 to 100 years of no use. They would seize and lock up. They might have survived if they were AK-47s, but I doubt that too.
******Possible Spoilers for The Passage below*******Regina, I didn't mind the children thing so much... to me, they represented all the potential that adults forget they have. I didn't feel manipulated by the way they were handled in the story though, so perhaps that is why it didn't bother me...
Jason, I know what you mean about those guns, and that is one thing I wondered about... but I just went with it. Not being an expert in that sort of thing, it's not the kind of detail that would nag at me. ;)
Other things DID bother me, like the wishy-washy possible Deus Ex Machina thing. To me, D.E.M. is one thing you either have, or you don't. It's either there, or it isn't. I guess he was going for a realistic "faith" feel with that, but it didn't do much for me. This, more than anything is why I couldn't give it 5 stars. I pretty much loved the rest... even the switch between characters, although I LOVED the first part so much I was kind of bummed when it switched. LOL
The guns stick out the most for me, I'm not sure why. I think it's because it was the first time I actually yelled, "Oh, come on!" while reading that book. I've pretty much forgotten the rest, and I don't plan on reading the remainder of the series.I think The Passage is definately one of those books you either love or hate, with little between.
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Fantasy Aficionados
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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Louise Murphy (other topics)
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I would not have read Lies of Locke Lamora, for example, if it were not for this group.