Introduction and welcome thread! Showing 3,351-3,400 of 4,412

[Pamela]

Hi everybody! I'm Pamela. I've been lurking in this group for awhile now. I read a lot of Heinlein when I was a teenager. Now my favourite author is Lois McMaster Bujold, although I'm pretty find of John Scalzi's books too.

[Alan]

Hi, I'm Alan. Been a listener for a long time but I never really used goodreads. Anyways, been reading a storm since last year, lots of good books to catch up for the last 10 years. I'm planning to read the martian after I'm down with the divergent series.

[Marcus]

Hi, just came across the podcast via Boing Boing. I've been into sci-fi and fantasy since I was a kid. My favourites being Doctor Who, Terry Pratchett's Discworld, and Neil Gaiman's Sandman. also into comics and videogames.

[Richard]

HI, I'm Richard. I am from Canberra Australia. Heard about swords and laser from being a part of steve mchugh's "street team" on FB.

Really digging Richard Raley (the foul mouth chronicles)and just reading a lot of UF atm.

[Skye]

Howdy! I'm Skye. I've been listening to the podcast for a couple years. I'm not sure I could narrow down my favorites to a few dozen, but on the nightstand right now are: Ghost Songs by Andrew Demcak, The Android's Dream by John Scalzi, Ghost Train to New Orleans by Mur Lafferty, The Flight of Michael McBride by Midori Snyder, and Bone Dance by Emma Bull. Nice to meet you all!

[Patrick]

Hello all. I'm Russ, and I teach religious studies, so no surprise that I'm interested in religion in sf/fantasy, though that's not really my specialty (though come to think of it, it probably should be).

Probably my first favorite authors were Michael Moorcock and Robert Zelazny, though I as a kid I didn't know anyone interested in science fiction/fantasy (beyond Star Wars). My favorite author overall is probably Gene Wolfe, though if I add any more it will probably turn into a long list. I read some horror, comics, and historical fiction, along with works in my academic area, but sf/fantasy is always my favorite.

Feel free to friend me if you like.

[Jordan]

Hello, I'm Jordan. I'm working my way through the very large world of the Wheel of Time... slowly

[Jo]

Hey there. Long time scifi/fantasy reader, and author. I spend so much time crafting a comment, it winds up being out of date.

About to release the second fantasy in a trilogy -- and want to seek advice on the description for the back. Just as soon as I figure out the right folder :)

Cheers, everyone!
- Jo

[JenOuttaTen]

Hi everyone :)

My genre of choice is definitely scifi/fantasy (in movie, television, or book form). I love trilogies/series novels (because who doesn't want to keep reading about their awesome characters/worlds?), though I have read quite a few great one-offs.

The one thing is that I'm not the best about actually *finshing* a series. I'm half way through Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series (midway through book 6), and then my husband has finally got me started on Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire (currently on book 1, though I'm an avid watcher of the HBO series. Peter Dinklage should win an emmy this year).

I don't necessarily have a favorite author, just favorite books that I've found or have had recommended to me.

I love talking about the books I'm reading, and am always unsure of what to read next, so I hope that this group is full of friendly people that I can get to know!

Please feel free to friend me, ask any questions, anything really :)

[Tifani]

So, generally I'm a lurking kinda girl and not the introductions type but here you go.
I am a former book nerd turned homeschooling/work-at-home mom who makes too many excuses NOT to read ( aside from any of my kids current reading selections lol ) but am making an effort to change that.
Found this book club from a friend who is way smarter than me but I'll try to keep up.
Favorite books are fantasy and horror but I love sci fi as much as the next girl.
Favorite book nerd moment: 2 weeks ago my 8 yo was reading ( Ella Enchanted ) and was very upset. I noted that she was crying and she said "I actually shed a real tear onto the page" and I told her that was what would make her love books and then totally geeked out over her first tear soaked page.

Looking forward to June's pick and getting in on the discussion.

[CatBookMom]

Hi! CatBookMom (aka CBM) here. I've been reading threads in this group for a while, and today was overcome by the need to mention a book series, so I'm finally introducing myself. I've been reading sf/f since the 60s and still love it; I'm a voracious reader and audiobook listener. Favorite authors in this genre include Lois M Bujold, Elizabeth Moon, Anne McCaffrey, Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, and of course JRR Tolkien.

[Brandon]

Hello there, new here. I have utterly abandoned most television and have been on a book hiatus the last few years due to my job sucking up so much of my time. No tv frees up some time and will allow me to start rolling through the big ones: wheel of time, song of ice and fire, Malazan and any others you might suggest...

[Sam]

Hey, I'm Sam, from Durbs in South Africa. Hey, what? I thought this was a pub! No, seriously, I'm hoping to get steered towards any good SF or Fantasy I've not read yet.

[Brandon]

The Sword and Laser should be a pub - nice.

[Christopher]

Ty wrote: "Welcome Nav, Jen and Ian. The coffee is on the left, help yourself. A little later we'll be passing around the hat for donations."

I hope it's a big pot of coffee we have a lot of coffee drinking members I'm sure. Not to mention I'm sure they all want more than one cup. And are we talking monetary or book donations lol.

[Christopher]

Brandon wrote: "The Sword and Laser should be a pub - nice."

Then we really will need the coffee Ty mentioned days ago just to sober up so we can actually read again.

[Griffin]

Hello all,

I'm Griffin, and I read and write Science Fiction and Fantasy.

My favorite authors list would be too long a post, but suffice to say I'm pretty omnivorous under the SpecFic umbrella, so Sword & Laser is right up my alley.

[Henry]

Hi, I'm Henry.
I've only really got into fantasy properly in the last few years, and am really glad that sword and laser exists. I prefer fantasy to Sci-Fi, but sometimes dabble in a bit of military Sci-Fi, with some Star Wars on the side. My favourite author is David Gemmell, followed closely by Jim Butcher and Brandon Sanderson. I also like some of the Warhammer 40k tie-in fiction put out by Black Library, particularly the Gaunt's ghosts series by Dan Abnett. I am looking forward to expanding my Sci-Fi reading, and am already feeling inspired.

[Alexa]

Hello everyone! My name is Alexa and I'm new around here. I fell in love with fantasy and sci fi at very young reading Tolkien and Jules Verne.

Lately I've been reading mostly YA fantasy and Sci Fi, and I wanted to try and read some classics; which is why I'm joining bookclubs looking for recommendations.

Looking forward to discuss books with everyone. :)

[2tetheredhorses]

Hi everyone, I'm Will from Bristol, although, pretty often, I'm from London, too - regular two hour train journeys are perfect for taking a big bite of whatever I'm currently reading.

I'm a huge fan of speculative fiction of all kinds and in all forms - I'm reading a LOT of short fiction right now, in between novels, plus I seem to be developing a bit of an audiobook habit!

I've been reading SF and fantasy (not exclusively but pretty widely) for twenty-five years.

A family friend gave me a copy of LOTR when I was in bed with chicken pox as a kid and not long after that I fell deeply in love with Alison from Alan Garner's Owl Service. About a decade later, a copy of Gene Wolfe's Shadow of the Torturer fell on my head (it really did... and I had a terrible hangover at the time!). Mr Wolfe has been a favourite of mine ever since.

[Naaj]

Hi everyone I am Jaan from Estonia I only just recently became a listener but have loved fantasy since I was five and my mom read me "The Hobbit".

I dabble in both sword and laser but when it comes down to it I definitely prefer sword. I would say the books that have had the most impact on me are all fantasy.

My current favorite books are The King Killers Chronicles, The Gentelman Bastards Sequence and the Dresden Files.

Really do not know what else to say...

[Drew]

Hello, my name is Drew and I'm active duty navy and a self-published author. I write scifi and urban fantasy. I look forward to participating in the discussions.

[Monkeytoad]

Hey Ho everyone! I'm Andy.
I started reading scifi and fantasy some 38+ years ago when our TV broke and was never replaced. Been reading ever since. Favorite authors, hmmmm...pretty much anyone brave enough to write a book.

What I would like to get out this? Meet some same minded folks and keep up on what is new and good to read.

[Carolina]

Welcome, welcome!

[G.R.]

Hello, Glenn here. Though I usually go with my author name of G. R. I'm self-pubbed with a sci-fi novel and short under my belt. I've been lurking through the group's posts for awhile and finally decided it was time to jump in. Like everyone else here, SF&F has been my favorite genre my whole life (though I've had brief forays into horror, action/adventure, mystery, and fiction). I'm currently working my way (slowly) through GRRM's Dance with Dragons. Am I the only one who can't get into the HBO series? I feel the script writers have taken too many liberties with Martin's original dialogue. Anyway, just wanted to say hi and introduce myself.

[Tamara]

Hi everyone! I joined the group a while back, but haven't formerly introduced myself.
I am Tamara; a movie junkie who leaves herself far too little time to read, now-a-days. Still, I try to get my hands on a good fantasy epic or some good sci-fi robot action every chance I get. Terry Brooks and Isaac Asimov basically defined my literary world for me, at an early age.
Can't wait to start spending a little more time on Goodreads, getting introduced to new books to love! Not enough people in my physical-world circle are readers...

[Tamara]

Alan wrote: "I am 75% sword, 25% laser."

LOL, I love that you gave it a percentage! ;)
Guess I'd have to go with about 40%/60%, in the opposite direction.

[Charlie]

Hi, names Charlie from Australia, living in LA. I'm a big reader and also a struggling actor so thought I would justify some of the time I spent reading and not working by starting a blog about the books I love.

I have a website at www.areadingmachine.com with all sorts of bits and pieces like sources for signed first editions, up coming must reads etc. I have just started it so you can tell me if it sucks. You can follow me on twitter if you'd like at @areadingmachine and which I would really appreciate.

I also run giveaways and have just started one for a signed copy of Red Rising by Pierce Brown and basically just like chatting with Authors and other fans of fiction.

[Jason]

Hi Everyone. My name's Jason (usually go by FreeRangers in other places around the Internet). Decided to Check out the Sword and Laser podcast since I needed a new podcast to listen to, and I like a lot of the other Frogpants podcasts.

Some of my favorite Authors are David Dalglish, David Gemmell, J.R.R. Tolkein, Elmore Leonard and John LeCarre
the last two authors are neither sword nor laser, but I like diversity ;)

Anyway I'll be listening to the podcast and probably joining various discussions here, but I don't know if I'll be able to read all the books that Tom and Veronica cover on the show. I don't have as much time to read as I'd like :(

[Ben]

Jason wrote: "Some of my favorite Authors are David Dalglish, David Gemmell, J.R.R. Tolkein, Elmore Leonard and John LeCarre
the last two authors are neither sword nor laser, but I like diversity ;)"

They aren't sword or laser but they are awesome.

[AndTheRest]

Hello, I'm David. I was big into F&SF last century (Adams, Anthony, Asimov, Donaldson, and Niven were some favorites).

Then, I had some things I wanted to do IRL, and, turns out, video games and fiction were my two biggest time sinks. So..... I quit. Cold Turkey.

A career (computers, natch), a wife, a mortgage, and two kids later, I'm experimenting with recreational books again. Hearing an interview with CJ Box (author of the Joe Pickett series) was the gateway, and Tom Merritt (on a tech podcast) and Rob Long (on a politics podcast) both recommending Ready Player One in the same week brought me back to F&SF.

Will I be able to enjoy in moderation? Only time will tell...

[Charlie]

David wrote: "Hello, I'm David. I was big into F&SF last century (Adams, Anthony, Asimov, Donaldson, and Niven were some favorites).

Then, I had some things I wanted to do IRL, and, turns out, video games and ..."

Ready player one was awesome

[Chester]

Hello, My name is Chet and I have been listening to the podcast for a while and have finally joined Good Reads. I am currently bouncing between series (Dresden, Iron Druid and Honor Harrington ) as well as reading other things in between. Have followed along with the monthly selection on occasion, but intend on being more regular about it. I finally joined so I could vote on the Octavia Butler selection.

[Gaines]

Hi folks. Technically I've introduced myself before, but that was a couple of years ago, and life has taken me for quite a ride since then. Now I'm back, and hope to participate a bit more in conversations about awesome spec fic books & stories :-) My name is Gaines, I live in Australia, but was born and raised in Tennessee in the US. I translate from Chinese to English for a living, and in my spare time I like to read, watch movies, stare at clouds, write, and cook good food. (well, sometimes it's good, sometimes it's yuck, hehe). Nice to meet you all! :-)

[Scott]

Gaines wrote: "I live in Australia, but was born and raised in Tennessee in the US. I translate from Chinese to English for a living"

That's a whole lotta nationalities in one sentence. Welcome (again)!

[Charles]

I'm Chuck. I've been reading SF&F since my age was counted in single digits. I'm a gamer and a worldbuilder.
I currently edit, write, and publish fiction at HDWPbooks, and I edit and write for Novo Pulp, and I edit and write for (non-fiction) International Spectrum.
I have a novel published, Adjacent Fields, about how SF tech would fare in the modern world. I've also got a 30 Novella Series in production. It's all SF Adventure (Think Tom Swift for post-teen readers). The first book, Tiago and the Masterless, is out on Kindle, Nook, and Kobo. The second book is in final edits. The third book is a chapter from being ready to edit.

[Kenley]

Hello, my name is Kenley and I live in a small town in Southern California. Been a librarian for the past 20-years and an avid reader most of my life. As a kid I read the Tarzan, John Carter, Gor type books plus the classics such as Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Mostly travel between SciFi and nonfiction these days. Others I keep around are Neal Stephenson, William Gibson, Octavia Butler, Ursula LeGuin, and more recently Daniel Suarez has my attention. Vinge and Bear are also favorites. Always looking for an interesting book that I can't out down.

[Jude]

Hi, my name is Jude and this group was recommended to me by my friend Nate. I'm a huge sci-fi/fantasy reader. I just finished the Wheel of Time series and then went on to devour all the Brandon Sanderson stuff. I loved The Mistborn Trilogy and Knights Radiant stuff. Now I'm reading the Madd Addam books. I like the story, hate the sermons. I hope to get lots I leads on series to read here. Thanks!!

[Anthony]

Hello, my name is Anthony. I am an avid fantasy and science fiction reader and am always looking for a decent book to read. I'm also a parent, beer brewer, runner, and author.

I've just finished Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman and really enjoyed it.

[Jasmine]

Hi, my name is Jasmine. I have always enjoyed Sci-Fi in any shape fashion and form; lately I've been giving Fantasy more of a shot.

I just finished The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord. Along with A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin in my quest to read the Game of Throne books this summer in between other books on my list.

[Jules]

Hi everyone, my name is Jules and I'm from the land of Oz. I've been loitering in the Sword and Laser group for a while now, but am a newbie to the discussion boards. I have a weakness for series and seem to always falling into the trap of starting new ones before finishing old... My recent obsession is the Dresden Files, I just gobbled up Grave Peril... liking them so far, and I hear the later books are better so... yay! Also just started listening to Dawn, which I'm thinking will begin another series obsession...

[Vesper]

Hello, I'm Vesper.
I am excited to finally be joining a group after sitting on the sidelines and watching/reading for a while. I started reading Scifi & Fantasy in middle school beginning with Anne McCaffrey's Harper Hall trilogy. I devoured it quickly, then read anything else my father had in the house with dragons on the cover or in the title. After that I moved on to 'Mists of Avalon' and was hooked on these genres for life. Looking forward to learning about new authors (and ones just new to me) through this group.

[Mahriana]

Hello. I followed some of the S&L podcasts a couple years ago and am excited to join in on this month's read of Dawn.
I got started on fantasy as a kid via Dragonlance, and that series is still very close to my heart. I'm also a long-time ASoIaF fan, and in general I'm more of a sword than a laser. I've recently been catching up on some SF classics (LeGuin, Gibson, etc), however, for both fun and academic research. And I've been meaning to read Dawn for a long time now.

[T.S.S.]

Hi everyone!

I'm Ted. I've been reading sci-fi and fantasy all of my life with my all-time favorites being Le Guin, Dick and Murakami. I'm currently trying to go through the Gunn Center's Basic Science Fiction Library list.

[Russ]

Glad I found this group - I think Goodreads needs some better ways to filter through the groups (unless I'm missing something!)

Hello all. Fantasy and science fiction are my realms and I love cross genre stories that dip their toes into both worlds.

Parent, scoutmaster, runner, black belt, recovering former government employee, author, gamer and eBook convert. Happy to meet everyone!

[Aubrey]

Hi! My name is Aubrey, I'm an avid fantasy reader and haven't been too much into the sci-fi genre yet. I have listened to the S&L podcast off and on and finally decided to officially join this group as a way to push myself to read more and open myself up to books I wouldn't normally go for.
Some of my favorite authors are Patrick Rothfuss, Neil Gaiman, Mary Robinette Kowal and Gillian Flynn. Pretty standard stuff...
Fun fact: I'm a puppeteer and I'm currently gearing up for a big move to Hawaii to study puppetry at UH at Manoa.
Looking forward to getting involved in some discussions, thanks everyone!

[Dario]

Hey everyone.
I stumbled across this group, not even sure how actually, but I sorta follow Veronica on Twitter.

Anyway, I'm a sci-fi reader and writer, I work in IT (quite predictably) and live in Italy.

[Barak]

Hi all!
I'm Barak. I'm an Israeli who grew up in the US. When we moved to Israel my parents were worried I'd forget my English (I was just shy of 7 years old at the time). So they said that I could get as many books as I like, as long as they're in English.
They quickly realized they'd have to put a limit to that, as I was ripping through the fantasy shelves of the local bookstore. I now (at 27) have an astonishing collection of books, and I'm rally looking forward to moving to my own house to build enough libraries to store all my books.
For the past 6 years I've been in medical school, and since I read so much for school, I really cut back on my leisure reading. I just felt that after spending all day buried in books and articles, I just needed a change of medium, so I read rather sporadically. Now I'm studying for finals, and I've rediscovered my love of reading.
I'm a huge fantasy nerd, having played Dungeons & Dragons most of my life. My favorite books include the Wheel of Time series, the Belgariad and Mallorean series, the Young Wizard series, and many, many others.
I'd love to participate in discussions in the group. Hope to get to meet great folks through this!
Yours,
Barak

[Sandra]

Hi! My name is Sandra, I love to read all types of genres, but fantasy is my favorite. I enjoy listening to the podcast and finding new recommendations especially science fiction. I recently started a book blog where I do reviews, recommendations, and discuss new releases.

http://whatlovelybooks.com

[Rawan]

Hi everyone! I'm Rawan.
I am a fantasy/science fiction and YA reader.
Some of my favorite authors are John Green, Dan Brown and Charles Dickens.
:)