Introduction and welcome thread! Showing 3,951-4,000 of 4,412

[Brent]

I'm Brent and I've been reading science fiction (with some fantasy) most of my life. Somehow I've never really had an opportunity to discuss it much with other readers.

I'm here to fix that.

[Alexander]

Hi, I recently joined the group and thought I introduce myself.
My name is Alex. I am Austrian but live in Australia. I love the sun, ocean, kitesurfing and well... reading sci-fi.
Last year I thought I'll give it a try and start writing - I've been thinking about writing a book - a mix of classical sci-fi, environmental and spiritual topics - for some time and last October it suddenly felt like the right time to get started. So... voila... I have finished two books and self-published on Amazon only about a month ago (Title: Humans and other Aliens). Working on a third book right now and still loving it.
Regards,
Alex

[RavensScar]

Hi
I'm Luci booklover, nerd/geek, gamer and lover of fantasy and scifi. Just recently found the sword and laser homepage and podcast. Both are awesome. The homepage lead me to this group and I decided to join :)

[W.C.]

Hi, I'm Charlie Brown(real name) I have an out-of-control book reading problem and now I've started writing my own. I write under the name W. C. Brown to avoid litigation and let people actually find my books on Amazon. I think of myself as a more SciFi than Fantasy fan, but then again my all time favorite is "The name of the Wind" so there you go.
W.C. Brown
Brains In Chains
Star Charmer

[[deleted user]]

Howdy! My name is Brian, and I've followed Sword and Laser for a few years on youtube and podcast, but only recently started lurking here on goodreads.

I'm more into science fiction these days, but really loved fantasy when I was younger. I try to diversify my reading list with friend suggestions and book clubs, though.

Favorite authors are really hard for me to list because I like so many, but feel strongly about so few. For fantasy as a kid, I will say I distinctly remember Mercedes Lackey's Elvenborn was one of the first fantasy books I read. In High School I loved Piers Anthony's Incarnation of Immortality series and Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. Later on, it was Gail Z. Martin's Chronicles of The Necromancer and George R.R. Martin 's Song of Ice and Fire series.

For Science Fiction, I started with classics like Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and Frank Herbert's Dune. I really enjoyed Richard K. Morgan's Altered Carbon. Snowcrash by Neal Stephenson is one of my all-time favorite books. I also really love early works by William Gibson, Bruce Sterling, and pretty much anything cyberpunk.

I look forward to reading and discussing books with you all!

[Mer]

Hi everyone, my name's Mer.
A neighbor close to my age thought I might like The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey, and she was right. I believe I have a good chunk of the series in physical form. On the science side I love Isaac Asimov's I, Robot and Foundation series, and Frank Herbert's (and some of Brian Herbert's) Dune series.
In the last couple decades I moved away from both genres because the summaries of the plots weren't peaking my interest. This group has rekindled my interest and I thank you!
Being on Goodreads is wonderful as I've been using it as a repository of my reading notes and a source for new reads and information, for eight years now.
I'm looking forward to meeting the folks at the VA/MD/DC gatherings.

[Serendi]

Welcome to the gathering, Mer!

[Brian]

Hi, I'm Brian. I recently retired and thought I should try adding a bit of socializing to my excessive reading habit. I've read a lot of speculative fiction, mostly "golden age" and new wave science fiction as a teenager and, more recently, a broad selection over the last twenty years. I'm not sure I have anything particularly articulate to say about a book, other than whether I liked it or found it interesting (not always the same conclusion for those two attributes), so I may only lurk ...

[Michael]

Hi I'm Michael, and I have been reading since I was old enough to learn how. First major book series I read were Harry Potter (of course) and then my dad got me into the Belgariad and Mallorean series. I have fallen in love with nearly all things sci fi and fantasy since, and was excited when I found the Sword and Laser (keeps me sane at work). Currently working on my sci fi books, and the picks list helps a lot as not to many of my friends are readers. Can't wait to jump into some discussions!

[Nick]

Hi all,

I'm Nick from New Zealand and I have been a long time listener of Sword and Laser, it's the only podcast Iisten to.

I have been reading Sci-Fi and Fantasy books pretty much nonstop since my high school teacher gave me Ender's Game at age 14 (I am now 31).

The book I most recently finished reading was Children of Time which I highly recommend. I started trying to read Ninefox Gambit but struggled too much with it so I had to Lem it. I am now reading A Darker Shade of Magic which is definitely drawing me in.

Cheers

[Heather]

I'm Heather from California and have been listening to the podcast for a few years now. I never have time to do the group reading thing, alas, but love to hear the discussions.

[Ian]

Hi Everyone, my name is Ian.

I am from Ireland and I only recently discovered Sword and Laser in the last few weeks and have already gone back and listened to a few months worth of podcasts.
I picked up this month's book so I am hoping to jump into the conversation as soon as I am finished.

I am a big sci-fi reader but never really explored fantasy before. Hoping to get some good recommendations through the group.

[Dean]

Hi everyone,
I'm Dean and although I've been following s&l since the first season I only just subscribed to goodreads so. . . here I am! Looking forward to being part of the conversation!

[Matt]

Hi all, my name is Matt Moss. I'm from North Carolina and my preferred genres are fantasy and historical fiction.

[Joel]

Hello there,

I'm Joel. I'm a writer and reader from Vermont. I have been listening to the podcast religiously for more than a year, but I'm just joining the discussions here. My favorite authors are Robert Jordan, Jacqueline Carey, Stephen King, Stephen R. Donaldson, Robert E. Howard, and John Gardner.

[Rebecca]

My name is Rebecca. I just discovered this podcast this summer. I am a public librarian and I'm always looking for good recommendations for myself and my customers. I've always been a fantasy fan but I've only recently dived into the sci-fi world.

[Lena]

Hi my name is Lena, and I'm nervously up late tonight because this is coming right for me.
CAT 4


Another hour to go...

[Rob, Roberator]

Welcome. Be safe.

[Ruben]

Hi, my name is Ruben. I'm from the Bay Area. And I love reading Sci-Fi and Fantasy, while also writing about the former.

[Julie]

Hi! I'm Julie. I just joined the group and listened to my first The Sword and Laser podcast (#304, didn't listen to last 10 mins about Gunslinger yet... it's on the top of my TBR pile) and it was awesome! I'm excited to read with and listen to The Sword & Laser while my daughter snuggles with me and my kitten bites my feet until he falls sleep on my belly. My favorite times to read books are on a sunny day by an open window and before bed. I like to listen to books/podcasts while I do laundry and clean the kitchen (wild times!). I have a lot of different interests and hobbies, thankfully there are books about all of them. I go between reading e-books and "dead tree books". I've "lemmed" a lot of books this year. I'm not proud, but I don't regret it. Though sometimes I feel a little haunted by the growing list of untold stories in my mind... so maybe I regret it?? Glad to have joined the group!

[Michael]

Hi, I'm Michael. I just started listening to Sword & Laser a few months back. I've been meaning to join the Goodreads group for awhile now. I love both Fantasy and Science Fiction pretty equally. My favorite authors include Brandon Sanderson, John Scalzi, George RR Martin, Neil Gaiman and Joe Abercrombie.

[Ken]

Hi, I'm Ken. I love to read and write fantasy and science fiction. I've only recently discovered the Sword and Laser podcast and I'm hooked. Glad to meet other like-minded readers and fans. Cheers!

[Ash]

Hi I am Ash and found this group by scrolling on Good Reads. I will check out the podcast and I read a lot. I also play D&D as I am sure most people do here. Glad I found I this.

[Daniel]

Hello, everyone. My name is Daniel Dolinski, and I'm an Goodread's author. My primary reason for joining this group is to grow my audience for my books that I'm publishing, which I'll post in the appropriate folder and not here. However, I am open to discussing about books, TV shows, movies, and all things nerdy.

Currently, my favorite books are the Harry Potter books and A song of Ice and Fire books (Game of Thrones novels).

[Amanda]

Hi,

I'm new to the group although I've been listening to the podcast for awhile now. I love reading spec fic, but tend to read more fantasy than sci-fi. Not much to say for the moment but wanted to connect with fellow readers.

[Patrick]

Hi everyone. I discovered The Sword and Laser about two weeks ago and have now listened to about 50 episodes, so I think it's inevitable that I should join the group. It's such a great podcast. Like a lot of you, I'm a writer (I have a couple of children's science fiction books out, as well as a bunch of fantasy stories for adults) but I'm really here to find out about new books and talk about books I've read. :)

[Kyle]

Greetings all! I've been listening to the podcast for quite awhile now and it is way past time that I posted in this here thread. Looking forward to engaging with this great community more!

This group (and the podcast) has been great for encouraging my reading habit but not so great for the continually growing TBR stack. I've always enjoyed SFF more than other genres but I'm still trying to fill gaps in my literary resume. I'm trying to keep up with the group picks as best I can but there is so much awesome stuff out there!

[Steve]

Greetings! I've been listening to the podcast for a little over a year now, but this is the first time I've been in sync on the book of the month (reading The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter right now). Love the podcast and looking forward to good discussions with the community.

[Evangeline]

Hi there! My name is Evangeline, and I've been listening to this podcast on and off since I first found it on Geek and Sundry. I enjoy listening in the quiet mornings before work.

I love reading fantasy and sci-fi and have been since childhood. I tend to prefer more whimsy and fantasy, but I do enjoy good sci-fi stories as well. Hoping to get some fun discussions in with other readers.

Since it's October I'm going to be reading some short stories by Bradbury, the book Meddling Kids, and rereading The Night Circus. And getting from my library the Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter for the book of the month.

[Phillip]

Hello, my name is Phil. I love sci-fi and fantasy, especially Star Wars. I also enjoy writing. The last book I read was “A God Among Thieves,” and I’m currently working on Ahsoka.

[Ian (RebelGeek)]

Hi, I'm Ian. I live in the northern part of Los Angeles (Tujunga).
I've been a SF&F geek since I can remember watching (Star Trek & Star Wars) and reading things (Isaac Asimov & Tolkein). I used to have a rad night job that allowed me to read most of the time & I burned through The Dark Tower Saga, Harry Potter, Stephanie Meyer (don't judge me). More recently I've had a couple of jobs that allowed me to listen to "music" while working. So I listen to audiobooks (Stephen King, Anne Rice, Dean Koontz, G.R.R.M., Star Wars, tons of zombie books) & podcasts (Nerdist, 3 Guys with Beards, Mad About Movies). I suffered through a bunch of Librivox classics (it was the narration that was bad). I just found S&L by checking out groups on GoodReads. I'm listening to the S&L podcast now. My lady is giving me Audible for my birthday & I already buy the Audible version for some of the Kindle books she reads so we can talk about the books. I just invited her to join this GR & S&L.
I think Patrick Rothfuss may be the best fantasy author alive & I'm eagerly awaiting the Doors of Stone or whatever Kingkiller Chronicles Day 3 will be called. I loved listening to Wil Weaton read Ready Player One & I can't wait for the movie!
I have mixed fealings about the Dark Tower movie & am looking forward to the TV show (the comics are amazing).
I collect The Walking Dead, Star Wars, & Stephen King comics.
I also write a little & play a lot of games (Wolfenstein).

[Perry]

No judgment from me, Ian, I also read twilight series. I cant believe her publisher let the series end on such an anti climatic crappy scene.

[TJ]

Hi! I'm TJ. I've been listening to S&L for a very long time and may even have introduced myself here before, but I can't remember and if I have I've been really bad about participating in the forum. I'd like to be a bit better about that.

Right at the moment I'm reading the audiobook for Ann Leckie's Provenance. I read Ancillary Justice because of S&L and it's now one of my favourite books, due especially to the way Breq sees the world in that book. I didn't enjoy the other two books in that trilogy as much because of how the way she viewed the world changed, but I still loved the universe and I'm interested to see a different corner in Provenance.

Other than that I drift between swords and lasers, although I think I've been more laser the last few years. Anyway, I'm bad about forum posting, I'm not great great about keeping up with the main picks, but I thought I'd stick my head back in, say hi and engage with the community around here.

[Jeremy]

Hi everyone! I'm Jeremy. I started listening to the podcast about a year ago, as I have long road trips and listen to lots of podcasts and audiobooks. But, I work as a backpacking guide and spend lots of time out, so I'm just now getting around to resurrecting my Goodreads profile and joining in the discussion here.

As I do spend so much time on the trail, I get lots of time to read and have turned to a Kindle since I need variety and the ability to read several books at once without carrying the weight of more than one book. I still love the dead-tree editions, and try to read them when I can, but with limited space on the road I often give them away when I'm done reading them.

I've loved science-fiction and fantasy about equally since I found them as a young teenager, and that continues to today. Some of my favorite authors are Ursula Le Guin, William Gibson, Patrick Rothfuss, Kate Elliott, Stephen Donaldson, Neal Stephenson, Robert Jordan.

I'm excited about the opportunities here to learn about authors (new and new to me) as well as diving into the Book of the Month with everyone.

Thanks!

[Mariely]

Hi all,
I'm in WNY and have been listening to the podcast for about a month during my commutes. I usually don't stick with book clubs because they tend to read books I don't care to read, but this group seems to run along the same lines as my taste in books and the podcast really sells the ones I'm not so sure about!

[Rob, Roberator]

Knightmiss wrote: "Hi all,
I'm in WNY and have been listening to the podcast for about a month during my commutes. I usually don't stick with book clubs because they tend to read books I don't care to read, but this ..."

What part of WNY?

[Todd]

Hello folks. I've been a lurker here for a little while, but I'll post here to follow the rules. ;)
I'm an engineer from south MS. Been listening to podcasts forever and just picked up S&L a few months ago. I've not yet read a book along with the group yet, but I'll give that a try. There are too many good things to read for me to keep up. My 'To Read' list is constantly growing!

[HW]

Hi all. I'm new to Goodreads and recognized the S&L group because I've been listening to Tom and Veronica (and Molly) since the Buzz Out Loud days. So I decided to join the group.

I've been reading SF since forever and in college went down the Hugo and Nebula award lists and found whatever I could in the library or book stores. (No ebooks back then.) My reading list/education in SF expanded from there. I'm still sad about Terry Pratchett's passing.

I look forward to joining the discussions.

[Nicola]

Hello,
I am C. Wain. Dark fantasy and fantasy in general has been a great passion of mine for as long as I can remember. Gothic romance has always fascinated me. I think books can create a world in which one can take his/her mind off things in a way which is completely different from say movies or spectacles (both of which I find are incredible means of sharing an author's work). I have also self-published a new dark fantasy book.
C. Wain

[Miranda]

Hi Everyone !

I just recently discovered Sword and Laser through Vaginal Fantasy and have listened to several years of content in the last few weeks. I'm on maternity leave and working hard to turn my tiny baby in to a nerd. Before having my hands full at all times I very much preferred independently reading paper copies of books, but I have recently discovered the joys of audiobooks and finding online community with people of similar interests.
Escaping to fantasy worlds has always brought me so much joy , I am glad I have found people to share that love with !

[John (Taloni)]

^Enjoy! Our little 'un turned out to be more Anime geek than SF but she definitely has her own geek expression.

She also loved the Star Wars prequel stuff, mainly the animated shows, which are all Anakin and not any Darth Vader. We spent two years turning off TV shows and the like any time we saw an "I am your father" moment coming so that when she was old enough to watch the original trilogy that moment would be new. I still love the look of surprise on her face when she saw it.

[Daniel]

Hello, I'm Daniel.
Love everything from Wool (by Hugh Howey) to
Sundiver (Brin, David), and the odd stuff on the boundaries by folks likeChina Miéville.

[Randall]

Hi guys.

My name is Randall and I'm new to Goodreads. I grew up reading Gemmell, Tolkien and Lovecraft and am an avid fan of both the fantasy and sci-fi genre, with the odd touch of horror.

I recently published my debut book and am interested to hear what people think of it.

Thanks

[Kevin]

Hello, this is Kevin introducing myself to the Sword and Laser group. I got started with a large collection of trade paperback SciFi books in the 70s and LOTR. Being new to Goodreads this year, I am enjoying the opportunity to find new authors and update my library here. So many books read over the years.
Major influences:
Issac Asimov, Larry Niven, Robert Heinlein, J. R. R. Tolkien, David Weber, John Ringo, S. M. Stirling, Charles Stross, and Larry Corriea. Looking forward to the podcast and discussion!

[Topher]

Hi Everyone! I'm Topher and I'm neither new to Sword and Laser or to Goodreads but I've never actually used it to do any more than to track what and how much I'm reading and I want to change that.

I live and breathe books and I read both sci-fi and fantasy (not to mention lots of other genres) though I historically have read much more Sci-fi than fantasy. I'm a bookseller by day, previously working in one of the UK's biggest bookshops in Liverpool and now I'm a manager of a bookshop just over the water and I can't see me doing anything else right now.

When I'm not working in bookshops, browsing bookshelves or have my nose in a book I'm probably found playing a board game, making something out of wood, writing or following tech news (I came across sword and laser via Tom being involved with TWiT.TV).

My current favourite authors (I will give a different list constantly depending on when I'm reading, mood, wind direction):
Iain Banks, Isaac Asimov, Michael Moorcock, Robert Jordan, Ben Aaronovitch, David Eddings and Brandon Sanderson

Thanks everyone, and I hope to get to know you all much better!

[Russell]

Hi, I'm Russ from Australia.

I like to range far and wide with my reading, so it's not just scifi or fantasy for me. My favourite author is Ursula Le Guin. I enjoy S&L's extra geekiness (especially Veronica and her repertoire of voices and funny noises) and love that they often go way beyond just books to other aspects of pop culture. I also enjoy the references to San Fran and its funky places, as it's one of my favourite cities.

[Cole]

Hello! My Name is Cole. I live in Nebraska, US. I've had a profile for several years, but wanted to do more reading this year and goodreads is a great way to keep on track. I haven't been able to read physical books since I finished grad school a few years ago so I wanted to get back into it. I love reading, but haven't been able to stick with anything but audiobooks the last few years. I want to read at least 12 physical books this year. Should be fun.

I am a huge sci-fi fan and also love me some fantasy. By day I am a marriage and family therapist so I also really like to read psychology and therapy books. I want to try and read more history and poetry as well.

I look forward to swording and lasering it up in here.

[Marty]

Hey I’m Marty. I’ve just recently started listening to The Sword and Laser Podcast and I love your passion.
I started with Tolkien in 4th grade and then moved on to The Sword of Shannara not long after that. Then it was on to Edgar Rice Burroughs and John Carter, Elric of Melnibone and Moorcock, and Fafhrd and The Grey Mouser by Leiber. That was in the mid 70’s - these days it’s Mièville, Gibson, Charles Stross (The Laundry Series) and anything else that captures my attention.
I love my Kindle but I also love actual books - I buy too many of both.

[A.J.]

Hi there!

I'm AJ. I'm a gamer, reader, and published romance author. Feel free to check out my Kinky Geeks: 10 Book Collection in your spare time, if you get the notion and find yourself in the mood for a few quick and steamy reads (no pressure ;) )

Anyway, I LOVE the fantasy genre. I dunno...something about the magic and grand epicness of it all just appeals to me. Tolkien and Salvatore are at the top of my list of favorites, but I also enjoy lesser known, indie names like Aida Jacobs. Basically, I'm willing to give any author a try...eventually. My TBR list is HUGE, lol.

Oh! I went ahead and posted in the Author folder about an ARC that I have available for my upcoming, fantasy-romance, "Bonds Eternal". I don't want to get more self-promoey than I already have here in my intro, so if you're interested, go read the post :)

Happy to be here!

[Damien]

Hi everyone. I've been listening to the podcast for the last couple years, though I usually don't keep up with the book picks. I'm trying to change that, going forward!