Introductions - tell us a little about yourself Showing 1,001-1,050 of 3,618

[Sandra]

Dawn wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm usually just a lurker, but since I've started to post comments in other threads, I figured I might as well introduce myself.

My name is Dawn, I'm 27, a mechanical engineer and new..."

Hi Dawn. I also own most (not all) of the books I've read. I've always figured money spent on books doesn't count! And I love them.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi..actually that's probably not so unusual here. I had to (finally) let some go when we moved to a smaller place last March. I still have probably north of a thousand books...not sure haw many as I haven't counted lately. Books are shelved 2 deep in all my book cases and cupboards... There are a lot of bibliophiles here striving not to slide over into "bibliomania". :)

[Brian]

Welcome Michael! That is awesome that you enjoy George R.R. Martin's novels. I read the first one "The Game Of Thrones" and I became a fan. Love his medieval approach to fantasy. Have every book and cannot wait to indulge in his great fantasy. My very favorite is Steve Erickson who writes phenomenal fantasy novels on the Malazan empire. He has written ten books and counting. I highly recommend him and by the many reviews on goodreads most are between four or five stars.

[Noni]

Hello everyone,

I am Noni, Indonesian, and I work at a trading company.

I always love reading, and just recently picked fantasy series. Every time I read a book, I always felt like being sucked into the world and living it. That’s why I should not read one whole series from beginning volume to end continuously; or my mind would become too disconnected from the real world I am living in :)

I am now in the middle sequel of Wheel of Time, Song of Ice and Fire, Discworld, and The Last Olympian; a good mix between epic fantasy, political game, satire and young adult adventure. They are all good and entertaining in its own way. Once I finish these series, I look forward to read other series recommended from this group, maybe The Malazan Book of Fallen and some books by Janny Wurts. They look promising.

[Katie]

Hello all! I'm Katie, I'm 24 years old and I live in Southampton. Unfortunately I work in London and consequently have around four hours a day when I can do nothing but sit on the train and read (or snooze, as is happening ever more frequently), thus my book intake has risen rather sharply in the three weeks since I started working here. I'm trying to be good and read through my pile of unread books before buying any new ones, so the books I'm reading will be fairly eclectic.

I always had fantasy books around when I was growing up, but my first memory of a proper grown up fantasy novel is when I was nine and my parents read me 'The Lord of the Rings'. They took it in turns to read each night and, thanks to them pronouncing all the names of the characters completely differently, I had only a vague idea what was going on a lot of the time, but I still absolutely loved it. Since then I have re-read the book myself (much more intelligible without parental confusion), and have acquired many other favourites such as Robin Hobb, David Eddings and Jacqueline Carey. I also really loved the first novel by Patrick Rothfuss and I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment. For years I laboured under the illusion that I didn't like Terry Pratchett, until I was introduced to Death and the Witches and realised that I just really dislike Rincewind.

I'm a medievalist by education , if not by trade alas, so I also read a lot of the retellings of Arthurian legends and pseduo-Celtic/British myths and 'histories'. Favourites of this brand of fantasy include Juliet Marillier, Marion Zimmer Bradley and of course Mary Stewart.

I look forward to picking up many new recommendations to add to my ever-growing Amazon wishlist.

[Janny]

Katie wrote: "Hello all! I'm Katie, I'm 24 years old and I live in Southampton. Unfortunately I work in London and consequently have around four hours a day when I can do nothing but sit on the train and read ..."

Katie - as a historian, are you familiar with Judith Tarr? She is a historian also, and wrote a number of Celtic based fantasies, and several that center around the Crusades. You may enjoy the scholarship in her works.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi Sarah, welcome. Fellow gamer, reader, epic fantasy addict here (though I started playing D&D in'78 and have just started a new 2nd edition game)...

I have a close friend (I've known her for maybe 30 years) a school teacher who still won't read fantasy. I suppose she just can't get into it. Huge reader, but hasn't even read the Lord of the Rings... I keep trying to "open her eyes"(LOL)

Looking forward to your comments.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I played as a player and a DM up to 3. When it went to 3.5 (I don't know if you remember but it was a very short run on 3rd edition), I didn't buy all the new stuff. i got the core books on 4 but really didn't care for it. The reduced selections on alignment and what they call a more "linear" system didn't appeal. I think it was meant to appeal to players who are coming in from the electronic side, but of course, that's just a guess. I still had all my 2nd edition stuff (and most of the old first edition actually). I picked up several more 2nd edition Players Handbooks used as loners for any players who couldn't run one down and I've gone back to 2nd edition. So, it's my favorite. I have the Monster Manuals from all the editions and some other things that can be adopted over without too much trouble.

I also have hundreds of painted pewter figures, a mat marked off in squares on one side and hexes on the other that you can use water erase markers on, hundreds of floor tiles depicting wooden floors, stone floors, traps, stairs, doorways, dungeons, etc., etc, etc. Okay...so if you look up "nerd" in the dictionary they have my picture. But, Im secure enough that I'm comfortable with it...LOL!

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Well...like I said, I started DMing in 1978...it took a few years. You should see the hundreds of still unpainted figures I have filed away in storage containers and portable filers.

I have a Spinx I need to get done tomorrow for Saturday's game.

The biggest differences in 2 and 3.5 (I think) is that the armor class in 2 gets better as the numbers go down and the way they do proficiencies, traits, and feats.

[Sandra]

Sarah wrote: "I was so very excited to join this group!

I'm Sarah, 27 years old born & living in Minnesota my entire life. I became a reading addict in 2nd grade when my dad gave me my very first "chapter boo..."

Hi, Katie! Have you tried Janny Wurts' Mistwraith series? It's awesome and we're reading it in Beyond Reality group and in the Fantasy Book Club Series group.

[Katie]

Janny wrote: "Katie wrote: "Hello all! I'm Katie, I'm 24 years old and I live in Southampton. Unfortunately I work in London and consequently have around four hours a day when I can do nothing but sit on the t..."

Thanks very much for the recommendation. I've not come across her before as it doesn't look like she's published in the UK, as is so often the case with interesting American authors I hear about. It looks like some of them are available for less than extortionate prices on Amazon marketplace though, so I'll have to have a look.

[Alan]

I'm Alan, live in the UK and i am 33 years old.

Only started reading just over a year ago. Before then i had no real interest in sitting down and reading a book. Now though as im a little older the idea of sitting down on the sofa and reading is fun to me.

I'm enjoying Fantasy books such as The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks and the Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb.

Good to be part of the group.

Alan

[Janny]

Katie wrote: "Janny wrote: "Katie wrote: "Hello all! I'm Katie, I'm 24 years old and I live in Southampton. Unfortunately I work in London and consequently have around four hours a day when I can do nothing bu..."

Katie - in this case, she may be of particular interest to you since she is an academic historian, as well as an author. I hope you can find the books.

[Gary]

Howdy - I'm Gary and I live near Wilmington, NC. I've been in love with fantasy since my early days of Dr. Seuss. I am an avid comic book reader/collector and it should be no surprise that Conan the Barbarian is one of my favorite characters! In high school, I discovered John Norman's Gor series and then in college dove head first into J.R.R. Tolkien, Terry Brooks, Stephen R. Donaldson, Piers Anthony, Anne McCaffrey, Roger Zelazny, Gene Wolfe, and many others. I fell under the sway of Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman in their Dragonlance epic and then into the works of R.A. Salvatore, Raymond E. Feist, and Frank Herbert.
I am a fan of Robert Jordan and George R.R. Martin, John Marco and Joe Abercrombie, Patrick Rothfuss and more recently Peter V. Brett.

I am blessed to have a nine year-old son who loves to read and enjoys reading with me. We loved The Hobbit and Mouse Guard and are just about done with Redwall by Brian Jacques.

[Janny]

Hi Gary - you'll find yourself in great company, here. Wonder how many of us got bent, early on, by Dr. Seuss? That's an interesting thought.

[Aubrey]

Hello all, I’m Aubrey and have been wandering around Goodreads since March. I’ll read books belonging to almost any genre but fantasy is the one that’s near and dear. If I had to guess I would say it probably started with all those Fairytales from Andersen and Grimm my grandparents read to me when I was little (When I was old enough to read for myself I discovered they had creatively glossed over the bloody violence inherent in these stories).

From there I moved on to Lloyd Alexander, C.S Lewis, David Eddings, Peter S. Beagle, Simon R. Green, some Gaiman and Patricia K. McKillip. Currently I’m in the middle of His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik and loving it. I look forward to chatting with you all!

[Marc]

Janny wrote: "Hi Gary - you'll find yourself in great company, here. Wonder how many of us got bent, early on, by Dr. Seuss? That's an interesting thought."

My father was and is an avid Wizard of Oz fan. I grew up with the whole library in my room! Is it any wonder I write fantasy novels now?

[Rachel]

Hey, I'm Rachel.

I'm seventeen years old and I haven’t read too many adult fantasy novels, really only sticking with the Young Adult section. I joined this group hoping to see some of the better books available out there and to finally get around to tackling those adult shelves.

Yeah, about me: I still go to school, my last year, and I live in Australia. Harry Potter started me on the path of reading in grade three but I’ve been getting lazy as of late. I both a) Hardly read and B) Only read the easy, turn-off-your-brain sort of books. So hopefully this group will inspire me to stop that.

I look forward to hanging out here!

[[deleted user]]

Hi Rachel, get to see you in the group. You forgot to mention you have studied at University doing Creative Writing courses. I know, because I heard you read your stories there ! :)

Am happy to see your interest in reading some adult fantasy. Maybe you would be keen to try Janny Wurts 'Wars of Light and Shadow' series that we will be doing in the Series group. It is a great opportunity to discuss the entire series with the author and hear her perspectives on how the story came about etc. Janny will be speaking about the publishing industry also and giving away free books, courtesy of her publishers.

If a series is too long maybe you would interested in Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan as it a book that Maria is considering adding to the YA course. Or otherwise maybe the novel that wins our YA monthly reading poll.

Look forward to seeing your views on various topics.

[Janny]

Rachel wrote: "Hey, I'm Rachel.

I'm seventeen years old and I haven’t read too many adult fantasy novels, really only sticking with the Young Adult section. I joined this group hoping to see some of the better..."

Hi Rachel, welcome here!

For wonderful fantasy reading that's not too challenging, but at the top end of YA, I do recommend The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley, and perhaps the lesser known Red Moon and Black Mountain by Joy Chant. At least, those were well worn favorites of mine, at your stage.

[[deleted user]]

Rachel wrote: "Hey, I'm Rachel.

I'm seventeen years old and I haven’t read too many adult fantasy novels, really only sticking with the Young Adult section. I joined this group hoping to see some of the better..."

Hi Rachel! Welcome and join in.

If you're looking for a transition between YA and adult fantasy, Susan Dexter is a great place to start. She has a couple of short 3 book series and a few stand alones. All of them are worth trying out.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi Rachel, welcome. I read Red Moon Black Mountain (that Janny recommended) years ago and loved it.

[Kate]

Hi, I'm Kate. I read and write YA fantasy. I'll be at Readercon next week--will anyone else be there?

[Rachel]

Thanks for all the recommendations. I guess a trip to the library/bookstore is needed.

[Aaron]

Greetings all. I love to read, will always read over watching TV. My favorite author of recent times is probably Brandon Sanderson. He hasn't disappointed me with any poor (or boring) writing as of yet. I like to read all (fiction) genres, but almost always get the bulk of my books from Sci-Fi/Fantasy. It's my default.

I'm rarely into YA, though I've tried some I've liked adequately. I'm probably one of those people who I saw YA advocates complain about, who dismiss the genre. I'm 34, and tend to feel that most YA is kind of like neutered "real" books. You cut out a lot of topics and potential darkness to make them "safe". Aaaaaaanyway, hope to talk to many of you in the future about awesome books.

I won't be joining actual book discussions this month. I'll try to read the correct book for next month.

[[deleted user]]

Hi Aaron. I'm with you on YA. I read 4 recent YA books last month and came to the same conclusion about making them "safe" for teenage consumption. I think it's part of the growing risk aversion in our society and our desire to protect kids from bad things. I find YA a bit boring as a result. But there's lots of edgier stuff out there to enjoy! Welcome to the group.

[Aaron]

Thank you for the welcome! Interesting take on risk aversion and child protection. I hadn't thought of it precisely in that fashion. I look forward to fun discussions in the future.

[Kristin]

Hi all. In Austin Texas. Joined goodreads a while back but i'm hoping to put more effort into what the site has to offer. Picking the first book group to join was easy- always love a good fantasy or scifi book!
A fan of Anne Bishop, Jennifer Fallon, Brandon Sanderson, China Mieville, Ilona Andrews, Terry Brooks, Matt Sturges and Lisa Shearin. just to name a few, but there are certainly more.
I recently started rereading Patricia C. wrede. she was one of the first fantasy authors i read as a kid and it's great to read the books with a new perspective. I look forward to chatting and sharing recommendations here!

[[deleted user]]

Welcome Kate and thanks for posting Readercon into our Events section.

[Kate]

Thanks, JJ!

Speaking Kate-to-Kate, I know what you mean about some YA books feeling sanitized. There's some great, edgy YA out there, though! Marr's WICKED LOVELY springs to mind. I'd love to know what you'd think of MINDER--I think the first chapter is edgy enough to hook you. If you're interested, there's a free PDF excerpt at Ganzfield.com.

[[deleted user]]

Hi Kate. I'll take a look at it. I don't really read much YA. Last month was an aberration, and I was definitely less than impressed with what I found. LOL.

The other Kate

[Donna]

I read His Majesty's Dragon and loved it! I read all the books in the trilogy and thought the first one was the best.

Currently, the Terry Brooks trilogy I'm reading is more Sci Fi than fantasy, but it has the elves and magic too. Mostly it's post apocalyptic. It's called Armageddon's Children. I'm on the third one, Gypsy Morph. Really dark, and a little slow at times, but pretty good.

[Aaron]

I've read about everything by Terry Brooks in the Shannara world, except what Donna was just talking about. I didn't read the prequel-ish stuff of the origins of Shannara. He's got like 15+ books out in that world by now, I think. Some are quite good, some are medium. Not too many truly bad ones.

[Kate]

Thanks, Kate! I ordered the first book in the Mercedes Lackey series you recommended.

Donna, I loved HIS MAJESTY'S DRAGON. I used to read a lot of Terry Brooks--maybe I should check out his more recent work. Does any book or series really stand out for you?

[Donna]

Though it was rather Tolkeinesque, the original Sword of Shannara and Elfstones of Shannara were both very good. The third in the series, Wishsong of Shannara was even better than the first three -- it had a more unique story line.

But my favorite series within the Shannara storyline was Heritage of Shannara. Scions of Shannara and Elf Queen of Shannara stick out in my mind in particular.

So far, I'm not crazy about any of the prequels. The First King of Shannara was good but he killed off the main character and that always drives me crazy.

[Donna]

Welcome aboard, Bryce. I like your name. I have read a lot of Robert Jordan. I also LOVED the Belgariad series.
I haven't read the Crown Conspiracy. Maybe I should try it. My TBR pile is huge.

[Aaron]

I dug a lot of the more recent stuff with the Ilse Witch, both when she was bad and good. I found her to be an interesting character. I liked a lot of Valdemar stuff by Mercedes Lackey, but eventually it got a bit tiresome, similar to too many Pern books by Anne McCaffrey and her son.

[Donna]

I liked the character Isle Witch, but I didn't love the rest of the book.

I find too many books are too similar to McCaffrey's Pern books. She was amazing and I guess no one else has quite that imagination.

[Tammy]

Hi, I'm Tammy. A friend of my daughter's recommended this site. She was right, I am loving it.

[Jeremy]

Hello. I'm not good with introductions, so I'm not sure what to say. I used to read prolifically in my youth, but unfortunately I've slacked off somewhat as I've aged. It's a habit I mean to get back into the swing of... so here I am, for all that it matters.

I enjoy discussion of books and stories, as well as the art and philosophy of writing (I consider myself an amateur author, but I've never published anything due to my crippling inability to write good endings to stories). Good to meet you all.

[Kate]

Hi Darkk, Welcome to the group!

[John]

Hi Everyone,

My name is John Cicero and I am a fantasy / adventure author. My passion for writing is driven from the joy I receive from reading my stories to my children.

Watching the expressions on their face as I take them on a journey through the magical pages of my imagination is what drives me to find the time to write.

My recently released novels are in the Rainbow's Shadow Trilogy. They are Rainbow’s Shadow and the Tablets of Fate and Rainbow’s Shadow and the Covenant of Wisdom.

As a passionate writer in Northeast, Ohio I have been fortunate to hit the Best Sellers list with 'Tablets of Fate' and am on track currently with the 'Covenant of Wisdom'.

The final novel in my trilogy is Rainbow’s Shadow and the Other Side of Paradise which is currently in development.

If you have a moment check out my website and my Rainbow's Shadow Trilogy today at... www.RainbowsShadow.com

Take care, John

[Ellen]

Hey Everyone! I'm Ellen. So glad to stumble onto GoodReads and this fantasy group. I'm down here in Alabama, though I grew up in Illinois and left my heart in the Pacific Northwest.

I've been reading fantasy since discovering it in my mid-20s (lo, these many years past). Started with MZB's "Mists of Avalon", which led me to her Darkover series. Didn't think I liked this stuff until I actually read it!

Favorite writers/series: I buy hardcover copies of Guy Gavriel Kay, GRR Martin, Diana Gabaldon, Jacqueline Carey. Holding "Under Heaven" in my hands this spring was an ecstatic experience (think spinning Sufis). I tried to read it slowly, savor its poetry, "be" the characters. That lasted about 3 evenings and then I couldn't stand it anymore and gobbled the rest of it up. Just re-read "Sailing to Sarantium" for the August discussion.

Looking forward to the next installments by Patrick Rothfuss and Ken Scholes and plan to re-read Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles (not fantasy, but terrific historical fiction that sends my imagination soaring!).

Cheers!

[[deleted user]]

Ellen wrote: "Hey Everyone! I'm Ellen. So glad to stumble onto GoodReads and this fantasy group. I'm down here in Alabama, though I grew up in Illinois and left my heart in the Pacific Northwest.

I've been rea..."

Hi Ellen! Glad to see another Lymond fan around here! I'm just starting "Under Heaven" due to delays at my local library. I adore Kay, but I'm in ebook only mode these days and my groaning triple stacked bookshelves thank me for it. Welcome.

[Ellen]

Thanks, Kate! An old beau once wrote a poem for me that remarked on the fact that I have books in every room, so I can understand you going the e-book route and using the library.

How wonderful you are getting to read "Under Heaven" for the FIRST time. I admit to feelings of envy, but the good news is that these days, with my memory being what it is, I have found that if I wait long enough (which isn't too long anymore), when I pick it up the next time, it will almost feel like the first time again. =)

Enjoy!

[Charles]

Ellen wrote: "Hey Everyone! I'm Ellen. So glad to stumble onto GoodReads and this fantasy group. I'm down here in Alabama, though I grew up in Illinois and left my heart in the Pacific Northwest.

I've been rea..."

OMG! I have finally found someone else who is into the Lymond Chronicles! I read them all years ago and just adored them.

[Charles]

To Sarah, Mike, Kate, Alan, Gary, Aubrey, Aaron, Kristin, John, and Ellen,

Welcome to the Club! It's so good to see intelligent readers of all ages and nationalities joining us. We have a really good time, and a bunch of interesting ideas emerge from the discussions. Good reads to all of you.

[Janny]

Ellen wrote: "Thanks, Kate! An old beau once wrote a poem for me that remarked on the fact that I have books in every room, so I can understand you going the e-book route and using the library.

How wonderful y..."

Ellen and Charles - there are quite a few of us, here, who enjoyed Dunnett's works.

Welcome, Ellen, and great to see such a neat list, lots of my favorites. Look forward to seeing your posts.

[[deleted user]]

Janny wrote: "Ellen and Charles - there are quite a few of us, here, who enjoyed Dunnett's works...."

Good to know. Everyone I've recommended them to has never heard of her. Obviously we fantasy crowd are a pretty well read bunch! :D

[Tara]

Kate wrote: "Ellen wrote: "Hey Everyone! I'm Ellen. So glad to stumble onto GoodReads and this fantasy group. I'm down here in Alabama, though I grew up in Illinois and left my heart in the Pacific Northwest.
..."

Hi Lymond fans,

If anyone can recommend anything even half as good as Dunnett, I'd love to know about it.

Thanks!