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[Craig "NEEDS MORE DAMN TIME TO READ !!!!"]

Well I've took my first proper plunge into scifi...reading a book called "The reefs of space" which I randomly picked up.

Victoria - I also quite recently found my love of Fantasy books too! Whenever I book shop now I dont skip over them titles like I used to haha.

[Dora]

Hello. I'm Dora an avid reader of science fiction, fantasy and any other good book I can get my hands on. Science Fiction and Fantasy were just my first loves. Allowing me to explore other worlds and wonder at the possibilities of life and our future.

I live in MO with my husband, two cats, and two hermit crabs. Once they are done molting I plan to get a third Hermie for them to socialize with.

Well, that's me in brief. Looking forward to some book discussions in the future.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi all, welcome.

[Wendy]

Dora wrote: "Hello. I'm Dora an avid reader of science fiction, fantasy and any other good book I can get my hands on. Science Fiction and Fantasy were just my first loves. Allowing me to explore other worlds a..."


Wendy Crow
Dora is it true hermit crabs are escape artists?

[Martin]

I was born September 13th, 1975 in Lubbock, Texas. I have been here most of my life (lived in Albuquerque, NM for about a year). I went to Lubbock High (Yes, same school as Buddy Holly) and then attended South Plains College where I obtained an Associates in General Arts and an Associates of Science. I have worked various jobs for the government (currently for the city of Lubbock). I am also an author. I have been writing stories since I was 12 (ages ago, lol), but just recently began taking it seriously. I promise not to advertise my books here. If interested in science fiction post-apocalyptic books then you are free to look me up or I'm sure you will run across my work eventually. I am new not only to this group, but also fairly new to Goodreads. Hope to get to know many of you! Have a great week :)

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Welcome.

[Dora]

Wendy wrote: Dora is it true hermit crabs are escape artists?"

Yes, it is very true. I have seen them climb up the side of flat, thin shells and just hang out there, they've climbed the sealant to get to the top of the tank, when I received the first crab, she would hang off the top of the plastic tank. They are amazing creatures.

[JacksonPhilosophy]

Hello everyone,
I'm Jackson, a philosophy PhD student living in the Philadelphia area. Admittedly, I am new to Goodreads.com and to the entire experience of being-in-a-bookclub. So, here is to being excited for the best!

I generally enjoy reading anything fantasy, history, alt-history, and steampunk, apart from the copious amounts of philosophy I have to read.

World-building is a bit of an obsession of mine; so, I really enjoy any secondary-setting tale that offers a tangible world. As such, I dabble in writing fantasy that attempts to bring out a living, breathing, life-world.

I'm looking forward to discussing books with you all. This should be fun.

[J.B.]

Hi I go by John or Raff if you're into nicknames. In 1977 I overheard two other caddies discussing TLOTRs and it became a turning point in my life. The cover art by the Brothers Hildebrandt, and later Frazetta put me on a path to wanting to become a sic-fi/fantasy book cover illustrator. As a YA I read so much that it was becoming difficult to find new books to read. Just as I was getting close to being good enough I was offered a job in advertising and design. I kept reading sci-fi/fantasy but the illustration job never took place.

Through the years, after work I continued to paint, write screenplays, directed my short film Blissful Thinking, carved tiki poles, drew and illustrated a comic called Marooned on the Mainland which ran in tiki magazine for its first three years, and finally wrote my first novel which I illustrated the cover for.

I also lived life running marathons, hang gliding, skiing, surfing, traveling, scuba diving, walked on fire (twice, one good, one bad), jumped out of planes, got married, rescued four awesome dogs, got divorced, blah blah blah. Lots of experiences and many stories.

I'm glad to have found this place.

[Victoria]

Hi I am Victoria Osborne. I am pretty excited to find this group. I have read so many books this year that I can't keep track of them all. I am currently reading The Black Prism I like the big epics it is like wrapping myself in a world of warm fuzzies. Next month's choice of the stand is awesome. It is my favorite Stephen King Novel so I will be interested in what people think of it.

I work as a private duty nurse taking care of a child so I have a lot of time to read and stay awake. Luckily I don't live close to a good bookstore or else I would run out of money.

I read more on the fantasy side than the scifi side, though there are some scifi books I adore. To chose a favorite book, well I am not sure what to say. It all depends upon my mood. There are several I have reread, probably though I would have to say The Mists of Avalon I still cry when I read it.

well I can't think of anything more to say. I am interested in see what you guys read.

[Miquel]

Hi! I'm Miquel Reina. I'm from Barcelona and I love reading and writing! So goodreads seems to be a good place to share with all of you my passion about literature!
My favourite genres are fiction, specially Fantasy and more specially the books where reality and fantasy melt without you can't notice the limits. My favourite authors are Tolkien (I love The Hobbit), Anne Rice, Jk Rowling and recently Im a big fan of Patrick Rothfuss!

Well I can't think anythink more to say. Nice to meet you all!

[Sharon]

Miquel Reina wrote: "Hi! I'm Miquel Reina. I'm from Barcelona and I love reading and writing! So goodreads seems to be a good place to share with all of you my passion about literature!
My favourite genres are fiction..."

Nice to see you here. I'm always pleased to see someone from Spain as I lived there (near Madrid) for four years many years ago and loved it.

I'm a fantasy reader also, along with science fiction, mystery and action/adventure. I'm sure you will find many suggestions here.

[Quinn]

Hi all,

I'm a game developer living in the Netherlands and an avid reader. When I was a child I scared my dad by reading a lot of books that were considered "above my age". He locked up my books and told me to get outside and play with other children. That plan backfired, because I got in the "grown-up" library and started reading Shakespeare and Goethe at 12 years old.

For the past 7-8 years I've been reading mostly fantasy, sci-fi and comics/graphic novels/webcomics. I love it when the characters and/or themes in a book depart from the "standard tropes" of the genre and I love variety in almost everything. I have a thing for genderqueer, androgyny and genderfluid characters. I like mythology from all corners of the world and all manner of geekery. I love steampunk, dragons, swords, cats, games of all kinds, everything caramel, randomness, intelligent plots, My Little Pony and the colour purple.

[Gary]

Martin wrote: "I was born September 13th, 1975 in Lubbock, Texas. I have been here most of my life (lived in Albuquerque, NM for about a year). I went to Lubbock High (Yes, same school as Buddy Holly) and then at..."

Hello, Martin! Welcome!
I was born in Levelland in 1952, go Lobos! If they are still the H.S. Lobos ;-) I'll have to check. South Plains was an Ag college then. Times have changed!
I'll look up your books, I'm always interested in new authors like myself. I have a blog that talks about being an indie writer too.
I haven't been back to Levelland since 1964 when my family moved to Boulder, CO. Now I'm in Lewisville, Texas! I spent 9 years cruising around on nuc fast attack subs in the early 70s. Now I write software as a day job and stories at night.
Is that area still pretty much cotton fields and oil wells?
Hope to talk more.
Gary Henson
garyalanhenson.blogspot.com

[D.C.]

Hi all.

My name is Denise.

I was born and raised in upstate New York, attended university in North Carolina, where I lived for a while, then moved on to Boulder, CO, then to LA.

My background is computer science and product design (with a wee bit of eBusiness from a Master program in Ottawa), but most of my career was in the Game Industry, starting out with developing children's educational software (as a Producer), and climbing up the ladder from there.

I married a Canadian, who works in the humanitarian field - natural disasters, specifically, so he travels quite extensively. I moved to Canada about 10 years ago, although I am back and forth to the U.S. as I have a large extended family scattered all over the place (and I miss the beaches and warm weather).

I've been reading since a child (and it just dawned on me how much I have read, and took for granted being a "natural born" reader.) I have read all across the spectrum. I think my age had something to do with that! Fiction and non-fiction. My heart is truly with science fiction though.

So, one day I decided to try my hand at writing. And, here we are.

[Gary]

Has anyone read any of the early time travel works by Paul Levinson, like 'Loose Ends', or his 'The Silk Code'?
I participated in a hangout with him a few months ago, it was my first intro to Paul and his work.
I'm not a big fan of most T/T stories, I don't usually seek them out, but I found these nice little short stories better than most.
I'm always looking for authors I've missed or new authors so this was a nice surprise for me.
Sometimes I wonder where I was in the 60s and 70s! ;-)
Have a great day!

[Carol]

I was born in New Rochelle, NY, and much against my will was transported to Los Angeles before the age of seven. I returned to the East Coast when I grew up.

I have devised stories ever since I can remember. I love books. Everything from Little Women to The Brothers Karamazov. But rocket ships turn me off. I do like fantasy, especially the Arthurian legends, and I have developed a passion for Shakespeare.

[V.M.]

Hi, everyone. I am an author living in the South of England. I have written 2 fantasy novels to date and am working on the third at the moment.

I used to be a teacher of science in the secondary sector until I retired.

I enjoy drawing and painting and other crafts such as card-making, knitting, crochet and tatting when I', not writing. I also enjoy computer games.

I am currently reading Renee Scattergood's Shadow Stalker books and will be reviewing part 2 on my blog later this month. I am finding it excellent. I have also read a historical novel recently called The Soldier's Secret and am also reading The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet. This is excellent, but again, not SciFi or Fantasy. Another historical novel, and very long.

When the weather permits, and time too, I like to walk on the South Downs.I also enjoy travel and have just returned from a 2 week holiday, driving down through France to spend just over a week in Southern Spain.

I am looking forward to seeing what books people recommend in this group.

[Mathew]

Hi all,

I am an author living in California, and have just released my debut far future, dystopian, hard science fiction novel, Übermensch. It is the first of 4 bookes I have written, all of which are in different genres. What can I say? I like variety.

Before I was an author, I was a voracious reader, and my interests in reading are similarly varied. My four favorite books are: Dubliners, by James Joyce, A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter Miller Jr., Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card, and A Game of Thrones, by George RR Martin. My two favorite genres are science fiction and fantasy.

Besides reading, I enjoy hiking, biking, jogging (I jog 8 miles a day 4 days of the week. Helps keeps me centered, and it is easier than you think) Netflix, painting, poetry, and debate. Also a host of highly nerdy pursuis, but that comes with the territory.

Have read more than a few discussions here already, so don't be surprised if I just jump right in. Seems like a smart community :)

- Mathew Babaoye

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi all new folks I may have missed. Welcome.

[Murkypoke]

V.M., Mathew and George I welcome you to the finest group in all of Goodreads. Your initiation shall require you to be shaven from head to toes, and I mean those small hairs on the tops of the toes. So prepare!

[George]

Damon wrote: "Hello I am 35 from New Zealand and am reading The Martian."

A good choice ;-)

[Jen]

Hi everyone! I'm so happy to find this group. I'm an avid reader and currently on a sci fi kick, looking forward to group book discussions with y'all. I'm currently reading Asimov's Foundation.

[Tracy]

Jen wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm so happy to find this group. I'm an avid reader and currently on a sci fi kick, looking forward to group book discussions with y'all. I'm currently reading Asimov's Foundation."

Good Reading! Foundation is one of my all-time favourite novel and/or series. It is really easy to read and the characters are so engaging. Some wonderful concepts.

[[deleted user]]

HI

I am a adult literacy teacher. I find it very rewarding to see my students reach a goal in reading .One of the hardest things in life to do is to ask for help . My students are so courageous and strong . Many have been living a life of shame because of the inability to read . Once they know that they are capable of reading . A world opens up with endless possibilities . . They have released themselves from what they thought was impossible. Confidence and pride shines !

I starting reading to my children when they were very young. We would spend many hours at our local public library participating in group activities. This is a vital component in introducing our younger generation to the importance of reading . And how it impacts every aspect of our lives.

Looking forward to interacting with everyone in our mutual love of reading and books !

[Jack]

Hi, my name is Jack and I am a senior in high school. I love reading of any genre. Particularly SF and Fantasy. I have read basically everything in my library from ASOAIF to Pern and Eregon (a YA novel series) I am also an author in the making. Glad to be here

[Tejas]

Hi Everyone,
I am Tejas. I'm from India.I read from all genres,but Fantasy Fiction is my favorite. I have read basically all the popular fantasy series except LOTR. Just finished Sanderson's Shadows of Self from Mistborn series.Looking forward for great recommendations and glad to be here:)

[Don]

Hello Helene, welcome !!

[Don]

Sorry Tejas... LOTHR is required reading for admittance... just kidding welcome

[Daniel]

I am a disabled army veteran, a family man, and a small business owner. I wrote poetry and short stories as a teenager. I got published in several anthologies and won a half dozen contests. My most noticeable was a national contest in 9th grade for a short story I wrote.

Currently writing the Ancient War Reborn Series. First book: Rocnar (all ready out), Second book: Thomas & Pitati (out in the next 30 days)

My wife is a bigger reader than I am. She gets at least triple the books read compared to me. I have a preference to write rather than read, but a book does grab my attention every now and again. I find I gravitate to books I can read in 1-2 afternoons.

Favorite book series of all time: Casca (a series of paperback novels, and since January 2014, ebooks as well, created and written by author Barry Sadler in 1979)

[Jonathan]

I am a huge bookworm of the sci-fi, alternate history, and biography genres. I work for a youth nonprofit so I don't always have a lot of time when I'm not working or sleeping.

[Jenny Baker]

Hi, I just joined last week. My mom is the one who got me into reading. I used to always see her reading a book when I was a kid. It's disappointing to learn that the average person reads very little. When I'm engaging in small talk at social events, I always ask people "Do you read a lot?" and I usually get the same response. They laugh at me or look at me strangely and say "no." Some even brag that they can't remember the last time they read a book. I don't know why I'm so shocked by that. I would much rather read a book than watch TV.

Science Fiction and Fantasy is a newer interest, so there are still several very popular science fiction and fantasy books that I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't read yet, LOTR and Game of Thrones. I also love reading psychological thrillers and YA, but I'll read just about any genre. I also recently started reading historical fiction.

There are so many books that I want to read, but there never seems to be enough time. I'm hoping to reach 100 books this year, but I see a lot of readers on Goodreads who read over 200 books a year and some read as much as 500 books. How do they do it? I work full-time, take a college course two nights a week, plus I go to the gym 4 days a week. That doesn't leave much time to read. I'd have plenty of time if it wasn't for this pesky 9-to-5 job thing.

[Gladimore]

Hello :)

My name is Lauren and I'm 22 years old. I live in Cincinnati and recently just got a job at a library as a reference services associate and I'm loving every minute of it. I aspire to work with books and art my entire life and hope to expose my children to those lovely subjects.

I read constantly and make art if I'm not at work, my favorite genres being sci fi and fantasy so I'm very ecstatic to be a part of this group. I will be cliche while saying that may favorites are Lord of the Rings, star wars and the dresden files. My three favorite people in the world that do not know me are Tim Burton, Jim Butcher and Tim Burton. I hope to enjoy my craft as much as they do someday.

I can't wait to discuss books with you all!!!

[Tony]

Hey All,

My name is Tony, and I'm digging the group so far.

Big reader since childhood...they were my escape from some serious ugliness. Now, I consider books (and other art) to be one of the few things that elevate human existence.

I read urban fantasy, fantasy, horror, and crime. Favorites include Jim Butcher, Ilona Andrews, Richard Kadrey, Stephen King, Richard Laymon, Michael Connelly, and James Lee Burke.

Hi to all the other new people, @Jenny, @Lauren, @Tejas, @Jack, etc. @Daniel, hooah.

Somebody get Jenny LOTR, stat!

[Shean]

Hello Everyone,
I'm up there in the geezer level. Born in '64 in Seattle Wa. Currently live in Southern CA with my husband, and two parrots. An African Grey named Zen and a sun conure named CJ. Zen is only four years old and already speaks over 200 words and in complete sentences. If you EVER want to talk parrots, let me know :D.

I'm a writer, with a book coming out next year (no I'm not saying what it is, I'm just explaining why I joined this group) :). I've been so busy being a graphic designer, (and writing) that I let the love of reading fantasy lapse for many years. I really need to get back in the swing of it, for professional reasons. I wanted to join to see what everyone recommends to read since I'm so out of the loop. I've just been grabbing things that seem interesting, and I've found a lot of junk, unfortunately. So I'm hoping joining this group will steer me into deep waters. :)

My favorite books have been: A Wizard of Earth Sea, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, The Last Unicorn, (anything about vampires - I used to have a collection of over 260 of them) I still have nearly the entire collection of Dark Shadows. And of course the classics like The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and Hobbit epic.

Fantasy books I've read this year:
The Beasts of Tabat: Cat Rambo. (mixed feelings on this book)
First Call (Kary English - Outstanding)
The White Tree (really good)
Cephrael's Hand (Outstanding)
The Moorchild (Now one of my top ten ever-favorite books)

It is an honor to be in your group, and I think it will be a lot of fun as well.

Shean

[Amanda]

Hello all,

I'm a 30-something Canadian working for our health care system by day, and by night I can be found curled up on the couch with a good book. I was a late-comer to the party, picking up a love of reading in middle school. I started with teen horror novels (R.L. Stine Fear Street series anyone?), but my world completely changed upon reading Marion Zimmer Bradley's "The Mists of Avalon" in high school. That was when I decided that fantasy (and eventually science fiction) was where it's at for me.

My Goodreads "to-read" and "read" lists, as well as unlisted books that grace my shelves at home, are mostly fantasy or science fiction, ranging from kids books, to epic high fantasy, to graphic novels and manga. Of course, I'm always open to finding new authors, and I look forward to seeing what others in this club are reading and enjoying.

Have a great day (or night), and happy reading!

[Wendy]

Shean wrote: "Hello Everyone,
I'm up there in the geezer level. Born in '64 in Seattle Wa. Currently live in Southern CA with my husband, and two parrots. An African Grey named Zen and a sun conure named CJ. Zen..."

Jeez Shean I must ne another "geezer" as I was born in '65. Some of your Read books are on my Fave list.

[Natasha]

Hello Everyone, I'm Natasha and I have been really into sci fi and fantasy since I was about 8 or so, reading my dad's hard sci fi books, much to my mom's dismay. These days I'm more into less serious branches of fantasy and kids' books about magic (like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson), but I would love to discover new good sci fi authors (so far, I was quite disappointed with all books written past 80s, that I tried).

[Abigail]

Hi,
I am new to the group. I found goodreads from a thread about the book I was reading "Rocnar". I enjoy Science Fiction, Fantasy, Art (mostly photographic), and Erotic Romance. When I have time to read (sadly not as much as I want), I tend to be very verbal about my opinion. I love being part of a large book club I can let my opinion run wild and free.

[Ghanima]

I'm Ghani and I'm non binary (they/them pronouns) and I once read a Nancy Drew book in two days when I was about 5 or 6. I used to read so much as a little child and then lost it for a bit in middle and early high school. but now I have it back and it's the greatest feeling! I was raised by an avid Asimov fan, so I have a lot of sci-fi exposure.

[M Todd]

Howdy! I'm Todd. I've been off Goodreads for a couple of years due to the birth of my baby girl. Being the stay-at-home dad, I had to cut some things out while I took care of her. Reading, writing, gaming and airsoft weren't about to go, so I really cut down on the places I hangout online and how much time I spent there. Now that Miss Megan is three, and doesn't need my near, undivided attention, I've decided to delve back into this world of fellow book nerds, especially fantasy and science fiction loving book nerds.

I'm primarily a fantasy guy, though I've been doing more science fiction lately, especially on audio. Variety being the spice of life. My favorite writers tied for first place are Harlan Ellison and Steven Erikson.

By trade I'm a storyteller at Renaissance Faires. That's not a cool as it sounds, but it helps pay the bills while I try and peddle a book or two here and there on the side.

My favorite passtime outside of reading and writing is airsoft. Love me some airsoft battles. Nothing like hanging out somewhere where you get to shoot a bunch of teenage boys who are way too full of themselves. I prefer airsoft to paintball because the ammo is cheaper, and it's far less messy.

Cheers!

[Barry]

Hello,

I'm Barry. And unlike most people here, I guess, I don't live in the US. I went to Wisconsin for my college, though. Exposed to sci-fi back in high school when we read Fahrenheit 451 (I went to an American high school in Singapore). Now, I'm back in my own country helping out in the family business. Would love to write a novel one day.

[Damien]

Hi all,

I'm a huge sci-fi/fantasy geek from way back. I think the best thing I've read recently is the Expanse novels, but I haven't had the chance to read much more than that because I've been working on my own series.

I'm a kid of the 80's which is probably why Neuromancer is still my favourite book. Gibson and PKD were what I grew up on and still reread.

I'm hoping to spend a bit more time on here as I get the chance.

Cheers.

[Yessy]

Hi everybody,
I'm Yessy. I begin to have interest in reading fantasy fiction novels a few years ago. I hope we all can mutually share our interest.
Have a nice day! :)

[Alexandre]

Hi all!
I'm Alexandre Loch. I'm a psychiatrist, writer and philosopher in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Last year I've released my first novel in Portuguese, and in 2016 I will release my first sci-fi in English!

I read sci-fi since I was a kid. However, in the last 10 years I realized I was too much dedicated to academic texts (writing, reading, reviewing) and I came back to sci-fi once again.

I hope I can contribute to this group and read lots of interesting discussions here. I believe sci-fi is the perfect book genre to instigate reflections about ourselves and our society.

[Shannon]

Hello! I am Shannon. I have always love books. I love reading anything Fantasy, SciFi, history, geology, geography, and mystery. I am looking forward to discussing books with you all. :)

[Ryan]

Yeah I don't mind a bit of geology.

[Michael]

Hello, my name is Michael. I just joined. I'm a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. I have a slight preference of non-fiction (did a quick counting: out of 92 books read/listened to this year, 50 are nonfiction). SciFi is one of the genres I like. I'm not too much of a fantasy reader.

[Scott]

Hi, I'm Scott Overton, a writer of science fiction and a little fantasy. Only short fiction published so far with some novels awaiting the right offer.
Growing up,SFF was just in my blood. SF books were a favourite topic of discussion around the family dinner table and led to a lifetime urge to be a writer. Although I read lots of other things, I just can't find enough inspiration in ordinary day-to-day life to write about it--there has to be a twist or speculative element to get my creative juices flowing.
I look forward to joining some good discussions in this group.

[Jason]

Good Evening One and All:

My name is Jason Braida. I am 45 years old and live in the small town of Innisfil, Ontario (45 min north of Toronto) with my wife and three children. I grew up watching my parents and grandparents reading. From my father I inherited a love of Science Fiction. My mother was a follower of traditional British mysteries and my grandfather was a huge fan of historical fiction and non fiction. Today I read all three genres but would have to say that science fiction is my first love and occupies most of my time. I'm looking forward to this group's discussions as well as getting into some books that I might not otherwise discovered on my own.