Former Introduction Thread Showing 1,101-1,150 of 6,846

[Sven]

Thanks for the first comment.
and i will gladly give it a try, cause i got it very cheap over amazon.
so i'm looking forward to it.

[Dan]

Sven wrote: "hi everybody,
i'm sven from germany, born 1st november '90.
i just graduated from german highschool last week, and are currently applying to a dutch university.
hobbies are reading(^^), waterpolo+s..."

if you like CJ, definitely read the Foreigner series if you haven't already. Try Greg Bear: Blood Music and Darwin's Radio

[William]

Sven wrote: "Thanks for the first comment.
and i will gladly give it a try, cause i got it very cheap over amazon.
so i'm looking forward to it."

Sehr gut! And welcome to the group, Sven.

[Alessandra]

Thanks! same to you! :) and I'll definitely check William Burt out!

[Hannah]

You're welcome, Alessandra. Ciao!

[Alessandra]

Hannah wrote: "You're welcome, Alessandra. Ciao!"

Thank you!! ;)

[Sven]

Jon wrote: "Welcome to the group, Sven. Say hi to my daughter, who is visiting and studying in Leipzig until 3 July. :)"

Leipzig ist supposed to be a very nice city, but i have never been there...

also many thanks for the greetings and for all the other comments!

[Dan]

Rhubarb wrote: "Hi hi. just finished college, where I mostly drew pictures for four years. I'm just Getting back to fantasy and sci-fi novels after the four year dry spell of college where all reading time was con..."

If you like Robin Hobb, like I do, try "the Name of the wind" by Patrick R.
Awesome book and the next one will be out in 2011.

Brent Weeks Series as well. Lois McMasters Bujould has some good Fantasy and Sci Fi.

[Amber]

Dan wrote: "Rhubarb wrote: "Hi hi. just finished college, where I mostly drew pictures for four years. I'm just Getting back to fantasy and sci-fi novels after the four year dry spell of college where all read..."

If you're a fan of Robin Hobb, like me, you might also like Brandon Sanderson, Peter V. Brett and Joe Abercrombie. 5 stars for everything they've written so far!

[stormhawk]

Sven wrote: "hi everybody,
i'm sven from germany, born 1st november '90.
i just graduated from german highschool last week, and are currently applying to a dutch university.
hobbies are reading(^^), waterpolo+s..."

Wilkommen, Sven!

Are there any German Science Fiction authors that perhaps haven't been published in English that you can recommend? It's moderately slow going for me, but I do read German.

[Elizabeth]

Greetings! I'm Elizabeth Mock, a 28 year old bibliophile, philosophy & rhetoric teacher, and indie author from Cincinnati by way of Richmond, VA and Pittsburgh, PA. Amongst my reading and teaching, I just released my debut fantasy novel, Shatter . Though I love a good story wherever I can find it, my life-long addiction keeps me returning to fantasy and sci-fi. Before I could walk, my parents created and fed this addiction by reading me Lewis and Tolkien, not to mention taking me to see "Return of the Jedi" when I was two. That's right, I'm a second-generation geek. Since then, I couldn't begin to list all the fantasy I've consumed.

Instead, I'll list some of my favorite, more traditional fantasy, authors:
J.R.R. Tolkien,
C.S. Lewis,
David Eddings,
Elizabeth Haydon,
George R. R. Martin,
Mercedes Lackey,
Terry Goodkind,
Naomi Novak,
Ursula Le Guin,
Anne McCaffrey,
Katherine Kurtz,
Marion Zimmer Bradley,
Robin McKinley,
Patricia McKillip,
L.E. Modesitt Jr.,
Andrea Norton,
Kristen Britain,
James Mallory.

My favorite contemporary fantasy/speculative fiction authors:
Charles de Lint,
Neil Gaiman,
Cassandra Clare,
Holly Black,
Sarah Rees Brennan,
Libba Bray,
J.K Rowling,
Scott Westerfeld,
Cherie Priest

I love reading stories, writing stories, and - what brought me here- discussing stories. I look forward to chatting with y'all about some fantastic literature.

[Michael]

Hi, I am Mike and this is my first post so I hope I am doing it correctly. I am 37 live in Brooklyn, work in healthcare, and finished graduate school in 2005. I am an avid fantasy/sci-fi reader and rarely venture out of this genre. Rarely read non-fiction based books or for that matter any book that could of happened in real life. I read about a book every 1-2 weeks and was recently guided to this site by a friend to aid me in search for more good reads. I also recently bought a NOOK and thoroughly enjoy it. I was one of those that always said I would NEVER...! Now I can't imagine it any differently.

My favorite author of all time is Robert Jordan. (Still in shock over his passing).
My favorite new author is Peter Brett.
My favorite female author is Melanie Rawn.
The most poetic author hands down is Erik Erikson.
My favorite non serial book is War of the Flowers by Tad Williams (he def has an abstract and unique fantasy perspective that I find refreshing).
My favorite sci-fi serial is the Starrigger Trilogy by John DeChancie.
Currently reading the Mistborn Trilogy (anyone picked to finish The Wheel of Time series has def got to be good!)

Good Reading!

[Mark]

Greetings and Salutations to everyone. My name is Mark and currently i'm sweltering beneath the Phoenix heat of summer. It will be my sixth summer in the valley but I was born in Washington D.C. in '71 and was raised in northern Virginia. Moving to the west was inspired by my love of studying birds in my spare time and being near family.

I've always loved reading when i began in my childhood with books like "Bridge to Terabithia", "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" and "The Mouse and the Motorcycle". Around eleven I made a daring jump to Stephen King's "Salem's Lot" around eleven and was hooked on the thick, adult-aged novels. King and Robert Ludlum were my favorite two authors during junior high and high school and I was one of the kids that, in addition to his textbooks, always had a novel with him. I didn't stray to many authors outside of those two during those years. It wasn't until as i got older and interests expanded that I began reading all kinds of books and subjects.

However, i never began tackling sci/fi and fantasy, including Tolkein, until the last ten years. I tried reading some Heinlein as a teen but always felt lost. In that time I've found some wonderful books: Wizard's First Rule (Goodkind), Hyperion (Simmons), Nemesis (Asimov), Rendesvous With Rama (Clarke) and, of course, I finally read The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Now my eye is wide open to the possibility of good fantasy and sci-fi books.

Other books I have enjoyed:
The Talisman
Les Miserables
The Vampire Chronicles
Harry Potter
Doctor No
Washington: The Indispensible Man
I Am Not A Cop
A Christmas Carol
Yul Brynner: A Biography
30,000 On The Hoof
The Phantom Of The Opera
Watership Down
Dracula
Kingbird Highway
The Tailor of Panama
The Big Over Easy
Bridge To Terabithia
The Spiderwick Chrnoicles

[Amber]

Elizabeth wrote: "Greetings! I'm Elizabeth Mock, a 28 year old bibliophile, philosophy & rhetoric teacher, and indie author from Cincinnati by way of Richmond, VA and Pittsburgh, PA. Amongst my reading and teaching..."

Hi Elizabeth, I've read some of the books you've listed too, and couldn't agree more. There is a new Fantasy book out, Enchantment's Deception, which seems pretty good.

[Taija]

Hi everyone, and greetings from far far away, Finland. I discovered the joy of reading again this spring, when I graduated (Master of Science in Technology) and I really have free time, not just time to study after work.

At the moment I am especially into magical realism and scifi, but love also everything from Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Because Finnish is such a small language, I sometimes have problems to get books from my favorite authors into my hands. For example, there are only four books translated in Finnish from my favorite author at the moment, Haruki Murakami, but for my luck amazon.uk exists :).

[Pati]

Hey everyone, I'm Pati and I live in Poland. I love fantasy and si-fi, but still attempting to read classic. Thanks to You, J have a lot of catch up on books :). Besides reading I like to travel and some day I am going to see US (for now I travel through Europe, Asia and Africa) with books of course ;)

[Amber]

Jerome wrote: "Hi everyone, I'm Jerome Parisse, playwright and fantasy novel author, and also an avid reader! I live in Sydney, Australia.Jerome Parisse"

Hi Jerome, how you going? What fantasy books have you written? I live in Adelaide, Australia, and just had my first book published (it's fantasy). What are you into reading?

[Amber]

Jerome wrote: "Hi everyone, I'm Jerome Parisse, playwright and fantasy novel author, and also an avid reader! I live in Sydney, Australia.Jerome Parisse"

Hi Jerome, how you going? What fantasy books have you written? I live in Adelaide, Australia, and just had my first book published (it's fantasy). What are you into reading?

[Elizabeth]

Hannah wrote: "Hi, Elizabeth. I have not read all the authors you have, but if you like Lewis and Tolkien, you might try William Burt's fantasy series. First book in the series is [book:The King of the Trees|5849..."

Thanks for the suggestion, Hannah. A lot of my favorite author's write YA, so that's definitely a plus in my book!

[William]

Taija wrote: "Hi everyone, and greetings from far far away, Finland. I discovered the joy of reading again this spring, when I graduated (Master of Science in Technology) and I really have free time, not just ti..."

Welcome to the group, Taija. It's nice to hear from a Finn! Many years ago, I worked for a Finnish man named Maati Saari. He had stomach trouble and loved drinking milkshakes. He was quite a character.

[Matt]

Hey everyone! My name is Matt, Im 26, a bookseller/inventory manager for a Borders in Ohio. about 5 years ago I got addicted to the sci-fi fantasy genre and haven't looked back since. Found this site from following Brandon Sanderson's blog. Can't wait to join the discussions and learn about some great books I can add to the shelf at the store.

[Taija]

Hi Hannah, and thanks for your tip :). William, thanks for your greetings and nice you know someone from Finland :).

I would like to tip the whole group of a new Finnish, at the moment scottish-based author, Hannu Rajaniemi, who is going to publish his first novel, The Quantum Thief in September. The books has got amazing pre-commentaries, and although the book is more hard sf (or so I have understood) I am sure it is going to be great because the short stories I have read from Hannu are really special.

[Anna]

Hi!
I am from Sweden (a country that acutally has some intrest in fanstasy and horror books, even takes in reviews of them in the larger newspapers!)and i am 31.
I have always read fantasy, sci-fi and horror ever since i, at the age of 9, got my hands on Lord Of the Rings on the public library.
The book was NOT for children, according to our librarian, so i had to read it hidden behind the cookbooksection. It took a month, and after that i began ransacing the small shelves for more.
My greates dream is to be an author one day, and i keep trying...in secret.
:)

Right now i am listening to George R.R Martins A song of ice and fire. Hysterically fantastic, and the only problem is that hardly anyone around me is reading it...so i dont have anyone to disect it with.
;)

The next book on the list is China Miéville`s The City and The City.


Happy reading summer everyone!!

[Robert]

I am 34 years old and I live in Roswell, Ga. My all time favorite sci fi/fantasy books are: Ender's Game, the Foundation series, The Belgariad, Fahrenheit 451, and anything by Peter F. Hamilton and Vernor Vinge. I can't wait to get started in this book club! Looks like a lot of fun!

[William]

Anna wrote: "Hi!
I am from Sweden (a country that acutally has some intrest in fanstasy and horror books, even takes in reviews of them in the larger newspapers!)and i am 31.
I have always read fantasy, sci-f..."

Hi, Anna. Welcome to the group! I hope you have fun here.

[John]

Greetings to all,

My love for science fiction and fantasy started when I was a young boy. One of my uncles, to whom I was very close, was an avid reader. Uncle Jerry didn't just read, he devoured books, one after another; while he ate, while he waited in the car. If he was in a resting position, he was reading. And by imitating him, I learned to love books, especially science fiction/fantasy. My first book was The Hobbit. I was instantly captivated by the mysterious Englishman who had created his own language. I wanted to know Elven; I wanted to write Elven. But above all, I wanted to know why a dirty nasty wet hole could be comfortable, simply because it belonged to a Hobbit. It was always about the mystery. I've always been captivated by mystery.

A love of books and a passion for telling stories has brought me to this place in life. Two years ago, I entered my book in a national writing contest. Out of 171 entries, it placed in the top four. And I was told that it was quite possible that the only reason it didn't take first place was because the publishing company sponsoring the contest was not accepting new Science Fiction or Fantasy until the following year. Though I tried not to let it be a crushing defeat, it was, for several months.

Thankfully, however, I did not give up, and I can now say I am a published author. I won't tell you the name of the book, because I don't want to make merchandise of you. I bring up the topic, because it is what brought me here. I love to read, and I love to write. Goodreads brings both of those things together for me.

I look forward to our conversations, and thank you all for letting me be a part of your community.

Warm Regards,
John Michael Hileman

[William]

Greetings, John—It's good to have a fellow fantasy/sci-fi author in the group. I hope you'll enjoy your visits here.

Happy reading!

Bill Burt

[Jared]

Hello to all,
I'm Jared Aragona, a fantasy and science fiction lover since childhood. Around thirty years ago I found fantasy through Tolkien and sci-fi through Edgar Rice Burroughs's Barsoom series, and I've been hooked on the genres ever since. Today I'm the author of a book series that crosses both genres, though by day I'm a professor of English at Scottsdale Community College in Arizona. I wish I'd found Goodreads years ago, and I look forward to being part of your group.

[William]

Welcome to the group, Jared. I'm also a fantasy author whose series occasionally crosses that blurry line into sci-fi. What exactly do you write?

[Jared]

Thanks for the welcome, William. My series is called Stories from the Circle. Here's my author link: Jared Aragona. It's about a secret race of supernatural people who are born with selves on each of nine worlds in a great circle of worlds (Earth is just one world in the system). My heroes, the "Caretakers of Existence" use their powers to tinker with reality and manipulate destiny to prevent annihilation. It's a lot of fun to write it. How about you? What do you write?

[William]

That sounds fascinating, Jared. That kind of thing is right up my alley. I have a series of seven fantasy titles. Collectively, they're called the "King of the Trees" series. It's a little like C.S. Lewis. If you're interested, you can just click on my photo to reach my author page. I also work at a local community college, where I find the average English-literacy level is at about the fifth grade. My hat is off to you for teaching English in that setting.

[Marc]

Matt wrote: "Hey everyone! My name is Matt, Im 26, a bookseller/inventory manager for a Borders in Ohio...Can't wait to join the discussions and learn about some great books I can add to the shelf at the store."

Are you allowed to do that? I created a bookstore just to have someplace with my books in it, since the big bookstores were very restrictive about what they'd carry. At the moment I carry just about every book my publisher makes.

[Marc]

John wrote: "I won't tell you the name of the book, because I don't want to make merchandise of you."

Always a mistake. Plug that book wherever you can, in whatever way doesn't turn off your audience! I'm not a fan of constant repetition, but there are always ways to work it into a conversation.

[William]

Nina wrote: "Hi, I'm Nina Pierce. I've loved Sci Fi and Fantasy since a middle school teacher introduced me to the genre. Though I suspect I would have stumbled upon it on my own eventually since I'd been hooke..."

Welcome, Nina. Glad to have you here. What are you working on currently, if I might ask?

[Anna]

William wrote: "Anna wrote: "Hi!
I am from Sweden (a country that acutally has some intrest in fanstasy and horror books, even takes in reviews of them in the larger newspapers!)and i am 31.
I have always read fan..."

Thanks!!
:)

[Jared]

William wrote: "That sounds fascinating, Jared. That kind of thing is right up my alley. I have a series of seven fantasy titles. Collectively, they're called the "King of the Trees" series. It's a little like C.S..."

Thanks. Your series sounds great too. I put your Book One on my "to read" list.

[Pati]

Giverofgore wrote: "I am 34 years old and I live in Roswell, Ga. My all time favorite sci fi/fantasy books are: Ender's Game, the Foundation series, The Belgariad, Fahrenheit 451, and anything by Peter F. Hamilton an..."
Hi and welcome :)
it is a lot of fun ! earlier (before Goodreds) I thought that I read a lot but now I know that I dont have a chance to read all of this what You people propose, but I'll give it a try.

[Kristin]

Hi everyone! My name is Kristin and I am seventeen years old. I really love science fiction and fantasy books and reading in general... which is not really news to you people seeing as I joined this group on a website called goodreads :) I'm younger than a lot of the people on here, so I literally have not had as much time to read as many books, BUT, out of the science fiction and fantasy books that I have read so far, these are a few of my favorites: Slaughterhouse Five, Flowers for Algernon, Fade, Howl's Moving Castle, Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, Animal Farm, Good Omens, The Phantom Tollbooth, The Little Prince (which counts, no matter what you say!),Maximum Ride, The Host, The Giver, Twilight (yes. I went there.), and wow that was a LOT of examples. Okay, I'm done now. Right now I am reading Lies by Michael Grant and it's very good. So, that's my introduction! I hope to enjoy Goodreads for a long time to come, seeing as I just found it a week ago. Hope everyone is enjoying the summer!

[Daniel]

Hi everyone!

My name is Daniel. I've been a fantasy author since 1998, when I sold my first short story. Since then, I've sold a couple dozen stories and poems. I'm also the author of Firefly Island, a fantasy novel. You can learn more about me and my writing at my website, www.DanielArenson.com. Nice to meet all of you!

Daniel Arenson

[Jason]

Greetings everyone!

I'm 27 and married to an amazing woman. We have 3 incredible little girls. I am an 'Architectural Associate' and went to the University of Michigan (GO BLUE).

I have always been an avid reader. First big series was Lord of the Rings (Surprise, Surprise) when I was in 5th grade. I read that numerous times before I started to branch out a bit. I love Fictional stores based on Historic Truths (Conn Iggulden's Caesar for example). I greatly enjoy Dan Brown's novels because of the symbology and descriptions of Architectural Marvels I have not been able to see in person yet. My favorite series is probably the Wheel of Time series. I am ecstatic about Brandon Sanderon's role in finishing the series. I have also enjoyed all of his past work and am very excited about his new series coming out.

Ran across Good Reads due to a contest and think its a great concept! Not sure how thrilled my wife will be when I tell her I've found a ton of new books to read.

Big debate right now is Nook vs Kindle. I really want to go digital with my reading.

[Katie]

Hello.
I'm Kate. Born 1980. Really rubbish at these introduction things! I'm an English Teacher and aspiring writer. My passion is for dystopic and urban fantasy. Favourite books of this genre are Brave New World, Handmaids Tale, Oryx and Crake, Ninteen Eighty Four. Like to suspend my disbelief firmly in the 'it might just be possible' zone.
I have a passion (some might say obsession) for Arthurian legends, Medieval History, Secret histories, cross cultural mythologies and theology.
Sorry to say it - Space isn't my kind of ship so not massive into Sci-fi although I love Torchwood and Dr Who.

[Andrew]

33 years old, married, and working in the library of a Bible college in Switzerland.

I don't read a lot of fantasy and scifi, reserving my time for only the best - just those that manage to firmly and powerfully capture my imagination within the first few pages. Good stuff is ridiculously hard to find in this genre. Favorites are Tolkien, Stephen Lawhead, Stephen King, and Terry Goodkind.

I've also picked up on some authors from earlier decades that I've really enjoyed. The last book I read was "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote, which was near impossible to put down. I'm also a big fan of Hemingway, and am trying to like Kafka.

Decided to give philosophy a shot and introducing myself to the subject by reading Sophie's World, which is interesting and an enjoyable way to get acquainted with philosophy. Am more familiar with theology - which means I SHOULD know more philosophy, but my education in this regard (M.A. in Christian Thought and History) was sadly neglected, as it was generally assumed I had paid attention in undergrad Intro to Philosophy ... Would certainly be paying attention now.

Favorite books include Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series, LOTR, Harry Potter, and Terry Goodkind's "Sword of Truth" series (just started it recently, but can already tell it's going to be a favorite).

[Stephanie]

Hi, my name is Stephanie. I go to graduate school in sunny San Diego, CA and am marrying my best friend this fall!

I've enjoyed reading for as long as I can remember. My family used to get mad at me growing up when we went on vacations because I'd get my head in a book on the drive to wherever we were going and be very difficult to peel away when we got to our destination. :) I was one of those kids with a flashlight next to her bed who would keep reading after she was supposed to be sleeping.

I love a variety of genres but love sci-fi / fantasy the most. Not a lot of my friends read in sci-fi / fantasy, so I joined this group to get a better idea of what may be out there! I started reading one of the discussion books from June (The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia) and I am really enjoying it. I haven't finished it yet, but I'll definitely be visiting all the forum discussions on it when I do!

[Nytelife]

Hi all! New to Good Reads. Just joined up a couple of weeks ago.

I have recently (earlier this year) get back into regular reading. I have been really slack the last couple of years only reading about 10 to 15 titles a year.

I was born in 71 and I am currently 38 years old.

My favorite genre is Urban Fantasy (more toward the non erotica variety, like Jim Butcher, Simon R. Green, Rob Thurman.. etc).

I also enjoy reading a good crime or sci-fi novel on occasion.

Currently I am reading Simon R. Greens The Man with the Golden Torc.

[Kristin]

Hello, joined goodreads a few months back but i'm just now discovering the joy of it. I love reading, of course, but i also like talking about what i'm reading and hearing takes from others on books. Scifi and fantasy with their many sub genres hold a special place in my heart. I've always loved stories and i'm amazed by the different authors and levels of creativity every time i pick up a new book. For a long time i read thrillers, but then was upset with myself if i guessed the ending (still read some though!). Happy to say it doesn't happen often in sff. :)
Just finished China Mieville's The City & The City. Right now I'm staring at the stacks trying to figure out what to go for next.

Please feel free to add me as a friend! I would love to see what people are reading and follow reviews.

[Eric]

Hi everyone,
I found the website a few months back and guess I should introduce myself. I'm a 36 year old Canadian and a big reader. My first love is science fiction but a read alot of fantasy too. I guess that makes this the group for me. lol

[Jason]

30 years old born and raised in rural Virginia.was in the army for a four years and stayed in texas where they sent me for another three years. Moved back home about 3 years ago.
I'm not exactly sure when i started reading fantasy/ sci-fi but i do remember the first books that i absolutely loved were the xanth novels by piers anthony. Since then i've found Orson Scott Card, R. A. Salvatore, David Eddings, and John Ringo as well as many others. Favorite book series ever is the Renshai trilogy by Mickey Zucker Reichert. Very awesome series lots of action and adventure. I don't remember all that i have read this year. currently working on four novels by Philip K. Dick. if you haven't read any of his stuff do check it out it's some of the best sci-fi i've read in a good long while.

[William]

Eric wrote: "Hi everyone,
I found the website a few months back and guess I should introduce myself. I'm a 36 year old Canadian and a big reader. My first love is science fiction but a read alot of fantasy t..."

Welcome to the group, Eric. It's nice to have someone join from our neighbor to the north. I actually write a fantasy series myself, but I also like sci-fi.

[Ogrish]

Hi. My name is Brian & I am an alcoholic, a writer, a janitor with a History degree, a smart ass, a cynic and I'm single. I have self published one fantasy novel and a children's story through Createspace (please buy).

I joined here because durig bouts of writer's block I like to read fantasy and scifi stories but I have a hard time picking one out. Hopefully getting involved in the book discussions will help me learn what readers are into and how that is done well. But I tend to be a harsh critic.

I am also a slow reader. Is there a place to find out what next months fantasy book will be so I can get head start?

[Angelique]

Hi my name is Angel and I a very big fan of Sci-Fi and Fantasy. I live in Seattle with my husband and 2 cats. I love to read and sometimes when i cant choose one book to read I read several at the same time.