Former Introduction Thread Showing 4,051-4,100 of 6,846

[Alex]

Johan wrote: "Hi my name is Johan.

I've been reading fantasy and science fiction since as far as I can remember. I grew up reading C.S. Lewis, J.R.R Tolkien and Ursula Le Guin, I think the fist book I read by m..."

Welcome to Goodreads, Johan. I love fantasy and SF too. Why not check out my profile and compare the books we've both read?

[Natalia]

Hi my name is Natalia and I am 34
My background is so mixed I don't really know where to start. To cut it short: my nationality is British and I was born and raised in Germany where I relocated to last year after 11 years in London.
When I'm not working (IT, software) I am probably curled up reading somewhere, mostly SciFi and fantasy although I will read anything that looks promising and often enjoy a change of genre. Reading was big in my family so I blame my parents for this addiction.
I tend to read e-books and have been reading e-books since before the word (or the concept of a kindle) existed. Once I started running around with hundreds of books in my pocket I couldn't stop. Gobbling up great books and the benefit of integrated reading lights totally made up for shitty little black-on-green palm screens.
Since my professor at uni would not agree that the publishing industry might eventually change, I switched from publishing studies to an MSc in electronic publishing. Now, about 8 years later, I don't regret this decision (good career move) but I do wonder if my publishing professor ever remembers how preposterous he thought my predictions were back then...? Needless to say it took a few years but they all came true.
It's been a few months since I last turned on a TV. As soon as game of thrones is back I'm bound to watch it though. In the meantime goodreads and Calibre have become my good friends. How did I ever get by without goodreads? Can't believe it took me so long to find it!

[Brave]

Hi! I'm Jes!

I'm usually too nervous to join groups on Goodreads here, but I'm working through one of many top Sci-Fi and Fantasy lists and I thought I'd join a group to read along with other people!

I have been reading Science Fiction since A Wrinkle in Time (which I think I read in 2nd grade?) and Fantasy since my dad read The Hobbit to me when I was five. I've been in love and obsessed ever since!

[Steven]

Hi Natz and Jess,

I hope you both find great books.

[C.J.]

Hello and welcome Natalia!

[Adeeb]

Hi everyone.

To introduce myself, I'm a teenager who used to vlog. Unfortunately, due to university work (which is uncontrollable), I had to stop. However, that never stopped me from reading amazing books and that is the best thing!

I love Goodreads and regularly check it everyday!

[Alex]

Adeeb wrote: "Hi everyone.

To introduce myself, I'm a teenager who used to vlog. Unfortunately, due to university work (which is uncontrollable), I had to stop. However, that never stopped me from reading amazi..."

Hello, Adeeb and welcome to this wonderful world of fantasy and other fiction!

[Alex]

Jes wrote: "Hi! I'm Jes!

I'm usually too nervous to join groups on Goodreads here, but I'm working through one of many top Sci-Fi and Fantasy lists and I thought I'd join a group to read along with other peo..."

Hi Jes, and welcome.

I read the Hobbit when I was, oh, about tennish --that's a long time ago. I loved it and read soon after that all three of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books. After that followed Eddings, Brookes, Goodkind, Jordan...and now, I am a writer of fantasy fiction!

Have a great time on this fantastic site.

[Mike]

Hello all,

My name is Michael and, I must admit, I write much more often than I read. The first books that gave me the "writers' bug" were The Tripod Trilogy by John Christopher, which I read while in grade school. Reading them made the light come on and made me say "I want to write for a living!" I'm joining this group not to "push" my novel onto people, but to simply give the book the opportunity to reach a wider audience and to give me the chance to learn through feedback. I hope to take away much from people here and to apply what I learn to my next novel, which I am already starting work on.

Cheers,
Michael

[Lindsey]

Hello my name is Lindsey and I have been writing ever since I could remember. I enjoy it and it is my passion. It's fun to escape to another world and make it what you want. I wanted to start to write a book in 9th grade and I am still working on it. :)

Thank you,
Lindsey

[Alex]

Marcos wrote: "I am a new to Goodreads as a member and author. I want to say hello. I really enjoy reading Fantasy and Science Fiction with a splash of romance. I am so looking forward to reading the posts and fi..."

Welcome to this club of fantasy fiction enthusiasts, Marcos. Here you'll find like-minded authors and readers of Fantasy and SF.

[Jessica]

Hi everyone. My name is Jessica. I'm a wife, mom, java developer, author, among other things. Much of my reading time gets sucked up by writing, but I find if I read amongst a group, I gain more momentum. I read only a few titles last year, but the most memorable was Anna and the Dragon by Jill Domschot, which is urban fantasy. I look forward to meeting you all and chatting about books.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi and welcome to anyone I've missed.

[Paul]

Jessica wrote: "Hi everyone. My name is Jessica. I'm a wife, mom, java developer, author, among other things."

That's certainly an interesting mix, writing for both human and machine. Good to meet a fellow programmer, and welcome to the group!

[Jessica]

Thanks Paul! I prefer the machines at times, not gonna lie. :)

[Alex]

Jessica wrote: "Thanks Paul! I prefer the machines at times, not gonna lie. :)"

Hi Jessica, and welcome!

[Pradeep]

Hi everyone my names Pradeep and I am from Birmingham , England. I am 26 years old and work as an engineer. I thought I would introduce myself because I've finally decided to become more active on Goodreads. I love reading sci-fi and more often fantasy books, am looking forward to talking and listening to my fellow readers for new books and old discussions.

Regards
Pradeep

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi, welcome.

[Alan]

Pradeep wrote: "Hi everyone my names Pradeep and I am from Birmingham , England. ..."

Hi Pradeep

Do you have any connection with the Birmingham SF Group? I was loosely connected MANY years ago, at which time they met at Cannon Hill Park - but I have been out of touch for a very long time!

[Pradeep]

Thanks for the welcomes people.

Hi Alan,
How are you? I am not part of the Birmingham SF group and to be honest I haven't really kept up with many groups of that nature since I was studying and to be honest was a bit lazy. lol

[Mark]

Hi, My name is Mark and I live in California. I've been reading SF since I was a preteen. The first serious SF I read was Dune when it was serialized in Analog Magazine so I go back quite a ways. It's still one of my favorites. Nice to be part of this group.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi, welcome.

[Pete]

Hi ! I'm Pete, I live in Bedfordshire, UK and have written a couple of books, with more in the pipeline. I've been reading SF for over 50 years and the ingenuity of writers has never ceased to amaze me, although I prefer tales which have a human interest angle rather than fantasy or mega-galactic sagas.

There is one poignant short story I remember from over 30 years ago, and would love to find it again. HELP! It might have been by Poul Anderson or that ilk - concerning a young girl stowaway who thought she could make a surprise visit to see her brother on some distant outpost. Really sad. If anyone can recall it, or point me to where I can find it, I'd be grateful.

If you want to see my books, I have posted a link in the author's folder.

[Alexander]

Hello, I think I can claim the title of geezer here. I was born in 54.I started writing about ten years ago. I have no idea how many books I've read in the last year but at work, everyone always comments on the fact that they never see me without a book. Although I love sci fi,(enough to write it,)I also enjoy a good mystery or detective novel. In fact, I recently found an old book by Isaac Asimov called a Whiff of Death. I was amazed that he had tried other genres and thought I had found a true rarity, only to find he had written others. So much for that rare book find i was hoping for.
At any rate, one of my favorite authors these days is Terry Pratchett. I love his Discworld series and have a special fondness for one of his characters named Rincewind, the world's worst wizard. although it falls in the realm of fantasy, it's more like a state of the world book through the eyes of a great satirist.
AS for other interests I am one of the greatest fans of the show Babylon Five. So much so that one of my first stories was a fanfiction that I wrote to complete the premise proposed in the last movie. it was rather well received and was a major part of the reason I finally decided to give writing a go.
I have eleven books on line. All but one of them are sci fi of the type I love to read. although one of them deals with a new type of vampire that I dreamed up.
I love to hear what people think about my stories. Of course I would rather sell a bunch but that doesn't seem to be in the cards. My point though is that when some one does buy one I like to hear their opinion. I love the conversations about my stories or anything that they lead to. Although I have seldom gotten into conversations about writing but I am becoming more interested in the idea of late. As such I find myself looking forward to seeing what might be in store here.

[Art]

Welcome, Alexander. It sounds like we old geezers have a lot in common, with your favorite author and Babylon 5. I'm a little senior (born in '47) but like both. Are you also a fan of earlier authors from the 'pulp' eras, or even earlier?

Also, do you have goodreads links to your books?

[Pete]

Alexander wrote: "Hello, I think I can claim the title of geezer here. I was born in 54.I started writing about ten years ago. I have no idea how many books I've read in the last year but at work, everyone always co..."

Welcome Alexander! Born in 54? Thou art but a kid! I had read 'The Dam Busters','War in the Air', some Biggles or other,'First Man in the Moon' and was well into Argosy SF digests by the time you were born! All by the age of 9. If there's a title of geezer up for grabs, I'll word-wrestle you for it. Shortest new SF story: My go first:

The Last Words spoken on Planet Earth
'Plupp', went the Wurseldrome.
'Oh shit!' said Sir Joddrell Bank.

Your turn!

[Paolo]

Hi everyone,

I´m 30 years old, born and raised in Mexico City where I currently work as an engineer for a mining company. I´ve been reading in English all my life; it helps me to keep my 2nd language sharp and also I just prefer reading books in the language they´re originally published in. I´m new to Goodreads... I started my reading career at a young age with and went through everything I could find of children´s fantasy and SF books. Then I went through a long Stephen King phase in my teens. After that I spent many years reading mostly non-fiction (Carl Sagan, Bill Bryson) with the occasional novel thrown in, though mostly I was just not reading that much.

About a year ago I found myself with a little more extra time than I used to have and rediscovered my love for reading, especially SF/F. After joining Goodreads this group seemed like the natural place to go.

I think it´s a little late to start with this month´s books, only 2 days left! However I look forward to future discussions with you guys for other reads.

Books I read in the past year include:

ASOIAF by George R.R. Martin (all 5!)
The City & the City by China Mieville
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein (unfinished)
The Handmaid´s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Books I have lined up waiting to be read include:

Red Rising by Pierce Brown (starting that tonight!)
Dune by Frank Herbert
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (does this count as fantasy? not really?)

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Sorry dude, I was born in '52. Welcome.

[Alexander]

Art wrote: "Welcome, Alexander. It sounds like we old geezers have a lot in common, with your favorite author and Babylon 5. I'm a little senior (born in '47) but like both. Are you also a fan of earlier autho..."

Sorry I haven't figured out how to do that yet. But if you are go to http://www.devinedestinies.com/ and hit the queue on the author bar on the right upper side it will give you a list of what I have there. And at fanfiction.net type in my name and follow the steps and it will show the four I have there. And the best part is they are free. Happy reading.

[Alexander]

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "Sorry dude, I was born in '52. Welcome."
Okay now I feel like I'm home.

[Alexander]

Pete wrote: "Alexander wrote: "Hello, I think I can claim the title of geezer here. I was born in 54.I started writing about ten years ago. I have no idea how many books I've read in the last year but at work, ..."

You win.I can't even say good morning that quick. Naturally long-winded.

[Alexander]

Great reception on here. Hope this works out.

[Art]

Ok, Alexander, I clicked on the url, but couldn't find yours. When I did a search for "Alexander", it told me there were pages & pages. I'm on my iPod, so there's only this tiny screen ......

[Alexander]

Art wrote: "Ok, Alexander, I clicked on the url, but couldn't find yours. When I did a search for "Alexander", it told me there were pages & pages. I'm on my iPod, so there's only this tiny screen ......"
I only have ten books on there. If you do go to DD, just type in Alexander dregon in the search box and it will take you there. I hope.

[Charlie]

Hi the story you remember is 'The Cold Equation' by Tom Godwin

You can read a pdf of it http://photos.state.gov/libraries/hoc...

It was one of the first SF stories I read.

[Jaqui]

Hiya, everyone! I've been on Goodreads for awhile, but have only just started to delve into some of the deeper community features (like groups). I'm excited to begin participating here!

I mostly enjoy reading fantasy, less so science fiction. I've been living mostly in fantasy worlds since I was very young. My parents read me The Hobbit as a bedtime story from the time I was a toddler. I devoured Terry Brooks, Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman, and T.A. Baron in middle school. Guy Gavriel Kay shaped my high school experience. By the time college had rolled around, I'd discovered China Mieville, Neil Gaiman, and Sheri S. Tepper. In short, I consider myself a lifelong fantasy fan.

Which makes it so interesting that I've read so few of the books on this club's book list! Only about 15, I think. Hopefully being a member here will help me find some new favorites for the next stage of my life.

Other things about me: I'm newly a stay-at-home Mom, love to crochet but am pretty terrible at it, also play video games and am obsessed with all things Buffyverse.

Recently I finished The Mistborn Saga, by Brandon Sanderson, am inordinately pleased with myself that I correctly guessed the Hero of Ages in the second book. :D

[Gregor]

Hey, I just joined. My favorite SF author is Philip K. Dick and my favorite fantasy authors are Jeffrey Ford and China Mieville.

[Davis]

I just joined. I started out reading Greek myths and somehow transitioned to Arthur C. Clarke and Robert Heinlein. From there came The Hobbit. The rest is history.

[Iscah]

Hello, I'm Iscah, writer and reader. I read a lot of fantasy and sci-fi, but I also read a quite a bit that isn't fantasy or sci-fi. Lots of classics and children's books, though I'm about to start reading a couple spy novels. So while my quality demands are high, my genre tastes are all over the place.

I write non-fiction as Kay Iscah and track all my
reading there under that name.

I've written my share of fan fiction too, but for legal reasons that's under an entirely different pen name.

Despite writing new fiction myself, I tend to read older fiction. Star Wars and I had a break up after NJO... so I'm catching up on other series now. I've got over 70 books physically stack on my to-read pile. I need the space, so I'm making an effort to get through most of them this year.

Hello everyone.

[Michael]

Hello my name is Michael. I am new to Good reads but I have loved Sci- fi and fantasy since I was a child.

[Don]

Greeting SciFi fans. I'm Donald Murphy (1950-) a dedicated conservationist and past deputy director of the National Park Service(2001-2007). I was a park ranger in California for 12 years before serving as the director of California State Parks form 1992 to 1999. I also represented the United States on the World Heritage Committee(2001-2007), which inscribes natural and cultural sites of outstanding universal value onto the world heritage list. I retired in 2011 after serving as president and CEO of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center(2007 - 2011) and I continue to work on eliminating human trafficking.

I live in Cotacachi, Ecuador with my wife LaRena. I love to hike, mountain bike and of course write. I read at least two books a month, mostly non fiction books on theoretical physics. Recently I have read:

Beyond the God Particle
Time Reborn
The Origins of Order
The Infinity Puzzle
The Courage to Be
The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes. . .
The 4 Percent Universe: Dark Matter. . .
I am currently reading, The Perfect Theory, a biography of general relativity.

On the SciFi/Fantasy side of things I've read:
All the Dune books
All the Harry Potter Book
All of Carl Sagans Works
All of Arthur C. Clarke's works(I'm also a trustee of the UC San Diego Foundation and an alum where we have an Arthur C. Clarke Center)
The Subtle Knife
All of Stephen King's works including his earlly works published only in periodicals
Enders Game
The Second Ship
Wormhole
And many, many more


I write hard science SciFi and I find reading and teaching myself about theoretical physics cultivates my imagination and sense of wonder. My undergraduate and graduate degrees are in molecular biology and biochemistry. I enjoy reading both science fiction and fantasy but really like science fiction based on real science. I hope to chat with many of you in the near future. You can access more about my works here:http://www.amazon.com/Donald-Murphy/e...

[MK]

What an interesting career! Sadly so far from my favorite, Acadia :-). Welcome

[Anh]

Hello all,
My name is Vo Viet Anh.
I have been writing a sci-fi for 3 years to share ideas that I hope will greatly benefit humanity.
Please have a peek!
https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/...

[Pj]

I am Pj Belanger- I am first and foremost a Sci Fi and Fantasy Reader. Although I read everything I can get my hands on.

When I was young I used to spend hours discussing science fiction books with my family, sometimes they were very heated discussions. My father collected every bit of Sci Fi he could find. He left them all to me including his childhood 25cent flip-over-books with a second novel on the back.

The Golden Age of Science Fiction is a true love of mine (Heinlein, Jose Farmer, Asimov, Bloch and many many more.) They were great story tellers that gave a view of futuristic science with their feet still in today’s world. My science fiction writing follows their lead.

Tolkien set me on to Epic Fantasy. I am particularly fond of wizards but love dwarfs, elves, catpeople and of course the heroic human.

I try to make my novels and short stories simply good reads. Spend time with my characters and forget for a while that the mortgage payment is due tomorrow.

I also wrote NASCAR local driver profile books and a local speedway history book. It was a labor of love since my husband and I have long been “fixing” cars. I enjoyed every moment I spent with those hard working drivers.

I hope to rediscover the passionate discussions I once had with my father. I’m new to Goodreads and am learning my way around.

Currently reading:
- The Truth About Sharks and Pigeons(weird but cute)
- Brainrush
- The Rosie Project (having problems with this one)
- Shortcuts (weirder but interesting)

I’ll be grabbing the two current club books and will finish them by end of February.

Pj

[V.W.]

Hi there,

I'm V.W. Singer. I've been an SF and Fantasy reader, well, as soon as I started reading books. I'm a Chartered Accountant, I've been the CFO and General Manager of a Private Military Contractor and have supported the UN Peacekeepers in active war zones. I've live and worked in half the world and I'm multiligual. I'm also a photographer and do CGI artwork.

Oh, and I'm an author too. But since I write harcore SM Erotica I would advise the genteel reader to avoid looking at my work if they are easily shocked or offended.

I have also recently published a non-erotic SF/Horror novel under a different pen name.

I tend to prefer Military SF e.g. David Drake, but I also love Asimov, James White, Andre Norton etc. As for Fantasy, apart from Tolkien, I prefer classic Sword and Sorcery ala Conan and Warhammer.

[C.J.]

Hello V.W.!

[Cyc]

Hi all. I'm fairly new to GR. I joined in December. I spent a lot of time reading as a kid but went on a long break until my nephews got me a Kindle. Now I'm hooked again. :) I figured i would join a couple groups in the genres i like the most.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi all I missed...welcome.

[YouKneeK]

Wow… I normally hate to post in a thread that I haven’t read in its entirety but, with over 4,000 posts going back to 2007, I guess I’ll make an exception on this one!

Hello, I was born in 1975 and I live in the Atlanta area. I started reading at the age of 3 and I’ve been a voracious reader ever since. Well, perhaps that hasn’t been true for the last decade or so. Other responsibilities have drastically reduced my reading time. There are many days when I only have time to read “voraciously” for about 5 minutes...

By the time I realized just how much I enjoyed reading science fiction and fantasy books, I was already at a stage in my life when I had less time to read. Because of this, I’m really not that well-read in either genre. But that just means I have a lot of great books still to be discovered.

Lately, I’ve been trying to make a dent in the unread books on my Kindle. A lot of those books were downloaded years ago before I decided that, just because a book was free, that didn’t mean I had to download it! I ended up deleting many books that I was certain I wouldn’t like, but I still have a lot that I thought were at least worth giving a try. I’ve been focusing more on the standalone books since I can make faster progress with those. (If I read and enjoy a book that’s part of a series, then I get side tracked with the rest of the series.) Right now I’m reading a fantasy novel by Linda Evans called Sleipnir. I wasn’t too sure about the book at first, but I’m about 40% into it now and it’s really growing on me. The last book I read was a science fiction book called Grey which was a little too bizarre for my tastes.

I probably won’t join in on many of the group reads, unless it’s for a book I already own. However, I did see the thread in the “SciFi and Fantasy Challenge 2014” section about a plan to start reading the Wool Omnibus in a couple of days. I own that book and may join in if I can finish my current book in time. (I have enough to keep up with in life without also trying to keep up with more than one book at a time!) I’ve never participated in a group read before, but I think I would probably enjoy it.

My Goodreads bookshelf only contains the books I’ve read since joining Goodreads last November. Trying to work backwards and add books I’d read in the past seemed too overwhelming, and perhaps not the best use of my time, so I decided to make things easy on myself. I do write reviews for all of the books I add and I love reading other people’s reviews of the books I’ve read and comparing their reactions to my own.

I look forward to future book discussions!

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Hi.