SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
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Former Introduction Thread
Hi everyone! I'm Tally, I recently joined Goodreads and didn't realize until now that it can be used as more than just a book-finding app. It's like a virtual book club, which is pretty awesome.A little bit about myself - I live in Seattle, WA, I work in healthcare, and I'm a bookaholic (why else would I be here??). Some of my favorite authors are Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, and Ray Bradbury. I just re-discovered 'reading for fun' (I kind of forgot about it in college), so I'm a little behind on reading. If anyone has any great books to recommend that I missed out on in the past few decades, I would appreciate it! Or new stuff, that works too :) I'm excited to get to know you all!
Tally wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm Tally, I recently joined Goodreads and didn't realize until now that it can be used as more than just a book-finding app. It's like a virtual book club, which is pretty awesome.A..."
So, so many, Tally. I take it your a sci-fi, thriller kind of person? Ever heard of Neal Stephenson or Vernor Vinge? I could recommend a few of those. However, are you into zombie lit at all?
LOL...Tally we could all simply load down your "To Be Read List". Feel free to look over my book shelves.
Matthew wrote: "Tally wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm Tally, I recently joined Goodreads and didn't realize until now that it can be used as more than just a book-finding app. It's like a virtual book club, which is pret..."Neal Stephenson...he wrote Snow Crash, right? That's definitely on my to-read list. I'll have to pick up a copy! I have not heard of Vernor Vinge.
I haven't read much zombie lit.
Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "LOL...Tally we could all simply load down your "To Be Read List". Feel free to look over my book shelves."
Haha you're right Mike...maybe I should work on dwindling down my to-read list before asking for more recommendations :)
Never happen. To Be Read List are meant to grow until they completely overwhelm reality...
Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "Never happen. To Be Read List are meant to grow until they completely overwhelm reality..."Very true...in that case I will be sure to check out your bookshelves and keep adding to my ginormous list. Thanks Mike!
It's cool. I have come to realize that I have little to no chance of finishing my list (especially since I continue adding to it). I guess I think everyone should be in that situation, LOL.
Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "It's cool. I have come to realize that I have little to no chance of finishing my list (especially since I continue adding to it). I guess I think everyone should be in that situation, LOL."Yep, it's better to have too many books to read than not enough. When I'm choosing which book to read next, it really depends on my mood at the time so I like to have a lot of options!
Yep...errr, as you just said. I'm the same way. I have a bad habit of continuing to get library books and never getting to my own.
Tally wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm Tally, I recently joined Goodreads and didn't realize until now that it can be used as more than just a book-finding app. It's like a virtual book club, which is pretty awesome.A..."
Welcome, Tally!
Lot's of nice book lovers here, feel free to check out my book list for SciFi books, etc. I'm also an author, you can check out my authors page.
I enjoy just about all SciFi, the 'Golden Years' authors the more contemporary. If you enjoy Space Opera, I would recommend the 'Honor Harrington' series by David Weber. Pure Horatio Hornblower in Space, lots of action and drama with a strong female lead character.
Gary
Gary wrote: "Tally wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm Tally, I recently joined Goodreads and didn't realize until now that it can be used as more than just a book-finding app. It's like a virtual book club, which is pret..."Thanks for the recommendation, Gary! I'll have to check out that series.
Tally wrote: "Matthew wrote: "Tally wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm Tally, I recently joined Goodreads and didn't realize until now that it can be used as more than just a book-finding app. It's like a virtual book clu..."Yeah, I'm with Mike on this. Recommendations can wait until your to be read list runs dry. But I would definitely recommend Snow Crash and Diamond Age.
Hi all, Sterling R. Walker is my pen name. I write YA SF when I'm not doing mom-stuff and volunteer work (I'm a Guardian ad Litem). I have 6 kids (yes, 6) with 5 still at home, including 2 Chinese daughters. My oldest is married and I'm an abuela (that's still freaking me out a bit since I'm only 48). I've been a writer since I was a child. I majored in English at NC State, but filled all of my electives with creative writing classes. SF author John Kessel steered me to my now-favorite authors like Andre Norton and Elizabeth Moon.
So far I've been with Amazon and KDP. I know I should venture out, but I'm terrible at promoting myself. I guess that comes from being an introvert who's about 10 years behind the technology curve (no, I don't own an iPhone or iPad or text). Ironic, I know, since I write SF, but it's what I like to read so it's what comes naturally in my writing.
I'm finishing up the third book in a trilogy and I hope to have it out by December -- beta readers have it now. I'd like to post about my freebie special coming up, but I guess I'll wait for the admins okay in that department.
Yea! It's autumn!
Hi. I'm Shannon Haddock, a space opera author who's considering branching out into fantasy, which is actually my first love. I had a bad experience in a non-genre fic friendly Creative Writing class in college and haven't been able to finish even a fantasy short story since, but the one I'm working on right now has been going smoothly so far so maybe I'm finally over that teacher's criticisms.I read a lot, generally eight to ten books at once because I'm not good at sticking to one thing at a time. (I also usually have between a dozen and twenty works-in-progress at any time because of this issue.) I mostly read fantasy, but I've been trying to try new things, including genres I'd never read before like "chick lit", more lately since I realized I'd gotten stuck in a habit of only reading stuff by my favorite authors.
In July I finished writing a romance in a space opera setting that I'd been working on for a few years and hope to have it ready to release sometime next year.
Shannon wrote: "Hi. I'm Shannon Haddock, a space opera author who's considering branching out into fantasy, which is actually my first love. I had a bad experience in a non-genre fic friendly Creative Writing ..."
Welcome, Shannon, not just to this site, but to the writing life. It's too bad when you receive unwarranted criticism from someone you had expected to respect, but at the end of the day, when you look at that teacher's disdain for fantasy, the only thing you can logically take away from it is, "His loss." As to trying new authors, I didn't know what exciting reading was until I started reading indies. Sadly, a lot of people who think they can write, can't, but an independent author hasn't tailored his manuscript to pass muster with a publishing industry gatekeeper who is bent on cashing in on the Last Big Thing. And you know this happens; how many clones of Twilight has you seen in the last decade?
So take your confidence firmly in hand and write what you think is good, not some pompous wannabe whose only remaining outlet is stomping on the dreams of others. And try a few indies. You'll be amazed at the work that is out there waiting to be discovered!
Welcome, Shannon, not just to this site, but to the writing life. It's too bad when you receive unwarranted criticism from someone you had expected to respect, but at the end of the day, when you look at that teacher's disdain for fantasy, the only thing you can logically take away from it is, "His loss." As to trying new authors, I didn't know what exciting reading was until I started reading indies. Sadly, a lot of people who think they can write, can't, but an independent author hasn't tailored his manuscript to pass muster with a publishing industry gatekeeper who is bent on cashing in on the Last Big Thing. And you know this happens; how many clones of Twilight has you seen in the last decade?
So take your confidence firmly in hand and write what you think is good, not some pompous wannabe whose only remaining outlet is stomping on the dreams of others. And try a few indies. You'll be amazed at the work that is out there waiting to be discovered!
Hey everyone, I'm Emory. I write in most genres but usually gravitate toward fantasy and science fiction. I like reading a lot of classic lit, especially writers like Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Right now, I'm reading Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick and can't wait to check out more work on here. I recently published my own young adult fantasy novel called Numinous and am bust writing my next. Goodreads always seems like a great place, so I'm excited to be here!
Jack wrote: "Shannon wrote: "Hi. I'm Shannon Haddock, a space opera author who's considering branching out into fantasy, which is actually my first love. I had a bad experience in a non-genre fic friendly Cre..."Yeah, once I realized that the problem was he was wanting us to write deep, literary fiction with layers of meaning and symbolism and themes and all of that stuff, and I was just trying to write a simple fantasy quest, I was able to start putting his advice behind me. It's not a conscious problem any more; it's just I seem to have some sort of mental block against them now. But, it was six years after that class before I could even finish a vignette in any genre, about nine before I could finish a short story, so maybe fourteen is enough to be able to finish a fantasy story again.
Hi everyone! Hope you're having a good week.One of the coolest 'Space Operas' I've read is the 'Honor Harrington' series by Weber.
Do you know of others like this? They make great reading out on the patio with a glass of red and some nachos!
I actually burned out on those...but have you read the Lost Fleet series?
No, but thanks so much for cluing me in to them. I'm up on Amazon now, resisting the urge to buy the first five and dig in!I appreciate the recommendation, Mike!
The first series is the best. The premise as well as the execution.
Gary wrote: "Hi everyone! Hope you're having a good week.
One of the coolest 'Space Operas' I've read is the 'Honor Harrington' series by Weber.
Do you know of others like this? They make great reading out on..."
In Fury Born, same author. Goose bump-inspiring in places.
One of the coolest 'Space Operas' I've read is the 'Honor Harrington' series by Weber.
Do you know of others like this? They make great reading out on..."
In Fury Born, same author. Goose bump-inspiring in places.
Hello SciFi and Fantasy Book Club! I am a new member here; just found out about this club. I am part of 1 other book club and I generally like to use Goodreads to discover books I wouldn't otherwise come across. I prefer science fiction as a genre, but do enjoy an occasional fantasy pic. I like that this group reads 2 books a month and I am looking forward to participating in an occasional discussion and book vote :-)Buzz
Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "The first series is the best. The premise as well as the execution."My teenage son and I LOVE the Jack Campbell books. I discovered John G. Hemry, (Jack Campbell is his pseudonym) because we went to the same university, though not at the same time.
I asked him once about the book covers which seem to have no connection whatsoever to the actual books, and he said they were dictated by the publisher. He said it bothered him at first but now it's kind of a running joke. One of the characters even alludes to this in one of the later novels. :-)
Great series and seemingly very realistic space battles
Jack wrote: "Gary wrote: "Hi everyone! Hope you're having a good week.One of the coolest 'Space Operas' I've read is the 'Honor Harrington' series by Weber.
Do you know of others like this? They make great r..."
Thanks, Jack. I'll add to my list.
Buzz wrote: "Hello SciFi and Fantasy Book Club! I am a new member here; just found out about this club. I am part of 1 other book club and I generally like to use Goodreads to discover books I wouldn't otherwis..."Nice to meet you, Buzz! Space Operas and hard SciFi are generally my choice, though I enjoy an eclectic mix, like Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, or Lowrie's 'Dancing with Eternity'.
Stop by the blog sometime, I explore all sorts of genre's, writing, Texas Haiku's (just for fun ;-), etc.
Happy reading!
Hi all. New to good reads and the group. I've always loved to read and have always been a scifi nerd. I'm an over the road truck driver who spends literally months on the road so in my down time I love to get lost in a good book. Recent reads include the ender series (loved it) , ready player one, the Martian,and the divergent trilogy, I'm currently reading city of bones just so my gf will quit bugging me to read it... (and on the agreement that she will read ready player one.. Lol) I really enjoyed the Martian after I saw it on here as a book of the month.
Hi Guy, welcome. I was a tech. who spent a lot of hours driving. Have you fo0und audio books? They are great for long driving hours.
I'm actually 20 episodes in to a series called the deathlands. It's a series of audio books specifically made for over the road truck drivers. As each episode is 6-8 hours long it makes the time fly bye. They were made in 2006ish time period by a company called graphic audio (their slogan : "a movie in your mind) and follows a throw together group of hard men and women living by the gun in what's left of a post apocalyptic United States... 200 years after the earth was fried by nukes.
Hi all,My names Becky I'm 28 and I live in Worcestershire, UK. I stumbled upon Goodreads a while back but only recently found this group.
I have always read a range of all types of books, excluding romance or trashy stuff. But it seems the older I get, I am reading Sci-fi more exclusively. I also enjoy fantasy, but more from films than books.
I have always found the SF Masterworks collections a good guide for what will be an enjoyable read. If I spot one in a charity shop or the library I can't resist! I also make good use of my Kindle.
I am looking forward to joining in the monthly reads and discussions :-)
Hi Becky, welcome.Guy, I've listened to a couple of books from that company, but not those specific books. I got the Heretic (Templar Chronicles). I'll have to look those up.
Gary wrote: ".Nice to meet you, Buzz! Space Operas and hard SciFi are generally my choice, though I enjoy an eclectic mix, like Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, or Lowrie's 'Dancing with Eternity'..."Gary, nice to meet you as well. I JUST read my first Jim Butcher Dresden Files book last weekend and absolutely loved it! I've already downloaded the next 2 books in the series. :-). I'll have to check out your other suggestion and blog as well.
Hi all, my name is Robin. Just spotted this group on one of my friend's group list. Thought this group sounds like my kind of thing. If anybody's wondering, I'm an 18 year old college student. For any Americans out there, no college isn't university, For us Brits, college is what you do before university. That's my contribution to useless information that people didn't want to know over for the day.
Robin wrote: "Hi all, my name is Robin. Just spotted this group on one of my friend's group list. Thought this group sounds like my kind of thing. If anybody's wondering, I'm an 18 year old college student. For ..."
Welcome, Robin. No information is useless if you need it, and sure that some day...
Welcome, Robin. No information is useless if you need it, and sure that some day...
Buzz wrote: "Gary wrote: ".Nice to meet you, Buzz! Space Operas and hard SciFi are generally my choice, though I enjoy an eclectic mix, like Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, or Lowrie's 'Dancing with Eternity'..."..."
Great! You won't be disappointed. Mr. Butcher maintains a wonderful plot line and characters in the whole series. It actually gets better in each book!
Gary
Robin wrote: "Hi all, my name is Robin. Just spotted this group on one of my friend's group list. Thought this group sounds like my kind of thing. If anybody's wondering, I'm an 18 year old college student. For ..."Hey, Robin, welcome! It's amazing how many friends and readers I have in the UK. In some ways I think SciFi is more an interest there than in the USA. After all, you have Dr. Who!
If you like, stop by my writing blog sometime. I have writing ideas, some Texas Haikus (just for fun ;-) and some links to authors you might enjoy..
Cheers!
Thanks Jack. I'm really looking forward to the recommendations I'll get from this group. In terms of useless information I'm happy to know that my contribution allows you to tell a random person in the future that the British and American college system are totally different.
Hey Gary, like the slang mate. I'm glad that at least one person in this group will understand the invariable references to British culture I'll make. I'll stop by your blog some time. Agree with the point you made about the interest in fantasy and scifi in the UK.
Hi Robin. Welcome. I hope that like myself... This group opens up a whole new spectrum of book ideas you wouldn't have come across otherwise.
Hi mike, I actually spotted this group when I was having a look through your profile for similar books we've read.
It Has indeed guy, I'm sure this group will provide me a lot of recommendations for the future.
Awww now I'm blushing.I'm always willing to add more books to anyone's "to be read list". I have more books on mine than I'll ever read, so it's my goal in life to get everyone else in that position.
My TBR list is getting out of hand. I can't make my self take anything off because I do actually want to read everything on the list
I just want a general opinion guys, should I start reading the Wheel Of Time series. I've heard that the second half of the series can get waring. So should I bother reading through the full series
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SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
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Very nice to meet you, Chris.
I'm still a newbie here as well, I'm still working my way around the street ;-)
I write software as my 'real' job and write at night and on w/es as much as possible. My list of 'todo' stories keeps getting bigger, not smaller!
Which authors do you enjoy most?
Gary