Bibliophiles (Un)Anonymous

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New Soul
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Menolly wrote: Wed Jul 01, 2020 4:01 am I'm trying to read more books (and especially more sci-fi/fantasy) by authors of color, so I'm reading Kindred by Octavia Butler.
I'm trying to do the same, I'll add this one to my ever growing Goodreads to read list. I'm trying to diversify my SF/fantasy list so if anyone has any recommendations I'd love to hear some, although I have less time to read in the summer than I do at winter.
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Elven Enchanter
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@Menolly I'll have to check that out. I'm currently reading the second Outlander book and am enjoying it for the most part.
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Sage of Khazad-dûm
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Hi everyone - just to say if you are an audio book fan, you can listen to LotR for free on Google Podcasts. It is under booksforyou Lord of the Rings Audiobook.
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Sage of Khazad-dûm
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For those of us who are His Dark Materials fans - November will see the first in a series of illustrated copies from Scholastic. I found a pre-order in the UK (waterstones) but not sure about anywhere else. Philip has shared a first glimpse on his twitter here https://twitter.com/PhilipPullman/statu ... 9593700352
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New Soul
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I was just updating my planner and I remembered that I might as well post about Dewey's Reverse Readathon for this summer. It starts on the August 7th at 8 PM EST. I'll be participating, although it starts at 2 AM my time :lol: but it's a great way to catch up on all the books I've been meaning to finish/read.

And speaking of books I've just finished the 6th instalment in the Edwin Weaver series Cast the First Stone. It's an amazing medieval mystery series that I reviewed the previous instalments on the blog. What I like about the series itself, and Cast the First Stone especially, is how dr. Hanley manages to write with such ease and interest about everyday life in a medieval village and how she manages to accurately portray the attitudes, beliefs and behaviour of people of various backgrounds and classes. Sometimes a character's behaviour or attitude can seem strange from a 21st century perspective, but when you start to thing and research a bit about it you realise she got everything spot on!

If anything about this sounds interesting, I highly recommend the book series and the Readathon :-)
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Ent Ancient
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@Gwai - I saw that you enjoy detective stories in Ringwraith Review and would like to read more...do you have any you'd recommend? I like mysteries and I'd like to read more, but find it hard to pick which ones to read. I feel like I've only dabbled in mysteries.

I've enjoyed what Agatha Christie I've read, I liked Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith/JK Rowling and two of Ruth Ware's books (though maybe slightly more thriller). I usually like historical or crossover with another genre mysteries, but I am open to trying new things! I quite like unconventional detectives and enjoyed a few 1920s cozy mysteries with women who are not necessarily detective solving cases for a lighter read.

New Soul
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@Lailorn my favorite mystery author is Tess Gerritsen. She wrote the Rizzoli and Isles series, I'd just start at the beginning. They're all pretty good, you don't have to read in order. Some probably cross into thriller also. They turned it into a cable TV show too, I watched a couple but they weren't my favorite.

I always love Agatha Christie's. I read the Robert Galbraith (/Rowling) series, it was good, but not my favorite. If you like historical ones, or that are a bit more lighthearted, try Georgette Heyer. She writes a lot of romances, but her 1920's-ish murder mysteries are pretty funny, and "cozy", or at least what I think of as cozy! Rhys Bowen writes a series called Her Royal Spyness, which is really, really lighthearted, good summer reading.

The Stranger and Run Away by Harlan Coben were pretty good. I like the Women's Murder Club Series by James Patterson too. Any recommendations on your end? I'm always looking for new books! My neighbor just gave me quite a few I might not have read otherwise, I liked the Crazy Rich Asians series a lot. And Miss Oliphant is Completely Fine was another good one!

Sage of Khazad-dûm
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Hi everyone - has anyone read The Book of Koli (Rampart Trilogy #1) by M.R. Carey ?
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Chef
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I can't say that I have. But I came to ask if anyone has read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers. I'm in the middle of it and it's surprisingly funny and engaging. Usually I like Serious Science Fiction, but this is very much not serious and I'm really enjoying it (about a third of the way through so far).
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New Soul
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@Menolly - I've read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and it's among my favourite SF books I've read! I loved how the characters were portrayed and especially the relationships between characters. I hope you'll like it as much as I did. :-)
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Ent Ancient
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@Gwai - I haven't heard of the ones you mentioned. Thank you, I'll be sure to check them out! Well, as far as mysteries...if you like urban fantasy, I liked Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London. I read the first two. Really liked the first one, the second one not quite as much. I don't often stick with series the whole way through, though, unless they really amaze me. So don't take that as a bad thing.

Ruth Ware's The Woman in Cabin 10 had me hooked and it was a pretty intense book for me.

If you like historical mysteries with a plucky heroine, I'd recommend Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart. Its actually based on the first female Under Sherrif in the U.S. and it was quite a fun book.

And for sort of borderline mystery/urban fantasy, I recommend The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman where librarians travel through alternate worlds/universes in search of rare books for their collection and cope with tensions between dragons and fae.

I am currently really enjoying Marie Brennan's A Natural History of Dragons: Memoirs of Lady Trent. Its everything I wanted Robin Hobb's Rain Wild Chronicles to be without all the heaviness and depression.

Healer of Imladris
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Every time I drop by this thread I add stuff to my Goodreads. Just put Angry Planet on hold, seems like my sort of thing. And finally starting to read again for the first time since the Plaza came back and ate up all my time. :lol:

Finished Tigana the other day, my first Guy Gavriel Kay book. Really enjoyed it and was simultaneously horrified by various things. There were a few scenes I definitely could have done without, but I do think I'll be reading more of him.

Also read Eoin Colfer's Highfire, for any Artemis Fowl fans out there @Queen Nerwen. A++ for being a quirky dragon book. I thought it suffered a bit from trying too hard to be ADULT FICTION, but I get it, it's hard to break out of the YA box.

Finally have to the Book of Dust books in the pipeline, speaking of His Dark Materials. And meandering my way through Charles de Lint's Dreams Underfoot in between novels.
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Chef
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I just finished The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. It is SO good and I can't recommend it enough. I did that thing where I accidentally stayed up until the wee hours and read until my eyes hurt, and it's been a while since I've done that. I'm also going to throw out a quote from the book (not spoilery) that really resonated with me and I thought might resonate with other people here as well.
"Do you know why Human modders give themselves weird names? It's a really old practice, goes back to pre-Collapse computer networks. We're talking old tech here. People would choose names for themselves that they only used within a network. Sometimes that name became so much a part of who they were that even their friends out in the real world started using it. For some folks, those names became their whole identity. Their true identity, even. Now, modders, modders don't care about anything as much as individual freedom. They say that nobody can define you but you."
they/them/actual hobbit in search of a merrier world

New Soul
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@Dimcairien Luiniel Curious to find out what you think of the Outlander books. I've read most of them, but my motivation eventually died out at some point.

Also, hello fellow book friends. I see many of you are reading fiction. I read quite a bit of fantasy and fiction when I was younger and I read some now. These days, I'm often reading non-fiction finds. In July I finished So You Want to Talk About Race, Born a Crime, Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered, The Other Boleyn Girl (a reread), The Boleyn Inheritance (another reread), and The Ballard of Songs and Snakes.

Last week I finished Daring Greatly and I'm currently on A Handmaid's Tale.

I read a lot, but some of that is from flipping back and forth from audio book to tangible book. I like audio books for long drives (which I have a lot of in remote areas) and for when I'm just sitting at the computer working.
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Wise Ent
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I just finished listening to So You Want to Talk about Race too, @Tari! And read Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes recently too....thoughts?

I’m reading Pegasus in Space And Moreta of Pern by Anne McCaffrey, The Great Halifax Explosion (about the 1917 explosion there), White Rage, A Golden Thread (about the Cold War and the death of Dag Hammarsjold, Barrows Boys (about the golden age of British naval exploration), plus some Kindle books....Am busy!
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New Soul
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@Flame Fried Ent - After sitting on it the last couple weeks since I finished it. I really do think I like it. I like the complexity of the characters and really enjoyed seeing how the Hunger Games were before the trilogy and how they've evolved since. Also, with how many books you're currently reading, you sound a bit like me. I love to switch back and forth between things as they suit my moods. What did you think of So You Want to Talk About Race?
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Sage of Khazad-dûm
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So You Want to Talk about Race is on my shelf too, but I am trying really hard to read books about race properly, not in any performative way. Long Way to a Small Angry Planet is also on my TBR (it's a big list) so the positive recommendation is good to hear. I'm always a bit suspicious of GoodReads reviews...

@Aerlinn I'm still not over the Artemis Fowl thing, I think it might haunt me for some time. I think I may have read Highfire before but not sure so have put it back on the TBR. Book of Dust...my love for HDM is never ending!!

@Lailorn I loved Invisible Library. I think I've also read the second one, but can't remember loving it as much.

How are you finding Handmaids Tale @Tari ? It's one of my favourites.
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Wise Ent
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@Tari I liked both books. So You Want to Talk about Race was good and gave me a better insight into issues in the US. I'm reading White Rage now, and that is a very good book. Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was also good. It made me actually feel the teensiest bit sorry for Snow....and gave me a HUGE insight into why he saw Katniss as such a threat. She's a bit too much like the previous District 12 female victor, eh?

I've loved Handmaid's Tale for years, and also like The Testaments.
Do not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons, for You are Crunchy and Good with Ketchup.

Chef
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Heeyoooo Moreta of Pern! Just, y'know, one of my very favorite series ever.

So You Want to Talk About Race is also on my shortlist. My local library district was going to have the author come speak back in March, and then covid happened, so it's been postponed to be a virtual event later this fall.

I also read Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes recently, and I wanted to like it more than I actually liked it. Part of it was the timing, but it was hard to read about an entitled white guy who's just a terrible human and how he gets everything he ever wanted (I realize I'm oversimplifying, but it felt that way to me). I couldn't sympathize with him at all.
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New Soul
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@Queen Nerwen After a teeny protest in my teeny town with awry we decided to get a little book club together and read some books about race so we could better know how to navigate conversations in town. I think anyone reading and learning is doing more than many! Our little book club about it has led to some awesome conversations and realizations we all didn't have before. Now we're moving on to more books, which we didn't expect initially. It's a great book to read with folks and be able to talk about. Also, loving Handmaid's Tale - way better than the show.

@Flame Fried Ent Totally agree on the insight. It really helped make sense of his dislike for District 12 and Katniss.

@Menolly I had not thought of that perspective before. I don't think you're oversimplifying at all. It's a valid point. I am really glad that he didn't end up being the white savior at the end though.
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Sage of Khazad-dûm
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@Tari Have you read Noughts and crosses?
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New Soul
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@Queen Nerwen Nooooo, should I??
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Archer of Lothlorien
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Culfinwen Lihtarwe wrote: Tue May 19, 2020 3:08 pm
Aerlinn wrote: Tue May 19, 2020 11:33 am Has anyone been reading V.E. Schwab? Vicious and Vengeful are kinda dark for me but they were quality page-turners. And if you're a fan of the superhero genre I definitely recommend. I read her Shades of Magic trilogy too and I loved the first one, but it was all downhill from there.
I looooved Vicious and Vengeful (although they are super dark). And I'm with you about Shades of Magic. I was so bummed that the second one ended on a cliffhanger that was solved in like the first five minutes of the third. Just... don't end on a cliffhanger! :smiley9: That being said, I loved Rhy as a character and was glad he got more screen time.
@Aerlinn @Culfinwen Lihtarwe V.E. Schwab is one of my favorite authors! Have either of you tried her Monsters of Verity series? Unlike the Villains and Shades of Magic series, Monsters is YA, but it still has a lot of that dark, page-turning charm that I feel like Schwab writes into almost all of her novels. I'm very excited to read her latest book, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, soon. I even took the release off from work so I can read it right away!
She/They. Aspirant elf. Actually a hobbit. "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

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Reikon Suchi-ru wrote: Sat May 16, 2020 3:11 pm Has anyone read the His Dark Materials series? I know @Lealnemarr mentioned it in another thread. I was a huge fan, read it around the same time I read Lord of the Rings the first time. My fiancee re-read it in the lead up to the new HDM TV shows. What did everyone think of the TV show, both on its own, and as an adaptation?
@Reikon Suchi-ru I am a huge fan of the His Dark Materials series! They are my all time favorite books. I also read them for the first time right around when I read the Lord of the Rings way back in early high school, although I read HDM a little bit before I read LOTR I think. About a year ago, I made my partner read (he listened to the full cast audiobooks) HDM for the first time before the TV show started, and I listened along too (probably like my thousandth reading of the books) in preparation for the new Book of Dust series. Regarding the TV show, I enjoyed the first season. I don't think I really need an adaptation, but I enjoyed it all the same. I really liked that they introduced us to Will so soon. And Ruth Wilson as Mrs. Coulter was spot-on!
Last edited by Manwathiel on Sun Aug 30, 2020 1:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
She/They. Aspirant elf. Actually a hobbit. "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

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Queen Nerwen wrote: Sat May 16, 2020 4:50 pm I adore His Dark Materials - has anyone read the two new books? I've been and sat on the bench in Oxford which is cited as Lyra and Will's bench. It was a bit emotional!
@Queen Nerwen I have read the two new His Dark Materials books. HDM is my all time favorite book series! So I enjoyed the first Book of Dust. Unfortunately, the second one disappointed me. I won't say why because spoilers, but there is a certain scene toward the end that just made me so incredibly sad. Also, I love that you've had the opportunity to sit on Lyra and Will's bench in Oxford! That must've been really emotional! I had a chance to go to Oxford once, but missed out due to an illness. Someday I will get there, hopefully.
Last edited by Manwathiel on Sun Aug 30, 2020 1:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
She/They. Aspirant elf. Actually a hobbit. "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

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Aerlinn wrote: Fri Aug 07, 2020 4:01 am Finally have to the Book of Dust books in the pipeline, speaking of His Dark Materials. And meandering my way through Charles de Lint's Dreams Underfoot in between novels.
@Aerlinn I'd love to hear your thoughts on the Book of Dust books. I have so many feelings regarding these books because His Dark Materials was so precious to me. But I know so few people who have read them, so I have no one to talk to!
She/They. Aspirant elf. Actually a hobbit. "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

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Anybody read Sam Sykes? Specifically Seven Blades in Black. I've followed him on twitter for years but this is my first time actually reading one of his books.
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Sage of Khazad-dûm
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@Tari Yes please right now <3

@Manwathiel I completely agree. Life changing books. And I have heard rumours of this scene and I think it's why I haven't yet opened Secret Commonwealth
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New Soul
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Haven't popped in here in a while, but here to report that bringing extra books on flights is always a good idea: what I figured would be a 3, maybe 4, book flight over the weekend turned into 4.5 when there was a two-hour delay for maintenance on the tarmac. Mercifully, I was prepared. :lol:
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Sage of Khazad-dûm
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@Almarëa Mordollwen Never been so thankful for books on flights than when I've been flying to/from the states. What did you read?
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New Soul
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@Queen Nerwen An assortment of things - combination of academia-related (b/c yay job market...) and airplane-related (b/c fun):

The Hurricane Girls (Jo Wheeler), Transforming Universities with Digital Distance Education (Mark Nichols), Spitfire: The Biography (Jonathan Glancey), Managing Your Career in Higher Education Administration (Michelle Gander, Heather Moyes, and Emma Sabzalieva), Survive and Thrive in Academia: The New Academic's Pocket Mentor (Kate Woodthorpe).
She/her. Almarëa - Rivendell / Jaena - Lone Lands (T.A.) and Gondor (F.A.) / Layna - Mordor

Sage of Khazad-dûm
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I often think I should write a book or memoir about supporting HE work...
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New Soul
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I would definitely read that book! I imagine you'd have quite a few stories. :lol:
She/her. Almarëa - Rivendell / Jaena - Lone Lands (T.A.) and Gondor (F.A.) / Layna - Mordor

Sage of Khazad-dûm
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"101 moments I questioned why professors are the way they are"....
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Chef
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@Moriel I forget if I ever told you but I finally finished all the Wolf Halls a while back so English history is no longer banned from the website

I was admittedly a bit wrong about the happy ending

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@Narv Oh excellent, let the memes begin

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Evil is a lifestyle | she/her

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Hey, still there @Manwathiel (and other Book of Dust readers!)? :grin: Sorry for the slow answer, but that is...a bit of a review in and of itself isn't it? I did enjoy La Belle Sauvage for the most part--hard to go wrong with Boy in Canoe Adventure. It didn't have anything like the same impact as HDM but then again, I'm not ten years old. Everything else I'm going to white out for spoilers. Thoughts on The Secret Commonwealth below...

[SPOILERS] *That scene* at the end is a whole discussion itself, but even aside from that it's a weird book. Lyra going straight to the police in the beginning seemed super out of character. The whole author/philosopher fight with Pan seemed vague and confusing and like their split would have made more sense if it was just about what happened when they separated at the Land of the Dead. I am also completely hung up on that whole thing with the Guy On Fire what on earth?? I just kept picturing the fire guy from Fantastic Four which I've never even seen.

I desperately missed the supporting cast from HDM which was more than just a bunch of random people Lyra interacts with once and then never sees again. And this is back to La Belle, but all the fairy stuff felt out of place for HDM. Secret Commonwealth felt too modern. It was like the whole series was taking place in an alternate to the alternate-Oxford. Maybe that's the catch! :brickwall:

All that said, I didn't totally hate it and wouldn't tell HDM *not* to read it. I'll definitely be reading the next book just to see if it all comes together, but...eh.
[/SPOLERS]

In general I like to think I've become more forgiving of prequels/sequels that maybe should have been left alone. No book is strictly "necessary," and I think I'd rather the authors I love take a risk and publish too much rather than sit on something that might have been great. Buuuuuuuut...well, we'll see how the next one goes.
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Ent Ancient
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@Androthelm - I'm certain I've looked at Seven Blades in Black before but never picked it up. What do you think so far?

I recently read two contemporary fiction novels (not a genre I read much of) that were really good. If, Then by Kate Hope Day - a what-if type of story with disjointed timelines of people living in small-town Oregon and The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel about the rippling fallout of a ponzi scheme. Both were really good and I'd recommend if it tickles your fancy and now I'm wondering what other great contemporary fiction books I'm missing out on.

Earlier this year I read Race the Sands by Sarah Beth Durst and really liked it. This is her first adult fantasy book and it is about a world with reincarnation where "bad" people (murders and such) are reborn as monsters who are used for racing. Bonus - its standalone!

I just started N.K. Jemisin's The Killing Moon today and somehow I get the feeling everything in this world is not as it seems.

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I uhh recently picked up The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (the Hunger Games Author) that is set in the same universe. I absolutely adored it, honestly I got it 3 days before I joined the plaza and finished it in 2 nights of reading.

Based around the rise of Coriolanus Snow and the very early Hunger Games. I found it to be not QUITE as well written as the original trilogy (which I will admit I enjoyed entirely) but I think she tried to get everything into one book as this is meant to be a standalone and is not going to have a sequel/trilogy. Give a good bit of history on the original trilogy that this is a prequel for. (Also I totally got it for $8 as a hardcover so wasn't gonna not buy it)
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@Lail I finished it a few days back, actually. Unfortunately I didn't love it -- it was a fun world and a good cast, but honestly I wanted the main character to be just a touch more... serious, I guess? It was a kind of a grim story (war of attrition, death of innocents, straight up war crimes committed by one of the main characters) generally played straight / seriously, and then in the middle of it all the main character was making fart jokes etc.

Well written, just sort of inconsistent in tone.

If, Then and Glass Hotel sound amazing Lail. I'll have to check those out. Race the Sands also sounds cool -- we love a standalone fantasy novel.

@Fuin Elda glad to hear Ballad of Songbirds was good! Spinoffs / prequels / sequel series are always a bit risky (still recovering from the later Dune books).
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High Lord of Imladris
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@Androthelm I don't think it was as concisely written but it wasn't so bad that I didn't stay up until 6 am when I started reading it without realizing it lol
Sereg a Dîn

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I'm not looking for more than that in a book!
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@Aerlinn Thank you for your reply about HDM, and no worries about a late response. I rejoined the Plaza all excited to be on here, but in real life stuff has been taking up so much of my time that I haven't been on here as much as I would like. But anyway...I have to say, I was nodding in agreement as I read your spoilery comments on The Secret Commonwealth. I fully concur!
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@Manwathiel I didn't realize until after I finished that The Secret Commonwealth has barely been out for a year! I guess we could have a bit of a wait. Good luck with real life and drop by when you can!

I've been trying to sleep better which means I've been reading more and staring at my computer screen less. Bad for my post count but better for Goodreads. :lol:

Anyways, someone loaned me the English box set of Nausicaa recently. I've read so little manga that I mostly feel unqualified to comment, but even knowing it was coming I was surprised by how fast the material from the movie was finished and the story moved on into whole new chapters. As a Ghibli fan its definitely a treat to have all this "extra" stuff to discover. Miyazaki has another manga, I think just one volume, loosely set in the same world that I may try to tackle in Japanese next. There doesn't seem to be an official English translation. Oh! There's this index of translated sound effects in the back that's just the best thing I've ever seen. "Baki baki (crumble crumble....Zuuun gaaan (zaboom boom)...Gigi kichi kichi (kch chk chk)..." It goes on for a dozen pages.

I also started Riftwar, if anyone is a fan? I never read it as a kid though I was vaguely aware of its existence mostly due to Feist's proximity to David Eddings on library bookshelves. I'm not sure that the American republication that split Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master into two volumes did it any favors but I'm enjoying the ride. The first volume felt very warm and nostalgic, and the second one kind of turned the whole thing into a complete story. Will continue reading shortly in hopes of more Small, Cuddly Dragon.

Currently on West with the Night, an aviation memoir by Beryl Markham that I think I mentioned in Ringwraith Review. I'm not very far yet but it looks to be a sure recommendation. My dad told me to read it and I don't think he's sent me a bad book yet!
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Ent Ancient
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@Androthelm - bummer! Sounds like Seven Blades in Black might be a miss for me, then. Not sure I have the patience for that at least right now. Thanks!

@Aerlinn - oooh Nausicaa is on my list to read! I have probably read <5 manga/graphic novels in my entire life but I saw it somewhere and was really into the main idea of it. I've got to check it out from the library sometime. Glad to hear it got a positive review.

I'm sad to say I didn't love The Killing Moon. I liked The Fifth Season so I thought I might like this one, too. I liked the idea of the magic and the world but the execution failed a little for me. The last 20-30% was the best part for sure though. It was a very slow start for me and I had to force myself to keep going. May also be a case of wrong book-wrong time.

Loremaster of the Herd
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@Lail yeah, it was a bit of a let-down. Honestly with some time out from it I think I liked the characters / world a bit more than I thought I had at first, so I'll probably get around to the sequel eventually but it's not on my top list right now.
In the deeps of Time, amidst the Innumerable Stars

New Soul
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I almost forgot to mention here, but Dewey's Readathon is on October 24th and you can sign up here. This time they have interesting pre-readathon mini-challenges. I'll see if I can fit some of the mini-challenges in my reading schedule because October is turning into research central month :lol:
She/her.
Solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant
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@Yávië Nausicaä is so beautiful, isn't it? Both the film and the manga. The manga is a real treat, since the story goes beyond the ending of the film. I also own the two volume special box set published by VIZ. I bought them a long time ago at an anime con, but then only read them this past year. So much happens at the end of the manga that it had me questioning everything!
She/They. Aspirant elf. Actually a hobbit. "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

New Soul
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I almost mixed up the date for this month's Readathon :lol: luckily a reminder came up on the smartphone, so I was saved by the bell :lol: I'm hoping I'll finish Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark tomorrow and at least start Rebecca Roanhorse's Black Sun. But mostly I think I'll try to listen as many short stories that Levar Burton reads in his podcast aptly named Levar Burton Reads :lol: There's a lot of great things there that I just haven't had a chance to listen, so tomorrow's a great time to do it :-)
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Solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant
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Ooooh, @Nessa Saelind I had no idea about that podcast. I'm not usually one for audiobookish things but lately I desperately need something to listen to that's not Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. :lol:

@Little Bird Lail The only other graphic novels/manga I've read in full is probably Sandman. I like illustrated books and all but I'm not really very good at "reading" pictures so I tend to end up all "this character with black hair is someone different from the last character with black hair??" and "wait when did the setting change?" :lol: But even though I probably missed a million things, Nausicaa is so good and so iconic it's definitely a bucket list-er. Oh, I just read The Glass Hotel too! I thought it was a little slow in places, but Mandel sure is a gifted writer, isn't she?

I plan to buy that box set for myself one of these days @Manwathiel but the only problem is they're too big to read in bed! I was determined to try, and kept dropping the dratted things on my nose!

***
So, the other day I googled Antoine de Saint-Exupéry on a whim to see if he had written anything besides The Little Prince. Turns out there's A LOT (probably a surprise to no one but me!). I read Night Flight the other day--it was lovely--and will probably read Wind, Sand, and Stars next.
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