Bibliophiles (Un)Anonymous

Yeah I get it, this is where everyone will actually post.
Balrog
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Because so many of us have either Twitter, or FB, or neither, I wanted to find a social media platform that made more sense for those of us here to gather in. I figured Goodreads, a platform literally based around reading and books, would be perfect for us, therefore I made a group we can all enjoy... I hope

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/10 ... ding-group
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Wise Ent
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Thanks @Frost , just joined.
Do not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons, for You are Crunchy and Good with Ketchup.

Ent Ancient
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Oh! As a non-facebooker (and non-user of most social media) this is perfect for me. :) Thanks! I just joined!
she/her

Healer of Imladris
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Thanks @Frost! I've been a pretty steady Goodreads user for the past few years but I don't have much of a friends list. :smiley9: Joined, I'm Maiya.
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Chef
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@Frost I'll be curious to hear what you think of zer0es when you get to it. It's on my list as well but I have a stack of other books to read first!

Yay, goodreads! I only signed up recently when I started working at my local library, because I needed a way to keep track of what I've read when my turn comes around for staff picks that we put on display.
they/them/actual hobbit in search of a merrier world

Sage of Khazad-dûm
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I added the goodreads link to the OP thanks @Frost
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Balrog
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I'm so glad you all like it! I only started using Goodreads this year but it's been a great tool for connecting with readers all over, it only made sense that we have a group there we can gather in :smiley8:
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

New Soul
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I am actively not spamming in the goodreads group.
they/he/mischief

Balrog
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I am proud of you Toast! I can appreciate that the strain must be great :smiley9:
Strange Fruit got holes in the flesh but it ain't gonn' spoil cause it never was fresh

Ent Ancient
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Whoa I'm such a noob I didn't realise this thread had a first page! :smiley20:

@Culfinwen Lihtarwe - I had no idea Laura Weymouth was a former Plazaite! I loved The Light Between the Worlds. I'm sorry to say I didn't really get into A Treason of Thorns, though. I recall reading on her bio she wrote LotR Fanfic and briefly wondered if it was on the Plaza. Then I thought, nah, couldn't be!

I saw someone mention Mistborn earlier. I really loved the first book, then the second two not as much. I really liked the Era 2 novels with Wax! Overall, I feel like newer fantasy novels are pretty hit and miss for me.
she/her

Horse-lord of The Mark
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@Lailyn I enjoyed them both, though TLBW REALLY made me bawl and I love books that can do that. It's so cathartic.

I feel the same about Mistborn, TBH. I just got less invested in the characters and conflict as it went on. And I haven't read any Sanderson since, despite the rabid adoration of him on all fantasy recommendation forums. But I love a lot of newer fantasy novels. There's SO much variety these days! Have you read James Islington's The Shadow of What was Lost (and sequels, though I haven't read 3 yet)? If you're looking for something with a more traditional feel, you might like it. It doesn't rock the boat, but hey, it doesn't always need to.

I've joined the Goodreads group but I haven't updated my Goodreads page in like years and I rarely go on so I don't know how active I'll be. :smiley15:

@Menolly Totally with you on Wise Man's Fear. I think my eyes have never recovered from the eyerolls at the Felurian part. :smiley9:
Former Hæland of the Cavalry
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Ent Ancient
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@Culfinwen Lihtarwe TLBW - ME TOO! Omg. It was so beautiful and emotional and.. beautiful! I don't know how else to describe it. I just absolutely loved it. I also love books that can evoke such strong emotions.

Yes, for me as far as Mistborn, I think it was the absence of a character spoiler!: Kelsier that was the biggest thing for me even if it made sense. And I did not love the Deus ex machina in the third book.

Oh funny! I actually just read The Shadow of What was Lost and... I didn't like it! For a variety of reasons. Which is odd because I thought I would. I had the opposite experience having just finished N.K. Jemison's The Fifth Season. I did not expect to like it and I did. *shrug*
she/her

New Soul
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Frost wrote: Sun May 24, 2020 5:08 pm I am proud of you Toast! I can appreciate that the strain must be great :smiley9:
Thank you, thank you. Too kind, too kind. *bows and such*

also I have to keep coming back here to find the link since apparently I'm bad at goodreads and just stubbornly refuse to bookmark the thing
they/he/mischief

Horse-lord of The Mark
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Lailyn wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 11:06 pm I actually just read The Shadow of What was Lost and... I didn't like it! For a variety of reasons. Which is odd because I thought I would. I had the opposite experience having just finished N.K. Jemison's The Fifth Season. I did not expect to like it and I did. *shrug*
Agreed about Mistborn. And also (spoiler)I got kind of bored with Min and Elend just being together instead of flirting at balls.

I actually thought the second Islington was better (a little more original, too), but there are too many books in this world to try to read ones you aren't keen about. I read the first bit of Fifth Season but something about the style put me off. It's on my list of things to try again. Sometimes I'm just not in the right mood and then love it later. And I'm trying to read out of my comfort zone, stretch myself a little, though admittedly I have not been a good reader the past couple months. It's been Guy Gavriel Kay and Terry Pratchett for me lately... so, pure cathartic weeping alternating with laughs? :smiley9:
Former Hæland of the Cavalry
Former over-active member (and Maia) of the Cottage
Current lurker/intermittent poster just happy to be back

New Soul
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A few good series I've discovered since the old Plaza days: Naomi Novik's Temeraire series (dragons + alternate history); Marie Brennan's A Natural History of Dragons, and Genevieve Cogman's Invisible Library.

Latest non-fiction has generally been thesis-related. Although Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir's Valkyrie: The Women of the Viking World (which just came out in April) is fantastic and definitely accessible to a more general audience!
She/her. Almarëa - Rivendell / Jaena - Lone Lands (T.A.) and Gondor (F.A.) / Layna - Mordor

New Soul
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Alma! *glomps*
they/he/mischief

Ent Ancient
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@Culfinwen Lihtarwe re: your spoiler - Yep, I can totally see that.

I'm glad you liked it! Yes, I agree. There are so many books out there waiting to be read! I can see how the Fifth Season style would put a lot of people off. Its definitely...different. In fact, the style its written in is normally something that would put me off, so its pretty odd I not only finished, but liked it. Its always good to have a bit of both comfort and stretching out of your comfort zone. :)

@Almarëa Mordollwen - oh nice to see another Invisible Library fan! I have to say I just love those books, they are so much fun!

Trying to think of some other ones I've really liked... Michael J Sullivan's Riyria books were fun to read. And Robert Jackson Bennett's sequel to Foundryside just came out and I absolutely loved both books. So excited for the next one. YA-wise, I've been enjoying Sebastian de Castell's Spellslinger books and just finished up Sarah Beth Durst's Renthia books I very much enjoyed.
she/her

Chef
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Be warned, everyone, @Sil asked me why Dragonriders of Pern is worth reading and where to start, so I wrote a novel about some of my favorite novels on discord, which @Queen Nerwen asked me to add here. Please read my favorite childhood fantasy series if you're into that sort of thing.

Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series was my first introduction to high fantasy as a child/preteen (except for the Hobbit). She wrote maybe 20 books set in the universe. I would recommend starting with Dragonflight, which was her first novel and sets up the world of Pern and the characters we meet and follow for many years. Her first trilogy is Dragonflight, Dragonquest, and The White Dragon. Dragonflight has some first novel hiccups but had me thoroughly engrossed by about the last third or so, and then the second two in the trilogy are just great all the way through.
As to why, it's really solid worldbuilding and engaging characters, especially female characters, which were in short supply in sci fi and fantasy when she wrote her first novels. The novels eventually follow characters introduced in Dragonflight through 20 or 30 years of their lives. It's also good action; people ride dragons to whom they're telepathically bonded to defeat Thread, this mysterious stuff that rains down from the sky and eats all organic material on the surface of the planet. There are also sci fi elements introduced later that are blended in intriguing ways with the fantasy world she's created.
If you like the first trilogy, you can keep reading mostly in any order. There are individual novels set throughout Pern's 2000-ish year history, and then there are a few more that should be read in order, but you can find that info online, or ask me again, if you want to read them all. The Harper Hall trilogy, which features Menolly (obviously my favorite character), is written for a pre-teen audience but I think is still enjoyable for adults; it runs concurrently with the initial trilogy time-wise. The other books are written more for an adult audience. I would recommend stopping after the Skies of Pern, which was the last Pern novel McCaffrey wrote herself. After that, she and her son co-wrote several and then she passed the series off to him. I read a couple of their co-written ones and I was disappointed in the quality of the writing and story.
they/them/actual hobbit in search of a merrier world

New Soul
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WOW well I have never succeeded in reading much fantasy at all beyond LOTR so I’m not sure how much I have to contribute. I did love the Gormenghast books though.

Currently trying to work my way through Proust and The Friend by Sigrid Nunez. Just finished A Wild Sheep Chase by Murakami and a Foucault is staring me down right now but I think if I don’t look it in the eyes, it won’t catch me.

I’m in a bit of a bind because I accidentally stole books from the public library and they’ve forgiven my fines but i can’t access my account until I return them and I can’t take them back until the libraries open again...so I may or may not have spent a lot of money on books since quarantine started three months ago...no regrets though really.

Doorwarden of The Mark
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I’m listening to the audiobook of ‘Heroes’ by Stephen Fry and enjoying it - Greek myths and legends.

Tzu - could you still get e-books through your library system set up? I have a feeling that ours may let people who are suspended from borrowing physical books still use e-lending services.
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Æthelwigend of the Westmark

Healer of Imladris
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I’m in a bit of a bind because I accidentally stole books from the public library and they’ve forgiven my fines but i can’t access my account until I return them and I can’t take them back until the libraries open again...
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who does this sort of thing... Very nice to see another Plaza legend back! :smiley8:

On a non-fantasy note, I read my first Nabokov earlier this year, The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, and was blown away by the shifts in tone and skill between the layers of narration and books within the book. But now that the Plaza is back I am not reading anything at all because I am posting here instead! Gah!
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Sage of Khazad-dûm
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Hi @Tzülien lovely to see you x

I have just started to read The Lido, which is very much a standard fiction novel. Anyone read that?
Family Stealtharm | Sil's #1 Property | Knowledge of a woman, pride of a dwarf | Khazâd ai-mênu!

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New Soul
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Love Nabokov @Aerlinn !! King Queen Knave is a great one to add to your list. He was such a fascinating person. Crazily translated his own books.

New Soul
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@Mor Toast *glomps in return* So off-topic but I still think we (and @Moriel) would make a great theatre company. Minor geographical problems aside.

@Menolly I read a couple of the Dragonriders of Pern books a few years ago, and did enjoy them, although I never made it through all of them; I think I was somewhat confused about where to start and what order to do things in. What book(s) would you recommend I start with if I tried to get back into them?
She/her. Almarëa - Rivendell / Jaena - Lone Lands (T.A.) and Gondor (F.A.) / Layna - Mordor

Chef
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@Almarëa Mordollwen I would read her initial trilogy: Dragonflight, Dragonquest, and the White Dragon. If you want to read more after that, the story continues with the Renegades of Pern, or you can go back and read other one-off novels set at different points in Pern's history. The Harper Hall trilogy (Dragonsinger, Dragonsong, Dragondrums) is written more for a preteen audience and covers some of the same time period as the initial trilogy. It also features my favorite character Menolly, so I'm not at all biased. :smiley8: There's a short story collection called Chronicles of Pern: First Fall that covers the founding of Pern if you want to go back and read how the story of Pern began, and then Dragonsdawn is a full length novel that also covers the early days of Pern.
they/them/actual hobbit in search of a merrier world

New Soul
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Almarëa Mordollwen wrote: Sat May 30, 2020 3:34 pm @Mor Toast *glomps in return* So off-topic but I still think we (and @Moriel) would make a great theatre company. Minor geographical problems aside.
So much agree! Some day we will have an epic meet-up and such battles and theatre magic!
they/he/mischief

Sage of Khazad-dûm
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@Mor Toast @Almarëa Mordollwen can I be in the theatre group toooo?
Family Stealtharm | Sil's #1 Property | Knowledge of a woman, pride of a dwarf | Khazâd ai-mênu!

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New Soul
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@Queen Nerwen Of course! The more the merrier!

@Moriel @Mor Toast I am actually really tempted to make a Plaza Theatricals thread now...lockdown theatre shenanigans, anyone?
She/her. Almarëa - Rivendell / Jaena - Lone Lands (T.A.) and Gondor (F.A.) / Layna - Mordor

Sage of Khazad-dûm
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It would just be complete shenanigans.
Family Stealtharm | Sil's #1 Property | Knowledge of a woman, pride of a dwarf | Khazâd ai-mênu!

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New Soul
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I read lots of books and genre hop. In the last year, I've read:

Martin's Game of Thrones -books 1-3 (These were fascinating in the same way a train wreck is.)
Elmore Leonard: Freaky Deaky, Glitz.
Phillip K Dick: Man in the High Castle, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
Dorothy Sayers: Whose Body, Unnatural Death.
Mark Twain: Prince and the Pauper
Tatsuya Endo: Spy x Family volume one.
Frances Hodgson Burnett: Little Lord Fauntleroy
Ursula LeGuin: A Wizard of Earthsea, Tombs of Atuan.

I've read others, I just can bring them to mind, ATM.

@Oro I've read the first two Mistborn books. The concepts Sanderson develops are really original and fascinating but I found the Inquisitor storylines rather gruesome. I didn't enjoy that part. Stormlight Archive was similar for me. There were parts I liked and parts I didn't. Kaladin being put through the meat grinder just went on too long in the first book.
The Dwarf formerly known as Mahal.

New Soul
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I was looking at my planner where I keep a list of books I've read by month, and I noticed that in the past 2 months, or so I've been on a G. G. Kay kick. I've read A Brightness Long Ago (his newest book), then I started rereading some old favourites: Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors (The Sarantine Mosaic was quite a nostalgic for me), The Last Light of the Sun and I've just finished The Song for Arbonne. The last one I mentioned I've read in the Croatian translation and honestly I forgot how amazing that translation was! I remembered reading it in high school and thinking how awesome this was back then...

P.S. I do read newer books too, I'm not just on a nostalgia kick because of COVID :smiley9:
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Istari Savant
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@Nessa Saelind I picked up Under Heaven and River of Starts by Guy Kay a while back. Loved 'em both, as did my wife, highly recommend (and actually, pretty much all of his books are now on her wishlist, meaning I have to get them for her, instead of the other way 'round).
What, she killed them with mathematics. What else could it have been? - Jayne Cobb

New Soul
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@Túrin I've read both of those books, 2 years ago I think? My personal favourite of the 2 was Under Heaven, but both are really great. Those were also a nice change from his Mediterranean inspired AUs, although I'm biased since most of my work for history at uni was about the periods and places that inspired those novels.
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Wise Ent
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I just opened up The Fall of Gondolin. It's the final of the Great Tales books that I got for my birthday a couple years ago that I have to read. I'd forgotten how much depth Tolkien's First Age stuff was.

@Menolly, I'm also a huge McCaffrey fan. I'm working my way through all of her stuff in French now. I've already done the Freedom series and the first Pegasus/Talent book; I'm most of the way through Dragonsdawn now.
Do not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons, for You are Crunchy and Good with Ketchup.

Sage of Khazad-dûm
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@Dis I love some Philip K Dick too. Though sometimes a little mind blowing hah!

Currently I am reading Jasper Fforde. If you like Terry Pratchett - you will probably like JF.
Family Stealtharm | Sil's #1 Property | Knowledge of a woman, pride of a dwarf | Khazâd ai-mênu!

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Wise Ent
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Ooohhhh, Jasper Fforde! I read one of his Thursday Next books! I haven't been able to find many others up here though. :(
Do not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons, for You are Crunchy and Good with Ketchup.

Sage of Khazad-dûm
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Yes they're amazing aren't they. I think I've only read 4 and there are now 7. I've just started on his Nursery Crimes books. I think you can get them on Kindle (f you are in to that).
Family Stealtharm | Sil's #1 Property | Knowledge of a woman, pride of a dwarf | Khazâd ai-mênu!

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Wise Ent
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I am into Kindle, but I want to read more than one of his books before I go and buy them!
Do not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons, for You are Crunchy and Good with Ketchup.

Ent High Elder
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Hi all! There has been some discussion on the Plaza Discord about doing an LOTR-read-along (or "book club" or "discussion group" or however you want to call it). At any rate, I've sketched out a rough reading plan that is essentially 2-3 chapters per week. I'll start discussion threads in the Lore forum so we can discuss the week's readings and any interesting insights.

Here's the outline of the current plan. I tried to group the chapters together somewhat thematically (so that, for instance, the journey through Moria wasn't split over 2 weeks of reading). The dates correspond with the Monday of each week when we will start discussing those chapters.

July 1(ish) - Start Reading!
July 6: A Long-Expected Party, The Shadow of the Past
July 13: Three is Company, A Short Cut to Mushrooms, A Conspiracy Unmasked
July 20: The Old Forest, In the House of Tom Bombadil, Fog on the Barrow-downs
July 27: At the Sign of the Prancing Pony, Strider
August 3: A Knife in the Dark, Flight to the Ford
August 10: Many Meetings, The Council of Elrond
August 17: The Ring Goes South, A Journey in the Dark, The Bridge of Khazad-dum
August 24: Lothlorien, The Mirror of Galadriel, Farewell to Lorien
August 31: The Great River, The Breaking of the Fellowship
September 7: The Departure of Boromir, The Riders of Rohan
September 14: The Uruk-hai, Treebeard
September 21: The White Rider, The King of the Golden Hall, Helm's Deep
September 28: The Road to Isengard, Flotsam and Jetsam
October 5: The Voice of Saruman, The Palantir
October 12: The Taming of Smeagol, The Passage of the Marshes, The Black Gate is Closed
October 19: Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit, The Window on the West, The Forbidden Pool
October 26: Journey to the Cross-roads, The Stairs of Cirith Ungol
November 2: Shelob's Lair, The Choices of Master Samwise
November 9: Minas Tirith, The Passing of the Grey Company
November 16: The Muster of Rohan, The Seige of Gondor, The Ride of the Rohirrim
November 23: The Battle of the Pelennor Fields, The Pyre of Denethor
November 30: The Houses of Healing The Last Debate, The Black Gate Opens
December 7: The Tower of Cirith Ungol, The Land of Shadow, Mount Doom
December 14: The Field of Cormallen, The Steward and the King
December 21: Many Partings, Homeward Bound
December 28: The Scouring of the Shire, The Grey Havens

Open to any and all that wish to join (and if you start late, feel free to catch up and join in the conversation!)
Fangorn Forever

Wise Ent
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OOOHHHH, yes! I'll do it. :) I've got LOTR in both French and English, so don't be surprised if I quote in both languages to highlight some stuff too.
Do not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons, for You are Crunchy and Good with Ketchup.

Elven Enchanter
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I’ll be joining in on this craziness. I have a million books going right now, hopefully I can keep up. Good thing audio books exist.

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Artanis / Éomund / Brandor / Zarâm

Loremaster of the Herd
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Oh no oh no oh no, I'm already doing two simultaneous readthroughs -- one with some friends and one with my sister, who has finally decided to give the books a shot.

Well, I guess Three is Company ;)
In the deeps of Time, amidst the Innumerable Stars

Ent High Elder
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Dimcairien Luiniel wrote: Sun Jun 28, 2020 6:54 am I’ll be joining in on this craziness. I have a million books going right now, hopefully I can keep up. Good thing audio books exist.
I did a Silmarillion read-through a few years ago (similar idea of 2-3 chapters per week) and I read the chapters and listened to the audio book during the read-through and it surprised me how I picked up different elements of the story from each medium!
Fangorn Forever

New Soul
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I am already in the middle of reading through with my partner (we are mid-TTT), but sure, add this to the works as well. :smiley9: At the very least the discussions sound like an excellent idea.
She/her. Almarëa - Rivendell / Jaena - Lone Lands (T.A.) and Gondor (F.A.) / Layna - Mordor

Warrior of Imladris
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Oh nice, I like the slowness of it! I'm in. Gave all my JRRT books to my sister's kids though, so will have to scrabble around for another copy. I shall probably thieve borrow it from the school library!

Hush. Keep it secret!
The Wood-elves lingered in the twilight of our Sun and Moon, but loved best the stars.

Sage of Khazad-dûm
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@Mojo I completely agree with you about reading/ hearing the story and getting different things from it
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Esquire of The Mark
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I'm in! Very overdue a re-reading of the books and this seems like a great way to do that, and delve into the lore a bit more, in a nice gentle fashion :)
Starbreeze ~ Lily Knotwise ~ Itarildë Tinehtelë ~ Peachleaf ~ Isiliyan ~ Aelflaed Goldhawk ~ Dagnead

Chef
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Hi bibliophiles, I started a new book and I am not super far in but am so enjoying it I wanted to recommend it. 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. Has anyone else read it? The protagonist is everything I wanted from the main character in Outlander and did not get. She is smart and resourceful and thinks through all the time travel ridiculousness that is happening to her, and I love her.
they/them/actual hobbit in search of a merrier world

Sage of Khazad-dûm
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@Menolly that sounds good! I haven't read it but I will check it out, as I too am trying to read books by Black authors or authors of colour.
Family Stealtharm | Sil's #1 Property | Knowledge of a woman, pride of a dwarf | Khazâd ai-mênu!

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Craftsman
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Hullo!
I'm glad I looked at this thread when I did. I'd love to read along with y'all. Have been eyeing those books for a while now and even if I stopped reading them, I sure did not stop buying all sorts of special editions :smiley8:

In other news, I have been struggling through the Wheel of Time series for the second time. To be honest, now that I'm older I have much more patience with the young characters than when I was a teenager. Still, I find there is a lot of repetition in them and it causes my reading of the books to slow down to a slugfest.
Another set of books I thoroughly enjoyed are the books that form the Malazan Book of the Fallen by Stephen Erikson. Am just not sure if I can really recommend it, it's uh... hefty. And a bit of a sink or swim. I like that about it, but I realise that might not be everybody's preference.

Lately, I've been reading more in Dutch, so not much to talk about there. Have been eyeing Pride and Prejudice for another read through, because the sister of a friend had some interesting insights about it.

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