Books

[wolf_wizard]

I have read each and every book 31 times. Actually today it's 32. I have actually read Stroud and really enjoyed it.
Yes, we certainly are getting off topic.

[vashmata]

WEll lucky you- all the off-topic posts were moved to the books section. Pratchet is a famous author that wrote many books that are weird strange and funny. And in this case weird and strange are different.

[Kathy Li]

Asimov: Isaac Asimov, most notable in the sf genre for having written I, Robot and the Foundation Trilogy. Could and would write on just about any damn thing. (I'm personally very fond of the Black Widowers stories, which are detective fiction, not SF). Definitely worth your time to get to know. This guy was one of the grand masters of science fiction.

Pratchett: Terry Pratchett, author of the sprawling Discworld series, which essentially did for fantasy what Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy did for Science Fiction. If you don't have the time to sample a book, and you have US cable television, an adaptation of Hogfather is currently making the rounds on the Ion network.

BTW, there's been some bad news about Pratchett. (sigh). I'd use some bad language at this point, but this being the YW board, I'll go find another place to vent.

[Lazy Leopard]

Terry Pratchett's added an an update to his announcement of yesterday reminding folks that he "still aten't dead". I shall continue to look forward to his next book (and the one after that, and...).

I also enjoyed some of Isaac Azimov's books. I found his earlier ones more readable than his later ones (though that's a rather broad generalisation). Curiously, I feel much the same way about Anne McCaffrey's books. My favourites are Decision at Doona, Dragonsong, and Dragonsinger.

[vashmata]

I still havent read Pratchet's books yet. I'm hoping to start after this really odd book I'm reading, one of Uncle John's Bathroom Readers. What is the first book I should read? I know that the stories happen in different places and different times, but which is the best one to start with? Does anyone have a good order?

[Clara]

Okay... those authors sound a little to wierd for me, but I'll still try them out ]
Wolfy, how in the worlds have you possibly read each and every Harry Potter book 32 times???? You my friend have lost it How long does it take you to read each book? And Kli6 are you sure that Asimov wrote age appropiate books? Because I always thought the I Robot was just a little(a lot) vilant. And thankz for moving the chat to a move adaquate area!

[magicalmike]

As some of you may know Robert Jordan auother of the wheel of time seriespassed away this september. He left behined one last book in his epic series unfinished. As of December a new auther has been chosen by Jorden's widow Harriet Rigney to finish the series. The last book, A memory of Light, was under production upon Jordan's death. Sanerson(the new auther) has pleged to remain faithful to Jordans style an story, comenting on the exorberant amount of notes Jordan left behind. The book is due out fall '09. Let us once again morn the loss of this great author

[Stormwind]

Books, did someone mention books! I've been reading some by Naomi Novik, a friend recently mentioned them, and while I'm not an over fan of Historical Fantasy Mix, these ones have been good. Start with His Majesty's Dragon.

I've also been rereading the HP books, and grabbed some new ones that Kli recommended to me months ago, the Sharon Shinn books.
I'm also rereading a favorite of mine called But We Are Not Of Earth.
And I've started Stealing the Elf Kings Roses... very good!!!

Yes I know I'm reading several at the same time, but it's good for me to have variety. I'm reading The Big Meow online *sighs* I wish I had the money to subscribe....

[wolf_wizard]

Well, I don't think i've lost it. I just REALLY enjoy the Harry Potter books. So I spend my days reading other books, and every now and then picking up the HP series and scour it for details that i'm sure i'm missing. I think it takes me approx.9 hours for the last three (each) and approx.6 hours for the 4th, and 3-4 hours for the first three. What can i say? I'm a fast (kind of) reader. I think these numbers may be slightly off as i've never actually timed myself before, but I know I read the last one at night around the time the sun came up. I was a little tired, but it was worth it.

Anyway, i'm glad there are so many books I can read now!

Thanks for changing this to a different topic!

[vashmata]

I think I'm famous (at least in my grade) for always having a book with me, wherever I go (during school). They always ask "how can you read so much?". My Moreshet/Tanach teacher (Hebrew studies) Told me twice that she wished her son read as much as I do.

[Stormwind]

I know, I was always walking through the halls at school with a book in front of me, and my frieds always wondered how I never collided with anything... My teacher took my book away once, because she thought I wasn't paying attention to her lecture and I proved that I was by showing her my notes....

Has anyone read Tamora Pierce Terrier Book 1 yet? Beka Cooper?

[vashmata]

Yeah, that happens to me too- because of that, I've trained myself to be aware of my surroundings while at the same time being absorbed into my book. A few weeks back, I was sick, and I was leaning in an odd position, and my Moreshet teacher threatened to give me a detention, 'cause she thought I was reading.

[wolf_wizard]

Same here. I just can't really help reading. and I have read Terrier book 1 by Tamora Pierce. Also, I met a writer, LH (it was in a bookstore) and I was off reading from a pile of books waiting for the line to become smaller so I could my copy of her book to be signed. And she told me that she wished her son read as much I did. (I had a stash of library books to, because we had just come from the library.) Apparently the bag full(overflowing) with books was some indication- but oh well. It was kind of interesting. I actually was reading and got in some trouble once in science class, and my teacher took the book away from me until the end of the school day.

[Garrett Fitzgerald]

Originally posted by Stormwind:
And I've started Stealing the Elf Kings Roses... very good!!!

Indeed. The concept of a universe that directly enforces ethical rules makes me want to start mining for fairy gold right now.

Of course, Lee's thought about most of the people in the courtroom not really wanting justice to be done applies equally well to me, so maybe I'll just wait for MacIlwane to do the heavy lifting.

[Lazy Leopard]

Does anyone have a good order?

When in doubt, your best bet is usually to go with the order in which the books were written. Even when a later book comes "earlier" in the time-frame of the author's universe, you often find the author has made a few assumptions about the things the reader knows. In Pratchett's Discworld books, that would mean starting with The Colour of Money, but there are a few others that might make reasonable starting points, too.

Some folks like re-reading books. Some folks read fast and then read again. I tend to read slowly, and once through. One of the ways PeterM used to drive me to distraction was by not quite getting to read the latest Pratchett (or whatever) because he liked to go back and re-read all the previous ones first. That's not too much of a problem when there're five or six, but once there're ten or twenty it can delay things a little. By the time he got to the new one, I was probably already reading the next new one.