Book a Week 2017 - BW1: Welcome to an adventurous prime reading new year!

[DSAcademy]

I finished The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan

 

It was an interesting read. Franopan’s interpretation of the Merchant of Venice as a metaphor for the Silk Road, was intriguing.  As were his insights about how both World Wars were heavily shaped by the dueling parties desire to control the vital wheat and oil resources of the Road. Lastly, the book left me feeling like a bemused spectator of Groundhog Day: Silk Roads edition. Where a cacophony of warring, changling, super powers greedily continue to cycle through first spices and silks; then slaves and silver; and now oil and arms, seemingly blind to the adage, “All that glisters, is not goldâ€.

[aggieamy]

I'd like to try it if it's still available.

 

It's yours!  PM me your address and I'll send it out in the next day or two. 

 

I shall pick up The Underground Railroad from the library after I drop The Boy off at the airport tomorrow. With the hold list, I'll have to hop to it since I'll only have the book for a week.

 

Initially I was tempted to add a frowny emoticon to the first sentence above but I cannot.  We have loved having The Boy here for two weeks but he has his own life to live. The world is his oyster.  He is making good choices and one cannot help but be excited for him--and whatever the future may hold!

 

 

Where is your son off to on his next adventure?

 

Hello BAWers!!!  I have not been in this forum for over two years.  The last two years have been filled with a divorce, new job, kids going back to public school, oldest child graduating high school and a new very adorable but very unplanned baby boy who is now 8 months old.  I have not read much in those 2 years but miss it tremendously.  Over this christmas break, my 14 year old daughter was diagnosed with a bleeding cavernous angioma in her brain.  Looks like brain surgery is going to happen.  That has been stressful and scary.

 

I don't really have a goal for this year as far as reading. I know I felt "at home" when I logged in and came to this group for book ideas. Nice to see you all (or most of you) stil here.  I have a few books on hold at the library that should be here soon!!!

 

Take Care

Chandi

 

Welcome back and ((HUGS)).

 

When my Oldest son was assigned Wuthering Heights in High School he was so miserable. He hated it but felt that he had to finish it. I got it for him on audio and he listened to it at the gym. I love to imagine my big Captain of the Wrestling team listening to Bronte and lifting. :)

 

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In the end did he enjoy it?

[theelfqueen]

Nope he still all these years later talks about how much he hates Wuthering Heights lol

 

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[idnib]

Welcome to all newcomers and returning readers!

 

This thread is Out of Control.

 

If this keeps up I may count it as a book.

 

ETA: The real punishment would be if we force you to read Wuthering Heights. That would be pure torture!

 

Gangs often have initiation rites. Just saying.

 

I shall pick up The Underground Railroad from the library after I drop The Boy off at the airport tomorrow. With the hold list, I'll have to hop to it since I'll only have the book for a week.

 

Initially I was tempted to add a frowny emoticon to the first sentence above but I cannot.  We have loved having The Boy here for two weeks but he has his own life to live. The world is his oyster.  He is making good choices and one cannot help but be excited for him--and whatever the future may hold!
 

 

I ordered it and Amazon gave me same day delivery so hopefully I will have it today as well. I'm not sure I can finish it in a week with my other reading and our homeschool starting up again Monday, but I'll make a dent. We're supposed to get a lot of rain this weekend so I'm planning to be in.

 

  I also finished Hillbilly Elegy. It was very interesting and I really liked it. I won't say more since many of our new members are reading it. One word of advice, I thought it was a bit long winded about a third of the way in but it picks up and is really worthwhile after. So don't give up on it because you think you know the ending....obviously you do. ;) But the last half is insightful.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29890212-hillbilly-elegy

 

I gave Hillbilly Elegy to my MIL for Christmas so I'll let her know.

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

I just walked into the library and The Underground Railroad was on the New Books shelf! So I grabbed it and will start on it today.

 

I also finished what is one of the best and most important books I've read in a long time - at least since Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow.  It's called Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive HIstory of Racist Ideas in America.  It's an intellectual history of America, centered on important figures that have helped to frame the debate on race since the beginning. It was incredibly well-written, clearly articulated and it held up a sometimes uncomfortable mirror to myself and some of my own ideas, as well as a no-holds-barred portrait, the good, bad, and ugly, of public figures from Lincoln to Obama. I highly recommend this book to everyone in this country - in fact, it's my Book You'd Recommend to a Stranger selection.

[LostSurprise]

Too much, too fast, moving too quickly. 

 

 

It's Fairy Tale month for me. I finished Neil Gaiman's Odd and the Frost Giants (boy adventure based in Norse mythology) on audio. I really enjoyed this. Gaiman is a good reader of his own material.

 

I also finished up The Wolf Road. It was on NPR's 2016 list. It was okay. Elka's a tough, knife-toting young woman in a dystopian Canada. "The Big Dam*n Stupid" has basically pushed things back to a pioneer basis in most places. Weird storms are unpredictable. Tiny Elka is pulled from her home with her Nana by a storm and left adrift in the woods. She finds a man she calls Trapper and he raises her as a hunter. Later she finds out he's a creepy serial killer who took a shine to her. (This is not a spoiler. The book starts with her hunting the Trapper.) A book-long journey ensues where she tries to find her parents in the Yukon gold country and escape her past. I liked the main character and thought her actions were realistic, but there were a few niggling things for me with the pacing and the final twist. I would read something else by Beth Lewis. 

 

Working on more fairy tales (Deathless, The Sleeper and the Spindle) and Lavinia. 

[Angelaboord]

Re: Out of Control Thread...

If this keeps up I may count it as a book.

 

.

I was just thinking the same thing. Maybe it should have its own bingo square?

 

 

 

 

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[Ethel Mertz]

I also finished what is one of the best and most important books I've read in a long time - at least since Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow.  It's called Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive HIstory of Racist Ideas in America.  It's an intellectual history of America, centered on important figures that have helped to frame the debate on race since the beginning. It was incredibly well-written, clearly articulated and it held up a sometimes uncomfortable mirror to myself and some of my own ideas, as well as a no-holds-barred portrait, the good, bad, and ugly, of public figures from Lincoln to Obama. I highly recommend this book to everyone in this country - in fact, it's my Book You'd Recommend to a Stranger selection.

 

Thanks for the recommendation of Stamped from the Beginning. I've added it to my list of books to be read in the (US) context of current events.

[Matryoshka]

If you're interested in sci-fi and fantasy, here's an article on nine women authors:

 

https://www.bustle.com/p/9-modern-women-science-fiction-writers-you-need-to-be-celebrating-27287

 

Authors I've read are N.K. Jemisin, Seanan McGuire (Mira Grant), and Ann Leckie. The others look interesting.

 

Ooo, thanks for that list!  I'll have to admit I think I have a bit of a bias towards women authors, especially in science fiction.  It will be interesting to see what my stats look like at the end of the year, now that I'm actually keeping track of what I read...

[Matryoshka]

So, just to make sure I don't get too full of myself now that I'm most of the way through my third (short) book, dd18 went to the library and picked up my holds - Ancillary Justice and the Miss Garnet book, and for herself came back with an armload of Anne Carson, Proust, and a book of poetry by some guy named Yehuda.

[ErinE]

Ooo, thanks for that list! I'll have to admit I think I have a bit of a bias towards women authors, especially in science fiction. It will be interesting to see what my stats look like at the end of the year, now that I'm actually keeping track of what I read...

Last year, I had fewer women authors than I expected. This year, unless it was a book I was really wanting to read, I chose women authors, hoping to be 50/50 by the end of the year.

[HeatherinKC]

Welcome Heather and happy to have you join in!   I've read both Cutting Season and Black Water Rising, both excellent reads.  I didn't know there was a followup in PleasantVille with Jay Porter.  See it works in reverse too. You've already added to my wishlist.      :thumbup1:

 

And I've added Cutting Season to mine! 

We're worse than a gang!

 

:lol:

 

ETA: The real punishment would be if we force you to read Wuthering Heights. That would be pure torture!

 

Uh oh.  I just started Wuthering Heights today on audio book.  Can it really be that bad?

That's my situation with French.  I did read one French book (which I'd never read before and which was, oddly, a translation from German) a couple of years ago when my kids were taking French classes.  Still aiming for only one book this year.  I was thinking L'Etranger as I last read that some 20+ years ago.  Although the lure of an unread book is strong.

 

On other fronts, I finished my second book of the year.  It's the first book on my new version of The Shelf: FLO-GET.  Me & Emma by Elizabeth Flock.  Despite the brutal subject matter (told from the perspective of an abused 8 year old girl) it was a quick read.  The twist at the end was not a big shock as I had been suspicious from very near the start.  It was a very sad book to read, and particularly upsetting when the grandmother came into the picture and the patterns and effects of generational abuse became clearer.

 

My next book on The Shelf is Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.  I have no idea why I avoided it for so long (one of the reasons for doing The Shelf with my own books was to force myself from skipping over the same books time after time).  I think I associated Follett solely with international suspense/intrigue which is not my thing and didn't bother to read the summary for this book.  I'm happy to say that it will fulfill a bingo square - chunky!!!  At almost 1000 pages it certainly qualifies.  I'm just over 100 pages in and I'm really enjoying it.  I like reading about this time period and I feel like I'm learning something while enjoying myself.  I also am intrigued by architecture and building so the conceit of setting the book around the building of a cathedral is quite interesting to me, although we haven't gotten there yet.  And I'm also interested in the role of the church in this period (1100s) so the details about the monasteries and priories and cells and monks and their lives are quite fascinating.

Pillars of the Earth is worth every (many, many) pages! 

[PrairieSong]

Too much, too fast, moving too quickly.

 

 

It's Fairy Tale month for me. I finished Neil Gaiman's Odd and the Frost Giants (boy adventure based in Norse mythology) on audio. I really enjoyed this. Gaiman is a good reader of his own material.

 

I also finished up The Wolf Road. It was on NPR's 2016 list. It was okay. Elka's a tough, knife-toting young woman in a dystopian Canada. "The Big Dam*n Stupid" has basically pushed things back to a pioneer basis in most places. Weird storms are unpredictable. Tiny Elka is pulled from her home with her Nana by a storm and left adrift in the woods. She finds a man she calls Trapper and he raises her as a hunter. Later she finds out he's a creepy serial killer who took a shine to her. (This is not a spoiler. The book starts with her hunting the Trapper.) A book-long journey ensues where she tries to find her parents in the Yukon gold country and escape her past. I liked the main character and thought her actions were realistic, but there were a few niggling things for me with the pacing and the final twist. I would read something else by Beth Lewis.

 

Working on more fairy tales (Deathless, The Sleeper and the Spindle) and Lavinia.

Good to know about Neil Gaiman reading his own books! One of our daughters is a huge fan of his so I was intrigued. I've read The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Stardust, and Neverwhere, but I'd like to try more of his. I'll have to look for audio versions read by him.

 

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[Jane in NC]

Y'all know I love Stacia, but she does have a flaw or two. 

 

When I reread Wuthering Heights in '15, I wrote:

 

 

I finished reading Wuthering Heights and can report that I rather enjoyed it.  One line that really struck me was a comment from Nelly Dean: " (P)eople who do their duty are always finally rewarded."  I think that one thing that we as modern readers can struggle with as we read older novels is the sense of duty to family.  Maintaining wealth or land via marriage was not just a concern of royals.  That said, Heathcliff is completely despicable in my eyes--no sympathy

from this reader.

 

Later I noted:

 

After finishing Wuthering Heights, I found myself thinking about the moors almost as a character in the novel.  John Buchan uses the Scottish landscape and seascape in a similar fashion.  It is not always the characters that move the story along but the land or the weather.  I particularly liked Buchan's story Fountainblue.  More Buchan on the program this week.

 

Amy posed a question.

 

Where is your son off to on his next adventure?

 

 

At the moment I'll respect his privacy but let me say that his new base camp is at a significantly different elevation than his parent's coordinates. 

[PeachyDoodle]

Calling for snow here this weekend, so I stocked up yesterday! Working through Thirteen Reasons Why now (can't wait to see how it ends!), followed by The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Those fulfill my YA picks.

 

Next on my list is a recommendation from a friend, so I got Homegoing and City of Thieves, both recommended by my sister.

 

Not necessarily planning on reading two for every category, but I just couldn't decide!

 

No. 5 on my list is a picture book. Ack! I read tons and tons of picture books to ds6, so I'm kinda not feeling this one. Any suggestions for something more adult, or at least something with really good writing and illustrations? Thinking possibly a biography or nonfiction, but open to anything.

 

Also on the lookout for a new epic fantasy, if anybody has a fave. I loved A Song of Ice and Fire and The Name of the Wind/Kingkiller Chronicle (and Narnia, natch -- see my siggy). I'm not a Tolkien fan.

[aggieamy]

Re: Out of Control Thread...

 

I was just thinking the same thing. Maybe it should have its own bingo square?

 

 

Robin take note!  2018 Bingo square - READ THE JANUARY 1ST BAW THREAD.

 

 

I've finished a few more in the Amulet series - I think I have another four books to go.  It has the feel of Star Wars with respect to a mix of fantasy/adventure/traditional quest.  It would be a great series for a 8-12 year old reluctant reader. 

[theelfqueen]

Peachy what if you did a graphic novel for your picture book request?

 

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[Caroline]

So many books! So little time!

 

So you will laugh, but I am horrible about using the library. If I want to read a book, I buy it. Obviously, I don't keep pace with many of you. Maybe I'll have to figure out my library system.

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[theelfqueen]

I decided to ditch both EyrE and Heights for my 10th grader...he gets Emma instead.

 

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[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[shukriyya]

welovetoread :grouphug: All blessings for your daughter.

 

Excellent! I will be in good company then. The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye looks fantastic. There is a djinn-related group read right now, so I'll complete the djinn part of the challenge with one of the group reads, but maybe the Byatt book will be my BaW BINGO short story collection.

 

 

Looks fun! Thanks for mentioning this one.

 

I've just been perusing the group. Looking forward to it. We'll have to compare notes re book choices.

 

Ooo, thanks for that list!  I'll have to admit I think I have a bit of a bias towards women authors, especially in science fiction.  It will be interesting to see what my stats look like at the end of the year, now that I'm actually keeping track of what I read...

 

I seem to be in the minority here re women writers. When I tallied mine up when I participated in this group a couple of years ago it was about 90% women authors. This is the norm for me and I doubt it'll be much different this year.

 

Re Wuthering Heights, another liker of the book here. I'd take the Brontës over Austen any day. Not a popular position in this Austen-loving group but I remember feeling this way even as a teen when I read them both. I think it's the tension and shadow element that underlies the Brontes' writing which appeals to me. I'm currently listening to the BBC's World Book Club podcast on Jane Eyre. It's a lively and informative discussion with writer Tracy Chevalier (Girl with a Pearl Earring) and biographer Claire Harman. 

 

Will likely finish up my first book of the year tonight. Audio book is just about done, too. 

 

 

[PeachyDoodle]

Peachy what if you did a graphic novel for your picture book request?

 

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Well, graphic novel is a separate category on the list... I guess I could do more than one?

 

I looked at the picture book biographies at the library yesterday but nothing jumped out at me. :(

[Jane in NC]

I sent Stacia (because I couldn't figure out how to format it here) a Jane version of the Bingo card.  Needless to say, it involves reading depressing books and then drinking wine or eating chocolate. 

 

Stacia, I love what your lad had to say about The Plover! To those who have not read this book, get cracking!

[Lady Florida.]

I realized when I made my BaW Bingo list that I left out the square for outer space. I have no idea what I'll read for that one, if I even do. I've read The Martian. Does the setting need to be in space or does it just have to involve space travel and/or aliens? Would The Sparrow count?

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Who told the newbies not to get overwhelmed? 436 posts in this thread for week 1 and my head is spinning.

 

I guess it's a good thing the library just told me I have a book due tomorrow so I have to take it back tonight since I leave at 7am.

 

I am not going to look up some of the BAW recommendations. I refuse to look up some of the BAW recommendations. 

I wonder if my library has The Plover?

[mumto2]

I realized when I made my BaW Bingo list that I left out the square for outer space. I have no idea what I'll read for that one, if I even do. I've read The Martian. Does the setting need to be in space or does it just have to involve space travel and/or aliens? Would The Sparrow count?

I think we need Robin.....

 

I remember when the Sparrow https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/334176.The_Sparrow?ac=1&from_search=true was being read. It was on my stack but I never managed to actually read it. It would be a great idea.

 

 

I spent quite awhile on Outer Space last night. My most promising find was A Cival Campaign. It does take place in outer space. Apparently it's a space opera. It would definitely be expanding my reading experience! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61899.A_Civil_Campaign?ac=1&from_search=true

[Lady Florida.]

Who told the newbies not to get overwhelmed? 436 posts in this thread for week 1 and my head is spinning.

 

 

 

Really, it will slow down. I just took a look at previous threads and they seem to average between 150-200 replies each week. A few are quieter, some are more active. We got pretty active the last week of 2016 as everyone was posting their wrap-up for the year as well as plans for 2017. It really doesn't stay this busy through the year. Unfortunately, not all the new people stay even though we'd love it if they did. That drops the number of replies down. Also, as we settle into our reading year we aren't talking about plans as much, which also cuts the number of replies. 

 

I wonder if the crazy first week is what makes some people drop out. If they'd just hang on for a week or two they'll find keeping up really is manageable. Also, sometimes you do get behind and decide not to post. That's okay - just jump back in the next week and it will be like you never left.

[shukriyya]

I struggle to read fiction by male writers. I tend to read more when its genre or non-fiction, but my literary fiction list in a year would be 90% female. 

 

Well I'm in good company then...along with all the rest of the good company on this thread.  And yes to your first sentence. I generally have to make a conscious effort to read male writers. I always knew my reading skewed towards women authors but until I tallied up the results I didn't realize just how skewed. Plus I was fascinated to see that I was in the minority here re the male to female ratios.

[Mom-ninja.]

Well then I will read it. 

 

 

No. 5 on my list is a picture book. Ack! I read tons and tons of picture books to ds6, so I'm kinda not feeling this one. Any suggestions for something more adult, or at least something with really good writing and illustrations? Thinking possibly a biography or nonfiction, but open to anything.

 

This book is great. A Book with No Pictures  

 

 

So I was getting a bit annoyed last night looking for a book with garnet in the title that I was interested in reading and available at my library. Then I remembered I can spell the word out with titles. Whew, that works better this month.  

 

I've got several books going but nothing finished. I feel it's important to post that to calm some people.  :001_smile:  I did however get quite of bit of homeschooling done. And I have to admit, although it may be dangerous to do so to such avid readers, that when I am given a choice between reading and exercising I will choose exercise over half the time. Of course that's depending on circumstance because as much as I love exercise I can't bring myself to bust out some cardio or yoga moves in the lobby while waiting for ds in the orthodontist's office. I preserve my dignity and grab a book instead.

 

And now I have about 30 minutes before dinner so I will go do a quick cardio video then read after dinner. 

[Caroline]

Speaking of agreeing or not agreeing on books...

 

The Plover.

 

Ds finished it today. Even though he reads a lot, he didn't really read over the holiday & has kept The Plover as the one he carries to school to read during downtime. He got in the car this afternoon & told me he finished it.

 

Some of his comments:

 

"It's not a book. It's an experience."

 

"I think this book has the most real description of love I've ever read." (He is referring to Declan & Pippa.) And this is a comment coming from a 15yo guy.

 

He said he couldn't even explain how he feels because it's just such a real book that it is not like a book. (Hence him referring to it as an experience.)

 

Anyway, it makes my heart happy. I love discussing books with ds!

I'm so sorry I don't get to teach him. (Or maybe I will next year?) I have a habit of discussing what I am reading and what my students are reading in the middle of calculus. It gives us a break for a few minutes.

[Raifta]

Well I'm in good company then...along with all the rest of the good company on this thread.  And yes to your first sentence. I generally have to make a conscious effort to read male writers. I always knew my reading skewed towards women authors but until I tallied up the results I didn't realize just how skewed. Plus I was fascinated to see that I was in the minority here re the male to female ratios.

 

I was intrigued by this idea as I had not kept track of male to female ratios but I went back to 2013 and tallied up my totals for the last 4 years (only started keeping track in 2013) and wow, am I ever skewed towards female authors!  2:1 ratio in favour of the women.  I guess I need to make a conscious effort to read more male authors!

 

I also noticed that this bias is not just in my own personal reading but also in the books I select to read out loud to the kids or have them read for assigned reading.

[thessa516]

 

 

I know what you mean. I usually like it when an author reads their books, but not always - not all good writers are good readers. There's definitely a skill to making it sound good without being distracting.  Not all books are good for audios, either, i've realized. I like to listen to nonfiction, but stories I much prefer reading.  I started listening to Neil Gaiman read Neverwhere the other day, then I realized I really wanted to read the book, not listen - despite the fact that he's a great reader and I loved the audio version of Good Omens. I'm happier listening to Simon Winchester read Atlantic.

 

I'll also add that actors don't necessarily make good readers, either. Earlier this week I tried to listen to Casey Affleck read Sex on the Moon. It was unbelievably painful. What should have been read as an exciting heist thriller came out sounding like a bored, apathetic teenager.

 

 

 

Or three or four or more.... :tongue_smilie: ;)

 

I'm fully aware that many do not agree with my opinions on books.  :lol:  (I'll just pipe up & add how much I disliked The Pillars of the Earth too. 'Cuz nobody else has 'fessed up to that opinion of the book yet.) I just have to question how addled you Wuthering Heights fans are, though! :eek:

 

We can all still be friends! :grouphug:

 

I'll join you in disliking The Pillars of the Earth. I'll go a step further and say I detest that book! Too much detail and too graphic for me! I have certain scenes of that book in my head that I wish I could delete.

 

 

 

 

This book is great. A Book with No Pictures  

 

 

You have no idea how many times I've had to read that book in the past week... lol! It's a hit with the little ones in my house!

[LauraBeth475]

I'm not big on science fiction, but The Circle looks like something I could read. Goodreads and Wikipedia list it as sci-fi, Amazon doesn't.

 

Steampunk and dystopian are also going to be hard for me. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was called steampunk in a previous thread and I think I can read that one. Dystopian is the only one I'll have to work hard at finding a title. (I already read The Road, Station Eleven, The Hunger Games series, The Handmaid's Tale, Oryx and Crake, and Stephen King's original The Stand).

How about The Passage series by Justin Cronin for dystopia? I liked that one a lot. Or Wool by Hugh Howey.

[LauraBeth475]

Double post. Meh.

Edited January 5, 2017 by LauraBeth475

[Wheres Toto]

Calling for snow here this weekend, so I stocked up yesterday! Working through Thirteen Reasons Why now (can't wait to see how it ends!), followed by The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Those fulfill my YA picks.

 

Next on my list is a recommendation from a friend, so I got Homegoing and City of Thieves, both recommended by my sister.

 

Not necessarily planning on reading two for every category, but I just couldn't decide!

 

No. 5 on my list is a picture book. Ack! I read tons and tons of picture books to ds6, so I'm kinda not feeling this one. Any suggestions for something more adult, or at least something with really good writing and illustrations? Thinking possibly a biography or nonfiction, but open to anything.

 

Also on the lookout for a new epic fantasy, if anybody has a fave. I loved A Song of Ice and Fire and The Name of the Wind/Kingkiller Chronicle (and Narnia, natch -- see my siggy). I'm not a Tolkien fan.

 

Have you read The Wheel of Time series or the Sword of Truth series?  These are similar to G.O.T.

Or the Repairman Jack series by F. Paul Wilson (kind of horror/fantasy though)?

Or Cinder and that series?

[Robin M]

Robin take note!  2018 Bingo square - READ THE JANUARY 1ST BAW THREAD.

 

  :smilielol5:

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Robin M]

From Worlds Unbound  --   Epic Fantasy - Where to start  and   High Fantasy 

 

Best Fantasy books -  50 Most Anticipated 2016 

 

Goodreads - Real epic fantasies and Popular epic fantasies 

 

 

I can recommend Wheel of Time - currently on the 6th book; Dune series as well;   Dragonlance Chronicles, Shannara, Riftwar Saga; Mercedes Lackey Valdemar Mage series, anything by David Eddings (read them all in the 70's).    

[Caroline]

From Worlds Unbound -- Epic Fantasy - Where to start and High Fantasy

 

Best Fantasy books - 50 Most Anticipated 2016

 

Goodreads - Real epic fantasies and Popular epic fantasies

 

 

I can recommend Wheel of Time - currently on the 6th book; Dune series as well; Dragonlance Chronicles, Shannara, Riftwar Saga; Mercedes Lackey Valdemar Mage series, anything by David Eddings (read them all in the 70's).

My oldest read Wheel of Time. He got his kindle because we were at the beach, he ran out of Wheel of Time books he brought with him, and the nearest bookstore would have forced me to drive off the island. So I ordered him a kindle. He has been trying to get me to start them.

[Wheres Toto]

From Worlds Unbound  --   Epic Fantasy - Where to start  and   High Fantasy 

 

Best Fantasy books -  50 Most Anticipated 2016 

 

Goodreads - Real epic fantasies and Popular epic fantasies 

 

 

I can recommend Wheel of Time - currently on the 6th book; Dune series as well;   Dragonlance Chronicles, Shannara, Riftwar Saga; Mercedes Lackey Valdemar Mage series, anything by David Eddings (read them all in the 70's).    

 

Oh yeah! I forgot about Shannara, and I have everything Mercedes Lackey so I can't believe I forgot those.

[Robin M]

I realized when I made my BaW Bingo list that I left out the square for outer space. I have no idea what I'll read for that one, if I even do. I've read The Martian. Does the setting need to be in space or does it just have to involve space travel and/or aliens? Would The Sparrow count?

 

I think we need Robin.....

 

I remember when the Sparrow https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/334176.The_Sparrow?ac=1&from_search=true was being read. It was on my stack but I never managed to actually read it. It would be a great idea.

 

 

I spent quite awhile on Outer Space last night. My most promising find was A Cival Campaign. It does take place in outer space. Apparently it's a space opera. It would definitely be expanding my reading experience! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61899.A_Civil_Campaign?ac=1&from_search=true

 

Yes, space as in outer space, not of this planet, no air.  Space beyond the atmosphere of earth. Can include climbing in a rocket and leaving our world or life on another planet or alien worlds. 

 

For example

 

 

Beth Revis Across the Universe  

Arthur C Clarke's Rama

Larry Niven's Ringworld

Robert Charles Wilson Spin and Axis 

Douglas Adams and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Chrysalis Academy]

I started reading the Wheel of Time books back in the 90s, maybe 94 or 95? When there were only 5 or 6 of them. My cousin turned me on to them when I was visiting their ranch in the high country of Colorado during the winter, and it was too damn cold to go outside. I inhaled the ones that were out, and then waited eagerly as the next 8 came out, one every two years more or less.  Each time a new one would be published, I'd reread the whole series. So I've read the early books 6 or 8 times! It's a series I grew up with - when I started reading it I was a carefree grad student, by the time it was done I was a mom with two kids, starting to homeschool . . . I think I'll always have a fond place in my heart for that series because I spent my growing up years immersed in that world. 

 

I'm out of likes again. This thread is a Phenomenon.

[Raifta]

 

 

I'll join you in disliking The Pillars of the Earth. I'll go a step further and say I detest that book! Too much detail and too graphic for me! I have certain scenes of that book in my head that I wish I could delete.

 

 

 

It's good to be forewarned that some of you don't like it!  Who knows - I'm only 100 pages in and so far, so good but there's still a lot to go...

 

Considering reading Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to the kids for my outer space square but I'm not sure if they are old enough to appreciate it.  9 and 11.   Thoughts?

[Robin M]

I'm out to torture, err, tantalize your reading taste buds today:

 

Speaking of women writers -  The XY Factor - 13 True Tales of Women who changed Science 

 

 

The Millions - most anticipated books of 2017

 

 

Russia beyond the headlines - 9 new translations of great russian works

 

 

New Paranormal/Fantasy Fiction for January 2017

 

 

 

[Robin M]

Is fantasy on the bingo card? Or are we randomly recommending fantasy? (I've been reading with only half a brain today.) I don't read tons of fantasy, but I'll recommend Terry Pratchett (of course) and the Powder Mage series (of which I read the first one, Promise of Blood, last year & really loved it). I rarely read series books but I'm actually planning to read the other books in the Powder Mage series.

Erm....no.   :leaving:  

 

However, in my defense - June is devoted to Fantasy and July Sci Fi.   ;)

[Stacia]

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Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia