The Me! [An Unnecessarily Lengthy Intro]

afa · 07-04-2010, 05:24 AM

Greetings all,

So, I've actually been an active member for a fair bit, but it only just occurred to me that I've never formally introduced myself. Let me just say that I think MobileRead is awesome. While I do know people who occasionally read, none of my close friends or family are all that into it. It's great to be a part of a community where there are people who love to read as much as I do (and in many cases, far more). In other words, a lot of people with far too much time on their hands. Much like me!

Like my avatar, I spend a fair bit of time lurking in the shadows, following.. watching.. waiting.. Unlike Mr. 47, however, I am unarmed, so you need not be alarmed. So, let me go ahead and give a semi-brief and semi-fake introduction...

My name is Christopher McDowski. (Not really, but it is my chosen alter-ego on the WorldWideInterWebnet). I am a Pakistani living in Dubai (really). Am I the only one? Anyone else here from the sun-scorched land? I have always wanted to write a novel of my own (not really, though I've toyed with the idea recently), and wished that I would one day become as obscenely rich and successful as the John Grishams, Dan Browns and J. K. Rowlings of the world (really). And I am completely and utterly confident that I have what it takes to achieve that (not really).

My preferred genre is Fantasy. Although I have enjoyed reading fiction from a early age, my transformation into a Fantasy reader was a rather drawn out (and recent) one.

It started when I watched Peter Jackson's film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Having never read the books (and being very anti-movie-trailers), I went in the theater not knowing anything about the subject matter other than it had something to do with wizards, elves, and something called a 'hobbit'. A little over 3 hours later, I walked out, blown away. The very next day (not really - probably more like a week after) I went out and bought all three books, and read them back-to-back.

Still, I did not consider myself a 'Fantasy' reader. Not because I had anything against the genre; it's just that I read the books because of the movies, and so the fact that it was Fantasy was just... happenstance. I eventually got around to reading the Harry Potter books, too (though I hesitated, considering how atrocious the movies were), but still, I didn't think of myself as reading Fantasy because, well, it's Harry Potter and everyone knows Harry Potter.

And so, about two years ago, I was in the bookshop and looking for something to buy and spotted The Dark Tower series. Now, I'm not really a Stephen King fan, but this seemed interesting, and different from his usual B-movie horror (no offense to any Constant Readers), so I picked it up. It was at this point that I officially became interested in Fantasy, since this was the first time I bought books because of the genre, rather than external factors.

I have since read:
- The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan - Good series, but a heck of a lot of filler.
- Acacia by David Anthony Durham - Decent, but I was a little underwhelmed.
- The First Law by Joe Abercrombie - Love it, love it, love it.
- Elantris by Brandon Sanderson - Quite good.
- The Scar by China Miéville - A fair bit underwhelmed. I liked the second half, despised the first.

I'm currently reading Abercrombie's Best Served Cold and enjoying it. I also have over a dozen unread ones on my shelf, patiently waiting my loving/molesting hands. These are all what are apparently called "dead tree" books. As you can see from my little profile, I don't yet have an e-reader. However, my recently ordered/shipped nook Wi-Fi has arrived at our locals customs, and I should be getting it in a couple of days.

Looking forward to it!

P. S. - I apologise for the length of my post... I tend to get a bit verbose (or annoyingly long-winded, if you prefer). Of course, that doesn't mean I'm going to shorten this post; I like that I'm verbose. There are people in this world who have a remarkable knack for making you feel they've said a lot, even while they write sparsely, words at a premium, each word full to the brim with wisdom and intelligence. I am not one of those people.

Latinandgreek · 07-04-2010, 05:44 AM

Nice to meet you, Afa! Thank you for sharing so much about yourself. I hope that you enjoy your new Nook. (I'm sure that you will).

GeoffC · 07-04-2010, 06:58 AM

Javed · 07-04-2010, 07:00 AM

Great introduction afa. Great to see you here with us!

MickeyC · 07-04-2010, 07:10 AM

Hi afa and welcome to MobileRead

afa · 07-04-2010, 07:17 AM

Thank you for the greetings L&G, Geoff, Javed and Cassidy.

Great to be here.

TGS · 07-04-2010, 07:51 AM

Lengthy ...mmm, ish, unnecessarily so, nah. Welcome to MR!

neilmarr · 07-04-2010, 08:07 AM

Good to have your company, Afa. I love an introduction that offers more insight on a new member than 'hi -- new here'. Very best wishes and thanks for swapping a little about yourself. Neil

afa · 07-04-2010, 08:42 AM

Thanks, TGS. I like your quote...

Thanks, Neil. Love the website. Awesome design.

neilmarr · 07-04-2010, 10:09 AM

Ta, Afa. If one or two titles catch your eye, drop me an email and I'll send them along in the format of your choice with our compliments. Always a nice way to greet a newcomer to MR. Cheers. Neil (ntmarrATbewrite.net -- but use the @ sign)

happy_terd · 07-04-2010, 01:14 PM

Hello and welcome to MR!!!

afa · 07-05-2010, 12:51 AM

Thanks, HT. Your avatar scares me. For some reason, it brings to mind vampires...

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilmarr

Ta, Afa. If one or two titles catch your eye, drop me an email and I'll send them along in the format of your choice with our compliments. Always a nice way to greet a newcomer to MR. Cheers. Neil (ntmarrATbewrite.net -- but use the @ sign)

Wow. Thanks, Neil. That's a very kind offer. I think I'll take you up on that! I'll have a look over, and let you know.

SneakySnake · 07-05-2010, 01:08 AM

welcome afa

don't be scared by terds avatar. Its a very sexy mouth from RHPS.

ImogenRose · 07-05-2010, 02:11 AM

Hi and welcome to MR!

Imogen

afa · 07-06-2010, 01:58 AM

Thanks, Imogen. That's a very interesting name. Can't say I've ever heard it before; where are you from, if you don't mind my asking?

Quote:

Originally Posted by SneakySnake

welcome afa

don't be scared by terds avatar. Its a very sexy mouth from RHPS.

Is that the Rocky Horror Picture Show? I think I was right to be scared!

07-04-2010, 05:24 AM	#1
afa The Forgotten Posts: 1,136 Karma: 4689999 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Dubai Device: Kindle Paperwhite; Nook HD; Sony Xperia Z3 Compact	The Me! [An Unnecessarily Lengthy Intro] Greetings all, So, I've actually been an active member for a fair bit, but it only just occurred to me that I've never formally introduced myself. Let me just say that I think MobileRead is awesome. While I do know people who occasionally read, none of my close friends or family are all that into it. It's great to be a part of a community where there are people who love to read as much as I do (and in many cases, far more). In other words, a lot of people with far too much time on their hands. Much like me! Like my avatar, I spend a fair bit of time lurking in the shadows, following.. watching.. waiting.. Unlike Mr. 47, however, I am unarmed, so you need not be alarmed. So, let me go ahead and give a semi-brief and semi-fake introduction... My name is Christopher McDowski. (Not really, but it is my chosen alter-ego on the WorldWideInterWebnet). I am a Pakistani living in Dubai (really). Am I the only one? Anyone else here from the sun-scorched land? I have always wanted to write a novel of my own (not really, though I've toyed with the idea recently), and wished that I would one day become as obscenely rich and successful as the John Grishams, Dan Browns and J. K. Rowlings of the world (really). And I am completely and utterly confident that I have what it takes to achieve that (not really). My preferred genre is Fantasy. Although I have enjoyed reading fiction from a early age, my transformation into a Fantasy reader was a rather drawn out (and recent) one. It started when I watched Peter Jackson's film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Having never read the books (and being very anti-movie-trailers), I went in the theater not knowing anything about the subject matter other than it had something to do with wizards, elves, and something called a 'hobbit'. A little over 3 hours later, I walked out, blown away. The very next day (not really - probably more like a week after) I went out and bought all three books, and read them back-to-back. Still, I did not consider myself a 'Fantasy' reader. Not because I had anything against the genre; it's just that I read the books because of the movies, and so the fact that it was Fantasy was just... happenstance. I eventually got around to reading the Harry Potter books, too (though I hesitated, considering how atrocious the movies were), but still, I didn't think of myself as reading Fantasy because, well, it's Harry Potter and everyone knows Harry Potter. And so, about two years ago, I was in the bookshop and looking for something to buy and spotted The Dark Tower series. Now, I'm not really a Stephen King fan, but this seemed interesting, and different from his usual B-movie horror (no offense to any Constant Readers), so I picked it up. It was at this point that I officially became interested in Fantasy, since this was the first time I bought books because of the genre, rather than external factors. I have since read: - The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan - Good series, but a heck of a lot of filler. - Acacia by David Anthony Durham - Decent, but I was a little underwhelmed. - The First Law by Joe Abercrombie - Love it, love it, love it. - Elantris by Brandon Sanderson - Quite good. - The Scar by China Miéville - A fair bit underwhelmed. I liked the second half, despised the first. I'm currently reading Abercrombie's Best Served Cold and enjoying it. I also have over a dozen unread ones on my shelf, patiently waiting my loving/molesting hands. These are all what are apparently called "dead tree" books. As you can see from my little profile, I don't yet have an e-reader. However, my recently ordered/shipped nook Wi-Fi has arrived at our locals customs, and I should be getting it in a couple of days. Looking forward to it! P. S. - I apologise for the length of my post... I tend to get a bit verbose (or annoyingly long-winded, if you prefer). Of course, that doesn't mean I'm going to shorten this post; I like that I'm verbose. There are people in this world who have a remarkable knack for making you feel they've said a lot, even while they write sparsely, words at a premium, each word full to the brim with wisdom and intelligence. I am not one of those people. Last edited by afa; 07-04-2010 at 05:27 AM.

07-04-2010, 10:09 AM	#10
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,215 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	Ta, Afa. If one or two titles catch your eye, drop me an email and I'll send them along in the format of your choice with our compliments. Always a nice way to greet a newcomer to MR. Cheers. Neil (ntmarrATbewrite.net -- but use the @ sign) Attached Images

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07-04-2010, 05:44 AM	#2
Latinandgreek Warrior Princess Posts: 5,038 Karma: 9724231 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: PRS-505; PRS-350, PRS-T1, iPad, Aura HD	Nice to meet you, Afa! Thank you for sharing so much about yourself. I hope that you enjoy your new Nook. (I'm sure that you will).

07-04-2010, 06:58 AM	#3
GeoffC Chocolate Grasshopper ... Posts: 27,599 Karma: 20821184 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Muse HD , Cybook Gen3 , Pocketbook 302 (Black) , Nexus 10: wife has PW

07-04-2010, 07:00 AM	#4
Javed Grand Sorcerer Posts: 10,270 Karma: 1126878541 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Astak Pocket PRO, iPod Touch, PRS-650	Great introduction afa. Great to see you here with us!

07-04-2010, 07:10 AM	#5
MickeyC Grand Sorcerer Posts: 16,731 Karma: 12185114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Florida Device: iPhone 6 plus, Sony T1, iPad 3	Hi afa and welcome to MobileRead

07-04-2010, 07:17 AM	#6
afa The Forgotten Posts: 1,136 Karma: 4689999 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Dubai Device: Kindle Paperwhite; Nook HD; Sony Xperia Z3 Compact	Thank you for the greetings L&G, Geoff, Javed and Cassidy. Great to be here.

07-04-2010, 07:51 AM	#7
TGS Country Member Posts: 9,058 Karma: 7676767 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Denmark Device: Liseuse: Irex DR800. PRS 505 in the house, and the missus has an iPad.	Lengthy ...mmm, ish, unnecessarily so, nah. Welcome to MR!

07-04-2010, 08:07 AM	#8
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,215 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	Good to have your company, Afa. I love an introduction that offers more insight on a new member than 'hi -- new here'. Very best wishes and thanks for swapping a little about yourself. Neil

07-04-2010, 08:42 AM	#9
afa The Forgotten Posts: 1,136 Karma: 4689999 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Dubai Device: Kindle Paperwhite; Nook HD; Sony Xperia Z3 Compact	Thanks, TGS. I like your quote... Thanks, Neil. Love the website. Awesome design.

07-04-2010, 01:14 PM	#11
happy_terd Banned Posts: 13,045 Karma: 10105011 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Finally made it to Walmart. Device: PRS 420	Hello and welcome to MR!!!

07-05-2010, 01:08 AM	#13
SneakySnake I'm watching you! Posts: 6,113 Karma: 22344652 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Sunny Coast Qld, OZ Device: Sony PRS-900(unused lately) iPadAir2, want me Kindle Oasis	welcome afa don't be scared by terds avatar. Its a very sexy mouth from RHPS.

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07-05-2010, 02:11 AM	#14
ImogenRose PORTAL Posts: 7,204 Karma: 2884640 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: Kindle 1, Kindle 3 (3G), iPhone	Hi and welcome to MR! Imogen