Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading?

[maianhvk]

Originally Posted by missimpossible

I don't know about your other choices, but if you're just starting Discworld I wouldn't start with the first two books (though I know there are others who disagree with me). Possibly start with one of the more standalone books like Small Gods, Moving Pictures, or Pyramids (personal recommendation would be Small Gods). OR you could start one of the other series-within-a-series, such as the Death series which begins with Mort or the Watch series beginning with Guards! Guards! The Wizards and Witches books are, to my mind, better read after one has a feel for the setting and situation.

I read Thief of Time, the last Death book, first, when I was eleven. Then Equal Rites, then I started from the beginning and have been reading them in order ever since. If I had read the first two books first I'm not sure I would have kept going (not that they're bad books, they're just very different to the other books, and to be honest, they're nowhere near the standard of most of the others).

Just an opinion though! Really, start anywhere in the series and you'll be golden, they're all great books (well, all the ones I've read).

(Also, sorry if you're not actually new to the series and I'm just blathering pointlessly.)

He might know the series already, but I don't. Thanks for the tip. I started with the first book, and it didn't had my attention as I expected I heard other fans say that I should have some base knowledge about several well-known fantasy universes before reading Discworld, so I think at least I'd read LOTR first.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: another of my May purchases, Digital Domains: A Decade of Science Fiction & Fantasy edited by Ellen Datlow. A collection of SF/Fantasy that was first published in on-line magazines/web sites from 1996 to 2006.

Not really the style of SF/Fantasy I like at all. Quite astonishing, really, that in a wide variety of stories, I don't think I really liked even one of them.

Next: Something I'm pretty confident I will enjoy: Murder in the Mews by Agatha Christie. Four Hercule Poirot mysteries. Her 30th book.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Cruise reading...

[snip]

Any other great SF/Fantasy trilogies out there? Keep in mind I've read LoTR, Shannara, Sward of Truth, Belgariad and some other pretty popular ones.

How about some Lois McMaster Bujold?

For a complete fantasy four-book series there's The Sharing Knife:
Beguilement
Legacy
Passage
Horizon

If you prefer stand-alone fantasy books in the same universe, there's her Chalion series, although they don't all seem to be in the Kindle store.

For an on-going SF series (although each book completes a story), there's her Vorkosigan series. I'd suggest starting with The Warrior's Apprentice

[WT Sharpe]

I just read Deal Breaker: The First Myron Bolitar Novel by Harlan Coben, a wonderful modern whodunnit in the tough guy style. The author was recommended to be by coderserdar, who is about to get some karma coming his way.

[orlok]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I just read Deal Breaker: The First Myron Bolitar Novel by Harlan Coben, a wonderful modern whodunnit in the tough guy style. The author was recommended to be by coderserdar, who is about to get some karma coming his way.

I've read all the Myron Bolitar novels, and really enjoyed every one. And they just get better, with Win playing a more and more significant role.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

How about some Lois McMaster Bujold?

For a complete fantasy four-book series there's The Sharing Knife:
Beguilement
Legacy
Passage
Horizon

If you prefer stand-alone fantasy books in the same universe, there's her Chalion series, although they don't all seem to be in the Kindle store.

For an on-going SF series (although each book completes a story), there's her Vorkosigan series. I'd suggest starting with The Warrior's Apprentice

Hmm... interesting.

I have listed to the Chalion books on Audio. Actually, listened to the first one and about 1/2 through the second one.

Edit: Just looked these aren't available for Kindle yet. Are there ebooks of this somewhere, perhaps Bane?

What are all those "Miles" books?

BOb

[DiapDealer]

What are all those "Miles" books?

Those are all part of the Vorkosigan saga.

[ATDrake]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I have listed to the Chalion books on Audio. Actually, listened to the first one and about 1/2 through the second one.

Edit: Just looked these aren't available for Kindle yet. Are there ebooks of this somewhere, perhaps Bane?

All 3 Chalion books are available from Kobo, published by HarperCollins, at least in Canada ($7.99 a pop now; the first book used to be just $5.99 and discountable with coupon, sigh), when I click the author listing link for Bujold which pops up during search. Book 3, The Hallowed Hunt is set in a time period prior to 1 & 2 and can be enjoyed totally standalone, BTW.

The Vorkosigan books are very good and highly recommended, although in the beginning, the writing is not as mature and skilled as what you get with the initial Chalion books, though still quite enjoyable.

The Sharing Knife books are nice enough, but since due to changes in the publishing industry which made them split up a single long novel into 2 shorter novels which was apparently cheaper to paper-print, you really do have to read 1 & 2, and then 3 & 4 together, otherwise you'll only be getting half the story each time, though Bujold does try to wrap things up so the transition isn't totally cliffhanger.

[missimpossible]

Originally Posted by maianhvk

He might know the series already, but I don't. Thanks for the tip. I started with the first book, and it didn't had my attention as I expected I heard other fans say that I should have some base knowledge about several well-known fantasy universes before reading Discworld, so I think at least I'd read LOTR first.

You're welcome and yeah, I found Colour of Magic really struggled to hold my attention and I've never gone back to it. I will eventually - I plan to do a complete reread once I catch up, which I'll probably blog, but it doesn't really... entice me, if that's the right word.

Base knowledge of fantasy "tropes" does help, but he references a LOT of things, so it doesn't really matter if you don't get them all. For example, Moving Pictures and Soul Music respectively reference a lot of films and music that not necessarily everyone will know. In particular, Moving Pictures references a lot of films that younger readers likely wouldn't have seen. To be honest, as long as you're familiar with literary themes and cliches moreso than fantasy, you'll be fine.

Books I'd absolutely recommend for the beginner are:

• Small Gods
• Mort
• Guards! Guards!

Then you can either run with that series (Mort would be the Death series, Guards! Guards! the Watch series, which is arguably the best of them all and contains probably the single most celebrated TP book, Night Watch) or start from the beginning and read them chronologically - once you've got a few under your belt, reading them chronologically is probably better in terms of "getting" all the plot points.

tl;dr: read a couple of the "good" ones first, then read the books chronologically - that way lies maximum enjoyment (for me and the other TP fans I know, anyway. Everyone's different!)

[Pookeysgirl]

Just finished Jim Butchers Summer Knight http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Knight-...4064957&sr=1-9 it's the 4th book in the Dresden Files. Awesome book : I've really enjoyed the series. The ebooks are pricey and I'm having a hard time pacing myself.

Now I'm reading Meredith Whitford's Treason http://www.amazon.com/Treason-ebook/...4065062&sr=1-4

[covingtoncat73]

I'm reading Bookmarked for Death, a "cozy" set in an American version of Hay-on-wye.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Hmm... interesting.

I have listed to the Chalion books on Audio. Actually, listened to the first one and about 1/2 through the second one.

Edit: Just looked these aren't available for Kindle yet. Are there ebooks of this somewhere, perhaps Bane?

What are all those "Miles" books?

BOb

The Chalion Books (The Curse of Chalion, Paladin of Souls and The Hallowed Hunt) seem to all be available in the US Kindle store, but only the Hallowed Hunt is available in the UK Kindle Store. I'd guess that the UK publisher has neither reverted rights nor released ebook editions yet.

The Miles books are all part of the Vorkosigan series. (Some others are too.) They're mostly about Miles Vorkosigan, but there's also a couple of prequels about how his parents got together.

The cheapest way to buy the Vorkosigan series is to buy the Cryoburn ebook. It comes with an ISO CD image containing all the previous books in the series, and more.

If you want a stand-alone fantasy, I'd recommend The Spirit Ring, although perhaps you should wait for a good fictionwise sale before buying it.

[Ron.]

Over the past few days I have been reading "American Gods" I am only at Chapter 4 but so far am enjoying it. Going through one of those spells where it is hard to read, I will read a few pages set it down etc...

What other of his books are worth reading ? I took a quick look and many seem to be listed as children's books.

[Bookpossum]

I think everything of Neil Gaiman's is worth reading - he's one of my favourite writers. But a real stand-out for me is "Neverwhere".

Edit:
I forgot to answer the question posed by the thread. I am currently reading Hilary Mantel's "A Change of Climate". She is a recent discovery of mine and she is brilliant. I have previously read "A Place of Greater Safety" and she does historical fiction wonderfully, so I am looking forward to reading "Wolf Hall" (Booker Prize winner in 2009) before too long.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

The Miles books are all part of the Vorkosigan series. (Some others are too.) They're mostly about Miles Vorkosigan, but there's also a couple of prequels about how his parents got together.

The cheapest way to buy the Vorkosigan series is to buy the Cryoburn ebook. It comes with an ISO CD image containing all the previous books in the series, and more.

You can download them for free here. This is the CD from The 5th Imperium.

http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/2...CD/CryoburnCD/

http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/
Apache