I've decided that blogging and keeping a journal is not for me. I still really enjoy Livejournal-land but I haven't got anything to say for myself to the world at large.
Heh, yeah, there's a whole lot of plot to remember. I quite like how she mixes present and past. I enjoy looking at the tables, when they appear, at the back of the book about the various incarnations.
I don't think I could wait 6 weeks for a book. I prefer buying offline. I only found out about The Spirit Stone being out when I caught sight of it in the new releases section of Waterstones.
I seem to be rather unsophisticated in my tastes (for example, I like reading Laurell K Hamilton's books, which seem to be generally despised). I don't tend to pick up a lot on literary criteria unless it's blindingly obvious. I do find Kerr's Deverry series very readable and despite the heavy amounts of plot, I don't find it overwhelming.
About female characters, the way Wilbur Smith writes female characters bugs me. I think the problem that I have is that they sometimes seem a little too Mary Sueish.
I haven't even flicked through her non-Deverry books, though I don't recall why. I think it's because I'm inclined more to fantasy rather than sci-fi books (thought I love sci-fi shows, e.g. Stargate) I may have a glance next time I'm
Looking at the tables in the Deverry books and remembering who used to be who is fun for me too. I like how she brings elements of a previous incarnation into a current life; some of the characters have to learn lessons based on how they lived before.
If I didn't have an Amazon gift voucher to spend I wouldn't be buying the book online - I'm one of those people who generally has to have a book !!!!NOW!!! Of course I might give in and wander into Waterstones to buy it but I'll have to find someone to chaperone me, as I tend to try to buy the whole shop when I go to Waterstones ;)
I know what you mean about her books having lots of plot but not in an overwhelming way, I have to admit that is the sort of thing that puts me off reading fantasy at times, I feel like I'm drowning in too much information.
I must admit I have big problems with badly written female characters and it really puts me off a book or fic if the character is a Mary Sue *shudders*.
Never read any Wilbur Smith - I take it you wouldn't recommend him? lol
Well I would heartily recommend Katharine Kerr's SF books. My faves (in no particular order) are: Polar City Blues, Palace, Freeze Frames, and Snare.
One of my favourite moments is when Nevyn talks to Cullyn after he gets injured in a battle and finds out that he really isn't the same man as the Gerraent he knew as a young man. There was something touching in that conversation for me.
Oh yeah, can totally empathise with that. I need restraints when I'm in a bookstore, especially if there's any shiny covers. I'm a bit of magpie like that (yeah, it's bad of me but damnit, pretty covers just draw me in)
It's one of the reasons I wasn't fond of Lord of the Rings, there was just too much detail at the start for me. I have simple tastes, I like things which are easy to read.
Like I said before, I'm pretty unsophisticated. I enjoy things despite a lot of people considering them to be poor quality so I can stick out quite a lot if it's otherwise readable/watchable by my preferences.
Some of his earlier books are pretty good. I would recommend them but with a caution that there's something offputting about some of his main female characters.
Thanks for the rec! Thursday should be pay day so I can go have a wander in Leeds and poke around Waterstones for them this weekend :)
One of my favourite moments is when Nevyn talks to Cullyn after he gets injured in a battle and finds out that he really isn't the same man as the Gerraent he knew as a young man. There was something touching in that conversation for me.
I know exactly what you mean, I love this moment as well. Cullyn turned out to be one of my favourite characters, and I became so pleased when Cullyn broke the chain of Wyrd tying him to Jill and Rhodry.
Our Waterstones in Belfast is quite titchy in comparison to some I've visited in England, so I imagine that I'm in slightly less danger than you are come payday ;)
I have grown to favour books that I find easy to read. I still try to read the odd difficult or challenging book but on the whole I read for escapism and to relax so I just want stories I can get lost in.
Which other authors are among your favourites?
Had a think about this while I was in the shower lol.
At the minute I am going through an SF phase so I'm reading my way through Neal Asher's Polity books (out of sequence by accident but it hasn't messed things up too much). I like Richard Morgan's Takeshi Kovacs books and I enjoyed Chris Moriarty's first novel 'Spin State' because it had a really good female protagonist.
I like Greg Egan's books, even though I don't always understand the science behind them I can still really enjoy the characters and plots. Elizabeth Moon writes books with strong and believable female characters, she's ex US Navy and tends to write about female characters who are in some way in the military in space, but I still find them easy to read and enjoyable.
When it comes to Fantasy books one of my favourite writers is Storm Constantine - I love all of her books. I also like David and Leigh Eddings, and I quite liked Steven Donaldson's Thomas Covenant books.
When it comes to Fantasy I'm more limited in my reading so feel free to chuck some recs my way :)
I considered listing some of my other fave authors but I realised that it would turn into an essay, so I gave up as I didn't want to bore you to tears :D
I really liked Cullyn and Jill. Actually, most of Kerr's characters are pretty likeable and that's unusual for me. Normally I have a favoured few and then don't particularly care for the rest.
Only one author on your list that I've actually read. I've read the entirety of the Belgariad/Mallorean series, including Belgarath and Polgara. Really enjoyed this series, I've read it a fair few times.
I'd rec Dragon Master by Chris Bunch. It's just one book but it's nice and long and I found it easy to follow. The ending seems a bit lacklustre though.
Hmm, you read any by Tamora Pierce? I've only read a few of her books. She's on my "Mean to buy more of her books but keep forgetting, damn memory" list.
Uhh, mind blank on other Fantasy books atm. Will comment if I think of any others.
I'd be interested in hearing more of your favourite authors, don't worry about it being an essay :D
I'd rec Dragon Master by Chris Bunch.... Hmm, you read any by Tamora Pierce? I've only read a few of her books. She's on my "Mean to buy more of her books but keep forgetting, damn memory" list.
I haven't read or heard of either of these authors, I shall happily bung them on my ever-lengthening Library request list. I love getting recommendations, it usually leads to reading enjoyable books.
Uhh, mind blank on other Fantasy books atm. Will comment if I think of any others.
Ta muchly!
I'd be interested in hearing more of your favourite authors, don't worry about it being an essay :D
Will a 5 page colour-coded spreadsheet with graphs be okay? ;)
I'll have a think and get back to you on this one, for some reason my mind always goes blank when I desperately want to remember author names. Do you want me to rec things in a comment here or do you have an email address you don't mind me using?
Ack, I'm sorry. I read through your e-mail and I meant to reply but it totally skipped my mind (I am really scatterbrained at times).
I haven't read any on that list but the Ursula Le Guin ones look particularly interesting. Also like the look of The Crystal Gryphon. I added them to my list of wanted books but Hayley's been busy lately so I haven't been out recently to acquire books.
I don't think I could wait 6 weeks for a book. I prefer buying offline. I only found out about The Spirit Stone being out when I caught sight of it in the new releases section of Waterstones.
I seem to be rather unsophisticated in my tastes (for example, I like reading Laurell K Hamilton's books, which seem to be generally despised). I don't tend to pick up a lot on literary criteria unless it's blindingly obvious. I do find Kerr's Deverry series very readable and despite the heavy amounts of plot, I don't find it overwhelming.
About female characters, the way Wilbur Smith writes female characters bugs me. I think the problem that I have is that they sometimes seem a little too Mary Sueish.
I haven't even flicked through her non-Deverry books, though I don't recall why. I think it's because I'm inclined more to fantasy rather than sci-fi books (thought I love sci-fi shows, e.g. Stargate) I may have a glance next time I'm
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If I didn't have an Amazon gift voucher to spend I wouldn't be buying the book online - I'm one of those people who generally has to have a book !!!!NOW!!! Of course I might give in and wander into Waterstones to buy it but I'll have to find someone to chaperone me, as I tend to try to buy the whole shop when I go to Waterstones ;)
I know what you mean about her books having lots of plot but not in an overwhelming way, I have to admit that is the sort of thing that puts me off reading fantasy at times, I feel like I'm drowning in too much information.
I must admit I have big problems with badly written female characters and it really puts me off a book or fic if the character is a Mary Sue *shudders*.
Never read any Wilbur Smith - I take it you wouldn't recommend him? lol
Well I would heartily recommend Katharine Kerr's SF books. My faves (in no particular order) are: Polar City Blues, Palace, Freeze Frames, and Snare.
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Oh yeah, can totally empathise with that. I need restraints when I'm in a bookstore, especially if there's any shiny covers. I'm a bit of magpie like that (yeah, it's bad of me but damnit, pretty covers just draw me in)
It's one of the reasons I wasn't fond of Lord of the Rings, there was just too much detail at the start for me. I have simple tastes, I like things which are easy to read.
Like I said before, I'm pretty unsophisticated. I enjoy things despite a lot of people considering them to be poor quality so I can stick out quite a lot if it's otherwise readable/watchable by my preferences.
Some of his earlier books are pretty good. I would recommend them but with a caution that there's something offputting about some of his main female characters.
Thanks for the rec! Thursday should be pay day so I can go have a wander in Leeds and poke around Waterstones for them this weekend :)
Which other authors are among your favourites?
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I know exactly what you mean, I love this moment as well. Cullyn turned out to be one of my favourite characters, and I became so pleased when Cullyn broke the chain of Wyrd tying him to Jill and Rhodry.
Our Waterstones in Belfast is quite titchy in comparison to some I've visited in England, so I imagine that I'm in slightly less danger than you are come payday ;)
I have grown to favour books that I find easy to read. I still try to read the odd difficult or challenging book but on the whole I read for escapism and to relax so I just want stories I can get lost in.
Which other authors are among your favourites?
Had a think about this while I was in the shower lol.
At the minute I am going through an SF phase so I'm reading my way through Neal Asher's Polity books (out of sequence by accident but it hasn't messed things up too much). I like Richard Morgan's Takeshi Kovacs books and I enjoyed Chris Moriarty's first novel 'Spin State' because it had a really good female protagonist.
I like Greg Egan's books, even though I don't always understand the science behind them I can still really enjoy the characters and plots. Elizabeth Moon writes books with strong and believable female characters, she's ex US Navy and tends to write about female characters who are in some way in the military in space, but I still find them easy to read and enjoyable.
When it comes to Fantasy books one of my favourite writers is Storm Constantine - I love all of her books. I also like David and Leigh Eddings, and I quite liked Steven Donaldson's Thomas Covenant books.
When it comes to Fantasy I'm more limited in my reading so feel free to chuck some recs my way :)
I considered listing some of my other fave authors but I realised that it would turn into an essay, so I gave up as I didn't want to bore you to tears :D
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Only one author on your list that I've actually read. I've read the entirety of the Belgariad/Mallorean series, including Belgarath and Polgara. Really enjoyed this series, I've read it a fair few times.
I'd rec Dragon Master by Chris Bunch. It's just one book but it's nice and long and I found it easy to follow. The ending seems a bit lacklustre though.
Hmm, you read any by Tamora Pierce? I've only read a few of her books. She's on my "Mean to buy more of her books but keep forgetting, damn memory" list.
Uhh, mind blank on other Fantasy books atm. Will comment if I think of any others.
I'd be interested in hearing more of your favourite authors, don't worry about it being an essay :D
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I haven't read or heard of either of these authors, I shall happily bung them on my ever-lengthening Library request list. I love getting recommendations, it usually leads to reading enjoyable books.
Uhh, mind blank on other Fantasy books atm. Will comment if I think of any others.
Ta muchly!
I'd be interested in hearing more of your favourite authors, don't worry about it being an essay :D
Will a 5 page colour-coded spreadsheet with graphs be okay? ;)
I'll have a think and get back to you on this one, for some reason my mind always goes blank when I desperately want to remember author names. Do you want me to rec things in a comment here or do you have an email address you don't mind me using?
Night :D
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My mind just goes blank whenever I try to think.
I don't have a particular preference but if you prefer e-mailing, you can e-mail me at ryn.summers@gmail.com
Night night, take care!
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I've read both her trilogies and I definitely would highly recommend them.
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I haven't got round to emailing you as yet cos I've been busy with work :(
Will devote some time to thinking about my fave authors over the weekend :)
Bye for now!
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Just getting in touch to see if you got the email of book recs and to see if you'd read any of the novels mentioned :D
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I haven't read any on that list but the Ursula Le Guin ones look particularly interesting. Also like the look of The Crystal Gryphon. I added them to my list of wanted books but Hayley's been busy lately so I haven't been out recently to acquire books.
Very much appreciate the list of recs :D
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