The Sword and Laser discussion

Before I started watching Sword and Laser on YouTube I only read comic books, I never read a novel outside of school. I finally gave in and started listening to an audiobook and now I've read 20 books and listened 33 so far this year alone. I'm so grateful to S&L.

I am quite the opposite. In the last 3 years or so, pretty much all of my reading has been consumed with comic books. Other than the occasional new Scalzi novel, the latest Expanse novel, or say if one of the hosts were to publish a novel (hm, Pilot X is the only novel I've read this year). Although, that has nothing to do with my S&L listening.

Honestly, no more or less than before, it's just that in most months I'm reading one thing I didn't necessarily put on my own "to be read" list.
The "what else are you reading" discussions are great to get a feel for what else is getting people excited in the SF&F world.

My reading went way up. It's dropped off this year, but still far more than I was reading before S&L.

I read a bit more (it varies year to year depending on real life crap), but my reading is a lot more varied now than it used to be. I'm reading a bunch of things I never would have touched before, and for that I'm grateful (even if I don't like every book).

My reading has definitely gone way up since I started listening (again - I used to listen a lot a few years back, then took a couple of years away, and then came back about a year ago). I have also been more thoughtful about the books that I read, not only about the authors and content but also trying to plan a reading schedule.

I'm not sure if this is a coincidence or a consequence of listening to S&L. There have been a couple of times when it's been almost the end of the month and I found the mid-month update so interesting that I've decided to try to quickly read a book before the wrap-up episode. This notably happened with the Witcher book.

terpkristin wrote: "I read a bit more (it varies year to year depending on real life crap), but my reading is a lot more varied now than it used to be. I'm reading a bunch of things I never would have touched before, ..."

This. I'm not necessarily reading more as much as I'm reading different.

Lauren wrote: "I'm not sure if this is a coincidence or a consequence of listening to S&L."

And now Tom and Veronica have a new named segment for the podcast:
Coincidence or Consequence?

Would "coincidence doesn't mean consequence" be the fantasy version of the science phrase "correlation doesn't mean causation"?

I might have joined Goodreads because S&L but my reading hasn't changed.

Phil wrote: "Would "coincidence doesn't mean consequence" be the fantasy version of the science phrase "correlation doesn't mean causation"?"

That's exactly what I was thinking as I typed it!

I'm a Constant Reader. S&L has got me interested in some of the books they discuss but the amount and genres are unchanged.

I'm reading more since I began listening to the podcast, and my reading is more varied. I also listen to Tom's Cordkillers podcast. Since cutting the cord to satellite tv, I'm watching much less tv, leaving more time to read. Coincidence or consequence?

Consequence, Mark. When I had cable I would have it on and surf around. Now, when I do watch, it's on demand which implicitly means I want to watch the program.

Rick wrote: "Consequence, Mark. When I had cable I would have it on and surf around. Now, when I do watch, it's on demand which implicitly means I want to watch the program."

and many of the programs worth watching these days are based on some of the books we read

Not only do I read more since joining S&L, I read different things I wouldn't have read before. I've discovered so many series and authors because of this club. Forever grateful.

I don't think I read more as such. But I do read more widely. For example, I had never touched an Urban Fantasy novel before they constantly mentioned Dresden Files and Iron Druid, etc. on the podcast.

Fiona wrote: "I don't think I read more as such. But I do read more widely. For example, I had never touched an Urban Fantasy novel before they constantly mentioned Dresden Files and Iron Druid, etc. on the podc..."

the first time I read this, I thought you wrote Dresden Druid and Iron Files which almost works ;-P

The Dresden Druid would be a nice alliteration! :-)

I definitely do not have as much time to read as when I was younger, but the club has made me read a few things I probably would not have chosen on my own. I am trying to read all the S & L book picks, including alternates. I have read 90 out of 108, with 5 of the 90 being Lems and 3 of the 18 not read yet on hand or on hold from the library.

Mike

S&L dovetails nicely for me with getting an ebook reader, which makes it more convenient for me, and with getting saddled with an hour-long train commute five days a week, which gives me more time to read. Between the three, I've probably tripled what I read in a year, and S&L got me to do a lot more research for great science fiction and fantasy I might have been missing.

S&L puts me more on a schedule with my reading than I was before so I'm more consistently reading but the total over the long term is probably similar.
It has made me read a lot of books by newer authors than I normally would have and more fantasy than before. Frankly, the book picks over the last couple years haven't really appealed to me very much and I've been considering giving it up.

No more, no less.

I first heard of S&L back when Felicia Day made them part of her Geek and Sundry youtube channel.

Timing of that was weird because the book of the month at that time, Hyperion by Dan Simmons, is the opening book of my favorite series of all time.

Since then I've read a few book of the months with them but overall very few. I think the last was Altered Carbon and that was a couple of years ago at least.

Occasionally, like this month with The Gunslinger, they'll do a book I've already read several times over..

Mostly I just come back here now and then because its a like minded community of fantasy / sci fi fans even if I'm not doing the book of the month thing with them most of the time.

When I found S&L I was introduced to Audio Books and that increased my reading quite a bit since I commute almost 2 hours a day.

S&L strengthened my conviction that lemming a book is okay.

Do I read more books? Not sure. For certain I added some of the group reads in my TBR list. I don't do many group reads mostly because I have too many books/group reads already or the chosen books are the ones I have read and could not spare time to reread. However, the monthly pick announcement is still something to wait for, who knows someday it will be one from my never-stop-growing TBR.