Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

Hey Peeps - I've started a Patreon!

Many of you know I've been book blogging for years, and more recently been having fun doing the Booktube thing. Now I've expanded my ambitions and am adding one more thing to my plate... a Patreon.

It's a platform where people can help support creators, and I'm hoping to add enough value in the form of exclusive content to make it a fun hub to be. Here's the link: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=700567...

Thanks for your consideration! :)

Of course it's dragon themed ;)

Timelord Iain wrote: "Of course it's dragon themed ;)"

Haha, I made myself very happy when coming up with that. XD

I actually watched your haul vid, and subscribed... and realized I need to watch more booktubes for new book ideas... I'm on a heavy re-read spree this year, but would definitely like to check out some of the books you mentioned, that I guess are making the rounds, from your hype comments?...

Only a year late on that... maybe I'll become a patron sometime in the NEXT year...

I think it's been 6 months to a year or more since I watched any booktube vids... usually Merphy or Daniel Green... I think the last thing I'm 100% sure I watched, actually, was the Jim Butcher interviews for Peace Talks & Battle Ground...

Anyway, good luck, looks like you're hitting milestones...

Timelord Iain wrote: "I actually watched your haul vid, and subscribed... and realized I need to watch more booktubes for new book ideas... I'm on a heavy re-read spree this year, but would definitely like to check out ..."

Thanks Iain! It's funny, when I see all the stuff you're reading, I think I really need to focus more on backlist because your depth of experience with most series is something I really want to have. I can't bring myself to reread a lot even though I want to. I think consuming all this booktube content makes me more fixated on the new stuff. I did pick up some really cool books in that series - ones I'm eager to get to.

Haha, better late than never! I watch a ton of booktube at work, so I feel like I have the time for it while I'm doing other things. I don't see hardly any of it at home. I need my computer to crash or something so I can take a week to just listen to stuff.

Thank you, I'm really having a lot of fun with it. The milestones are all very satisfying. :D

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "I actually watched your haul vid, and subscribed... and realized I need to watch more booktubes for new book ideas... I'm on a heavy re-read spree this year, but would definit..."

I use re-reads when I feel myself slumping, and because it allows a bunch of great Buddy Read discussions... sometimes I can have a discussion before I even re-read the book, if I'm a big enough fan of it to remember enough... like with Innkeeper Chronicle books and Chronicles of St. Mary's recently... having re-readers along for a Buddy Read also seems to build a level of hype and momentum... it did wonders for the 2nd attempt at the Wandering Inn web serial turned audiobooks... created like a dozen new fans this year, which is great, being a series with more pages than Wheel of Time and Malazan, and less that 1/2 to 1/3 turned into audio so far:



EDIT 1: That image only includes the first 7 volumes of Wandering Inn... the 8th Volume ended in May and is probably even longer than the 7th... volumes 5-8 are alot longer than 1-4... 4th volume just ended in the 6th audiobook... 7th audiobook releases at the end of July... not sure if it's half of Volume 5 or 1/3... I think it's probably 1/3... it's kind of impressive how complete some of the half volumes have felt so far, on audio... especially the 2 halves of volume 4...

EDIT 2: I don't know who made that chart, but I found it from a post on Benedict Jacka's site a few months ago, and posted it in the Wandering Inn thread...

Timelord Iain wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "I actually watched your haul vid, and subscribed... and realized I need to watch more booktubes for new book ideas... I'm on a heavy re-read spree this yea..."

Holy crap!! I had no idea it was so expansive. And that chart is really cool - I've read a ton of series off of there, and it's fascinating to see the relative time commitment with each one. I was recently thinking of starting (reread then continuing) Foreigner by Cherryh haha. I feel pretty proud of Elderlings and Riftwar...

Yea, I've read or tried like 2/3 of that list, I think, thanks to this group if not before...

Wandering Inn is kinda crazy... the author got a bit burnt out, finishing Volume 8 (which is a big milestone for the series, from what I understand, hitting some big points needed for the eventual endgame, but is unsure how close that endgame is... s/he is somewhere between 33 and 66% done with the series now)... anyway, they took a month off before starting Volume 9 a few days/weeks ago...

The wiki says the web serial is 32,000 pages and 9.3 million words and counting... not sure when that total was last updated, but it's definitely gone up a fair bit, in the 2 years since I first listened to the first audiobook...

Timelord Iain wrote: "Yea, I've read or tried like 2/3 of that list, I think, thanks to this group if not before...

Wandering Inn is kinda crazy... the author got a bit burnt out, finishing Volume 8 (which is a big mil..."

Considering how long it is, I think I'll wait until it's done and y'all have a chance to weigh-in on whether or not it was worth it!

This is great Niki! I've been watching your videos. I never watched any booktubes until you and Petrik started making your videos, and now I watch four of them. You and Petrik have both convinced me to try a couple of series that I had not tried. I also wish I could convince myself to start a booktube, but I really hate looking at myself on video or even hearing my own voice, haha. So I guess I'll stick to blogging for now.

Good luck with your Pateron Niki!

Good luck with Pateron Niki!

Narilka wrote: "Good luck with your Pateron Niki!"

Thank you! ^_^

Narilka wrote: "Good luck with your Pateron Niki!"

Thank you! :D

Tammie wrote: "This is great Niki! I've been watching your videos. I never watched any booktubes until you and Petrik started making your videos, and now I watch four of them. You and Petrik have both convinced m..."

Thank you for watching my stuff! A couple of years ago I said the same thing to Petrik, almost verbatim. And he encouraged me to start one anyway, saying he’d love to see what I could do and said those things get easier with time. I think it totally appropriate to pass that on to you! You’re so well-read and your reviews are always so thoughtfully written - you’d definitely have a wonderful perspective to add to Booktube. It took me about six months of filming before I found my stride and stopped feeling so stupid in front of the camera (I still don’t like hearing my voice when editing haha), but now it’s a breeze and I never would’ve started had I not been willing to do it awkwardly at first. You can do it! <3

Ooh nice! Good luck with it all Niki!

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Thank you for watching my stuff! A couple of years ago I said the same thing to Petrik, almost verbatim. And he encouraged me to start one anyway, saying he’d love to see what I could do and said those things get easier with time. I think it totally appropriate to pass that on to you! You’re so well-read and your reviews are always so thoughtfully written - you’d definitely have a wonderful perspective to add to Booktube. It took me about six months of filming before I found my stride and stopped feeling so stupid in front of the camera (I still don’t like hearing my voice when editing haha), but now it’s a breeze and I never would’ve started had I not been willing to do it awkwardly at first. You can do it! <3..."

Thanks so much for the encouragement! It helps to know I'm not the only one that struggles with that.

I enjoy your videos at Youtube and I watch them as soon as I can. :)

I hope Patreon works well for you.

Beena wrote: "Ooh nice! Good luck with it all Niki!"

Thanks Beena!

Tammie wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Thank you for watching my stuff! A couple of years ago I said the same thing to Petrik, almost verbatim. And he encouraged me to start one anyway, saying he’d love to see what I..."

For sure! If you decide to get it going at any point, lmk if I can help.

Miche wrote: "I enjoy your videos at Youtube and I watch them as soon as I can. :)

I hope Patreon works well for you."

Thank you Miche! <3 It's comments like that that (thatthat?) makes putting in all this time worthwhile.

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Miche wrote: "I enjoy your videos at Youtube and I watch them as soon as I can. :)

I hope Patreon works well for you."

Thank you Miche! <3 It's comments like that that (thatthat?) makes putting i..."

I am loving the vlog series you are doing. I have already watched the one you uploaded today. 😊

Miche wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Miche wrote: "I enjoy your videos at Youtube and I watch them as soon as I can. :)

I hope Patreon works well for you."

Thank you Miche!

I am loving the vlog series you are d..."

:D!! That's my favorite project at the moment. It's so satisfying to be doing my whole collection gradually. If I tried to do everything all at once, I think I'd get mental burnout so quickly. It's nice to be actually reading the stuff I've been hoarding haha.

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Miche wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Miche wrote: "I enjoy your videos at Youtube and I watch them as soon as I can. :)

I hope Patreon works well for you."

Thank you Miche!

I am loving the vlog se..."

I am thinking of doing something similar with my ebooks and audiobooks. 😊

Miche wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Miche wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Miche wrote: "I enjoy your videos at Youtube and I watch them as soon as I can. :)

I hope Patreon works well for you."

Thank you Miche!

I a..."

That would be fun - would burning involve archiving or deleting outright?

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Miche wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Miche wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Miche wrote: "I enjoy your videos at Youtube and I watch them as soon as I can. :)

I hope Patreon works well for you."

Thank yo..."

Probably just archiving them. Too bad we can't donate these. :(

Miche wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Miche wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Miche wrote: "Niki Hawkes wrote: "Miche wrote: "I enjoy your videos at Youtube and I watch them as soon as I can. :)

I hope Patreon works well..."

I know! Even if we could just add a few more digital copies to local libraries or non-profits. It would be much better. I've at least 20 audiobooks I'm never going to listen too. Ebooks are a bit better - I usually only buy them as I'm ready to read them right away. But still...

Most of my never-gonna-read list are the Audible Originals I picked up when you got 6 options each month for free... most have annoying sound effects that turn me away from ever reading... at least, with the rest, Audible generally has a very generous return system, especially if you've clearly never listened with the app...

Timelord Iain wrote: "Most of my never-gonna-read list are the Audible Originals I picked up when you got 6 options each month for free... most have annoying sound effects that turn me away from ever reading... at least..."

I'm grateful they take a lot back - I've definitely taken advantage. Most of my bummers are sequels I bought on sales only to realize years later I don't want to read them.