Cedar Falls Public Library discussion

Throughout the month of April we will be discussing Fantasy titles. I didn't think I read that many fantasy titles until I started researching possible fantasy books. Then I realized that I have read more than I thought I did. One of my recent favorites was "The Golem and the Jinni" We discussed it last year. It's about a golem and a jinni who end up in NYC in the beginning of the 20th century. I really liked the characters and before this I didn't know what a golem was (a being made out of inanimate matter, in this case, clay) Is there a fantasy title that you have read that you enjoyed that you would recommend to the group?

I also enjoyed "The Golem and the Jinni." And I've always avoided the fantasy genre, didn't think I would like it.

I read Neil Gaiman's "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" mostly as an experiment (it was fantasy, I'd never read Gaiman, and it was on a lot of lists). I enjoyed it.

One that I REALLY liked was "The Raven Boys" by Maggie Stiefvater. It's the first in a teen trilogy. I've also started reading teen fiction again in the last several years (I'll bet I've missed a lot of good books in the last 40 years), and I loved the characters in this one. Which reminds me, I need to check and see if #3 is available.

"The Ocean at the End of the Lane" was a little dark for me. But I liked "Good Omens" that he cowrote with Terry Pratchett. You would think that one would be too dark for me because it was about the end of the world.
I will have to check out "The Raven Boys" sometime.

I love Neil Gaiman. In addition to Good Omens and The Ocean at the End of the Lane, I've also read Neverwhere, Stardust, and Coraline, all of which I would recommend; they are short, imaginative reads. I enjoyed The Golem and the Jinni quite a bit.
I also really like Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell. I tend to enjoy the sort of fantasy that borders with magical realism, so stories about fantastical places and characters with special abilities but still part of a realistic world find their way onto my shelf.
I don't normally read short stories, but Kelly Link is fabulous at fantasy short fiction for adults and YA.

Thanks for all the suggestions Jessica. I also like fantastical places like CS Lewis' Narnia books or The Hobbit. I could not get into The Lord of the rings because it was too detailed. I like books where fantastical characters are among us regular folks. Vampires and werewolves in the Twilight books and vampires in "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter" Loved the thought of Abraham Lincoln killing vampires.

So is it time to mention "Game of Thrones?" I was determined to avoid the HBO series because I believe I dislike fantasy. Then I watched it, just to see what the big deal was. I was hooked. I swore I wouldn't read the books, though.
I'm halfway through the 2nd book. Does anyone else read them? Anyone think they know who's going to end up on the throne?

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norell is on my "to read" list

I didn't read the first Game of Thrones book because I saw the show first and the books are long. I've read the 2nd and third book and I'm middle of listening to the 4th book. Some people think it will be down to Daenerys and Jon Snow. I am hoping for Ayra Stark.

I have read the Game of Thrones series through the last book, which was #5. After book 3 I began finding the books laborious to read: more and more supporting characters being introduced, long passages of not much happening, and some weird supernatural stuff. I do like the complexity of the characters though, no one is entirely good or bad and their choices/behaviors continued to surprise me.

I agree with what you said about the complexity of the characters, Jessica. I have approached guessing who will end up on the throne by looking for the "nicest" character. Because certainly, the author wouldn't reward a "bad" person by letting him/her win ;) That formula doesn't work with this story, and I think that adds a lot to the intrigue.

I am more than 2/3's done with the 4th book and finally something is happening. Sometimes I don't know who people are and I don't bother to clarify. I also agree about the complexity of some of the characters. I saw an article yesterday about the new season. It was about if someone got raped or not. The actors don't think it was rape because they know the characters back story. It was interesting. Sheryl, you are right that formula doesn't work with Game of Thrones. (Spoiler alert) When I started watching the first season I thought to myself this person is the nicest character and since he is on the cover of the dvd he'll be fine. I was in for a shock!

When I was looking for Fantasy titles to discuss, I noticed that a lot of the popular fantasy titles are youth or YA titles. Such as Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, Percy Jackson, Twilight and a Wrinkle in Time. I have read all of these except Percy Jackson and really enjoyed them. For some reason I am having a hard time finding adult Fantasy titles that I enjoy just as much. Do you feel the same way? If not can you recommend some titles?

I recently finished The Inheritance trilogy by J. K. Jemisin. First book is The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. Good characters and the writing was beautiful. Fantasy, but different. Gods, demigods, humans and how they interact.

So would you say they are like Percy Jackson books for adults? It sounds good, Travis. Thanks for the suggestion!

These are like Percy Jackson books for adults, except these are not gods we've heard of. It's a different world than ours.

Oh ok. Interesting concept.