SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Some vet advice for Tonto's owner--he really needs to get the dog neutered. That retained testicle(the one still inside the dog's abdominal cavity) is at very high risk of becoming cancerous the older the dog gets. It does cost a bit more to neuter a cryptorchid dog, but it's worth the price when one considers the possible alternative.

Thanks! I'll pass that on to the owner

Jim

Hello to Everyone! Nice to meet such a group of like minded folks.

I'm Kristin. Forester and Yoga teacher by trade. I'm a Scifi nut by nature and have been for waaayy to many years. I live and work in Duluth, MN, near the shores of Lake Superior where yes, the winter's are cold and long.

I attended my first two Scifi conventions when I was 16 (both Dr. Who) and have since been to 14 Minicons (Minneapolis scifi convention), 3 Worldcons (Chicago 2000, Boston 2004 and Denver 2008), 1 Icon (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) and 1 4th St. Fantasy (St. Paul).

I've read way to much to post here, but I can link you over to my blog where I review stuff almost weekly: http://scifiwithpaprika.blogspot.com/

Tho now that I'm on Goodreads, I've been posting my reviews here too. See you around!

I don't see my icon on any of these, so I'm going to guess I haven't introduced myself yet. I am Marc Vun Kannon, husband, father, and author. One wife, three children, 2 novels and 4 short stories published, 1 novel and 2 stories not yet published. Mostly a fantasy fan. I do read some scifi, but my preference is for stories with strong character development, not usually an SF strong point.
I started writing when I was a grad student in Philosophy, and kept it up while getting a second BA in Computer Science.
I don't know how to make a link here (except the old-fashioned way, of course), but samples of all my published work can be found on my profile page, as can my website url. I also have a blog that I write to occasionally on MySpace, http://www.myspace.com/marcvunkannon .

Nice looking blog, Kristin. Welcome.

Hello all. My name is Eric, I am 28 years old and I am an avid fantasy reader with a bit of sci-fi thrown in there for fun. I was born in raised in San Antonio, Texas and will soon be headed home after 4 years in Connecticut. I got caught up reading fantasy when I was about 10 years old on a family trip where I was being irritating as only a 10 year old boy with nothing to do can until my mom finally said here read this and handed me a copy of A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony and I was hooked.

Since then I have read through so much fantasy I can't even remember it all but some of my favorite authors in no particular order include: David Eddings, Terry Brooks, Robert Jordan, Jim Butcher, Harry Turtledove, R.A. Salvatore, Kim Harrison, and my guilty pleasure of Laurell K. Hamilton (whenever she can pay attention to the actual story and not get distracted by...other things.)

I would like to say that I am looking foreward to seeing what other people who have a similar taste in literature have to say. I have only met a few people over the years who share my love for fantasy and scifi, been in the wrong circles I suppose, so I look foreward to some interesting discussions about some good books.

Welcome Kristin, Marc and Eric!

Hey Marc. I know what you mean about being in the wrong circles. Most people I know either don't read or read non-fiction or horrible popular general fiction (Nicholas Sparks, eck!). Anyway, Goodreads is a great place to finally meet like minded people. :) Hope you have fun here!

Hello to Kristin and Eric too! :)

I love, love, love that you wrote "(Nicholas Sparks, eck!). " that just made my day! It always breaks my heart when I am talking with someone and books come up and they say, "yes I am a reader, I have read all of Nicholas Spark's books"

Thank you for that--really!

Danielle, hee hee. Your welcome! Quick story--
I recently moved to a new town and have been looking for a book club to join. I heard about one in my office and was really excited until they told me, "Last month we read True Believer by Nicholas Sparks." I managed to not scream in horror, but it was a near thing. ;)

Who is this Nicholas Sparks you are all talking about? I've never heard of the guy.

My opinion obviously but, Nicholas Sparks is to literature what Thomas Kinkade is to art.

My opinion obviously but, Nicholas Sparks is to literature what Thomas Kinkade is to art.

I love that!

Hi my name Is Mike and I grew up in NYC and now live in the burbs about 15 minutes drive from the city if there is no traffic (yeah right). I am married and have a 4 year old daughter. I will be 43 in December and have just recently joined this nice group and have been on goodreads for a couple of months. My taste in books runs all over the place, and I also enjoy going to the movies.

Welcome to the group!

And wow! another '64er!

I turn 43 in October. :)

Looking forward to reading your reviews and comments.

Jon

HeyT - perfect description. :)

Welcome Mike!

I had no idea who Nicholas Sparks was either, but I sure get an idea what his writing is like. A quick google reveals a number of his books have been made into movies which is a good picture of Hollywood as well.

I had no idea who Nicholas Sparks was either, but I sure get an idea what his writing is like. A quick google reveals a number of his books have been made into movies which is a good picture of Hollywood as well.

Hi, my name is Cheri and I'm 29 and live in Massachusetts. Looks like an interesting and diverse group here — look forward to chatting with you all.

I'm sad to say that I will not be able to read the September selections as I belong to another book club as well and am already betrothed to 3 books for this month. I'm sad, because I have always wanted to read Dune. Luckily I already have a copy & can catch up on my own at some point.

I like a variety of books and if you're interested to see what I've read this year, check out my Goodreads profile.

Hi Cheri! I'm off to see what you read!

Hello, everyone, been lurking awhile and thought it was finally time to say hi. Hi!

I've been reading sci-fi/fantasy right from the very beginning. The first book I remember my mother reading to me was The Hobbit. I was a precocious reader and started reading comprehensively not long after that and have never stopped (although lately I've found reading time to be cutting into my music practice time. Choices, choices!)

I live in Prescott, AZ, which is probably about the best spot in Arizona you can be weather-wise. Not crazy hot in the summer, just cold enough in winter to know it's really winter, but very little snow and only a relatively short drive down into Phoenix. I run a university bookstore to make ends meet.

I hope to get caught up with my current set of books I have from the library and then hopefully I'll be able to join in the monthly reading selections of the group. I'm a huge fan of alternative history, so I may have to de-lurk again to plunk my 2 cents down for reading suggestions, if it's not too late!

Back to lurking!

Hi Cheri and Sean!

Hello Everyone,
New to this group, and a future wannabe author (if I can ever actually finish a book). I've found that lately I have 'listened' to more books than I have actually read, but will be changing this soon.

Hello! I am a born and raised Alaskan, now living just outside Las Vegas! I am once again student, pursuing a degree in Elementary Education with a Math emphasis.

I was first introduced to the sci-fi fantasy world in books when I was in about the 3rd or 4th grade. My dad started reading the Lord of the Rings triology to me and it stuck. I always had an active imagination and found a kindred spirit in the genre.

My next major foray was not until the 6th grade when I started reading Terry Brooks' Shannara Series and met Terry at a book signing in my hometown. I've been hooked ever since. =)

Welcome Chris and Jenn,

Hey Jenn,
I met Terry Brooks at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books here in L.A. in 2001. It was a transformative experience for me because, until that day, I had only dabbled at fiction writing, mostly in high school and college, but had put it aside to pursue my career as a veterinarian.

I attended a panel discussion where he was one of the speakers. He talked about how he had written 'The Sword of Shannara' while still in law school, and how he'd over the years been able to transition out of law practice and into being a full-time writer. Well, I thought to myself, if he can do it, so can I!!

After the panel, as I stood before him to get my book autographed, he asked me, as I'm sure he asks many of his fans, what I do for a living.To my amazement, instead of telling him that I was a vet, I told him I was a fantasy fiction writer!! He told me to never give up, and to keep pursuing my dream.

That very night, I went home and pulled out an idea for a novel I'd had since college, and I started outlining what would become, 7 years later, my first published, award-winning novel, Griffin's Daughter. I owe it all to Terry, and I even dedicated the book to him. I plan on thanking him in public one day for inspiring me to make my dream a reality.

Hey Leslie,

That is so cool! I was only 10 when I met him, and was so star struck! It was such a HUGE deal that he came to my town! I was well-known at the bookstore and the manager knew I was such a big fan that she arranged to have me come in a little early with a few others, so we got a few minutes to "gawk" so to speak. He was so gracious and it made such an impact on me to see someone so "famous" be so nice.

I have heard nothing but good stories about him from other people I have met which I think is great.

There are certainly other "less people friendly" authors out there.

I've never read Griffin's Daughter, but I'll totally have to check it out! =)

Hi Jenn,

Welcome to the Club ...

Where were you in AK (And why would you leave)? My wife and I really miss it. Not sure if NV still counts as the backwoods :)

I was born and raised in Ketchikan and have lived in Juneau, Anchorage and Wasilla. I left primarily for health reasons (the dark was slowly eating away at me) though I definitely plan to visit frequently.. lol

I am in the backwoods of Nevada... I about 60 miles from Vegas in the middle of nothing but dirt..lol

@Jenn ... Juneau is my favorite; if only I could afford to live there. Anchorage was fun to visit every now and then, like during spring breakup (or the winter beer festival). Being on the road system was pretty nice too; I could drive to Seward (another favorite). I only saw Ketchikan from the air ...

SAD didn't bother me that much, but I knew plenty of folks who had a hard time. My wife actually had a hard time at the other end of the spectrum, but we solved that with a little tin foil on the windows. We were Sooo tempted to try and stay after I left the Coast Guard, but we had family back east (the travel was killing us) and we weren't sure how to make it work financially :)

At any rate ... thanks for the trip back through happy memories.

Not a problem at all! Seward is one my favorite places in all the world. Such a beautiful town. Yeah, the SAD got me.. even the light boxes and a few rounds of some meds did no good... so sadly, I had to leave.

Juneau is another of my favorite places - I dream about it alot... I had some great times there!

Thank you for the trip down the memories as well. Always good to find someone else who appreciates my homeland. =)

I just joined GoodReads the other day, based on the advice of a friend. I can't believe I haven't been a member for a long time. I'm a huge fantasy reader. Dragonlance are my favorites by far, with the Forgotten Realms not far behind. Of course Lord of the Rings is what got me started. I'm 23, want to be a writer, and have done National Novel Writers Month a few times. It's a ton of fun.

I joined this group because I saw that Stranger in a Strange Land is the October book. That's one of my favorite sci-fi books of all time. Can't want to talk about it!

I'm a bit ashamed to have my parse list of books, but I'm working on adding! I've only been a member a week :)

Welcome Jean!

About wanting to be a writer: don't say WANT, go ahead and say I AM a writer! If you've done the NWM thing, then you ARE a writer. You may want to someday be a PROFESSIONAL writer, but even the person who creates only for the love of creation and shows their work to no one, or only family and a few selected friends, can call themselves a writer.

Hello Everyone,
Am Magnus. I found about this site from an National public radio - What a gem of a site!!.
I was born in 1978 in New york City. I spent the first ten years of my life traveling through most of West Africa and Europe with my family. I stared reading SciFi in High school after stumbling into the scifi room in my high school library. I have been an avid reader since then.
I am a resident Physican and do not get as much time as I would like to read. I like mostly SciFI and look forward to recommendations from people from the group. I hope to perhaps one day write my own Scifi novel.

I can't keep up with all the new members!

Welcome, everyone!

Hi, I am a geezer, born in 56. I have read science fiction on and off for my whole life. I work in the telcom industry and its just me, my wife, and the two Labs.

I just recently started writing and published my first science fiction book(ebook). If you like you can check out the first chapter on my website:

www.members.cox.net/jsmith56

Still looking for an agent if anyone knows of one that isn't looking only at romance and vampire novels.

See ya around!

Hi everyone!
I'm 21,study English translation at university.I've recently found Goodreads, and it sounds amazing!!
Always,I've been looking for new ways to improve my reading skills.

I love reading ,esp. science fiction and fantasy books.So I think this club can be a good place for me to find and read new books.

Hey everyone!

I was born in '86 in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. My current residence is split between Minnesota and Northern Indiana (for school). I'll graduate in a few months with a degree in political science and Japanese and will hopefully be off to Japan or to more schooling.

I was at one time an aspiring writer though I've since found out that I love to read much more than to write. I love all genres of books and I've been a LONG time sci-fi/fantasy lover so I'm always looking for recommendations.

Nice to meet everyone!

I thought I'd finally introduce myself since I posted in a different thread after lurking for ages...

My name's Bronwyn. I live in metro-Detroit, Michigan. Today's my 24th birthday. Um... I have a bachelor's degree in history that's not doing much at the moment. I'm working at JoAnn Fabric. I've spent time in Iceland and Canada (easy when Windsor's half an hour away), but that's all.

I read more fantasy than sci-fi but read whatever sounds good. Right now I've been working my way through the Discworld books.

Umm... I guess that's it. Nice to meet everyone! :)

Welcome to the group and happy birthday.

Welcome Bronwyn from a fellow Metro-Detroiter!

Hey Jenny,

I lived in Yonkers for a while (PA now). Welcome to the club. We just recently finished discussing Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep, so we love old pubs too.

Hey Bronwyn,

My B-day just passed as well, Oct.19th, so we are both Pumpkin babies! Welcome!


Griffin's Daughter

Welcome, Bronwyn,

Happy birthday! (Although, I suspect that I am a day late.

I'm in the metro-detroit area, too, as is Colleen Gleason (we're doing a joint booksigning in Westland this coming Saturday, and I'm excited to meet her).

I enjoy Terry Pratchett's sense of humor, too. I think there's a group about his works here (in the groups section).

Welcome!

Rowena Cherry

Never too late :) If you have something new to add, go ahead and review the posts and reply.

Welcome Kathy!

Hi Kathy!
I noticed the conspicuous absence of Stephen King on your list. How do you feel about him? His son Joe Hill is also a writer. He has a new(ish) book out called "Heart Shaped Box" about a guy who purchases a haunted item on E-bay. I hear it's quite good.

Leslie Ann

Leslie Ann Moore

Leslie, I loved "Heart-Shaped Box"! I didn't know Joe Hill was Stephen King's son until after I read both of his books. You will note a certain lack of Stephen King books on my shelves.

Welcome to everyone. I can't keep up with all the new members.

Alright peeps!

Not sure how many books I'll get through as kid's keep me busy, I'm banned from most libraries in my area for being particularly bad at returning books and pretty skint too - which is only partly caused by the kids and the library fines!

First fantasy that I can remember reading was Dark is Rising Sequence and Wizard of Earthsea in the early 80's.

Discovered fantasy was a genre late into my teens with The Belgariad and The Mallorean.

My favourite fantasy series of all time are The First and Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant... absolutely AWESOME books in my humble opinion.

I'm joining this group primarily to get recommendations as I don't want to waste any hard earned time or cash on crap (or even average) books as I'm sure there are many wonderful worlds to explore!

Hi everyone,

This is a nice group to join, because lot's of members are making contributions. I'm 48yo, living a stone thrown from Amsterdam, The Netherlands and I read a varied mix of subjects. I discovered goodreads just a little to late, so my list of sci-fi is far from complete, because I just can not remember all from the pile of sf I have read.
Treasures I certainly remember are "Songs of Earth and Power", by Greg Bear (my top book, an absolute must), "The number of the Beast", by Robert Heinlein and "Dune" by Frank Herbert (both head and shouders above the rest of the sf-list) , "Eon" by Greg Bear and the Tolkien and Asimov's in my list.

Beside reading a lot for fun and work (Infomation Security), I love playing EVE-online (http://www.eve-online.com)

Hello!
I love sci fi and fantasy, I've read a large volume of it and it's my preferred genre.
I get annoyed when people look sideways at me when I say that, as if Sci-fi/Fantasy is a lower level of reading. Obviously they've never read it.
I'm pleased to find such a large and varied group of fellow sci-fi and fantasy entusiasts.
Happy Reading...