Good reads

[Inger]

My daughter has just turned me on to a new series. It’s fantasy and the first book is called Darker Shade of Magic. The first book is a little slow-lots of world building, but I just started the second and it’s moving along at a much better pace. Incidentally-the second book is co-read by the woman who reads Brandon Sanderson’s stuff.


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[Laurasea]

I just read the Way Station, I found it thought provoking, if still a simple read. I was impressed that it was written in the sixties!! By Clifford Simak

 

[ChristaNL]

Not much to contribute (I've been reading a lot of crappy stuff lately / lol, again, those random e-book collections are fun but really unpredicatable quality, what is it with werewolves and lots of sex for example? Yuck! - wolves do not go into season all that much, stupid writers!)


Brandon Sandersons mistborn-trilogy was a nice read.
(thank you for that tip)
I liked the plots within plots without it being all too obvious.

 

[Laurasea]

Bringing Nature Home, Douglas Tallamy
99% of wild birds feed their babies insects, and insects need native plants. Be inspired to add native plants to your space, and be amazed at the increase in biodiversity you will see.
My neighbor asked what flowers to plant to get monarch butterflies, when I told him milkweed, and that the caterpillar of monarchs had to eat this he was suprised..those worms turn into butterflies, why yes the do... .

 

[Laurasea]

Orion magazine, people and nature. Just read my first issue , what a great magazine.

 

[ChristaNL]

LOL, the Hollows-series by Kim Harrison did combine wonderfull with my not-the-flue-but-close-enough.
(No braincapacity needed but still fun)



It certainly gave another meaning to the song


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq-gYOrU8bA"]Paul Simon - You Can Call Me Al (Official Video) - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Cardinal]

Rat Island by William Stolzeburg. One of the best books if you are a Nature lover, especially a Bird lover

Here is a small preview :

https://www.npr.org/2011/06/30/137368821/isolation-proves-dangerous-on-rat-island

 

[ToMang07]

A few epic fantasy series I've enjoyed in the last few years:

Sword of Truth.
The Wheel of Time. (Personal favorite so far)
The Malazan Book of the Fallen. (Almost done #6, contender for new favorite)
A Song of Ice and Fire. (Game of Thrones.... although the last 2 aren't yet released, and I'm convinced they never will be. )
The Death Gate Cycle. (Easier read, not as complex)


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[Anansi]

A few epic fantasy series I've enjoyed in the last few years:

Sword if Truth.
The Wheel of Time. (Personal favorite so far)
The Malazan Book of the Fallen. (Almost done #6, contender for new favorite)
A Song of Ice and Fire. (Game of Thrones.... although the last 2 aren't yet released, and I'm convinced they never will be. )
The Death Gate Cycle. (Easier read, not as complex)


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How did I forget to mention The Malazan Book of the Fallen series?!? That was incredible! I'm a HUGE fan of Kalam, Quick Ben, Anomander Rake, Icarium, Dassem Ultor, Tehol Benedict and Apsalar! Epic scope! I need to read the series over to decide if the conclusion truly lived up to that epic scope, but definitely one of my favorite Fantasy reads. Just as a warning to more sensitive readers, brutal stuff, though.

And as for Song of Ice and Fire, I can't imagine how it must feel for George RR Martin to have spent so much time world building and such only to have the series get to the conclusion first and reap all the seeds he'd sown. Love the series, though. I suspect he's taking his time trying to come up with something significantly different from what HBO is doing. I figure we'll eventually see the last 2 books.

Eventually.

 

[ChristaNL]

I just found some books by Nnedi Okorafor in my mixed batch (ereader has al sorts of things on it).
Speaking of a something that will change the way you look at things forever!
Try a few, you will not be sorry.



(she writes for both children and adults btw.)

 

[Tami2]

Dean Koontz - Strangers

I'm still reading it. It was slow in the beginning introducing all of the characters. But now it's awesome!! :smile049:

 

[Inger]

Dean Koontz - Strangers



I'm still reading it. It was slow in the beginning introducing all of the characters. But now it's awesome!! :smile049:

Ooooh that was a good one. I read it when it was first released. I liked Koontz a lot better back then.


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[Laurasea]

I just have to recommend this novel! The Savage Winter,: A Story of Wilderness and Survival by Butch Denny
Set in the early 70's, scientist want to study Survival of a lone man in winter wilderness, and call the study Snow. Set in Yellowstone. I'm still reading but find it so enjoyable wanted to share with the flock.

 

[LaManuka]

Thank you Laurasea, that does sound like an interesting read. From what I’ve seen in documentaries about Yellowstone the winter there looks INCREDIBLY COLD!!

And may I say a great big WELCOME BACK to you too, you’ve been away for far too long and we missed you! I hope you and your beautiful flock are well

 

[Tami2]

I just have to recommend this novel! The Savage Winter,: A Story of Wilderness and Survival by Butch Denny
Set in the early 70's, scientist want to study Survival of a lone man in winter wilderness, and call the study Snow. Set in Yellowstone. I'm still reading but find it so enjoyable wanted to share with the flock.

OOO, that sounds good :smile049:
Thanks!

 

[Betrisher]

Coming in late on this thread, but it's amazing to me how out of touch I've become with modern authors. My favourites include people like Leon Uris, James A. Michener, Sydney Sheldon (am I dating myself?), Wilbur Smith (especially his 'River God' series) and Patrick O'Brian ('Master and Commander').

One Christmas, my sister gave me a Science Fantasy trilogy to which I said a weak 'Oh. Thanks very much.' When everyone else was asleep after Christmas dinner and, having nothing else to do, I read 'The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant' and that put me on a Sci-fan binge that lasted over twenty years. I'm over that now, though, having read Anne Mc Caffrey, David Eddings, Frank Herbert etc etc etc.

More recent great reads have been the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris and the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (who knew vampires and witches could be so bl**dy funny?) Patricia Cornwell is good and very different, only after a while her stories seem to suffer from same-oldness.

I enjoy reading good childrens' literature too. Susan Cooper's 'Greenwitch' series is based in British pagan mythology (a subject close to my heart) as is 'The Owl Service' by Alan Garner.

One young adults' series I'd recommend to *everybody* is the 'Tomorrow' series by John Marsden. It's about teenagers in a sleepy Australian country town. They've just finished school and go on a camping trip to celebrate and relax before moving on into Real Life. Only, while they're away in the wilderness, a foreign country invades Australia and life as they knew it ends abruptly! Their families are all interned in impenetrable camps, their homes are given away to new settlers and they have to try and exist in this new, scary world, fighting to stay alive and to reconnect with their families. It's BRILLIANT reading!

I have to add this (how could I not?) Since I learned Latin, I've been reading Caesar's adventures in Gaul and Pliny the Elder's Natural History (the chapter about birds, of course). Both are every bit as rivetting as any modern author you could name and there's a bucketload of other ancient authors I want to get to in time as well.

 

[Laurasea]

I loved Chronicles of Thomas Covenant' ! Jim Butcher is a favorite of mine as well!! I'll check out the others you have mentioned!! Thanks!
I'm reading Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat. Excellent so far , though he has just found the wolf den and started his study. Farley was instrumental in turning the negative views of wolves around. It's very humor filled and delightful so far. I'm a naturalist myself and currently dedicated to backyard conservation. The little effort I've put into my half acre has had a dramatic effect on abundance and diversity. Much to my window viewing pleasure!! My addition of a foot and half toad pool has brought forth so many toadlets I have to shuffle my feet when walking so as to not crush them!
But even if you aren't devoted to nature I think you will enjoy Never Cry Wolf!

 

[Jen5200]

Farley Mowat...loved reading his stuff. It’s been several years now, but might be time to read again .

I read The Rook by Daniel O’Malley and his sequel Stiletto. A decent sci-fi/fantasy that apparently is coming out as a TV series now.

 

[Betrisher]

ROTFLMAO!!! Me, not devoted to Nature??? LOLOLOL! I have a degree in Zoology and Botany and have spent most of my adult life trying to coax native wildlife into my garden. Thanks for the Farley Mowat reference: I'll certainly look him up. I've read a bit about his work with wolves but wasn't aware he'd written a book about it.

PS. At our other house, we had a really nice frog pond and enjoyed numerous large frogs of various species serenading us of an evening. When we moved, my kids and I spend a whole day draining the frog pond and sieving out the tadpoles with a colander so they could be transported with us in a bucket (the new owners were going to concrete right over my herb garden and the frog pond ). Most of the taddies survived and serenade us in our new house now.

Sadly, we weren't able to catch Sgr Frogoletto or his friendly rival, Sgr Toiletto Frogoli (who lived in our outdoor dunny) and bring them with us. I hope they're still well and singing arias in the S-bend!

 

[Laurasea]

Farley Mowat...loved reading his stuff. It’s been several years now, but might be time to read again .

I read The Rook by Daniel O’Malley and his sequel Stiletto. A decent sci-fi/fantasy that apparently is coming out as a TV series now.

Yes I want to read some of Farley's other book too.
The Rook is coming out this summer ! Thanks for the heads up!