Kasei

Same here. I dropped WoT and switched to Sanderson. I thought I read somewhere in an interview with him that he likes to put all of his books into the same sort of universe--same type of magic source, same type of physics in the world, etc...I also heard that there is a character that all of his books share, but I'll have to read more of them to find out who--definitely an enticing feature though. At least in my opinion.

Congrats LM! Such exciting news! I have been "trying" (I.e. thinking about and occasionally acting on the impulse to) lose weight for the past few years. I'll go through bouts where I'm really good and work out consistently for a few months and then I'll get lax and gain it all back. But I've been going to the gym recently and actually just made myself join an adult soccer (or futbol, for most of you ) league to force myself to stay active; and so far its working. I've lost about 5 pounds in the last week, but I'm going to wait and see if I can maintain it over the next few weeks as I know the first few you lose is generally water weight. For anyone interested, a website that I have found EXTREMELY helpful insofar as motivating me and keeping me informed about how best to lose weight according to my body is Sparkpeople . If any of you are on it, you should friend me! My user name is Bastionsgirl. Its got loads of great information and user forums to help you figure out what you can do to help yourself get healthy.

I can get downright rambunctious when I'm alone reading a book--sometimes even in public if I don't catch my gut reaction in time. I definitely get teary-eyed and laugh a lot at novels, but if a character is behaving in a way that I don't like, someone is being impractical/dumb, or if something unbelievable happens I have caught myself yelling at the book. Well, maybe not yelling, but definitely speaking quite loudly and with a good deal of force. I also frequently have to put books down in shock or in horror, depending on how awful/mortifying what has just happened is. Kind of the equivalent of covering my face during an embarrassing or unbearable scene in a movie. So yeah...I guess I definitely react visibly to books, hence why I try to read when no one else is around me. I actually have a friend that does this when she is focused on something. I worked with her as a cake decorator for a while and it was highly amusing to watch her icing cakes with an intense look in her eye while her tongue was poking out the side of her mouth. x)

You are the second person whose told me to check out the Mistborn series, so perhaps I shall. I didn't know that it was the reason he was selected to finish Wheel of Time, so that is certainly interesting. Oh my goodness, yes. I enjoyed it thoroughly. The ending was a really nice build-up full of lots of twists and surprises that I had not seen coming. As you already stated, he writes his characters very well and makes everything very easy to relate to and understand. I find it heart wrenching that I will have to wait possibly until late 2012 to get the next installment, gah! I definitely understand what you mean about being put off by its size. It is definitely one of those doorstop books that people talk about, the ones that just look like huge, heavy tomes. But it really is worth it, I think you should definitely give the book a read when the opportunity presents itself. I'd heard that Sanderson likes to intertwine all of his book worlds into one general sort of reality; is the Mistborn series part of that?

Okay so I just finished The Way of Kings, the first book from his Stormlight series and kind of wanted to start up a discussion on it and on Sanderson's books in general. I gave up catching up with Wheel of Time a few years ago but now I kind of want to pick it up again just to get to the books that Mr. Sanderson has been put in charge of. But I am positively reeling with The Way of Kings and thought this might be a good venue to vent some of that pent up nerdy energy. Anyone out there care to join me and share your thoughts? What was your favorite part and why? Or tell me about your favorite series by Mr. Sanderson and why that is so. I'd love to check out a few more novels by him but am not sure where to start. If the rest of them are anything like the kind of writing I found in The Way of Kings then I definitely want to sink my teeth into them as well.

Oh man, it really was a thrill ride--especially the last half. Nearly impossible to put down, I cannot WAIT for the next book and am horrified at the prospect of doing so. Also, I think I am going to have to move Name of the Wind up on my list and try and get to it more quickly--I've just spoken with another friend who highly recommends it and he loved The Way of Kings/Wheel of Time...so I think this book will be a good next bet. Yikes, 10 books? I hadn't heard that...scary! I understand your hesitation though, that's part of why I haven't gotten in to the Wheel of Time series...just too darn long! Some day maybe, but I'll wait til they're completed (I hate waiting for books). Still, the writing in The Way of Kings was good enough that I think it'll be worth the anticipation. I'm glad this review piqued your interest, what a compliment. You won't regret reading it, I guarantee it. There were times I found myself yelling at the book I was so into it.

The Way of Kings Rating: 5 Spoiler: Not really, unless you like to go into a book blind. This is exactly my kind of book. At first the sheer size of the novel was a bit daunting. At just over a thousand pages I've gotta say that I drug my feet a bit getting started--but let me tell you, once it picked up (which did not take long) I began to dread how close I was getting to the end. This world is a richly-built and thoroughly thought out one. The setting is a continent called Roshar whose countries are under constant threat of war. Theirs is a history full of lore and religious instability and as a result most people are unsure of what is true about their nation's past and what isn't. The land is cursed with severe weather known as "highstorms," which are basically severe hurricanes and with these hurricanes comes a lot of myth and mysticism. It is not high-tech space age fantasy, but at the same time it is not entirely Tolkein-esque either. Just an alternate world with people like you and I living without industrial age technology but where "stormlight" (a byproduct of the highstorms) picks up the slack. Most of the book takes place in a war camp and in what is essentially a library, two places that are easy to relate to as the necessities of either don't differ much no matter what your surroundings. I fell in love with the entire main cast of this novel. And the minor cast. And the villains. Just...wonderfully written characters, all of them. Oftentimes fantasy writers fall prey to making their characters too perfect. Too heroic. Too ideal. But all of Sanderson's characters were really well fleshed out and, more importantly, very flawed. He was very good at showing their inner turmoil regarding the sometimes horrible things they were doing. And he delved right into all of the politics and strategical maneuvering that goes on in the upper (and lower) echelons of society. And he did a good job of mixing action with intrigue, theology, philosophy, and just all around solid discourse that leaves the reader reflecting on one's own life and world. The surprises and twists revealed at the end make the anticipated wait for the next book torturous. Supposedly not going to be out until November 2012...I think I will need to murder the friends who turned me on to this book without warning me that it was a series-in-progress. Gah! All in all, if you have even a passing interest in fantasy, I recommend picking this one up.

Made it halfway through The Way of Kings today--I must say its getting rather good, though there are quite a lot of characters to keep track of. It doesn't help that they have names like Yelb and Szeth and Numuhukumakuaki'aialunamor (not making that up...although, to be fair, everyone just calls him Rock). Fantasy novels do tend to go overboard with fantastical names, so I was prepared for it. Great reading so far, hope to finish it soon as I am virtually snowed in at the moment. Just been sitting in front of the fire reading the last two days, its been pretty awesome. Looks like more of the same for tomorrow since we're still 20 degrees below freezing. Woot for crazy winter storm sweeping the states!

I don't know if I'd agree with the not one minute of boredom thing (and here I echo what others have said about Plains of Passage--a bit slow and not much happens) but I still like the series. The first two are, in my opinion, the best of the bunch. After that I just feel like I am reading a smutty romance novel set in prehistoric Europe. One day I'll go back and read them. I admit I haven't actually picked any of them up since High School, but I remember being completely swept away by Clan of the Cave Bear when I read it at 12, and then the The Valley of Horses I loved for all of its survival story aspects. I'm a sucker for a good survival story. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen was my favorite book growing up and the first half of Black Stallion is still one of my all-time favorite go-to quick reads. The next book comes out in March of this year and I hope it is the last one. Not trying to be mean or anything but she's getting older and she takes a long time to write her books, It'd be a shame for such a famous series to end unfinished. I also feel as though her writing deteriorates as the series goes on and, like someone said before, it just reads as more of the same.

No, that was the explanation given in this book, you're right. And I understand what she was getting at, but I still thought it was kind of a flimsy and convenient write-off when held up to his instant behavior alteration. For it to change SO suddenly, like flipping a switch...I dunno, to me if you've been behaving a certain way toward people for over half of your life you get into a routine. Especially if you're feeling so helpless; defense mechanisms that are that ingrained and important to your survival should not be so easy to shed. But, like I said, it was only mildly irritating to me and certainly not enough to distract me from the rest of the book, which I found marvelous. No worries, I understand defending what you love; Lord knows I've defended worse books and movies to the death because I love them so much. x)

Hunger Games Rating: 4.5 Spoiler: Nope Just finished this one last night and I gotta say, it was quite fun! My only gripe is that character continuity sometimes came into question, in particular with the "coach" of the two kids. One minute he was a bumbling drunk that had no thought to spare for anyone else and then all of a sudden he's an immediately serious and super in-tune-to-your-needs mentor? Without any character development or anything? I mean, literally, the transformation happened in the same scene. Other than that and a few nit-picky, easy-way-out plot twists that I wont mention for fear of spoilage, it really wasn't a bad book at all. I inhaled it. It is the story that matters anyway, and that was certainly entertaining enough to keep me unable to fall asleep until I knew what happened next (made me quite tired for work today too). While I don't know how much I buy into the world the authoress has set up and how likely it is that so many people would sit by and let these kinds of things happen, it was a simple enough matter to let that slide seeing as the story moves at a fast clip. The marvelous thing about young adult books is that they are easy to pick up and get into, especially if there is an interesting story. No deep literature here of course, so I suppose you have to be in the mood for something quick and easy; but unless you really tend to dislike books written for youth, it isn't at all dissatisfying. Overall, definitely worth checking out from the library and spending a carefree afternoon with. I will likely pick up the next two soon.

Just started and finished Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins after about 4 hours of frenzied reading--a very delectable Young Adult Fantasy, to be sure.

Oh gosh, its been so long...I'll have to think that one over pretty hard. I guess The Chronicles of Narnia? I got that series when I was about eleven...but surely I read something before that, I feel like I've been a Fantasy reader for much longer. I've always enjoyed the books about worlds other than our own. I think children are prone to that since we are so curious and imaginative at that age due to not understanding how things really work. Do the Redwall books count as fantasy? If so then maybe those...and various children's books about dragons and such, I'm sure. To this day I have yet to read something in the Horror genre. Never saw the interest in that, although I do like scary movies. I think House of Leaves is probably the closest I've ever gotten to reading a horror novel, but even then it wasn't really that horrifying, just suspenseful and involved.

Just started both of these today and I am quite hooked already! I am sad because my job keeps me busy during the week, meaning I'll have to wait until next weekend to see what happens next, gah! Only on the second chapter of both right now, tantalizing! Actually I'd never heard of it until I read Gorillas in the Mist. One of the Gorillas in there was named by a student after the main character of the book she was reading at the time (back in the 70s). This Gorilla turned out to be the same wild gorilla they used for the eventual movie that came from Mrs. Fossey's published studies, so I was drawn in a kind of unconventional way--but to make a long story short, I will definitely post what I think about it when I get to that point. I'm pretty excited! As much as I like the modern writing styles, I love the way books used to be written. For this same reason I am excited about getting my hands on The Lost World....but that's another story (ahahaha, I am so punny). Sweet! Thank you so much for the suggestion, I'll add it to my list straight-away. I haven't heard of SWR before, but it sounds like fun.

Just picked up The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson and am really liking it so far--Fantasy novels tend to go a bit overboard sometimes and feature main characters that are difficult to relate to due to their seemingly innate prowess and perfection, but this is not the case with what I have thus seen of Mr. Sanderson's cast--we shall see how it wraps up.

23 here.

Mmm, I'd prefer to spend around (preferably under) $300 if I can catch one on sale, but I can go up another $50 or so if its worth it.

Ahh, Clan of the Cave Bear, an epic twist on the paperback romance. I loved the first book when I read it (at the age of 12, actually. Surprising once you read what happens in it that I was allowed to do so). The Valley of Horses was the sequel and it was pretty good too, though as the series goes on it definitely becomes more and more like a smutty romance series and less about what initially attracted me to the series, the prehistoric setting and the archeological aspects of it. You might try checking out the first book sometime just to see if its up your alley.

Comin' at ya from good ol' Texas here! Quite a nice place to live, actually. And before you ask, no we don't all ride/own horses...in fact I've only ever known one person who did and that was years ago. Lots of space, plenty of cities (especially up here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area where I am), its a good place to call home. Hmm, this poll explains why there are so few people on at the same time as me usually. You guys are all on the other side of the world from me!

Like the title says, I'm in the market for a bike...any suggestions? I'm thinking of going with a Trek of some sort but that's as far as I've gotten...mostly because the only bicycle store close to me sells only Trek and Specialized. Anyone know of any pros and cons to watch out for between these two brands or just about bikes in general? I live in the burbs so I definitely need a city bike as I don't think I'm hardcore enough to take my bike anywhere, I just want a fun way to be not flabby and ride to the library since I'm only a couple of miles away.

I read All the Pretty Horses when I was in high school, but I couldn't tell you exactly what it was about other than there was a lot of symbolism in the sunset...not sure why that part stood out to me. I remember thinking it was good literature though. Edit: Oh yes, the no punctuation. If you aren't used to authors who indent to show speech instead of using quotations, it can be a little distracting at first. But after a while it sort of sets the tone for the book. Like its all being told from the mouth of a storyteller, not like you are an observer watching the events unfold.

Sooooo. Long time no see everyone! I haven't been particularly active here since '07 due to life, work, education pursuits, etc...however! Now that my life has settled into a semblance of normalcy I feel prepared to pick up where I left off and rejoin my favorite old online community! Seriously, you guys rock and are so into talking about reading, its fantastic. <3 Figured I'd start things off light with a couple of lists and go from there--no goals yet, but maybe over the summer when I have a bit more time. If anyone out there has any suggestions, sling 'em my way! Oh, and you will likely see a lot of kid's books/YA novels just because I teach at an elementary school and my classroom is connected to the library...so I tend to wander in there and browse. Currently Reading: *The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett And Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy Sitting on the shelf in Que to be Read: The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien Dracula by Bram Stoker Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie Beowulf Aesop's Fables by Aesop Would Like to Read but do not currently have in possession: Name of the Wind by Pat Rothfuss London by Edward Rutherfurd She Who Remembers by Linda Lay Shuler Cretaceous sea: A novel of time travel by Will Hubbel Ice Hunt by James Rollins Raptor by Paul Zindel Tyrannosaur Canyon by Douglas J. Preston West of Eden by Harry Harrison The Land that Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Have Read since January 2011: Fatalis by Jeff Rovin Dinosaur Summer by Greg Bear The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster *The Wal-Mart Effect by Charles Fishman[review] Still Life with Rice by Helie Lee [review] Titus Alone by Mervyn Peake [review] *Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake [review] Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake [review] Hope for Animals and Their World by Jane Goodall Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins[review] Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins[review] No One Loved Gorillas More: Dian Fossey Letters from the Mist by Camilla De La Bedoyere [review] Elephant Memories by Cynthia J. Moss [review] *The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (review) *Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (review) A Series of Unfortunate Events: Book the First by Lemony Snickett Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen *Gorillas in the Mist by Dian Fossey **An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina --- Key: * = recommend X = I didn't care for the book All unmarked books mean that I enjoyed the read My reviews can be interpreted as such: 0: Paperweight 1: Could've done without reading this one, hardly any redeeming qualities 2: A "meh" book--unmemorable/had a lot of problems I couldn't read around 3: Pretty okay. You won't die if you miss it, but not awful. 4: Quite enjoyable. 5: You absolutely should read this. It reeks of awesome.(you may assume that any title with ** by it gets this rating from me)

I have some "Congratulations you've graduated! Now what?" type books that people gave me after I graduated from high school about 6 years ago that I never touched. Felt bad about that so tried to pick them up the other day until I realized that it was a pointless endeavor seeing as I've already completed university and begun my career. e_e Heh, oh well...maybe I'll pass them on to someone else so I can get them off of my bookshelf.