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RoA Book Club

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I thought it'd be fun to share what books we're reading. So, tell us the title, author, a bit about the book, and if you recommend it. Please No Spoilers!

Without further ado, I will start with what I'm reading when I have a few precious moments.

 

Golden Fool, Book 2 in The Tawny Man Series by Robin Hobb

Robin Hobb writes high fantasy. Her work rises above a sea of mediocrity. How does she do it? With characters such as Fitzchivalry Farseer and The Fool. None of her characters are two dimensional. Fitz is as full and well-rounded as your best friend. The world is vivid and detailed. There's magic, political intrigues, and emotion. I recommend starting with the Farseer Trilogy. The first three books introduce FitzChivalry, the world, and other characters who are in The Tawny Man series.

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I am beginning to reread Furies of Calderon, by Jim Butcher, Book One of his Codex of Alera series.

 

The Codex of Alera is set in an odd alternate Earth, where elemental magics, from Furies, came to pass instead of science. Butcher has different races than the standard d+d ones as well, Icemen, Vord, Canum, and others, each done originally.

 

The world is heavily based on the late Roman Republic, taking its human culture and government from that, with the infusion of magic. A strong point to me is that virtually all humans have some skill in Fury crafting, whether elemental, or things like wood or metal crafting too.

 

Best of all though are the characters that Butcher develops, so richly done and lifelike that they make you want to reread the series, not happy that it's over.

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I'm currently reading two books. One for myself, other one due to work.

 

For myself I'm reading Musashi, by Eiji Yoshikawa. It tells the story of the greatest and wisiest japanese warrior, called Miyamoto Musashi. It's a beautiful book that can be read by anyone.

 

For work, I'm reading The Antichrist, by Nietzsche. It's a polemic book where Nietzsche discuss christianism and the foundation of moral at the ocident. I'm reading it with my students. At firat they made a face when they heard we would be reading Nietzsche, but they're slowly getting into it. It's a hard and dense book, a worth reading if you give the book the care and patience it deserves.

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Kaitlinn -- I've listened to the first Dresdren Files, Storm Front by Jim Butcher in audiobook. We've watched the TV series through Netflix. I enjoyed the TV show and I'm disappointed it was canceled after one season. The first book is even better than the TV show! I like Jim Butcher's writing and I plan on reading more. Thanks for the tip on his Codex of Alera series.

 

Raven -- Wow! What a contrast in books. Are reading an English translation of Musashi? Has it been translated into Portuguese? After role playing with your philosopher wizard Haryon, I know your classes must be interesting.

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I'm reading "Fire Ice" by Clive Cussler with Paul Kemprecos. It's an espionage thriller with a twist in that it's hero isn't a "spy" spy, but rather a marine archeologist in a group based on the author's own real- life agency that he started; NUMA-the National Underwater and Marine Agency. Basically a powerful mining magnate that believes he is descended from the Romanovs is trying to bring back a Tsarist Russia while striking a blow against the U.S. The hero Kurt Austin and his Marine scientist buddies are on the trail of what is going on. It's an easy summer read if you like that kind of thing I started it 2 days ago and am about halfway through. I would recommend it to fans of the "Spy" genre as something a bit different.

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At the moment I'm reading (not very actively though hehe) Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian stories. Many probably know the works of father of the sword and sorcery genre but if there is someone who doesn't know, these stories occur in fictional Hyborian Age, between destruction of Atlantis and before the rise of the known ancient civilizations. The main character in these stories is Cimmerian barbarian called Conan who roams around Hyboria (ancient Earth) as thief and mercenary, killing monsters or evil sorcerers, rescuing women or commanding armies. Conan is not really a hero as he usually does things for his own survival or personal gain. Don't know what else to say about this :lol:

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I am currently reading Torch of Freedom, by David Weber, the 2nd book in a series which is a spin-off of Weber's Honor Harrington series. Set approx. 2000 years in our future, and inspired by C.S. Forester's works, these novels have been described as "Star Wars meets Horatio Hornblower." Starting with the first book about Honor Harrington as she takes command of the Star Kingdom of Manticore Navy's light cruiser H.M.S. Fearless, Weber has slowly built up a universe of highly believable characters, technology and political intrigue and war that hooked me from the very beginning.

 

All of Weber's work is available to read for free from the Baen Free Library, and all first-run hardback novels he publishes come with a disc in the back of the book which contains all his other novels in a variety of formats, from .txt to .pdf to .html.

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I have been (re)reading "A Witch's Guide to Faery Folk" by Edain McCoy.

 

Basically it is about how Fae used to play a more central role in magickal rituals. Over the last several centuries their role has gotten smaller and smaller. Many pagans do not have the specific knowledge of faeries and who they are as did the Pagans of old. Their specific identities and roles have been forgotten. In many of our rituals they are reduced to mere spirits or elemental.

 

Edain McCoy would like to revive the knowledge of Faeries and start using them more in rituals.

 

It contains lore on Fae from around the world, a guide on astral travel, and a dictonary on the various types of Fae.

 

One of my favorite books.

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I just completed reading "The Gathering Storm", Book 12 of the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan, and now Brandon Sanderson, as Mr Jordan sadly passed away in November of 2007 before completing this series, in my opinion the second greatest fantasy world of all, next to Middle Earth.

 

The Wheel of Time is to most fantasy series what Annakolia is to most Neverwinter Nights servers: lush and full of vivid characters, landscapes, plots, and details, as opposed to bland generic concepts of most fantasy authors. In the first 12 books of the planned 14, each person becomes fleshed out, whether hero or villain, sidekick or hated foe. The towns, the countries of Jordan and now Sanderson's world could be stepped into from ours so easily, I feel.

 

Give this series a chance if you have not, but be warned, it is very addictive, and offers many thousands of pages of immersive reading. I firmly believe that one hundred years from now, at universities Robert Jordan will be regarded as one of the grandest writers of our time, and a legend in the field of fantasy

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I am currently reading Gauntlgrym by R.A. Salvatore, book 1 in the Neverwinter trilogy.

 

The story is set 100 years after the spellplague that affected the city of Neverwinter and introduces Drizzt Do'Urden to Neverwinter. Drizzt and his companions are on a quest to find the ancient homeland of the Delzoun dwarves, unlock its secrets that will change the city of Neverwinter forever....however he is not the first to discover it!

 

As many of you know this book is connected to the upcoming game Neverwinter due out late this year.

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I am now currently reading two books, or rather, I started one book but came across another I was more interested in reading at the time, so the first book sits half-done as I read the second.

 

They are The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum, which sits half-done, and The Lieutenants by W.E.B. Griffin, a story about several members of the U.S. army beginning in the last year of WWII.

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I know the feeling, Ro. Start one book, finding another. So many books, so little time. I've found a great way to read two books and fill up empty hours in a long commute. :D

 

Currently, I am reading two books:

 

Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb -- It's set in another part of the world where the Farseer Trilogy occurs. Hobb writes High Fantasy stories that aren't LotR wannabes.

 

Grave Peril by Jim Butcher -- Read by James Marsters. This one is another hard-boiled detective novel with a twist. The detective is a wizard. I listen to it during my commute to and from work. Marsters reads with style and character. He's superb!

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I am now currently reading two books, or rather, I started one book but came across another I was more interested in reading at the time, so the first book sits half-done as I read the second.

 

They are The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum, which sits half-done, and The Lieutenants by W.E.B. Griffin, a story about several members of the U.S. army beginning in the last year of WWII.

 

 

The Bourne series of books is WAY different than the movies.

 

Anything by W.E.B. Griffin is worth reading...

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