Hi Everyone

Just thought I would start a thread and say hello to everyone.

Haven't really been to SFF much lately. I skim, but the conversations seem to be the same, but maybe its just me.

So what is everybody reading and enjoying ?

I seem to be reading more non-genre stuff, and more mystery stuff.

Just now I am finishing Blood and Iron by Elizabeth Bear for a RL SFF group. It is a fantasy set in the modern day and in Faerie, about a war between humans and the Fae.

I like her SF, but this is the first fantasy of hers I have read. It is a bit wordy, and took me a while to get into it, but once I did it grabbed me.

How have you've been Ficus. :)
As I was saying to Severn - I do drop in from time to time, but there's been a shift in regulars since even a year ago. There used to be a nice mix of people who had considered, but decidedly different takes on SFF. I picked up recommends I wouldn't have gotten elsewhere.

I'm finally reading the Strugatsky Bros' Roadside Picnic.
I have been reading less SFF this year than in previous years, although the majority of the remaining novels I'll probably read to end the year will be SFF.

Maybe you could start a "I Recently Bought" thread here like you did there. There was always plenty of sufferers from Book Aquistion Syndrome there, myself included. ;)

Hi guys. :)

At the moment I'm reading The Hollow Hills by Mary Stewart, though I'd really like to be reading something by Haruki Murakami... :)

Hello all,

I was moderately active at sffworld for a while, but I haven't been paying much attention for quite some time now.

I just finished a re-read of Gardens of the Moon, and as I expected, it made a lot more sense the second time around (even if it is the weakest book of the seven so far).

My favorites so far this year are The Dog Said Bow-Wow (a Michael Swanwick collection, not sure why the touchstone isn't working, Eden, The Explorers, and We Who Are About To..., but I've been feeling a bit burned out of sff recently. I read The Robots of Dawn back in July and thought it was so pathetically bad that I should try something else for a while. So I've been reading some old John D. MacDonald and A. A. Fair paperbacks my mom loaned me between science fiction or fantasy works.

While I've liked most of what I've read from Bear (and interacted with her a bit at my other book site), I really struggled with Blood and Iron.

Hi Clong,

I did too until about the 100-200 page mark. I think the way she jumped around with different characters having their say, made it choppy. I also think that Matthew and Keith (until later in the book) were not well done.

Matthew was bland, and Keith was too wishy-washy for a werewolf. I still don't see the point of the Merlin, in terms of why/how she was different from the fae or the mages, and why she was even needed. Then the whole dragon prince thing and how it seemed the dragon was the creator of us all, yet the characters referrenced heaven and god ? Finally there was stuff that happened that I didn't understand and it was not explained. Why Mebd at one point un-braided her hair and freed everyone, though they didn't know - except Elaine. Why she decided to die, and it seems take everyone with her until the Merlin asked for the braid.

But I finally finished it this morning. I probably won't be reading the other 3 books in the series. I didn't hate it, but I have too many other things to read that I think/hope to enjoy.

Not a fan of Swanwick or Asimov, though I have read both.

Monty:

The Stewart book is about Arthur right ? I thought I had read her series, but maybe not. I don't have any of her books. Hmmm, maybe in school and so I don't have the books ?

I like Murakami too. My favorite is Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World

Arthur:

I can start one when I have something new, or someone else can too. There are also a couple of threads running an another group about what you bought each month and what you are reading for the month. I have been using them, but will be happy to do it in both places, depending on what people want to do.

Group: What Are You Reading Now?
Topic: What Books Came Into Your Home Today?--October 2008, #2

http://www.librarything.com/topic/47706

Group: What Are You Reading Now?
Topic: What Are You Reading the Week of 18 October 2008?

http://www.librarything.com/topic/47761

Well gotta get ready and leave for work.

Hi, nice to see some SFF folks over here. I still scan posts over there, but I don't post that much anymore. I finally realized that I have enough in my TBR, I really don't need more ideas about what to read right now. I just end up distracting myself. I'm not sure I ever posted a lot or regularly anyway. I like SF/F but was never the dedicated genre reader that so many over there are, so I often felt like anything I'd have to say was shallow in comparison--which is why I backed off from the bookclub discussions since people either didn't participate or would complain about lack of analysis. There were too many market discussions and readers who are somehow connected to the book profession. I'm too ordinary of a reader and I'm not interested in turning reading into a quasi profession.

This year I haven't read as much SF/F. I've mostly been pulling from a variety of categories and am working on the TBR before buying more books.

As for what I'm reading now, I've just started Virgina Woolf's Orlando for the VW group here.

ludmillalotaria:

I think you hit the nail on the head regarding sffworld... and I think over time it's something that's put the 'casual reader' off. Shame, that.

Ficus:

Still haven't read Hardboiled, though I know it's many people's favourite. He's also got some excellent short story collections if you haven't already read them - I'd recommend Blind Willow, Seeping Woman. Also, I've heard that Norwegian Wood is being made into a film (IMDB says 2010 but I reckon it may be later than that). Anyway, that's something I'm very excited about. Here's a couple links:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1270842/
http://www.japantoday.com/category/entertainment/view/haruki-murakamis-norwegian...

I did make a thread about it over at sffworld a while back, but unsurprisingly it never got any attention. :(

"I think you hit the nail on the head regarding sffworld... and I think over time it's something that's put the 'casual reader' off. Shame, that."

There's a bit of that here on this forum, as well, along with writers shilling their wares. I don't know if you can get away from that stuff completely. I find it terrifyingly boring.

I guess I never noticed or was bothered by that aspect of the posts on SFF (or here). To me, they just seem to get repetitive as old timers are talked out, and new people come in and start back at the beginning on the same subjects.

Monty:

I am not a big short story fan. I will read them, but they almost never do anything for me. Just not enough time to develop enough meat or depth to make them interesting to me.

Ludmilla:

Wow, you are good to read Woolf.

One of my non-SFF RL book groups did The Hours which was supposed to be based on Mrs. Dalloway. I thought why not read both.

The VW book started OK, but it just seemed to be so slow and boring and never really did anything. I gave up on it. I didn't even get to the halfway mark.

I am not a big fan of old fashioned writers. So that makes my next read a tough one. We are reading Wilkie Collins for my RL Mystery group. I have to read either/both The Woman in White and/or The Moonstone next. I have both, so I am not sure which one I will start first.

"To me, they just seem to get repetitive as old timers are talked out, and new people come in and start back at the beginning on the same subjects."

That's well put. I do agree this is the main reason. There seems to be some internal reset button, and then it's back to square one. You find yourself saying: "This is where I came in..." ;)

I would agree that there's a cyclical nature to most boards. I do think SFFWorld is more congenial than some other SF/F boards I've tried. I, myself, have been feeling the need to pull back and pay more attention to things outside my computer. I often come to boards when I'm bored or frustrated at work and then feel bad about myself for not being more productive. I've felt the need to find a more healthy compromise.

Monty, I'd like to try Murakami, but never knew where to start. I assume The Wind-up Bird Chronicle might be a good starting point, but let me know if there's a better work to begin with. I also love Mary Stewart. I only read the first in the Arthur series but always wanted to go back and read all of them. I gobbled down all of her suspense novels (up to that time) when I was a girl. She's still a sentimental favorite of mine. I've never been to England, but when I think of England, it's the England that Stewart has imagined for me.

So far, there's enough whimsy in Woolf's Orlando that it doesn't seem as heavy as Woolf's other works, though I really haven't read a lot by her. Just some of her more famous essays and I've tried To the Lighthouse a few times but never was in the right mood for it. Maybe someday I'll finish it. The woman does have the ability to depress me, though.

I agree its a well run site, and because there isn't a lot of bad behavior allowed, it is more welcoming and friendly. There are other sites I am on that could take a lesson from them about how to keep it civil and friendly.

I have heard that Orlando is different, but I am VW-shy after my other experience. I know she is a good writer, but just doesn't click with me.

I really didn't like The Wind-up Bird Chronicle. I found it too long, too bland, and too similar to the other books I had read, with nothing new to show for it. But I know others have posted that they loved it.

I picked The Woman in White as the first Collins book to read. I am just at the start, but it seems well written and only a little clunky in terms of old-fashioned phrasing.

ludmillalotaria, people are often biased in recommending Murakami based on what they read first. Personally, I think Norwegian Wood is a good starting point. It was also his first novel. I don't know anyone who didn't like it, whilst sometimes there are mixed feelings with some of his other work. A lot of people also really like Kafka on the Shore, though it's much larger than Norwegian Wood.

Alternatively, if you are a short-story person, he has a few collections out. Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman gives the reader a taste of his style without having to commit to a full-length novel. There are also some early ideas in there which later became the basis for some of his best known novels. So that's another possibility for someone who's new to him.

Regarding The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, I haven't read it myself, though I did read the short story which it was based on. I believe it was called 'The Wind-up Bird and Tuesday's Woman' and collected in The Elephant Vanishes.

I've also heard a few people claiming Sputnik Sweetheart to be their favourite Murakami. The thing is, once you get over all these preferences WITHIN his catalogue, you realise that even what some call 'bad Murakami' is still bloody good. So in that regard I don't think you can really stumble in choosing a first read. Have a look through what he offers, read some blurbs and reviews (if you trust reviews), and decide for yourself what you find most attractive.

And finally, good luck! :D

"I agree its a well run site, and because there isn't a lot of bad behavior allowed, it is more welcoming and friendly. There are other sites I am on that could take a lesson from them about how to keep it civil and friendly."

That is a plus. Actually it's something of a spoiler. In reality it's not unusual to find sites where regardless of the subject of interest -Chinese Pottery , you'd think you're on the WWF forum.

I read The Wind-up Bird Chronicle earlier this year, and didn't enjoy it as much as I had anticipated (although I was fascinated by the WWII flashbacks). So far I've enjoyed Murakami's short fiction more than his novels.

I haven't tried the shorts, but then I am not fond of the form. May give his a try sometime just to see what they are like.

I have his latest book (translated and in paper) and still have to read it, After Dark.

Haven't read After Dark yet either. Read the reviews? Seems to have got a real mixed reception. I'll still be picking it up at some point but will be very interested to hear your thoughts.

Ah yes, I seem to have abandoned dear SFFWorld somewhat. I found this place - or was pointed to it by Arthur - and never looked back once I started chatting in the Green Dragon group. I don't know, I was never that fond of talking about books in a general sense - don't mind discussing a specific one, but I found many of the threads repetitive (a common problem!) and, well, boring. The Green Dragon forum here caters to my crazy sense of humour. I think that's the key - here I've found more of a human connection, rather than dry discussions on literature. I guess I like both, depending on my mood. It is nice, though, to make a group here for sffworlders...hope more join, because LT is likely a thing many people there would love.

eta - a misplaced 'u' has shambled off

Glad to here from you, Severn! :) Thanks for inviting me again.
This place feels like a little refuge for me to drop into, to escape from that too many threads thing you're talking about. It's nice when people compare notes -talk a little about some books they're keen on instead of going on and name checking every book and author they've ever read. A lot of that goes on in a number of groups here on LT...

It is a nice refuge. I've discovered since visiting bulletin boards that I'm about as good with crowds in the virtual space as I am in real life (which isn't very good).

Thought I would say Happy Turkey Day to everyone who celebrates, and Happy Thursday to those who don't.

Four days off from work, woo, hoo ! Hope to get a lot of reading done, eat a lot of bird, and watch a lot of football. Though I would pay not to have to watch the Lions every year on Thanksgiving day.

Same to you, Ficus! Have a Happy one, and everyone else who celebrates Thanksgiving Day here at the SFF group! :)

You can picture me toasting my fellow SFFWorlders as I hold my glass of wine in my hand. I actually prefer Thanksgiving to xmas. My husband is a wonderful cook, and has prepared an excellent meal for us, which makes me all the more thankful. Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate!

I had quite the adventure yesterday for a holiday.

Started around 2:00 pm, when my bell rang. One of the downstairs neighbors came to ask about my water usage. Seems he had a big blast of water come down from the ceiling and land on his bed. He was trying to figure out if it was sink/tub water or toilet water (ick),

I told him I was over the other downstairs neighbor, and he was under the other upstairs (empty) apartment (no heat - frozen pipes ?). He didn't want to hear it. Of course with the holiday no one at the owner's office was there. So I spent the rest of the day trying not to use much water.

Then about 7:30 pm, there was a fuse that blew and half my apartment power went out. I wasn't using much, so I don't know if it was just me, or something in another apartment. I don't have access to any of the guts of the building.

The pie was out of the oven, and the Turkey Breast was just out and resting. I had the stuffing in the micro, but it was mostly done. But couldn't heat up the mashed potatoes or heat up the veggies. So for dinner I have Turkey and Stuffing and then Dutch Apple Pie (Marie Callendar's - too sweet).

My bathroom, dinning room, the refrigerator, and some outlets in the kitchen and living room, and stairway were all black. The outlet with the TV and the one that powered the computer worked, but the one that powered the cable modem (internet) didn't. So I was off line and read and watched mostly bad football for the rest of the night.

My power came back on about 8:30 am this morning. Yeah ! I am just grateful I didn't have to wait until Monday.

Hope everyone else had a good day.

Quite an adventure indeed. Sounds like tonight you might want to have a Holiday dinner redo.