The Booklover's Corner aka "read any good books lately?"

[Lorraine]

I like books, reading books, the smell of new books, books, talking about books, looking at books, curling up in front of a fire with a book, taking a book to bed on a rainy day, and books. Did I mention I like books? Well, I lied, I LOVE books. Books have taken me to foreign countries and outer space, to countries, places and times that never existed, have amazed me, bored me, horrified and angered me, and made me very happy. Being an omniverous reader there is little I don't read but what I don't read I loathe. Life is too short for bad books, bad coffee and bad wine.

 

[Rae134]

Miss B put me onto - Exile's Redemption: Book One of the Chronicles of Shadow by Lee Dunning. I liked it so much I had to get the second one straight away and I'm hoping the 3rd will be out soon Its kinda familiar but totally different Elven stories, well written and the cover art is by the Author and fellow 3D artist.

I'll read just about genre but I love Fantasy, then Sci-Fi and Horror the best.

 

[Lorraine]

At the moment I'm reading 'Writing Home' Alan Bennett's pot-pourri of his autobiographical writing from the the 70's to the 90's including 'the Lady in the Van'. It's a real cracker, funny, sad, disgusting (the van made me feel ill!), and so full of people and places I've never heard of that I'm constantly looking up this person, that place. Well recommended and I'm going to get the following one, 'Untold Stories'.

 

[Lorraine]

I had a look for the book you mentioned, Rae, I think I'd like it too. It is now bookmarked for future purchase.

 

[Satira Capriccio]

I love epic Fantasy (though skip the vampires please), followed by cozy mysteries.

Anything with magic and dragons (the good guy kind) are my favorite.

Bottom of my list are "romance novels." Though, YA love triangles ... as well as any vampire or vampire and werewolf, have also been committed to the purgatory of "romance novels."

 

[Lorraine]

I'm quite partial to Team Edward

 

[Alisa]

Haven't read tons of books of late, though when I was young, I devoured them. I like mysteries and lots of other stuff. LOVED Harry Potter (though I saw the movies first, which I completely loved) so it was a bit strange as things are different in the books.

I am not into vampires, but being from where I'm from, of course, I HAD to read the Twilight series and honestly, I couldn't put them down. Very well written

These days, reading a book is something I only do while I'm out somewhere like at a doctor's office. Don't get time to do it during the rest of the time, sadly.

 

[Sunfire]

I am currently reading the Wayward Pines Trilogy, finally managed to get to it after watching the series on TV. Though I'm more into sci-fi and fantasy novels. I don't think I will ever read the Twilight series, to me vampires just don't sparkle! They may spark if they spend too long in direct sunlight however. I also Role-Play, White Wolf's World of Darkness, (Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Mage: The Ascension, etc.) and of course D&D though I've not gone past 3.5 edition there.

And because of the D&D playing I read R.A. Salvatore's books, the various Drizzt novels, been reading him since almost when the first one was wrote, and Cadderly, I love his friends the Bouldershoulder brothers!

I have read Harry Potter, I like the Percy Jackson novels, though I think they really loused up on the movies, The Maze Runner, Hunger Games, Divergent. All YA or childrens books, but I find them quite enjoyable.

I must also recommend Tressa's Treasures, available at Amazon, by a new author. It's a fantasy romance, but it isn't bad. I'm not a romance fan but I found it enjoyable.

 

[Miss B]

For those who are interested, the series Rae was talking about was written, and illustrated by Lee Dunning, who some, or all, of you might know as Maraich over on the DAZ forums. I've been a huge fan of her 3D graphic work for a long time, so when she mentioned she was self-publishing her books, I just had to get the first one, as a good many of the renders in her gallery at Renderosity are of the characters in her books. I can tell you, it's the first, and so far only, time I ever felt compelled to write a review at Amazon.

As far as the types of books I like, I'm a huge fan of spy/espionage novels, and my favorite author in that genre is the late Robert Ludlum, though I've read a number of Frederick Forsyth's as well. Next favorite genre is murder mysteries, and my favorite author for those types of books is the late Tony Hillerman, though his daughter Ann has picked up the series, so I can look forward to more Hillerman goodness. My third favorite genre is sci-fi, and though I've read a number of sci-fi authors I like, the late Isaac Asimov is by far my favorite, though I've only read the novels. I never got into the large compendiums of Robot short stories.

The only other author I can count a favorite wrote one of the longest, and most enjoyable, series I've ever read that, to me at least, crosses between sci-fi and fantasy, and that's the late Anne McCaffrey's Dragonrider's of Pern series. I will also read any books by John Grisham, John Sanford, Michael Connelly, and several other authors I've grown to like.

As far as Vampires and Werewolves, yeah, I like those too, and I will read a romance novel, but only if it's in the historical romance genre. I like when there's history thrown into the storylines, as that's what keeps me interested, as well as some time travel too.

 

[Pendraia]

I don't have any genres that I won't try when desperate to read except Women's Magazines. I've read everything from light romances all the way through to weighty history tomes. I've even been know to read pulp westerns and used to love reading Larry and Stretch books but my favourite genre is fantasy, medieval or urban.

Give me a Mercedes Lackey, Kristen Britain, or an Anne McCaffrey to read and I'm happy.

 

[Miss B]

I'm not familiar with Kristen Britain. I'll have to check her out.

 

[Pendraia]

Her green rider series is really good.

Kristen Britain's Official Site Mirror Sight

 

[Miss B]

Ohhh, thanks for the link Pen.

Edited to Add: Oh I just looked at the excerpts from the books on her site Pen, and they look good.

 

[Lorraine]

After LoTR my very favourite fantasy writer is/was (sadly deceased) David Eddings. His Belgariad and Mallorean series about Belgarad, Belgarath, Polgara and C'nedra are two of the very best in the fantasy genre and the two series with protagonist Sparhawk come very close behind them. They have been read, reread, and read again since they first came out. Just writing about them makes me want to go and reread them

 

[Miss B]

I've heard of that series Lorraine, but haven't read any of them.

 

[Pendraia]

Ohhh, thanks for the link Pen.

Edited to Add: Oh I just looked at the excerpts from the books on her site Pen, and they look good.

It is an excellent series...I'm waiting on book 6.

After LoTR my very favourite fantasy writer is/was (sadly deceased) David Eddings. His Belgariad and Mallorean series about Belgarad, Belgarath, Polgara and C'nedra are two of the very best in the fantasy genre and the two series with protagonist Sparhawk come very close behind them. They have been read, reread, and read again since they first came out. Just writing about them makes me want to go and reread them

David Eddings earlier works are favourites...once his wife had her name on the books I found that they lost some of the spark and just couldn't get into them. Mine have been reread many times also Lorraine and recently my eldest (who wasn't a reader) has started to read them...amazing what the influence of an intelligent women can do.

 

[Satira Capriccio]

Love Green Rider, though I haven't read the later books. I also loved the Belgariad and Mallorean series, though I got frustrated with the women. They all started to sound the same. Worse ... they seemed to scold/nag more than they did when I first started reading the series.

I don't think I've ever read anything by Mercedes Lackey I didn't like!

Then there is the Sevenwaters Trilogy by Juliet Marillier.

Terry Brooks and Lawrence Watt-Evans are two more of my favorites.

David Weber (War God series). I made the mistake of reading one of the books while eating dinner alone in the restaurant of a Seattle hotel. I'm sure people thought I was absolutely nuts because I kept laughing while I was reading. Even funnier, it was during war scenes.

In particular, I absolutely love Bazhell Bahnakson of the Horse Stealer hradani (think Berserker Orcs). He becomes the first hradani champion (Paladin) of Tomanak (the God of War and Justice) in more than 1,200 years. Well over 1,200 years ago the Dark Wizards created the hradani to serve as mind-controlled warriors during the Wizard Wars ... which lasted generations. When controlled by the Rage, hradani are impervious to magic. Needless to say, the rest of the races never forgave the hradani, and the hradani aren't particularly enamored with anyone else ... and definitely not with the gods who they believe abandoned them. But then ... along comes Bazhell.

As if becoming a champion to a god wasn't weird enough for Bazhell, he also becomes the first non-Sothoii to bond with a Courser and become a windrider (similar to the Valdemar Heralds and Companions) The Coursers are magical sentient horses revered by the Sothoii and sometimes form life long mental links with a few select Sothoii warriors.

 

[Lorraine]

David Eddings earlier works are favourites...once his wife had her name on the books I found that they lost some of the spark and just couldn't get into them.

So felt the same...they stopped having the amusing undertone that made you laugh out loud and got textbook-like...boring!

I also loved the Belgariad and Mallorean series, though I got frustrated with the women. They all started to sound the same. Worse ... they seemed to scold/nag more than they did when I first started reading the series.

That's part of what made it so amusing for me...the women No dainty wallflowers in HIS books

 

[Pendraia]

Some new names mentioned there Satira...I'll have to check them out. I need something to read at the moment.

 

[Faery_Light]

I once owned the complete series of Dragonrider's of Pern unfortunately they got put down in our basement when we moved from the country back to the city.
I didn't know they were down there and the sewer backed up bad, lost all of them.

For those who are interested, the series Rae was talking about was written, and illustrated by Lee Dunning, who some, or all, of you might know as Maraich over on the DAZ forums. I've been a huge fan of her 3D graphic work for a long time, so when she mentioned she was self-publishing her books, I just had to get the first one, as a good many of the renders in her gallery at Renderosity are of the characters in her books. I can tell you, it's the first, and so far only, time I ever felt compelled to write a review at Amazon.

As far as the types of books I like, I'm a huge fan of spy/espionage novels, and my favorite author in that genre is the late Robert Ludlum, though I've read a number of Frederick Forsyth's as well. Next favorite genre is murder mysteries, and my favorite author for those types of books is the late Tony Hillerman, though his daughter Ann has picked up the series, so I can look forward to more Hillerman goodness. My third favorite genre is sci-fi, and though I've read a number of sci-fi authors I like, the late Isaac Asimov is by far my favorite, though I've only read the novels. I never got into the large compendiums of Robot short stories.

The only other author I can count a favorite wrote one of the longest, and most enjoyable, series I've ever read that, to me at least, crosses between sci-fi and fantasy, and that's the late Anne McCaffrey's Dragonrider's of Pern series. I will also read any books by John Grisham, John Sanford, Michael Connelly, and several other authors I've grown to like.

As far as Vampires and Werewolves, yeah, I like those too, and I will read a romance novel, but only if it's in the historical romance genre. I like when there's history thrown into the storylines, as that's what keeps me interested, as well as some time travel too.