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What 📔book are you reading right now?

The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne.

This happened to catch my eye at the library (on non-reading-related business). It's Norse myth-inspired fantasy, first of The Bloodsworn trilogy. So far it seems fairly compelling, but I've barely started and not quite sure what I think of it yet.
 
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Ent has been under such unusual stress since January of this year, he has been unable to pursue any studies or intentional reading/writing.
He has decided he needs a distraction, so is going to start this book. (His interest in chess drives it - but it almost certainly fits the 'mindless read' category.)

 
Arvedui said:
Currently, I am reading 'The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two'
(And to believe I once thought the Silmarillion was hard, wow).
Still, I will recommend it to all who haven't read it yet.
Click to expand...
the book of lost tales are some of Tolkien's early writings. There are many repeated stories that are slightly different, and the content is very different from the published Silmarillion (e.g. the Valar having children) Some names changed (Eonwe -> Fionwe, who is a son of Varda and Manwe).

Still, the tales give you a good idea of Tolkien's early ideas and combined with the rest of the history of Middle Earth show how his creative process developed.

spirit said:
cool.
has any1 read harry potter?
they are basically copies of lotr...but in a shorter and junkier version

**Edited by Tal**Please refrain from cussing, thanks**
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I don't think they remotely resemble LOTR. Sure, they both have magic, they both have very old wizards with long white beards but that's where the similarities stop. There are of course dragons in both but dragons have been around in fantasy for ever, way before Tolkien was even born.
 
You just replied to a message from before I was born haha!
 
Finished reading this. Still not really sure what to think. There is a LOT of violence in this and very detailed descriptions of it. There are three POV characters, each chapter with the name of the character (in the style of A Song of Ice and Fire) and I think every chapter has one violence-filled action scene. Two of the characters are women and one is a young man, and there appears to be no differentiation between the sexes as far as fighting is concerned. Women warriors are quite as common as men. Anyway, I wasn't sure if I was going to read the next book in this trilogy, but I just might after all.

While I think about it, I am going to start on Marvel Masterworks Uncanny X-Men. I've read the comics before but want to refamiliarize myself with them in anticipation of reading X-Men: Elsewhen, which is what John Byrne would have done with the book if he hadn't left it.

 
@Radaghast have you heard of Bjorn Bull-Hansen and his Norse novels? I have not personally read much of his work yet, but I think it is quite good - he has a few Youtube channels and knows/discusses Norse culture, language, and history, thoroughly. Unfortunately I think only some of his books are available in English (while available in many other languages) but he is working to make translations of the them. You can tell he knows his stuff from his Youtube. He has his fair share to say about women warriors and certain ideas about the Norse...
 
Interesting. Thanks for the tip!
 
Elendil3119 said:

What book are you reading right now?​

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Latest novel I'm reading is The Dragon Never Sleeps. Got about halfway before life got in the way of my available reading time. Plan on picking it back up again now.



And Fonstad's Atlas of Middle-Earth is a permanent fixture on my desk for writing & role playing purposes.
The coasters are for the coffee ☕ in the morning and the beer 🍻 in the evening.
 
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Ent is working on a read (or reread) of ALL things Arthur Conan Doyle. Holes remain in his consumption of this author.

(At the same time he's doing some research on the theory held by some, that the hooman is evolved from fish, rather than monkeys or chimpanzees.
But of course, if indeed evolutionary theory is correct, then beginning at fish is way too far down the line as well. Even Ent's limited intellectual capacity can discern that.
(Ent did find the opening statement made by one lecturer on this subject to be most amusing..! NOT the right way to address a plot hole in existing theory - except as an absurd mis-statement to get audience attention.)
 
Is that a hardbound copy of Fonstad's Atlas?
 
Deimos said:
Is that a hardbound copy of Fonstad's Atlas?
Click to expand...

Not hardback. It's the 1991 copyright soft-cover revised updated edition I got in the United States when I lived there. Not sure how the publishing numbers work, but my edition has '7 8 9 10'.

Alqualisse has the same 1991 edition, but it was a different printing with '6 7 8 9 10' and has a different cover. Photo of them side-by-side... hers to the left; mine to the right.

 
Thanks for that info...I have one I bought I the early 2000s (right after the FOTR movie played) ... mine looked like the one on the left.
The first edition was issued in Hardback....don't know if that edition was also available in softcover.
 
I recently read The Illustrated Man. It was quite good. I think I prefer The Martian Chronicles, though.

@Eruvavenne I'm about 30% of the way through Seven Pillars, I took a break from it for a while when I read TMC. It's a bit slow, but I suppose that's part of a journey like Lawrences'. Overall it's really interesting. I want to read Arabian Sands by Thesiger again after I finish Seven Pillars to compare the two. It's interesting how different they are despite covering similar subjects. But then, Lawrence is an army officer, and Thesiger is an explorer, they have very different reasons for being in Arabia.

I'm also planning on starting The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. I'll see how that goes.

Oh, and I'm considering trying some different translations of The Odyssey. So far I've only read the Robert Fagles one and a bit of Lawrence's. I should probably read The Illiad, too, now I think of it...
 
I finished The Seven Pillars of Wisdom: quite slow, but good and interesting as you said. I took notes on interesting phrases, points, quotes, and new vocabulary. But I could certainly feel Lawrence's journey - once I got to the end with the chapter in Damascus I felt the joy, relief, even tears of joy because 1) of the slow building of the whole book to it and 2) some of the descriptions were so moving. I would share some but I don't want to spoil your read!

What is Arabian Sands by Thesiger about? Sounds very intriguing.
Lawrence translated the Odyssey? Did not know that.

Your reading list sounds like mine... always vast and ever growing, filled with incredible books. 😂

I attended a free online writing summit (The Young Writer Summit, Brett Harris) the last few days. Have you heard of it or the Young Writer's Workshop? I should have shared about it with you and others on the forum. I took lots of notes and screenshots. It was fantastic!!! 🔥
I also got so many EXCELLENT book recommendations. I will share them with you if you want.
 
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