World Book Day

[lancorzParticipant 5700xp 1]

As today is World Book Day in the UK, let’s find out a little from each other.

1. Who’s your favourite Author(s)?
2. Fiction or Non Fiction?
3. Favourite Series?
4. A book you’d recommend to someone who doesn’t read often?
5. Best cover art?

[sundancer 42974xp 1]

1. Pratchett, Terry
2. Fiction
3. Discworld
4. Any Discworld Nightwatch novels
5. *error* *error* Database overload (seriously even when I only look at all the cover variants for the German books it’s to hard to choose. )

[elysium64 5634xp 1]

Hard to chose so lots of multiple awnsers.

1. H P Lovecraft, William Gibson, R E Howard, Jeff Noon, China Meiville and Charles De Lint.

2.Fiction.

3. Cthulhu Mythos and original Conans

4. Either “Neuromancer”-William Gibson or “Possession”-A S Byat. Neither are easy reads but both contain real power and beauty in there wtiting.

5. 

[Anonymous 0xp 0]

1.  RA Salvatore, JRR Tolkien

2. Both.  Big fan of autobiographies, history, historical fiction, science, crime novels, fantasy and sci-fi.

3. Rebus, Shardlake, Game of Thrones, Sherlock Holmes

4. An autobiography of someone they like or admire, or on a subject they are passionate about (whether it be fiction or non-fiction).  More likely to actually read it.

5. Not something I have ever considered, to be frankly honest.

 

Currently I am reading Second Chances by Matthrew Ward, which is a novel based in the Frostgrave Universe… yes, that Matt Ward and yes, the game by Joe McCullough.

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1. Robert Jordan and Dan Abnett
2. Fiction
3. The Sharpe books (yes I know they’re not by one of my favourite authors but the whole is greater than the sum of its parts)
4. Pratchett, probably something from the mid point on that’s the start of a series as they hit a nice groove I feel. Something like the Nightwatch or the Tiffany Aching books.
5. Will probably be different week but I am loving the cover of Wrath & Glory right now.

[blinky465 17028xp 1]

1. Christopher Brookmyre novels always start really well but end badly. Peter James (but only because he writes about where I live so everywhere is really familiar!). Still, I think Brookmyre steals it.

2. Most of the books I read are reference books, so by quantity, non-fiction. But by preference, fiction.

3. Hmmmm. Tricky. I’m not sure I should admit to quite liking the early Stephanie Plum novels.

4. Don’t laugh – Harry Potter. If you’re not an avid reader, the early books are relatively short (thinking Philosopher’s Stone, not Goblet of Fire) and are written with relatively short sentence strutures, to be easy to read.

5. Easy – early Pratchett; anything by Josh Kirby,

[torros 23816xp 1]

1.  Lots to choose from but would give mention to Fritz Leiber,Lindsay Davis,Steven Saylor and David Gemell plus lots of others
2. Fiction
3. Warlord Trilogy by Bernard Cornwell. Best set of Arthurian stories I’ve read
4. Roma by Steven Saylor .Easy read about the history of Rome
5. Not really important

[limburger 21704xp 1]

1. Jack Vance, Isaac Asimov, Stephen King, Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Robert E. Howard, HP Lovecraft

2. Fiction

3. The robot novels & stories by Asimov.
Note to self : must track down and read the Conan stories again.

4. I’d pick ‘The Hobbit’ … but Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy could be fun too

5. I never really looked at cover art to be honest. As a kid I simply read anything that had the fantasy or science fiction icon in the local library. However there is one that exception : ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ versions with interior art as well as cover art by Alan Lee.

Currently reading (or rather trying to) read ‘Conquistador’ by Johan Klein Haneveld, which is a collection of short science fiction stories.

[jemmyParticipant 2428xp 1]

1. George Orwell.

2. I don´t make that difference, it´s a good or bad book for me.

3. Can´t name one, it´s good or bad again for me.

4. “Why I Write” from George Orwell and other short stories, a collection of which has been published by Penguin. “1984” would be a choice, but for a start it is too much for someone, who doesn´t regularly read books.

5. The last cover I liked was from “The Man in the High Castle”. However, covers don´t determine my decision for or against a book.

 

[elessar2590 18207xp 2]

1. George MacDonald Fraser (Flashman) and Bernard Cornwell (Sharpe)

2. I like both but prefer Historical Fiction if I’m just looking for something to read/listen to.

3. It would be The Starbuck Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell (American Civil War) but the series ends with no resolution so I’d have to say the Flashman Series.

4. This one’s tricky. A great book for someone interested in Waterloo and just wants a quick read (three hours to finish) is “The Longest Afternoon” by Brendan Simms. It covers the Kings German legion defence of Le Haye Sainte at Waterloo.

If someone’s into their spy drama and WWII “Churchill’s Secret Warriors” by Damien Lewis. It covers a history of the Commando’s during WWII and if it wasn’t history it would be unbelievable.

For someone looking for a German Perspective of WWII “Panzer Commander” by Hans von Luck is great. He was an Officer in the German Army pre Nazi’s and had a very interesting career. He was Rommel’s Recon Battalion Commander, he had “Kampfgruppe von Luck” on D-Day and opposed the British Paras. He fought in the early stages of the Russian Invasion then ended the War of the Eastern Front where he was taken to a Russian Camp. He was the man that Rommel sent to ask the German High Command for permission to retreat from North Africa.

Best Cover? Flashman at the Charge. I won’t post it here because it’s a bit too “Adult” but it’s the one where’s he’s on the horse with the “Lady” riding with him.

[ninjillyParticipant 11673xp 3]

Great topic Lance… just a shame we don’t get to dress up as our favourite character the way kids do on this day 🙂

1. Scott Lynch or Joe Abercrombie

2. Fiction… real life is all the non-fiction I can handle

3. Gentlemen Bastards (low fantasy heist stories) or First Law trilogy (grim dark fantasy with amazing characters)

4. As I work in a public library, this is a big part of my job! It is also the most difficult. The Hobbit is a good shout @limburger but I’ve also had a fair bit of success with the Scott Lynch novels and Becky Chambers Wayfarers series are also really good.

5. Nothing that really sticks in my head TBH, most of my favourite covers it is more about how much I love the book after the fact.

[mecha82Participant 10037xp 1]

1. J.R.R. Tolkien, Michael Moorcock, Frank Herbert and Robin Hobb

2. Fiction

3. Elric Melnibone

4. Either Harry Potter books or The Hobbit.

5. This is difficult one but usually DnD novels have some really good cover art.

[lancorzParticipant 5700xp 1]

Even though I made the topic I missed out to answer my questions, but books can be all year long so let’s go!

Who’s your favourite Author(s)?

While I haven’t read much of his work recently I loved Bill Bryson’s narrated travels, A Walk in the Woods had me in stitches throughout. Anything that Craig Thompson also creates is a masterpiece.

Fiction or Non Fiction?

Like someone else mentioned, I prefer fiction but I’ll read anything.

Favourite Series?

I’m really enjoying The Dresden Files currently recommended by @brennon My favourite series of all has always been Planet Hulk & World War Hulk. I’m hoping to read the First Law this year.

A book you’d recommend to someone who doesn’t read often?

Short stories that invoke creativity or inspire, I really liked My Side of the Mountain by Jean George.

Best cover art?

I bought Half a King due to the cover art on the books and I really enjoyed that series, that said some of the newest pieces for Mortal Engines by Ian McQue are amazing, even if I’m not bothered by the stories.

[elessar2590 18207xp 0]

For anyone looking (legally) for Books/Audiobooks for free check out https://librivox.org/ it’s all Public Domain so you won’t find Harry Potter there but you can find some great books.

Most of Winston Churchill’s Books are there, Shakespeare and a few Gems if you take a bit of time to sort through them.

[limburger 21704xp 0]

And remember : Robert E Howard (Conan) is public domain …
https://librivox.org/author/937?primary_key=937

And Lovecraft :

https://librivox.org/search?q=Lovecraft&search_form=advanced

Lots of stuff from the 18th & 19th century is public domain : Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as well as Jules Verne, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes) and of course Bram Stokers’ Dracula

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