Books, if you love Firefly you will really love reading....

POSTED BY: Murkymerc
UPDATED: Friday, April 7, 2006 18:36
VIEWED: 24405
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DESKTOPHIPPIE

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 4:40 PM

First off, I second everything Legolad said about His Dark Materials.

Secondly, there's a fairly new book out called Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell which is well worth a look. The writer, Susanna Clarke, was guest of honour at a convention I attended last weekend. (P-Con, or The Phoenix convention. All about fantasy and sci-fi writing. ) She was asked at one point how she made her books so funny when so many dark things happened in them, and Susanna actually said that Joss' writing influenced her. She praised Joss' ability to temper very dark moments with humour and vice versa. My friend Aisling and I were grinning like idiots for the rest of that panel.

So when you're buying another copy of Serenity, pick up a copy of her book too, will ya?

IVY

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 4:41 PM

OK - thanks everyone, I think you have just spent half of my next paycheck. I just copied and pasted a ton of posts into an email for myself. There will definitely be some book ordering going on when I get home!! (And BTW - I love kids books!)

I've probably read half of what was suggested, and that is GREAT because it means I've been missing some really wonderful fiction and I plan on catching up. (Forget about laundry or grocery shopping.)

Keep 'em comin'!!!

Ivy

I've been sane a long while now, and change is good...

RHODRI

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 4:56 PM

Try David Gemmell - he's the master of the anti-hero. Of special interest are his Jon Shannow series; "Wolf in Shadow" and "Last Guardian".

Also try George Mcdonald Fraser's Flashman books; a Victorian scoundral dragged kicking and screaming (and wenching) into many key events of the 19th Century.

DESKTOPHIPPIE

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 4:57 PM

Kids' books are GREAT! Some of the best fiction is in the Children's section of bookshops. I couldn't find the His Dark Materials trilogy for ages because it was hidden away in the kids department of every bookshop in Dublin. I had a look through the shelves when I finally found out where it was, discovered Garth Nix the very same day and haven't looked back since!

Oh yeah, that reminds me ... Garth Nix's books are good too :D

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 5:20 PM

Got a question....

I am in a book club. I have exposed my friends to sci-fi and fantasy...genres they normally do not read. Some they liked, some they hated, but I want to have them read more.

Problem is that I tend to love books so thick you can use them as a chair, preferably with 6 parts...all equally long. This is NOT a good book for a book club of busy women that meets once a month.

So, I need a short to medium length sci-fi or fantasy book that is self contained (no 9 parts) that non sci-fi types would like OR would love to discuss.

Any ideas?

~~~~~
"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

GRIZWALD

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 5:57 PM

Unregistered, has your club read any Diane Mott Davidson? - She writes a detective series about a caterer who solves mysteries while cooking up fabulous food. You could read any of them as a stand alone book (though I would recommend starting with "Dying for Chocolate" if no one has read her before) -- they're fun to read, not really thick, and the best part is, she includes the recipes that Goldy Bear (the caterer, yes that's really her name) is cooking in the story. I always wind up with a tremendous appetite when reading the books. I'd heartily recommend "Dying for Chocolate" to your group.

Another book that probably would be too much for one month, but I'd also recommend to your group, is "Angry Housewives Eating Bon-Bons" by Lorna Landvik. It's a book about a book club. A bunch of women on a cul-de-sac in a Minneapolis suburb start a book club when they are all raising their young families, and the club follows them through their lives for 30 years, I think it is, through all that befalls them. Wonderful book.

EDITED TO ADD: Oops, you asked for sci-fi. I mixed up your "nons" and thought you wanted a non-sci-fi book.
____________________________________________________
They could not take the sky from them -
Our Big Damn Heroes made a film!
I'm gonna see Serenity then
go back the next morning and see it again.
Cuz no one at Fox knew this show had no equal
C'mon Universal, and greenlight the sequel!

Click on my profile for my Annoyingly Long List of Firefly Links.

BROWNCOAT1

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 6:09 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by CallMeAth:
Quote:
Originally posted by Ivy:

Tad Williams, Memory, Thorn and Sorrow trilogy (The Dragonbone Chair, The Stone of Farewell and To Green Angel Tower).

Someone else has read this series? I thought my sister and I were the only ones. Great books!

It doesn't really compare to Firefly, (whatdoes?) but I'm currently reading the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind.

No, there is more than just you & your sister. I read the Tad Williams books years ago & loved them. May have to take them down & read them again.

I like Terry Goodkind's books, but stopped reading after "Faith of the Fallen" because the story seemed as if it were beginning to drag like Jordan's prolific Wheel of Time series.

__________________________________________

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

Richmond, VA & surrounding area Firefly Fans:

http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/richmondbrowncoats/

http://www.richmondbrowncoats.org

IVY

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 7:18 PM

Wow Browncoat1, I could have written the same post. I read the Terry Goodkind books up to Faith of the Fallen also and I bailed on the Jorden Wheel of Time books after Winter's Heart (or whatever it was called). It just seemed like it would NEVER END!!! (And I really needed some of those annoying women to DIE DIE DIE.) OK, I'm calm again.

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION - I totally understand about the big book problem, I do the same thing! You may want to check out "Cordelia's Honor" by Lois McMaster Bujold. It is the first in a series, but really is a stand-alone book with a very strong female. Another author who writes excellent fantasy about women (and social issues) is Sheri S Tepper. I would recommend "Beauty" and "Grass". They are not fluffy, easy reads..she makes you think and suffer, but I think they are worthwhile. Another young adult fantasy novel with a strong woman, that I love (and read over and over) is "The Blue Sword" by Robin McKinley. WONDERFUL!!! (There is also a prequel called "The Hero and the Crown".)

If they can handle some "edgy" stuff (like sex with vampires or a little bondage) I would also recommend the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter books (first book is Guilty Pleasures) by Laurell Hamilton and the Kushiel trilogy (first book Kushiel's Dart) by Jaqueline Carey. Great women characters and engaging plots.

Ivy

I've been sane a long while now, and change is good...

DAVESHAYNE

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 7:28 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by UnregisteredCompanion:
Any ideas?

You say you already introduced them to some books. Which ones did they like and which ones did they dislike? Might be easier to advise you if we know.

David

"A lot of people are asking me, you know, what exactly is Firefly? It's a tv show you morons!" - Joss Whedon

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 7:31 PM

I read the Kushiel series. While I don't think the edgy bits would bother the club, first person narative is a BIG pet peeve for a lot of us. We hate it. I mean REALLY REALLY hate it. I was surprised I actually read the Kushiel books since it was 1st person.

Yeah, they are a picky lot, but you have given me some ideas already. Any more out there?

~~~~~
"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

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