Beth’s Comments (group member since Aug 10, 2013)

Beth’s comments from the Literally Geeky group.

Excellent choice! I read Lamb while on holiday at my mum's. Laughed so hard and recommended it to her. She enjoyed it enough to recommend to her book club -- a bunch of older church ladies. It wasn't exactly a hit with some of them :/

Does anyone else have extra dragon goodness in their book? My edition has "Chains & Flames" (Bercelak & Rhiannon) and "A Tale of Two Dragons" (Addolgar & Braith).

When Ez introduced the book in the hangout, she described it as a children's novel. Given that Wizard of Earthsea was something I studied in high school (grade 9 or 10?) be aware that there might be more here than a simple fantasy tale for kids.

I'll accept that. A dead tome list is not wrong for me.

I'm glad everyone had some fun with this book. I was worried I'd end up on a bunch of #deadtome lists for suggesting a Shakespearean tragedy.

8 of 110 endings. So far I have died like an ultrachump, killed with a hot air balloon, and invented central heating. Plus some other fun things that made me laugh, but I'm not going to tell you because you have to find them yourself.

I haven't read either of these, but perhaps a choose your own adventure might be fun. Specifically, one of those by Ryan North (author of Squirrel Girl). Choose your own Shakespeare!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

"A Once Crowded Sky" by Tom King. This one will give you lots to talk about.
I've got a blog post drafted which includes a few comments on the book. Should be posted mid-week. Also, had to put my fave quotation from it in Geekocracy discord.

Already mentioned on Twitter and I think I submitted it last year too. Microserfs by Douglas Coupland. If this book wins on the wheel, you guys have to build something out of LEGO during the hangout.

"Once, men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free." (p.17)

Written in 1965.

Is anyone else concerned about all of the 'smart' devices being created now? Kitchen appliances so that you don't have to think about how to cook a frozen dinner. Cars so that you don't have to know how to drive or remember rules of the road.

It has been about 35 yrs (!!!!) since I read Dune. I know it's about a spice planet, but I've forgotten everything else it had to say. I'm glad it's a Literally Geeky pick.

Older book should be easy to get at the library, right? Wrong! Over 30 people waiting to read the 1 copy in the system. Why such an interest in something published in 1953? Apparently there was a miniseries not that long ago on SyFy.

So you can blame SyFy for my not reading this month's pick before the hangout.

I'm not sure about the dinosaur one, but some of the others look interesting.

*googles Battenburg*

I finally watched the anniversary episode with the most awesome wheel of books. Can you please make a list here of everything that was on it? I know I already have way too many books on my to-read list, but it never hurts to add more.

Thanks!

Once the story got rolling, I couldn't stop. In the end, I enjoyed it.

I finally got a copy of the book from the library this morning. Yes, the day of the delayed hangout. Made it through the first chapter over half a cup of coffee. From the 1st page, I couldn't help thinking, "Didn't I just read this?" The dragon never takes the supposed favourite and always takes the narrator. It wasn't just that which was familiar. I recently downloaded a free Kindle book with the exact same first chapter! It was complete rubbish and I haven't finished it (yet). Other than writing style, the difference was a real dragon took the girl and it very much appeared that a future romance was planned.

I'll get another mug of coffee and plunge through chapter 2 of Uprooted. But at this point, I feel like getting out my beautifully illustrated (non-Disney story) classic tale of Beauty and the Beast and reading that instead.

Unlike Ez, I couldn't stand the Goldman story, particularly the bits about his family. When I hit the background to Buttercup's Baby, I quit. Give me action, adventure, piracy, poisoning, swords, chases, miracles (with cough drops) and the rest. But none of that tediousness with lawyers and producers.

To tackle this question from the opposite direction (because I am such a contrary person) I'd have to say there aren't really any characters that I dislike in Discworld. I would even be happy to have The Luggage follow me about.

I agree with Red Dog. It's annoying that half the good sci-fi and fantasy gets catalogued into the children's dept of the public library. Sure, I have enjoyed the genre since I was young, but that doesn't make the stories juvenile.

I'm tired of the dystopian YA that is hitting the movies. Especially since a love triangle is often part of the mix. If you want some science fiction with a teenage protagonist that doesn't fall into this mould, try the Softwire series by PJ Haarsma (yes, that PJ, working on Con Man with Alan Tudyk and Nathan Fillion).

I try really hard not to judge a book by its cover, but I do judge books other ways and reject them outright. I don't read books written in first person (unless highly recommended and maybe not even then) and I don't read short story collections.

What don't you read?