SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Since it's Thanksgiving in GR land, let's talk about books and authors we're thankful for because of a specific reason. Interpret it however you want!

Aw, that's definitely Theodore Sturgeon for me. He singlehandedly brought me into reading SF, convinced me, that SF is so much, much more than spaceships and aliens and is more or less the reason, why I didn't read anything but SF for years and years, whereas all the other girls in school were talking about books with horses, boarding schools and romances.

I'd love to list all my favorite books, but I talk about them often enough. Here are a few that have to do with why I still love reading:

Memory of Water (Teemestarin kirja), for re-igniting my love for reading in my native language.

The Hunger Games trilogy for being entertaining enough to start my reading hobby again after almost ten years of not reading at all.

Planetfall and its sequels for getting me.

Spirits Abroad for reminding me of my childhood home in a beautiful way.

Nimona for getting me back into graphic novels.

Time Patrol and its sequels made me discover and love the time travel genre in sci-fi books.

Let's see...

N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth Trilogy. It shook my to my core. In the best way.

Toni Morrison's Beloved for the same reason.

Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings Cycle for making me laugh and cry and reminding me how amazing high fantasy can be.

Ursula le Guin for always making me think, no matter which of her works I read, but especially for "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" and The Left Hand of Darkness.

Carol Ann Duffy's The World's Wife for making me laugh and giving so many female figures an irreverent voice.

There's probably a ton I'm forgetting right now. But these are the ones I'm mostly readily thinking of.

The Lord of the Rings series for defining my favorite genre.

Snap Phillip!
Although I will say The Hobbit which was probably the first fantasy I ever read and which led me to The Lord of the Rings and ever onwards:)

Delphi Collected Works of Andrew Lang and the Complete Fairy Books which I first ran across in the form of these books at the house of one of my mother's frineds

The Blue Fairy Book
The Red Fairy Book
and so on for 12 different colors

and

Complete Works of L. Frank Baum in the individual books in the local library

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Ozma of Oz
through 17 different books

These books kindled (pun intended) my love of fantasy as a genre. As far as SciFi goes, it was the works of Robert Heinlein and Andre Norton that began my love of that genre

Thank you for this! Was just moaning elsewhere about how we've managed to get the commercially manic side of the holiday carried over here as well, but none of the actual 'being grateful' stuff. 'Thanks', Black Friday, way to miss a point.

Personally, I'm thankful for all the childhood classics, namely Tove Jansson's Moomins:
The Moomins and the Great Flood
Finn Family Moomintroll
Moominland Midwinter
Moominsummer Madness
Moominpappa at Sea
Moominvalley in November
Moominpappa's Memoirs

Especially the 'first one' Comet in Moominland, which I'm sure our dad got sick of reading for me and my sis over and over and over. And which is one of the very few physical (story)books I still own (in the tattered, pencil colored state that it is by now. But surprisingly sturdy still: back from when books were still well bound).

Anything by Michael Perry. He writes mostly humorous philosophical memoirs that I find inspiring as he's actually a good ole farm boy from Wisconsin,,, nearly the same age and just a couple of counties over from where I grew up. But absolutely beautiful writing. And as a young man he did have some world travel and other adventures so he's not naive...

Anyway, reading them always makes me feel good about my roots and the world's future.

issac Asimov , he started me off in the genre in the late 50's. He was a brilliant man and when I read his non fiction books I just had to go into science for my career

Aw!

Thankful to David Eddings for introducing me to badass women and epic fantasy. To Harry Potter for making my world seem magical, and exploring non-romantic love.

Thankful to Tamora Pierce for populating my world with even stronger women and of course TH White for writing about the human experience in a way that's allowed me to find strength when I needed it.

(This is my favorite holiday btw. I know there's lots of hurt in the native population and I very much want to fix that. But a holiday just about gratitude, taking care to count blessings and consider how we can be a blessing to others is really something worth celebrating, I think.)

ok let me preface this by saying I read this as a Troubled Teen (TM) and completely do not agree with a lot of whats said in it anymore (including being a butt to religious people) but Im thankful for The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.

Im from rural deeply Catholic Bavaria and I got my share of damage from religion. (Want an example? My elementary school bible study teacher made me believe in earnest that when I ~become a woman~ I will bleed monthly and suffer horrible pain in childbirth because of Eve's Original Sin. I was a 7 year old kid back then. Yup)

So this book showed me a different way and for that Im still grateful.

Definitely for the trilogy starting with Ordination. With the third book coming out in September. A good combination of fun and thinking.

Wow, Ine. I've heard some pretty awful ways to communicate puberty to girls and that is up there with the worst of them! I am glad you were able to find a path that works for you.

Tomas, fun! That's cool that you have something that presently makes you grateful.

Resurrecting this since I'm in full pie making mode.

This year I'm especially grateful for the Night in the Lonesome October buddy read, which was really some of the most fun I've had in a buddy read.

Also exceptionally grateful for Ursula Le Guin and the collection No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters, which gave me several new phrases to better express things I've been feeling than I've been able to come up with, and did so with grace and good humor.

And The Mere Wife, which is just so many things I adore all at once.

I'm thankful for discussion groups that encourage me to read such a variety of books. For example, two books I never would have picked up on my own:

I just finished The Great Gatsby and am nearly done with To Say Nothing of the Dog and while neither are among my favorites, I do feel enriched for having shared them with other readers, & for discovering why they are both, in their own way, considered classics.

Lonesome Dove, The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings, The Great Brain, The Rats of NIMH, John Carter of Mars, Tarzan of the Apes, Centennial, Team of Rivals, Conan the Barbarian, The Sarantine Mosaic.

Ursula le Guin and Terry Pratchett for helping confirm some things for me, and continuing to do so with everything of theirs I read.

[redacted], an author I know IRL, for encouraging me to Do The Thing both directly and indirectly (via twitter).

Lloyd Alexander for introducing a late blooming reader to fantasy when I was in jr. high.

Is this people or books?
Oh, and have you read chronicles of Prydain?

Books and authors, says Anna at the top!

Chronicles of Prydain is what introduced me to fantasy and it's also the only thing of Alexander's I've read. I've still got my copies of those books that I read in jr. high, (Dell Laurel Leaf paperbacks!) with their heavy wear and cracked spines from my sister's and my reading them.

I interpreted "all things bookish" somehow. To get more specific, I am thankful for Becky Chambers and her series starting with The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet.

And others, of course, but this is the one that gives me hope that some ppl will write inclusive, optimistic & compassionate stories, and there will be choices beyond intrigue, thrillers, dystopia, and other awful (imo) stuff.

Cheryl wrote: "I interpreted "all things bookish" somehow."

Yes, this is exactly what I had in mind. Not your favorite books/authors, but ones that have a specific meaning to you, even if the books/authors (and other bookish things) aren't among the best you've read.

Like in my example, I named The Hunger Games. It just happened to be the first book I picked up after a long time of no reading at all. If it had been very boring, maybe I wouldn't be here now, and reading every single day!

This is a great thread! I’m thankful for many books, but like Jemppu I want to focus on my childhood favorites.

The Phantom Tollbooth
Alice in Wonderland
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Obviously, I loved fantasy from an early age!

Candice 🚙

Classics!! Where would we be without books like that, Candice?

I also wanted to come here to say I'm so incredibly grateful for my library and librarians. I really think librarians are our army against ignorance and banality, and I'm so happy that I get to see them doing good work that is appreciated by so many generations at once.

If you're a librarian or volunteer at a library, thank you!

Yes, libraries! <3

If anyone wants to tell us about their local library, and why it's great, we also have a thread for that.

Issac Asimov foundation series. i was under 12 when i read them , i decided i would be a scientist. Directed me to a great career

Which books and bookish things are we thankful for in 2020? It's a huge ask, but maybe you've found something that made 2020 a little bit better?

These are some of the books/authors that gave me the most joy this year:

The Voyages of Cinrak the Dapper & No Man's Land
Catfishing on CatNet
Boyfriend Material
Bunnicula
I Want To Be Where the Normal People Are

I could also list Jo Walton and Connie Willis, but they're not new finds in 2020. I've spent many hours with them in 2020, though!

In general, this group has brought me much comfort in 2020! Thank you all for being such lovely people! ^_^

Grateful for so many books that came out that I've been waiting for, and all the things authors have done to help entertain us through often dreary days.

Rhythm of War and Deeplight are two I'm particularly glad about.

And y'all, SO MUCH you don't even know!

I'm thankful to members of this group for introducing me to books that I enjoyed reading or enjoyed complaining about having read. For your many amusing comments and self restraint in not telling me to shut up when reading my own attempts.

I'm thankful that books exist. I'd be forced to talk so much more if they didn't.

I am thankful for my mother who never censored anything I read growing up and for the amazing books she had on her shelves, plus OMNI magazine and a bunch of other stuff.

Thankful for GR and all the amazing books & authors that I have found through groups.

I'm thankful for ML Wang, Emma Newman, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Peter F. Hamilton, and Derek Künsken for writing some of my favourite SFF in recent years. Their ideas and the way that they've explored them have given me immense pleasure. I consider them all standard setters in one way or another.

And a special shoutout to the virtual book club crew! Your contributions whether via audio or text are greatly appreciated.

i am thankful for kindles , so easy to carry with me anywhere i go. I love my library that does an internet service. i have read so many books this year it is hard to specify just a few.

but i have enjoyed Goodreads: for suggestions of books; for people who agree with me over various books ( always hard to be the lone wolf sometimes); for giving me an outlet for so many comments

Then i love my internet where i follow certain sites eg comics, jokes, IT information, science news

ps my one dislike, and really it is envy, is all the specials that come up and they are only for american amazon

I am always grateful for authors who have the ability to write in a way that moves me to tears, cause sometimes I just need to be reminded that I have this much emotion in me.
So this year my gratitude goes to Claire North for The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August (not new, but it was the first time I read this author due to our group) and Brandon Sanderson for Rhythm of War. Both books not only moved me to tears, but literally made me sob out loud, which was intense and disturbing and therefore alive.

Like others before me I'm also grateful for this group, because even in times when I have to retreat from social media out of a bout of insecurity I could nearly always stay here and go on. The environment here feels wonderfully save. Thank you to all of you!

Jennifer wrote: "I am thankful for my mother who never censored anything I read growing up and for the amazing books she had on her shelves, plus OMNI magazine and a bunch of other stuff.

Thankful for GR and all ..."

Ditto for the never censoring mother. I read Peyton Place at 14 yo. It was the Fifty Shades of Grey for the 50/60s. My mother had to tell the librarian it was OK for me to check out. I had an adult card from 12 yo onwards.

I'm also thankful for all the information on the internet even if some of it is incorrect as i would never have found out about the two exploding whales otherwise

https://katu.com/news/local/the-explo...
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/...

and

The Montana Sedition project; http://www.seditionproject.net/DBD.html

and

Kitten Wars: http://www.kittenwar.com/

and

that cranberries are the only native food eaten at Thanksgiving: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles...

I am thankful for Stephen King’s Sleeping Beauties which brought me back to reading.

I am thankful for the amazing Librarians who encouraged me and a Mother who led by example. I got to read anything I wanted from a very young age.

I am thankful to this group for being a light in a very long, dark, and lonely tunnel.

And I am thankful to all the authors who have written all of the books I have read over the last 55 years whether good or bad as they have all contributed to all that is me.

I am thankful for so many bookish things that give me joy and comfort:

For my 3rd -5th grade teacher Ms Harris who encouraged my love of reading and introduced me to many wonderful books.

For my mother’s encouragement being an avid reader herself.

For the Tripod Trilogy (starting with The White Mpuntains) by John Christopher, which introduced me to Science Fiction in the 4th grade and kindled a life long love affair.

For my friend Andreas who insisted I read LOTR and introduced me to Ursula K. LeGuin’s books starting with A Wizard of Earthsea. Then The Left Hand of Darkness.

At this point because I’ve fallen below the visible field of text, I’ll just say ditto to Mareike’s list (except for the very last bit).

I’m also so grateful to all of you, including the Virtual Book Club, which has been a thing to look forward to.

Diane wrote: "For the Tripod Trilogy (starting with The White Mountains) by John Christopher, which introduced me to Science Fiction in the 4th grade and kindled a life long love affair."

I really want to reread these! But childhood memories vs. adult reality, yikes!

Anna, they hold up pretty well.

Maybe I'll be brave and do it!

Thankful for this group, and for those who encouraged me to join (and introduced me to GR in general); GR has become such a safe haven away from the rampantly toxic social media platforms, it often feels the only place to relax at; thankful for all here, for being so welcoming, engaging and friendly.

A certain recent read emphasized/reminded how grateful I am for read-aloud capability on ebooks.

With Ryan on being thankful for the Virtual Bookclub; such a welcome occasional distraction to one's routines... every time I routinely forget it *ha*

Grateful for all the wonderful book discoveries made this year - and for those who've guided/encouraged me to them, and/or shared thoughts about/over them. Appreciative too for the less remarkable reads; also for that sharable experience value, as well as for providing counter perspective to greatness.

For those of you that celebrate Happy Thanksgiving!

I am grateful for:
1) Access to a decent library in my childhood that started my love for reading and fiction ie Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Babysitters Club, RL Stein. Sweet Valley series (lol)

2) Bookish friends in my teenage years who lend me books when I could not afford to buy my own. Harry Potter and Stephen King, Anne Rice in highschool.
Neil Gaiman in university.

3) The hardworking mods in this group Miss Alison and Miss Anna - I see you. And the constant and regular responses from the group that’s enough to find anyone something to read, even in the middle of a reading slump. Thank you everyone, I have to say I haven’t been as excited about book recommendations as I have been this year.

Like some/most of you, I read the most when I cannot find an escape from a hard reality. So whatever it is and wherever you are in life - hang in there. You’re doing great.

I'm grateful to my parents for reading me bedtime stories and collecting quite a library of books that entertained me over the years later.

I'm grateful to all the authors whose books I've enjoyed, but that will be too many to list.

I'm grateful to Charles Pratt for MAKE: Electronics: Learning Through Discovery that entertains me on those dark autumn nights.

I'm grateful to all of you for being such a vibrant community always ready to discuss books :)

The first books I remember reading were Nancy Drew but what really hooked me was Black Beauty. This book took me to places and really opened my eyes to traveling with a book.

I am grateful for the authors that put their imaginations, sweat and probably tears into each and every book I read.

I am grateful for the libraries in my country that have kept me sane throughout this pandemic.

I am grateful for this community that reminds me to be grateful and also that what is important in this world is community.

And just so i stay on topic (i realize it said authors we are grateful for!), this year i am very grateful for Adrian Tchaikovsky - hands down some of the best hours spent reading SF in recent years.

I am thankful to my local library for maintaining curbside service and for hiring my youngest son so he can bring books home for me during this pandemic.

I am thankful to Little Free Libraries, PaperbackSwap and to the Post Office for helping me get books that I'm done with out to other readers, and helping me find even more reads.

I'm thankful to my older son's library for letting me renew books for up to 6 months (!) so I can bring them home to read at my leisure, and bring back on my next trip down there (a seven-hour drive, so I don't go often ;).

Again shout outs to Becky Chambers, Michael Perry, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Encyclopedia Brown, and others for happy hours away from the real world.

And of course for this group, you my friends, and Goodreads for bringing us together.

Oh, and let's not forget OpenLibrary!

The Old Truck, Julián Is a Mermaid, and many other new picture books that are works of art reaching out to more diverse audiences.

The Secret Garden (yes I reread it yet again this year and yes it's still a five star read)

Love Among the Walnuts (the perfect read for those of you who don't like genre romance, but need to fill a challenge)

Charis Cotter (discovered when I needed a 'ghost story' for a challenge)

Anne Ursu (esp. Breadcrumbs, her take on The Snow Queen)... The Raven and the Reindeer, too, while we're at it.

So many memories as I scroll through my shelves.

Cheryl wrote: "Julián Is a Mermaid"

I need this! Thank you for bringing it to my attention, Cheryl! And thank you library for having it, and Julián at the Wedding, too! Holds placed.