Off The TBR Dragons of Autumn Twilight Read Along discussion

Each week I'll post the reading schedule in a new folder for the week. Read at your own pace and if you get behind that's OK you can always get caught up later. The full schedule can be found in the Reading Schedule post under General topics.

Week 1 Reading Schedule:
Nov 3 - Nov 9: The Canticle of The Dragon, The Old Man, and Book 1 Chapters 1-10.

I realized today I forgot to list the Canticle of The Dragon in my original schedule information so I'm adding it here.

Toward the end of the week (Maybe Friday? Not sure yet) I'll post some starter discussion questions if we don't already have some good topics going. You may discuss those or post some discussion topics of your own.

You don't have to wait until the end of the week to post a discussion topic. If something grabs your attention and you really want to chat about it then post away! Just keep in mind not everyone may be as far along as you in the reading so watch those spoilers in the topic headings. Within the discussions please watch those spoilers for future chapters and books. If you don't think you can discuss without spoilers that's fine but please clearly mark the post as containing them so others don't accidentally read something they don't want to see yet. I want this to be be fun for all and not a lot of restrictive rules.

Now sit back and enter the world of Krynn...I'll see you at the Inn of The Last Home for some of Otik's spiced potatoes and the opening chronicle to The War of The Lance.

Hmmm, spiced potatoes.

Good plan, Jason.

See ya there!

Gah! So excited for this. Planning to dive in tonight!

Started reading last night and was immediately welcomed by the warm cozy feel that this book always gives me.

Just (finally) cracked this open while listening to the Two Towers soundtrack with a cat sleeping on me, and I’ve got to say, I think I’ve reached peak awesome right now.

Ahh...mood music, feline friend and a good book. It does sound like peak awesome.

I hope everyone is enjoying the reading. I'll try to post some discussion topics tomorrow and/or Saturday. But if anyone else has something specific they want to bring up feel free to create a topic thread of your own. You don't have to wait for me.

I thought smells were supposed to be the big trigger for memory, but this book takes me back... to middle school! What a time, an awkward time. But I had my books!

I never outgrew that awkward stage, unfortunately, but I love the memories these books bring me.

Can I point something out that I find really interesting? Sturm struggles with depression (Tanis mentions seeing the beginning of a "dark depression", and it also comes up from Sturm's point of view). This would be the first book I read where a character dealt with depression without being written as a victim or as "lesser than". It's just part of who Sturm is, and his friends recognize and accept that.
Thoughts?

WS_BOOKCLUB wrote: "Can I point something out that I find really interesting? Sturm struggles with depression (Tanis mentions seeing the beginning of a "dark depression", and it also comes up from Sturm's point of vie..."

I just read that line, and thought it was so interesting because I'm not sure I've ever seen a character, especially in fantasy, with their depression actually given a name. This really is a very inclusive book, when you think about it, just from what we've already seen of these characters. You're dead on--they do just recognize and accept that Sturm has depression, and that's pretty much the end of it.

No one views Raistlin as "lesser than" because he sacrificed his health for magic. Tanis has moments of annoyance with Tas, but he never reprimands him because he accepts that Tas' personality is just who he is. Even Flint! When he's so upset about having to cross the lake, they try to work with that rather than make him feel awful about it.

It's just so refreshing to not only see mental health in a fantasy character, but to see it so readily accepted as part of the world. It's there, but it's not something that wholly defines Sturm's character. He's still allowed to be a fully realized person.

I've copied Jodie's (WS_BOOKCLUB) comment and created a thread of it's own under the week 1 folder. I think it is a great discussion topic.

Mary - If you want, copy and past your response there and we can build on it.

What I'd like to do in order to keep the discussions from becoming a mess of multiple topics in one giant thread is create a new discussion topic in each weekly folder. One topic per discussion thread. I just think it will be easier to keep things straight (I hope anyway). Each of you can feel free to create a discussion thread of your own. If none of this makes sense let me know.