Chicks with Swords: A Book Club discussion

I'm reading Storm of Swords, the third book in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, and it's got some amazingly strong female characters in it.

For the first two books I thought Sansa Stark was a bit of a flowerpot, but she's grown so strong in this book I admire her more than I ever thought I would. I always favored her younger sister, Arya, but I'm really excited to see Martin shining a light on different aspects of feminine strength.

Sansa is a flowerpot. She does grow some what of a backbone but for the most part she is wishy washy at best.

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Sansa is a flowerpot. She does grow some what of a backbone but for the most part she is wishy washy at best."

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT if you haven't read any of the Song of Ice and Fire books.



I am holding out hope for her. I just keep waiting for her to find her power. It's got to be in there after everything she's been through. I also keep half expecting her to somehow runoff and wind up with The Hound. Then again, I'm only 40% through, so who knows. That could happen.

A part of me wants her to come to love Tyrion because I love Tyrion. I never thought I would say that, but he became one of my favorite characters in CoK.

I just finished Kismet's Kiss (fantasy romance). Kicking around for something else to read... it'll probably be whatever wins the poll!

I just finished Garth Nix's fantastic Abhorsen YA fantasy series. Now a reread of the first four A Song of Ice nd Fire books in preparation for no. 5!

Unfortunately, nothing fantasy-related. I'm reading your hubby's book.

Jessie wrote: "I just finished Garth Nix's fantastic Abhorsen YA fantasy series. Now a reread of the first four A Song of Ice nd Fire books in preparation for no. 5!"

That's going to be alot of reading.

Jessie wrote: "I just finished Garth Nix's fantastic Abhorsen YA fantasy series. Now a reread of the first four A Song of Ice nd Fire books in preparation for no. 5!"

I was debating holding off on book four until June, but I don't know if I have the willpower.

My boyfriend and I are planning to re-read them together, starting in a couple of weeks.

I am now finishing Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy. Talking about strong female characters, Vin is certainly a Chick with a Blade.

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Jessie wrote: "I just finished Garth Nix's fantastic Abhorsen YA fantasy series. Now a reread of the first four A Song of Ice nd Fire books in preparation for no. 5!"

That's going to be alot of reading..."

yah it is, but I read very quickly and I love the books so much they fly by fast. I've been waiting 5 years, gotta make sure I remember the details and allegiances!

Jennifer wrote: I was debating holding off on book four until June, but I don't know if I have the willpower. ..."

I don't. As soon as I finisehd my last series I was back in ASOIAF. It's just too hard to resist and I'vewe've been waiting forever for the next installment. I've no patience.

I am reading and will be almost done with "Breaking Night" by Liz Murrary. The movie Lifetime Homeless to Harvard was based on it. Talk about a strong female. She was homeless and she went back to school and went on to college. She wanted better than the drug addiction life her parents were in. I am really liking it.

Hi Norm,

While I appreciate you providing us with a potential book to read, your introduction to the group feels somewhat spammish. If you are interested in getting to know us and possibly even reading with us, that's great, but dropping by just to post a link to your book is not the way to go about getting to know a reader's group.

I hope you're not offended. I'd be happy if you decided to stick around and read a book or two with us, but this is not a place to promote your own books.

Best,

Jenny

Not offended, kind thought I might be pushing it a bit. I deleted the post. Please accept my apology.

all the best
Norm

Norm wrote: "Not offended, kind thought I might be pushing it a bit. I deleted the post. Please accept my apology.

all the best
Norm"

I started a thread just for you called Shameless Self-Promotion, so feel free to post in there. :)

I have to say, I really hate when someone comes into a group just to promote their book without even being a member. It has happened on many of my groups.

I finished "Breaking Night" and starting "The Lathe of Heaven" by Ursela Le Guin.

I just finished the "Eye of the World", the first in the Wheel of Time series. Just started book 2 - it's moving MUCH faster than the first!

There's a couple of other slow ones along the way, Kate, but two and three move pretty well if I remember right. It's been a while!

Debora wrote: "There's a couple of other slow ones along the way, Kate, but two and three move pretty well if I remember right. It's been a while!"

They do, they move along really quickly until #8. I love WoT. Jordan meanders a bit, his women are slightly irritating, but I love the world he built.

I agree with you 100% Jessie. Jordan's world is amazing, but he gets on my nerves a bit. I know what he was trying to do with the women in his books, but they are annoying. I own all the books and I have aspirations to read them all when the last one comes out, but I don't know if I'll be able to. I will say I enjoy Sanderson's couple more than the last few that came before. I don't know if that's because he has a bit more spare style or just "more happens."

Right now I'm reading Jenny's Goblin Market, although I haven't had much time to read this week. I'm also listening to The Name of the Wind on audiobook while on my walks.

On deck is The Knowland Retribution. For any Bones fans out there, it's the book that last week's episode was based on. MC is a veteran with brain damage who can find anything. Not sure if it will be any good, but I have high aspirations based on the great characters from the episode!

Coral wrote: "I agree with you 100% Jessie. Jordan's world is amazing, but he gets on my nerves a bit. I know what he was trying to do with the women in his books, but they are annoying. I own all the books and ..."

His women start off strong (Moiraine, Nynaeve and Egwene all leave home, unlike the rest of the village) but somewhere in the series, they just talk about dresses and sniff at each other. It made me want to kill Jordan because I love his world, the magic system he created, the plot.. and then he went and massacred any integrity his female Aes Sedai had. Ugh. However, it has been improving again since Sanderson took over.

Sneaking in a book before we get to Mistborn. It's either called NetTracker or NetWalker. Sigh. Now that I've admitted my title amnesia, I can make dumb posts like this :).

My biggest problem with Jordan was self-inflicted. I didn't pick up the series until book 10 came out so I read them all in order. He spent so long telling me what happened in past books that I got pissed off. That and introducing new characters that I don't care about. When I read reread them, I'm going to put space in between so the synopsis won't be so annoying.
I'm currently reading Black Trillium along with the Game of Thrones re-read with the Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Club here on Goodreads.

I have still not read the Jordan books, though I think about it every time.

Jennifer wrote: "I have still not read the Jordan books, though I think about it every time."

I have a genuine fondness for them. No, they're not the best but they are good entertainment and original. They meander and get way way too verbose about book 8 but in book 10, it starts to revert to a better series.

I finished "Lathe of Heaven" and starting "Ancestors of Avalon"

Jessie wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "I have still not read the Jordan books, though I think about it every time."

I have a genuine fondness for them. No, they're not the best but they are good entertainment and origi..."

I will have to check them out at some point.

Just finished "Con & Conjure," the latest in Lisa Shearin's Raine Benares series. I'll be posting a review next week.

I've also read "The Pirate Bride" by Ryan & Anna McKinley (young girl heroine; nice for younger readers); review later.

Hi, just joined the group. Had to post what I'm reading. Picked up a ton of books on sale from my Borders closing up the street. Started "The Phoenix Unchained" by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory. First book of the Enduring Flame Trilogy. Enjoying quite a bit. Love Mercedes Lackey.

I like Mercedes Lackey too, Tiffany. :)

Wow, we have some serious Lackey groupies here. I feel so at home :).

We should start a Lackey fan club :)

I suggest reading the Wheel of Time too. Great epic fantasy. :)

Speaking of great epic fantasy, I just finished A Game of Thrones for the first time and am getting started on A Clash of Kings. Can't wait!!

Let's not forget Marion Zimmer Bradley. After all, we wouldn't have Lackey without her. I knew there was something about this group that proved a good fit for me.

@Katie: I've read the Wheel of Time. Got up through like the first 5 and just couldn't keep going. I got frustrated with the change of character perspective through different books. I also think it could have been wrapped up in the first few books and started a spin off series. It was just too long and I got a bit frustrated with no wrap up. By about 8 I stopped buying them since I wasn't finishing them. Sad really. The first ones were really good. I think it just dragged on too much.

I couldn't get through the first book.

Katie wrote: "I suggest reading the Wheel of Time too. Great epic fantasy. :)

Speaking of great epic fantasy, I just finished A Game of Thrones for the first time and am getting started on A Clash of Kings. Can..."

I am almost done with the third book in the Song of Ice and Fire series. I LOVE it!

Any more upsetting episodes Jennifer? :)

@Tiffany

It's true, the middle books in WoT really drag. It's a shame, since the latest ones have pretty much returned to being exciting.

Hey, I'm new to the group and just thought I'd say what I've been reading lately. I just recently finished The Wise Mans fear, which I found brilliant, and an ARC of Fateful which is a YA paranormal romance.

Just wondering what this Song of Ice and Fire series is. I've read a lot about it on these boards, but I'm still not sure whether I should give them a read.

Song of Ice and Fire is the name of a series. It is high epic fantasy where you have five noble houses fighting to take control of the Iron Throne and be named High King or Queen. So far it is a series of 4 books with three more to come. They are big thick books but worth the read. The first is called Game of Thrones. HBO made it into a tv mini series.

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Any more upsetting episodes Jennifer? :)"

Not yet. I'm still bouncing with glee over the death of *whispers* you know who.

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "We should start a Lackey fan club :)"

Isn't that what this is :)?

I do love Bradley, too - especially Darkover. I'm currently squeezing in a book I *have* to read before we start Mistborn.

well we aren't specifically one author over another here. Just fans of fantasy with strong female characters.

I am excited about a new book coming out next month called The Chaos Crystal by Jennifer Fallon. I've been reading a lot of fantasy romances lately. I don't know if it's because I'm over 40 and married. But they are an interesting branch in the fantasy family tree.

Mur Lafferty just released the first book in a series she podcasted called "Heaven: The Afterlife Series Part 1." It was the first podcast novella I ever listened to, and I'm going to be reading that. It's got a strong female protagonist and it's urban fantasy so some of you might find it interesting.

I'm also trying to finish up The Last Pendragon by Sarah Woodbury.

I'm reading a duology by Maureen Johnson. The first is called 13 Little Blue Envelopes, and it was delightful. The second, The Last Little Blue Envelope is on the chopping block today, so I'll be free for Mistborn.

I didn't know there was a sequel to that. I loved 13 Little Blue Envelopes.

I'm starting Mistborn. So it's still April, sue me :).