#my favorite author is Robin Hobb

[foldingfittedsheets]

I know there’s lists that float around or whatever but does anyone have good fantasy recommendations? I need something new, preferably queer, but mostly just something you’re passionate about. Pitch me your fav.

Easy to get into is a plus with school starting back up.

[purplepotatobread]

Sometimes when I'm crying over Realm of the Elderlings I remember that Robin Hobb lives 78 minutes from me and I am very tempted to go have a talk or a fight out back with this evil woman.

[spending-life-pretending]

Ok I’m gonna need some more people to read The Liveship Traders. This is insane. I know we all love the Gay Adventures Of Dumbass And Long-Suffering Soulmate but I need to talk about how good Liveship Traders is more

[roslynwrites]

you’re such an incredible writer, so i only imagine u read extensively too. i’ve noticed ur ao3 bookmarks are empty, but i’d love to get a list of your favorite titles whether it’s zutara, other fandom or traditionally published works.

I do indeed read a lot. The past few years I have read much less fanfic and have focused on original stuff, but I have actually been able to read a few fics in recent times because my brain didn't want to write, I did have a bit of Zutara burnout I think so no Zutara recs here (yet).

But if you, like me, enjoy some Dramione, then, for starters:

anything by phlox (Slowly Toward Desire is my favorite)

Amateur Cartography by worksofstone

A Darker Blue by skitter (legitimately cannot believe this fic didn't blow up, one of the best Dramione fics I've read and that fandom has a ton of good shit, so like. wow. skitter also has a Zutara! I have not yet read but it's on my list and I'm already sure I will love it)

Lights Out by Phoebe

I used to read every pairing under the sun in HP but as I said, haven't read as much fic lately, but two others are Blood & Gold (a Tomione, by the legendary ObsidianPen) and The Wilderness (Luna/Ginny) by speechwriter. If you try nothing else on this list, try The Wilderness. That fic is high art. It blew my entire goddamn mind, my god. I also highly recommend anything by PacificRimbaud (esp. the Paneville)

*cracks knuckles* now for some original stuff:

The Liveship Trilogy by Robin Hobb altered my brain chemistry

Scholomance Trilogy by Naomi Novik. I mean, okay, I worship Naomi generally, so I was shocked to discover it took me a while to get into these. Read the first, thought 'meh', came back to it again later, liked it better, second and third proceeded to BLOW me away

NK Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy. In case you want a nice dose of a darker twist on Earthbending and an exploration of prejudice.

Juniper & Thorne by Ava Reid for your Gothic horror needs

Lost Boy and Alice, both by Christina Henry. Dark fairy tale retellings, so you know I'm there. She does them so well.

The Burning series by Evan Winter. It has dragons and a dual-sword wielding badass, in case you need those itches scratched

If you want some good published romance (I tend to like fanfic for pure romance stories tbh so I'm usually pickier here) that has some fanfic vibes, I enjoyed Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

If you want dark Zutara vibes, my go-to rec and one of my favorite series is The Poppy War trilogy (I will never get over #rinezha)

I wouldn't say I adore The Legendborn Cycle series, but I still like it, you can tell the author has roots in the fan/fanfic scene I think, and again, I think it has some Zutara vibes. Tracy Deonn 100% had to have been inspired by Zuko for her character Sel, I'm convinced. And her take on the Arthurian legend is really unique and creative.

[seraphtrevs]

Since I’m a huge fan of your writing, I’m curious: who are some your favorite writers and what are some of your favorite books or short stories??

Oh man, I've done so much reading over my life that it's hard to narrow down. Like I'm for sure going to leave people out.

For fiction: some of my favorite authors are the Bronte sisters (slight preference for Charlotte - Jane Eyre was one of my first loves and hugely shaped me as a reader and a writer), Daphne du Maurier (favorite of her books - Rebecca), Sarah Waters (can't decide between Fingersmith and The Paying Guests), Angela Carter (The Bloody Chamber), Susanna Clarke (Jonathon Strange and Mr Norell), Toni Morrison (Beloved), Robin Hobb (the Farseer trilogy and Fitz's further adventures, but I've heard good things about the Liveship Trader books!), Terry Pratchett (the Tiffany Aching books are particular favorites), and Anne Rice (well, depending on the book tbh, she's not very consistent lol - the first three Vampire Chronicle books are my favs from her), with special shout-outs to Robin McKinley (Beauty), Avi (The True Confession of Charlotte Doyle), LM Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables), Frank L Baum (I have read every single Oz book - there are a ton of them!) and Madeleine L'Engle (A Wrinkle in Time), who were my favs when I was a kid (along with the Babysitter's Club book lol - but they're mostly ghostwritten so I'm not sure who to credit!)

Right now, I'm re-reading (for the millionth time) The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter, which is a collection of fairy tale retellings - but that feels like a really inadequate way to describe it. It's very visceral, primal, and poetic. My favorite story from the collection is "The Bloody Chamber," which is a Bluebeard retelling. Bluebeard is one of my favorite fairy tales, but it understandably doesn't get a lot of adaptation. (I'm very curious what Disney's Bluebeard would look like lmao)

I'm also listening to the audiobook of The Vampire Lestat, which is the reason that Anne Rice is on that list. She really lost me with her later books, but listening to TVL reminded me that actually, she can be very good! She really excels at evocative descriptions and conveying emotion - she's very shameless, in a good way. A woman who always writes with her entire pussy, whatever else you might say about her.

But I actually read more nonfiction than fiction. I'm a big fan of memoirs - not celebrity memoirs (although Jennette McCurdy's I'm Glad My Mom Died was probably my favorite book I've read this year), but memoirs that are more about someone grappling with the human experience - like, sometimes the author has been through something horrible and they've done a lot of mediation on what they've been through, or sometimes the author is just a very astute and entertaining observer of their own (and other people's) ridiculousness. Some of my favorites are Mary Karr, Caroline Knapp, David Sedaris, Cheryl Strayed, Jeanette Walls, Tara Westover, and Allie Brosh.

If I had to pick one to recommend - all of David Sedaris's books are extremely funny. He writes humorous personal essays, so I guess his books aren't really memoirs exactly (google says he's a humorist), but he usually writes about himself so I'm lumping him in this category lol. Me Talk Pretty One Day is a good place to start with his stuff - you will cry laughing.

I also love pop science and pop history - Mary Roach is a super approachable science writer with a quirky sense of humor. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers is so funny and candid - she asks every question you've ever had about dead bodies and then some. I also love Bill Bryson - another very accessible and funny writer - I really loved his A Short History of Nearly Everything, which covers exactly what it says. I ADORE Oliver Sacks - he was a neurologist who wrote so movingly about what it means to be human through the experiences of his patients - The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat reads more like a book of short stories, and I weep like a baby every time I read it (I actually started tearing up thinking of a few cases.) (Btw he's also written beautiful memoirs but I like his science writing best so I'm putting him here. Bill Bryson has written memoir too.) Carl Sagan is also approachable and humane - This Demon Haunted World is my favorite of his. Andrew Solomon's The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression is required reading for anyone who's dealt with mental illness, although it's difficult and painful at times (his Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity is also really good, but also difficult and painful - but worth it!)Diane Ackerman's A Natural History of the Senses has gorgeous prose and is a great book for artists and writers imo - it gets you thinking deeply about how we interact with the world.

For history, I am obsessed with this book called "The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow - it will completely upend everything you think you know about the history of homo sapians. Mike Duncan got his start podcasting - his series Revolutions is about major world revolutions and is essentially like listening to an audiobook, so it's not a surprise his books are pretty fun too. Sarah Vowell has some really fun books about quirky historical topics - her Assassination Vacation is great (she goes on a roadtrip to visit locations in America where famous assassinations took place).

And here are a few other miscellaneous non-fiction writers I enjoy - Sebastian Junger (just finished his In My Time of Dying about his near death experience - super thought-provoking - but it was A Perfect Storm that made me love him), Hunter S. Thompson (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), Jon Krakauer (Into the Wild), Jon Ronson (The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry)

This was a fun question to think about! I hadn't realized I had such a strong preference for female writers until I actually listed all my favs out, which is an interesting thing to know about myself, so thanks for asking!

[skywalking-through-life]

hope you're doing well 💗💗💗 would love to know your favorite books and the ones that have inspired you as a writer <3

Hello my darling! 💙 What a wonderful, wonderful ask, because there are SO many I could list off! All of my writing is always an amalgamation of every book, fic, movie, TV show, piece of music, article, and life experience I've ever had, but there are definitely some writers whose stories and/or writing styles have stuck with me more than others.

In general, I was very influenced by the fantasy, science fiction, and historical mysteries that I read when I was younger, and look back on all the things I read then with great fondness! Some of my favorites as a kid/teenager were: Susan Cooper (The Dark is Rising), Tamora Pierce (everything!), JRR Tolkien, JK Rowling (I know, I know - but I can't go back and unread them), Diana Wynne Jones (but I preferred Chrestomanci over Howl's Moving Castle), CS Lewis, Rick Riordan, Robin Hobb (The Blue Sword), Lloyd Alexander (Prydain), Ellis Peters (Cadfael), Lindsey Davis (The Silver Pigs), Candace Robb (The Nun's Tale), Timothy Zahn (Star Wars - Thrawn), Aaron Allston (Star Wars - X-Wings), Michael Stackpole (Star Wars - X-Wings)...I could go on for awhile here, lol. I read constantly as a kid, both things I should and things I shouldn't have been reading, so much so that there were weeks when I was reading a new book every day! I also loved myths and legends, so I read Le Mort d'Arthur, The Odyssey, Gilgamesh - all the usual suspects.

As I got older I mixed fiction with nonfiction and poetry, and started reading a lot of subject-specific academic material in undergrad and in my master's program after that. Quite a few writers from that time now influence me as well, building on the foundation of everything that came before: James Baldwin, bell hooks, Barbara Brown Taylor, Anne Lamott, Mary Oliver, Henri Nouwen, Kate Bowler, William Stafford, Howard Thurman, Audre Lorde, Wendell Barry, Rachel Held Evans, Thomas Merton, Nelson Mandela...there are also too many to name here, lol, and if you follow the common thread that unites all these folks, you'll probably learn a lot about how I see the world. And that, too, is something that always makes its way into my writing! 😅

I'm sort of inspired by everything, haha, but I've tried to give a pretty good list of authors, so that maybe they'll inspire you, too! 💙

[novelmonger]

Sorry, i know this is a bit random, but i recall you wrote ages ago that Carol Berg helped you get over disowning Robin Hobb as your favourite author (did i get that right?), and being familiar with both authors myself, I couldn't help but wonder what’s the story there? :) (just discard this if it's something very personal)

Ohhh, impressive memory! Yeah, I don't mind sharing, if you'll forgive me for being a little dramatic about the matter...and long-winded ^^'

(To be clear, the only Robin Hobb books I've read are the Farseer Trilogy, Fool's Errand, and The Golden Fool. The only Carol Berg books I've read so far are The Spirit Lens and The Soul Mirror.)

I was first introduced to Robin Hobb when my brother gave me the Farseer Trilogy when he went off to college, a year before I did the same. That was a very weird and stressful in-between sort of year, one where I really needed some other world to escape to, so I utterly devoured that trilogy.

Assassin's Apprentice, especially, really grabbed my imagination (and is the one book of hers I still have on my shelf). In many ways, it's the kind of story I hope to be able to write one day. It's high fantasy, with magic and kings and queens (and eventually dragons, but not in that particular book), but it feels very grounded. It doesn't brush aside some of the more sordid aspects of medieval life, while not making everything feel grungy and ugly like some grimdark stories I could name. There is ugliness, but there is also beauty - in realistic measures that makes the world feel like one that actually exists somewhere.

I also loved how deeply emotional Robin Hobb's writing was. I immediately felt like I was living under Fitz's skin, feeling things as he felt them. It's not rare for me to cry when reading a good book, but there were several scenes where it really struck me hard and I just sobbed my heart out. (I'm particularly thinking of the last scenes with Smithy and Nighteyes, as well as Fitz saying goodbye to Burrich in...I think that was the third book?) A lot of fantasy in general, and especially the books I'd been reading around that time, were much more plot-focused, so even when the worlds were cool and the plot was engaging, I wouldn't get hit with emotion that strongly. Robin Hobb really stood out in that regard, because while her stories have intricate plots, they're also intimately characterized. I don't think there was a single character in that series who felt flat.

Besides that, Fitz is a very sympathetic character, especially in the first book when he's just a kid who doesn't fully understand what's going on - and I've always had a thing for lonely little boys. And then there's his animal companions! Nosey! Smithy! Nighteyes! (Oh my word, Nighteyes alk;djfsdlkjf) And I also really liked a lot of the human secondary characters, especially Burrich, Kettricken, and Verity.

But more than anyone else, my favorite character, at least from the second book onward, was the Fool. He was so kooky and weird, so mysterious, so multi-faceted. One minute he seems almost half-witted, the next he rattles off something truly wise. And certainly by the end of the Farseer Trilogy, I adored the way his relationship was unfolding with Fitz. It seemed like everything I've always wanted and so rarely seem to find: two men who trust each other with their lives, who would die for each other, who aren't afraid of telling each other that they love each other, without even a question of romance.

Well. If you've read the Tawny Man trilogy, you might be able to guess some of where this is going.

I think my main problem was identifying too closely with the writing. I didn't just say, "Robin Hobb is my favorite author!" or "Robin Hobb is my writing role model!" It was like...because I recognized multiple very important things in her writing that I also wanted to achieve in my own writing, I went beyond simply trying to learn from a master and skipping ahead to assuming that she would craft her stories the same way I would in ten, twenty, thirty years. Like the only difference between us was time and experience, like we had the same values and the same ideas about characters and stories.

(To draw a contrast, I would now say that my primary writing role model is Brandon Sanderson. I really admire his worldbuilding and the way he crafts compelling plots and interesting magic systems but also does really well with making characters interesting and realistic, so I can enjoy a breathtaking plot and also sob my heart out in the emotional scenes. And I also really like the way he writes romances. But while I know there's lots I can learn from him, we write very different stories. I don't really have any aspirations to write epic fantasy with huge, sprawling casts and intricate magic systems. I'm much more interested in smaller, standalone stories that focus on just a few characters who might not even be saving the world. So it's much easier to read his books and go, "Wow, that was awesome! I have so much to learn from him! But I would never have written XYZ that way.")

Looking back, I can see a lot of red flags that should have jolted me out of this weird way I was reading Robin Hobb, things that should have clued me in much earlier that it wasn't just that Robin Hobb is a much better writer with ages more experience than me, it's also that we have very different ideas of how to handle a story and its characters. If I'd noticed sooner, maybe I would have been able to just enjoy her books for what they are instead of imagining that they were something else and then getting sucker-punched when I couldn't deny the truth any longer.

One indicator was Robin Hobb's stance on fanfiction. She took her rant down from her website, so I suppose it could be that her opinion of fanfiction has changed, but she's still on the forbidden list on FFNet, for whatever that's worth. Anyway, my point is simply that anyone who ever felt that strongly against fanfiction is clearly not someone who sees eye to eye with me on everything XD

Another interesting point is how, now that I've put several years between me and these books, I see how kind of...excessive Robin Hobb could be with all the horrible things that happen to her protagonist? Don't get me wrong, I love angst and whump probably more than I should, and it made for some really dramatic and nail-biting plots because it was clear that she wouldn't balk at going so far as to permanently maim Fitz if she thought the story called for it. Worse than that, she kept on tearing away everyone he loved in one way or another. There is so much pain and darkness in these books, and Fitz always seems to come out the worse for it, despite all of his efforts. If I'd been writing the stories, I would have given him a bit more of a break here and there ^^'

More to the point, though, is the way Robin Hobb handles romance. I knew from the second book (when Fitz is actually old enough to have romantic entanglements) that I did not care for her romances whatsoever. I don't think there was a single romance in any of the books I read of hers that I whole-heartedly liked without any reservations. (Kettricken and Verity came closest, but we hardly even see them together, and then there's that whole thing with Fitz....) Content-wise, they're not the most graphic scenes I've flipped past read, but the way Fitz never fails to make the absolute worst choices when it comes to romance, and the way he never fully commits to any of his romantic partners...like, I get it (at least sometimes), but I don't respect it.

Normally, I wouldn't keep going with an author who puts so much sexual content into her stories, even if it's not usually described in much detail. I would have gotten fed up with Fitz's dumb romances...but I really liked everything else about the books, so I persevered. Even if Robin Hobb's romances were crap, at least she was doing a really good job at making me care about all the other relationships. At least she was doing something I'd so rarely seen, with Fitz and the Fool's close friendship. There was no drama there. No dumb misunderstandings or stupid choices.

Until there was.

When I got to a certain scene in The Golden Fool, where rumors abound about the Fool's sexuality and Fitz finally confronts him (for the second time) and is like, "There's nothing romantic going on between us, right???" I was crushed by the Fool's response. I was waiting for another scene kind of like the one in...Assassin's Quest, I think it was, where he asks a similar question and the Fool's answer is basically, "Why does it matter? I love you, that's all." Instead of that, the Fool's response leads Fitz to understand that the Fool is in love with him (I don't have the book anymore, but I seem to remember the line going something like, "I love you in every way possible."), and he handles it as well as Fitz ever does, which is to say, terribly.

That was the moment where everything came crashing down. I don't know, maybe no one will really understand why that was such a big deal to me, but it was like all of a sudden I couldn't fool myself anymore, and I saw that Robin Hobb was taking the relationship in a direction I never wanted it to go. I wanted it to be the one uncomplicated relationship Fitz still had. I wanted it to go without saying that they loved each other, but not romantically. In that moment, I realized I didn't care what the answer to the mysterious things about the Fool's identity was. I didn't care if the resolution of it all ended up being that the Fool was a woman after all, or that he's some kind of androgynous or hermaphrodite creature, or that he ended up being a dragon or a fairy or anything else. I didn't care what the answer was, because I didn't want them to ask the question in the first place.

It was the weirdest feeling. Like...usually, if I make it past a certain point in a book, nothing short of a graphic sex scene or something truly horrible will make me stop reading it, even if I'm bored and don't care anymore. I usually at least want to see how things end. But when I got to that scene of this series I was deeply invested in, that had made me cry and smile so many times...all of a sudden, I didn't care at all. I didn't care if everybody died horrible deaths. Because the magic was shattered, and suddenly I was looking at letters printed on a page that I didn't much care for, rather than a vibrant world passing before my eyes.

So I kept Assassin's Apprentice, because I still think Robin Hobb is an excellent writer, and that's the one book in the series that doesn't have any romance for Fitz to screw up. But I sold all the other books, and have never felt even the slightest urge to read any more of her writing.

At long last, this is the part where Carol Berg comes in! I don't remember how long it had been since I disowned Robin Hobb as my favorite fantasy author, but at one point I picked up The Spirit Lens. I don't know if you'll agree with me or not, but I noticed a lot of similarities to Robin Hobb's stories. The way Portier hides in plain sight but is the one who really gets things done in the kingdom. The way the fantasy is magical and interesting, but still very grounded, paying attention to things like the workings of the court and such. The exquisitely horrible torture Portier suffers.

But most of all, my favorite character, Ilario de Sylvae! 8D The second he came on the page, I sat up straight, feeling like I'd just heard a familiar voice. Not necessarily because of his actual voice, but his character is so reminiscent of the Fool! Pretending to be a foppish rich boy who faints on couches at the sight of blood, only to reveal he's actually very serious, very skilled, and has a heart of gold. He comes through for his friends in the nick of time. He cares deeply for Portier, especially, but there's not a hint of romance between them. (At least, not in the two books I've read. I picked up on what might be some hints as to his sexuality, or at least the hints of questions, so if that becomes a thing in the third book, I guess I'm wrong about this. But so far I don't see any of that between him and Portier.)

So it's really interesting, because I was so enamored with Robin Hobb's stories, just blown away by the sheer emotion, but while I've enjoyed Carol Berg so far, I wouldn't say she's in my top five or anything. I think she's an excellent author and I really do love her characters, but I don't think they've made me cry so far. And yet, reading The Spirit Lens kind of healed the wound left by The Golden Fool. I'm not expecting Carol Berg to write the story exactly the way I would - in fact, I don't think I would ever get to the point of writing that particular story! - but that frees me to just enjoy a good story well told. And I can see echoes of Fitz and the Fool in Portier and Ilario, without any of the qualities that aggravated me so much. Like I can finally get the resolution I didn't realize I still needed.

Anyway, that's my story! Hopefully I didn't bore you to tears! I'd love to hear your thoughts on the two authors.

[froglatte]

Nine people I'd like to get to know better:

@sanjisflatass hello hi!! thank you for tagging me!!! 💕💕💕

Last song: Snow Angel by Reneé Rapp

Fave color: Pink or green

Currently watching: All of my shows just finished actually 😭 But I was watching Dungeon Meshi and Bridgerton until their seasons wrapped up this week.

Spicy/Savory/Sweet: savory or sweet :) i cannot do spicy.

Relationship Status: Single

Current Obsession: The Realm of the Elderlings series!! I'm on the third trilogy of the series rn, I absolutely tore through the first two books this week and I'm starting the third tonight. Robin Hobb has quickly become one of my favorite authors.

Tagging: @half-of-the-story @oftheblue @arataka-reigen @narwhalsarefalling @thatmaritime @morningsaidthemoon @interactiveglobe @icarusalchemist @callilemon

(no pressure!)

[misspickman]

book asks: 4, 9, 11?

4. Did you discover any new authors that you love this year? technically i read my first ursula k le guin last year but i read a lot more of her this year and they were all hits. ive also been really enjoying robin hobb and nghi vo's novellas

9. Did you get into any new genres? ive read a lot of sci fi! compared to what i usually engage with at least. i never would have described myself as a sci fi guy before but i think this year got me there

11. What was your favorite book that has been out for a while, but you just now read? tehanu and the lathe of heaven, assassin's apprentice and fool's errand are up there too

[gideonthefirst]

14, 4 and 20 for the year asks?

hi lindsay :]

14. Favorite book you read this year?

Another book I read and loved and had a big impact this year was Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb. I definitely read better books this year but none of the better books made me emotionally commit to reading a 16-book fantasy series of mostly-900-page books. The pacing is strange the protagonist is an idiot and obsessed with having unprotected sex and yet. It compels me. The character work is stunning -- the author really takes advantage of how long the books are -- and the like last hundred or so pages are some of my favorite stuff in anything ever and that same thing continues into the beginning of the next book which is not as good but is! crazy. I'm also just generally obsessed with Ms. Hobb's understanding of pain as a writer. It really shapes her characters' lives in a way that is believable and compelling to me as someone who is in pain 100% of the time and people are scared of it and use it as a weapon and it has longterm consequences and shapes how people are and is overall just really smart. Yippee.

4. Movie of the year?

Why would you do this to me. I hate moviOH. Well this is sort of cheating bc I saw like four movies total this year but this was the year of I Saw The TV Glow :] gorgeous film some of the most fun I've ever had talking movies with friends made me feel Sick to watch and think about. Loved it.

20. What’s something you learned this year?

Not like a specific fact but I learned a lot about the history of US intervention in Afghanistan over the past several decades which I should certainly have already known but at least do now

[theclearblue]

Oh, you love reading books, too? Can I ask your top 5 favorite (fictional) books ever?

And if you love books, you have to watch/read anime/manga Bungou Stray Dogs. Because most of the characters'names are authors real names! Also, BSD have several light novels...Hope you'll love them, Chen....

Yaaa I got back into reading recently! I worked at a bookstore for a long time years ago but then I fell out of reading until roughly 2-3 months ago but we're so back ashskdgl

Hmm top 5 off the top of my head (in no order as always)

1. Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb - 2nd book in the first trilogy of The Realm of the Elderlings series and I just reread it, and I know there's even better to come after but I do love Hobb's character work. Takes everything from the first book and makes it better (well, the romance in this book is a lil drawn out lol but it's my only complaint) and the ending just crushes you fr. I love my bisexual disaster Fitzchivalry Farseer <3

2. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch - Heist book with great found family, and with some really exceptional humor and worldbuilding. It's not often I laugh out loud at books but this book consistently has me laughing the jokes in it I still think about sometimes lol. But amongst the humor it has a really big bang of an ending that's quite heavy that shook me to my core lmao it's amazing I 100% reccomend!

3. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - Yeah I know the basic adult fantasy pick but there's a reason people are screaming crying throwing up over the fact it's been-oh my god it's been nearly 14 years since the last one. The characters are great, the world is interesting, but the prose and how Rothfuss is able to write about music was really what hits home and makes it a favorite. Love this book fr fr

4. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K Le Guin- Do you ever wish the Harry Potter books were well written and interesting and not written by a shitty person? This is the book for you! This is a very classic fantasy, with wizards and dragons and magic school, it's a very classic story that's just well done. I would recommend really anything by Le Guin.

5. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien - You already know why this is on here, it's Lord of the Rings lol

Honorable mentions: The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang, Discworld series by Terry Pratchett (Wyrd Sisters almost made it on but I gotta read more of the series lol), Kindred by Octavia Butler, Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson, Uprooted by Naomi Novik, Circe by Madeline Miller, Darker Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Hamlet, The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan (my childhood nostalgia series lol)

[fionacreates]

3, 11, 14 for the book asks?

3. What were your top five books of the year?

(gonna lump some series together)

"Darius the Great is not OK" and the sequel "Darius the Great Deserves Better" by Adib Hhorram - maybe it was just the vibe I needed at the time, but they were lovely coming of age books.

The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb (reread) It's been actual YEARS since I read these and I still cite them as a favourite series. It was amazing how much I forgot. Still a good read. Even if I want to throttle the teenage protag at times!

The Martian by Andy Weir. I picked the audiobook up on a whim because it was available and I needed something to listen to. Best whim I've had this year! I don't know what I expected from the book, (I haven't seen the film) but it was a blast from start to finish. Again, the narration by Wil Wheaton didn't hurt!

Jade City by Fonda Lee. I've only had a chance to read the first of the trilogy, and it was setting up for some grand things. It's been a while since I looked around the fantasy genre for a good series to sink my teeth into and there's been so much published since I last went looking. Can't wait to get to the next two.

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland. Fantasy queer romance. Does what it says on the tin. The right amount of trope and emotion and vibe. I've read a few fantasy romances this year and I was expecting something melodramatic and cliche but fun, and it delivered way above what I expected! I know the author is publishing again next year and I can't wait. I think it's pirates next time.

Honourable Mentions

Lessons in Chemisty - Bonny Garmus

The Goblin Emperor - Katherine Addison/Sarah Monette

11. What was your favorite book that has been out for a while, but you just now read?

The Odssey - Homer (I know QUITE A WHILE Huh?)

I listened to an audiobook narrated by George Blagden, this has been a book I've tried to read for a while as I am ofc very aware of the cultural impact, but I just couldn't get into reading it. Considering the Odyssey comes from Oral Tradition it is so much better when read to you. George Blagden's voice doesn't hurt either :P

14. What books do you want to finish before the year is over?

I'm rereading Jane Austen's Emma for the first time since I read it the first time, and I'm trying to go slowly and really enjoy the language, not zoom through for "OMG WHAT HAPPENS NEXT". I'm now getting to enjoy the slower chapters and all the bonus gossip and vibes.

I'm also in the middle of Victoria Goddard's Hands of the Emperor which has been a good read so far, protags who aren't -20 are rare and I love it.

Yes I ADHD read multiple books at once.

Folks, send more book asks!! - The List is Here

[baejax-the-great]

32 and 34 for the bookworm ask!!!!!

32. Name your favorite author(s).

My favorite books of the past couple years were written by Martha Wells, Robin Hobb, and Ann Leckie. Toni Morrison, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Terry Pratchett have been more historical loves of mine.

34. Favorite book narration voice actor(s).

Kevin R. Free, who does the Murderbot series, is fantastic. I highly recommend it. Adjoa Andoh in the Ancillary series is also really good. With both of these series, I do wonder how much of my enjoyment came from the performance of the VA's vs the writing.

I also really enjoyed Mary Robinette Kowal's reading of "A House with Good Bones" by T Kingfisher. The book itself isn't really my thing--it might be the only horror novel I've ever read--but I did enjoy it and she gave the narrator a really strong voice.

[bloodinwine]

💚

💚 Green: Do you ever feel inspired by and/or jealous of other people's writing?

GREEN FOR ENVY. Oooooooooooooo. Lol.

Definitely big yes to being inspired. Some of my favorite authors include: Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss, Scott Lynch, Mark Lawrence, Robin Hobb, Brent Weeks, Pierce Brown...goodness I know there are so much more I could add here. Usually when reading such works, I just feel a very strong urge to dive into my own little universe and write. It's very cool. As for jealousy, I don't think I ever felt jealous specifically about any single author or their writing. Though when I first entered fandom last year in October and came in feeling fragile/sensitive still about my fraught relationship with writing, a lot of those old insecurities kind of came up when I did a little overthinking about the uhh....statistics/numbers. Like I would play the comparison game and wonder if having low numbers vs. someone else with higher numbers was somehow a reflection of the quality of my work/writing. I played that game for like maybe a few weeks and then realized what utter and complete garbage that was.

It was also the biggest waste of energy and time and fed straight into those negative feelings I would have in the past that would make me give up writing all over again. But I appreciate this question and am happy to answer it, because I do think some people can relate to feeling this way and it sucks when you do. I really very much empathize if you are reading this and you are that person. (You are loved, I love you, don't stop what you're doing!)

Thank you for the ask! <3

[e-b-reads]

20 books challenge

Tagged by @theinquisitxor to post which books I would keep if I could only keep 20. Normally it would be tricky to choose only 20, but with the additional rules of no repeated authors or multiple books per series, I kept stalling at around 13! Here's my final answer (for today).

Let's see, I'm going to tag @agardenandlibrary, @wearethekat and @dracereads with the caveat that I'm not sure how many books you all actually have on hand! ebooks/audiobooks count as well, no picture required. Anyone else who wants to do this, consider this a tag, and show me your choices!

(list of books below the cut)

I decided to include Harper Collins titles but with a strikethrough, just to show the variety of books that fall under their imprints. Top to bottom, books are:

The Lost Prince, Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Picts and the Martyrs, Arthur Ransome

Gaudy Night, Dorothy Sayers

Good Omens, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Feet of Clay, Terry Pratchett (OK, I cheated a little on the repeated author rule)

Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Birds

The Midnight Folk, John Masefield

Poetry 180, Billy Collins

I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith

Prodigal Summer, Barbara Kingsolver (would probably actually choose a diff Kingsolver book as the one-and-only, but a friend has it right now)

The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Volume II, Arthur Conan Doyle

Death and Hard Cider, Barbara Hambly

About the B'nai Bagels, E. L. Konigsburg

Tinkerbelle, Robert Manry

Grave Mistake, Ngaio Marsh (this particular volume has 3 of her books, but if forced to choose I'd go with the listed title)

Sailor Jack and the Target Ship, Selma and Jack Wasserman (a sentimental keep: a preschool favorite)

Dragonhaven, Robin McKinley

The Merlin Conspiracy, Diana Wynne Jones

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, C. S. Lewis

The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson

[gwenllian-in-the-abbey]

tag the people you want to get to know better

Tag people you want to get to know better!

Thanks for the tag @theothermaidoftarth

Last song I listened to: Marquee Moon, by Television

Currently watching: I just finished Breeders, which was very funny.

Currently reading: Shadow Baron, by Davinia Evans. This is an ARC of the second book in the The Burnished City series. Book 1, Notorious Sorcerer, was one of my favorite reads last year and this one is promising so far!

Current Obsessions: Realm of the Elderlings (a fantasy series by Robin Hobb) as always, specifically mine and @alloysius-g's modern AU which is the stupidest thing ever but I love it so much; my ASOIAF brainrot returned and I'm especially obsessed with the project I'm working on with @aifsaath, Our Fathers Clad in Red ; also obsessed with trying to rewrite the last bit of my own novel and revising it for what is I swear the final time and NOT letting myself start a new WIP until that is done; and with slowly re-reading all the books from one of all time favorite authors, Sharon K. Penman. No pressure tags (if you haven't done this one yet): @tragediegh, @emilykaldwen @whatevsbla @yevrosima-the-third @uniqueobjectcollective