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[JUL 2020] Old Man's Tale / Re: [JUL 2020] - Old Man's Tale - Voting Thread

« Last post by Kindly on Today at 05:18:18 PM »

Voted! I liked all entries, and thought the one I voted for was really quite outstanding.

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Fantasy Book & Author Discussion / Re: Sequels

« Last post by ScarletBea on Today at 01:39:16 PM »

I decided that I won't read book 2 when they come out (although I do buy them).
I read book 1 to decide if I like them enough to get the rest. Then buy book 2 but only read it once book 3 is out, and then read them together (potentially having to re-read book 1 to remember...)

At the moment the two series I've got in that situation are Peter Newman's and John Gwynne's latest. I think books 3 have just come out in hardcover, so I'll wait to next year for the paperbacks.
I'll also do the same with Robert Jackson Bennett's Founders trilogy: just read book 1, will buy 2 and wait then for 3...

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Fantasy Book & Author Discussion / Re: Goodreads/librarything friends Compare books 2020 top 5

« Last post by Magnus Hedén on Today at 09:21:43 AM »

I'm now really curious about how they calculate this - especially what a "to-read" counts as being similar to - because I apparently have an 80% similarity with @Lanko but when I look down our list of books, it's almost all to-read on one side or the other.

I get 87% similar with @Magnus Hedén though.

If it's a clever algorithm, it could be down to the big data of all ratings done on Goodreads. With that amount of data, you can actually predict quite well how similar two people are in their reading even if they haven't read a lot of the same books. So maybe Lanko has read a bunch of books that many other people have also rated high, and you have a lot of books in common with those people. That means it's likely you'll enjoy the same books.

Either that or it just compares the few books you did both rate, and the percentage is entirely based on that.

Probably the second. I see now that it does say "based on books you have both rated".

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Fantasy Book & Author Discussion / Re: Goodreads/librarything friends Compare books 2020 top 5

« Last post by eclipse on Today at 09:02:06 AM »

I thought cupiscent would have been higher  then 66%

I would like to see @cupiscent and @Peat  % Your tastes are **% similar for the books you both rated.
I think it be about 80% any more guesses?

Maybe I'm doing this wrong, but when I click on compare books with @eclipse in GR, I get "76% similar for the books you both rated"? For Peat, I get 78%. (Though with Peat, there are a few "blokey" fantasies that he rates a lot higher than I do - Lawrence and McLellan and whatnot.)

I'm now really curious about how they calculate this - especially what a "to-read" counts as being similar to - because I apparently have an 80% similarity with @Lanko but when I look down our list of books, it's almost all to-read on one side or the other.

I get 87% similar with @Magnus Hedén though.

Interesting that  our percentage differ, also I didn't realise you read a couple of "blokey" fantasy  whats the opposite of blokey fantasy?

The Throne of the  five winds?

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Fantasy Book & Author Discussion / Re: Things that annoy you in fantasy book blurbs

« Last post by Elfy on Today at 06:26:20 AM »

Something like 'The next GRR Martin' Yeah, thanks but no thanks.

I remembering reading a recommendation for The Expanse saying it was something like Game of Thrones in outer space and thinking huh? They are nothing alike. The only connection is that one half of James S. A Corey is Ty Franck who was Martin's assistant and the other half is Daniel Abraham a close personal friend and sounding board. I did like Martin's recommendation for the first book of that series where he described the author as having written something that read like an exciting rookie teaming up with a seasoned professional, which was amusing if you knew who James S.A Corey really was.

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Fantasy Book & Author Discussion / Re: How much value do you place on blurbs?

« Last post by cupiscent on Today at 05:18:06 AM »

I tend to ignore blurbs/recommendations from other authors when I'm choosing a book.
After I've already decided to read it, I will notice it, yes, but it's not a factor in my choice.

For me, it depends on who, and what they're saying. If it's an author talking about something that I think is strong in their work, it's going to carry more weight for me than some random praise. (So... Sanderson praising worldbuilding, or GGK noting that a book is lyrical and poignant.) And sometimes just the sheer quantity of big names who blurb a book catches my attention - like that many very busy people took time out of their lives to provide a quote for this book, it must be worth a second look. (I remember looking at Game of Thrones back in 1997 and running down the list of blurbs and thinking, "Who DIDN'T blurb this??")

Mostly, I use quote-blurbs as ways to get a view on broader elements of the book that don't summarise well in a description-blurb. Are the quotes talking about breakneck pacing and action-packed plots? ehhhh probably not my thing. Are they talking about characters, relationships and prose? Let's have a look!

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Fantasy Book & Author Discussion / Re: Goodreads/librarything friends Compare books 2020 top 5

« Last post by Bender on Today at 04:52:55 AM »

I would also like to see how much @Bender  and @isos81 have really got in common with their books. I would go for 40% guess.

think me and @isos81 have got a lot of common interests. But he uses LT, so hard to make a comparison.

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Fantasy Book & Author Discussion / Re: How much value do you place on blurbs?

« Last post by S. K. Inkslinger on Today at 04:28:18 AM »

A lot, if the blurb sounded like it's something different to my tastes I usually ended up not buying the book, no matter the recommendations I received. Who knows those recommenders might have different tastes than me.

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Fantasy Book & Author Discussion / Re: Things that annoy you in fantasy book blurbs

« Last post by S. K. Inkslinger on Today at 04:27:17 AM »

Something like 'The next GRR Martin' Yeah, thanks but no thanks.

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Fantasy Book & Author Discussion / Re: What are you currently reading?

« Last post by Bender on Today at 03:56:37 AM »

Now starting, Hero Forged (Ethereal Earth #1) by Josh Erikson

Hero Forged
- Josh Erikson

It's an urban fantasy like no other I've read.

Gabe a small time conman is used as a pawn in a bigger game and ends up with a evil god in his head, a succubus bound to him and the evil gods lover god hunting him. Add in various supernatural factions working to their own ends and we get a most interesting world (ironically set in Nebraska) to delve into. The story is fast, action packed and unravels smoothly both in the current action and macro plot, to ensure you keep the pages turning fast.

If you're thinking of Dresden or Iron Druid, don't. It's totally different.

If you are in mood for something new and different, highly recommended.

8/10