Reader Introduction Thread

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Reader Introduction Thread

1LShelby
Editado: Dez 4, 2013, 9:27 am

I started an author introduction thread, and then I thought... so why should the authors get all the glory?

So here is a reader introduction thread for people who are not authors to briefly describe yourself and tell everyone what sorts of things you enjoy reading.

And I guess, since authors are also readers (usually), people who are authors can post here too if they don't duplicate anything that they have posted in the author introduction thread. Consider it a writing challenge. :)

2Esta1923
Editado: Dez 4, 2013, 12:53 am

Thank you for the opportunity to say I have been an avid reader since childhood. Now approaching my 91st birthday I can list speaking regularly to books groups, hosting a radio program, and being active here on LibraryThing. (As I have said to several authors on Hobnob: check my posted reviews to see if I am the reviewer for your book). All books are not equal (nor are all readers/reviewers) but the right combination enhances the chance to put books into the hands of appreciative readers which is what a reviewer does.

3zjakkelien
Editado: Dez 3, 2013, 1:35 pm

HI everyone! I'm a physicist, working at a research institute and I live in the Netherlands. I had to read English books in high school, and I was fortunate that we were allowed to choose non-literature books. Not in the last year, perhaps, but before that, we could read non-literature novels, as long as they were not for children. This showed me that reading in English was not that complicated, and was rather enjoyable. Combined with the prices of Dutch and English books (English books are significantly cheaper), that lead me to reading English books outside of school as well. Nowadays I hardly read Dutch books anymore. A good thing, since not all the books I read have been translated. I've been told by friends that there are quite some translation issues sometimes: names changing from book to book in a series, series only being partially translated, and so on.

I read mostly fantasy. I enjoy epic fantasy if it is well written, and I don't mind urban fantasy either, but not the kick-ass type. Meaning the sassy heroine type, and I don't like urbans with an overload of magical elements either (e.g. Jim Butcher). Recently, I've been reading a bit more SF than usual, and I'm enjoying that as well. Most important for me are the characters. If I hate the characters, the rest can be the best in the world, and I still won't enjoy the book. After that come plot and then world. I can enjoy both dramatic and suspenseful writing (Guy Gavriel Kay for instance), but I also really like a more distant approach (John Wyndham).

4reading_fox
Dez 4, 2013, 6:24 am

ooh I like that Esta. I'm going to steal the phrase and add it to my profile. I've been reviewing everything I read since about 2008 or so.

I'm a reader. Its what I do, if there are words in front of me, or in my eyeline anywhere the odds are pretty high that I'll read them. Anything. But of preference I'm a genre fiction reader - science fiction, fantasy, crime thrillers and adventure mostly. I like full worked out worlds; consistent and thought through backstories; explanations and details; I like moral ambiguity and balancing on the lines between right, evil, necessity, ability, honour, society, trust and a sense of adventure in whatever I'm reading.

The world would be a better place with more dragons in it.

5oldstick
Dez 4, 2013, 7:07 am

Hopped into the reader thread to find some more authors to follow. I thought I was doing the right thing when I picked up Hilary Mantel's book "Bring up the Bodies." Here was a winner of the Booker prize 2012. I tried, I really did - but it read like a history book and after 70 pages I had had enough.
For someone who likes a story to rattle along, and prefers Koontz and King this was just too hard to get into.
I don't know about dragons in books - but 'Merlin' with the dragon is miles better than 'Atlantis.' (UK TV reference)

6LShelby
Dez 4, 2013, 1:22 pm

>5 oldstick: "I don't know about dragons in books - but 'Merlin' with the dragon is miles better than 'Atlantis.' "

Clearly that proves it. The world is better if it has dragons. :)

Hi! I'm a Canadian living in the USA, and the mother of six. I have many hobbies and interests, one of which is reading -- but I don't do it as much as when I was younger. Not that I'm unwilling to try new things, just that I have less opportunity to pick up books, and I frequently don't finish them when I do.

I think the books I like best are ones that take me somewhere fun and preferably new, and provide me with characters I can enjoy being in the company of. I like fantasy and science fiction (I adore well thought out worldbuilding), but I also read mysteries, romance, historical fiction... I'll give pretty much any genre a try except horror and erotica. I read non-fiction, too.

But I will quit reading if I'm not enjoying myself. Things I find enjoyable are: adventure, wit, healthy relationships, mysteries/puzzles, cleverness, humour, people achieving worthy goals with great effort (and other forms of heroism), and I'm generally in favor of awesomeness, as long as it doesn't get in the way of logic, common sense, or the forward momentum of the plot. If it's fiction, I do insist on there being a plot. And it has to keep moving forward, and not just stop and stagnate.

Things I don't find enjoyable: The author trying to control my emotions. Stupid protagonists. Stupid worldbuilding. Being treated as incapable of figuring out anything on my own. Too much description. Watching people copulate. Watching people angst. Watching people be evil... or even just venial. Watching people suffer for the sake of watching them suffer. All other forms of wallowing in the bad stuff that happens because this is somehow supposed to make the reader feel better when bad stuff happens to them -- that doesn't work for me.

And to the authors out there: I never respond to the free books for reviews postings, because I don't like writing reviews. So don't take it personally. I am, however, trying to compile a list of stories by Hobnob participants, that have been posted somewhere for free download as a longterm thing... as a writing sample or whatever. So if you have a free story available, let me know in this thread.


7zjakkelien
Dez 4, 2013, 2:34 pm

6: The author trying to control my emotions.
What do you mean by that, LShelby? How does the author try to control the reader's emotions?

8Jarandel
Dez 4, 2013, 3:32 pm

I live in western France, while French is my native language I was also a fairly early fluent reader in English and Spanish as well.

I'm a lover of speculative fiction, magical realism, tales/myths/legends/epics from their original forms (or as close as I can get given considerations of language and the like) all the way to modern reinventions and retellings. Some historical fiction/non-fiction and mysteries too, though not as many as I used to.

Wasn't much of a reader of e-books until last summer when I got my Nexus 7 2nd Gen. Haven't bought much for it yet, but it's been great for new-to-me author samples and unowned classics and older texts that I intended to read someday but seldom managed to haul out of the library because "shinier" books already brought me to max allowed borrowed documents (or to the fraction of my own body weight I was ready to backpack back to my car when not particularly close by), the extra steps to request them out of storage, etc...

9LShelby
Editado: Dez 4, 2013, 4:48 pm

>7 zjakkelien: Some authors have a very active desire to make the reader feel about the situations they write about in a particular way. Orson Scott Card and Mary Gentle jump immediately to mind. They deliberately use all the tools in their writer's toolkit to achieve that particular result: Plot and situation, character backstory, characterization, description, figures of speech, foreshadowing, typing, paralleling... everything aimed at invoking that particular emotion. Most good writers do this at least a little, but some do it much more deliberately and to a much greater degree than others.

(This post was edited to cut it short, because I have a lot to say on this topic, but I probably shouldn't be saying it in this thread. I'll start a different one.)

10SamKates
Dez 28, 2013, 8:34 am

I'm from the UK, in my late forties and am new to Librarything. I have been reading books since I learned to read, so for well in excess of forty years. My tastes don't tend towards romance or erotica or poetry, but I'll try pretty much anything.

I imported my list of books from Goodreads to LibraryThing. For a reason I can't begin to guess at, some of the editions shown on LT are in languages other than English. Sadly, I can't read (or write or speak) any language other than English, but it makes me smile to see books in Spanish or French or whatever in my library.

11zjakkelien
Dez 28, 2013, 11:24 am

Welcome, SamKates, I hope you like it here!

12SamKates
Dez 28, 2013, 2:10 pm

Thank you, zjakkelien! Like any new networking site (at least for me), it'll take time to get a feel for the place, but I like it so far.

13dovelynnwriter
Dez 28, 2013, 6:40 pm

Welcome, Sam!

For a reason I can't begin to guess at, some of the editions shown on LT are in languages other than English.

At a guess, it's because the ISBNs associated with the editions you've got listed on GoodReads are ISBNs for edition in another language, so when you imported your GoodReads catalogue to LT it imported the non-English details.

If I search for "Stephen King" on GoodReads (because I want to add a bunch of them quickly), I'll end up with a whole slew of book titles. Most of those titles are English, but some aren't. Notably, the editions listed for Cujo and Christine are, respectively, Spanish and French, the same language as listed in your LT library. If you added your books directly from the search page and you didn't search by ISBN, that's likely why they were imported in a non-English language. Otherwise... I'm afraid I have no clue. I hope that helps you understand what happened, though! ^_^

14SamKates
Dez 28, 2013, 7:44 pm

Thanks, lynn (from Connacht?). What you say makes sense, though I had no idea I was choosing a non-English version on GoodReads. No matter- as I said, it makes me smile when I see them.

Thanks for the help.

15dovelynnwriter
Dez 31, 2013, 8:55 am

Welcome. ^-^ I only noticed these editions because I was actively looking for which ones came up in a search.

16authorjanebnight
Jan 1, 2014, 8:15 am

Any idea why English books are cheaper then Dutch? Are there not a lot of dutch publishers?

17zjakkelien
Jan 2, 2014, 8:14 am

16: I suspect it is because the Dutch market is smaller, there being a lot less dutch speakers than there are English speakers. Also (and I'm not a 100 % sure about this), I believe that the price of books is raised to create funds for the support of new authors. I'm not sure if this accounts for everything, but the fact is, I recentely bought the ebook of The dirty streets of heaven and the price of the Dutch version was €14.99, the price of the english version was €5.92.

18dovelynnwriter
Jan 4, 2014, 12:15 pm

#16/17 I suspect that zjakkelien is right. The price of Dutch print books is likely higher than that of English books because the market is a lot smaller.

Think of it like, I don't know, a bit like dividing cake. The amount of cake someone gets depends on the amount of people you're dividing it over. Fewer people means that everyone gets more cake per person. Likewise, fewer books printed means more costs get heaped onto them, so they need to be more expensive just to recoup the investment, never mind turn a profit.

None of which explains the massive price difference zjakkelien describes for ebooks, though.

19zjakkelien
Jan 4, 2014, 1:03 pm

18: Well, the same argument goes for ebooks I suppose, but with less overall costs (print, distribution, and so on). Still, it's a large difference...

20dovelynnwriter
Jan 4, 2014, 5:48 pm

It does (despite traditional publishers' best efforts to charge along similar lines), but that doesn't explain the price for the Dutch book being pretty much three times higher than for the English one. I don't know how translation for books works (anywhere), but publishers would have to buy foreign (in this case Dutch) rights and then pay a translator to translate the book. Perhaps that's why the price is so much higher.

21Shaika-Dzari
Fev 16, 2014, 10:32 am

Hello everyone,

Let me introduce myself. I'm a 33 years old men from Canada (Quebec)
I'm a avid scifi / fantasy / horror reader with a huge respect for author. I'm working as an application developer (web, cloud stuff and big data technologies).
I joined this group after reading the FAQ on member giveaway hoping to exchange a little with other reader and author.

Last January, I started a big project, something I was hoping to do since a long time: to write a novel.
I'm a little under 8000 words now and try to write each day. That may sound funny, but 8000 words is longest thing I ever written and I am already proud of myself.
If I'm following my plan. I should get 50 000 words, at least I hope so.

See ya!

22LShelby
Fev 16, 2014, 4:00 pm

The trick to writing a book is to start, and then to not stop until its done. So it sounds like you're doing it right to me! :)

23dovelynnwriter
Mar 11, 2014, 6:36 pm

Nice to meet you! What sff/horror do you enjoy reading? Just anything or are there particular subgenres you're drawn to?

Like LShelby said, sounds like you're doing it right with writing on your novel. ^_^ I hope you're enjoying yourself!

24Shaika-Dzari
Abr 6, 2014, 8:02 pm

lynnoconnacht, LShelby : sorry to have missed your kind response! I was so busy (work) and forgot to flag this topic as Favorite.

#23
I really like books where the author explores the border between human and technologies (like cyberpunk stuff).
This is a topic I'm also trying to have in my own book ( 13,000 words now :) ! )

25AnnaWalls
Dez 10, 2014, 9:38 pm

So I've been here for like half an hour now, most of that time setting up something of a profile. I have yet to see anywhere where I can distinguish myself as an author. If that is not an issue here, that's cool. Just wondering how I can list the books I've read vs the books I've written.

26LShelby
Dez 10, 2014, 10:42 pm

Hi, AnnaWalls! Welcome to Library Thing.

Typically one catalogs the books one owns, and one tends to own copies of one's own books, so your books would just be a part of your library catalog as would any other books.

If you want to separate them out in some way within your own catalog, you can either use tags or collections to do so.

(Personally I put the books I have written in the default Wishlist collection, because I use the list feature for my actual wishlist, and so that collection was unused, and the pretty purplish checkmarks that it shows were going to waste. I could have created a new custom collection with a more appropriate name, but then my books would have shown up with grey checkmarks instead, and I liked purple better.)

Also, as soon as any book by you is listed on LT, an author page will be created for the author of that book (you!) and you can go to that author page and click on the link in the top right corner in order to let LT know that you the LT user and you the author are in fact the same person.

Whether or not you place the books you've written in your catalog, as long as someone somewhere on LT has listed them, they will show up on your author page.

I hope this explanation helps you.

27Aly3636
Jan 6, 2015, 1:05 pm

Hi everyone,

My name is Alysia and I live in the USA. I have 4 dogs and 1 cat. I have no children and I work full-time but in my free time I love to read. I read almost everything and try to write reviews on everything I read as well. My favorites would have to be horror, supernatural, fantasy, and YA. But any book that keeps me engaged is a great book for me. I have a niece that loves to read and is thinking about becoming a writer some day. I try to share books with her when I can, she reads so fast I want to make sure she can read before I give them to her in case the are too adult for her. I'm new to the Library Thing website but so far I really like. I can't wait to get started reading all these wonderful books. I got a Kindle a few years ago because my husband was tired of building more books shelves for all of my books. lol :) Nice to meet you all. Happy New Year!!

28GaryBabb
Jan 6, 2015, 2:28 pm

Welcome, Aly3636

Please join the discussions.

29eLPy
Jan 6, 2015, 11:53 pm

Welcome & Happy New Year Alysia! I agree with Gary. As a writer, and I'm sure others would agree, I'd be interested to hear your input and what keeps you ticking as an avid reader!

:D

30k00kaburra
Jan 25, 2015, 7:28 pm

Hi all!

I've been on Librarything for a while, and I've been subscribed to this group for years, but I'm usually more of a lurker than a talker. But I've started working in an independent bookstore, and being a part of the book trade (albeit a very small one) has got me thinking about authors in a new way.

Sometimes I have questions that I don't feel comfortable asking in my professional role of one of the authors we work with, but I still want to know the answers and perspectives of writers on the subject. So that's what's finally got me posting here after merely silently stalking the group for so long.

31Dbilyk
Jan 25, 2015, 8:10 pm

Welcome makaiju :) I look forward to your participation in this group!

32eLPy
Jan 26, 2015, 1:38 am

Welcome Makaiju, and do prod and poke the authors. :)

I too like Reading_fox said back in 2013 read everything in front of me (BF makes fun of me b/c I can't not). As a young girl series were my favorite - Babysitter's Club & Saddle Club to name a few - as they still are. I enjoy getting to know characters and worlds then following along with their life. The suspense of waiting for the next installment can be exciting. I prefer some Sci-Fi & I say some because I'm not a big "space" sci-fi fan, perhaps I'm still feeling out my genres. These days I read the blurb and take it from there. I think I can tell you more about what I don't read than what I do: (no offense) don't care for romance, fantasies about werewolves, fairies, vampires, or zombies (don't think zombies fit this genre, but you get me). Mysteries have always been a favorite, especially those of Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon series. I like an active, and at least relatively fast moving plot with fleshed out characters and believable antagonists. Info-dumps and drawn out backstories all lumped together turn me off, as does a story that just drags on and on without the author ever having said, "I think my reader gets the point". (Authors, let's ask ourselves that first so the reader doesn't have to.)

I also read non-fiction, mostly science related and often about birds, animals in general or the environment. However my interests range beyond that including some history and psychology to name a few very broad subjects. Lastly (don't know if I can say that accurately) I read poetry. I haven't always read poetry but I am glad to have added it to my list. I've found many poets whom I've come to admire and gain much encouragement and motivation from. It seems the trick to reading poetry - if you're not already inclined to - is finding the type of poetry and the right poet for you. This I have succeeded in doing and I look forward to continuing to do so. I enjoy poets like Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni, Ellen Bass, & Kay Ryan to name a few.

I'm sure there are things I left out about my reading interests but if I go on this will just wind up being too long. ;-) Oh did I mention I'm an e-reader as well as a print reader, I feel I must have them both.

33RidgewayGirl
Fev 1, 2015, 6:20 am

Hi everyone! I like to review the books I read and I love to have my books all laid out in front of me with lots of tags and details, so LibraryThing was clearly designed with me in mind.

Generally, I'll read anything, with an emphasis on literary fiction, that undefined creature, that naturally morphs into genre fiction and vice versa. I like to follow the various awards and find the short and long lists to be excellent starting points for book browsing. I also read non-fiction, but not as much as fiction. If it's well-written, I will enjoy it, although I prefer authors who are doing something new or inventive. I'm focusing this year on reading a larger proportion of women authors and I'm interested in reading authors from places other than the US and UK, as I read too few of them as well. I like to stretch what I read and most of the books I read were first suggested by readers on LT.

I'm always up for any discussion of what's going on in the book world.

34LShelby
Fev 2, 2015, 8:47 pm

>33 RidgewayGirl: "I love to have my books all laid out in front of me with lots of tags and details, so LibraryThing was clearly designed with me in mind."

It was indeed. Welcome to Hobnob! :)

35vjaravine
Editado: Maio 18, 2015, 1:53 pm

Hi everyone,

I am Doctor of physics and am translating books of my daughter, who is in the last couple of years of gymnasium (school in Germany).

This process of translation (and stories themselves) greatly fascinate me, as I find many parts (of the novels) addressed to me or even give answers to my questions that I never asked her. They are wonderful stories, and I am sure - young adults will enjoy reading them very much - as they are about many important things in life, but presented as interesting adventure stories ...

Anyway, if anyone wants to download her 2 books, Terra incognita and A journey to the Green Country, please, feel free to do so, and maybe give a comment or review if you wish.

Kindle Edition - free promotion is now on (18-19 May):
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X3M4SS2
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X3M4J3G

36Maitri-May
Nov 21, 2015, 3:08 pm

Hi everyone in LibraryThing,

I worked as a volunteer teaching children, amongst other places, in a Catholic Mission in Mexico, for a NGO for Street Children in Oaxaca-Mexico, a NGO for Indigenous People in Ayutla-Mexico and with Mother Theresa in Calcutta-India.
I learnt different massages in Thailand, India, Japan, England and Spain, and lived basically in India for 15 years attending philosophy and spiritual teachings and seminars, doing spiritual retreats in India and Nepal, at the same time that learnt and shared with shamans in those countries and in Latin-America and Philippines. I also learnt Tibetan Medicine with a teacher of Ment-See-Khan in Dharamsala, Reiki in Nepal, Tarot Card Reading in Guatemala, ESP Development (Extra Sensory Perception) with Jaime Licauco in the Philippines and Intuition with teachers from different countries.

Currently I´m working in Germany giving massages and coaching, Psychology advise, as hypnotist, and do tarot cards readings and clairvoyance.

As you can read by my bio, sorry but I´m not that much interested in romances, or terror things. In this moment I´m learning a kind of alternative medicine that one has to do here in Germany in order to be allow to work with any alternative stuff, so my times goes there, other than in my work and in promoting my book, which takes a lot of time also.

Actually, I need to have some reviews and if someone is interested in having the book in a pdf format (I´m not such a good computer person, don´t know how to do it otherwise) in exchange for a review, please drop me a line.

;-))

372wonderY
Fev 11, 2016, 1:21 pm

I see that I haven't introduced myself on this thread. So, this is the thread for readers, not authors. #35 and #36 didn't get that right.

I'm 60plus and I'm drowning in books. I now have more than I'll ever get to read in one lifetime. That doesn't keep me from having 30 to 50 books out on my library card at any given time. I've worked as a children's librarian and as a marketing manager at Borders bookstore, so I am used to being able to satisfy my curiosities immediately with books in hand. Now I keep a tab to the public library catalog open when I'm on LT, and order indiscriminately.

I read about equally in fiction and non-fiction. Fiction is usually current fantasy, tattered but still lovely pre-1950s books, and I'm discovering that there are treasures and pleasures in some contemporary literature. In non-fiction, I read widely in science, history, biography, social sciences, agriculture, and anything else that catches my interest. I'm a very visual person, so illustrations and photography are passions too.

I try to help new author members get themselves settled here on LT with author page issues, setting up series pages, that sort of thing.

Although there isn't much feedback on the author introduction thread, don't assume that it's not being read by other members. We are always glad to have new authors join us here.

38LShelby
Fev 11, 2016, 9:46 pm

>37 2wonderY: "So, this is the thread for readers, not authors. #35 and #36 didn't get that right."

Yeah, I don't really know how to respond to that kind of thing. I like to think that most authors are also readers, and so I wouldn't want to tell anyone "You can't post an introduction on the readers thread because you're an author!" But, at the same time, if you are introducing yourself on the reader thread, shouldn't you introduce yourself as a reader, and talk about who your favorite authors are, or something like that, instead of where your own book can be bought?

But maybe they meant to post it on the Author thread and just got confused or something.

Other than the authors who appear to be posting in the wrong place, I always get a kick out of reading the reader introductions. Readers usually talk less than the authors do around here, so it's neat to find out a little more about them. :)

39RuchiraK
Mar 14, 2016, 2:08 pm

Hi Everyone,
This is Ruchira here.
A Writer, reviewer, and an author of three books.
I mostly pen contemporary fiction with drama, and thus love to read the same kind :)

Cheers!

40Lori_L.S.
Ago 8, 2016, 12:03 pm

Hello all,
I have always been an avid reader. My home library consists of over a thousand books (many are paperback and packed in boxes). I have a home based business which allows me to read late into the night when I simply can't put a book down. Of course my coffee maker gets lots of use. I enjoy most genres, but my favorites are thrillers, suspense, con-romance and syfi/fantasy. I would love to chat with other readers and especially writers. Having tried writing before, I appreciate their hard work and dedication.

41KhaledTalib
Set 10, 2016, 9:24 pm

Hi,

I'm Khaled and I live in Singapore. I am the author of two thrillers, one which is scheduled to be released next year. I have a sweet tooth, and I enjoy the little things more than the noisy. Make sense?

I write because the little voice tells me - but here's the thing, my little voice wears a tuxedo. No, no, I'm not talking about SAW. I'm referring to a really decent chap who pushes me when I am too afraid to write. He's been good to me. I guess everyone needs a Mr. Miyagi in their life.

Best wishes,
Khaled

42TravisFord
Out 31, 2016, 7:39 pm

Hi everyone!
My name is Travis Ford.
I'm a self publushed author.
I set out years ago to travel away from my family in pursuit of a career in writing; novelist & a new life filled with success and & friends.
My genre(s) are mainly mystery & suspence fiction.

43Shelly_Larsen
Jun 9, 2017, 10:37 pm

Hi there,

I'm Shelly Larsen, and I've just recently republished a fantasy adventure. I guess I'm a little excitable and energized- okay, fine. I'm very excitable and energized- and man do I enjoy writing. I wrote my first full novel when I was fifteen, and it was-just-the-worst. Hehe. I've come a long way since then, but one thing hasn't changed: I still have a burning desire to share the ideas that seem to be bursting out of my head. I love inventing characters with depth and stories that are original. Being an active and lucid dreamer definitely helps the process.

When I manage to stay centered in reality on this dimension, I'm a stay-at-home mom, but I was a General Manager at a movie theater before that. I love movies and books, books and movies even though I'm a slug-slow reader. Still, that perfect escape of a great story is well worth it.

My husband and I have also flipped four houses while living in them in order to supplement out income. It's very hard work, but it's worth it, although, I will say that it didn't always seem that way. There I was in our first house after moving to a state where I didn't know anybody, and my husband was unexpectedly deployed. It was -15 in the middle of a snowy winter, and the house had no heat, no water and no electricity. Talk about a quick learning curve. Hehe. What are adventures for, anyway? Sometimes the suckiest things make the best stories later...

If you're interested in checking out my page:
https://www.amazon.com/Shelly-Larsen/e/B018FHR2UU/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1497...

44ogaines
Set 20, 2017, 3:40 pm

Hello everyone. I am Olivia Gaines an author and avid reader. I write contemporary sensual romantic comedies with heart.

45S.R.Gurney
Out 6, 2017, 11:28 am

Hello everyone, I have just written and self-published my first book: Beyond Absolute.

I have been reading from a very you age, and have aways loved how timeless I feel when I do.

Anyway, if anyone would like a free copy just message me at scottgurney95@yahoo.co.uk,

and I would be very appreciative if you could get in contact and give me some feedback and other such things.

Peace & Love.

p.s. I will post a link to the actual version if anyone is brave enough to buy it haha.

http://www.blurb.com/b/8210868-beyond-absolute?ebook=639659

46SujayRit
Fev 24, 2018, 12:42 am

Hello there. I'm Sujay Rittikar, a teen writer. I'm an amateur, self-published poet and writer. I've recently published a pre-order e-book and book at amazon and have published free e-books at other platforms earlier. I'm somebody who loves to inspire and help out people by my books. My poems are meant for that purpose. So, do check my profile and books out.
https://www.amazon.in/dp/B079ZYH71T
smashwords.com/books/view/742710

47revadavidparker
Editado: Abr 3, 2018, 12:33 am

Esta mensagem foi removida pelo seu autor.

48jconstant
Editado: Ago 27, 2018, 4:05 am

Hello everyone,
I am both a reader & an author. My info is available on this site at http://www.librarything.com/profile/jconstant

To make my introduction more festive, I invite you to download for free an ebook, volume $4 of the Math-Art series, I’m making available 08/27 to 09/03 at http://bit.ly/RiemannManifolds

It is a short read, built around 20 illustrations combining mathematician B.Riemann’s geometry and Minoan culture.
Neither a scientific manual or a historical review, it represents well the focus of my work and research - building bridges between challenging sciences, meaningful cultures, and art - as a source of inspiration for all of us to enjoy.

49PGolden
Out 24, 2018, 1:53 pm

Greetings, Everyone!

I'm a new author, as well as being new to LibraryThing, although I've always been an avid reader. I'm excited to join the group and hope to share book loves with fellow readers of the historical romance genre.

My debut novel The Earl and The Enchantress launches on Nov. 1, so I'm nervous and excited, as you probably can imagine!

My favorite authors in the historical romance genre include Mary Balogh, Candice Hern, Anne Gracie, and Nicola Cornick. I've just finished reading The Perfect Rake by Gracie and am trying to decide which book out of my tall to-be-read stack to read. Hmm. Decisions, decisions.

When I'm not reading or writing, I'm a Professor of English, teaching the argumentation, technical writing, and composition courses. I sometimes teach literature and creative writing, but typically only when there's a need. At home, I enjoy butterfly gardening, class car restoration, tea drinking, coffee drinking, orchid collecting, and a few other equally as random hobbies!

I look forward to getting to know everyone through the other discussions and through similar book interests. I better get to adding books onto my LibraryThing shelf, hadn't I?

Paullett Golden

50richpaz
Out 27, 2018, 9:55 pm

Hi everyone! I am a YA Science Fiction, Fantasy writer with one book under my belt, Enoch and the Stars Above! I am currently working on my second in a series of six Enoch books. I love physics, art, history and conspiracy theories. I love comic books and reading just about anything.

I look forward to meeting you all. Have a nice day.

Kind regards,
Rich Paz

51D.F.Todd
Nov 10, 2018, 8:25 pm

While I am an author - you can find me at Kindle, Kobo and Apple Books - I am also a reader. I have favorites such as Walter Jon Williams, Timothy Zahn, Brandon Sanderson, Raymond Feist, CJ Cherryh, Kevin Anderson, and Dave Weber. My single favorite book set is the Dread Empire trilogy by WJ Williams, which has led to additional books featuring the primary characters from that trilogy.

I don't know if there are unique nooks (no pun intended) for these authors but if there are, I would be interested in joining such groups.

Cordially,
Donald Todd

52authorjanebnight
Jan 14, 2019, 9:54 pm

Hi everyone. Jane here. Kinda new to the review scene.
I have a YouTube channel where I am posting book reviews. Also a blog. Both have pretty small audiences right now though.
I read almost exclusively paperback. I do have a kindle but rarely use. Plus, book reviews dont look as pretty when you arent holding a physical book.
I like character driven stories. Romance. Mystery. Family drama.
Some of my favorite writers/series:
Victoria Thompson Gaslight Mysteries
Laura Levine Janie Austen mysteries
Mary Balogh
Virginia Henley
Eloisa James
Fablehaven
Harry Potter

I especially am interested in books where animals play an important role. Also, in books about adoption/fostering children.
Favorite romance tropes are secret baby, marriage of convenience, surprise baby, parent/caregiver.
Also open to rom com.
I prefer books that arent super steamy. Like, occasional bedroom scenes are ok but there needs to be a lot more for me.
Would love to see more historical or clean romance with shifters.

53GaryBabb
Jan 20, 2019, 5:18 pm

Wow! I really love this topic. Yes, it's all about the readers, so writers please don't try to take over this topic with self-promotions. There are many, many other topics where the self-promoting authors have managed to destroy the conversations. I don't come into the discussions groups much because of that. I think there are far too many self-help marketing books that must teach going to groups and self-promote: post, post, post. But, it kills the discussions, and no one reads them. As an author myself, I see no benefit in self-promoting in LT. I would much rather see posts that promote the topic itself. I checked in and saw this topic and said, "Yes, some honest feeling and comments." I was almost through all the comments and found one from me. I then looked at the dates. Surprise, this topic has been going on for a while. Too bad. It's a good topic. Readers, this topic is all about you. Keep it going. I was enjoying it.

54LShelby
Jan 21, 2019, 12:29 pm

>52 authorjanebnight:
I feel like if I were to be asked to get secret santa a book you, I'd be able to pick something that would be truly appreciated. :) That's a cool feeling. I'm sorry I didn't respond right away, but Welcome to the Hobnob Group!

>53 GaryBabb:
Hi, Gary. How are things going? You haven't posted to the 'What are you working on?' thread in a while.

55RitaDragonette
Fev 11, 2019, 7:39 pm

Thank you for being such a lifelong reader and keeping books alive, Esta1923!

56RitaDragonette
Editado: Fev 11, 2019, 7:49 pm

Greetings! This is Rita Dragonette from Chicago. I really appreciate the variety of reading tastes in this elite Goodreads group! My debut novel, THE FOURTEENTH OF SEPTEMBER, on the Vietnam War from the POV of a female college student, was published in September and I feel so fortunate to finally be able to share it with the world after working relentlessly on the story for years. I love reading historical fiction, the lit classics, some contemporary upmarket with smart themes and books that make me ask myself hard questions about life. I believe we can all evolve through stories--those we read and write. I'm working on a collection of autobiographical essays and a novel, an homage to THE SUN ALSO RISES. Anyone else into Hemingway?

572wonderY
Fev 11, 2019, 8:36 pm

>56 RitaDragonette: Just to orient you: this is emphatically NOT GoodReads. This is LibraryThing; a much superior site.

58LShelby
Fev 12, 2019, 5:10 pm

> 57
::chuckle::

I don't think we're all that elite, either. At least, not by LibraryThing standards.

But you gotta admit, we really do have an amazing variety of reading tastes passing though here. :)

Rita, you posted in the Reader Introductions, and not Author Introductions, so I wanted to doublecheck: Would you liked to be added to the author index?

I wish I could chime in on the Hemingway front, but the only book by him I've ever read was the Old Man in the Sea, back in High School. My clearest recollection of the experience was of finishing the book in less than half of the assigned classroom reading time, and having to go off and hunt for something else to read for the remainder.

59cheryl_bannerman
Jul 6, 2019, 3:53 pm

My name is Cheryl Powell, writing under pen name, Cheryl Denise Bannerman. I am a multi-genre author of fiction. I have five book published and desperate for stars, since all anyone ever looks at on Amazon to rate the success of a book. Ha!

I would love to participate in more FL events at bookstores if anyone knows of any.

My day job for past 2 decades has been in the Training and Development industry. I work from home as Virtual Instructional Designer and eLearning developer, creating training courses for corporate employees in the Food and Beverage, Hospitality, Healthcare and Real Estate industries.

I'm also on Twitter, IG, FB and Goodreads if anyone wants to connect.

Nice to meet everyone!

60MatthewRamey
Ago 3, 2019, 3:13 pm

My name is Matt Ramey and I am the proud owner of this site.

I sincerely hope that you will find value in the information contained within.

Our one goal is that it will help you in your journey towards Financial Freedom because in the end, being Financially Free is what this is all about.

61railheater
Ago 4, 2019, 12:42 pm

Hi everyone!

I'm Mary and am getting into reviewing books. I read whatever my interests at the time take me, so it's usually all good...but, I suppose if there is one genre I tend to repeatedly skip, that'd have to be true crime, sorry! Though, I guess that sort of aligns with my natural tendency to not watch the news.

Anyways, thank you to LShelby for creating the reader intro thread! That was nice to find.

Looking forward to meeting everyone :)

62TimSharrock
Ago 4, 2019, 1:38 pm

>60 MatthewRamey: Oh no, Matt, you are not the owner of this site, and being "Financially Free" is not what this site is all about. In non fiction books I value accuracy, and your statement here is far from encouraging is this regard.

63Elizabeth_Randall
Set 16, 2019, 12:57 pm

My name is Elizabeth Randall and I am the author of five traditionally published non-fiction books. My latest is : An Ocklawaha River Odyssey.

https://www.amazon.com/Ocklawaha-River-Odyssey-Paddling-Through/dp/1467139637/re...

64WKBirdsong
Editado: Abr 6, 2020, 2:51 pm

Hi everyone, my name is Winnie Birdsong but am known by WK Birdsong as well. I'm a retired educator and taught writing and grammar to ESL students. I enjoy traveling with my husband, watercolor painting, writing and gardening. The book genres I relish most are mystery, suspense, historical fiction and romance if it isn't schmaltzy.
Some of my favorite historical novels are: The Languedoc trilogy by Kate Mosse, All of Isabel Allende's novels, The Red Tent by Anita Diamont, and the Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant to name a few. I'm also addicted to well done action thrillers written by authors such as Daniel Silva. I'm an artist myself, so I appreciate his art restoration/intelligence operative character Gabriel Allon. Any well researched novel, and the work that it entails, lights my fire.
I'm looking forward to getting to know fellow readers in this group.

65LShelby
Abr 6, 2020, 3:14 pm

I have not heard of this Languedoc trilogy, but the name interests me. Clearly it could only be set in France. Is the author a linguist?

What subject do you best like to paint? (I consider watercolors a very difficult medium, so my kudos!)

66TonyBrunal
Jul 14, 2020, 8:16 am

Hello zjakkelien,

I would love for you to review one of my books. Please let me know if you read Ebooks, we can arrange a copy for you.

Sincerely Tony Brunal

67TonyBrunal
Jul 14, 2020, 8:19 am

Hello Shaika-Dzari,

I have a sci-fi book that is right up your alley. Let me know and we can arrange a copy for review.

Thank you,

Tony Brunal

68LeonStevens
Jul 19, 2020, 8:44 am

I posted this in a different thread, but I just found this one, so I'll repost here:

I have done a few interviews on some book blogs in the last few months and have always enjoyed it. But then I thought, what would I say in an interview as a reader? Solution? Interview myself!

Authors Interviewing Readers

Any readers want to be interviewed? Leave me a message!

Leon

69MichaelSeanComerford
Out 11, 2020, 5:49 pm

Please sign me up for this group.

I'm an award-winning, former international journalist whose first book is newly out. “American OZ: An Astonishing Year Inside Traveling Carnivals at State Fairs & Festivals: Hitchhiking From California to New York, Alaska to Mexico.”

AMAZING REVIEWS!!

The Chicago Tribune calls it “MAJESTIC!” The Daily Herald proclaims it “GLORIOUS … LIFE-ALTERING!” WGN RAVES “BRILLIANT!”

I KNOW YOU WILL LOVE IT TOO! CLICK & SEE!! Amzn.com/B08BNFFVP3

70Pkong
Editado: Dez 28, 2020, 7:21 pm

Hi, everyone.

I'm new on here. Hope you are all doing well.
I've just got into writing and published my first book on kdp. Can't wait to see where it will take me!

71Amanda36
Editado: Fev 5, 2021, 10:30 pm

Hello new author here. I just recently had published a book of poems and short stories. . The title of my book is called Teardrops on the Petals .It consist of short stories and poems. Topics cover love , erotic love, poverty , substance abuse, youth and gun violence, some poems are even religious. One of the short stories centers around an abusive, neglectful mother and how her behaviours effect her daughter and son.The other short story symbolizes beauty in being a misfit or rather not fitting into the so called category of not being conventional, normal , or status quo and how sometimes people can have cruel reactions to something that is different or new
If interested just send me a message here or look me up on FB also my instagram is ajbookauthor

72CatRd
Fev 15, 2021, 11:26 am

Hello! I am a 31 year old woman currently living in Atlanta, GA. I love to read pretty much anything that catches my interest by tend to gravitate toward science fiction and fantasy. I am an amateur writer (meaning I write for fun, but don't have anything published) and believe the best way to be a better writer is to read more. Always looking for new recommendations.

P.S. I am love that I am currently living in the same city as the setting of one of my favorite series Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews (first book: Magic Bites)

73LShelby
Mar 24, 2021, 1:57 pm

Hi, CatRd!

It's nice to meet you! Out the 47 books you added so far, we share nine. That's a pretty big overlap. Maybe our reading tastes are similar? (Or it could be a coincidence.)

What sorts of things have you written for fun so far?

74AnaVecianaSuarez
Nov 2, 2023, 10:31 am

I'm a traditionally published author of both fiction and non-fiction books. My latest is the historical novel "Dulcinea," (Blackstone, May 2023), the story of the fictional woman who inspires Miguel Cervantes to write his groundbreaking Don Quixote. An author friend suggested I join LibraryThing, which she described as a fun and safe way to connect to readers.
I like to read all kinds of genres.

75stuartperegrine
Nov 2, 2023, 3:22 pm

As an avid (or is that "addicted"?) reader, I should have popped in here earlier. In any event, reading has been my passion, my joy, and my escape since I first learned how to get those strange symbols on paper to make sense. I used to love when the Scholastic Book Service catalog would show up at my elementary school (mid-1960's to early 1970's). I still have a few of those paperbacks hanging around The Mad Scientist's Club, for example.

My most frequent current genres are Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Detective. Writers I revisit include Seanan McGuire. Richard Raley, Ben English, Craig Johnson.