For those who may be new.. my name is Shirley Curry. Because I am elderly - everyone calls me Grandma Shirley, and so way back I started calling my followers Grandkids! π
If you type my name into your Browser you will find me and all kinds of stuff pertaining to me: Old Blogs; Interviews; Podcasts; Other Channels I have... YouTube, Twitter, YT Live etc.
I will not be posting here all the time because I'm busy, but I would like to be consistent, trying for at least once a month. We shall see.
{Just so everyone knows: --This is a place for someone to sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and us actually "chat" together... No "Hi" or "I love you" etc and then leave. It WILL get deleted.}
I am starting over here on an old blogging channel where I had been telling short stories I made up about something in Skyrim. [You can read them below somewhere. π] So, since it's here I'll just continue to use it, and maybe even add a little story once in awhile.
Speaking of stories-- I was looking through some pictures and picked out these to show you. The Mulberry St. Bookstore is here in Lebanon Ohio. The lady there decorates like this {see the pictures} throughout her small, cool, book nook. I buy my books there, I love shopping in there!
I read a lot, even since I was a child! Everything from Fantasy to Black Ops!.. SciFi to murder mysteries! About the only thing I don't read is Westerns.
I must say that one of my favorite series, over many years, has been The Legend Of Drizzt.. a Forgotten Realms series by R. A. Salvatore. Also, he is one of my favorite Fantasy authors!! I've read through this whole series THREE times over the years. Each time more books have been added, so as you can see in the picture below, it took me quit awhile this time!! π
Have you been reading a favorite series? Or anything you've enjoyed so much that you have read it over and over? Let's chat about books!
Well, I will be looking forward to seeing you come by and sit down on the patio with me. Bye for now!
......Going to go get me some more coffee..
I've always really enjoyed the original Tarzan books by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Some of his topics in the books definitely haven't aged well, but they still stand out to me with Tarzan being the original superhero story. He has incredible strength, super hearing, super smelling, the ability to pickup languages super fast. Lost civilizations, lost species, I think there are like 24 novels in the entire series.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally the early 1900's English used in the books is super interesting to me.
I have seen some on amazon. Probably the best deals to be had are on eBay for complete sets.
DeleteOf all the books in the series the ones I've read the most are probably as follows:
My all time favorite is probably volume 1 Tarzan of the apes, as it's the origin story, and a must read before jumping to any other book.
Obviously i would say read through all of the books because things are referenced in other books.
But a few of the standouts further along that i can read again and again are Tarzan and the City of Gold(Book 16), Tarzan the Magnificent(Book 21, this one has a cool fantasy twist) and Tarzan at the earth's core (Book 13,1929 Science Fiction, need I say more).
They are a lot of fun to read and read quite easily I find. Plus they are fun to come back to and read again.
Thank you Jesse! I'm going to look at those and may get them!
DeleteA telltale sign that books have been read many times, are the worn lines in the print down the spine. It's one of the nicest things to see on a book, I think, even if it obscures the print. It shows that someone has loved this book. And I spotted those marks on your Salvatore books. ;) I haven't tried any of those myself though. I assume the series is to be read chronologically, or are they standalone?
ReplyDeleteFor me, reading has always been a secondary hobby, after gaming. So I normally read more during vacation. But I always work on a couple of books, just slowly. :) And I burn through audio books at work!
I have great love for C. J. Sansom's Shardlake series, crime/mystery novels set in the Tudor era. And Robin Hobb's Elderling series! That one I'm still reading. I've read the Farseer Trilogy and nearing the end of the Liveship trilogy now. And I read a LOT of Stephen King. Currently the Outsider on audiobook and his latest, Fairytale, in hardcover.
I also notice that there's no way for me to add images here, so please just imagine that I show you said books in my shelf now. :D
Hi Jema!! Yes, they need to be read chronologically! I'm glad you could tell about how much I have read them over the years!! lol I have not heard of any of those you mentioned!! Except Stephen King.. I guess I have read every book he has written! LOL. Hmmm... I though others could put a picture on here too. It's been a long time since I set up this account, and probably didn't know what I was doing back then either!! LOL
DeleteI forgot to mention - the archway in Mulberry St. Bookstore is simply magical! Like a portal into all these wonderful worlds.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't that look like a cool, at home, fantasy place to shop??
DeleteI really love looking for books there! :)
That shop would be so fun to visit! I love the vibe of it.
ReplyDeleteI have read The Dark Elf Trilogy and The Icewind Dale Trilogy of Dritz's novels and after then reading on wikis about the other books I stopped there. It felt a bit too drama for me. π . I did read Salvatore's Cleric Quintet Trilogy with Cadderly and quite enjoyed that.
The fiction book I have probably read the most is Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. Being a horse person I love that it's told from the horse's perspective and that she tackles animal welfare in the book.
One of my favorite series of books is The Ranger's Apprentice by John Flannigan. I love the sense of adventure, the personality of the horses and the characters. Of the heroes I don't think there's any I don't like which is rare. They all have likable qualities.
Hi! I would be interested in looking at the 'The Ranger's Apprentice' books. Can you tell me a little bit more? Who or what is Ranger.. something about his Apprentice etc.
DeleteThe Ranger's Apprentice has a boy named Will as the main character and the one you see a good chunk of the story through. He is an orphan who was raised in the house of the Baron of Redmond Fief along with some other orphans that he grew up with. He gets chosen to train as a Ranger's Apprentice in the Ranger Corps. The Ranger Corp answers directly to the King and they are the eyes and ears of the kingdom. Rather than relying on magic they rely on training their skills with the bow, unseen movement and observation. So it's a fantasy without the magic but I think that is what makes it so good. The Ranger's have specially trained horses to help them in their work and definitely add to the story.
DeleteWill's mentor for his training is very good at what he does and doesn't always follow protocol to get the job done. The way the mentor handles situations can be very amusing.
Of course there's also knights and a princess too because it wouldn't be a fantasy without those. π
Hopefully that helps!
Thank you so much!!! I will for sure look into this!!! :)
DeleteThat's one more person recommending The Legend of Drizzt... I really should get on that! I'm an avid reader and because of that I tend to have favourite authors rather than favourite books! My favourite authors at the moment are Joe Abercrombie (his grimdark fantasy is divine!), Neil Gaiman (he can make just about any mundane thing seem magical), and Leigh Bardugo (the creator of the Grishaverse; the only universe I've been in love with since the Potterverse).
ReplyDeleteThat bookstore looks magical! I'd love to browse there, but the other side of the world might be a tad far for book shopping!
Hello Elin! Yes, the other side of the world would be too far to shop! lol I don't know any of those authors, but I've heard of Abecromgie.. I will look at that grimdark fantasy if you will give me a name to start with. :) Thanks!
DeleteGood evening, Grandma!
ReplyDeleteYou've chosen an excellent topic, I gotta say, for I could write about books for ages...! ππ
First of all, though - what a lovely bookstore! It's so nice to have a place where you can browse books in peace, surrounded by their lovely scent and the cosy atmosphere!
(I try to get my books in bookshops, even though it's a bit more expensive than through the internet, because it would be a sad day indeed if such pleasant places had to close for lack of finances!)
And now to your impeccable taste in stories:
Drizzt is a fine gentleman indeed, and his beloved Gwenhwyvar would be SUCH a cool companion to have as one journeys through this world! π
I still haven't read the whole series because time is a fickle beast that keep running away from me, but what I have read, I really liked π
Right now, I have 'The Princess Bride' on my bedside table - I've only ever seen the movie and I gotta say, the book is a splendid thing!
Adventure and a bit of sassy humor - that's my jam!
And as for books I could read over and over again - well - 'The Graveyard Book' by Neil Gaiman is one of those.
(There is even a wonderful comic book version!)
Anything from late sir Terry Pratchett's 'Discworld' series, too. (Honestly, Terry just knew humans and their souls and how the whole wide world turns.)
(I was lucky enough to have met him, years ago!)
Ehm.
But for something you might find intriguing: D. M. Cornish's 'Monster Blood Tattoo' series, a kinda-fantasy-kinda-steampunk (I really don't know where it fits in the plethora of genres, sorry π) trilogy about a world where monsters roam the night and monster hunters undergo surgeries to gain special abilities to level the playing field - and about a young boy who is just trying to find his place in the world and be kind to others.
It has the most fabulous illustrations, I gotta say!
Oooh, and also from the sci-fi corner of literature: Becky Chambers' books! They are a very loosely connected series - and even though they tell stories of interesting alien species, they are incredibly human at heart.
(And full of cool cosmic stuff, of course πππ)
I have too many favourite books. And I'm so, so glad for that! ππ
A curious question: when you want to tidy up a bit, does it also happen to you that you pick up a book to move it somewhere, only to suddenly discover ten minutes have passed and you've been reading it the whole time instead of cleaning? π
Have a lovely day!
Hervissa, you are always such fun! (I have tried two different ways to put a smilie face on here and it doesn't work! How do you do it?)
DeleteI'm glad you like my favorite character, Drizzt !!!!!
I saw that movie, The Princess Bride! Never thought of looking for the books. Well, didn't know there were any!
Also I'll look for some others you mentioned: The Graveyard and Monster Blood Tattoo . Thanks!
I use to read SciFi a lot years ago but then my taste went back to Fantasy, and, as I've already said Black Ops and stuff like that. :)
Thank you for your comment and telling me about what you read!!!
I'm a lifelong reader too. I read mystery, urban fantasy, sword & sorcery, historical fiction, a few thrillers here and there, and Westerns. My grandfather got me started on them.
ReplyDeleteI started reading fantasy with Anne McCaffery's "Dragons of Pern" series, even though she always said they were science fiction, they felt a lot more like fantasy to me. I read a few of Piers Anthony "Split Infinity" series when I was younger. But as I read more of him, his writing seemed ... sexist. So I stopped reading that series about four books in, I think.
But every year, I re-read Tolkien's Hobbit series, in order. He got me started writing fantasy. He was so good at creating the world his characters walked through. He really was a genius, I think. Lately, I've been reading Leigh Bardugo's "Grishaverse" series. She's another insanely talented worldbuilder! I always get sucked into her stories. I plan on reading one chapter before bed, and suddenly, it's 2 in the morning! (Just like Skyrim, lol)
Anyway, I've really enjoyed reading about what you and your Grandkids are reading. Thanks for getting the conversation started!
Love from Canada,
Carolyn
Hi Carolyn! I have read quite a bit by Anne McCaffery! including some of The Dragons of Pern.! I consider them Fantasy also!! lol
ReplyDeleteI've read some Piers Anthony but can't remember which ones, right now. Hmmm.. sexist? I'll have to go back and look and see what I think. Never really noticed before.
Tolkien is great. I couldn't read the books because I watched all the movies!! It's either one or the other with me.
Don't know the author, Bardugo, but I have done the same thing you described.. wanting to read for a bit, and finally realizing how late it is HOURS later!! LOL
Thank you so much for writing here!! Hope to see you again!
Hi Shirley!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your blog previously and I’m glad you’re continuing it. I really liked your World Of Skyrim blog entries and hadn’t realize I had never replied to “The Majestic Dragon,” which I’ll plan to do.
I loved seeing your pictures of the bookstore! It’s so cool how the lady has decorated it with such creative book themes using books and pages of books. While not decorated as creatively, there’s a bookstore near me that seems to have a similar vibe. It’s in an old three-story house (the house is probably close to 100 years old) and each room is dedicated to certain genres of books. Even the hallways and staircases have shelves of books on the walls. My favorite room is a little basement room reserved for “Fantasy” books. While there are new books, there’s a treasure trove of older books as well. I’ve found so many of my favorite books in there!
You mentioned one of your favorite series being “The Legend of Drizzt” in the Forgotten Realms series. While I’m aware of that series, I’ve never read it but have seen books in the series in that bookstore. I may have to pick some up because it seems like the type of books I would enjoy.
Like your favorite book series of “Drizzt” books, my favorite books series is also based on Dungeons & Dragons. One of my favorite books series is “DragonLance” by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis. There are well over 200 books in the DragonLance series with some by different authors but the original six are the best. So far, I’ve read about 50 of them but hope to one day read the entire series.
In addition to DragonLance, some of my other favorite book series include:
~ The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander (Series of 5)
~ The Pendragon Cycle by Stephen Lawhead (Series of 6)
~ The Earthsea series by Ursula K. Le Guin (6 books)
~ Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (20 books)
~ The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss (Trilogy)
~ Redwall by Brian Jacques (22 books)
Regarding the Redwall series, I’ve also listened to the Redwall audio books. They’re narrated by the author, Brian Jacques, and include a full cast reading all the characters dialogue. Brian Jacques also reads for a particular set of characters’ dialogue. The production quality is top notch!
This has been such fun chatting with you about books! I love that you're blogging here again and look forward to chatting with you more in the future.
~love and hugs~
Gail
That sounds like a bookstore I would LOVE!!! I would spend a lot of time in there!! There was a bookstore out in California, when I lived there, where there were books even piled on the floor here and there and you could just sit down in the floor and look through them or read!! I loved that place!! It was so .... disorganized... LOL. I have read a couple of books in DragonLance, and Earthsea. I have read all of Wheel of Time, I think about two times!! I can never bring myself to use a devise where you listen to someone read to you, or one that you hold and read. I love actual books too much. I like them the older the better; I like to smell them and make a note on a page here and there. I like it when the bindings start looking old. LOL
DeleteTalk you you later Gail!!
Hi Shirley!
DeleteI agree with you about preferring actual books to audio books or devices like a Kindle. However, I do like being able to listen to audio books while driving a car or while exercising (I listened to the Redwall audio books mostly while driving). Also, I like using my Kindle when traveling because it enables me to take a lot of books without taking up a lot of space in my luggage. Before the Kindle was common, I remember going to Florida when my children were young and taking all six books in The Pendragon Cycle along with me!
The bookstore in California sounds like one I would love! I think it would be neat seeing books scattered all over even if they were disorganized.
I know what you mean about old books. My DragonLance books and my Wheel of Time books have the older cover art. I even returned a Wheel of Time book because it was advertised as having the older cover art but when I received it, I was disappointed that it was something more modern looking.
It was nice chatting with you again about books! :)
Enjoyed you post Gail! I can understand that about the kindle being good to have with you if traveling. I did love reading the Wheel of Time books! I have not heard of Redwall. Might have to look that up if I want to get into some more fantasy reading (Is it fantasy? lol).
DeleteRedwall is fantasy but a different type of fantasy than Wheel of Time or the Drizzit books in that the characters are animals, so you may or may not enjoy them. The animals are portrayed as having human-like characteristics and personalities. The books were originally written by Brian Jacques for blind children so he gets very descriptive and does an impressive job of world-building. Though technically "written for children" they're by no means just "children's books" but each book is hundreds of pages long. They're are also darker themes much like those found in other fantasy books. Maybe you could look at them in a library or bookstore and page through it to see if it's something you would enjoy. The first one in the series is simply entitled "Redwall."
DeleteIs the arch The Mulberry St. Bookstore on your picture made of real books? I wish we have such beautiful bookstore in my town :)
ReplyDeleteI love fantasy books too, especially Tolkien - I have read his books over and over since first discovery when I was seventeen years old :) Now I am reading The History of Middle-earth. It is immence pleasure. I never watched the movies, and don't intend to :)
I love also sci-fi, my favorite author is StanisΕaw Lem from Poland. He has a great sense of humor and wrote a non-fiction books too.
Recently I have read Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea saga - gorgeous books!
Do you know that R.A. Salvatore wrote for game Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning? The poetry in there just wonderful. I am going to read his books now, after your post here :)
p.s. I am sorry for possible mistakes, English is not my mother tongue.
Hi Lena! No the movies can never do all those wonderful books justice!! (Hey, no mistakes! Nothing to worry about!) :) I read the first couple of books of the Earthsea saga. Probably started on something else and never got back to them. I never stay out of Salvatore's 'Drizzt' series to find anything else he's written! lol
ReplyDeleteWell it is a huge series - 38 books :) I need to choose now - where to start! lol
DeleteFinding a place for out books is always a problem isn't it? LOL I know it is for me!!!
DeleteYeah :) my shelves are packed tight already, again :) this problem has no solution...
DeleteHi, Grandma! π
ReplyDeleteThe bookstore looks so good! I love the arch!!
I used to really obsess over the A Song of Ice and Fire books, but not so much anymore. The Saxon Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell are among my all time favourites! Technically Peter S. Beagle wrote two books about The Last Unicorn and one that is loosely related so I HAVE to add this as my Number 1 - forever and ever! I don't know how many times I've read the first one, but many, many years ever since I was a child, again and again!^^
I just started The Bloodsworn Saga by John Gwynne. Halfway into book 1 I really love it so far!
The First Empire series by Michael J. Sullivan is also a fave!
I'm impatiently waiting for book 3 in The Teddies Saga, which I thought would be a cute kids' story, but it's surprisingly dark. It has this innocence, but in that context it just makes it more disturbing. But good! lol
I haven't heard of Drizzt yet, but I will check it out! :D
Fantasy? Sign me up! lol I like Fantasy and Horror best and Non-Fiction, but only about certain subjects. Every now and then I like a good kids' book or book series, too, like Survivors by Erin Hunter^^
Series type stories are my favourites, I get to spend way more time with the characters in their world^^
I LOVE talking about books and finding new recommendations, thank you for that!! :D
Have a wonderful day! ππ€
Loved your comment... as I always do, about anything! :) Everyone is giving me so much to look into!! As my interest in gaming starts to wain... if it ever does!!.. I will really be looking into all the book recommendations everyone is giving me. :)
ReplyDeleteI've started looking through all the books listed here, too. And I've already ordered book 1 of Drizzt, so excited to read it! :D I see it's got a lot of volumes - I love that!! π
DeleteI JUST read this quote, that very much reminded me of this blog entry of yours (and actually of you in general^^)
Delete“Who says paper worlds
Are an escape from what is real?
As though the lives trapped in their binding
Are not ones that make you feel.
For sometimes our greatest lessons
Come from those with ink for skin,
Who reach beyond the page
To take our hand and pull us in.”
― Erin Hanson
Isn't that lovely? :D
Glad you started ordering Drizzt !!!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete