A mixed bag of recommendations for you. It's two series by one author one SF and one fantasy. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever - Stephen R Donaldson A caveat this is kind of a controversial series the protagonist is incredibly flawed he's really an anti hero. The Gap Cycle - Stephen R Donaldson A loose retelling of Wagner's Ring Cycle set in space. The Broken Sword - Poul Anderson Lathe of Heaven - Ursula K Leguin The Mote In God's Eye - Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K Leguin A Wizard of Earth Sea - Ursula K Leguin Tower of Glass - Robert Silverberg Downward to the Earth - Robert Silverberg Dying Inside - Robert Silverberg
Thank you very much for that. Some of these are on my radar. I tried Thomas Covenant years ago but didn't like it. I'm intending to re-try it sometime soon.
I am absolutely agree that Robert Jordan and Katharine Kerr are among the greatest fantasy authors. But I also recommend Witch of Two Suns series of Diana Marcellas, at least first two books. 1. "Mother Ocean, Daughter Sea" (New York: Tor, 2001), Diana Marcellas 2. "The Sea Lark's Song" (New York: Tor, 2002), Diana Marcellas Also Robert Silverberg's Majipoor series are great: 1. Lord Valentine's Castle 2. Majipoor Chronicles 3. Valentine Pontifex 4. The Mountains of Majipoor 5. Sorcerers of Majipoor 6. Lord Prestimion 7. The King of Dreams 8. Tales of Majipoor And I also recommend Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea and other Earthsea books.
I haven’t heard of Marcellas and will look into her, thank you! I have yet to read Silverberg or Ursula Le Guin but hope to soon. Thank you for sharing.
You need to read The Name Of The Wind. If you wait till the series is finished, you'll never read it and you'll have missed out on a truly wonderful book.
Hi Kathi, thank you so much for this video. I really enjoyed it. It was a real treat. You have great books there, and also many beautiful ones… I would love to have a collection like yours 😍😍😍Thank you so much for the shoutout. It was also great to have Cleo’s special appearance at the end, hopefully no books were harmed with Cleo jumping around 😂
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Gaby, and I think you have an amazing collection of books. I'd love to see what fantasy books you end up collecting. Cleo was more interested in licking Jacqui to death than causing damage. 😂
Thank you for taking the time to post this look into your reading life. I just finished The Book of Words by JV Jones and really enjoyed it. Regards, a fan from the USA.
Hi Kathi, Sigh! So satisfying. A few thoughts .... I may come steal that beautiful edition of Magician from you ... and the matching other two books. I bought Magician as a large paperback and the next two books that I have are small sized hardcovers. My copy of A Darkness at Sethanon is signed by the author. I met him when he came to Toronto when that book was first published. I have the second and third books in the Daughter of the Empire series in hardback but cannot for the life of me find the first book in hardback although somehow I did end up with a mini sized version of it and also an ARC copy! Katherine Kurtz Deryni books are long time favourites although her later books did little to add to the storyline and seemed to be more about what kind of tragedy she could build up to this time!!! Honestly! The woman was more than a little ... um .... bloodthirsty, unnecessarily so IMO. I'd just go ahead and read The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear, enjoy them for the story that they tell and don't bother waiting for a book three. I don't think any of us will live that long. Ditto for the Game of Thrones series actually. Have you ever read anything by Jacqueline Carey??? She's a very great favourite of mine beginning with Kushiel's Dart. I highly recommend. I'm also a huge Guy Gavriel Kay fan (Canadian author) and recommend his first trilogy The Summertree etc. Oh, and Pillars of the Earth? Definitely not fantasy. Historical fiction. Now I'm missing my packed up library even more! **sniff!!** Cheers!!! Oh, and yeah! Polgara ROCKS!!!! :)
I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I used to have many of my favourites in paperback and gave them to my brother when I got the HC. I love my Magician edition so I'd probably fight you for it. 😂 I have seen Daughter of the Empire in HC on ebay but it is expensive. I might have to read Kurtz's earlier books first I think. I could never resist buying fantasy if I found it, even if I didn't know anything about it. That was pre the internet of course. I might try a chapter of Name of the Wind and see what I think. Carey's Kushiel's series didn't appeal to me. I have yet to read Kay's book but will. I'm assuming you've tried Goodkind since he was Canadian as well. Yes Pillars of the Earth didn't appeal to me being historical fiction. Thank you so much for sharing and I'm so glad you enjoyed the tours.
Wow. 🤩 What a collection. Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake and Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke are top favourites of mine. Been rereading WoT slowly and liking it actually! Up to Book 3. I thought A Memory of Light was the final book but I always get confused with the later titles. 🤔🤭 Interested to retry The Dark Tower by Stephen King maybe. I gave up after Book 2. Gorgeous editions. Same for The Witcher (gave up after Book 3), but those editions wow. I am in two minds about reading the final book in Wars of Light and Shadow by Wurts. For one, I would have to reread some stuff and I really didn't like the last few books. Second, it's not that popular so there aren't detailed summaries online. Maybe I'll wait for you to read it and see what you think. A wonderful collection, collected and preserved with so much care. Thank you for sharing with us. 🙏🏽
Thank you very much Paromita. I haven't read either of your top favourites and will have to now. You're right A Memory of Light is the final book. I know that but must have been so tired when I edited. 😂 I think you should consider retrying The Dark Tower and Witcher, and I'm glad you are enjoying WOT. I'll let you know how I find Wurts final book.
Great collection. Am happy to find another person who has been reading WOLAS since it started. Though I collected the paperbacks until Initiate's Trial. Can't wait for the final book to arrive, which I also have preordered. I haven't read Sean Williams yet, but I have his Books of the Cataclysm series on my shelves. Have you tried Tony Shillitoe? He's another Australian author. He's started self publishing his out of print series, though the Dreaming of Amber series is still a project and only obtainable via use bookshop hunting at the moment.
Thank you and whilst I have grown a little tired of WOLAS I'd like to see how she finishes it. I haven't tried Tony Shilltoe, will keep an eye out for him. Thank you!
Great collection! (particularly The Dark Tower series, a new HC collection needs to be reprinted! :) I have a question reg. the Red Rising hardcovers please, as I've got to ship them in from the US, are the bindings sewn or glued? Thanks.
Thank you very much and I really have no idea about the bindings. I don't think they sew most new hardcovers. I had them shipped from the US as well and had no issues.
Wow so many wonderful Covers Kathi. Many books I also have read. I own the Plantopedia Book too, hope there will be an update on your plants someday. You can throw The name of the wind out, he will never ever finish the series. I hate the main character in this books. I love world but the main Character ruins the story for me it would be interesting how you find the main character. Umberto Eco is very difficult to read for me I think you need several university degrees to enjoy his books fully:-)) Cleo was fun at the end hope she is just spinning the shelf and not knocking it down:-) PS Are you still considering moving or is that off the table for the moment?
Hi Michael, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I might do a more detailed update on my plants during my Autumn wrap up. I'm curious to try Name of the Wind since so many people love it. Umberto Eco has been sitting on my shelf for decades. It might be time to try him soon. No, Cleo didn't knock anything over that time and yes I'm still intending to move but want to wait for warmer weather and for Cleo to grow up a little.
I think it is also about whether it is worth their while. Sometimes book they publish don't do as well and often there is only one edition you can purchase.
Here to report back on my British detective journey. I finished the first Marple novel, and have to say, I really, really disliked it. I couldn't really get into the mood or genre Christie wanted to do here, felt, expectedly, like a rural detective(comedy), but totally lacked the titular character except for around ten scenes where she suddenly appears as a deus ex machina to explain the deed and clues that the other characters never could have gotten, and then disappears again. All the characters felt bland and comical, but not funny, just off key for the murder. And (spoiler for others) to top it off, the revelation turned out to be nearly identical to Poirot 1. The culprit is the obvious suspect who wanted it to be obvious so he could get accused and cleared with circumstantial evidence giving him a false alibi. So not sure about Marple herself, since she barely appears in the 300 pages, but that was a total flop for me, after reading Poirot and being captivated by Christie's writing and clever construction of the plot. It also felt like she really made a poor choice in narrator, since the vicar conveniently gets invited to be at every relevant scene and interview with suspects, despite this being absolutely illogical. The "invitations" to come along are also rather poorly written and feel like they were just first drafts and would be rewritten to be more organic instead of literal "Oh vicar, would you like to tag along?" sentences. These plot conveniences were much more refined and subtle with Poirot (or Watson in Sherlock Holmes) Guess I stick with Hercule for the next books
Hi Matt, I have to agree that the Marple books don't work as well for me either, though I did find the vicar and his wife charming in the first book. You see more of Marple in other books but I find it hard to believe she can work out the mysteries so easily.
![Gunna - HIM ALL ALONG [Official Visualizer]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/HiCxoDeo0hc/mqdefault.jpg)
A mixed bag of recommendations for you.
It's two series by one author one SF and one fantasy.
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever - Stephen R Donaldson
A caveat this is kind of a controversial series the protagonist is incredibly flawed he's really an anti hero.
The Gap Cycle - Stephen R Donaldson
A loose retelling of Wagner's Ring Cycle set in space.
The Broken Sword - Poul Anderson
Lathe of Heaven - Ursula K Leguin
The Mote In God's Eye - Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry
The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K Leguin
A Wizard of Earth Sea - Ursula K Leguin
Tower of Glass - Robert Silverberg
Downward to the Earth - Robert Silverberg
Dying Inside - Robert Silverberg
Thank you very much for that. Some of these are on my radar.
I tried Thomas Covenant years ago but didn't like it. I'm intending to re-try it sometime soon.
I am absolutely agree that Robert Jordan and Katharine Kerr are among the greatest fantasy authors. But I also recommend Witch of Two Suns series of Diana Marcellas, at least first two books.
1. "Mother Ocean, Daughter Sea" (New York: Tor, 2001), Diana Marcellas
2. "The Sea Lark's Song" (New York: Tor, 2002), Diana Marcellas
Also Robert Silverberg's Majipoor series are great:
1. Lord Valentine's Castle
2. Majipoor Chronicles
3. Valentine Pontifex
4. The Mountains of Majipoor
5. Sorcerers of Majipoor
6. Lord Prestimion
7. The King of Dreams
8. Tales of Majipoor
And I also recommend Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea and other Earthsea books.
I haven’t heard of Marcellas and will look into her, thank you!
I have yet to read Silverberg or Ursula Le Guin but hope to soon.
Thank you for sharing.
You need to read The Name Of The Wind. If you wait till the series is finished, you'll never read it and you'll have missed out on a truly wonderful book.
Regardless of how good it is, I know I will get frustrated that it's unfinished. But I will consider trying it at least.
Your rotating shelf looks so nice.
It is lovely and very practical.
I love Terry Goodkinds books, for me it was one of the best fantasy series😊
Glad to find others who enjoyed his books. 😊
An amazing collection! I was geeking out over the first edition A Song of Ice and Fire hardcovers. Hope to have a collection as nice as yours one day.
Thank you very much. 😊 I've been reading ASOIAF since it came out and I'm sure your collection will grow with time, just as mine did.
So many beautiful books! I absolutely love the older style fantasy covers.
Me too and thank you! 💕
Hi Kathi, thank you so much for this video. I really enjoyed it. It was a real treat. You have great books there, and also many beautiful ones… I would love to have a collection like yours 😍😍😍Thank you so much for the shoutout. It was also great to have Cleo’s special appearance at the end, hopefully no books were harmed with Cleo jumping around 😂
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Gaby, and I think you have an amazing collection of books. I'd love to see what fantasy books you end up collecting.
Cleo was more interested in licking Jacqui to death than causing damage. 😂
@@NerdyKathi Thank you Kathi, I look forward to finding some fantasy favourites. And yes, it sounded like Cleo was busy with Jacqui 😂
Plenty there to keep you put of mischief. Happy reading to you.
Happy reading to you as well. 😊
I think your collection is amazing, and beautiful ❤
Thank you so much Sherri. 💕
@@NerdyKathi you're very welcome ❤️
What an amazing collection! I love these videos.
Thank you so much. 😊
Thank you for taking the time to post this look into your reading life. I just finished The Book of Words by JV Jones and really enjoyed it. Regards, a fan from the USA.
You are very welcome. Thank you for watching.
Hi Kathi, Sigh! So satisfying. A few thoughts .... I may come steal that beautiful edition of Magician from you ... and the matching other two books. I bought Magician as a large paperback and the next two books that I have are small sized hardcovers. My copy of A Darkness at Sethanon is signed by the author. I met him when he came to Toronto when that book was first published. I have the second and third books in the Daughter of the Empire series in hardback but cannot for the life of me find the first book in hardback although somehow I did end up with a mini sized version of it and also an ARC copy! Katherine Kurtz Deryni books are long time favourites although her later books did little to add to the storyline and seemed to be more about what kind of tragedy she could build up to this time!!! Honestly! The woman was more than a little ... um .... bloodthirsty, unnecessarily so IMO. I'd just go ahead and read The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear, enjoy them for the story that they tell and don't bother waiting for a book three. I don't think any of us will live that long. Ditto for the Game of Thrones series actually. Have you ever read anything by Jacqueline Carey??? She's a very great favourite of mine beginning with Kushiel's Dart. I highly recommend. I'm also a huge Guy Gavriel Kay fan (Canadian author) and recommend his first trilogy The Summertree etc. Oh, and Pillars of the Earth? Definitely not fantasy. Historical fiction. Now I'm missing my packed up library even more! **sniff!!** Cheers!!! Oh, and yeah! Polgara ROCKS!!!! :)
I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I used to have many of my favourites in paperback and gave them to my brother when I got the HC. I love my Magician edition so I'd probably fight you for it. 😂
I have seen Daughter of the Empire in HC on ebay but it is expensive.
I might have to read Kurtz's earlier books first I think. I could never resist buying fantasy if I found it, even if I didn't know anything about it. That was pre the internet of course.
I might try a chapter of Name of the Wind and see what I think.
Carey's Kushiel's series didn't appeal to me.
I have yet to read Kay's book but will. I'm assuming you've tried Goodkind since he was Canadian as well.
Yes Pillars of the Earth didn't appeal to me being historical fiction.
Thank you so much for sharing and I'm so glad you enjoyed the tours.
This was such a treat to go thru and see your collection. Thanks Kathi. I added you on Instagram as well.
Thank you very much. 😊
Beautiful collection
Thank you very much.
Wow. 🤩 What a collection.
Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake and Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke are top favourites of mine.
Been rereading WoT slowly and liking it actually! Up to Book 3. I thought A Memory of Light was the final book but I always get confused with the later titles. 🤔🤭
Interested to retry The Dark Tower by Stephen King maybe. I gave up after Book 2.
Gorgeous editions. Same for The Witcher (gave up after Book 3), but those editions wow.
I am in two minds about reading the final book in Wars of Light and Shadow by Wurts. For one, I would have to reread some stuff and I really didn't like the last few books. Second, it's not that popular so there aren't detailed summaries online. Maybe I'll wait for you to read it and see what you think.
A wonderful collection, collected and preserved with so much care. Thank you for sharing with us. 🙏🏽
Thank you very much Paromita. I haven't read either of your top favourites and will have to now.
You're right A Memory of Light is the final book. I know that but must have been so tired when I edited. 😂
I think you should consider retrying The Dark Tower and Witcher, and I'm glad you are enjoying WOT.
I'll let you know how I find Wurts final book.
Great collection. Am happy to find another person who has been reading WOLAS since it started. Though I collected the paperbacks until Initiate's Trial. Can't wait for the final book to arrive, which I also have preordered.
I haven't read Sean Williams yet, but I have his Books of the Cataclysm series on my shelves. Have you tried Tony Shillitoe? He's another Australian author. He's started self publishing his out of print series, though the Dreaming of Amber series is still a project and only obtainable via use bookshop hunting at the moment.
Thank you and whilst I have grown a little tired of WOLAS I'd like to see how she finishes it.
I haven't tried Tony Shilltoe, will keep an eye out for him. Thank you!
Great collection! (particularly The Dark Tower series, a new HC collection needs to be reprinted! :) I have a question reg. the Red Rising hardcovers please, as I've got to ship them in from the US, are the bindings sewn or glued? Thanks.
Thank you very much and I really have no idea about the bindings. I don't think they sew most new hardcovers. I had them shipped from the US as well and had no issues.
Wow so many wonderful Covers Kathi. Many books I also have read. I own the Plantopedia Book too, hope there will be an update on your plants someday. You can throw The name of the wind out, he will never ever finish the series. I hate the main character in this books. I love world but the main Character ruins the story for me it would be interesting how you find the main character. Umberto Eco is very difficult to read for me I think you need several university degrees to enjoy his books fully:-)) Cleo was fun at the end hope she is just spinning the shelf and not knocking it down:-) PS Are you still considering moving or is that off the table for the moment?
Hi Michael, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I might do a more detailed update on my plants during my Autumn wrap up.
I'm curious to try Name of the Wind since so many people love it.
Umberto Eco has been sitting on my shelf for decades. It might be time to try him soon.
No, Cleo didn't knock anything over that time and yes I'm still intending to move but want to wait for warmer weather and for Cleo to grow up a little.
Towers of Midnight is book 13 and A Memory of Light is the final book just so you know lol
OMG 😂 I know that! I was so tired editing I didn't notice. Thanks.
publishers make different covers and sizes on purpose so we will buy more
I think it is also about whether it is worth their while. Sometimes book they publish don't do as well and often there is only one edition you can purchase.
Not sure where to post the largest to smallest read
I’ve finished the shortest one
Thornhedge by t kingfisher it’s completed
You can wait for the wrap up video if you prefer, but glad to hear you are halfway through the challenge. ❤
@@NerdyKathi ok I didn’t know how it worked 😌I can wait !
Here to report back on my British detective journey. I finished the first Marple novel, and have to say, I really, really disliked it. I couldn't really get into the mood or genre Christie wanted to do here, felt, expectedly, like a rural detective(comedy), but totally lacked the titular character except for around ten scenes where she suddenly appears as a deus ex machina to explain the deed and clues that the other characters never could have gotten, and then disappears again. All the characters felt bland and comical, but not funny, just off key for the murder. And (spoiler for others) to top it off, the revelation turned out to be nearly identical to Poirot 1. The culprit is the obvious suspect who wanted it to be obvious so he could get accused and cleared with circumstantial evidence giving him a false alibi.
So not sure about Marple herself, since she barely appears in the 300 pages, but that was a total flop for me, after reading Poirot and being captivated by Christie's writing and clever construction of the plot.
It also felt like she really made a poor choice in narrator, since the vicar conveniently gets invited to be at every relevant scene and interview with suspects, despite this being absolutely illogical. The "invitations" to come along are also rather poorly written and feel like they were just first drafts and would be rewritten to be more organic instead of literal "Oh vicar, would you like to tag along?" sentences. These plot conveniences were much more refined and subtle with Poirot (or Watson in Sherlock Holmes)
Guess I stick with Hercule for the next books
Hi Matt, I have to agree that the Marple books don't work as well for me either, though I did find the vicar and his wife charming in the first book. You see more of Marple in other books but I find it hard to believe she can work out the mysteries so easily.