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The Pretty Reckless' new album, Going to Hell, which is very good. Listened a few times now. I looked into the "official" critic ratings and noticed something which has always been a n interest of mine: the critic's scoring is significantly lower than most people who aren't "official" critics. This is something I noticed that happens with everything: people who aren't getting paid to criticize something are more likely to enjoy something and like things. It's almost like they get money, and suddenly they don't like things, which is a shame since Going to Hell is an excellent commercial rock album. It's a source of interest to me because I'm extremely critical of everything I interact with, but it usually leads me to liking things. The album is excellent because, although it is not marketed as such, it is basically a blend of blues rock, post-grunge vibes, and these are used to establish a nice take on alternative rock. I like to pick a handful of albums from either new artists, or artists I am unfamiliar with, at the beginning of each day, and that is what i listen to while I write. And sometimes i pick recent albums that I really liked, but haven't heard very many times. So after this I'll be giving Pale Emperor another listen. I'm also excited to get to Epica's Quantum Enigma finally, and I know Dragonforce had a new one that I somehow missed. And it wasn't originally on my list, but I've been considering putting back on Deftones' new one. I want to badly listen to Gary Hughs' Once and Future King parts I & II, but I'll probably have to wait until after I'm finished. I definitely want to get to them today, though.

I know the feeling. Writing has pretty much taken away my reading time. I still get a descent amount in since I don't sleep well (see Fight Club for details). As for the time machine, you will need to discuss that with the Chums of Chance, or the Doctor.

Fair point about movies: Forrest Gump is a fantastic example. I've got a whole write-up on Forrest Gump. But the basic premise of my view on it is that the movie builds this mythic life of this almost legendary character in current times, and places him on the outside periphery of the crux of historical turning points throughout his life. It's really interesting. That movie, as far as I am concerned, is the perfect example and summery of Magical Realism. I would say Raising Arizona is an excellent example as well, but that has the more Absurdism angle, making things pointedly impractical and improbable and making those the stylistic points of the movie. But, do to an inherent aspect of the Coen Brothers' style, the movie rides on both tracks: Magical Realism, and Absurdism, and it works out beautifully. Big Lebowski does this as well. Again, since it is embedded in their style, that's simply how it turns out. Forrest Gump however uses reasonable and plausible points but presents them in this sort of legend, and this combination is the focal point in the style of the movie. That is what makes Forrest Gump a prime example of Magical Realism. Probably the most successful execution of the genre in movies. I find these sorts of things really interesting, and really exciting to notice.

I've got this awesome place called Bookman's Entertainment Exchange. Their exchange policy and rate are amazing, and they have an insanely high selection of stuff. I get everything there: books, movies, music, they even have instruments and I've been eyeing the banjo for a while. Anyway, I always have a list of authors that I look for when I go there, and I finally got a hold of a specific book: The Last Voyage of Somebody the Sailor, by John Barth. It's about a reporter who gets stranded from a ship, but is then rescued by characters from Arabian stories. The book is a metafiction about this reporter's trading of stories with Sinbad himself. I storming love Sinbad and the Arabian Night stories, so I have been checking for this book for over a year. I was so happy. I have been working my way, slowly, through the Modernist and Postmodernist canons for five years now, and John Barth is a pretty big name in Postmodern fiction. I love the Sot-Weed Factor. I'm really glad to get to more of his books.

I use to hate reading. There was only one book I liked when I was younger, and I refused to read books. Odd enough for an 11 year-ol, it was Frankenstein, and I had to write a paper to my teacher stating exactly why it was the only book I was ever going to read. my argument was that, for some reason, i didn't think that any book could match what that book had done. I had seen it as a dualism between ugliness and beauty in the world, though of course not quite in those words. She said there were plenty of books in the world but left it at that. Other than that, all I read was mythology stuff, because it was really interesting, and it seemed shorter because the bits I was reading themselves were shorter rather than in large amounts (remember, I'm 11 and stupid so have no concept of the fact that what I read probably amounted to significantly more than what is in the average book). One day, my parents decided to take me to the bookstore, and made me get a book, because they knew I would like reading if I simply found the appropriate thing to get me into it. They got me a book called Rise of the Shadow King, first book in the Grey Griffins series, and I loved it. It was full of all sorts of mythological references and things that I got. Since this book had just come out, I wanted something else to read. So, I proceeded with Narnia, Harry Potter, and the Sword of Truth by Goodkind. Then when the Hitchhiker's Guide movie came out, a family friend wanted to watch it and we all watched, then afterwords he told me it was based off of a book series, so I spent some time reading those and was absolutely in love. Then i started reading the Wheel of Time (my moms couldn't get into them but had the first nine). In between those I read a bunch of classics, especially Mark Twain. Then I got books about mythology, and then I wanted to learn the history of the guys who made these great stories I loved, so I read history books, and my love for mythology even got me into games because I learned that elements, motifs, and characters from mythologies are often used in all sorts of games. I even started appreciating the movies I watched, because I appreciated the effort put into everything else I loved so much. So really the thing that got me into fantasy isn't just that: it got me into reading in general, as well as video games, and even music since the first music I really got into was folk music and that happened because a lot of it deals with folktales and narrative histories, and mythology. This cheesy, average, little-known children's fantasy novel is the reason I love everything as much as I do. Rise of the Shadow King (Derek Benz & JS Lewis) is the reason I read, watch, play, and listen to everything I do. I suppose there's an argument that mythology is, but it didn't actually lead me to any of these things; the book, which is the true start, was practically forced on me, and it is what made me start doing other things. It's interesting this topic is here today, I just did the very same for my sister this morning before she left for school: I had her read a piece of my writing, and she genuinely loved it. She says she wants to read more. i thought she meant my book. She said "no, in general." She is actually interested in reading now. I always think it's interesting to see how people got into doing the thing they love to do. That spark, the thing that flipped the switch. The thing that makes people go, "I want to do more of this."

Not quite what magical realism is. Those are definite fantasy, just in our world. However, there are some pretty good books that are in the vein of what you want. Lovely Bones is a great book. Something Wicked this Way Comes is really good. But no, Magical Realism isn't speculative Fiction. Magical Realism is a term used to describe Realism novels that evoke a feeling of a sort of magical presence that isn't actually really there. The excellent, crowning example of this is Bless Me, Ultima. A really great book. But definitely not what you're looking for. But things like that. Salmon Rushdie is really great at this kind of stuff, and some of those do actually tip directly into fantasy. Again, 100 Years of Solitude is one of the biggest achievements in the whole Movement and genre, but isn't what you'r looking for based on your description of ideal book recommendations. It is, however, extremely good and rather different from most other books. But if you want something completely outside of what you usually read, 100 Years of Solitude, and Bless me, Ultima would be great, and are truly Magical Realism. Reading Magical Realism evokes the same feeling as reading mythical fantasy, but actually have very, very little fantasy in them, if at all. So yeah, there's a bit of an explanation on Magical Realism. Anyway, the type of books you're looking for have some excellent options, including the ones you yourself listed, the ones I listed, and I saw a few others.Though I have heard things about Jose saramago, I have not gotten around to reading his books. i really wanted to, and I remember I was going to start, then got distracted, and then I heard he passed away. But I will definitely get to him. Based on your description, Salmon Rushdie will either be hit-or-miss for you, or you'r discover something new you like.

Re-reading Against the Day, by Thomas Pynchon, and will be reading Welcome to Hard Times, by Doctorow. After that, probably Telegraph Avenue and I've been itching to re-read Mason & Dixon, and Don Quixote. I think this will probably be the year I spend re-reading all of my favorite books lol. I have wanted to do that for a while, and it seems to have naturally happened this year. So I'll probably be seeing Arthur Dent and Dirk Gently for the first time in a few years. Which is appropriate since it's May.

I know a lot of people tend to use crime as a term to encompass both the crime genre, detective genre, and mysteries, so I'll list some stuff from all of these lol. They're all great genres anyway. -Inherent Vice, by Pynchon (detective) -Crying of Lot 49, Pynchon (mystery; conspiracy) -Against the Day, Pynchon (some plot lines are mystery, crime, and detective) -New York Trilogy, by Auster (detective) -Father Brown Stories, by Chesterton (detective & crime) -The man Who Was Thursday, Chesterton (detective, mystery & crime) -Gun, With Occasional Music, by Lethem (detective & crime) -Amnesia Moon, Lethem (Mystery) -Savage Detectives, by Balano (mystery; *not actually detectives*) -2666, Balano (Part 3 is pure crime; rest of the book not so much) -Pulp, by Bukowski (detective) -Edwin Drood, by Dickens (murder mystery) I have heard excellent things about the Thursday Next series and the Sookie Stackhouse novels; I have failed to read either at the moment, but would really like to. They are both blends of mystery and fantasy from what i understand. But the above titles should offer a pretty large variety among crime, detective, and mystery fiction. All of those authors are drastically different from one another, and all have very interesting takes on the genres. EDIT: another just occurred to me: both the Dirk Gently books by Douglas Adams. Science-fiction/fantasy/comedy detective stories written by the genius behind Hitchhiker's Guide. And a book called Welcome To Hard Times by E.L Doctorow, which I badly want to read, is about a town's reaction to a crime that practically destroys the entire town. I love the author and it sounds great, and sounds like it would be classified as crime.

I like Mircea Eliade too, he's crucial to the entire field, but finding it in English is a serious pain in the chull. It took me from 13 to 20 (now) to read all of it, not because there's so much, but because of how unavailable it is. Joseph Campbell and Hamilton however, are highly obtainable because they are in English and are EVERYWHERE. Addressing 3: I think that the authors of those would count as fiction. or, as I've taken to calling it most of my life ( mostly to myself since no one else likes talking about these things the way I do) is proto-fiction. So I am saying yes, depending on the situation. The situation depends on how it is written. In the case of Norse myths, I think it's safe to say they are mostly fictional stories of origins, and in most cases are actually embellished stories of people who actually existed at one point or another. However, in the case of something like the Abrahamic Canon as I have taken to calling it (Jewish, Christian, Islamic, LDS, Gnostic, and the Apocrypha), it's a bit iffy, since we find a bit of everything: embellished stories, myths, instructions, moral tales, poems, and genuinely historical documents. Also, the questions I posed target the writers, not so much as texts themselves. And since we can't pinpoint, concretely or for certain, the authors of Egyptian myths, it's a bit of a grey area. Who can say which ones were written by who, and who the authors are to begin with? However, most Scandinavian myths and legends have authorship that we can directly point to for credit. (Greek less so, but in many cases, we know who wrote what.) EDIT: yes, Shakespeare counts as fiction. Everything he wrote was fiction. And even better, he can fit into both 1 & 3.

The majority of us here are obviously fans of fantasy and/or scifi, so I'm curious, fantasy fans: 1 What are some of your favorite non-speculative fiction authors? 2 Favorite non-fiction author? 3 And favorite non-literature writer? Mine are probably: 1 Charles Dickens, Thomas Pynchon, James Joyce and Mark Twain 2 Joseph Campbell 3 Maynard James Keenen, Tarantino, and Kevin Smith

Kevin Smith is the best thing to come out of New Jersey.

Diamond Eyes, by Deftones. Finished listening to Hozier's album just a bit ago for the fiftieth time. And I listened to A LOT of Janis Joplin this morning.

-Born in the English-speaking world speaking English. -Can read German -Can partially read Spanish -Continue to learn German and Spanish -Need to learn ASL, Spanish, and Arabic for practical reasons -Want to learn French, Italian, Norwegian and a few others

Adaptations of comics, Sherlock Holmes, Zorro and other classic westerns generally do pretty well. Jackie Brown is an awesome one. I've loved most adaptations of Christmas Carol (Scrooged by far being the best.) I for one think The Hobbit is doing an awesome job. For the most part, movies generally do a good job at portraying new versions of novels and stories. I'm a big fan of the Robin Hood legend, so I'm always on board with Robin Hood movies. I'm big on religious studies, so adapting anyone's mythology is always something I want to watch, and they generally turn out well. Noah is an unfortunate product of an awesome idea. Nosh's ark was always one of my favorite stories from the Abrahamic mythology, so that was a big letdown. Wrath of the Titans is an unnecessary movie, the first one was a fine remake of an already fine retelling. Jason and the Argonauts is another great retelling. Greatest movie adaptation: 1994's Frankenstein. Amazing. Best adaptation of the best book. Just so great. That one is at the top of the list.

Congrats! Very excited for you. I hope I get an opportunity to read it. Is the name in ode to Jay Lake, or is that just coincidence? Again, congrats, sounds pretty great. and the cover art is fantastic.

I know this may not be in the vain of the majority's interest here, but I will deeply miss Robin Williams. No, I won't pretend to have known him, I won't speculate on his life or what happened. I'll simply say, him being the last living of my favorite three comedians, I am going to miss him. I am making this thread as a sort of fan's memorial for one of the greatest comedians and actors. Post quotes, clips, videos and pictures in memory of such a man. I know it isn't the majority of this group's taste, but I can't possibly be the only one who was a huge fan of Robin Williams. Rest in peace, Robin Williams. You are missed. I'll start with the scene in which Mork broke out of his egg ship lol. From the show, Mork & Mindy, which I am convinced inspired one of my favorite shows 3rd Rock. (If you haven't seen either show, watch them.)

Well: -the Writing Excuses Anthology has Sixth of the Dusk -Hope of Elantris can be found on Brandon's page -a new Jasnah scene is available on both the front page here, and on Tor as well (set between WoR and book 3) -two whole novels can be made available by simply e-mailing the man himself. They're both great -"Shadows for Silence..." is in Dangerous Women I feel like I'm forgetting something, but I can't think of what. Anyway, there you go I'm sure someone else will figure out what I'm forgetting.

Seriously, though. Thanks for writing down the FantasyCon reading content.

Brian McClellan's Powder Mage (some of the best in a long time) Daniel Abraham's Long Price and Dagger & Coin Django Wexler's The Thousand Names Brent Weeks' Lightbringer Naomi Novik's Temeraire rocks. These five authors are all new and fairly recent, are exceptionally talented and are fairly prolific. And then the obvious: LotR, Narnia, Gormenghast and Terry Pratchett. I put these at the bottom because I guarantee these four have been recommended to everyone by now, but just in case somehow they weren't lol. non-fantasy books you might like: Book of the New Sun Dune saga Ender Saga (after first book) Foundation War & Peace Clockwork Century series by Cherie Priest

Mistborn was great. I loved them. Hoid's strongest appearance in my opinion was in Warbreaker.

That's ridiculous. There's no such thing as a good reason to skip any part of a series.

I love that idea and that was my original thought. And it's everyone's dream to build their own Desktop PC someday. Was wondering if there were laptops more suitable though. I tend to like them more. But you guys are probably right. Getting a Desktop would be best. Lightswarm Panda: I've already played the Hell out of Age of Empires and it's expansion. I grew up playing it. However, it's been a bit now, not a bad call. Ought to go find that later lol. It's somewhere around here. But yeah, I'll stick to looking for a desktop.

A $300 or less range is preferred, I'd be willing to save for up to $400 though. If that's too low of expectations for this type of thing, I'm patient and would be willing to save up for a long time. I was mostly looking for ideas is all. It's mostly just ideas for now. Just want to see what kinds of things are out there.

It's a pretty great book. On page 200 now, going a bit slow because I finally started college (yay) and I'm just loving it. As far as what plots I've liked that are already happening, I really genuinely like all of them and the events that have/are happening. Also, I don't mind slow pacing, side-story diversions or any of the other complaints. I've already got a few ideas of what's to come. I'm highly concerned about the weather problem, which I noticed I think in book 3 or 4 and can't help but foresee that coming up at some point. My only complaint so far is not seeing enough of Morgase, because they ended the 5th book with a really interesting plot for Morgase and I'm like a third through this book with no sight of Morgase's new plot thread, maybe that's one of the "bad books". I'd really like to see more of her at some point. The same goes with Perrin, who has been absent for almost two books now. And I think it would be really neat if Masema the Prophet's POV in somewhere. But I get it, the books are "already long enough" according to most people. I just see so much more that could be put in. Oh well.

I need a bit of help finding something. There are a lot of games I'm interested in playing and I would really like to get beck into gaming eventually. I love rpgs and want to someday get a computer dedicated to JUST gaming, mostly older games. So I was wondering if there is a simple, reasonably-priced laptop that can play older games ranging from DOS to newer games. Even if I would need an external storage of some sort for it, that would be fine, too. Or even an external storage, one that could hold a lot of games for my current laptop: an HP Pavilion, with something that would allow me to play a range of games from DOS to newer. Either one of those would work. I'm not too concerned about memory, I usually keep my computer plugged in anyway. If it's relevant or useful in any way, examples of games I would like to play are the Ultima series, Might & Magic and Heroes of Might & Magic series and other similar games. Mostly those three series to be honest, but they're quite a wealth of games on their own. Anyway, summery of requirements: -Either laptop OR external storage for current laptop -Capable of games ranging from DOS to newer games, mostly older (examples given above) -Battery power isn't much of an issue to me