BTT: Ground Floor

Booking Through Thursdays asks:
There’s something wonderful about getting in on the ground floor of an author’s career–about being one of the first people to read and admire them, before they became famous best-sellers. Which authors have you been lucky enough to discover at the very beginning of their careers? And, if you’ve never had that chance, which author do you WISH you’d been able to discover at the very beginning?

This one is so damn easy to answer! Peter V Brett! I received an ARC of The Painted Man through a book social networking site in Australia called Booktagger. I started reading it and I was immediately swept away by the characters and the plot. I used to read about 98% Epic Fantasy, but by the time I was 20 I was getting quite sick of the repetition – same characters, same plot, same feel to the world building. The Painted Man was so refreshing! It wasn’t a retelling of the classics, but something new. I received the ARC a long time before the book was released to the public, and then had to wait another year on top of that for The Desert Spear, but it was worth the wait! I still can’t afford to buy the novella Brayan’s Gold but I hope to soon. I love finding a promising author early. I love sharing the love. I passed it on to my brother, who has passed it on to his friend who passed it on to his girlfriend. It will be interesting to see how his career takes off. A lot of my friends have discovered him in the last year of so, and it is lovely when I meet other nerds and find out they have discovered his books and become fascinated with the demons rising from the core.

I met Peter at a signing at Galaxy last year and found out that apparently my ARC is quite rare and even he doesn't have a copy of it! It was printed locally in limited numbers or some such. Suffice to say, it now has a special place on my bookshelf  and I need to buy a new copy before I can justify reading it again!

I have been on the bandwagon early for other authors, but Peter V Brett is probably the earliest. Normally I discover an author after they have published a novel, not before it has been released! :D

Book Survey IX

1. A book that made you cry:
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. I was reading it in class, and because I read faster than all my class mates they couldn’t understand why I was bawling my eyes out. I was 13 at the time and it hit me pretty hard.

2. A book that scared you:
The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin. I was about 9 at the time, and that book scared the bejesus out of me! The suspense and concepts in that book were probably a bit heavy for a nine year old (it is nothing like the movie!) but I had run out of things to read, so I was dipping into the family bookshelf again.

3. A book that made you laugh:
Piers Antony and Terry Pratchett novels always make me chortle.

4. A book that disgusted you:
The Sound and The Fury by William Faulkner. While I could appreciate it’s literary merit, I haven’t been able to reread it. Also, that scene with Miss Havisham in Great Expectations with the wedding cake and the ruins of her wedding dress still freaks me out. I picture the ravaged finery being infested by spiders and smelling of dust and mildew *shudders*

5. A book you loved in elementary school:
The Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton. I loved the concept of the lands at the top of the tree, and I loved the crazy characters like The Saucepan Man and Moonface. One day I am definitely going to a costume party as the Saucepan Man LOL

6. A book you loved in middle school:
Looking For Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta. Yes, I read it as a new release! I was so addicted to that book that I reread it over and over and over. I also loved See How They Run by David McRobbie and A Bridge To Wiseman’s Cove by James Moloney.

7. A book you loved in high school:
The Dancing Bear by Peter Dickinson. My school was throwing them out and I nabbed a copy. It is being held together with a rubber band, but I still really love this book. It is about a slave boy and his bear on a quest to save the girl he loves (and his mistress) who has been stolen by raiders. It is set in the Byzantine Empire, and absolutely fascinating! I also loved Playing Beatie Bow by Ruth Park which is about a girl being lost in time and ending up in Victorian times in Sydney.

8. A book you hated in high school:
I can’t think of any books I hated in high school. I didn’t finish reading Wuthering Heights, but that is because I got bored half way through and needed to have a classic read for my major English assignment. I convinced my teacher that Lord of the Rings was a classic, and did my assessment on it instead.

9. A book you loved in college:
Just one? The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. I will never look at processed meat the same! I feel sorry that the author’s dream was shattered and people focussed more on the hygiene standards of the meat works rather than the living conditions of the poor in Chicago.

10. A book that challenged your identity or your faith:
I can’t think of any. I could name any number which challenged my (limited) faith in humanity. The biggest one, while an interesting read, was absolutely abhorrent. It was Sacrifice As Terror by Christopher C Taylor, and was about the cultural facets of the Rwandan genocide. Some of the content was extremely graphic, disturbing and horrifying, and I would rather pretend that people couldn’t do that to each other. However, on an intellectual level, it was absolutely fascinating! A lot of the atrocities were cultural in how they were perpetrated, and mimicked fertility rites and the like. Disturbing, yet it was fascinating the motivations for specific acts. I don’t recommend anyone reads it unless they are an anthropology or sociology major and focusing on violence and culture. Brilliant book, abhorrent subject.

11. A series that you love:
Just one?! *whimpers* Charles de Lint’s Newford stories. They aren’t a serial, but are more of a collection.

12. Your favourite horror book:
Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I also really loved Stephen King’s Night Shift.

13. Your favourite science-fiction book:
Dune by Frank Herbert.

14. Your favourite fantasy book:
*eyes pop out of my head* JUST ONE??!! I have been reading fantasy for so long that I haven’t just one favourite novel in this genre, but many. Magician by Raymond E Fiest is probably the most obvious answer I could give. Or JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. So I won’t be obvious. But how can I choose! *wails* I will just list a few: Someplace To Be Flying by Charles de Lint, The Painted Man by Peter V Brett, Bitten by Kelley Armstrong, Waylander (or Iron Hand’s Daughter, Druss The Legend, The Swords of Night and Day etc) by David Gemmell, Phoenix and Ashes by Mercedes Lackey – I have more… many many many MANY more….

15. Your favorite mystery book:
One written by Dick Francis. He is greatly missed!

16. Your favourite biography:
I don’t read those.

17. Your favourite coming-of-age book:
Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

18. Your favourite book not on this list:
I haven’t mentioned The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Pride and Prejudice or Persuasions by Jane Austen, or Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

Trip to Galaxy & Abbey's, Peter V Brett booksigning in Sydney!

I am heading into Galaxy after work tonight. I really need something new to read. I love pay day! I have to remember to duck across to Abbey's and pick up a copy of On The Road by Jack Kerouac for the new book club. If you are in Sutherland Shire, or there abouts and are generally a bookish person, and want to discuss books with us, let me know. We each pick a book a month, and aren't limited to a genre. Anyway, first meeting is next month. So I need to pick up a copy of On the Road. What's the bet I forget to go to Abbey's again? I get distracted by Galaxy too much *sigh*

I am not quite sure what I am buying at Galaxy tonight. I haven't anything pressing to get, just a lot of books I would like to get. Wish me luck! I am going through a book drought, and I really need something to read... I have been chowing down on my Nora Robert's collection for something to do... I really need some fresh meat!

Other news: According to VoyagerBooks on Twitter, Peter V Brett will be at Galaxy on September 8th, after 5pm! I am still annoyed Galaxy doesn't have twitter and can't tell me themselves, but anyhoo... YEAY! Peter V Brett!! I can't wait! So I need to buy a hard cover of The Desert Spear, and make sure my ARC of The Painted Man is in good condition... and get a new paperback copy of The Painted Man for future reading. I am very excited! I got an ARC from Booktagger.com a few years ago, and I was hooked! Bonnie did too, and now we are both staunch loyalists when it comes to Pete.

Rambles: SWF Poetry & Melina Marchetta, Lover Mine, Desert Spear, Insomnia reading etc

I haven't had any time to write reviews, nor have I found any definitive stories to blog about this week. For that reason this entry will just be me blogging, on a book-themed ramble. Things that have been happening lately are the Sydney Writer's Festival, a LOT of my favourite authors bringing out books, twitter, and my new reading regime.

Sydney Writer's Festival: I had plans to go to two of these events, Poems To Share and Melina Marchetta and David Levithan discussing writing YA Fiction. The first was on Friday. I went to Poems to Share with Anna and some of her PhD friends. Yep, they are all studying English and Medieval Literature. That for me is completely swoon-worthy, and something I would have focused on myself if I wasn't so positive that Archaeology was where I wanted to go. I loved studying Anglo Saxon (Old English) at university - and I was bloody good at it! My lecturer was always talking about me doing my PhD in it, and I always got HD grades LOL That is where I met Anna. She lives the dream! She did her Masters studying Medieval Literature at the University of Leeds in the UK, then came back here and is now doing her PhD at University of Sydney. All her friends are through her postgrad studies, except little old me. I'm a wannabe. I get so depressed that I work in a office, with no vocational connection to archaeology or cultural heritage management. And then I see my friends all living the dream or still studying. Damn I miss uni. I would have stayed there if I could afford it LOL Okay, I got off topic! So Anna invited me with her uni mates to go to Poems to Share at the SWF. I love poetry, but have never been to a reading before. I was concerned that is would be completely pretentious, and whilst I found the first poet's list poetry to be, the rest was great! I really liked a lot of the poetry. The only two I remember the names for are Lachlan Brown who wrote some really amazing poetry about growing up in the Western Sydney suburbs. The other is Kate Fagan, who I also know as a folk singer. I have to admit, we got there about 5 minutes late, and the lady who was meant to show us our table was clueless. We ended up sitting on chairs up the back instead of our table up the front. The entire night was unpretentious and fun, and I found most of the poetry to my taste. And I had fun! Later we went to Pancakes on the Rocks and can I just tell you, waiting for a table for 8 at Pancakes is terrible! But it worked, and was worth the wait! So I spent the night talking about all the various adaptations and interpretations of Robin Hood (which is what Sabina is doing her thesis on - also a fellow nerd, so we got into authors like Gemmell and Zimmer-Bradley etc), about the sucky job opportunities of humanities degrees without postgrad *le sigh* and just general chit chat. It was a lot of fun, and I would go again! I was meant to go see Melina Marchetta and David Levithan discuss their characterisations and writing young adult fiction on Sunday. I was getting really excited, because I have been a fan of Melina Marchetta for nearly 15 years! I discovered her novel Looking for Alibrandi when I was in year 7, about the same time I discovered See How They Run by David McRobbie - I reread both of them numerous times. In year 12, they bought out the movie with Pia Miranda and Anthony Lapaglia - we studied the novel for English and the movie was a field trip (that I missed because I was on a geography excursion). Anyway, Melinia Marchetta has been a part of my teens, and I was looking forwards to hearing her talk about her characters and writing YA Fiction. I've seen her talk before, at the film festival in Leichhardt but that was about being and Italian Australian, not about her writing. I've always borrowed her books, so I didn't have any of my own to get autographed (She has always been on my buy list, but I never get around to it LOL) but Bonnie did, so I was planning on getting Melina to sign Finnikin of the Rock for her. However, on Sunday I was having an off day, and couldn't get out of bed (I couldn't even get into the kitchen to find food.. got a bit hungry!) so I had to cancel. I am so sad and disappointed. I really really wanted to go! It seemed like it would have been a really interesting discussion about YA Fiction. Another time, I guess *sigh*

In other news, last Sunday, the day after the ARRA Awards ceremony, I went into Galaxy because my friend Sofia said that Tracey O'Hara and Erica Hayes would be there. Sadly Tracey had to head back home and couldn't make it, but she commented on my blog!! *squee* I have met her before at my PR book club, and she is such a wonderful person. I love her book, can't wait for the sequel. Definitely squee-worthy! So, there was just Erica Hayes. She was lovely. She signed my book for me (I will photograph that later and add it to my collection here) and had a little chat before heading off to the book stacks. I read the book straight away, and said something on twitter, and she replied! Not only that, she spelt my name correctly! :D I love her book too. It is set in Melbourne, and it has that gritty feel to it that I find a lot of Aussie authors seem to have.

Recently read books I was jonesing for:

Lover Mine by JR Ward - I think I focused more of Quinn and Blaylock than I did on John and Xhex. I loved it! It was sad and violent, but at the same time, there was always hope. I love the twist about Xhex's origins. I really think that Quinn and Blaylock need their own book! I am not sure if Ward will write a M/M, but I think these two characters deserve their own stage. They really were outshining John and Xhex, despite those two being favourites we waited for impatiently.  
5/5 Stars

The Desert Spear by Peter V Brett - I finished this last night. I really loved the first half about the Krasians. I have a thing about desert cultures, and it was really good to see more about their motivations. I think the second half of the book went on too many tangents, but I still loved it. I think he is mostly setting up the third book, but at the same time, I am not too sure I like the connections he is making. The last tangent is annoying me, and the last line was a total WTF moment. I love the development with the corelings, and I want to know more. There is a passage at the end of the book that was very intriguing. I am hooked, I need to read the third book! I would have given it a lower score, but the first half of the book was terrific.  
4/5 Stars

My review for the first book in the series (The Painted Man, called The Marked Man in America) can be found here.

The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong - I really love Kelley Armstrong. She rarely writes something I didn't like! I really like this series, and I love they way the plot is playing out. The love triangle gets resolved as well, people are lost and people are found, and friends aren't always what they appear. The intrigue in this series is great!
5/5 Stars

I have a new regime when it comes to reading. Previously I was reading one book actively, and about 9 waiting for me to finish them at any one time. My new deal is I have a book for work, normally one I am hooked on and am likely to fly through. Then there is a home book that lives on my spare pillow. I read it of a night and they tend to be rereads or slower books. I am not allowed to read my work book after 12am (because I tend to read them until they are finished). I've been doing this in just over a week, and it has been going well. I am trying to get my sleeping patterns under control (insomnia, so my bedtime is 2am) and I think having a sure fire way of putting my book down when I can't keep my eyes open will help. I tend to steam on when it is a fast ride. Even if I don't change my sleep patterns by doing this, I am hopping to get through my stack of partly read books that I put aside whenever I hit Galaxy bookstore and pick up fresh titles. Wish me luck.

So, questions... Did you go to Sydney Writer's Festival, have you been to a poetry reading, what did you think of Lover Mine, and how do you cope with your reading pile? And do you squee when you interact with a favoured author?

Review: The Painted Man by Peter V Brett

I am transcribing the review I wrote on my phone on the 24th April 2010. This is the first book I am using for the North American part of the Global Challenge I am undertaking. In the United States, this book is entitled The Warded Man (ours is better!).

I just read The Painted Man by Peter V Brett for the second time. I loved it the first time I read it, it was my pick of the year. On reading it, I was just as involved with the story. I had slightly misremembered the significance of some things, but overall it was just as I remembered; an involving plot that twists and turns, and three well written protagonists that you can’t help but appreciate. The best things are the monsters (aren’t they always?), demons (creatures from the world’s core) in many shapes and sizes, inhumane and alien. The Painted Man follows the story of one boy who refuses to hide anymore, a girl who realises she can be more than just a wife and mother, and a boy who overcomes the odds to discover an amazing musical gift. Their story weaves together in a land where every night is fraught with terror and potential peril. Crofters hide in their warded cottages, listening to the sound of demonic screams of rage as the corelings test their wards over and over, berserking at the thought of their slaughter. The cityfolk hide behind their warded walls. They don't see or hear the corelings, but they are still hidebound because that one night they chance the streets might be the night the corelings succeed in breaking the wards. Being caught outside of the wards is a known death sentence, and so humanity clings to its protection. The only people that face the night are the Messengers and Jongleurs. They journey outside the cities and villages, with only a warded rope circle to protect them. These are flimsy, and if they are aligned incorrectly, or they get smudged the corelings can break in and eat the people and horses. However, in the desert regions, the people there have a different philosophy. They keep their women and children safe, but of a night the men hunt the corelings, and if they are martyred when hunting they are accorded honour and special rewards in the afterlife.

Age is a legacy in this novel. The story goes that once there were no corelings, and when they came, humanity was lead in battle against them by the Deliverer, the painted man. There were large battles and eventually the corelings were sent back to the core. I have to say here, that this whole narrative reminds me of Ar-Pharazon’s battle against Sauron in The Second Age in The Lord of the Rings world (I can’t remember which book it was LOL). In The Painted Man back story, after the corelings were defeated, the various city states tried to claim the Deliverer as their own, so they could rule the land. The Deliverer grew tired of this and disappeared. A lot of mysticism surrounds this fact, and it is said he will one day return. As the immediacy of the horror of the corelings faded, humanity started the age of science and forgot about the importance of warding, and forgot the combat wards, amongst others. And so the corelings returned to wreak havoc on the now unsuspecting and unprotected mankind. Scattered all over the landscape are ruins from ages past, in which Messengers dig around in these looking for useful wards that have been forgotten in time. Messengers, as their name suggests, also connects the scattered and dwindling communities. The Jongleurs ride with them, entertaining the children, and sharing (reinforcing) the stories that make up their culture – such as the ones about Deliverer.

The three main characters, despite starting life in a normal existence in small close knit communities, have a traumatic event happen in their lives, which makes them aware that there is more to life than what they were raised to know. So Arlen becomes a Messenger, Leesha becomes healer, and Rojer becomes a Jongleur. I can’t really write more about this book without giving things away, but suffice to say, it is a very riveting story that I loved both times I read it. I bought the sequel, and I am looking forwards to reading it and finding out what happens next! Both Bonnie and I got review copies of The Painted Man through Booktagger.com and were quite impressed with Peter V Brett and this book.  I really can’t wait to start reading its sequel, The Desert Spear.

5/5 Stars

When the budget doesn't match the desire...

I have a dilemma! I think I worked out a solution, but it wasn't easy. I give myself a budget of $AU30 a fortnight to spend on books. I don't always stick to it, as I have also translated it into a max of three books if they total more than that budget. Hell, I don’t even always stick to that when I need to feed my addiction! But when I have a tight budget, I be a good little girl and stick to my budget. The problem is that I had ordered a number of books, and by chance, they have all arrived at the same time! So I need to try and decide what I should buy.

The Desert Spear - Peter V Brett $29.99
The Riven Kingdom - Karen Miller $22.99
Silver Borne - Patricia Briggs $19.99

That is more than $70! There are others out that I want, but they can wait. Both Brett and Miller are special orders, and had a 14 day period before they get taken off hold - both came in last week, so I need to get them ASAP. Silver Borne isn't, but I need a light read as well. Both The Desert Spear and The Riven Kingdom, if their predecessors are any indicator, are likely to be lovely thick novels, so I will need something light to break up all that epic fantasy (so I keep telling myself LOL). So I am torn. Do I buy two amazing books or three?! I am meant to be going to the zoo on the weekend because Kelley is moving back to Brisbane, and I will need money for that. I also need money because my mum should be coming down towards the end of my pay period. So I can't splurge like I have been lately (like I said, I try to be good, but it creeps up over $50 a lot lately). But I really really really REALLY want to read Silver Borne! I love the Mercy Thompson series, and this is the newest, just released, book in the series.... *must read*

I HATE DILEMMAS! I hate fighting myself and being sensible. Someone buy me a book?! Or a lottery ticket LOL



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Book Survey I: The IntrovertZ

http://www.theintrovertzcoach.com/booksurvey.html

(Just a quick warning - I am posting pics of book covers, and one is to do with human remains... be prepared to scroll if you are sensitive)

What book are you reading now?
Redemption Alley - Lilith Saintcrow is my main squeeze at the moment but I am also (inactively) reading:
The Vampire Lestat - Anne Rice
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke

What are your favourite books? [You can put specific books or genres or both.]
Mostly the come under the heading of Fantasy: Epic Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Dark Fantasy and Paranormal Romance, etc. However I also love Classics, Gothic Romances, Science Fiction and Mysteries.

How did you learn to read?
My dad started reading to me at a very young age. Books like Brer Rabbit's A Rascal and Black Beauty are some of the earliest books I both remember having read to me, and learning to read.

What foreign languages do you read?
Anglo Saxon (Old English). I also know enough German to know if you are talking about cats and dogs.

What's the funniest book you ever read?
Probably something like Terry Pratchett.

What books have changed the way you look at the world or the way you live your life?
Bog Bodies: Mummies and Curious Corpses when I was in Year Four at school. I had that book out of the library for most of the year, and constantly reread it. I was absolutely facinated by the cultures preserving their dead, the practices they performed, and the biology behind the preservation. I pinpoint that as one of the turning points in regards to choosing archaeology as a career and discovering it was my vocation.

What books have affirmed what you believe about life or the way you look at things?
Um... I am not sure. I don't really read books about affirmation. Reading Charles de Lint's books has made me more accepting of my own inviduality, but that is because his characters are so interesting.

What books have you changed your mind about?
Anne Rice. I hated Interview With A Vampire, but I am liking The Vampire Lestat.

What are some of the scariest books you've ever read?
Books on genocide for "The Anthropology of Violence" subject I took at uni. It wasn't scary as in thrills, but scary how sensible the thought behind terror as a political tool can be made to seem.

About how many books do you think you have you read in your life?
Too many to number. Sometimes I read 100 books a year, sometimes its 300. When I was a 10 year old I was reading about 50. I am now 26, and I don't see this abating any time soon!

About how many books do you own?
I have no idea. Well into the hundreds.

How many books per month do you usually borrow from the library?
None. I used to borrow 5-10 a week but the libraries rarely have anything I haven't read that I am interested in reading.

How much would you say you've paid in library fines in your life?
A lot!

Do you read in bed?
Yes, it is my favourite place to read.

Do you ever read while walking or driving?
Not whilst driving, but I do walk and read quite a bit. There are times when I am working to or from the trainstation, and I just can't bear to put my book down.

OK, let's get real. Where is the strangest place you've read a book?
In lines for metal gigs, in lines at theme parks, in a canoe...

Do you listen to audio books?
No, they seem to defeat the purpose of a book. I am a very tactile person.

Has anyone ever read aloud to you or you to them? Tell us more.
My dad used to read to me when I was little. I think that is what started off my love affair with fiction. We didn't see a lot of Dad back then - he worked a LOT of overtime. So Mum would wake us up at 4am to say goodbye every morning, and wake us up late at night to say goodnight. Then he would sit snuggled in my bed and read to me.Those are some of my earliest and most treasured memories.

What book was the most difficult to read?
Wuthering Heights when I was 14. I put it down and said I would never read it again. I broke that promise, because I am now working my way through it again - when I am not reading anything else LOL

Do you read every word of a book, or skip parts that don't hold your interest?
Every word.

What books do you keep intending to read but put off?
George Orwell's 1984.

Do you buy new or used books, paperbacks or hardbacks, leather or collector's items?
All of the above! I prefer hardcovers for non-fiction, and I rarely buy collectors items. Ideally, new paperbacks. But I have no problem with buying second hand books - they have helped feed my addiction for the last 20 years LOL

What is the first book you remember reading?
Dad reading Brer Rabbit's A Rascal or Black Beauty. The first book I read myself was also Brer Rabbit.

Do you lend your books? Ever had to hire Large Louis to get it back for you?
I am no longer lending books. I have had too many things happen to my preciousouses in the last 6 months.

What were your favourite books when you were a child?
Enid Blyton, Tamora Pierce, Roald Dahl, Libby Hathorn, Gary Crew, David McRobbie, CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Ann Martin, L.M. Montgomery, Jackie French, Paul Jennings, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Louisa May Alcott, Isobelle Carmody, John Marsden, May Gibbs, Victor Kellher, Gillian Rubenstien, Sonya Harnett, Catherine Jinks, Francine Pascal, Christopher Pike, Garth Nix… etc

What children's books do you most enjoy as an adult?
Tamora Pierce, JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, PC & Kirsten Cast, Richelle Mead, Rachel Caine, JK Rowlings, Libby Hathorn, Isobelle Carmody, etc.

What books would you especially recommend to young people?
All of those mentioned in the last two questions.

Do you ever read the ending first?
No.

DUELLING BOOKS

Did you ever agree to read the book somebody was pushing on you if they would read one for you in exchange? What were the books?
No, but I have a suggestions exchange with friends quite a bit.

Have you ever read a book more than once? If so, mention them and why you read them more than once, please.
A better question would be which books I haven't read more than once! Most books I read at least twice.

What frequently recommended books have you been unable to finish?
Dan Brown. Need I say more?

Which of these world classics did you actually plow through at one time or another in your life?
[x] The Iliad
[x] The Odyssey
[x] The Aeneid
[ ] Dante's Inferno
[ ] Paradise Lost
[ ] Goethe's Faust
[ ] War and Peace
[ ] Ulysses
[ ] Les Miserables
[ ] Atlas Shrugged
[x] Moby Dick
[ ] Gone with the Wind
[ ] Remembrance of Things Past
[ ] Churchill's History of England
[ ] Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire


What other favourite books of yours are extremely long?
Off the top of my head, I would say Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien and The Painted Man by Peter V Brett. This is just from visualising my bookshelf - I have a lot of thick books, but I couldn't pinpoint which without physically standing in front of my shelves.