The Biblomaniac Army (booklovers, UNITE!) v.2

[Yenamancer]

Soo.. I'm just gonna fill out this thing here

Username: Xiphosuras
Nickname (if any): Idk just Xipho or Xiph is okay if you want?
Top Ten Favorite Books: Hoo boy, alright:

1: The Discovery of Heaven by Harry Mulisch - I can't do this book justice in a few sentences, it encompasses so many subjects and themes. If you ever find it somewhere, I highly recommend it, though it's not a feel good book by any means. The way Mulisch combined the idea of heaven and souls with astronomy and quantum mechanics alone is marvelous.

2: The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. I haven't read all of the later ones yet, but the witches series is my favourite, along with Small Gods, Reaper Man, Guards! Guards! and The Light Fantastic. I honestly like all of them though. I love that these books are incredibly funny deconstructions of the fantasy genre while also having deep, meaningful stories which explore humanity. Guards! Guards! is a great one to start with, you should probably read them in English as much of the wordplay can get lost in translation. Cannot recommend enough (There's also a number of titles written for young adults, I haven't read any of these yet myself, so those might be a good place to start as well).

3: The works of H.P.Lovecraft. I friggin' love the atmosphere in these stories. It's cosmic horror at it's finest, though I can really see it's not for everyone. Some of the creatures and supposed horror may seem a little silly or is downright racist (Lovecraft wasn't the most progressive guy, but then again this was early 20th century), but the stories still give me the chills. At the Mountains of Madness remains my favourite, though Shadow over Innsmouth and The Temple are great as well and I have a major soft spot for The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath.

4: Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. This is just a really fun read and it's written by two of the best fantasy writers. Something of a parody/deconstruction of the book of Revelations.

5: The Redwall series by Brian Jacques. A lengthy low fantasy/medieval children's series about forest animals who live at Redwall Abbey and regularly have to defend it against invading rats, weasels, foxes and other predators. These are very nostalgic to me, but they hold up surprisingly well by virtue of the writing. The stories are usually quite simple but the characters are endearing and memorable and the descriptions of the world and its nature are so vivid you'll feel as if you're there traveling alongside the heroes. The violence is also not sugarcoated and prepare to cry because characters die a lot. I'd start with the first, simply called Redwall, then check out Martin the Warrior or Mossflower, those are some of the best.

6: A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. I just love how extensive the world, the plot, the history, everything is in this series, and the characters are fascinating and multifaceted as well. And many of them die.

7: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I like the first book the best of the series, it just makes me laugh, simple as that. The humor is very surreal and silly, so if that's your thing, give it a read! It's quite short.

8: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. I do like the 39' movie a little better than the book, but the book is great as well, this is the kind of twisted relationship story I can get behind. Also, I love Cathy.

9: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. The chapters I liked the most were actually the ones with the god Pan and the Searat, because of their atmosphere.

10: Verborgen Gebreken by Renate Dorrestein. I just really like her writing style, I need to read more of her books sometime.

Average amount of time it takes you to finish a book: If I have a lot of time on hand I read up to 250 pages a day, though these days I usually have to reserve reading for on the train and to help me get to sleep.
How many of the above symptoms you regularly experience: At least five.

[NopesaurusRexx]

How was Redwall? I've heard mixed things from different people and I'm really curious of if it would be a good one to read.

[Nitro Indigo]

How was Redwall? I've heard mixed things from different people and I'm really curious of if it would be a good one to read.

I've never read it, but it's basically a medieval fantasy with British wildlife.

[Yenamancer]

I personally love the whole series, I've been rereading it just recently. If you like old school adventure with some questing and puzzling and battles of good vs evil, Redwall is just that. The plots don't go very deep and the morality is mostly black and white, but there are a lot of good messages for kids and the characters are very likeable and memorable. And Jacques had a way of pulling you into the world with his writing that I have yet to encounter anywhere else.

Some of my favourites are Mossflower, Martin the Warrior, The Pearls of Lutra and Marlfox, but Redwall is probably the best one to read first as it introduces a lot of the staples in the series that get explored in the other books. It does feel a little more 'kiddie' than the rest but there's a lot to like. Either way, it's a fairly quick read so you won't lose anything

[Eilya]

Username: Dogloversin2016
Nickname (if any): Abby
Top Ten Favorite Books: Little Women, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Hobbit, The Two Towers, The Return of the King, Ella Enchanted, I Want To Go Home, A Girl of the Limberlost, The Narnia Chronicles, and The Redwall series!
Average amount of time it takes you to finish a book: It depends, maybe around an hour. It depends if I am trying to finish it quickly, and how long the book is.
How many of the above symptoms you regularly experience: All of them.

[Eilya]

I so forgot about Redwall!! It is one of my favorite series! Gotta put that on there.

[NopesaurusRexx]

I got four books in the mail today (shopping therapy for myself) and I completely read "A Dog's Purpose" by W. Bruce Cameron in 3 hours, it is SO good!! I highly recommend it for everyone!

[Nitro Indigo]

Anyone know any good books about birds? I've already read (some of) Guardians of Ga'Hoole.

[Aliria]

Anyone know any good books about birds? I've already read (some of) Guardians of Ga'Hoole.

I've never read it, but I've heard Swordbird is pretty good. Plus the author was twelve when she wrote it, which is pretty impressive.

[Nitro Indigo]

I asked because I want to write a book about birds, and needed inspiration.
Speaking of which, I was rereading that part of Guardians of Ga'Hoole: The Journey with the puffins, since it's my favourite part. I find it interesting how they use "ice" as an expletive. And then Warner Brothers replaced them with a random echidna.