Quote from: GeekEclectic;1140648He's the one I was neutral towards! Lemme guess. When he was fleeing after his hometown had been destroyed, at the beginning of the book, that's going to turn out to be his own handiwork? It wouldn't be the most ham-fisted use of split personality I've seen, but it'd be up there. It does seem like it'd come out of left field, too. When he was thinking of abandoning the mage's apprentice, it was all about practicalities and the sad realities of wilderness travel. Nothing malicious to even hint at a split personality, and that seems like a good place to have placed something. The other two - the fop and the torturer - I kind of just want done with. The magician dude introduced just a short ways in seems okay as long as you're polite. The only people he's shown up(not even hurt at this point) were being rude and making threats.

Nah, nothing quite that honest.  Its just that when Nine-fingers goes into his 'rage' he isn't blinded by anger but instead has this compulsion to murder everyone and everything, friends included... which he does more than once in the series.  It could just be that Abercrombie doesn't understand 'anger' very well, which seems unlikely.

Honestly, Sand Dan Glokter is, by the end of the books, probably the most likeable. He doesn't exactly 'grow' as a character... its better to describe him as an 'already completed' character who happens to be living through strange times. Its a sad state of affairs when a torturer is the most likeable character.

Some WEB Griffin books, On Killing by Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman, Shogun by James Clavell, and some non-fiction books on mindset and toughening up.

Im finally reading Elric of Melnibone i might pick up the audio book cause ive been driving a lot recently.

Two new releases in well-liked series this week: Peace Talks by Jim Butcher, and The Earth a Machine to Speak, Book #5 of the Yankee Republic series by Fenton Wood, which is a delightful mix of boy's adventure, alternate history, and high-concept science fiction/deep myth.

The Fortress by Alexander Watson - not fiction but I love me some war writing, and this is on about a campaign I know little about. There's a war brewing in my campaign, so sieges are likely to be on the agenda (speaking of which, I recently read "16 ways to defend a walled city" - great stuff).

Quote from: Shasarak;1140690Finished Skin Game, now on to Peace Talks.

Well that was fast.  Now I see why the next book is coming in a few months.  Turns out Peace Talk is just half a book.  

The next Drizzt book is coming out soon so looks like Timeless and Boundless are next up.

Yeah I'm reading Peace talks too. Great read so far!
I have a few other book on the go as well that I read on and off.

Some Fantasy  and Scifi.
Others more Academic/Esoteric.

Quote from: Jason Coplen;1140703Some WEB Griffin books, On Killing by Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman, Shogun by James Clavell, and some non-fiction books on mindset and toughening up.

I keep meaning to get around to On Killing.

I can heartily recommend "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck" by Mark Manson, and if you've got a taste for the ancients, "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius and the "Enchiridion" by Epictitus.

Quote from: LiferGamer;1140922I keep meaning to get around to On Killing.

I can heartily recommend "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck" by Mark Manson, and if you've got a taste for the ancients, "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius and the "Enchiridion" by Epictitus.

On Killing is a little dry so far. I'm about a quarter of the way through it and it's not bad, but it's not a page turner. What It Is Like To Go To War by Karl Marlantes is a much finer read. Thoughtful stuff.

The Manson book was a fun read that I enjoyed. I'm writing down these suggestions you made so I'll grab them and not forget in 10 minutes. I figure, at the slowest pick up speed, that if I really take home one lesson from the mindset books it will be reiterated in the next book of that sort along with a new takeaway. The pieces, so to speak, will add up. In the past 6 to 10 months or so of reading them books it's helped me a lot to analyze me and what mistakes I have and keep making.

I've been loving my Scribd account for this purpose.  I'm listening to "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance" on Scribd and thought you might like it.

The enchiridion is definitely great for fortune cookie or Psalm type bites of wisdom, Frederick the great allegedly carried a copy of it with him everywhere.

If you're seeing a trend in the books I'm recommending is a tendency to get a healthy perspective on things a little emotional distance.

The Sleepwalkers, How Europe Went to War in 1914 by Christopher Clark. I am a wargamer first and foremost, so I am always reading a history book about war. One of the things I like about AD&D 1e is that it is still very much rooted in wargaming with mechanics like weapons vs armor class, weapon speed, and so on, and logistical elements like encumbrance, and the game revolves around mapping and finding your way through a hostile environment.

The Anti-Mary Exposed, Rescuing the Culture from Toxic Femininity by Dr. Carrie Gress. I study the concept of good and evil from the viewpoint of Catholicism, since this is the original and oldest version of Christianity and it is based on thousands of years of philosophical and theological debate. This helps with my understanding of alignment, and of course it is wholly appropriate for a medieval wargame. I strongly recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand SJWism and how to undermine their attacks on our society.

Pawn of Prophecy, book one of the Belgariad by David Eddings. The relevance to gaming is obvious. I read the first four books of this five book series when I was in high school, but I never got around to reading the fifth book, and since I have no memory of them I am reading the first four books over again before I complete the series after a 35-year delay.

Le Petit Prince by Antoine Dr Saint-Expury.
Die Kleine Hexe (The Little Witch) by Otfried Preußler.
Emil und Die Detektive (Emil and the Detective) by Erich Kästner.
Roadmarks by Roger Zelazny.

I learned a long time ago that turning off all computer devices and reading stimulates my imagination.

Quote from: Cloyer Bulse;1141147The Anti-Mary Exposed, Rescuing the Culture from Toxic Femininity by Dr. Carrie Gress. I study the concept of good and evil from the viewpoint of Catholicism, since this is the original and oldest version of Christianity and it is based on thousands of years of philosophical and theological debate. This helps with my understanding of alignment, and of course it is wholly appropriate for a medieval wargame. I strongly recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand SJWism and how to undermine their attacks on our society.
.

   I second this recommendation, with the caveat that I study Catholicism because I believe it to be true. To keep it mildly on topic, the book can also provide inspiration for subversive demonic cults and activity in gaming that would differ somewhat from the norm, but could be almost too relevant to modern life.

Quote from: Cloyer Bulse;1141147Pawn of Prophecy, book one of the Belgariad by David Eddings. The relevance to gaming is obvious. I read the first four books of this five book series when I was in high school, but I never got around to reading the fifth book, and since I have no memory of them I am reading the first four books over again before I complete the series after a 35-year delay.

This was the first fantasy book I ever read when I was a kid and the series that got me into the genre. I have a soft spot for it for that reason. If you like The Belgariad, there's a five-book sequel series (The Malloreon) as well as a couple of individual books that really flesh out the setting and history of the world.

Quote from: Brand55;1141215This was the first fantasy book I ever read when I was a kid and the series that got me into the genre. I have a soft spot for it for that reason. If you like The Belgariad, there's a five-book sequel series (The Malloreon) as well as a couple of individual books that really flesh out the setting and history of the world.

And if you really like that, you can go on to the two trilogies that start with the Diamond Throne, essentially telling almost the same story in a different world. Like the first set, it's more interesting for some of the whimsical characters than the story itself, but has its good points.  However, don't keep going after that.  Or if you must, check them out of a library or buy them used before you commit much of your time.  Eddings was clearly more interested in picking up a check for a best selling book at that point instead of bothering to write something worth reading--basically coasting on reputation.

Quote from: Brand55;1141215This was the first fantasy book I ever read when I was a kid and the series that got me into the genre. I have a soft spot for it for that reason. If you like The Belgariad, there's a five-book sequel series (The Malloreon) as well as a couple of individual books that really flesh out the setting and history of the world.

I really didn't think much of The Belgariad. It was fine - but it was pretty generic, and the MC holds the idiot ball too often for my taste.

HOWEVER - the guy who does the audiobook of it was amazing. He is what kept me going. He does things like having each of the nations have a consistent accent, while at the same time you can still tell the main few characters apart by their voices despite having the same accent as a bunch of random characters.

I wouldn't ever recommend the books themselves (again - they're fine but generic) but I'd definitely recommend the audiobooks.