Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

Horns of Hammerad

Captain: Iain
Brian
Diana
Hailee
Julian
Marie
Paula
Saar
Siobhan

Everyone, welcome to the IAN team, it seems...

IAiN
BrIAN
DIANa
Hailee
JulIAN
Paula
Saar
SIobhAN

I had nothing to do with the team making :D

I swear this was not on purpose lol

Hello! If it counts, my brother has the IAN in his name haha

Let's do this!!!!!!!!!

Yes, Team Horns of Hammerad 😊 or the IAN team? That's too funny or coincidental!

*Bookmobile idles outside Hammerad HQ*

*Guardians all whispering*
Mel: So what I was thinking, is like, I drop a big ol' horny romance novel on their doorstep... Cause like... Horns? Get it?
Emily: Didn't you do that last year when we were Swords?
Jenna: *sigh* Yeah she did it to the Guardians too.
Anne Marie: *reading the smut* Yeah, this is terrible.
Mei: *also reading* I dunno, it sort of picks up in the second half.
Choko: Let me see...
Chris: *pained whimpering*

Iain: *knocks on window and peers in*

All: Ahhh!!

Iain: So... hey, did you want to come in with that? Because the Smutmobile parked outside is starting to scare the neighbors.
Mel: *waves out the window to neighbor lady watering her lawn with disapproval* Sorry Auntie!
Jenna: Oh hi, Iain! We were... just leaving! *furious whispers* Drive, drive, drive!
*Bookmobile disappears around the corner*

Hailee: ...Aw, did I miss the Smutmobile?
Iain: *pats shoulder* Don't worry, I have a feeling they'll be back.

Hahahaha I forgot about the surprise smut gifts last year. 🤣

Mel wrote: "*Bookmobile idles outside Hammerad HQ*

*Guardians all whispering*
Mel: So what I was thinking, is like, I drop a big ol' horny romance novel on their doorstep... Cause like... Horns? Get it?
Emily..."

Hey I do not mind smut, it just has to be GOOD smut and not cringe lol

I would be sad to miss the Smutmobile 😁. Smut can be a fun read after a heavy going tome.

Oh believe me, I'm fairly sure the stuff I gave them was in the cringe category. (To be fair, it could have been good. I didn't read it. And I've read some good stories with cringe-worthy covers before, ^_^;;)

Ann-Marie, this tracks. Which is why I think you would have picked it up in the first place, but with much trepidation. Whereas Mei would be like, "Hey! Don't kink-shame me! Horns and monsters all the way, baby!" 🤣🤣🤣

Hi team. I’m all geared up for the new year. Going to try to get back into buddy reads now that I’m unemployed and have time on my hands again. Already have my January buddy reads picked out.

I meant to try some of the smut you sprinkled about in all the team threads, Mel 🤣

I didn't... but I definitely rekindled my dabbling in Paranormal Romance this past year, between Dark Hunterverse, Psy-Changeling, Black Jewels, and Mages of the Wheel... and Taste of Gold and Iron... and Stariel... and Starfall Point... and and and...

Mel, you are so entertaining. *pulls up a chair and grabs over buttered popcorn* I bet you’d be a blast to play D&D with.

Am I allowed to be in the competitions threads?! Better go. *trips on massive sword and spills popcorn all over your thread* Uhh sorry.

Felina wrote: "Mel, you are so entertaining. *pulls up a chair and grabs over buttered popcorn* I bet you'd be a blast to play D&D with.

Am I allowed to be in the competitions threads?! Better go. *trips on mas..."

I don't even know how I found this thread, but Mel is freaking hilarious, and I, too, want to pull up a chair!

I also have no idea how these team challenges work.

Me either. All I know is Chris bequeathed me his sword and the damn thing is huge and honestly, overly sharp. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to hold the sword, a book and my snacks/drinks at the same time and also keep up shenanigans.

Nyssa wrote: "I also have no idea how these team challenges work."

It's basically a competition with 4 teams to see who can read the most, with bonus points given to those who participate in buddy reads or FBR challenges. :) If you want more info and are thinking about joining, you can find some info here:

Rules - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... (don't be too intimidated, everything is tracked on an easy-to-use spreadsheet courtesy of Iain)
Sign-up - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Felina wrote: "I’m not sure how I’m supposed to hold the sword, a book and my snacks/drinks at the same time and also keep up shenanigans."

A really huge backpack? Or Hermione's magical handbag? :D

Oooo magical handbag! Either Hermione’s or Merlin’s in Disney’s Sword in the Stone.

Timelord Iain wrote: "I didn't... but I definitely rekindled my dabbling in Paranormal Romance this past year, between Dark Hunterverse, Psy-Changeling, Black Jewels, and Mages of the Wheel... and Taste of Gold and Iron..."

Helen Harper fits this as well.

Hi team IAN 😊😊 happy to be here!

Jenna wrote: "Rules - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... (don't be too intimidated, everything is tracked on an easy-to-use spreadsheet courtesy of Iain)
Sign-up - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...."

Umm. I know you said not to be intimidated, but ...
How does updating work?

Nyssa wrote: "Jenna wrote: "Rules - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... (don't be too intimidated, everything is tracked on an easy-to-use spreadsheet courtesy of Iain)
Sign-up - https://www.goodreads.com/t..."

The spreadsheet recalculates formulas every time data is input... sometimes it might take a few seconds, or need a reload, if alot of people are fiddling or it bugs out...

If after all that, you don't think you're getting the points you should, check with me...

Books are only counted once you input data into the date read column...

EDIT: I just noticed you're someone not in the competiton right now... the link to this year's sheet can be found in the 2024 Google Sheet Central thread, if you want to snoop around...

Timelord Iain wrote: "I just noticed you're someone not in the competiton right now... the link to this year's sheet can be found in the 2024 Google Sheet Central thread, if you want to snoop around..."

Impressive!

Nyssa wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "I just noticed you're someone not in the competiton right now... the link to this year's sheet can be found in the 2024 Google Sheet Central thread, if you want to snoop aroun..."

It was a real team effort, over multiple years... lots of fancy formulas and color pallettes and conditional formatting...

The first 2 years were a bit bare-bones, then me, Rob, and Virginie sat down and brainstormed the bestest version fully realized and put it together in December 2019, I think... the rest is history... I just kinda maintain it now, for the most part... got me this Tech Support mod role...

I'm curious but also overwhelmed.

Alot of people signup, just to have the spreadsheet to use each year, they like it so much... it's a great data tool, for those curious about their yearly reading habits... lots of nifty bar graphs and pie charts, too...

Timelord Iain wrote: "Alot of people signup, just to have the spreadsheet to use each year, they like it so much... it's a great data tool, for those curious about their yearly reading habits... lots of nifty bar graphs..."

I do love me some stats!

I'll sign up and see how it goes. Thanks.

Thanks for explaining the spreadsheet @Iain! I'll add you to a team shortly @Nyssa, and please ask questions about anything if you're feeling overwhelmed by it all :)

On second thought, I might wait a day or two to add you to a team to see if there are any other last-minute signups. You'll have a team by Jan 1, though!

Jenna wrote: "On second thought, I might wait a day or two to add you to a team to see if there are any other last-minute signups. You'll have a team by Jan 1, though!"

That's fair! Thank you. :)

Do you also have that itchy feeling that you want to start a new book, but for some reason wants to wait for the new year and just finish your current reads?

Saar The Book owl wrote: "Do you also have that itchy feeling that you want to start a new book, but for some reason wants to wait for the new year and just finish your current reads?"

Haha yes, this was me last night. I stayed up until 3:30 to finish Fool's Assassin 😅

Saar The Book owl wrote: "Do you also have that itchy feeling that you want to start a new book, but for some reason wants to wait for the new year and just finish your current reads?"

Yes. 100%.

Jenna wrote: "Saar The Book owl wrote: "Do you also have that itchy feeling that you want to start a new book, but for some reason wants to wait for the new year and just finish your current reads?"

Haha yes, t..."

That was a good book! I was ment to do a reread next year :)

I got that feeling every year and then, when it's the first, I don't know what to choose!

Saar The Book owl wrote: "I got that feeling every year and then, when it's the first, I don't know what to choose!"

Yes!! I always get so excited by the new year and end up reading way more books than usual in January.

I don't worry too much, at my reading pace... bigger issue is avoiding the urge to start reading January books, until they count for points...

And the rule change to allow non-egregious carryover removes all the December 31st stress to finish all your open books 100%...

Felina, I'm in favour of this magical Bag of Holding. Merlin could pack his entire house into his, after all! You can carry all the buttered popcorn you want. :)

Exactly. I’ll never be snackless.

I especially like the idea of the popcorn dancing its way out of the bag and into my mouth like Merlin’s furniture went into his bag.

*booming voice* Yea, new wizard! How shall you use your newfound magical pow-
Felina: *crunch!*

Salty goodness!!

I liked reading Mel's shenanigans... never commented, i don't think...

How goes everyone's early 2024 reads?...

I'm swamped from the get-go, right back to 40+ Buddy Reads per month...

Done 10 already, for the year, because they're frontloaded on the 1st to 15th, as well...

Had a couple standouts, already, in The Tyranny of Faith and My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry...

And some good and alright re-reads: The Unkindest Tide, An Easy Death, Tricked, Baking Bad

And the beginning of some weekly adventures for nostalgia and mystery: The Invasion, One for the Money

Last book, so far, the verdict is still out on, but was an enjoyable start: Luck in the Shadows

EDIT: and I forgot a carryover from December... the end to the Stariel binge was good: A Rake of His Own

You're taking of like a rocket again, Iain! I've just finished a book about WWII, so that is my first book of the year and now started The Color of Magic.
I'm still waiting on my copy from the library of My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry. It's late...

Timelord Iain wrote: "How goes everyone's early 2024 reads?...

I'm swamped from the get-go, right back to 40+ Buddy Reads per month...

Done 10 already, for the year, because they're frontloaded on the 1st to 15th, as ..."

You're a machine Iain!!! I'm about to start The color of Magic, Voice of War, and Xenosif book arrives.

I'll be reading all those as well...

Through the weekend, I've got:
Theft of Swords
Xenos
6 Iron Druid short stories, mostly from Besieged
Trailer Park Trickster
Everlost

Monday I've got:
The Color of Magic
The Visitor
Two for the Dough

More fluidly, over the next 3 weeks, I've got:
Fate of the Argosi with Siobhan and maybe Annika
and The Narrator & A Litter of Bones in Mystery Book Club thread...

And then I've got 11 books from the 10th to the 16th... and "only" 13 books from the 17th to the 31st... like I said, it's front-loaded, pretty hard... 30-32 books in the first 16 days, 13 in the last 15 days...

Timelord Iain wrote: "I'll be reading all those as well...

Through the weekend, I've got:
Theft of Swords
Xenos
6 Iron Druid short stories, mostly from Besieged
Tra..."</i>

I have a flight to Nashville tomorrow from Seattle. So about 6 hours if I include my drive to airport and showing up early to get some audiobook time in.

Gonna try to get [book:Voice of War and The Color of Magic started