Supernatural Fiction Readers discussion

Hi, I have just finished reading A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness and was wondering if anyone else has read it and if so what did they think of it? At first I was enjoying it but then after a while it started to remind me a bit of the Twilight series. I believe it is the first in a series and I cannot see myself reading anymore of them.

Saturday's wrote: "Hi, I have just finished reading A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness and was wondering if anyone else has read it and if so what did they think of it? At first I was enjoying it but then af..."

I just started it reading about 12 pages but I need to finish Born on a Blue Day and The Highly Sensitive Person before I really get into it. Jasper died on the first so I am still recovering.

Alice, so sorry to hear about Jasper! Please accept my condolences. At least he's not suffering pain and discomfort any more.

Alice, very sorry to hear about Jasper, you have my heart felt sympathies. They leave a huge hole when they leave don't they? We lost our cat Dennis a couple of weeks ago and we are all still feeling very sad. Whilst I know he is no longer suffering, it is of little help. We had him 20 years and five months; a long time to have a member of the family and then loose them.

Sorry to hear about Jasper, Alice.

Werner wrote: "Alice, so sorry to hear about Jasper! Please accept my condolences. At least he's not suffering pain and discomfort any more."

Thanks Werner, I was in denial and could not bear to let him go. I feel bad about it now as he was suffering and I realized it had gotten much worse on the 31st July. At least a very kind woman came to the house and we didn't have to drive him back to the vet again.

I see you are sad too Andy! So sorry. We had Jasper almost as long as we have been in this house since 2001. 20 years is a long time. I am surprised how long cats are living now.

Thanks Jim.

Saturday's wrote: "Hi, I have just finished reading A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness and was wondering if anyone else has read it and if so what did they think of it? At first I was enjoying it but then af..."

I am loving it but then I loved Twilight. There are lots of little Edward touches but no Bella that I can find. Diana is very different.

Oh, Alice, I did not know you had lost Jasper. So sorry to hear it. Goodreads decided my e-mail address wasn't any good for some reason and I went awhile with no updates. I've been through losing a beloved dog or cat so many times and know how it takes a piece of your heart. My vet also comes to the house.....

Read Discovery of Witches and wasn't what I was expecting, but not a bad read. Will probably read the next book, but certainly not in a "can't wait until it comes out" kind of way

I loved Discovery of Witches but then I love history, science if it is genetics, vampires, romance, interesting characters. It's a favorite for me. I love Twilight but this is no Twilight. Vampire and mortal (and she isn't even a mere mortal) I suppose but otherwise it's far deeper and more complex than Twilight. There are only so many ways to do a vampire x non vampire romance. LOL

Terry (Ter05 TwiMoms/ MundieMoms) wrote: "Oh, Alice, I did not know you had lost Jasper. So sorry to hear it. Goodreads decided my e-mail address wasn't any good for some reason and I went awhile with no updates. I've been through losi..."

Thanks Terry! I had sure hoped he would make it to his birthday but he just went down very fast. The vet gave him lots of fluids but it only helped for about 3 days. I would have to actually get my calender out and count as I am in "lala" land. I also consulted an online vet who helped bunches by telling me to give him some Pepcid AC or some Prevacid as that helps kidney failure. However, he was failing fast and suffering so I had to call Compassion. I still feel wretched but I know you understand.

I have also been having endless problems with goodreads, losing emails, links...being booted out so I just moved to a different email addy to see if that would help. I keep wondering if its me and I should not be online.

Terry (Ter05 TwiMoms/ MundieMoms) wrote: "I loved Discovery of Witches but then I love history, science if it is genetics, vampires, romance, interesting characters. It's a favorite for me. I love Twilight but this is no Twilight. Vampi..."

I also love the part about genetics. I remember when this was just mentioned in Twilight and I thought that was a whole other area that could be written about. Its also so cool that she writes about Oxford.
I would like to have visited there. I got to visit Cambridge but not enough of it.

There is a little too much on wine. Its like when I am reading Norah Lofts I have to get up and brew a cup of tea but with this book I have to get up and get a glass of wine. Have you ever read such descriptions? and do all vampire books go so much into how vampires, etc smell? I had to do a quiz question as he suggested about 9 different smells for Diana! Maybe there were even more.

If you read anything about this author she does a wine column. LOL I am very influenced by what they drink at times too - especially coffee and hot chocolate!

I have noticed in several books lately (not vampire ones) that how people smell is mentioned quite a bit. I guess it is another sense that authors have decided to use?

I actually liked A discovery of witches, it combined everything I wanted to see in a supernatural story... oh well no werewolves but hey...I can live without. I didn't really see the aforementioned similarities between Edward and Matthew. I can't wait to see what happens next.
P.S This is my first post in this group so I'm truly sorry if it isn't very readable or too reviewie.

I agree, Puffix. I LOVED this book and bought the audiobook. It is wonderful and really nice to hear the pronunciations of some of the names. After I had already read it I found out my brother read it and then turned around and re-read it. I have bought two copies for my daughters in law for Christmas. It got my Goodreads vote for best book of 2011. It may not be for everyone but it worked for me.

There is an audiobook already? Thanks for telling me, I'd love to hear someone pronounce Ysabeau... I speak a little French but I can't wrap my head around pronouncing her name. By the way I hope you gave your daughters in law their Christmas presents early :D :))

The audiobook really is awesome (and some of them are not!). I loved hearing her say Ysabeau and even more I loved how Ysabeau pronounced Matthew. And no, my daughters in law won't get them until Christmas. I debated whether to give the books to them or their daughters (both 18) but decided to give them to the moms and then they can share. I already had other books bought for the girls. A book Christmas!

A book Christmas? What book did you buy your granddaughters? I'm 18 so I'd like to know what you think an 18 year old girl should read.. (please indulge me, I really don't know what to read next)

Puffix, take a look at my reviews. I read a lot of YA books and try to put in the review if it is YA or suitable for teens. Sometime I do forget to do that. If you have any questions about any of the books I would be glad to discuss them. I'll send you a friend request. My granddaughters have a lot of the same favorites that I do although at times we of course see things differently. I am trying to remember which books I bought them as I have already wrapped them! I bought one of them Anna and the French Kiss and the other one (they are not sisters) has already read and loved it. We all have the same favorite YA series which is The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. Also The Iron Fey series. I do not care for over the top graphic stuff, erotica and all that, so the adult books I read are IMO suitable for an 18 year old. (yes, I know teens read everything but our family is a bit old fashioned)

Thanks, I'll look trough your shelfs. I actually found The Mortal Instruments to be strangely lacking but I only read the first book.. I wasn't really interested in reading moore. Have you tried Mercedes Thompson by Patricia Briggs (It has werewolves). You should read the top graphic stuff... it's extremely funny most of the time. Take for example Anita Blake - Skin Trade (view spoiler)[ In the Vegas desert, 60 degrees Fahrenheit, Anita is having sex with Wicked and her only piece of dialogue in all this is "Wicked, Wicked, Wicked, Wicked, God!" She should have been freezing but no, she is caught in the throes of passion with a cold-blooded creature. Ohh, and another funny part in the same chapter is that the guy's brother is watching and she can't even sense him and she's supposed to be this hip big necromancer (hide spoiler)] I'd probably feel if someone was watching me have sex. It amuses the hell out of me how from a steamy sex scene the author makes a joke. Anyway, my point was, most of the erotica or top graphic stuff are like this.

Nothing against sex in books but I don't like smut and really don't need graphic descriptions of private parts. I do like romance in books and one of my favorite series (and it is NOT YA) is the Tairen Soul series starting with Lord of the Fading Lands It is fantasy and romance which works for me. I love the world she has created and the characters in it. The sex is pretty explicit but tastefully done. I re-read the whole series after I put down the fifth book.

I like the Mercedes Thompson books by Briggs. They're right up there with Kim Harrison's books. Anita Blake has been a big disappointment for the past 6 or 8. I don't mind smut, but it's boring after a while & isn't even very well written. There is way too much repetitious talk.

I really liked the first 10 books of that series, too. Then she took a really good heroine & turned her into a metaphysical sex freak. The last one I read showed some promise of returning to a decent story, though. It might have been 'Skin Trade'. It had Otto & Edward in it.

I was sorry that her Merry Gentry books started out pretty well, but went straight down hill after the first couple.

Jim, you should read Hit List, it's more or less like the first 10 meaning more police work. I hate the metaphysical sex freak too but there are good parts about it as well...About Mercy, I liked her character more than Kim Harrison's. It seemed more real, I suppose.
Terry, I'll try the series you suggested, seems interesting enough. Anyway... graphic sex books are funny, at least for me.

I looked it up, Puffix, & Hit List is the last one I read. I still only gave it 3 stars. you can read my review here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
if you're interested.

Jim, I think I can explain to you about the tigers and their colors and how they beat Mommie Dearest. (I had to reread most of the books to get it.) Mommie Dearest is a pure sociopath - pleasure from hurting people, no regard for feeling, bla bla... and then bam, Anita shows her a so much complicated life it beats the vampire into submission:D

Yeah, I kind of got it, but I probably skimmed too much over the previous books covering it & missed some in all the touchy, feely, repetitive garbage. Mommy Dearest was a pretty cool concept but stretched out too far.

Alice--I am new here--but I have a 15 year old Pomeranian and I am so sorry for your loss--I can't even imagine as she is really the last of my family. I have read "A Discovery of Witches" and really enjoyed it--looking forward to the second in the trilogy.

i couldn't finish the book. i started it but then just got so bored.

Saturday's, I took the liberty of changing the name of this thread (to make it clear what book you were asking about) and moving it to this folder, where I think it fits in best.

A Discovery of Witches has been on my to-read shelf for ages, and a Goodreads friend kindly gifted me with a copy last year. Maybe we should consider it as a possibility for our group's October common read this year; what do you all think?

I've A Discovery of Witches twice and listened to the audio once. I think I first read it in 2013 (whenever it came out) and dubbed it as best read of the year. I suppose it is not for everyone, but what book is. It's the closest thing to Outlander for me although the stories are entirely different (except there is time travel in both). It's detailed, historical, amazing characters and story and not a short read - I found it fascinating.

Thanks, Terry; we'll keep it in mind as a possibility for the poll in September!

I've read the series twice, and I do love it, but in fairness to anyone starting out, it's a slow starter. I'm guessing maybe 100 pages into the first book before you're really hooked.

The second book The Book of Life is very different, in my opinion, from the first and the third. It pretty much entirely takes place in Elizabethan England...or at least Europe. There is a lot of historical fiction fun going on there and I think Harkness did an excellent job at pulling this off. It is my favorite of the series for this reason. But, again, that might not be everyone's cup of tea. My encouragement would be to give it a real go, and not get discouraged early on by the extensive ground laying and detailed descriptions of Diana's work and antipathy of magic. It's all relevant eventually. :)

One of my favorite series in the genre for sure.

I tried with this book, I really did. Lost interest, lost patience, abandoned and not regretted.

Sheila wrote: "Read Discovery of Witches and wasn't what I was expecting, but not a bad read. Will probably read the next book, but certainly not in a "can't wait until it comes out" kind of way"

I ate it up too. Read it daily in the early hours - before daylight - till I got to the end. Vampire reading style?

Holly wrote: "I tried with this book, I really did. Lost interest, lost patience, abandoned and not regretted."

I've heard this reaction. I have a friend who said, "they lost me at Monster Yoga!" :) *snorts*

I actually loved it, but between the initial setting of Oxford (one of my favorite places on the planet), and the history woven in as well as some fun mystery and adventure with creatures galore...I was destined to love this series. Love. I've read it through start to finish three times now. This will be a favorite for life.

I have read the series as well. They are good but not as some. Still a good read.

I have read the series and absolutely love it. The depth and research Harkness has put into the works is astounding. She integrates historical fiction with Sci-fi and paranormal-urban fantasy elements in a unique world with lovable characters. I really enjoyed the world created and felt well immersed in the works. I hated Twilight.

I've read the whole series. Like most trilogies, the first book is fabulous, the next book is really good and the third one was fine.
I loved the historical aspects of the series most of all. Loved the interweaving of genuine historical characters. There were some nice twists, the killing off of some characters, which is always good, can't always have too happy an ending!
Overall, I still love the series. They're making it into a TV series now, so that will be interesting to see how it translates on screen.

this has been on my to read list for a while. sounds like to I need to get to it!

I'm 100% hooked on the series right now, but I totally agree that it has some Twilight vibes, especially in the beginning. It gets better, but there is definitely the steamy, forbidden love portion of the story throughout. It's the thing I really don't like about it.

If you like historical fiction, you'll probably dig the second book in the series. And I stuck around for both the magic and science.

But yeah... I really, really hate the overly dramatic, romantic/martyr stuff that is so popular these days... If anyone has fantasy recommendations that don't have that, I'd be eternally grateful.