# Nerd Alert: books!



## Jin (May 31, 2021)

I know most of you limit your reading to Internet forums. 

For those whose scope is a big broader: what are some books that have impacted you and/or you’d recommend?

BluSoul is well read and he has given me a bunch of great suggestions. I’ll continue to check off the books on his personal list:

If you have interest in the natural world or in consciousness, “Soul of an octopus” is a great non-fiction read. 

For a lesson In how beautifully the English language can be used he recommended “The bone people”. It’s a ****ing jewel. 


KellKell recommended “all quiet on the western front”. That was good. Thank you. 

I’m a big Apocalyptic fiction fan. “The Stand” is one of my favorite novels (the unabridged version, thanks very much, Happy Crappy). 

Anyway, let’s hear it. What are some great reads?


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## rawdeal (May 31, 2021)

Never more topical than today  ......  To Kill A Mockingbird.

A long time ago, before special effects ruled the box office,  Hollywood used to make movies out of best selling books.  The consensus was usually that Hollywood had screwed up yet another great book.

Back when values, ideas, writing, and acting still made people say "Wow" about a film, To Kill A Mockingbird got an *A* for the book AND the movie.

To a lesser extent, Hollywood didn't do too badly with The Godfather, Jaws, and Silence of the Lambs either, although some of the juicier details in the books were excised before they made it to the screen.


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## rawdeal (May 31, 2021)

*   footnote thoughts:

Mockingbird was Robert Duvall's screen debut as the mostly off-screen, mildly retarded, shy neighbor who was brutal when he had to be to save the lead character's daughter from the drunken cracker incestuous pedophile who gets an innocent man convicted before he stalks the hero's daughter.

Later, Duvall is the relatively mousey Corleone family lawyer who goes to Hollywood to get a family friend a roll in a film by a big name producer who is also a thoroughbred horse owner.  Leaving the horse's severed head in the producer's bed is part of the negotiating tactics ... seemingly so out of character for the non-violent lawyer.  Only in The Godfather *book* do we find out who went to Hollywood to help Duvall negotiate  ......


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## NbleSavage (May 31, 2021)

Im guessing you've already read him but just in case not: Haruki Murakami.

1Q84 is a bit of an epic tome, so start with Hardboiled Wonderland first and if you enjoy it then jump into the deeper end.


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## TODAY (May 31, 2021)

I'll start with one that I think is most likely to appeal to the UGBB demographic:

The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi.


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## transcend2007 (May 31, 2021)

Non fiction ... personal development:

High Performance Habits 
The Power of Full Engagement 
10X Rule
Compound Effect


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## TeddyBear (May 31, 2021)

As a teacher: Mockingbird is great.
go in knowing that the first 3rd of the book was designed to be episodic and the latter 2/3rds are serialized. Each chapter does have a pay off.

Skip “Go Set a Watchman” while by the same author and with the same characters set after TKAM, it was literally an earlier draft of the novel and so there are canon inconsistency’s and even full pages are identical in places. Honestly, “Watchmen” was a fantastic read BECAUSE I knew Mockingbird so well, otherwise it’s awful and Harper Lee had not intended to publish it.

”Life of Pi” is a wonderful fable/allegory of a boy stranded at sea with a Tiger. A “story to make you believe in god”, it’s a Theists story, but wonderfully done.

”Kite Runner” was a book I consistently had to double check was fiction because it broke my heart. It’s about two boys with lives intertwined while they grow up and try to escape Afghanistan during the Soviet and Taliban occupation. Beautiful.

Goofy fun sci-fi:
”First Fifteen Lives of Harry” something, I forgot his last name. Guy dies and repeats his life with his memories intact at birth. He learns how to the game the system and that there may be more at work...I won’t say more.

”Sleeping Giants” the US discovers a giant robot leg buried under Montana. So naturally everyone starts digging, then the US finds a torso in Afghanistan. Global race is on, but once we have all the parts, who’s is it, and what’s next? Like Pacific Rim as told by Agent Phil Coulson.

”An Incredibly Remarkable Thing”: a very very Millennial story in which a New York bisexual graphic design artist encounters a pop-up street sculpture of a robot. Except this robot isn’t from Earth and it’s has appointed her as Ambassador to Mankind. Um, things escalate a lot and soon we see a very big socio-political split not unlink we have in America today. The book was a year ahead of its time, but very relevant.


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## flenser (Jun 1, 2021)

Thinking of apocalyptic books...

A Fire Upon The Deep by Vinge is about a very different kind of apocalypse. Also where my user name came from. 

Anathem by Stephenson isn't so much about an apocalypse as it is an unusual means to manage them.

 The Mongoloid by Bear is a trilogy of knights versus the Mongolian hoards that came after Genghis. Not exactly apocalyptic, but the clash and destruction of the societies and the individual struggles makes for an excellent read.


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## Flyingdragon (Jun 1, 2021)

Raw, thanks for being Awesome!




rawdeal said:


> Never more topical than today  ......  To Kill A Mockingbird.
> 
> A long time ago, before special effects ruled the box office,  Hollywood used to make movies out of best selling books.  The consensus was usually that Hollywood had screwed up yet another great book.
> 
> ...


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## rawdeal (Jun 1, 2021)

Anyway I react to your post would be awkward and go from bad to verse, but it's good to see you Old Friend.

xoxoxo


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## Iron1 (Jun 1, 2021)

While probably not as traditional as what was expected, it certainly fits the bill of being a nerd book. I spent some time with this one over the weekend


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## BigGameHunter (Jun 1, 2021)

“Never Die Easy” a biography on Walter Payton. I just started it. So far it’s good.


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## Robdjents (Jun 1, 2021)

American Buffalo search for a lost icon by Steven Rinella.

great read!


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## MrInsensitive (Jun 2, 2021)

I'm an avid reader. 
I study theology and I'm highly interested in my studies. Attempting to obtain my doctorate in theology. 

Anyway, some of the most sureal books I've read so far this year are  
What did you expect? Paul David Tripp 
Gentle and lowly by Dane C Ortlund

The first one i recommend to ANYONE who's married. 
The second is for anyone interested in who Jesus is. The real Jesus. Not this weak pitiful man or that pathetic baby in a manger. None of that foolishness but a real scope of who he was, is and what we're supposed to do about it.


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## BigGameHunter (Jun 26, 2021)

BigGameHunter said:


> “Never Die Easy” a biography on Walter Payton. I just started it. So far it’s good.



This is such an inspiring read. I actually read two chapters with the 5&6 o’clock news going. It’s hard to put it down


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## Trendkill (Jun 26, 2021)

If you like post apocalyptic stuff  read The Passage trilogy by Justin Cronin.  One of the best I've ever read.  They tried to make a TV show out of it in the US and it was a disaster.

Seven Eves by Neal Stephenson is my favorite of his books I've read so far.

For non-fiction I recently finished The Making of the Atomic Bomb and the follow up Dark Sun both by Richard Rhoades.  He explores not only the scientific aspect of the discovery and harnessing of atomic energy but also the politics and espionage that occurred throughout the arms race.  

Lone Survivor is another great book.  The movie just doesn't do justice to what Markus Latrell went through.


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## Jin (Jun 26, 2021)

Trendkill said:


> If you like post apocalyptic stuff  read The Passage trilogy by Justin Cronin.  One of the best I've ever read.  They tried to make a TV show out of it in the US and it was a disaster.
> 
> Seven Eves by Neal Stephenson is my favorite of his books I've read so far.
> 
> ...



Oh, I like you bro. 

Have read The Passage trilogy.


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## Trendkill (Jun 26, 2021)

Ive never reread a series of books but I might consider it for The Passage.


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## Jin (Jun 26, 2021)

Trendkill said:


> Ive never reread a series of books but I might consider it for The Passage.



Check out Scythe. Dope AF.

Assuming you’ve read The Stand? 

Other worth while End of The world stuff:
The Beach
One second after. 
Childhoods end (sci fi)


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## Trump (Jun 26, 2021)

Silence of the lambs is by far the most enticing can’t put down book I have ever read. And when you watch the movie it’s crazy how well they got the characters right. Closely followed by the Harry Potter series x


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## Trendkill (Jun 27, 2021)

Jin said:


> Check out Scythe. Dope AF.
> 
> Assuming you’ve read The Stand?
> 
> ...



iknow it’s crazy but I have t read The Stand yet. That might be next on my list.  I will check out Scythe too.


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## calecal (Jun 27, 2021)

the gay science nietzsche


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## calecal (Jun 27, 2021)

thus spoke zarathustra nietzsche


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## Perrin Aybara (Oct 25, 2021)

@MulberryTrees here we go, I figured there would be a book thread here. 

We were discussing the Wheel of Time series in another thread.


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## MulberryTrees (Oct 25, 2021)

Oh sweet, thanks @Perrin Aybara. 

Haven't read too much post-apocalyptic fiction, but it was my favorite genre when I still gamed--Fallout and STALKER. 

The book Roadside Picnic is what inspired STALKER I think, that might be worth checking out for any post-apocalypse fans. 

Listening to an audio drama right now, We're Alive. It's about a zombie apocalypse, if you like Walking Dead you should enjoy it. I feel like it's better executed.

Seveneves is a post-apocalyptic hard-scifi. The apocalypse is tipped off by a dramatic lunar event. Divisive book, I really liked it, lots of cool concepts.


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## Yano (Oct 25, 2021)

Iron1 said:


> While probably not as traditional as what was expected, it certainly fits the bill of being a nerd book. I spent some time with this one over the weekend


Ive stil got all my first edition books.


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## Yano (Oct 25, 2021)

My mother was the town librarian for years. First off my absolute favorite book is the dictionary , yeah i know WTF ? Within it's covers are every possible tool you could need to create your own adventures and tales , its gives a lonely kid the ability to soar with dragons or dive the deepest oceans. The dictionary is magical.

As for my favorite authored books - Moby Dick - Herman Melville
                                                             Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
                                                      The Flowers of Evil - Charles Baudelaire -this is a collection
There are a few great runners up but I won't drag the list on and on. Great thread.


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## Perrin Aybara (Oct 25, 2021)

Here's some of my favorite series:

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King
Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan 
Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson
The Black Company by Glen Cook
The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss
The Riftwar Cycle by Raymond Feist
Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb
Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson 
The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher 
The Fourth Realm trilogy by John Twelve Hawks

Always been a big Stephen King fan. I've read most of the books he's written. Desperation is one my favorites by him besides The Dark Tower series. 

People that liked The Stand I would highly recommend Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon.


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## Yano (Oct 25, 2021)

Perrin Aybara said:


> Here's some of my favorite series:
> 
> The Dark Tower series by Stephen King
> Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan
> ...


We live in one of the towns he filmed in, This is where the opening scene in Creepshow 2 was filmed , good old Dexter Maine.


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## Perrin Aybara (Oct 25, 2021)

Yano said:


> We live in one of the towns he filmed in, This is where the opening scene in Creepshow 2 was filmed , good old Dexter Maine.



Yeah a lot of his books take place in fictional towns from that area like Castle Rock and Derry.


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## Gadawg (Oct 25, 2021)

I tell everyone who will listen to read “To Shake the Sleeping Self”. Sometimes I yell it out the truck window at strangers. 


“In Search of Captain Zero” is another one I just can’t speak highly enough of also.


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## TomJ (Oct 25, 2021)

Perrin Aybara said:


> Here's some of my favorite series:
> 
> The Dark Tower series by Stephen King



Go then, there are other worlds than this



https://imgur.com/a/76ZGK7O


Stephen king has been my all time favorite, since I read the dark tower I dove down the rabbit hole re-reading it, and all of the associated works mentioned. 


Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk


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## Bro Bundy (Oct 25, 2021)

Slash’s book was awesome


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## ftf (Oct 25, 2021)

Yano said:


> My mother was the town librarian for years. First off my absolute favorite book is the dictionary , yeah i know WTF ? Within it's covers are every possible tool you could need to create your own adventures and tales , its gives a lonely kid the ability to soar with dragons or dive the deepest oceans. The dictionary is magical.
> 
> As for my favorite authored books - Moby Dick - Herman Melville
> Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
> ...


I read Atlas Shrugged when I was 18, and it changed the way I saw the world, but Jesus, she was long-winded. One of those speeches goes on for something like 80 pages. No way I could read it again. 

Great non-fiction books I've read as an adult.
Malcolm Gladwell books are very good. 1)Outliers. 2) David and Goliath.
Oliver Sacks wrote a book called An Anthropologist on Mars. 

If Sci-fi is your gig then read The Expanse.


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## MulberryTrees (Oct 25, 2021)

Perrin Aybara said:


> The Fourth Realm trilogy by John Twelve Hawks
> 
> People that liked The Stand I would highly recommend Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon.



Hell yeah, Dresden Files! Listening to the audiobooks now, Marsters (Spike from Buffy) does a great job. 

Also +1 for Swan Song.



ftf said:


> If Sci-fi is your gig then read The Expanse.



This was my first audiobook and it almost ruined other audiobooks for me. If anyone enjoys that format I highly recommend this series, Jefferson Mays is one of the best narrators around.


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## phooka (Oct 25, 2021)

Perrin Aybara said:


> Malazan


Malazan is a tough read but well worth it. There's a website out there that gives a synopsis of every chapter in case it doesn't completely make sense after reading.  So, read a chapter and go "huh?" read the summary and then you go "oooooh.."


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## Iron1 (Oct 25, 2021)

A couple of weeks ago I finished Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Very fun read.

These days I'm working my way through Bazaar of Bad Dreams, a series of short stories by Stephen King. Some are better than others but I am enjoying it all the same.


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## Iron1 (Oct 25, 2021)

Oh, and I recently thoroughly enjoyed Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman also. It too is a series of short stories but they all stay true to the mythology handed down for centuries.

With this one, I think the audiobook version might be a better experience. It's narrated by the author himself and there's just something about the way brings the characters to life that I think wouldn't come across as well if read in print.


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## Trendkill (Oct 25, 2021)

MulberryTrees said:


> Seveneves is a post-apocalyptic hard-scifi. The apocalypse is tipped off by a dramatic lunar event. Divisive book, I really liked it, lots of cool concepts.


Seveneves is Stephenson's best book IMO.  So thankful for the Kindle dictionary when reading his work.  

If anybody likes the assassin/spy/thriller stuff be sure to check out the Orphan X series.  One of the better ones I've read lately.


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## Perrin Aybara (Oct 25, 2021)

TomJ said:


> Go then, there are other worlds than this
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That's awesome. A Dark Tower tattoo is next on my last. My wife and I went to Branson Missouri this month for vacation and I was going to get one there at a place I'd gotten one before, but he was all booked up. I'm thinking of getting the revolver with the rose or some variation of that.

I saw on TDT Facebook group the other day Stephen King wrote some books with another author called Gwendy's Button Box trilogy and the cover of one shows the tower and field of roses. Haven't checked those out yet. Very short though, Audible version is only a couple hours. 



MulberryTrees said:


> Hell yeah, Dresden Files! Listening to the audiobooks now, Marsters (Spike from Buffy) does a great job.
> 
> Also +1 for Swan Song.
> 
> ...



I actually read the actual books of The Dresden Files, but I'm not all the way caught up on the latest few. Been wanting to reread them too at some point. I knew James Marsters was the narrator and I'm also a big Buffy and Angel fan. I listened to Butcher's other series last year and it's not bad either. Codex Alera is the name of those. 



phooka said:


> Malazan is a tough read but well worth it. There's a website out there that gives a synopsis of every chapter in case it doesn't completely make sense after reading.  So, read a chapter and go "huh?" read the summary and then you go "oooooh.."



I almost gave up about halfway into the second book. I stopped and went to another series. Then I kept reading reviews about how good it was and didn't want to let a book beat me so to speak. So I started the second book over and got through it. The third one was where I started to get into it. Karsa was a great character. Plus could finally get what was going on. The beginning of the first book reads like the middle of a fourth book in a series really, just kinda throws you in there.


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## phooka (Oct 25, 2021)

Perrin Aybara said:


> I almost gave up about halfway into the second book. I stopped and went to another series. Then I kept reading reviews about how good it was and didn't want to let a book beat me so to speak. So I started the second book over and got through it. The third one was where I started to get into it. Karsa was a great character. Plus could finally get what was going on. The beginning of the first book reads like the middle of a fourth book in a series really, just kinda throws you in there.



Here's the summary by chapter I mentioned previously.  https://www.tor.com/series/malazan-reread-of-the-fallen/


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## Perrin Aybara (Oct 25, 2021)

phooka said:


> Here's the summary by chapter I mentioned previously.  https://www.tor.com/series/malazan-reread-of-the-fallen/



That would've been pretty helpful. Knowing what I know from the rest of the books I think the early ones would make a lot more sense next time. 

Have you read the Ian Esslemont Malazan books? I think I might get those after finishing this series I'm on now. I'm finding out now that those books should be read in between the regular series.


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## phooka (Oct 25, 2021)

Perrin Aybara said:


> Have you read the Ian Esslemont Malazan books?


I have not, but I probably should.


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## phooka (Oct 25, 2021)

Perrin Aybara said:


> Codex Alera



Really good.  Read it.


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## MulberryTrees (Oct 25, 2021)

Trendkill said:


> Seveneves is Stephenson's best book IMO.  So thankful for the Kindle dictionary when reading his work.



I listened to the audiobook... holy crap was that the wrong choice haha. Definitely had to hit rewind a lot.

And wow, that's probably an uncommon take. I liked it a lot, but I haven't read his more famous works like Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon. Do they still hold up?


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## MulberryTrees (Oct 25, 2021)

Iron1 said:


> A couple of weeks ago I finished Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Very fun read.



What a cool collab. I enjoyed the show but have no idea if it was a faithful adaptation.


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## Trendkill (Oct 25, 2021)

MulberryTrees said:


> I listened to the audiobook... holy crap was that the wrong choice haha. Definitely had to hit rewind a lot.
> 
> And wow, that's probably an uncommon take. I liked it a lot, but I haven't read his more famous works like Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon. Do they still hold up?


Cryptonomicon had so much potential but ultimately fell flat.  All of his stories are so ambitious and often there just isn't enough time to develop everything all the way.  

The first half of Seveneves alone was epic and then you get to part II and it's like woah, what?

Haven't read Snow Crash yet but I will this winter.


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## MulberryTrees (Oct 26, 2021)

Trendkill said:


> Cryptonomicon had so much potential but ultimately fell flat. All of his stories are so ambitious and often there just isn't enough time to develop everything all the way.



That sucks. I'll probably still end up reading it though just to experience it for myself.



Trendkill said:


> The first half of Seveneves alone was epic and then you get to part II and it's like woah, what?



Yeah I really enjoyed the paradigm shifts at each stage, but I guess a lot of people didn't, which I can understand. So the criticism above about Cryptonomicon could be said for Seveneves too, then--part 3 could probably stand on its own as a seperate book if it were given a higher page count.

It was exactly my speed though. Sometimes you want a satisfying entree, and sometimes you appreciate just having 3 interesting appetizers, even if each leaves you wanting more.


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## MindlessWork (Oct 26, 2021)

I used to read Larry Niven's Ringworld series, and it's an interesting read about a futuristic world that's basically a ring around a star. Mind boggling.


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## MindlessWork (Oct 26, 2021)

Perrin Aybara said:


> Here's some of my favorite series:
> 
> The Dark Tower series by Stephen King
> Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan
> ...


Yep Dark Tower's darn good and I plan to get the last 4 books.


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## B Ware (Oct 26, 2021)

Subbed. Fellow nerd here. Sci-fi nerd to be more precise. Love anything by Brandon Sanderson. The hell divers and Iron Druid series are great! I’ll add more to this in the days to come.


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