Anne McCaffrey

[Patti L.]

Groan.  You people are making me feel so old.  I may have first gotten hold of Dragonflight when it had barely made it into the category of used paperback.  I can remember how wicked I felt when I spent WAY too much of my budget on White Dragon when it came out in HC.

[weyrfolk]

You and me both Patti!!   I read Dragonflight in 1977......been reading them ever since. 

[Elle]

The White Dragon is definitely my favorite of the Pern series. I adore the Crystal Singer books...but it's been years since I've read them. The WD is the only McCaffery book that I've kept over the years...it's a good re-read. Wait...that's lie...I still have Restoree as well. I love that one.

I remember a few years back I attended DragonCon in Atlanta and Anne was one of the guests. I never did go and see a panel unfortunately it all clashed with my Browncoat shindigging.

[Patti L.]

I'm not sure I even wanna know about the Brownshirt thing, Elle.

I was rooting around at the Baen forum, & there was some stuff about how grueling book tours are.  Have you seen McCaffrey's fictional account of an author on such a tour, stuck by a combination of snowstorm & murder investigation?  It's called 'A Stitch in Snow', & if you can find it it'll be under either mystery or romance, but it sure shows some of the hazards of the life. 
Gives you more respect for what our Hostess goes through.

It's part of why I always try to bring some kind of small &/or consumable gift for authors who do signings, or who I get to autograph for me at cons.

[Elle]

I'm not sure I even wanna know about the Brownshirt thing, Elle.

. It's a Firefly thing. That short lived series by Joss Whedon. Browncoats are what the fan base is called.

[Collaroy]

I never did go and see a panel unfortunately it all clashed with my Browncoat shindigging.

A fellow Browncoat!!! *squeeeeeee*  Best. Show. Ever. Whedon is God and Fox is §%@%&§!

Collaroy, read Dragonflight next before the other Harper books.  Then read Dragonquest, finish the Harper series, then read The White Dragon.  

Thanks for the suggestion! ... hmm, that's the order they indicate on amazon as well. Is it the chronological order?

Yes!  Oh, Collaroy, you & I have a lot in common.  Welcome, friend.

But sometimes I feel like I'm taking it too far- like when I'm (literally!) not able to sit through an entire day of work when I know that there's a book coming out today that I need to read NOW... and then I leave work 4 hours early. I'm not kidding, I've already done that.   I think I should go see someone. Is there something like Readers Anonymous??

[Patti L.]

Darned if I know, Collaroy, but it does sound like you need it.  I've felt the draw myself.  So far my addiction isn't QUITE that bad.
So far. . .
'Course, I've been sending the firelizards out to fetch them for me, she said with a sly grin.

[Elle]

A fellow Browncoat!!! *squeeeeeee*  Best. Show. Ever. Whedon is God and Fox is §%@%&§!

Shiny!

[bingomzan]

I dont like my schools librarian. She suggests a book or author to read, and it inevitiably leads me into another series. I have like 10 different series i'm waiting for books from, mosty Sci-fi and fantasy. Atleast i almost always have a book with me at school. Anne mccaffrey's books are good, i love the pern series. (i know i already said that) and i forgot to say that the woman i talked about was not lessa, it was i think before her time, or in her time, but a different weyr. I am leaning more towards the before part. And i just read something else, it wasnt ramoths first queens rider, it was someone else i think. But my memory of books is a little hazy.

[Collaroy]

I dont like my schools librarian. She suggests a book or author to read, and it inevitiably leads me into another series. I have like 10 different series i'm waiting for books from, mosty Sci-fi and fantasy.

That's why I have this love/hate relationship with Amazon- all those recommendations and "Customers who bought this item also bought"... It will definitely ruin me eventually. Nut I'm kidding- I *love* having a stack of at least 10 unread books next to my bed.

Elle, isn't this amazing that there are still Browncoats everywhere after all this time? What was Fox thinking cancelling that show?! But I have hope- everybody from the Firefly crew still talks about how much they'd love to keep the Firefly flying somehow. Maybe, someday... *sigh*

[weyrfolk]

Collaroy and Elle, I'm a Firefly fan as well!!  I bought the series on DVD and then my husband got hooked.  He wants to have Jaynes love child I think   I actually didn't become a fan until the show was already canceled, there wasn't much advertising about the show before it went on the air and while it was on the air......one can always hope it will come back

[Elle]

I'm totally starting a Joss Whedon thread! Browncoats Unite!

[Patti L.]

Good idea, Elle, there are a lot of you out here.

I wanna talk about Anne McCaffrey's books, myself.  Has anyone else read 'The Mark of Merlin'?

[weyrfolk]

I haven't heard of that one.....is it any good??

[Patti L.]

As usual, Weyrfolk, it's a matter of taste.  I enjoyed it.  WW II, an army brat in college has her father die on the front.  She's sent to convalesce from pneumonia or some such with a friend of her dad's who's convalesced out to get reconstructive surgery, & he's much surprised that James Carlyle Murdock is female!  And Merlin is her giant german shepard, who is integral to the story.