It started with a post-it note...

[annikah.livejournal.com]

Hullo all. I realized that I had been lurking/commenting for nearly a year now and hadn't yet introduced myself. Oops. As I'm supposed to be researching, er, I thought it was about time I did.

It all started when I came home from work a couple years ago. My flatmate had placed a book on my pillow with a post-it note saying, "You must read this most excellent book. (Do not read the back cover.)" Usually she just hands books to me, so I knew something was up, but I was already reading something else so I set it aside and didn't get to it until a couple months later. (I know, what was I thinking?) Eventually I did read it--I had put the note inside the book and ended up reading the back cover anyway, hah--and loved it, but my dear flatmate forgot to mention that there were sequels. Only when I was sitting her room and saw her copies of the books, all matching of course, did I snatch up the others to read them immediately.

Perhaps the best memory of reading the books comes from reading That Scene in the beginning of Queen. I stumbled over to K's room, leaned against the door and sputtered, "She-! She-!" and flailed about helplessly. K, with admirable calm, told me to go back to my room and keep reading. Which, of course, I did. And then I found Sounis!

When I realized that K had been a Thief fan for years and had only just then introduced me to the books, I nearly shouted, "Four years! Four years we've been friends and you didn't tell me!" She was afraid I wouldn't like them, the silly girl. Needless to say, that was quickly resolved and now I keep her updated with goings-on from Sounis. I've yet to convince her to join LJ.

The week before I moved I bought my own matching set and they were among the ten books that I managed to move overseas with. (Of course, that number has multiplied by now, but we're not going into that.) When I'm not trying to restrain myself from rereading the books, I'm studying medieval literature for graduate school.

Comments

[rosalui.livejournal.com]

LOLS. Welcome! And sooooooo glad you've finally discovered Gen. XDDDDDDDD

[crazededdisian.livejournal.com]

Me too! (Very happy for you!)

[sgwordy.livejournal.com]

Hello! I'm living overseas myself right now and am very happy to hear I am not the only one that believes these books are just as vital as (if not more than:) clothes when packing!

[annikah.livejournal.com]

They are! And I'm somewhat concerned that Amazon UK is going to be late in releasing the 4th book. I've told K that if it is, she has to mail me a copy from the States.

[emmaco.livejournal.com]

*joins ranks of those who packed books when moving overseas* ...and my books are multiplying now. Books are cheaper here than in Australia so I have accumulated a scary amount that will one day have to be shipped home. Gulp.

That's an excellent discovery story. Did you forgive your friend for keeping them from you for four years?

[annikah.livejournal.com]

New books are more expensive here, but there are some pretty good used book stores and I've been able to find used books in good/like-new condition on amazon.uk for £0.01! Seriously. With £2.75 shipping. I've been exercising restraint, though I will certainly have to ship books home, too.

Oh yes, I've forgiven her. Her reaction was, "Er, well, you know now?" which was true, and so we resumed speculating about Book 4.

[emmaco.livejournal.com]

The second hand books are great, not least because I've been able to snaffle up very cute 1950s & 60s pan editions of British authors like Josephine Tey.

[annikah.livejournal.com]

Ha, I just saw that you're in the UK, too. So if you didn't already know about the sweet deals with used books on Amazon, you know now. ;)

[katewaits.livejournal.com]

That's a great story. I love how you reacted to THAT SCENE. I know I just sat there, mouth hanging open, eyes as big as silver dollars saying "no, she didn't".

I bought The Thief because the cover caught my eye in the bookstore. The art just really drew me in (it was the newer one) and I was looking for something fantasy oriented since I'd just finished my third reread of LotR. :D

Welcome, from another newbie.

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

Man, I always feel like I kind of missed something, reading QoA first. Like, I don't even remember my reaction to THAT SCENE. It was more like, lalalala, this is tense, and oh my goodness she just cut off his hand, hm, let's see what happens next?

I do have vague memories of finally reading TT and then going back to QoA and going OH MY GOD GEN. But that was a bit belated.

anyway, welcome!

[zumie-ashlen.livejournal.com]

Heh. I knew what happened in QoA a while before I read it, which was part of why I refused to read anything beyond Thief for a while. But then. But then. I did, and it was SO GOOD.

And whoooo medieval literature! *is a descendant of Chaucer*

[styromgalleries.livejournal.com]

Welcome!!

I actually had an LJ friend (our very own jade_sabre_301) introduce me to the books. I don't even know that she specifically told me to read them, or if she just happened to be gushing about them over on her journal or something. But I was interested enough to pick up The Thief, and then slowly accumulate the others. (It took me over a year to get to KoA, so I kept seeing things about this Costis person without knowing who he was). Actually, come to think of it, I think I can thank Costis for introducing me to the fandom in a way, because of Jade's Lego!Costis icon that she always used. XD

Anyway, I like the first two, but when I read KoA, I was so excited and really fell in love with the series. So upon finishing it, I went back and read the first two all over again and now I'm just another crazed fangirl!

I'm also trying to convince one of my friends to read them. She's got TT at her house, but summer classes and work are eating all of her time.

[openedlocket.livejournal.com]

Hmmm is everyone sharing their book discovery experience? Ohhh Ohh me next. Ok so I saw my friend, Yuki (also my beta-reader) reading the books she borrowed from her friend and went all 'Is it a good book?' so I asked to borrow it from her friend and while I was waiting for them I actually searched the book summaries in Wikipedia. I thought the Thief was a superhero 0_o. Ok so I didn't get the summaries too well.

When I finally got the Thief I liked it. It got me hooked during the start of their road trip. Then when I finished that I waited for QoA. So during that lag time I went to the bookstore and looked for books. And by some strange coincidence KoA was right in front of me, so I bought it and resolved to read it after I finished QoA. And then I got QoA and I fell in love with it.

Then I did a complete head banging thing because I had KoA all this time and didn't know how great it would be. So I read KoA, the first thing I did when I woke up in the morning was to read it. And I loved it so much. Then I found this awesome comm and lurked for a couple of months until I finally delurked.

Wow that was a looong story. Sorry for that but welcome. I didn't realize you were part of Sounis too when I saw you in history_haven. So I guessing you get my icon clue. *uses said icon*

[annikah.livejournal.com]

Aha, I had been wondering which icon was the clue. Now I know. But hm. I'm still absolutely useless when it comes to Byzantine history. I shall ponder some more.

KoA is wonderful. I think QoA is still my favorite, because I like the macro scale of it. Though each time I reread KoA I love it more, so, no doubt it will become my favorite soon. Though by the time I reread them again maybe the fourth book will be out...

[openedlocket.livejournal.com]

=)) Honestly the person I'm talking about has a REALLY familiar name, honestly. Oh fine let's resort to wikipedia. Speaking of wikipedia I searched there earlier, lists of all the English monarchs and heirs but I still couldn't find the answer to your riddle. I will look over and over again as many times as it takes ;).

[annikah.livejournal.com]

I finally looked it up on Wikipedia via Google, because I was impatient to know the answer. Though it was a bit of a 'shot in the dark' kind of search so I won't answer on history_have. But when the page came up I said, "OF COURSE" and felt slightly foolish for not seeing it earlier.

Re: my riddle... The Black Prince is so close. And my icon is a huge clue. Keep looking!

[openedlocket.livejournal.com]

Hah I will use your icon to look. Go ahead answer here, I won't include it in the point scoreboard ;).

[openedlocket.livejournal.com]

*headbanging on the table* I cannot believe I didn't see that. I mean I practically spent an hour looking at the space between Richard II and Henry IV and I didn't see that. I was that close, I mean Richard II was the son of the Black Prince right? So I was looking around that century for any others but... Ok so I found it, the answer is John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, Duke of Aquitaine. I have learned a considerable amount of English monarchy just trying to solve this riddle :D.

[annikah.livejournal.com]

Yup! I had wondered if saying "wrong brother" in response to the Black Prince would have been giving too much. Are you going to answer on the riddle page or is this off the record? :)

[openedlocket.livejournal.com]

I believe it is off the record.What's your answer? *is eager to know if you got it*

[annikah.livejournal.com]

Irene of Athens. I still call Attolia firmly 'Attolia' in my head, so, it didn't occur to me to think of her first name.

[openedlocket.livejournal.com]

Yup ^_^ Irene of Athens it is. Why do I have the feeling she's a basis of Attolia's character? You know, empress to queen, powerful and all that.

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Welcome! Though I've seen you around here for awhile.

When I read That Scene I was on the elliptical machine at the gym. I kept going faster and faster as Gen was being chased through the palace. Like Jade, I read QoA first, so I wasn't attached to Gen yet. Couldn't believe That Scene happened in what I thought was a kid's book.

[annikah.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's why it can be so dangerous to read books in public. I was in public places when I read both 'The Sparrow' and its sequel 'Children of God' by Mary Doria Russell. The first, at least, is a really intense tragedy, and of course I was proctoring an exam right as the book hurtled toward the climax. Awkward, to be sure.

[mycenaeth.livejournal.com]

Welcome!

[tiegirl.livejournal.com]

OH, welcome! I saw TT in a bookstore and picked it up (THANK THE GODS!). I read it very quickly, then wandering around the same bookstore years later I found QoA. That one took longer. o_O! Then I was in a cafe with free wireless and my bro's computer and I happened to just be looking on Amazon for books when I decided to look up MWT. OMG KoA! I ordered it instantly and when I got it and got over Costis-shock I read it in one sitting. Since then I've been re-reading. I don't even remember how I found Sounis. It took me not too long to de-lurk.

[filkferengi]

I discovered the books when Lois McMaster Bujold enthusiastically recommended them over on her list.

Here's a fun cross-connection for someone studying medieval literature: Lois Bujold took a Spanish history class for fun, & it inspired her to write _Curse of Chalion_--totally different universe, *definitely* different gods. Reference is made to a famous medieval work at the end, and characters from the same work appear at the beginning of the sequel, _Paladin Of Souls_.

*wants to see mwt & LMB fangirling each other on a panel at a con*

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

I'd be right there with you at that con. We could dress up!