Tag Archives: books

Der Halloween-Wanderkürbis

Es ist soweit, Halloween-Zeit!

Wie es Tradition ist, bekommt ihr auch heute wieder einen Beitrag von mir.

Vorletztes Jahr habe ich für das Nornennetz einen kleinen Beitrag über den Ursprung von Halloween geschrieben (zum Nachlesen hier entlang: Hallo-was bitte?) in dem ich unter anderen von der Geschichte der Kürbislaterne oder Jack O’Lantern erzählt habe. Eine Laterne, die Geister abhalten soll die Häuser der Menschen zu betreten.

Doch was, wenn wir das Prinzip heute einmal umdrehen, wenn wir stattdessen die Geister und damit ihre Geschichten anlocken anstatt zu verscheuchen?

Unter dem Hashtag #Wanderkürbis möchte ich eure Geschichten hören. Was habt ihr gelesen, was wollt ihr noch lesen? Was habt ihr vielleicht sogar selbst geschrieben oder erlebt? Lasst es mich wissen!

Euch möchte ich folgende Geschichten mit auf den Weg geben:

Auch in diesem Jahr hat das Nornennetz wieder eine Halloween Aktion (#NNHalloween). Auf Twitter, Facebook und Instagram werdet ihr im Laufe des Tages verschiedene gruselige, kurze Geschichten lesen können. Meine erscheint auf Facebook.

Eine gute Einstimmung, aber auch ein schöner Blick zurück auf den Märchensommer ist Nora Bendzkos „Kindsräuber„. Eine Rumpelstilzchen-Adaption mit jeder Menge Geistern zur Zeit des 30-Jährigen Kriegs vor Prager Kulisse.

Ein weiterer Horror-Klassiker sind Zombies und auch wenn ich kein Fan von ihnen bin, hat mich Elenor Avelle mit ein paar Spoilern auf „Infiziert – Geheime Sehnsucht“ neugierig gemacht. Seit gestern bin ich dabei zu entdecken wie Protagonistin Charlie sich in der Postapokalypse schlägt.

Ganze Romane sind euch zu lang? Wie wäre es da mit einer Anthologie? Bloody Qindie ist seit ein paar Jahren eine Halloween-Anthologie Reihe deren Band „Die letzte Fahrt“ ich Anfang des Jahres begeistert beendet habe. Achtung: Der Weihnachtsmarkt – sofern er auch ein paar Fahrgeschäfte hat – wird nach der Lektüre nicht mehr das Gleiche sein!

Oder gar von Boris Koch „Gothic: Dark Stories“ (die „Darker Stories„, liegen bei mir immer noch auf dem SuB …), aus der mich die Geschichte der Alraune seitdem ich sie vor Jahren das erste Mal gelesen habe, nicht mehr los lässt.

Noch kürzer? Dann vielleicht Irina Christmanns Kurzgeschichte „Morgengrauen„, ein weiterer Grund, warum Nebel, besonders an Halloween, ein mulmiges Gefühl mit sich bringt.

Ihr mögt es lieber ein bisschen gruselig-humorvoll und habt nichts dagegen auch auf Englisch zu lesen? Dann empfehle ich definitiv den Comic „Death Vigil“ vom großartigen Stjepan Sejic (der sich gerade unter dem DC Black Label mit „Harleen“ der Origin-Story von Harley Quinn widmet).

Und da der (Jester-)Esel sich immer zuletzt nennt, auch ein paar Lesetips meiner eigenen (zum Teil älteren) Geschichten:

Augen – Eine sehr alte (und entsprechend überarbeitungswürdige) Geschichte über den Eulenmann von Cornwall
Auf der Flucht spielt mit der Angst eines jungen Mannes, der seinen Häschern zu entkommen versucht.
In D[er] Legende vom verlorenen Schlüsselbund nimmt eine simple Schussligkeit eine nicht so schönes Ende.
Und Das Geheimnis der Milton Road solltet ihr nicht im dunklen Kämmerlein erforschen. Diese Geschichte hat mittlerweile eine Vorgeschichte und eine Fortsetzung, leider beides nicht auf Deutsch.
Das Gruselwusel schleicht sich auch dieses Jahr wieder über einen Halloweenmarkt.
Trügerische Klarheit – Eine Kurzgeschichte für den Schreibwettberwerb 100 Bilder – 100 Geschichten des Bücherstadt Kuriers, in der nicht alles so harmlos ist, wie es scheint.
Ungreifbare Geschichte – Eine Kurzgeschichte für den Schreibwettberwerb 100 Bilder – 100 Geschichten des Bücherstadt Kuriers, bei der sich eine Ticketverkäuferin einer Herausforderungen der anderen Art stellt.
Einen schrecklichen Vertrauensbruch gibt es auf Englisch in den Campfire Tales

Na, was für euch dabei? Dann viel Spaß beim Lesen!

Was könnt ihr noch so empfehlen? Teilt es unter dem Hashtag #Wanderkürbis und passt auf euch auf in dieser geisterhaften Nacht!

Anne

#Buchpassion: Literary Readings

Through the Nornennetz (Nornnetwork) (where I’m a norn, too 😉 ) I learned about the #Buchpassion, a promotion event for readers, authors and publishers celebrating books together, organized by Janine of kapri-zioes.
This years topic is „Favourite Authors“, but as I can’t decide which one I’d choose, I’ve instead decided to talk a bit about some of the more unusual Literary Reading Sessions (Lesungen) I participated in over the years. Because what’s better than having someone – maybe even the author – read a book to you? 😉

A completely moronic reading

I do believe it was my eighteenth birthday when my Mum and I went to the Reading Session of Tommy Jaud’s „Vollidiot“ (Moron) as read by actor Christoph-Maria Herbst (e.g. Loki from Mara and the Firebringer). It was fun, even though I still haven’t read the book yet (or saw the movie), but the thing I remember most about it was afterwards at the autograph table.
He was signing a picture card when I asked him if I could get a second one in the book because it was my birthday. As reply he gave me a Kinderriegel (chocolate bar by Kinder) and offhandedly told me that no one had had told him about it, otherwise he would have brought something more. I doubt the sincerity of the words, as he was quite busy, but it’s a fun gesture in a hectic situation – and it’s my own fault for bringing it up anyway.
I never ate the Riegel, it might even still lie somewhere in a shelve …

Outdoor reading

Back when The Forum was still a thing the self-made publisher Torsten Low announced that his reading tour would make a stop in Zislow, a village more or less nearby. So I took a friend from school with me and off we went trying to find it somewhere in the wilderness of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern…
It was nice meeting Torsten in person and have him read from the anthology Lichtbringer (Lightbringer) and watch him bind a book and talk about it. They only had a small table with their products and it was only the two of us sitting on the wooden benches before it, listening to him, but with the medieval-ish market around us and the phantastical stories it was a great atmosphere.
During the encounter I interviewed Torsten and it later appeared on Literatopia, a German literature portal: Interview with Torsten Low.

Back then the Verlag Torsten Low, was still relatively small. His series Dunkel über Daingistan (Darkness over Daingistan) and Lichtbringer were more or less the whole program. By now they won several Deutsche Phantastik Preise (German Phantastic Prices), have several novels and anthologies, even regular authors and a lot of authors know about him and his publishing company. It’s pretty cool to have been a part of that, even a minuscule one as a listener and reader.

Exclusive Reading

Another quite exclusive Reading Session was by Boris Koch and Michael Tillmann at the Weekend of Horrors:

Their reading session was in the cafeteria of the building, only separated from it through a more or less thick, black curtain. So you heard the rustling and dulled noises from outside.
It still was fun as we were the only two attending their session and they read some quite interesting stories. I will never look at lady bugs the same way…

Six years later I still remember the story mentioned in the other post and the feeling of dreadfulness Boris created through reading it.

Spontaneous Reading

One of our Christmas traditions is to go the the Christmas market in Neubrandenburg at least once. After one of those times, I read messages between Anice and Black Kat about a Reading Session of Letzte Instanz‘ (Last Instance) Holly Loose. In our local English Pub he was to read stories from the fan-anthology (fans wrote stories for their songs) „Weiße Geschichten“ (White Stories). Of course I couldn’t resist the opportunity.
Although I still haven’t gotten around to read the volume I got at the session (again…), the stories he read were quite emotional and well chosen. It’s always fascinating what music can inspire you to write, even if you’re not entirely following the lyrics. It was also nice to hear short acoustic versions of some of them.
We got to chat a little with the woman who organized it and Holly himself and it was a really nice evening.

A Game of what now?

One of the largest Reading Sessions I ever attended was when bookstore-chain Thalia invited Tom Wlaschiha, known as Jaqen H’ghar from Game of Thrones to read part of book two (A Clash of Kings). He chose the part, where Arya tells Jaqen the names of the people he should kill and he read it amazingly. He also talked a bit about filming and teaching Maisie Williams German between takes (according to him her favourite word is „Bahnhof“ – train station 😀 ).
But the most hilarious thing about it was the audience and especially that one guy not capable of pronouncing Game of Thrones correctly. As is more or less commonly known do Germans have problems with the English „th“, but what some make of the word „thrones“ is weird even for German ears. I mean Game of Trons makes for an entirely different franchise…

Lesebühne

As I’ve mentioned before did I attend a couple of Lesebühnen, Reading Stages, these past few years. And as this is about authors, why not talk about those that stand in front of an audience and read their works to them?
Doing that is thrilling and terrifying and fun and brilliant and every person ever daring to do something like this deserves the utmost respect, be they professionals like the people mentioned above or more or less amateurs like the people from the Lesebühne I occasionally attend.

This particular Lesebühne in Neubrandenburg (in the pub mentioned above) is organized by local students and is without any kind of judgement, everyone gets applause for simply going on stage and reading. Therefore it’s not as strict as a Poetry Slam, even if lots of the readers participate in those as well and sometimes read their texts from those. Other stages only allow members of certain groups or a registration long beforehand, but here you can appear on time and your name gets added to the list, or you can even use the open mic afterwards.

I’m one of a few that reads short stories, mostly from the Your Picture – A Story project and I’m always nervous when I do it and am barely able to look up from my sheet of paper. My heart is pounding like crazy and it makes breathing while reading quite difficult at times. But I’m getting better, I guess, I even manage to get a few more words out before and after the texts, even if they sometimes sound way better in my head … I still have a lot to learn.
Still, it’s incredible to read for someone else or to be able to listen to others read a story to you. The most annoying thing for the person sitting on the stage is an audience that won’t shut up. It’s rude and disrespectful, and makes them question themselves even more then they already do.

So, iff you ever attend a Reading Session, be it professional or amateurish: Be quiet and listen!

And maybe among those you will find your favourite author. 😉

PoiSonPaiNter

#Buchmagie – Part 2

Another diversion from the Fairy Tale Summer with the second part of Blue Siren’s #Buchmagie (Bookmagic) tag. You can find part one here: #Buchmagie – Part 1.
And these questions are quite a bit trickier…

16. If you could send yourself into a bookworld, which one would you want to visit?

I’m hovering between post-war Hogwarts and the Pages of the World, maybe even the Inkworld…I don’t know. They sound incredible and I’d really like to be able to use the portrayed magic, even if that’s pretty unlikely.

17. Which gem would you choose? (German/English)

Seems like I’d have to choose the Kunzite…at least from the German meaning. o.O Star sign wise it’d be the Malachite. So I guess both?

18. Which magic-cliché do you consider ghastfully-dreadful?

The warts on witches or that evil witches are generally portrayed as ugly. Good looking people can be just as cruel…

19. Do you prefer reading about good or bad Sorcerer/Sorceresses?

I don’t like people because their bad or good, I like reading about people that are funny, snarky, different. If the character is great I’ll like them and if they happen to be a good or bad sorcerer/sorceress than that’s that. 😀

20. Healing, Fight-Magic or Summonings? What would you/your character use to protect the group in an adventure and why?

If I had magic I’d try to do bit of all, I don’t like being a burden and I’m really fond of helping others. My characters are different though, they use whatever they’re capable of. I told you about Mara and Andres from The Queen’s Wish in the previous part who can use healing and empathic magic, but are pretty useless when it comes to attacking someone, defence is a bit more likely. Emry on the other hand has offensive, shield and illusion spells.

21. Which witch brew do you prefer drinking the most while reading/writing (black bean juice, herb-infusion, spring water?)

If I drink anything at all I’m proud of myself. 😀 Usually it’s water though or whatever else is available EXCEPT coffee. I don’t drink coffee. And I shouldn’t I’m not doing well with the caffeine…

22. Which book has great ideas for modern/unique magic? Alternative: What new ideas does magic need in books?

The first thing that comes to mind is the new Strowlers universe by Zombie Orpheus Entertainment. It’s a world where magic is real and where its users are persecuted and held down. It’s an open world where everyone can add their own thoughts and stories and if the creators like them, they might become canon.

Other than that do I really like the book magic from The Pages of the World.

23. Are there moments in your every day life, that can really enchant you?

Nature is generally enchanting to me. I can sit quiet and just stare at trees waving their leaves in the wind. I enjoy watching water in all kinds of variations (rain, river, lake, ocean, …, clouds 😉 ). Just as the flickering flames of a candle or bone fire can keep me entertained.

24. Did you ever read a book that dealt with witches/Wizards, but without any magic? (e.g. non-fiction, medieval novel in the times of the inquisition)

I read a few books about the witch hunts or taking place at the time of it. Like Elmar Bereuters „Hexenhammer“ (Hammer of the witches) and „Lichtfänger“ (Lightcatcher). In addition to that some non-fiction stuff and I still want to read the Maleus Maleficarum…

25. Which character poured a love potion into you and conquered your heart?

There have been a few characters I liked and whose traits I wouldn’t mind having in a real life partner, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say they conquered my heart. If I gained a connection to a character I suffer with them – this is especially horrible when I’m the one writing their demises, but I don’t think there is one I’d defend at all cost, like I’d do for a real life person.

26. Show us a quote that’s so full of magic and wisdom that it might as well be a spell!

I’m horrible with quotes…Does this count?

“Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning.”

– Rick Cook, Wizardry Compiled

Just realized: This is another book for Question 8.

27. Hands down! Do you believe Magic really exists? And if so in which form?

I do. There is magic in nature, in a smile and in the way we interact with each other; the emotions we share, the thoughts that drive us, the ideas running through peoples minds.

If there wasn’t any magic, how would we even think up something like magic and write incredible stories about it? 😉

28. Show us a magical book that unfortunately did not spark anything for you!

Mad Merlin by J. Robert King. It sounded like an interesting re-telling of the known Arthurian legend, but turned into something quite disappointing. Sure Merlin’s Madness was fun in the beginning and it felt like it could become a great book, but then it made a turn for the worst. Merlin turned out to be someone entirely different and the story started dragging on quite a bit. For a book with ~600 pages this was not fun to finish…

Another example is Tiger, Tiger by Melvin Burgess, where he uses a magical tigress as a protagonist, but it lost a lot of potential along the way…

29. Which magical book series should be read by everyone?

Have you heard of Harry Potter? No, I didn’t think so. Me neither, so I won’t tell you what you should have read. 😉

30. Which author (not-magical too) has enchanted your heart?

If this question refers to authors whose books I buy without second thought: That would be the brilliant Terry Pratchett. His ideas for the Discworld are just so…I don’t even have words for it. But everyone who likes his books probably knows what I mean. 😉

That’s it, folks!

I hope you had fun reading the answers.

See ya.

PoiSonPaiNter

#Buchmagie – Part 1

Fairy Tales have magic, so I decided, it was okay to participate in the #Buchmagie (Bookmagic) tag alongside my Fairy Tale Summer. 🙂

You can obviously participate as well using my translated or the original questions. Though, just to be clear: This doesn’t count towards the Fairy Tale Summer Challenge. 😉

The tag was created by Blue Siren over at Babsi taucht ab and is about different magical topics regarding books – be it about witches/wizards or just magical experiences while reading. She put together thirty questions that you can answer on any social media channel you like. I decided to answer them in two parts on here. Today you’ll get the first fifteen questions. 🙂

1. What is your Hogwarts House? Alternatively: Would you want to attend a Wizardry School or rather learn to use Magic by yourself?

I was sorted into Slytherin on the Beta-Version of Pottermore, which let me to an quite fascinating experiment. As I had anticipated from the first try, the new version then put me in Ravenclaw. By now I had accepted being a Slytherin and will always remain one at heart. 😉 (In Ilvermorny, the American school, I’d be a Pudwudgie, you know, those creatures that generally don’t like people. 😉 )

As for learning magic: I think a school would be the better idea for me, as I otherwise might be too lazy…

2. Who is your favourite witch/sorceress from a book and why? (For Authors: Introduce a sorceress from your book!)

That would be Hermione from the Harry Potter series. She’s smart, funny and manages to excel in this new world, she had never heard of before. I didn’t really mind studying in school, so through her I learned it was okay to know stuff.
Though, it was, and still is, hard for me to add the „o“ to her name, for me she’ll always only be Hermine. 😉 (Took me quite a while to realize it was NOT a spelling mistake, but the original spelling…)

As for my own characters: Meet Mara from The Queen’s Wish. 🙂

Mara is another apprentice of Emry’s master and a really good Healer. She’s rather shy, but that doesn’t keep her from helping out whenever and however she can. With compassion and empathy and a vast knowledge of Healing Spells and Herbology, she makes her patients feel better in no time.

3. Your favourite three magical books (one per series 😉 )

I would say….

The Prisoner of Azkaban is definitely on this list, though I haven’t read it in a while. But back in the day I really liked this one.

If book-magic counts, then I’d say: Die Seiten der Welt by Kai Meyer, though I’m not sure which one I’d choose they’re all pretty great… As I said in the review: The world and the way their „magic“, their bibliomancy works is just so fascinating.

As for the last one…maybe the first part (The Wizard of Earthsea) of the Earthsee Trilogy by Ursula K. LeGuin? I like the description of the school and the idea that names are a very powerful thing.

4. What is your favourite Mythical Creature?

Who doesn’t like Dragons? I mean they are pretty awesome. Fire breathing, flying and stuff 😉 By now I also got a liking for Griffins, but that’s basically because it’s in our town’s/state’s coat of arms.

And of course there is this weird relationship I have with Unicorns…

5. Spells, Wands or inner Power? Which form of Magic do you like most?

I kind of like inner power the most. Doing something with just a thought/look/hand gesture feels way more epic than waving around a wand. Though spells are nice too, they seem to focus all the above a bit better.

6. Your favourite Sorcerer/Mage from a book and why? (For Authors: Introduce a sorcerer from your book!)

I have to go with Harry Potter again: Remus Lupin. He just seems like such an incredible teacher and person…

Another one from The Queen’s Wish: Meet Andres

Also an apprentice of the aforementioned master who excels in sensory Magic. He can sense Magic and its purpose from far away and figure out what charms were used on people and things. He is fiercely loyal to his friends, but still somewhat of a loner. Not willing to settle down, he is always on the move across the land, but that doesn’t mean he won’t come running when he is needed.

7. Which magical discipline would you like to master and what would you do with it? (e.g. Alchemy, Clairvoyance, Telekinesis, Telepathy, Herbology, Flying, mastering elements?)

I’d go with teleportation. It would make travelling SO MUCH easier….I’d just have to master it enough to take things and people with me. 😉

8. Which books about Magic would you like to read/are still amongst your unread books?

Well, Cursed Child is still on my reading list, but so far I just haven’t felt like reading a play again.

Other than that am I more or less interested in reading a bit more about Arthurian legends and through that more about Merlin, but that’s a rather low priority.

9. Which Rune would you choose? (z.B. Runen (German) – e.g. Runes (English))

I decided to choose Isa. It just fits well for several things going on right now, or rather not going…

10. Your favourite EVIL wizard/witch in a book?

Puh…I usually have quite a liking for the darker characters, but I can’t remember any good EVIL wizards I rooted for…(and no, I didn’t even do that for Snape).

The only bad guy I can think of right now is one of the antagonists from The Queen’s Wish, but I won’t tell you about him yet… 😉

11. What would be your Familiar or Accompanying Creature and why? (e.g. Raven, black Cat, Toad)

Maybe a Raven? It could scout ahead and let me know what’s going on, but I don’t have to take care of it that much? I really don’t know…

12. Which children’s book has fired your fondness for magical things?

If you count them as children’s books then definitely the Harry Potter series, it’s the series that shaped me the most after all. 😉

13. Which Tarot card would you choose? (Tarotkarten – Tarot cards)

As I’m too lazy to look through all of them I decided to go by looks and names to read through a few.
What I came up with is The Moon, though the English description I found sounds quite different from the German one… It has to do with imagination and inner stuff and it has a wolf and the moon on it. No idea why that sounds familiar. 😀

14. Which Covers are just magical?

Hmm…the only one I could think of right now would be The Hunter’s Moon by O.R. Melling.

But in general I’d say covers that are playful and show scenery and maybe characters.

15. Whom would you wish to have as your Magic teacher?

If it counts: BBC Merlin, he just seems like the lessons would be fun . 😀 If not: Definitely Lupin, see Question 6.

To be continued…

PoiSonPaiNter

Reader, reader, pumpkin-eater

A couple of days ago Aleshanee shared a post on Twitter by Mikka from Mikka liest (Mikka reads) about what it means to be well-read, in addition DarkFairy posted another review that made me look through her reading challenges and all of this made me think (again).
With my affinity to procrastinate I’d like to dwell a bit on these thoughts instead of what I actually should be writing…

Am I well-read?

Mikka’s points about what it means to be well-read can be basically summed up to:

You’re well read if you read more than one book from all kind of genres – even outside your comfort zone – in differing difficulty.

I agree with her sentiment (and hope the summary is correct) and enjoyed her reasoning leading to this, but what does that mean for me?

I don’t want to make my own definition, I’d like to try using the main points of the statement to try figuring out if I would consider myself to be well-read.

#1 Diversity

The majority of books I read are in the fantasy genre, but thanks to school and different interests I also picked up a few classics and non-fiction books, but that still doesn’t make it that widely spread, even if a few of them differ greatly from my usual reads.

Though, that doesn’t mean that I don’t know things about books/topics/stuff I only have on my to-read list or just heard/read about in reviews/articles.

In addition do I read all kinds of (web)comics, manga, short stories(, fanfictions, etc.) ranging from fantasy up to slice of life stuff, so there is a bit more variation there.

#2 Quantity

Okay, this point is probably the one that bugs me the most. With readers like Aleshanee and Mikka, who read between 100-200 books a year or Evanesca, DarkFairy and SaJaehwa, who manage 30-80 books a year, you have quite some competition.
That is, if you view reading as a competition.
Which it technically isn’t, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t feel like it.

When I look through my statistics on Goodreads it’s apparent that my reading habits aren’t really that regular. There are years where I haven’t read anything or just a few measly books and then there are years where the book count rises above 20. In total I seemingly haven’t even managed to read as much books in my entirely life as Aleshanee does in a year.

I do consider myself a fast reader, I manage to finish a ~200 pages book in about a week, only by reading on the bus (~1h total) and I think I manage 60 pages per hour on average, but there are times when I either don’t have the time to read (car-commute) or I just don’t feel like it – which is kind of my main reason for not reading – or I’m using the bus to draft stories instead.

Though this does also mean that keeping up with challenges isn’t really my thing. I started two in 2014 (BiblioSmile’s Summer Book Challenge 2014 and DarkFairy’s Alphabet Reading Challenge), that I still haven’t finished as I keep putting other books between actually reading the ones on those lists … I’m just no good with schedules. 😉

It feels frustrating, when I compare my reading list to others‘, but when I think about the (web)comics, manga, short stories(, fanfictions, etc.) I also read – that I don’t have on my Goodreads list – it evens out a little, but it still doesn’t feel the same. Why not?

#3 Difficulty

Because one could argue about the challenge they pose and if you could even count (web)comics and manga as „books“, as they are „just“ stories with pictures.
Though things like The Sandman are quite difficult to read …

Some of the other books weren’t easy either, but being the stubborn person I am I powered through even if it was exhausting at times. I also don’t shy away from longer reads if I feel like reading the book, I just sometimes don’t feel like starting them, but that’s mostly because of the topic.
I also don’t mind just reading YA or not so challenging stuff, though I stay away from the entirely lovey-dovey stuff as I just can’t stand it … I already make fun of the stuff I linked above (not challenging-link), no need to give my jokes more fuel …

I kind of also increase the difficulty by reading books in English – recently I even read something in Russian! 😀 *proud* – which has me not just reading, but learn new words/phrases in the process.

So at least my difficulty is differing, I guess.

Conclusion

Apart from the fact that I chose a ridiculous title* and spread the same alliterations throughout it, do I feel a bit more comfortable with just reading about 20 books a year.

And looking at all the stuff I wrote above: I do believe I’m well-read.
Even if I’m not actually reading that much. 😉

What do you think about this? Do you consider yourself well-read?

PoiSonPaiNter

P.S. If anyone needs help with the German posts, just let me know.
* I blame that entirely on Halloween approaching and me thinking about travelling to Ireland again … anyone interested in accompanying me? 😉

What the nerd heart desires: Nerd Stores

Lies auf Deutsch

As sixth part of the Nerd-Week you get a special overview over a few nerdy stores here in Germany, that you enter with a laughing and a crying eye and leave with an empty wallet and filled bags. Find out what there is to discover!

Fantastische Welten – Fantastical Worlds

A potpourri of things awaits you in the Fantastischen Welten in Rostock, that’s not just something for Manga-friends, no, especially Card Gamer, Roleplayers and Table Tops Player get their money’s worth. Besides weekly Events for Magic the Gathering and Force of Will, tournaments for Yu-Gi-Oh! and others are regularly fought out. A visit is worthwhile either way, even if you just use it to sit on one of the 32 playing seats and preventively intimidate your future opponents with your gaze. 😉

Gandalph

The Gandalph can be found in three different places: Flensburg, Kiel and Rendsburg [and Lübeck], where you can stock up on (Board) Games, Manga and Books from different genres, miniatures/figurines for Table Tops and even more. There is simply a huge range, that invides you the spent an evening in the store.

Grober Unfug – Monkey Business (?)

As we already are talking about more than one store, let’s continue with the Grober Unfug in Berlin that you can find twice there. The main store is in Mitte, a small branch in Kreuzberg. Both have a huge selection especially of Comics and Comic-Merchandise. Those who want to complete their DC or Marvel-collections or want to discoverer something smaller are at the right place. Especially great is that both stores participate in the Gratis Comic Tag (Free Comic Book Day) and simply are a great place to go (Note: On that day the branch is usually quite cramped if you want to check the shelves, but it is doable). And if you’re lucky – as I was on GTC two years ago – you might meet a Berlin celebrity (Bela B.) who is looking for new reading material as well. 😉

Otherland

Let’s stay in the vicinity of the Grober Unfug-branch in Kreuzberg and walk a bit further to the Otherland-book store. Specialized in Fantasy and Sci-Fi there is a lot to discover here, as besides new releases, you’ll also find (used) classics in the shelves (and boxes) and a nearly as large a selection of English literature (e.g. by Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett). But still not everything. The Otherland hosts reading sessions and other events and the well informed team can certainly help you with your search for new reading material.

Neo Tokyo

Let’s change the specialization to Japanese Media. The Neo Tokyo – in Berlin, but also in Munich – have a large assortment of Manga and DVDs for popular/famous series from the different publishers, but also a few less known ones. Special in their range are the offers of Merchandise, clothing and (Japanese/Korean) Music, that you don’t find that much throughout Germany. Those who want to complete their series or want to take a closer look into Japanese Culture are at the right place. If I remember correctly you could even buy a Bento in the Berlin store.

J-Store

Fit for that as well is also the J-Store that you can’t only find in the Capital, but also in Hamburg. The variety is similar to Neo Tokyo, but you can always find something in one store that you can’t find in the other. Especially Artists can buy a few things here and fans of Youth Culture can take a picture in a traditional Photo Booth (purikura).

Comic Planet

With the Comic Planet another branch-store is added to the mix. You can find it in different cities: Osnabrück, Münster, Rheine and Duisburg. With different events (tournaments, theme days, …), a large range of (sometimes rare) Manga, Comics and Trading Card Games, as well as a lot of space to play the latter depending on the branch, it has a lot to offer.

Comic Galerie – Comic Gallery

The second proper Comic Book Store I ever visited is the Comic Galerie in Kassel. Many great things can be found here that will greatly improve your life, uhm, I mean: They have a wide range of Comic Books and Manga, but also a large assortment of Specialist Literature, Artbooks and Rulebooks for Pen&Paper– and Table Tops-Systems and additionally many interesting Events that go from game-demonstrations up to tournaments.

Pin-Up

My very first is Pin-Up Comic in Cologne that seems unimpressive from the outside, but hides actually worlds of wonders. With a complete range of German Graphic Novels, Frankobelgian Comics (Asterix & Co.), as well as a huge selection of US-Comics and an extensive Comic and Magazine antique shop everyone can find something here.

Nertaku

Specialized a bit differently is the Nertaku in Dresden that tries to combine the interests of both Nerds and Otakus and that not just in their name. Beside a large assortment of Game- (Super Mario, Minecraft, Final Fantasy, etc.) and Mangamerchandise (and volumes) they also offer stuff for Cosplayers, as the owners dabble in the Cosplaying scene as well. Additionally they also sell Alpaca plushies.

Zeitgeist

How does the saying go? Save the best for last, if the Zeitgeist in Koblenz is indeed that you’ll have to decide for yourself. DarkFairy, who showed me this store would certainly think so. 😉
Either way is there a wide range of different Comics, Manga, (Board- and Card) Games, Table Tops equiment and also various Merchandise (especially Manga/Anime figurines, but also stuff for Doctor Who and others), that you scarcely find anywhere.
But I do not want to keep one last, special goody that SaJaehwa and I discovered on our weekend trip to Stockholm (obviously that’s in Sweden not in Germany, but it still needed to be added to this list), from you:

Science Fiction Bokhandeln

As I mentioned here on Tuesday, did we more or less stumble upon the Science Fiction Bokhandeln by accident and when we went inside it was hard for us to leave again. The wide variety of English (non-fiction) Books, Comics and (Original-) Manga, as well as the huge selection of Merchandise you don’t get that easily in Germany, where simply too tempting (Mean info: You can order through the web shop via credit card…).

But enough now, don’t want you to go into a buying frenzy. 😉

Those someone else think that Comic Book Stores are as mean – if not meaner – as Book Stores, as you hardly can leave them without taking something with you?
Did I forget your favourite store?
Let me know!
Have fun checking them out!

PoiSonPaiNter

Disclaimer: I didn’t get paid for writing this, I simply wanted to share my experiences with different stores I’ve been at.

Into the Autumn

During the last few months I received several tags by both DarkFairy and Fissel and I’ll try to get them done one after the other without boring you too much with them. As the days are getting darker and colder I decided to start with this one that was forwarded to me by Fairy.
The Tag – originally called Ab in den Herbst* – was created by Corly and like all Tags brings Rules with them:

Link your post below Corly’s Original-Tag
Say thank you for the nomination: Thanks Fairy!
Answer the questions
Tag more Bloggers and tell them

The Questions

Which books remind you of autumn? (Be it due to the cover or because they take place in autumn)

Honestly? I have no idea. I barely remember any covers – even though they might influence my decision to buy the book – or take notice of the Season’s within a book – as they barely play a role.
Corly included the German version of Suzanne Collins Mockingjay in her list and I have to admit, that I am not sure if the thingies are supposed to be flames (German subtitle: Flaming Wrath) or autumn leaves…
Thinking a bit more on it, I guess Der Königsschlüssel (The King’s Key) by Boris Koch reminds me a bit of autumn, too, due to the colour of the cover, but I don’t think it was hinted at in the story…
Story-wise I’d say Terry Pratchett’s Reaper Man reminds me of autumn, simply because DEATH is bringing in the corn…

What do you associate with autumn?

Colourful leaves/trees, rain and wind are the major associations I have with autumn, but there are also a couple of other things. The days are getting darker, all the stuff from the garden is harvested and there are a few things that are celebrated in this Season – and I don’t mean Halloween – St. Martin’s Day was a huge thing when I was a kid – especially the lantern procession. By now the focus of the 11th November is more on the beginning of the carnival Season where we get the traditional Pfannkuchen from our bosses. Also in autumn are the change of the daylight saving time and the Eternity Sunday or Sunday of the Dead (Ewigkeitssonntag or Totensonntag) that I talked about back in 2013 over at the Fairytale Traveler. This year that day will be quite difficult….

What do you especially like about autumn?

I’m not really sure, but I guess I like that the weather now allows me to not feel guilty about staying in all day. 😉 And I really love passing by or driving through alleys full of colourful trees…oh and tramping through the fallen leaves and kicking them into the air is also great. 😀

What is your favourite Halloween-movie?

This thing is filed with difficult questions…
I guess my favourite Halloween-movie is Halloweentown and its sequels. They’re just so much fun… and of course Nightmare before Christmas, but you can never be sure if this movie fits into the category Halloween- or Christmas-movie 😉
[Author’s Note: I just re-read Fairy’s post after completing mine: I did not mean to copy these from you, but it’s not surprising to me that we picked the same movies. >_<]

Are you an autumn-child (meaning: Were you born in autumn)?

Nope, Winter is my Season. 😀

What do you say about the season autumn in general? Do you like autumn?

It depends, some days, especially when the sun shines and illuminates all those colourful leaves, autumn is awesome. On others when the fog is hanging low or it is raining, you just want to wrap a blanket around yourself and shut out the world, which isn’t an entirely bad thing, but sometimes it can drag you down and that’s not so great. But I generally like autumn as a season.

What kind of holiday destinations do you like most in autumn?

The majority of my travellings take place in summer, so the only times I am actually on tour in autumn is for concerts, maybe an MPS or things like last years trip on Halloween or this year the TimeLash. This also means that I barely use any vacation days in autumn anyway and therefore don’t have a destination – other than getting home, I guess. Though I do still want to actually participate in an American Halloween celebration or actually be able to follow some Irish traditions…

Are there animals that you associate with autumn?

Deer, I guess? And crows and brants and cranes probably, as those are the ones you mostly see either standing on the (empty) fields or noisily flying above you to their wintering grounds.

Your most beautiful autumn-picture? (Can be a private one)

Tough one again… I think most pictures that include colourful leaves are beautiful, so… (yes, I’m a big fan of colourful leaves…). I’m most fascinated by pictures that depict trees or forests throughout the Seasons, where they have like one picture for each Season. Those are great….

Do you have a special autumn experience?

Hmm…I guess you can count all those Halloween experiences I had so far into this, other than that…no idea…

Last thoughts

Okay, so this probably weren’t the most interesting answers to these question, but I still wanted to do it. I think it helps one to learn a bit more about oneself if you try thinking about certain things, you haven’t thought about before and tags like this one help with that.
As I don’t know whom to tag, I will skip that part of the rules. If you want to answer the questions anyway, because you think autumn is awesome or otherwise then go ahead and feel tagged! 😀
You can obviously use my translated questions or Corly’s original (German) ones.
Don’t slip on any fallen leaves. 😉
PoiSonPaiNter
* I obviously translated the rules and questions.