Ric

Makes me think a large amount of beer was involved

Thanks, Jose! Sounds interesting. I’ll check it out. I remember a movie with a premise a bit like this but won’t say which one due to spoilers. I hope the run went well …. and wasn’t too impeded by the beers.

I've experienced it quite a few times and it weirds me out in a pleasant way I think it's probably some electrical thing in the brain that causes the experience to go into long term and short memory within nanoseconds of each other, giving the illusion that you are experiencing something (short term memory) and that it's happened before (long term memory). The sci-fi loving part of me would like it to be a memory of a past life or an a crossover from a parallel world. Or maybe we can see outside of space and time in our dreams and we've already seen the event, so when it actually happens this triggers the memory. Who knows? @Layla Azmi GousheyYes! I really enjoyed the Twelve Monkeys series. I love time travel in movies and on TV - some of my favourite content. Have you any favourites?

Happy Anniversary! Have great evening!

I'm not sure what people (online) are getting bothered about. The writer makes some snarky comments about Sanderson's prose and religion, and some snide remarks about the fans, but these only serve to show what a smug ar**hole the interviewer is. He comes across really badly whereas Sanderson sounds generous, modest and has time for everybody.

(I hope it's OK to trespass in the writers' lounge for a quick comment.) To me an aspiring author is somebody who aspires to be published. Once you're published and can say you're XXXX, author of YYYY, you're no longer aspiring because you've done it, and from then on you're only apsiring to be a better author, just as everybody else aspires to be better at what they do.

The UK government recently banned TikTok on all government issued phones, but people can still do what they like on personal devices. I think that's fair. If it's a perceived security threat, keep it away from sensitive areas, but the public should be able to exercise their free choice. I can see major companies following suit. I wonder if the the US senator talk is just political theatre. They're never going to be able to legally ban TikTok's use by the American public, but all this posturing makes them look tough on China and gives a them a bit of time in the spotlight. It's probably also a negotiating tool with TIkTok. The article states: "TikTok said content creators will come to Washington next week to make the case why the app should not be banned." I really hope the creators are going to do this in the style of their videos. Imagine the look on the senators' faces if each creator just does a 30 second dance, mime or skit and then leaves.

@Frankand @Steve Looking forward to our buddy read of The Dharkan. As Steve has a lot of reading commitments already, I'd be happy for him to pick a time that works for him and I'll fit in with that (if that works for Frank). Once there's a time, others might want to join in. The more the merrier. It's book #2 of a series and 357 pages or just over 11 hours on audiobook.

Have you started The Dharkan yet, Frank? If not, give me a shout if you fancy doing a low key buddy read in the next month or so (before I forget what happened in book 1 ). I have an audiobook and a Libby hold I need to read first, though.

The snow and fairy lights create a cosy winter atmosphere, but a spring theme (or an autumnal one for the southern hemisphere people) might be more suitable now that it's March. If it's always winter (like Narnia), then the snow theme might lose its impact come next December. The everlasting winter theme makes me think Steve is trying to bring about Ragnarok by creating the Fimbulwinter.

• To immerse myself in places and times that I will never experience in real life • To contemplate situations, concepts and ideas that I might not come across otherwise • To see things from another perspective, empathise and reflect on my own views • To experience a range of emotions • To learn something about myself • To stimulate my imagination (for the story itself, to speculate where it’s going and other things the story makes me think about) • To learn something new • I get to experience a tale that I couldn’t imagine but somebody else has • I get the chance to share thoughts with others who know the story • They bring me pleasure • They might present values that resonate with me, or raise issues which become important to me

If I am living in somebody else's dream, then there's not much I can do about it, so I might as well just get on with things and make the best of it. If it's my dream, then I'm very disappointed with myself because I should have made my life way more exciting and interesting than it is. The idea that we might be living in a dream (or simulation) is a great topic for discussion or stories, but I think life is pretty much how we experience it. Then again, I sometimes have the thought that when I die there'll be a group of people shaking their heads in disappointment saying, "It took you 80 years to work out it was all a dream. World record of slowness. Did you not pick up on any of the clues?"

I'd love to, but work and a 17,000 km round trip won't let me. I hope you manage to introduce lots of new readers to your books and meet some lovely people.

As an introvert, I couldn't agree more with Karl Ove for the first part of this quote, but I wonder if 'loneliness' has been mistranslated and he means 'alone time'. I can empathise a bit with 'panicked' but worry how he arrives at 'aggressive'. Interesting quote, though.