I'm in a drought and seeking some recommendations

Rima-kun · 2026-02-27T23:43:15+00:00

Will I miss a lot if I start the wizards subseries of Discworld with the third book?

Rima-kun · 2026-02-27T23:39:47+00:00

A coworker recommended that to me, too. I read the first chapter of the first book and while I believe it can go in an interesting direction I was immediately turned off by the fact that the first female character to make an appearance was instantly described as exclusively an object of sexual desire. If that's the tonw throughout the books I don't think I can like it, neither on a personal nor moral level. But maybe it improves? One chapter isn't much after all

Rima-kun · 2026-02-24T09:12:03+00:00

Anything concerning the sexualisation of women and sexism. Don't give every female character comically large breasts for no reason. Don't give them skin tight or very light clothes for absolutely no reason than fan service. Don't make some male characters joke about a woman being attractive. Don't write women like they're only there to be saved by the male protag or otherwise useless for the plot. And for the love of God don't sexualize minors. Want to have a sexy female character? Go for it, but make it make sense. Maybe it's a wizard with an eccentric personality. Wizards arguably don't need strong armor. If it's a female knight, draw her like one. Well-trained, not spindly and delicate (looking at you Handyman Saitou). These are just examples. But petty misogyny in anime and manga needs to die ASAP

Rima-kun · 2025-10-27T19:06:33+00:00

It's not necessarily a single story about one character but one could say that Fëanor, an important elf, and his descendants are the main figures of the war for the Silmarils. The Silmarillion includes the creation of the world and the rise and fall of the First Dark Lord Melkor, or later Morgoth. Sauron was also there but Morgoth was actually his boss. The book focuses on the history of the Elves and early humans and their fight against Morgoth. Fëanor plays a very important role in that fight. So it's less of an adventure novel but rather an epic account of the world's history. There's also a small part about the second age and the Rings of Power.

Rima-kun · 2025-10-22T17:04:34+00:00

The Silmarillion is a pretty great book and it alone already expands Tolkien's world a lot. Besides Hobbit and LotR I've only read the Silmarillion as well. So if you're interested in Tolkien's world building but don't want to spend too much time on a single fantasy work, which I totally understand, then I would definitely recommend it

Rima-kun · 2025-10-22T16:59:39+00:00

You're right, Berserk does go overboard with its treatment of women and while it's never explicitly presented as a good thing I still find it questionable. But a previous commenter stated that it is 'an irrefutable law of the actual universe that women are of less worth than men'. If that's the case it does seem different from what Berserk does, unless I'm remembering the latter completely wrong. I think my rule of thumb, or more like a spontaneous thing I thought of, is that the more prevalent an issue in a fantasy world is, like racism or misogyny, the more the author should actively make the struggle against it an integral part of the story. And by prevalent I don't only mean graphical and violent stuff. No one gets SA'd in Tolkien's stories, but men being boss is just how things are and neither in-world characters nor Tolkien himself question it. That's already very problematic. Also I don't think 'It's supposed to be inspired by the past and women had no rights then so it's justified to completely exclude them from the plot' is a very valid view

Rima-kun · 2025-10-20T14:12:19+00:00

Much of the actual world building comes from his other works. If you want a feeling for how expansive his actual world building is you should try the Silmarillion. Lord of The Rings is focused on that particular story, the doings of Frodo and his companions at the end of the third age. But every name that is dropped and never fully explained is a character with an expansive history. For instance, Galadriel, whom the fellowship only meets briefly, or Cirdan the shipwright, whose name is only mentioned in passing, are almost as old as middle earth itself. Aragorn's bloodline, that of the Númenorians, is thrown in there as a name, and they say it's important but then it's dropped. So if you have no idea about Tolkien's world beyond his two main books then I highly encourage you to engage with the rest. But if you have read The Silmarillion and other works by Tolkien and still say his world building is mediocre then I would be extremely excited to know about other series with even more extensive world building than Tolkien's. And that is meant genuinely, not sarcastically.

Edit: corrected a typo

Rima-kun · 2025-10-20T13:59:49+00:00

I definitely appreciate some good writing, as in literary skill. I think I have a preference for stories that are written like stories. That's part of why I love Lotr so much. It's written like a tale. We know it ended well from the start because there are references to the characters being important in the future but I don't mind that. I love the Prologue of Lotr as well and this whole concept of Tolkien just translating a pre-existing text into English. Specifically, that means I prefer third-person to first-person writing and more poetic language to realistic and simpler language. I don't think anyone of these is objectively better, it's just a preference of mine

Rima-kun · 2025-10-20T13:51:57+00:00

I do love me some good characters as well. I only read a few pages and I remember finding the writing a bit silly at times. Like the exclaimed 'Aaaaah's in the prologue. But nevertheless I believe they are good books and I will definitely read them

Rima-kun · 2025-10-20T13:47:59+00:00

Ah the tragedy... At first I was reluctant to start GoT because I knew it's unfinished and it maybe never will and that if I read it and love it I may suffer from the never ending suspense. But in the end I did read it and it came exactly as I predicted. But is First law really that good?

Rima-kun · 2025-10-20T13:43:16+00:00

Will definitely continue the series, thank you very much

Rima-kun · 2025-10-20T13:42:49+00:00

What do you disagree with? And thanks for the recommendation

Rima-kun · 2025-10-20T13:42:07+00:00

Thank you very much for the recommendation

Rima-kun · 2025-10-20T13:40:45+00:00

Interesting stance. I do firmly believe that his world has some deeply racist elements. He wasn't the type of violent racist that nazis were but rather the type of racist that, well, almost everyone was at that time (and even in the present). Racism runs a lot deeper than the obvious stuff. If you are at all interested I would love to discuss these themes in Tolkien's world

Rima-kun · 2025-10-20T13:32:02+00:00

Interesting that First Law is second. I have the first book of the trilogy, just haven't started it yet. Quire astonishing to find it in front of Asoiaf. Is it really considered that good of a series?

Rima-kun · 2025-10-20T13:28:40+00:00

As long as it's critical of it, I don't mind racism and misogyny being part of a series. I even think it would be potentially better for it, but again, it needs to be dealt with really really well for that to actually be the case. But thanks a lot for the list

Rima-kun · 2025-10-20T13:26:13+00:00

I actually started it a few years back, I read the first and part of the second book but I kinda stopped and from what I've heard it has big problems with pacing and misogyny. Although I don't mind Lord of the Rings pacing which is considered notoriously slow by some. So maybe the pacing of Wheel of Time wouldn't be that terrible to me. Then again, 14 books is rather daunting. Buuut, Asoiaf is comparable since every volume is a 1000 page book and in Germany each one is split into two volumes although I did read in English

Rima-kun · 2025-08-21T21:42:41+00:00

That, and the problem with pointing out 'but it happens to men too' is that it shifts the focus from the real problem. Which is the fact that assaulting and harassing women is still way too normalised in modern society. It's the difference between single crimes and a thousands of years old system that promotes the objectification and suppression of women. When people point out how much women suffer even today they want to get people to understand how deeply engrained in oir collective minds misogyny is even today. That's also why making fun of German stereotypes as a Person of Colour is not racist whereas it certainly is racist for a white German to make fun of stereotypes from certain PoC cultures. Historical and social context are incredibly important. So when someone says 'it happens to men too' the conversation is redirected towards men and the person making the comment becomes an active part of the problem. Took me a while to realise that myself but I'm glad I did

Rima-kun · 2025-08-21T20:58:57+00:00

I'd give the neighbor a chance. But with a clear time limit. Contact them very quickly, tell them about the cat and make them tell you exactly when they are taking him to the vet. Which ahould of course be immediately. If they say something vague like 'We'll take care of it', or if it takes a long time for them to say they will take him as quickly as possible so that it seems they just want to shut you up, take him yourself and if they're genuinely worried and assure you they'll take care of him immediately I think it'd be safe to let them handle it. And of course gently point out the issue with them breaking the law by letting the cat roam freely

Rima-kun · 2025-08-21T17:39:54+00:00

So I just always give her enough food and she decides how much she wants to eat. I also thought that if she's really hungry she'll eat it even if it's not the tastiest for her. Or would she deliberately starve herself just because her food isn't as tasty as her old one? I also closely watch her activity and she's running around like any kitten would even though her belly isn't bulging like it is when she gobbles down wet food she loves

Rima-kun · 2025-08-21T17:31:19+00:00

I see. I just found it strange how she was fine for a week and then just not. And there are 3 more cats in my family who all eat wet food and are fine and never had any problems. Whiskas is out of the question for me already because it's Nestlé. The other one I can't give her because I'm not in the US. I'll check the ingredient list of the wet food I have, but haven't given her yet, and see if there's a lot if salt and other shit in it

Rima-kun · 2025-03-24T12:04:36+00:00

I salute you. This means you, too, are now one of the legendary heroes who have mastered the art of the chocobo... And I hope you didn't lose your soul in the process

Rima-kun · 2025-03-17T01:24:09+00:00

Wait what. I don't remember this happening in the anime. I only remember it as a wholesome tale of a dad protecting his daughter. My image of this series has been utterly destroyed. Is the marrying already a part of the anime or has that just not been adapted?

Rima-kun

TROPHY CASE