I‘d been intending to write some personal blog posts amongst my Shopify Tips ones, but hadn’t got around to it yet. Then, when taking part in Terry Pratchett Day 2024 on social media I thought what better day to create my first personal blog post than on that day?
The first Discworld books I read were Guards! Guards! and Reaper Man. It was the mid 1990s, I was at university, and my then boyfriend leant them to me together, so I can’t remember which order I read them in. Anyway, I loved them and continued reading.
I can see roughly when I caught up with new books by the change from paperbacks on my bookshelves to hardbacks (pre-ordered so I could get reading them as soon as possible!). The last paperback Discworld book I have is Maskerade, from the witches series.
I also introduced my dad to the world of Terry Pratchett and he loved the books as much as me - I always used to buy him the latest for his birthday / Christmas. His favourite Terry Pratchett book was Nation (not a Discworld book). In fact, he made a note in his memoirs about it: “21st July 1997. Fiona persuaded me to read Terry Pratchett books.”
My favourite character is Sam Vimes (who is first introduced in Guards! Guards!), and then probably Moist Von Lipwig (introduced in Going Postal).
The guards books (City Watch series) are my favourite and I’ve read them many times. Having recently introduced my (at the time of writing) teenage son to the Discworld series (he had already previously enjoyed the Bromeliad trilogy and The Carpet People) I am now introducing him to the guards series by listening to the new audiobooks together when we’re in the car - a great way of sharing the experience and enjoying each other's reactions.
My recommendation for where to start is Going Postal. In the past I would have said Guards! Guards! but I think that is nostalgia talking. The experience of introducing my son to Discworld has changed my mind. I tried a few with him before finding the right starting place and it was Going Postal, one of the more recent books and such an exciting read that introduces you to many characters along the way and how the Discworld and city of Ankh Morpork work. After its sequel, Making Money, the next success was The Truth. These books are also my favourites after the guards (City Watch) series.
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