I came to read Bakker either just before or just after the release of WP. I think there was an interview with Bakker posted on the wotmania other fiction forum wherein he said something about keeping true to the story he had envisioned from the start. It stuck a chord with me at the time, currently experiencing the bloat and derailment of what began as a great story in wot. Since, I have read most of TSA several times and grown to like it more and more. It has probably reached the status of being my favorite series, or at least listed among the upper echelon.
Interestingly enough, that is right about when I started reading it too. I saw a mass market paperback of tDtCB, so I got it and once i was done, tWP either just came out, or was right about to. Post-Bakker, I was (and still am) pretty disullusioned with genre fiction. I read some here for there, but not much. I used to read a lot of history and moved into some "literature" proper, but now almost all I read is philosophy itself.
I read a fair amount. 30 or so books a year, nearly all sci-fi or fantasy. Occasionally I read a "classic" or some general fiction. I am also into the designer board gaming hobby, which is my social activity of choice though usually it's just my wife and I after the kids are asleep.
I used to read a lot more, but now, between the kids, work, and everything else, I just don't have much time. I am lucy if I get 6 books a year now, give or take.
Personally, my hobby of choice is Magic: The Gathering, secondary is table-top wargaming. Not that I have much time of either of those too.
Again, welcome to the forum. Always nice to have
fresh blood to keep the walls wet new perspectives on-board,