R.A. White's Blog, page 11
January 21, 2016
Don't Call Him Sweetheart
1. Trooper's story: When I was a little kid, I bounced on my ball and all my kids cheered. I drove myself, and I got old and I died. Then I came back to life and you were my Mama.
2. After a two hour cardiology visit complete with yearly tests and long conversations, Trooper was more than ready to leave. We finally gathered our things to go, and Dr. Baht (a sixtyish man with a very slight accent and a relatively serious demeanor) said by way of parting, "Goodbye, sweetheart."
Trooper's reply was a shrill blend of surprise and incredulity. "What?!!!" He stood staring in shock, not moving as Dr. Baht turned to see him. Everyone in the hall burst out laughing, and Jonathan suggested that maybe 'sweetheart' wasn't the way to go. Even the nurses around the corner were laughing. So I guess if you're a man, it's not OK call him sweetheart.
3. I saw Trooper pulling wads of newspaper out of a decorative vase in the living room, and I asked him what he was doing.
"I'm trying to find that guy," he said as he continued to transfer shreds of newsprint from the tight hole to the floor. I assumed he was talking about one of his little action figures. "I put him in there and he said, 'Ahhhhh!', and now I can't find him."
4. I need to brag on my little man for a minute. Many of you know that he likes to cook, and he's been honing his skills lately. The other day we were doing our best to make my sister's Wasa recipe (a cilantro and veggie rub, actually turned out pretty good) and I let Trooper be in charge of the blender. Obviously he was under close supervision, but really he didn't even give me reason to doubt him. He put the ingredients in as I passed them to him, being careful to shut it off before opening the lid, and never putting his fingers into the pitcher. Well, as our blender runs, it tends to loosen up and start leaking from the bottom. This makes for an exciting time, requiring someone to hold the base and pitcher as it blends so it doesn't spin apart. Trooper did a great job holding it together, and at one point it started to get away from him and he instantly hit the power button to shut it down. It was super quick thinking, and saved us from a cilantro explosion. He's also taken to cooking his own eggs most mornings with just a little help, and is fantastic about going to get ingredients and putting things away where they belong. I told him he's a great chef assistant, and he said, "No, I'm a cook helper." And he's right. I'm far from chef status, even if I do make a mean grilled cheese sandwich.
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2. After a two hour cardiology visit complete with yearly tests and long conversations, Trooper was more than ready to leave. We finally gathered our things to go, and Dr. Baht (a sixtyish man with a very slight accent and a relatively serious demeanor) said by way of parting, "Goodbye, sweetheart."
Trooper's reply was a shrill blend of surprise and incredulity. "What?!!!" He stood staring in shock, not moving as Dr. Baht turned to see him. Everyone in the hall burst out laughing, and Jonathan suggested that maybe 'sweetheart' wasn't the way to go. Even the nurses around the corner were laughing. So I guess if you're a man, it's not OK call him sweetheart.
3. I saw Trooper pulling wads of newspaper out of a decorative vase in the living room, and I asked him what he was doing.
"I'm trying to find that guy," he said as he continued to transfer shreds of newsprint from the tight hole to the floor. I assumed he was talking about one of his little action figures. "I put him in there and he said, 'Ahhhhh!', and now I can't find him."
4. I need to brag on my little man for a minute. Many of you know that he likes to cook, and he's been honing his skills lately. The other day we were doing our best to make my sister's Wasa recipe (a cilantro and veggie rub, actually turned out pretty good) and I let Trooper be in charge of the blender. Obviously he was under close supervision, but really he didn't even give me reason to doubt him. He put the ingredients in as I passed them to him, being careful to shut it off before opening the lid, and never putting his fingers into the pitcher. Well, as our blender runs, it tends to loosen up and start leaking from the bottom. This makes for an exciting time, requiring someone to hold the base and pitcher as it blends so it doesn't spin apart. Trooper did a great job holding it together, and at one point it started to get away from him and he instantly hit the power button to shut it down. It was super quick thinking, and saved us from a cilantro explosion. He's also taken to cooking his own eggs most mornings with just a little help, and is fantastic about going to get ingredients and putting things away where they belong. I told him he's a great chef assistant, and he said, "No, I'm a cook helper." And he's right. I'm far from chef status, even if I do make a mean grilled cheese sandwich.
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January 19, 2016
Musings on Gender Roles
Scary, right? But the topic of gender roles has been important to me over the past fifteen years or so, more and more as I meet people and consider different views. Anyone who has read my second book (and parts of the third) probably picked up on that, and may have wondered where I was coming from. In answer to that question, I can only say that it's an evolving line of thought, which currently boils down to a simple statement: People should be who God made them to be, not who society says they should be.
I feel moved to write about this right now because I recently saw a video about how schools are focused on teaching female students, and are basically leaving boys to sink. They focus on literature that appeals to girls, cut recess, and tell everyone to sit and listen instead of letting them get involved physically, as boys want to do. They punish boys for 'boyish' behaviors like nibbling poptarts into the shape of a gun, among other things. I'm just touching on some of the ideas that really stood out to me, but if you want to watch the whole thing (which might be a good idea) I'll try to link it below.
Anyway, I agree very much with some aspects of the video; schools should do more to involve different learning styles, and they should promote different genres of literature, and they should allow--no encourage--students to be physically involved in what they're learning. But there's one major assumption in the video that has been gnawing on me for days: the assumption that being active, hands on, and mischievous is 'boyish'. I've used the term 'boyish' this very way, so I'm pointing at myself as much as at the video (remember, I said it's an evolving line of thought) but I now see it as fallacy.
If being hyper is a boyish trait, is the boy who can focus and sit still somehow less of a boy? Is he feminine because he likes reading poetry or historical novels? The system is supposedly rigged to serve female students, but what about the many active girls I've met? Are they less girls because they'd rather play basketball than study English? Am I any less a girl because I spent my childhood running through the woods and reading David Eddings instead of The Baby Sitters Club? Yes, some traits tend to be found more in one sex or the other, but honestly, the way kids are treated before they get to school may be more of a factor than any genetic rules. It almost has to be, since we see vast variety within sexes.
For some reason it seems to be more acceptable for girls to be 'tomboys' than it is for boys to be 'girly', but regardless, I propose that we avoid those types of terms altogether. If we need to describe people, we can use proper words for learning styles and activity levels rather than attributing these qualities to chromosomes. Let people be who God made them to be, not who you think they should be.
Link to video here.
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Your thoughts are welcome. Thanks for reading.
I feel moved to write about this right now because I recently saw a video about how schools are focused on teaching female students, and are basically leaving boys to sink. They focus on literature that appeals to girls, cut recess, and tell everyone to sit and listen instead of letting them get involved physically, as boys want to do. They punish boys for 'boyish' behaviors like nibbling poptarts into the shape of a gun, among other things. I'm just touching on some of the ideas that really stood out to me, but if you want to watch the whole thing (which might be a good idea) I'll try to link it below.
Anyway, I agree very much with some aspects of the video; schools should do more to involve different learning styles, and they should promote different genres of literature, and they should allow--no encourage--students to be physically involved in what they're learning. But there's one major assumption in the video that has been gnawing on me for days: the assumption that being active, hands on, and mischievous is 'boyish'. I've used the term 'boyish' this very way, so I'm pointing at myself as much as at the video (remember, I said it's an evolving line of thought) but I now see it as fallacy.
If being hyper is a boyish trait, is the boy who can focus and sit still somehow less of a boy? Is he feminine because he likes reading poetry or historical novels? The system is supposedly rigged to serve female students, but what about the many active girls I've met? Are they less girls because they'd rather play basketball than study English? Am I any less a girl because I spent my childhood running through the woods and reading David Eddings instead of The Baby Sitters Club? Yes, some traits tend to be found more in one sex or the other, but honestly, the way kids are treated before they get to school may be more of a factor than any genetic rules. It almost has to be, since we see vast variety within sexes.
For some reason it seems to be more acceptable for girls to be 'tomboys' than it is for boys to be 'girly', but regardless, I propose that we avoid those types of terms altogether. If we need to describe people, we can use proper words for learning styles and activity levels rather than attributing these qualities to chromosomes. Let people be who God made them to be, not who you think they should be.
Link to video here.
Subscribe.
Your thoughts are welcome. Thanks for reading.
January 11, 2016
Trooper Stories
Considering the number of reviews I've posted here and on amazon, lately, one might be tempted to wonder if I left my family and found my way down to Florida with nothing but my Kindle and a bag of granola bars. I would understand that. I haven't posted a Trooper story in a long time.
Well let me assure you that I still live in Delaware (Not everyone can live in Florida. Not yet, at least.) and Trooper is just as lively, mischievous, and time consuming as ever. I have been traveling a lot over the past month or so, and for some reason that always leaves me with more books read and fewer stories jotted down for later rendition. And since I forget nearly everything, if I don't have notes I don't have stories.
Fortunately, I did put this one segment down as the start to a series and never posted it, so I'll share it with you now, from December 17:
'I had said goodnight prayers, and told Trooper I needed one last kiss before I left the room.
"No, wait!" he said. "I want to pray."
"Oh, sorry, sure," I said as I silently invited him to cuddle onto my lap.
He came, laying his head on my leg and kind of worming himself into me as he prayed, "Dear God, please help Mom to get away because I farted."
This was approximately eight hours after the plumber replaced our nonfunctional and leaky garbage disposal, and about two hours after I pulled up the stopper for my shower and it came off in my fingers. I'd had a very long and somewhat stressful day, and for some reason that shower stopper was the funniest thing I'd seen in a long time. This may be the beginnings of what some people would call a mental break. I didn't even get mad about the farting prayer, and that's the kind of thing that would usually get me riled up.'
See what you've been missing? You can't buy entertainment like that. And the mental break seems to have been staved off for now. We'll see how it goes.
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Well let me assure you that I still live in Delaware (Not everyone can live in Florida. Not yet, at least.) and Trooper is just as lively, mischievous, and time consuming as ever. I have been traveling a lot over the past month or so, and for some reason that always leaves me with more books read and fewer stories jotted down for later rendition. And since I forget nearly everything, if I don't have notes I don't have stories.
Fortunately, I did put this one segment down as the start to a series and never posted it, so I'll share it with you now, from December 17:
'I had said goodnight prayers, and told Trooper I needed one last kiss before I left the room.
"No, wait!" he said. "I want to pray."
"Oh, sorry, sure," I said as I silently invited him to cuddle onto my lap.
He came, laying his head on my leg and kind of worming himself into me as he prayed, "Dear God, please help Mom to get away because I farted."
This was approximately eight hours after the plumber replaced our nonfunctional and leaky garbage disposal, and about two hours after I pulled up the stopper for my shower and it came off in my fingers. I'd had a very long and somewhat stressful day, and for some reason that shower stopper was the funniest thing I'd seen in a long time. This may be the beginnings of what some people would call a mental break. I didn't even get mad about the farting prayer, and that's the kind of thing that would usually get me riled up.'
See what you've been missing? You can't buy entertainment like that. And the mental break seems to have been staved off for now. We'll see how it goes.
Subscribe.
Recommended Book
This book was such a wonderful surprise for me. The intrigue had me gripped, and of course I enjoyed the paranormal nature of it. There's a lot to keep track of, since not only is it a mystery, but there are two worlds and any number of non-humans to recall. So if you're looking for an easy read, this isn't the book for you, but if you're in the mood for schemes, magic, solid characters, and twists, have at it!
The writing was engaging and well done. There was just the right amount of description, and everything felt very real. The author must have spent a lot of time making sure that she had a grip on how everything in the world would work, from how things would smell to how one would feel after coming back from the dead. I can't say much about typos and things like that because it's written in England with their grammar and spelling, so I'm not always sure what might be an error and what might be a simple difference of rules. I admit that at times the difference did throw me, but I just held on and enjoyed the ride. The ONLY complaint I had is that it ends on kind of a cliff hanger. The main story is more or less wound up, but there's still a very big sort of side issue that needs to be resolved. Lucky for us, book two is now available! Since book one is free (as of this posting, and also back when I downloaded it), I have no qualms about spending $4.99 on the continuation.
My favorite (other) thing about The Secret Dead is that our heroine is a Hag. She's not pretty. In so many books, the girl doesn't think she's pretty, but of course ever man she walks by thinks she's the most amazing 'thing' he's ever seen. We've had enough of that, ladies and gentlemen. This Hag is truly not pretty, but she cares about people, she uses her brain, and she's making the world a better place. I love it! Plus, she can die and come back repeatedly. Tell me that's not cool.
Sexual Content: There's a character who's crass, but he doesn't have much face time and we're not supposed to like him anyway.
Language: I forgot to take notes, but I'll just say that I don't remember any bad language. There were probably a few minor instances.
Violence: We have zombies, murder, and the underworld. So yeah, some violence, but I wouldn't say it's really graphic.
Overall Plot/Message: Wonderful mystery entrenched in an urban fantasy London, with a fantastic lead character who lives a life of service and adventure. 5 stars.
Find it here.
Subscribe to this lovely blog here.
The writing was engaging and well done. There was just the right amount of description, and everything felt very real. The author must have spent a lot of time making sure that she had a grip on how everything in the world would work, from how things would smell to how one would feel after coming back from the dead. I can't say much about typos and things like that because it's written in England with their grammar and spelling, so I'm not always sure what might be an error and what might be a simple difference of rules. I admit that at times the difference did throw me, but I just held on and enjoyed the ride. The ONLY complaint I had is that it ends on kind of a cliff hanger. The main story is more or less wound up, but there's still a very big sort of side issue that needs to be resolved. Lucky for us, book two is now available! Since book one is free (as of this posting, and also back when I downloaded it), I have no qualms about spending $4.99 on the continuation.
My favorite (other) thing about The Secret Dead is that our heroine is a Hag. She's not pretty. In so many books, the girl doesn't think she's pretty, but of course ever man she walks by thinks she's the most amazing 'thing' he's ever seen. We've had enough of that, ladies and gentlemen. This Hag is truly not pretty, but she cares about people, she uses her brain, and she's making the world a better place. I love it! Plus, she can die and come back repeatedly. Tell me that's not cool.
Sexual Content: There's a character who's crass, but he doesn't have much face time and we're not supposed to like him anyway.
Language: I forgot to take notes, but I'll just say that I don't remember any bad language. There were probably a few minor instances.
Violence: We have zombies, murder, and the underworld. So yeah, some violence, but I wouldn't say it's really graphic.
Overall Plot/Message: Wonderful mystery entrenched in an urban fantasy London, with a fantastic lead character who lives a life of service and adventure. 5 stars.
Find it here.
Subscribe to this lovely blog here.
January 5, 2016
Juicy Book Review
Whispers of Shadow and Flame: Earthsinger Chronicles book 2, by L. Penelope
Whether you're looking for a diverse read or a good fantasy, this could be the book for you. The world feels lived in, the magic system is really cool, the plot fits together, the pacing is great, and the characters had me rooting for them. The cast is almost entirely non-white, since for the most part the light-skinned characters are busy in another part of the world (see book one), making the book a perfect feature for this blog--well, aside from the romance aspect, but more on that later. I enjoyed getting closer to the 'True Father', who we are slowly introduced to in book 1, and felt appropriately creeped out by the things that happened. The writing was really good, too, not just because there were few typos (and maybe those were fixed in the published version, since I got a pre-release copy), but because the sentences flowed so well, without awkward structure or wording. I enjoyed the first book, but I feel like this book really kicked it up a notch.
So, on to my only complaint, the romance aspect. I had a number of eye-rolling moments, for example, when our heroine has to ride a machine behind our hero; "When her palms met the firm muscle of his abdomen, her temperature, already high from the desert heat, increased another few degrees." Some things might have changed since, as I mentioned, my copy was prerelease, but you get the idea. Maybe there's a little part of my brain that's stuck in its nine-year-old form, and that's why I find this kind of content so…goofy? Head-slappingly nonsensical?... Then there was the obligatory sex scene, which was really, really, really long, and which I skipped, so I couldn't say how 'good' it was, but with that many words devoted to it, it almost HAD to be of the blow-by-blow nature. On the positive side, it was only one scene (thank you Miss Penelope) and I didn't feel like I missed any part of the story. Of course, this leads me to wonder why it needed to be included in the first place, but I understand that not everyone has the same perspective on these things. Probably some readers were on the edge of their seats waiting for it.
I guess when I think about it, the saddest thing about the statements of attraction and the sex scene, is the story didn't need them to prop it up. It could easily have stood on its own without relying on supposed sexual tension to remain engaging. In some books, the only reason the characters have to end up together is their mutual attraction, (truly pitiful, by the way), and the only reason to read the book is to see them get together, but in this book there is so much more. Lustful thoughts only detracted from their growing respect and concern for each other. I wanted them to get together because they really LIKED each other and had much in common, not because they felt all hot around each other.
But before you decide to pass on this one, assuming that the previous two paragraphs would encourage that, let me remind you that I really, really enjoyed the story despite my one little gripe. The story is much bigger than the romantic aspect, very cool, and I was able to blow off that irritation and get into it. I say this is an indication of the book's high quality; if it was a book ABOUT girl meets boy I would have dropped it, but in this case the plot and characters had much more to them. My guess is most readers won't even dislike the romantic aspect, and I'm one of the few who would rather do without.
Language: There is some foul language in brief spurts. The author did the kindness of exchanging an 'e' for the usual 'u' in the most used (that I remember) word, but it's still pretty obvious what it means.
Sexual Content: I think I've already talked about that enough. There is sexual content in one long scene, and then numerous brief thoughts about the attractiveness of other characters. I found that it did detract from the story for me, but that the story stood well despite it.
Violence: Yes, there is explicit violence.
Overall Message/Plot: The plot was great and I don't remember any instances where I felt that things didn't line up, or that the characters were acting contrary to what they should. I'm not sure if I'd say there's a message, except maybe that we can all chose to do the right thing, even if it doesn't seem possible.
Find it here.
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Whether you're looking for a diverse read or a good fantasy, this could be the book for you. The world feels lived in, the magic system is really cool, the plot fits together, the pacing is great, and the characters had me rooting for them. The cast is almost entirely non-white, since for the most part the light-skinned characters are busy in another part of the world (see book one), making the book a perfect feature for this blog--well, aside from the romance aspect, but more on that later. I enjoyed getting closer to the 'True Father', who we are slowly introduced to in book 1, and felt appropriately creeped out by the things that happened. The writing was really good, too, not just because there were few typos (and maybe those were fixed in the published version, since I got a pre-release copy), but because the sentences flowed so well, without awkward structure or wording. I enjoyed the first book, but I feel like this book really kicked it up a notch.
So, on to my only complaint, the romance aspect. I had a number of eye-rolling moments, for example, when our heroine has to ride a machine behind our hero; "When her palms met the firm muscle of his abdomen, her temperature, already high from the desert heat, increased another few degrees." Some things might have changed since, as I mentioned, my copy was prerelease, but you get the idea. Maybe there's a little part of my brain that's stuck in its nine-year-old form, and that's why I find this kind of content so…goofy? Head-slappingly nonsensical?... Then there was the obligatory sex scene, which was really, really, really long, and which I skipped, so I couldn't say how 'good' it was, but with that many words devoted to it, it almost HAD to be of the blow-by-blow nature. On the positive side, it was only one scene (thank you Miss Penelope) and I didn't feel like I missed any part of the story. Of course, this leads me to wonder why it needed to be included in the first place, but I understand that not everyone has the same perspective on these things. Probably some readers were on the edge of their seats waiting for it.
I guess when I think about it, the saddest thing about the statements of attraction and the sex scene, is the story didn't need them to prop it up. It could easily have stood on its own without relying on supposed sexual tension to remain engaging. In some books, the only reason the characters have to end up together is their mutual attraction, (truly pitiful, by the way), and the only reason to read the book is to see them get together, but in this book there is so much more. Lustful thoughts only detracted from their growing respect and concern for each other. I wanted them to get together because they really LIKED each other and had much in common, not because they felt all hot around each other.
But before you decide to pass on this one, assuming that the previous two paragraphs would encourage that, let me remind you that I really, really enjoyed the story despite my one little gripe. The story is much bigger than the romantic aspect, very cool, and I was able to blow off that irritation and get into it. I say this is an indication of the book's high quality; if it was a book ABOUT girl meets boy I would have dropped it, but in this case the plot and characters had much more to them. My guess is most readers won't even dislike the romantic aspect, and I'm one of the few who would rather do without.
Language: There is some foul language in brief spurts. The author did the kindness of exchanging an 'e' for the usual 'u' in the most used (that I remember) word, but it's still pretty obvious what it means.
Sexual Content: I think I've already talked about that enough. There is sexual content in one long scene, and then numerous brief thoughts about the attractiveness of other characters. I found that it did detract from the story for me, but that the story stood well despite it.
Violence: Yes, there is explicit violence.
Overall Message/Plot: The plot was great and I don't remember any instances where I felt that things didn't line up, or that the characters were acting contrary to what they should. I'm not sure if I'd say there's a message, except maybe that we can all chose to do the right thing, even if it doesn't seem possible.
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December 21, 2015
Happy Holidays!
Dear friends,
I'll be away from the computer, probably until next year, so I'll take this opportunity to wish you a wonderful holiday season. I hope your 2016 gets off to a good start, and that it's only the beginning of a beautiful, adventurous, productive, and spiritually fulfilling year. I know things won't go as planned--I won't even bother to wish you all your dreams in a basket--but I will wish you love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and the self-control to do that thing you know you should, but that you just haven't gotten up the gumption to do, yet, whether it's losing weight, leaving that guy, going back to school, or something I could never imagine.
Love,
Becca (AKA R.A.)
I'll be away from the computer, probably until next year, so I'll take this opportunity to wish you a wonderful holiday season. I hope your 2016 gets off to a good start, and that it's only the beginning of a beautiful, adventurous, productive, and spiritually fulfilling year. I know things won't go as planned--I won't even bother to wish you all your dreams in a basket--but I will wish you love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and the self-control to do that thing you know you should, but that you just haven't gotten up the gumption to do, yet, whether it's losing weight, leaving that guy, going back to school, or something I could never imagine.
Love,
Becca (AKA R.A.)
December 14, 2015
Everything I know About Zombies, I Learned in Kindergarten
As is obvious from the title, this book is about zombies. Well, to be more accurate, it's about kids surviving the zombie apocalypse in New York City. The whole idea of it was cool, the editing was pretty amazing, and the title is wonderful. If you like zombie stories, you'll probably like this.On the positive side, I cheered many times, mainly when the kids did something especially clever, and I wanted them to succeed even though I didn't feel close to them. Who doesn't want kids to succeed, right? There are a lot of cool ideas-interesting survival strategies in particular-and most of the time the kids behaved pretty much the way I would expect them to, except that I still think there should have been a lot more crying and whining. I'm glad there wasn't, but it would have made the kids feel more real. One thing I really enjoyed about the book is that the characters are widely diverse and have realistic backgrounds. I liked that they weren't all orphans, or all rich kids, or magicians or anything. Not that I have anything against magicians, but it's fun to read about normal people.
I did have a few gripes, which go to show my preferences more than any objective failure, but since you may have the same peeves as I do, I will share. First, I didn't feel connection between the characters, even siblings, which was very odd. Second, sometimes I was confused because the point of view changed throughout the scenes, giving me omniscience, except not really because I was only able to see what was happening in the characters heads, not what was happening in the wide world. Third, although gross, brutal events happened regularly, I never felt scared or creeped out. Fourth, sometimes it felt like things didn't line up, for example, the kids are stuck in a bathroom for days (maybe? It wasn't really clear), but then they act like they've just missed snack, not like they're famished. I also really disliked the ending and its lack of resolution, but I think that was the point.
When I break things down it sounds like a lot of things bothered me, but overall I really enjoyed reading the book. I stayed up late with it a couple times, and looked forward to picking it up as life permitted. For what it was, it was well written and a good read. There are some great moments, and I laughed at the adults trying to cope with the feral kids, even if the adults were more or less idiots.
Language: Some foul language.
Sexual Content: Rape is talked about, but not described.
Violence: Of course! Zombie violence and human violence.
Overall message/plot: No message, basic survival plot. It was fun having an entire survival story set in one city, and great watching the kids outmaneuver the zombies and human adults.
I received a free e copy of this book through Diverse Book Tours.
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December 12, 2015
Trooper's Reindeer
This is how I found Trooper's hand print reindeer antlers. He had snipped off each fingertip and left it all on the plate for Santa. This was some time before he sprinkled cayenne pepper on his dad's desert while dad was in the bathroom. I admit that I've been irritated with this child for most of the day for one reason or another, but these stunts had me laughing. In secret, of course. You can't let a kid know you think things like this are funny or its all over.Subscribe
December 3, 2015
The Best Fiction I've Ever Read
'Words of Radiance' by Brandon Sanderson
I gave myself some time after finishing this book, hoping that a little distance would make the review easier to write without sounding all gushy and fangirlish, but I'm not sure it helped much. The book is huge, both in length, scope, and importance, and there's no way my pitiful reviewing skills could come close to doing it justice. So, gushing it is.
In my review of book 1, 'The Way of Kings', I said that anyone who likes fantasy should read it because it's awesome (to paraphrase). Well, I want to retract that. I now believe that even people who don't normally read fantasy should suck it up and wade through the fantasy elements because it's just that stinking good. I loved book 1. LOVED it. And now that I've finished book two, I almost feel like book 1 was just a warm up. I still loved it, but when compared with this one… It's worth it, people. It's worth stepping out of your norm and into the world of Kaladin, Shallan, and Dalinar. Open your brain to spren and Shardplate. Take the time to immerse yourself in a fantasy that shows a pointed reflection of our reality.
So many things that I assumed were simple fantasy elements in book 1 turned out to be integral to the world and story in book 2, fitting everything together in a fantastic, seriously epic set of intertwining tales. And many, many times I laughed loudly, surprised by hilarious dialogue and a couple of awkward moments. The humor was a perfect balance for the more serious themes and dire situations. I was cheering aloud during several scenes. How could I not? I feel like I know these people personally. Not only was the reader in me impressed beyond any expectation (which is saying a lot. I might have mentioned that I loved book 1), the writer in me was inspired to do far greater and bigger than I'd ever considered before. Not that I would presume to ever reach this level of awesomeness, but I can aspire to it.
Violence: Of course.
Sexual Content: Nope.
Foul Language: Sort of. They say 'damnation' and use an impolite designation for a man conceived during an affair.
Overall Message/Plot: I've already said it. I can't recommend this book any more highly. After much serious thought, I can say that this is the best fiction I have ever read. I'm looking forward to reading it all over again before book 3 comes out so it'll be fresh in my mind.
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I gave myself some time after finishing this book, hoping that a little distance would make the review easier to write without sounding all gushy and fangirlish, but I'm not sure it helped much. The book is huge, both in length, scope, and importance, and there's no way my pitiful reviewing skills could come close to doing it justice. So, gushing it is.
In my review of book 1, 'The Way of Kings', I said that anyone who likes fantasy should read it because it's awesome (to paraphrase). Well, I want to retract that. I now believe that even people who don't normally read fantasy should suck it up and wade through the fantasy elements because it's just that stinking good. I loved book 1. LOVED it. And now that I've finished book two, I almost feel like book 1 was just a warm up. I still loved it, but when compared with this one… It's worth it, people. It's worth stepping out of your norm and into the world of Kaladin, Shallan, and Dalinar. Open your brain to spren and Shardplate. Take the time to immerse yourself in a fantasy that shows a pointed reflection of our reality.
So many things that I assumed were simple fantasy elements in book 1 turned out to be integral to the world and story in book 2, fitting everything together in a fantastic, seriously epic set of intertwining tales. And many, many times I laughed loudly, surprised by hilarious dialogue and a couple of awkward moments. The humor was a perfect balance for the more serious themes and dire situations. I was cheering aloud during several scenes. How could I not? I feel like I know these people personally. Not only was the reader in me impressed beyond any expectation (which is saying a lot. I might have mentioned that I loved book 1), the writer in me was inspired to do far greater and bigger than I'd ever considered before. Not that I would presume to ever reach this level of awesomeness, but I can aspire to it.
Violence: Of course.
Sexual Content: Nope.
Foul Language: Sort of. They say 'damnation' and use an impolite designation for a man conceived during an affair.
Overall Message/Plot: I've already said it. I can't recommend this book any more highly. After much serious thought, I can say that this is the best fiction I have ever read. I'm looking forward to reading it all over again before book 3 comes out so it'll be fresh in my mind.
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November 23, 2015
Happy Thanksgiving
I have a lot to be thankful for this year, in my personal life, my wish-it-was-professional life, and in my spiritual life. Very little of it is easy, but most of it is rewarding, and all of it is far more than I deserve. Best wishes to all of you this Thanksgiving. May it find you truly thankful, not focused on what more you want.
