#Brandon Sanderson has spoiled me

[too-many-blorbos]

Figuring out Witcher lore is so hard. You ask a question and there will be three different contradictory answers spread over the book series, and you never know which one is actually the truth because Geralt is a freaking LIAR and cannot be trusted to give exposition.

[titsthedamnseason]

this is giving raoden to sarene 😭😭😭

(i am only ~250 pages into this book no spoilers please this just made me think about he regretted that he never got to meet her in person xx)

[chemicallywrit]

Happy Audio Drama Sunday! It was podcast girls week and i loved seeing everyone’s art and fic and memes. Gorls. ❤️ Let’s get to the shows!

🎤 Childish! Childish: The Podcast Musical finally got the chance to post their finale! And it did not disappoint. I had forgotten exactly how good the music was in this show, and how funny and clever it was. Guys, if you care about college comedies with a side of the best dang music I've heard out of a podcast, please listen to Childish. I'm so happy for them. This is really proof though, that it's worth it not to give up on a podcast (I'll wait for you forever Althaar).

🥩 Oh man, this episode of Mayfair Watcher's Society was incredible. The story would be good even without the incredible performances of Ashlee Jones and Brandon Nguyen, but CAN we talk about them actors??? What an incredible exploration of your worst nightmares coming true. Mind the content warnings for this one, folks. Meg Tuten is, as always, a genius.

🦾 Breathing Space consistently hits notes of working class struggle and desperation with care and thoughtfulness, but this past episode's rendition of "Sixteen Tons" was absolutely gorgeous. I loved the lo-fi singing together. It was perfect.

🐟 @monstrousproductions’ Travelling Light has once again introduced me to an absolutely delightful character. Vermi is my favorite guy. I love him and his fish face and his translation innovation. This show is a constant gift.

🤖 Ohhhhh man, oh man, Ask Your Father ended in the only possible way it could, which I should have seen coming. Oh my gosh. Mikeyyyyyyyy...I won't spoil it, but it was maybe perfect. I cried a little. Season two when.

🌊 I started Waterlogged this week! What a good anthology—it’s creepy AND wet! I think some horror anthologies suffer from a lack of theme that can make them fall into a rhythm, but I don’t foresee this being a problem for Waterlogged. The first three episodes are all so different, and I love it. Go check it out!

🪱 I want to give a shoutout to Earworm! Earworm is an upcoming musical about ghosts and haunting by the folks behind Shadows At the Door! I know a lot of the cast (David Ault, Michelle Kelly, Erika Sanderson, and so many others) and I'm so thrilled to hear this--assuming they can finish out their crowdfund! If you can throw them a little cash, please do!

That’s all for now! 😘

[novelmonger]

1-6, 9, 12, 16-19, and 23 for the Rocky Road asks, please?

A book you regretted reading

The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Hated it, hated it, hated it. I honestly see no literary merit in it, and I probably shouldn't have finished it because of the kinds of invasive thoughts it was giving me, but it was for school, so I read the whole thing. I really should have asked the teacher if I could do a different book, but instead I just tried to get through it as quickly as possible. My biggest regret in regards to this book is that I asked my mom if I could burn it (she said no), instead of taking it and burning it on my own. I needed the catharsis.

2. A book you couldn’t finish

Most recently, They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera. If I'd taken five seconds to look at the tags on Goodreads, I would have realized it wasn't going to be the book for me, but alas. Instead I got invested in the characters and read until I couldn't kid myself anymore about the budding romance I didn't want to read, at which point I put the book down.

3. A concept or plot that you thought was squandered in a story

The Dragon's Legacy by Deborah A. Wolf is...not a great book. I could wax eloquent about all the problems I have with her dumb matriarchal desert society, but the biggest shame in that huge waste of time was a really cool idea about these people who have a telepathic bond with big cats. It was a really cool idea, especially when (if I'm remembering right) usually it's only women who can bond with them, but one of the main characters is a boy who manages it. The whole story could have been about that, and it would probably have been much more interesting than the big nothing of a story I slogged through instead that was apparently just setting up the next book.

4. An underutilized setting or world

I am on what is probably a lifelong quest in search of a well-written fantasy based on some Middle Eastern culture. It has to be written well, avoid egregious stereotypes, and capture in some way that particular old-meets-new feeling, that warmth and vitality and history and darkness and light, of the Middle East. All of which is apparently hard to do, because I keep on running into stories written by Westerners who don't seem to have done much research beyond watching Disney's Aladdin. Or it's ruined by an explicit sex scene on like page 5, because that has happened with alarming frequency too :/

5. A character you want to rescue from the story they’re in

I think Kaladin Stormblessed would really benefit from taking a vacation from the Stormlight Archive and getting some intensive therapy :P

6. An author you want to rescue from the story they told

I want to rescue Jack London from The Call of the Wild, which is the one story he's known for. Let's have the world forget about that story for a while and pay attention to the far superior White Fang instead.

9. A character type, plot, or element that you normally don’t like but did like because of the execution

This is probably not what the question is getting at, but it's the one example that's coming to mind right now: The Wheel of Time. There were a lot of characters I couldn't stand as written by Robert Jordan. Like...almost the entire female cast, for one. But then in the last three books, when Brandon Sanderson took over...suddenly I liked them! I ended up crying at the death of one of the characters that annoyed me the most! And that was entirely down to Brandon Sanderson knowing how to write distinct characterization that makes sense and makes you care.

12. A book on hold that you do mean to finish

One day, I will finish The Idiot by Fydoor Dostoevsky. I will! Let's just...ignore how I've been working on it for like half my life at this point >_>

16. A book you hold a grudge against (read or unread)

Fifty Shades of Grey. 'Nuff said.

17. A book that you were spoiled for

I will forever resent Pinterest for spoiling the "Honor is dead, but I'll see what I can do" moment from Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson.

18. A book where you like the adaptation or an element therein better than the book itself

The Maze Runner movies are vastly superior to the books, surprisingly. The movies actually tell a coherent story, all the characters are more believable and proactive, and while there's still some eyebrow-raising things about the plot, it's much more satisfying and compelling. The books are weird, man.

19. A book you don’t really like but have kept for other reasons 

I don't really like any of the Ender's Game series other than the first book, but the series should stay together, and I want Ender's Game on my shelf, so the rest of the series is there too :/

23. A highly-hated or derided book you love

I don't know exactly how hated/derided the Jedi Apprentice books are, but just about the only thing I ever hear anyone talking about in relation to them is getting angry at Qui-Gon for leaving Obi-Wan on Melida/Daan during the arc where Obi-Wan leaves the Jedi. Sorry, everyone can die mad about it, because I love that series anyway. Both of their actions make sense in context, mistakes are acknowledged and apologized for and forgiven, and I'll always have a soft spot for those books.

Rocky Read Asks

[eloquentspeeches]

book recommendation tag game!

rules: recommend as many books as you like. please include genre and some basic information on it (either your words or a copy+paste synopsis). feel free to include cover art, a personal review, trigger warnings, and anything else! just don’t spoil the book!

tagged by @dekarios!!! thank you for the tag I'm usually too busy and or shy to randomly talk about things but here I am. I'm putting it all under a read more because million bajillion words

American Elsewhere by Robert Jackson Bennett

Some places are too good to be true. Under a pink moon, there is a perfect little town not found on any map. In that town, there are quiet streets lined with pretty houses, houses that conceal the strangest things. After a couple years of hard traveling, ex-cop Mona Bright inherits her long-dead mother's home in Wink, New Mexico. And the closer Mona gets to her mother's past, the more she understands that the people of Wink are very, very different ...

this is sincerely my favorite book ever. i bought it from a sci-fi only bookstore that i visited once and that closed down shortly after. it's got horror. it's got sci-fi. it's got eldritch sci-fi horror set in a small town. i re-read this book almost every year and i still find new details i missed.

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. This saga dares to ask a simple question: What if the hero of prophecy fails? Mistborn: The Final Empire — Kelsier, a brilliant thief has turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler as the mark. Kel's plan is the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into the fold. But she will have to learn to trust if she is to master powers of which she never dreamed.

i can only recommend the first triology of this series - final empire, the well of ascension and the hero of ages - since i haven't read the other books from this world. definitely worth the read, this book changed my brain chemistry when i first read it in high school.

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three half brothers in line for the throne are killed in an "accident," he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir. Entirely unschooled in the art of court politics, he has no friends, no advisors, and the sure knowledge that whoever assassinated his father and brothers could make an attempt on his life at any moment. Surrounded by sycophants eager to curry favor with the naïve new emperor, and overwhelmed by the burdens of his new life, he can trust nobody. Amid the swirl of plots to depose him, offers of arranged marriages, and the specter of the unknown conspirators who lurk in the shadows, he must quickly adjust to life as the Goblin Emperor. All the while, he is alone, and trying to find even a single friend . . . and hoping for the possibility of romance, yet also vigilant against the unseen enemies that threaten him, lest he lose his throne–or his life.

if you like complicated political court drama!!! then oh boy this is the book for you!!! my cousin made me read this book because complicated political court dramas are her specialty and she was not wrong. this is a banger.

gideon the ninth by tamsyn muir

The Emperor needs necromancers. The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman. Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead nonsense. Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skillfully animated as arcane revenants. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy. Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won’t set her free without a service. Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will be become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon’s sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die. Of course, some things are better left dead.

if you follow my blog at all then you know i'm like a hardcore fan of TLT. i love this book series. it's such a good read. this is one of three with a fourth on the way. please read it. pelase.

bullet train by kōtarō isaka

​Kimura’s young son is in a coma thanks to the Prince, and Kimura has tracked him onto a bullet train heading from Tokyo to Morioka to exact his revenge. But Kimura soon discovers that they are not the only dangerous passengers on board. Satoshi—the Prince—looks like an innocent schoolboy but is really a stylish and devious assassin. Risk fuels him, as does a good philosophical debate, such as questioning: Is killing really wrong? Nanao, nicknamed Ladybug, the self-proclaimed “unluckiest assassin in the world,” is put on the bullet train by his boss, a mysterious young woman called Maria, to steal a suitcase full of money and get off at the first stop. The lethal duo of Tangerine and Lemon are also traveling to Morioka, and the suitcase leads others to show their hands. Why are they all on the same train, and who will make it off alive?

okay i saved bullet train for last solely because. i didn't like. the book. as much as i really wanted to like the book. BUT i really do like isaka's writing and i think reading the book and watching the movie is the way to go to really appreciate what's going on in Bullet Train. that's my personal opinion.

[fields-of-rye]

rules: recommend as many books as you like. please include genre and some basic information on it (either your words or a copy+paste synopsis). feel free to include cover art, a personal review, trigger warnings, and anything else! just don’t spoil the book!

tagged by @southernreaches

(not gonna lie this post made me read again and now I rented out This Is How You Lose the Time War so thanks mate lol)

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, LGBTQ+, Slice of life

After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time. The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success — not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.

This was recommend to me by a friend of me and oh me oh my, this was SO GOOD. This takes such a good spin of the dnd adventure genre and just lets you wonder what might happen after the grand adventure which is just 'chef's kiss'. Also the romance? SO CUTEEE.

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy and Adventure

It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them. One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable.

So after reading this book I have been OBSESSED with this whole series. The way Brandon Sanderson world builds, characterizes, and just writes these books are beautiful and actually inspired me to write my own original fiction. Can't read a more beautiful book than this.

tagged: @toadmancer, @oh-yeah-no, @oneiroy, @aymerictheblue, @uldahstreetrat, @iloveyouspaceship, @whatsthisascianbullshit, @rosenfey, @bunflora, @manicpixiegirlboy

[morfinwen]

2, 5, 6, 9, 11-13, and 16-19 for the Rocky Read asks, please?

2. A book you couldn't finish

I don't remember the name of the third Earthsea book, but i gave up on it and the series not long after starting it; if i ever really began it.

5. A character you want to rescue from the story they're in

Susan from "The Last Battle".

No, i don't think Lewis was being sexist by excluding her. I still don't like how the book handled her absence.

6. An author you want to rescue from the story they told

Frank Peretti, "House". That book was terrible, and i have a very negative opinion of Ted Dekker's writing in general, so i like to imagine he's to blame for it (it certainly has more in common with Dekker books, and i vaguely remember hearing somewhere that he wrote most of it, but without any confirmation). If Peretti were to re-write it just by himself, i'd be more willing to give it a chance than if Dekker did the same.

9. A character type, plot, or element that you normally don't like but did like because of the execution

Can't think of any examples offhand.

11. A book you struggled with but was worth persevering through

Both "The Silmarillion" and "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" took multiple attempts to finish, but they were both definitely worth it.

12. A book on hold that you do mean to finish

Several. "The Lost Metal" by Brandon Sanderson and "Our Mutual Friend" by Charles Dickens are both on my to-read list fo this year.

13. A subplot, theme, or element that kills a story for you

I'm very tired of books with arrogant, cocky protagonists who have to learn painful lessons about how those dumb rules they don't get aren't just for other people, and that they can't just do whatever they want without consequence.

16. A book you hold a grudge against (read or unread)

"Afternoon of the Elves" and "The Lost Flower Children", both by Janet Taylor Lisle. I don't know how i'd feel about them as an adult, but both were extremely disappointing for me as a child, and i have no desire to pick them up again.

17. A book that you were spoiled for

"Thr3e" by Ted Dekker. Probably for the best, don't think i would have liked it any better if i finished it.

18. A book where you like the adaptation or an element therein better than the book itself

I'm sure this will upset some people, but… i liked both the musical and 1998 film version of "Les Miserables" better than the book.

19. A book that you don't really like but have kept for other reasons

I'm not sure that's true of any books i have. Either i didn't keep them but a family member did, or i liked it on some level.

Thanks for asking!

[truthwatcherblog]

reading the second fourth wing book because my friends are all fans of the series and i wanted to be included. but brandon sanderson level worldbuilding has spoiled me so much. not from a place of elitism or anything it’s just like genuinely the worldbuilding is his strong suit and it is definitely not rebecca yarros’ strong suit. also the problem with books from a singular pov is that if i find that character annoying i never get to leave their head and unfortunately i find violet annoying…..

[wanderingcas]

YOU'RE READING MISTBORN???? okay I need you to continue <3 I think elend grows a lot over the series and has a lot to give later on. And kelsier has passed, but his influence and legacy remains. That certainly won't be the last mention of him. Also, idk if you know this, but Brandon Sanderson actually wrote the whole series before publishing, so he was able to go back and make edits to book 1 so that all the foreshadowing is *perfect.* which makes the resolution really satisfying.

Based on your complaints, I can also give you a big spoiler that may help motivate you to continue. Only if you want 😂

AHHH ok this is all so good to know!!! i did sort of accidentally not really spoil myself on a big spoiler to do with kelsier so if that's the one you're referring to, then i got that one recently 😂 but if it's NOT that spoiler and it'd motivate me to read the series then im ready! i need motivation!

i also think that i had a bit of a book hangover/really wanted more of the whole kelsier and the gang going into the whole series so i was a little disappointed it won't be?? ALSO the lord ruler already was like?? defeated?? so what else is there 😭 which like i know there's more and i know it'll be great but my brain was like unable to wrap around it haha i do want to keep going though, ive heard nothing but amazing things about the series and i really loved reading it in a hyperfixated haze

[bisexual-kelsier]

So, uh, I saw you post looking for people to follow and saw you're currently reading mistborn (one of my favourite series). I just wanted to warn you (pos) in advance that looking for mutuals in this fandom WILL suck you into the larger cosmere fandom and your shelf is going to look like mine one day

(This is my brandon sanderson shelf.)

Idk if you knew this already but mistborn is a part of a much larger universe called the cosmere, with a whole over arching story that branches out to multiple planets (with different magic systems and stories) and each as good as the last. The mistborn fandom therefore contains a bunch of spoilers for the other series too

If you're interested in reading the other stories, filter the tags: "stormlight archive" "stormlight" "warbreaker" "elantris" "yumi and the nightmare painter" and "tress of the Emerald sea"

If you'd like a suggested reading list, lmk and I can give you mine, or you can google one, or find branderson's suggestions

The cosmere fandom is my bread and butter but it is an investment. Happy reading, HoA is going to rock your shit (in a good way) (mostly) (no I haven't gotten over it)

PS: do NOT google kelsier you will be so spoiled. Do not go on the coppermind for the same reason. Good luck!

Yeah, I know about the Cosmere! Mistborn is baby’s first Sanderson, but I already have a copy of Warbreaker and plans to read many, many more Cosmere books!

I’ve just recently gotten to part 2 of HoA and it’s already been quite a ride (tbh most of that ride has been me being Gay About Elend). Unfortunately, I’m moving on a very tight schedule rn so I haven’t been reading at all recently, but hopefully once next month rolls around, I’ll be able to really dig back in again!

And thanks for the advice! Much appreciated! ��

[nat-seal-well]

Hi Chrys! Just curious - have you watched the Amazon WoT show? And if so, what did you think?

I'm on the fence about actually giving it a shot, but I only made it to book 7 or 8 before I just didn't have the time anymore. Thought maybe the show would do it justice??

Yes, I have!! And honestly I really, really like it, which I know isn’t a very popular opinion a lot of people have.

(Bc of potential spoilers for those who haven’t made it as far in the books—if anyone else who follows me is even reading them, lol—I’m putting the rest of my thoughts under the cut. Also bc I will probably have a lot to say.)

So, first off: I am all about soundtracks. Soundtracks are an element to storytelling you don’t really get in any other form of media other than, like, film and television. The stuff you watch. I’m obsessed with the one in WOT. It’s beautiful and a lot of the songs use the Old Tongue, which I think is so, so cool. (Caisen���shar is my favorite.)

One of my favorite scenes is in the second episode. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t go into too much detail. That scene alone, though, is just… it’s gorgeous. It was one of my favorite parts of Eye of the World, and it is my favorite part of the show so far. I look it up on YouTube to watch it a lot because I love it so much :)

I absolutely do not blame you for not reading more of the books, haha. The series is long and to have made it through 7 or 8 is a lot of reading, and I’m really impressed! The length of the book series is another thing you have to consider, though. There a lot of story printed on those pages. It’s too much to feasibly adapt, even with a television series. There’s just so much.

Season one covers Eye of the World, but I think the plan is for them to do some condensing because of how long the book series is. Which honestly, I’m not very upset about. It gives you a chance to explore some elements of the story you already know, and to maybe experience other parts of it in an entirely new light. It’s what I’m most excited about with season two, whenever it’s released. I love the different ways the same story can be told.

Also, I’m a huge Brandon Sanderson fan, who is the author that Robert Jordan’s wife (and editor) asked to help with finishing the series after he passed. Sanderson is also involved with the production of the Amazon series, and has talked about it on his podcast. He signed a deal that allows him to share his thoughts relatively freely, and he talks about how book-to-screen adaptations are on a sort of… spectrum. Some you can translate pretty easily to script and cameras, because they work that way. Some you just can’t, but you can reshape it in a way that is still faithful to the soul of the story.

That’s mostly where the WOT show falls. People who go into it expecting a perfect, scene-for-scene adaptation of the books are going to be disappointed, because it isn’t that. That doesn’t mean it’s bad, mind. It just isn’t a direct translation. But I’ve read all 14 books of the main series and the prequel (New Spring) and I think the Amazon series does a good job of knowing the limits it has on how much it can and can’t do, while still remaining faithful to the feel and soul of the story that makes Wheel of Time what it is.

That’s more where the WOT show falls. People who go into it expecting a perfect, scene-for-scene adaptation are going to be disappointed, because it isn’t that. That doesn’t immediately mean it’s bad, mind. It just isn’t a direct translation. I’ve read all 14 books and the prequel (New Spring) and I feel like the show still does a good job of capturing the feel and soul of what makes Wheel of Time what it is.

(Also, you can’t ask for a more perfect actress to play Moiraine. I am probably bias, but I think Rosamund Pike is another reason to give the show a try, if nothing else, haha 💙)

[rhetoricandlogic]

Yumi and The Nightmare Painter - Brandon Sanderson

So, the third Sanderson book. Book 1 was a dud, Book 2 was so-so. How would I find Book 3?

I found Book 3 VERY much an improvement and my favorite of the three books released so far. You thought the romance angle in Tress was good? Compare that book to this and you'll laugh. Brandon apparently was told by his wife that his books need more romance. And, as an author who doesn't really dabble in it - it DOES show. However, he is leaps and bounds better at it here than in Tress.

For people who liked Tress you might not like this. Since it is a different type of romance. Sanderson references a story he read in college about two passangers on a train who share he same room but at different times and they fall in love with one another without really spending time with on another. It's funny, it reminded me of the screenplay Betty Schaefer and Joe Gillis are writing about in Sunset Boulevard - two people who share the same room, sleep in the same bed during different times - he works nights, she works mornings, and they fall in love.

Brandon was also inspired by anime, manga, and Final Fantasy. Which clearly shows in this book. The setting of the world and the characters in it are poc inspired (Korean/Japanese/Chinese), there is reference to noodles / chopsticks, tabook, painting that has a non-western aspect, and other things here and there. But I felt that it was handled nicely - but non white readers can go into that more.

The plot is basically two people seemingly from different worlds are linked and must solve their issues by working together under duress. [ Body swap stories are a thing I've been picking up in Chinese and Korean dramas. They're usually done for humor aspect, but it always ends up with the characters learning to respect one another which leads to them falling in love. That was like this book, the character would get tired and the male became the female while her spirit / essence could be seen by the female and everyone who looked at the male saw the female character, except the female character who saw the male. The female became the male literally and it was explained that she was legit changing his body type every time it happened. (hide spoiler)]

While Hoid is the narrator of this book, I found him not as annoying. He popped up here and there and his storytelling was a lot more muted than it was in Tress. In Tress I felt that Brandon was trying to hard to emulate the Grandfather in The Princess Bride by giving him side commentary / witty remarks. The remarks weren't as plentiful and they didn't detract from the story, so I felt I was really reading the Hoid from the Cosmere novels. There is also the presence of another character who we met at one point in the Stormlight books but I won't spoil it. I had to smile when they showed up! There are also tiny references to the Stormlight books but it is not important to read them to get them, just little easter eggs.

The reason I rate it down a star is the friends / associates of Painter's. I felt them to be weak or didn't really add to the story. And the end when they were needed they were just THERE are a plot device and not much else. It could have used more depth. I could also say the romance could be a tad bit more blatant, but what I got - again - was better than Tress. The theme of the book were two people learning to love themselves before the learned to love others and appreciate who they were and what they could give. There was a lot of healing and good discussions / inner monologues regarding grief, hurt, rejection, purpose, and love.

I'm really excited on getting the physical kickstarter copy of the book due to the gorgeous art / pictures done. I loved them and felt they brought the book to life. And even better the artist was Aliya Chen - go check her work out if you haven't seen it yet. Aliya Chen. I sadly don't think that non kickstarter fans who didn't subscribe / put down cash will get them in the mass market paperback, but maybe they'll get her work on the cover?

To be honest, Brandon did say that this book and the last were two Cosmere heavy books and I believe that will be why I'll enjoy them more. But we shall see. All in all, I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait for my box to arrive!

[aquarianshift]

reading questionnaire

thanks fellow bookish broad @surrealisticduvet for the tag <3

last read: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. would you believe it was never assigned/i never read it in high school. the ending was spoiled for me bc i worked with high school kids who were reading it but it was compelling enough that i blew through it in two sessions. recommend. happy for discussion/criticism if anyone wants to arrange their desks in a circle

currently reading: Hero of Ages, the third book in the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. my friend bought me the set for xmas so i've been devouring them for the last few months. they're whoppers, 700+ pages. i hadn't really read adult fantasy unless you count The Hobbit, so it's good old specfic fun. author is mormon and, like, it shows. but with a critical eye it's a good and fast-paced read

next read: i stumbled in my path to read Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald and returned it to the library without finishing. the good news is, the chalamovie has been deferred indefinitely, so i'll still probably get the chance to read it before that comes out.

@javelinbk @joanbaezed @breakaway1975 let's hear it!

[duskflavors]

As I endeavor to "wake up and do good" I strive to be aware of my surroundings, recognize the strength of my empathy, and explore the good in things. For me, part of that has been to delete all meta apps and tiktok from my phone and address the backlog of books cultivated in my little library. So far I've read two books this year (January 2025) and I am about to start my third. I would like to show some record for this; maybe share some thoughts if anybody is interested. In addition, I am always appreciative of any suggestions because I truly do love reading and an individual recommendation always feels more sincere than published lists I find online. For now I'm going to tag these posts as "duskflavor reads". Following are the books I've read so far and the one I'm about to start.

The Door to Summer : I still don't know what I think about this book. It's not bad, but it's not one I feel like I'm going to recommend. it definitely didn't hit me even remotely close to how Fahrenheit 451 did. Its a relatively short sci-fi novel and it does have a cat in it (which for anyone who is concerned about such things I will spoil you now and let you know that the cat is totally fine and nothing bad happens to them, a point that I always get very distressed about when reading novels with animals in them). spoilers ahead I guess: I think I would have enjoyed the book much more without the weird "12-year-old girl eventually becomes the love interest of the 30-year-old protagonist but only after a Time leap, even though he totally knew her as a 12-year-old" . Something about it just kind of left a gross taste in my mouth. The imagery at the very beginning of the book with the Door to Summer and the way it ended with that imagery was interesting but everything else in between felt like it could have been cleaned up and edited a bit better. Overall the book was pretty mid.

Red Rising: I really really enjoyed this book and the only reason I'm not reading the second one is because it's currently on its way from Barnes & Noble. I even went to my local store for it but they were sold out so I had to order it. It's a dystopian sci-fi novel although to be honest it kind of skirts that line a fantasy when the sci-fi technology is so advanced that feels like magic. In fact it really reminds me of The Will of the Many by James Islington which I also really enjoyed. I know the series is still being written, at least to my understanding, but I ordered the next five or so books that should arrive here by tuesday. It reminds me a little bit of The hunger games on a planetary scale. Anytime however an author has a character resisting an oppressive tyrannical government by infiltrating the system and the highest echelon in hopes of bringing it down from within, I get nervous that the moral of the story will be something similar to "well actually maybe this oppressive government had a point and things is just work out better this way". Hopefully that's not the case here but I've only read the first book so I'll have to keep reading to find out.

Tress of the Emerald sea: this is one I have on my bookshelf that I am reading while waiting for the next in the series after Red Rising. I'm only eight pages in so I can't comment on it so far, but I do like Brandon Sanderson and the Cosmere universe. I've heard it's a cozy stand-alone novel and that's what I wanted for an in between book.

If anybody has any other books they recommend I would love to know them. If I haven't read them already then they will be added to my list or at least looked into.

[jadejedi]

Mid-Year Reading Roundup

I haven’t posted a review in a while because I am quite busy at the moment, but since we are more than halfway through the year, I wanted to do a quick highlight of my favorite reads of the year so far. (I’m planning on doing a bigger breakdown of everything I’ve read this year in December). I will link my full reviews where applicable. So, here are my top five favorite reads of the year so far, listed in the order I read them in:

Babel, by R.F. Kuang 5/5

I loved the main character so much, and I thought that Kuang ‘went there’ in a way that I was absolutely not expecting, even though I should have from the title. It is a tad slow in the middle, but everything else about it was so good that this is one I recommend to everyone. I don’t know that a book has ever made me cry so hard as this one did. 

Harrow the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir 5/5

This is the second book in The Locked Tomb Series, and let me tell you, this book is bananas crazy and it absolutely took me a second read to fully get it. On the first read, I actually had to take a break because I was just so confused, even though I had spoiled myself and read the wikipedia page. Then, once I got to the ending, I was so blown away I immediately had to go and reread the first one, and then this one. The amount of foreshadowing and references to things that you straight up can’t understand until you reread it is crazy. But the story is wonderful and it has such amazing reveals and twists. The characters from book one you’ll love or love to hate even more, and the new characters are just as good.  

Circe, Madeline Miller 5/5

I didn’t expect to love this one as much as I did, but oh my god what a beautiful 

book. I haven’t read Song of Achilles (yet), so I didn’t have any experience with 

Miller’s writing. I was so blown away by her writing style; most of the time it didn’t feel like I was reading at all, it just felt like the story was carrying me along. It’s just so beautifully introspective. Not much happens, but at the same time, so much happens. And the ending touched me in a way I did not expect. 

Happy Place, Emily Henry 5/5

I found out that this is many people’s least favorite Emily Henry novel, and I just have to say… WHAT????! This book absolutely blew me away. I guess if you’re not into the miscommunication trope, then sure this one might be hard to get through, but I love me some angsty miscommunication so this one was perfect for me. I also think that Henry does such a good job at making the friendships her protagonists have just as important to the plot and to the MC’s character development as the romantic interest, and that is especially true for this one. This one is just as much about friendship as it is about romance, IMO. And it’s also about like, identity and careers and the things we do to feel like we have value. Also, this one made me cry like three separate times towards the end. 

The Way of Kings, Brandon Sanderson 5/5

Okay, ngl, I kinda went into this one hoping I’d hate it. Sanderson is just such a big name in fantasy I was kind of feeling snobbish and hoping I could turn my nose up at it. But no. No, despite the audiobook being over forty hours long, I flew through it and loved every second. I don’t think Sanderson is as good of a writer as someone like G.R.R. Martin, or N.K. Jemison, but he is a very compelling story teller. 

(Honorable mention to The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison, another 5/5. I left it off the list because it just made me so so so sad lmao.)

[primaroha]

This is our latest #amazingreadathon detour, as we reach Paris, the host of this year's Olympic Games. To mark the occasion, here are five of my most favourite reads since I got back into the hobby last year.

Less by Andrew Sean Greer. Arthur Less, a moderately failed author is invited to the wedding of his ex-partner. In an act of pure avoidance, he goes on a world tour of opportunities, while unpacking his past experiences. I listened to this audiobook while rushing to finish my Christmas presents at 3am last year. I have yet to ever relate to a character as much as I did to Arthur Less, although it would be hard to find similarities at face value. Every step of the way, he is wallowing in self-doubt and sadness, while you as a reader cannot help but go "can you not see where you are?". That has been my experience, when you're moving your own goalpost befor every achievement, you cannot help but feel like a failure.

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn. On a small island that worships the person to have come up with the shortest sentence containing every letter of the alphabet, a statue keeps dropping letters. With each one, the letter is forbidden, and the island falls into a totalitarian chaos. Another sleepless night, my enjoyment of this book was entirely based on my upbringing in a society that has been walking the line to collapsing into chaos since way before I was born. We have gone through communism, and to some extent, never quite got out of the authoritarian mindset. I have seen reviews saying the people of the island were too eager to let things happen before it was too much. But that is exactly what my society is like: some are fighters, who fight against anything whether it's good or bad, many are followers, who no longer have the energy to fight, and few are aware of what is actually going on, other that it is not good.

The Good Omes by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. An angel and a demon must band together to stop the antichrist after the lost track of him as a baby. One of my first reads as I got back into reading, it was one of the first books that made me want to pause indefinitely just so it wouldn't end. I have listened to the BBC production of the audiobook, with sound effects and different voice actors. This was my gateway into audiobooks and the start of my goal to one day read all of their work. I have... Yet to act on it, but it remains a goal.

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson. A young woman living a peaceful, content life on an island, must throw herself into adventure to save her beloved. Que steampunk pirates and a talking rat! I will be honest, I was skeptical at first. But this was, in my opinion, one of the best female characters I have ever read. Every decision was well thought out, every thrope was introduced and then subverted, and at no point did was Tress the stereotypical "silly girl" I read about over and over again. And while I guesses the twist early, knowing it didn't spoil the enjoyment. This was my first Brandon Sanderson book, and if the library hold gods are in my favour, it will not be the last.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. A group of retirees in an elderly community form a club to solve cold cases, only to find themselves a murder right at their doorstep. One of my few rereads, I could instantly see the my group of close friends in the characters of the book. While we're much more tame, I could definitely see us being just like that after retirement. The audiobook I picked for my reread featured an interview with Richard Osman at the end that I found extremely interesting. As a young person, especially one who grew up in an extremely traditional, "graduate, get married, have kids, raise kids, be grandparent, raise grandkids" culture, it is easy to forget that every current old person has had a lifetime of youth before you met them.