What Are You Reading, Part 2

[Dunkum he/him]

48 minutes ago, maxal said:

Yeah, Kaladin is young, but young people is hard environment have been known to age faster. Also, being a surgeon in Alethkar probably has nothing to do with being a doctor on modern day Earth: Kaladin was never required to have general formation all modern professionals do obtain before starting to study medicine. All he studied is medicine. He never learned how to read, he never did mathematics nor philosophy nor literature. Take a 10 years old. Spend hours everyday teaching him medicine and just that, have him assist you every day within your daily tasks and, 5 years later, if he doesn't know anything, then it doesn't speak well for his mental capacities. Thus, I find Kaladin's level of competence within both military and surgery to be plausible given his age. Four years is more than enough for a good capable soldier to make it to a small command. Later books illustrates just how little Kaladin knows next to an Adolin having spent his childhood in warcamps. Kaladin is good with a squad, but he knows nothing about larger scaled military tactics and he knows this.

I didn't mean knowledge so much as behavior.  though fair point about the environment, as it still applies to what I am talking about.  I was unconciously comparing him against people I have met, but your standard American 19 year old would have a much easier life than even an alethi lighteyes, most likely, so the comparison isn't really apples to apples.

[Guest]

41 minutes ago, Dunkum said:

I didn't mean knowledge so much as behavior.  though fair point about the environment, as it still applies to what I am talking about.  I was unconciously comparing him against people I have met, but your standard American 19 year old would have a much easier life than even an alethi lighteyes, most likely, so the comparison isn't really apples to apples.

Oh true enough, but go back a hundred years in the past and 19 years old men were married with children and were at the head of their households. Within the modern day, we age slowly, very slowly. It is said "the adult years" now occur later than they once did, hence a modern day 19 years old kid would probably be the equivalent of a 13-14 years Alethi in terms of responsibilities and maturity. Of course, I may be exaggerating, but the fact remains, within a warring society which approves of teenagers being made soldiers, Kaladin's level of maturity isn't abnormal.

Once you read OB, you see some of younger Adolin and how he was raised. He wasn't exactly cuddled either.

[Ink he/him]

FINALLY i got a hold of Les Miserables, i am also reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, Quell said:

FINALLY i got a hold of Les Miserables, i am also reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

I could never get through Les Miserables... so thick. I tried a few times, as a teenager. Maybe when I'm older and retired, I'll have a mind for the classics. Are you reading it in French or in English? I feel I out to read Les Miserable giving I am actually... French thought from Canada 

[Ammanas]

I don't believe in abridgements but Les Miserables is the only book that I can see why it would be a good idea. There are brief scenes where he will prelude it by using literally almost 100 pages describing things like French convent life, the sewer system, and The Battle of Waterloo. I am glad I read it, but don't see myself rereading it ever.

A really good classic that has a unfairly bad reputation is War and Peace by Tolstoy. I have read the book twice using two separate translations and have found the Briggs translation to be my favorite.

@Quell If you like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle I found his Brigadier Gerard stories to be just as fun as his Sherlock Holmes. I also liked his book The Lost World.

Edited March 2, 2018 by Ammanas

[Ink he/him]

21 hours ago, maxal said:

I could never get through Les Miserables... so thick. I tried a few times, as a teenager. Maybe when I'm older and retired, I'll have a mind for the classics. Are you reading it in French or in English? I feel I out to read Les Miserable giving I am actually... French thought from Canada 

I am reading it in english.

 

21 hours ago, Ammanas said:

I don't believe in abridgements but Les Miserables is the only book that I can see why it would be a good idea. There are brief scenes where he will prelude it by using literally almost 100 pages describing things like French convent life, the sewer system, and The Battle of Waterloo. I am glad I read it, but don't see myself rereading it ever.

A really good classic that has a unfairly bad reputation is War and Peace by Tolstoy. I have read the book twice using two separate translations and have found the Briggs translation to be my favorite.

@Quell If you like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle I found his Brigadier Gerard stories to be just as fun as his Sherlock Holmes. I also liked his book The Lost World.

i am reading it abridged. I plan to read War and Peace soon, as i have read through most of the Young Adult Fiction section of the library.

[Tesh Any pronouns]

I'm reading tBoM, by Sanderson, obviously. The Two Towers, Tolkien, again, obvious. And I'm rereading Oathbringer. 

[Storming Radiant he/him]

I started The fires of haven and it's great so far. I'm still greatly enjoying WoT, and surprisingly, despite my friends' predictions, I'm pretty sure I still like all the major characters

[Ammanas]

WoT started to lose me at book 7. Even though the series didn't work for me many love the entire series. Hopefully you will continue to enjoy it.

[Draginon he/him]

@Storming Radiant I liked the books but I did start getting annoyed with some of the characters by the book 8-11 range, especially with Rand. He got so much better once book 13 happens. If you feel 7 and 8 are kind of slow or boring stick with it through 11 which gets a faster pace and then ramps up to ridiculous levels in book 12.

In terms of WOT I felt AMOL was too short for everything that needed to happen  since it felt like Brandon was trying to stick two books worth of material in that one volume and then had to figure out who doesn't get much focus like Moiraine, the Sharan's and even stuff with the double trios felt condensed.

 

Anyway I finished Shattered Lens and it felt too meta at points but it did keep the same humor going. I guess the revelation about the Talents and Incarna was obvious but not something I really thought of during the previous two books. Now I'm heading back to Scadrial to rustle up some grub, fire guns, rescue damsals from train tracks and get Harmonious with The Alloy of Law. And no one correct me on the old west tropes I listed.

[Briar King]

Might wanna tag bits of the 2nd paragraph.

 I’m nearing the end of Reapers Gale. Just about 120 pgs left. 

I just came across the strangest thing in Wall of Storms and idk if it is a typo or on-purpose. Pg 341 there is the word “could”  typed as “coul343d” 

Edited March 5, 2018 by Briar King

[StormingTexan he/him]

Finished The Emperor's Blades. I liked it. I wish there was more of  Adare's POV but hopefully there will be more in the next two books. Moving on to The Providence of Fire. 

[Awesomness]

On 3/1/2018 at 11:17 PM, Ammanas said:

 

I don't believe in abridgements but Les Miserables is the only book that I can see why it would be a good idea.

 

Agreed! I really tried the unabridged, and though it was interesting, it was also too much information for me.

Speaking about classics, the one I recommend (and am currently thinking on rereading) is The Count of Montecristo. It´s Amazing! Everything ever invented, except perhaps time travel, happens in that book!

I just finished Echo of Things to Come and blew my mind really solid series!

[Guest]

On 3/5/2018 at 1:06 PM, StormingTexan said:

Finished The Emperor's Blades. I liked it. I wish there was more of  Adare's POV but hopefully there will be more in the next two books. Moving on to The Providence of Fire. 

I liked Adare as well, though she came across as the most disliked of the siblings. I never understood why. There is considerably more Adare within the next two books. She was my favorite POV of the siblings and the one who's motivations ends up making the most sense. She also was the less self-centered of the trio, I found. 

I'll be curious to keep on hearing your thoughts on the series.

For my part, I finished Night Angel #2 and I moved into Night Angel #3. Have I said how much I am loving this trilogy? Well, allow me to say it again: I love this trilogy. Ah and Logan  Finally an author who gives my an upper born character with a decent arc. I love Logan and I am in love with his friendship with Kylar. It is just... perfect.

[StormingTexan he/him]

I finished The Providence of Fire. Overall I liked it. Maybe not as much as the first book but still found it enjoyable. 

Very spoilery more in-depth thoughts. 

Spoiler

 

The thing I think I like about these books the most is I have no idea who the good guys and the bad guys are. Or at least I should say my opinion seems like it keeps changing. Interestingly I hate and love each of the main POV characters at different times. One thing they all have is a great cast of secondary characters. 

 

Valyn- So he went form the most interesting character to me to the least in this book His saving grace is the support characters around him which I really like all of them and it was cool to get some POV from Gwenna which I thought was one of the big highlights of this book. I was hoping her and Valyn would end up hooking up but that seems like a lost hope. Anyway my issue with Valyn is he supposedly has been trained for 8 years to be a leader in an elite fighting force and he literally makes the worst decisions possible every time. Like seriously how many times can you screw up and put you and your team in mortal danger or sit by with tunnel vision on a single goal. I understand his motivation the most it is pure and simple revenge but he is blinded by it and then is literally blinded. I’ll be interested to see where he goes from here in the final book.

 

Kaden- I wasn’t a huge fan of his POV in the first book he seemed a little too helpless I guess. This was vastly improved in the second book. Although his POV was pretty slow at first it got really good once then even better once he arrived in Annur. He’s decided the Empire is evil and there should now be a republic. Very Jedi Knight of him. I have been intrigued with what was going on with Trista and we finally get the reveal which was awesome. I’m completely perplexed about Kiel. Am I supposed to not trust him? He seems to be the most sane one around.

 

Adare- Poor poor Adare. I feel like the author went out of his way to make me want to hate her. Maybe I should but for some reason I do not at least most of the time. She is the strongest of the three siblings. Sure I hate some of the decisions she is making and how easily she seems to be manipulated but when push comes to shove (unlike Valyn in particular who has a bad case of tunnel vision) she makes the decision for what she thinks is the greater good. She is in an extremely complicated situation trying to balance the fate of her families empire while allowing the murderer of her father to lead her armies. I will say my heart sunk when she stabbed Valyn. Luckily she seems to have picked up some good council with Nira, 

 

After two books I am completely confused on which side of the war is good or bad. It seems like ultimately  Humans are being used as pawns on both sides. On top of that this book set up some serious sibling rivalry. I read the first few chapters in the last book and it seem like there is a time gap. 

 

 

[Guest]

7 hours ago, StormingTexan said:

I finished The Providence of Fire. Overall I liked it. Maybe not as much as the first book but still found it enjoyable. 

Very spoilery more in-depth thoughts. 

Yeah, most readers like the first book, but feel the second one is going a bit downhill. I'll be curious to hear your thoughts on the third one.

In response to your musing, no spoilers.

Spoiler

 

I feel like Valyn was presented as the character to root for within the first book. He went through bad-chull training and was pinpoint as one of the tops among the tops. Unfortunately, as soon as he gets his wing, he goes downhill, as you noticed. I personally found his obsession over wanting Kaden on the throne pathetic and his mistrust of Adare ridiculous. Both brothers spontaneously decide their sister betrayed them when, in truth, it is them who betrayed them. Kaden wasted his time investigation this place I forgot the name and Valyn got lost within his single goal.

None of them raised one little finger for their Empire and yet they feel they ought to criticize Adare for actually trying to keep it together. The desire to depict Adare as the villain here really, really got on my nerves because I do feel she's the only one with reasonable motivations. I felt for her, being forced to bow down to a little brother who was raised in a far-away monastery just because he is a boy and she is girl. As a woman myself, the whole "Kaden is the rightful Emperor" unnerve me to no end and I just wanted him to die, die, die.

As for Kaden, instead of trying to reach his sister, to find the truth for himself, he just sabotages the kingdom, destroys the Empire with the help of enemies of the throne and raises a Republic on the pretense it'd be better. I think you can guess how it'll go. Kaden, I felt, is an idiot. He berates Adare for needing to trust Il Tornja, but he blindly trusts Kiel for no valid reasons. His obsession over Triste was also pathetic as it was obvious she was lying, she was withholding information and if it didn't turn out to be what I expected, it made no sense for Kaden to jeopardize everything, get his master killed, just for her. Him turning out being right was just the worst plot development ever because there is no reason why he should be right.

I personally loved Adare's stabbing Valyn because Valyn was an idiot. He would have stabbed his sister within the blink of an eye... but she gets to be called "a villain" for doing the reasonable thing at the time. Had her idiotic brothers actually seen fit to talk to her, the crisis might have been averted. I have read Valyn as an "Adolin gone bad" giving me an inkling what a "negative progression" might read like: I hated it 

Gwenna is awesome: she saves the third book. Nira was great, but not enough is said, IMHO, when her arcs wrapped up within the next book.

 

 

[Flying she/her]

I just finished A Darker Shade of Magic and am only on page twenty of A Gathering of Shadows. They'e not the most creative books at times, but they're really addictive.

[Orlion Blight he/him]

The Taqwacores by Michael Muhammad Knight.

[StormingTexan he/him]

@maxal I agree 100% regarding Valyn and Adare but giving Kaden a little more slack for the moment with the stipulation it is entirely possible he will let me down when it is all over. Speaking of the succession to the throne I did not realize until I happened upon a comment on goodreads that Valyn is actually older than Kaden but Kaden was the heir apparent due to his eyes. 

[Sunbird she/her]

On 3/12/2018 at 5:08 PM, TheOrlionThatComesBefore said:

The Taqwacores by Michael Muhammad Knight.

At first I misread this book title as "The Taco Wars."

[Aon Ati he/him]

I'm reading The Lightbringer series and am half way through The Blinding Knife. Really enjoying it. Kip is my favorite character so far.

[Orlion Blight he/him]

On 3/14/2018 at 1:23 AM, Sunbird said:

At first I misread this book title as "The Taco Wars."

You shouldn't use the 17th Shard when you are hungry

[Shaed]

Currently reading "The Heroes" by Joe Abercrombie, the 5th book in his "first law" series. Have you read them? 

[Ammanas]

23 minutes ago, Shaed said:

Have you read them? 

Not sure if the"you" was meant for a particular person or not, but I have read everything that Joe Abercrombie has published. He's one of my favorite authors!

[Shaed]

6 minutes ago, Ammanas said:

Not sure if the"you" was meant for a particular person or not, but I have read everything that Joe Abercrombie has published. He's one of my favorite authors!

It was meant for everyone

Glad to hear that, I'm loving this series. Are his non first law books as good as the others?