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** 2/5 This stormin' place is purple like a lemon. Zahel

I'm sorry. I understand feeling like this. I have always strived for academic excellence and I struggle when I know I haven't met my full potential (especially, as you say, when I feel like it's my own fault that it has happened). Have you been able to establish if you are able to graduate? I hope so. If you can't, I hope you have enough support around you - both academic and emotional - to get a plan in place for going forward.

My older son and daughter have read all the Cosmere books plus the Reckoners series - independently, not me reading to them. They're 15 & 13 now but both started with the original Mistborn trilogy when they were 10/11. They are both emotionally mature for their ages and I have very open relationship with them which meant that they knew they could discuss any of the darker aspects with me if they wanted to (I had read everything Sanderson first so knew what was in there). They both love the SA novels a lot and the humour works for them. I quite often get a Bridge 4 salute from them! I'd agree with those who say it's about whether you think your siblings have the attention span to cope with such big books - and, also, all the different flashbacks/alternative viewpoints. With the back stories and interludes, SA is narratively complex so it depends if you think they'll follow the constant shifts. If you think they will, enjoy!

I don't know about Flora but isn't The Poison Wood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver? I've read a couple of hers and, I agree, her prose style is beautiful and poetic.

Thanks. I've not been active on here for ages and need a bit of a chance to explore the new Arcanum for things like this.

I've seen suggestions on other threads that the hairpins are actually hemalurgic spikes - not my idea but I quite like that one and it makes sense. Is the tree branch definitely confirmed as Yolen? Just, I remember a thread when WoR first came out, suggesting it was the bone of a Dakhor monk (but that was years ago and it may have been superseded by a WoB). And the dye flower is called Tears of Edgli, I believe.

I definitely agree that the pomegranate references the story of Demeter, Hades and Persephone in some way. Even the way Hoid spits out some seeds and eats the others, which reflects the way Zeus judged how long Persephone could spend with her mother each year, based on the number of seeds she had swallowed in the underworld. For me, Hoid/the Traveler seems like Demeter - who, at one point on her quest to recover her daughter, disguised herself so she could blend in and interact with the local mortals and gain information. So far, so Hoid! Also, Zeus originally told Demeter that the rules were clear - Persephone could not return from Hades (especially since he was the one who'd agreed to the forced marriage between his niece and his brother in the first place ). However, when faced with the chaos / famine / disease Demeter could cause by neglecting her duties as Goddess of the crops etc, he bent the rules for her by allowing Persephone to move between realms based on the number of seeds she had swallowed. Seems like Hoid is another being who could force a rule change just by being SO difficult and chaotic that the rules have no choice but to bend for him! So yes, to me - the pomegranates point to a deliberate referencing of Greek mythology in some way.

I love Brandon's work - and, right now, he's probably my favourite because everything licks along at such a pace and I just love the sprawling epicness of the Cosmere. Best? I suppose it depends how that's defined. I have a Literature degree so I've covered a fair span of what would be considered classically 'best' some of which I loved (Jane Austin, Shakespeare) some of which I thought was massively overhyped (Charles Dickens). But Jane Austin, Shakespeare and Brandon Sanderson are so vastly different in style, scope, intention - it's virtually impossible to compare them really. Controversially for this thread, I LOVE JK Rowling - and, like Sanderson, her books represent comfort and pure escapism for me with many, many re-readings in my life. Margaret Atwood is another writer I adore and whose work (well, novels - I'm not so hung up on poetry as a genre generally) I try to keep up with (although I have lapsed in recent years). But, her books don't lend themselves to frequent re-reads or a sense of escapism.

I think my old username might give you a clue! I always loved Kaladin's parts in WoK or WoR and I enjoyed them just as much this time around. Have to give honourable mentions to Steris (my socially awkward, list-obsessed Cosmere doppelganger!) and my love/annoyed relationship with Kelsier (especially Secret History version) too.

I'm interested in the pomegranate! Partly for finding something so 'Earthly' in the Cosmere (although, I suppose there are chickens!) and partly for its significance in Greek Mythology - Demeter and Persephone and Hades? Hoid looking to restore what was lost? It sort of felt like there were parallels between Demeter's desperate attempts to find and restore her daughter, Persephone (some versions of the myth have her disguising herself to infiltrate places where she might get information which felt very Hoid-like). And Persephone - who, thanks to eating pomegranate seeds, is forced to exist between two realms - her mother's realm above ground and Hades' realm, the underworld. I have no idea if that has any Comere significance but I though it was interesting!

Hello all. I used to post here regularly about 2 years ago (my username used to be Mrs. K. Stormblessed). Sadly, it turns out working full-time, whilst studying full-time and being a useful and productive parent to my kids isn't conducive to reading massive fantasy epics, nevermind theorising about them,- who knew!? But, in desperate need of some de-stressing, I'm re-reading Stormlight Archive (because it's so much better than the essays I should be writing and the exam I should be revising for) in preparation for *finally* getting to Oathbreaker. My older children are desperate for me to finish it as they are having to bite their tongues not to give away spoilers! I've just started Edgedancer and when I finish that, my uni work can go jump because I'll be on Roshar instead! Anyway, with such a long break, I thought I should say hello again (but it's not been so long that I've forgotten that I need to avoid cookies!)

I have to apologise for being an utterly dreadful employer (although, technically since you are an intern and don't get paid, I can't really call myself that ...mentor, maybe?). Anyway, I'm an awful one. The reason is either a) I got lost in Shadesmar and have only just managed made it out alive or Real life with work, preparation for exams and three kids who somewhat unreasonably expect to be fed occasionally ... you can decide which is most likely! Anyway - you have shown initiative with your appointed task. Any of your solutions are acceptable (one further you could try is to threaten to dip the stick some soulcast strawberry jam - that should make it see the error of its ways). Good luck!

My take is that she hasn't changed - she's still the same list obsessed, socially awkward person she was in Alloy of Law. What has changed is the position she's been placed in by Sanderson - much more front and centre of the action alongside the other main characters. As a result, the way the other characters perceive her has changed (and so, we as readers perceive this difference too). Most of them (Wax and Marasai in particular) have come to respect the characteristics which previously annoyed them - they have a much more holistic picture of her. Wayne still doesn't get her and I don't know if he ever will - they're so different but, even he (by the end of the novel with a bit of a push from Wax) seems a little less aggressively anatagonistic towards her.

If you ever decide to do a Literature degree you will bless those skills! In the second year of my English degree, I had to read a (very dense and difficult) chapter of my Literary Theory text book, a triple decker Victorian novel (often a Dickens or a Bronte), an entire Shakespeare play, some eighteenth century poetry and the required reading for my History of Popular Culture minor every week of term. That was without the additional literary criticism for my essays and dissertation. I could always read fast (not as fast as you!) but I certainly improved THAT year. These days, I'm old and tired with three children - I still read quickly but I have to fit it into such small chunks of time!

Nope - I've got you both beat! I'm seven months older than Brandon himself (which means I have more reason than the rest of you to be glad he's so prolific as I have at least a small chance of not having died of old age before he finishes all his Cosmere works!) So I'm 40 and I'll be 41 in a couple of months. I absolutely don't mind being this age - I think I was born with an old soul and I feel like my body is catching up with my head right around now!

Its been while since I read WoR but I don't think this is what's implied in the text. I think they have their own role in the order to assist and support their KRs - like when

It could be, except that's not a book. It's a TV series and Blake's 7 were actually five human convicts, Zen, who was the Liberator's onboard computer and Orac - a grumpy, super-snarky, super computer (who, as it was the 70s, was actually a perspex box with fairy lights in it! ). . It really, really is. It was my introduction to sci-fi television and is still one of the best examples of the genre in my opinion. I have all five seasons on old style VHS . It was one of the fist sci-fi to be properly dystopian and, like the old Doctor Whos of the same era, it transcends the really basic special effects and truly awful costumes because of top quality plots and scripts. and the ending ..... I don't thing anything else I've ever seen has ended quite like it ...

I actually hope she doesn't. She's a brilliant women and amazing character without it. When you think that the rest of Wax's 'Scooby-gang' consists of two twinborn, one allomancer and a kandra, I like that there's someone 'normal' out there, being thoroughly awesome alongside them all.

Can't have a thread about lovely food without discussing CHOCOLATE .... but not chocolate ice cream which is devilish thing. How can someone take chocolate (delicious) and ice-cream (also delicious) and make something that tastes like mud (err - I presume, not having eaten mud)? And, just to court controversy for a moment, I'd like to make it clear that I'm talking about UK chocolate. I spent three months in the US back in the nineties and I love you guys, I love your culture, I had so much fun travelling but your chocolate just ... isn't quite the same. Oh - and bell peppers. I love them - except green ones. Yellow, chopped thin with a dip, yum. Griddled with onions and chicken in fajitas with lettuce, salsa and sour cream - pretty much perfection. I also love the fact (which I hope is true and not some urban myth) that peppers are gendered - the ones with three 'bumps' in the base are male and the ones with four are female! Who knew?

You don't need to be female to celebrate! The whole point of IWD 2016 is pledge for parity for all, irrespective of which gender they identify with (and for those who identify with neither too) not superiority of one on the basis of biological sex . I have two sons and a daughter - I hope I'm raising all of them to believe in equality. I absolutely agree. I'd add Sarene, Steris and Marasi to that list too. They're none of them perfect but they all show strength of character at various points in the novels. This is mine:

Just thought I'd offer a shout out to my fellow female sharders. Once upon a time, being a geek was seen as a male preserve but not any more. Today, in honour of international women's day, I signed a pledge to promote gender parity and it occurred to me that the nerdiverse made strides in this direction a long time ago. So, go us! And honourable mention to the strong women in Brandon's novels. Hurray for fantasy that doesn't discriminate.

I have WoK (parts one and two), WoR (parts one and two), Mistborn Era One (boxed trilogy set), AoL, Legion/The Emperor's Soul and Elantris (not the 10th anniversary edition) all in Gollanz (sp?) paperback. They are all the same height. I also had a borrowed copy of Warbreaker which was the same. (I have the free download for myself). I have SoS and BoM in hardback which are both the same height too. Because of the similarity in style, they look great all together on the "Brandon" shelf. I know opinion is divided but I really like the artwork for the UK editions (or at least the style, I wasn't too sure about Kaladin in shard-flippers for WoK ) Are you going paperback or hardback?

I've pretty much come a full circle in my feelings about Wayne. I came to Mistborn quite late - only in the last couple of years or so. I had more or less just finished re-reading the trilogy before Alloy of Law was published so I pretty much read it back to back with them. In that context, going from the major drama and emotion of the trilogy (and the prologue of AoL was hardly a bundle of laughs was it?), Wayne felt like genuine light relief with his silly goofiness and genius with accents/disguise. Also, he represented the middle ground between grieving, stern Wax and gauche Marasi so completed the triumvirate (well, Marasi isn't male but you know what I mean!). He worked very well in a book that was only a little longer than a novella. However, I have loved Steris since I first read AoL (probably because I relate to her - I put things on lists that I've already done just to have something to tick off! - and, I can relate to her feelings of social anxiety too). So, his cruelty to her (especially after the incident at the top of ZoBell tower in SoS where he was simply horrible to her) made me feel considerably less sympathetic towards him because, even if he was looking out for Wax's interests, he was out of line with the way he behaved there. In addition, I HATE farce ... seriously, I cannot, will not and never will watch Mr Bean, Naked Gun or a gurning Jim Carey ... and Wayne from the end of SoS through to the second half of BoM skated pretty close to one dimensional, farcial behaviour for me. The three main incidents cited here for evidence of Wayne's nagative characteristics irked me too - visiting his victims daughter, the scenes leading up to interaction with Ranette [although I did actually like the scene where he spoke with her - I just wish we could have got there without the fol-de-rol with the barge man and the meat pies!] and the water tower. However, the scenes at the end of BoM when he was grieving for Wax and when he took on Telsin redeemed him somewhat. Plus, once he was finally called on his behaviour by Wax, he did facilitate the privacy Wax and Steris needed for their real wedding which felt like some character development to me. I liked how he and Marasi sparked off each too. So, me - not likely to be joining the church of Wayne anytime soon but willing to hope we see a (slightly - I'm not expecting a complete character overhaul) more mature version of him in the final book.

Ma [with the 'a' as in apple]-RA-sigh for me. But then I don't do the French flick for Kelsier or Vin either so willing to admit my pronunciations are probably different from most!

I'm really enjoying reading Philippa Gregory's YA fiction with my 11 year old daughter. I like her adult historical stuff myself anyway (but wouldn't want my daughter reading it as it can be very explicit in places). We're only on "Changeling" - the first of the trilogy but we're both really enjoying it. It's not fantasy as such. I'd call it magic realism - one of the main characters is a priest-Inquisitor (no, not that sort) for the Catholic church in the fourteenth century. He may or may not be a faerie changeling! Its all very strange and clever and compelling - and I particularly like her ability to write very strong female characters, the two in this are fantastic. My 13 year old is desperate for em to get to Bands of Mourning. He's very irked that I've decided to re-read the original trilogy before had. He's desperate to dissect it all with me and we have very random conversations at the dinner table where I'm forced to shout "spoilers" at him!