1008 Pages of Awesomeness

I finally finished Words of Radiance in the middle of the night late last week.

It seems fitting that most great and interesting books compel us to read well past a 'normal persons' bedtime and since most of my free time is only in the evenings these days it goes without saying that this will inevitably happen.

I really can't say anything bad about this second book.  It was just as good as the first, if not even better.  There was never a dull moment and it just kept pushing forward at a ridiculous frenzy.  It really felt like the world was going to end or beloved characters were going to die because there was just NO possible way they could survive a Highstorm.  It was drama and even the beginning of a love story all tied up in one neatly packaged gemstone.  I will say it will be helpful to read the Stormlight Wiki and even the notes in the back of each book to keep things straight and fill in some gaps.  I sense a division coming between the Knights Radiant who wield true Shardblades and those fight with Honorblades.

I don't know how Sanderson is going to keep this story moving forward so smoothly.  I mean ten books is a tall order, even if you can write exceptionally well there is bound to be one so-so book.  I hope to eat those words once this series is finished, but till then, well played Mr. Sanderson, well played.

If you're keen on starting this series the first book is called The Way of Kings and you can keep tabs on what he's up to via his website.

 

A Dirty, Dirty Life

A few months ago after most of the garden had died off and things were slowing down enough that I could read at a leisurely pace I found this book, The Dirty Life.

  It wasn't entirely what I expected, but then again I'm not sure what I may have thought this book would be about.  I find that in most cases non-fiction writers have very different voices and very different ways of explaining things from their lives than a fictional writer.  This is more-or-less an autobiographical novel of how a city girl who met a diehard organic farmer learned to farm, love, and trust.  The title "The Dirty Life" is well suited for the book because it's certainly not a romance novel.  In fact it's very truthful about how tough love can be especially when you're not even sure about yourself.  I could relate to nearly every uncertainty she may have felt heading into the wild blue yonder.

In the end though Kristin does a really marvelous job retelling how their not so ideal farm came to be the best thing she never knew she needed.  I cheered along with her as she figured out how to make cheese, when she picked her first draft team and grimaced at the frustrations of not knowing how to milk a cow, getting up before the sun and having to slaughter their first pig.  It's a real account of knowing where your food comes from and being proud that your own two hands helped shape it.

A good read for any time of the year, but especially now, right before the earliest Spring planting gets underway when you're still dreaming up new things to sow.