Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson

My first Sanderson book, after all this time. All the quite tired jokes about the intricacies of magical systems being elaborated upon with snippets of plot inbetween seem all too accurate now. Some plot development was a surprise, but much of it was largely trite and easy to predict several chapters ahead. I was also somewhat interested in the frequently mentioned subject of clothing. I'm unsure of how to interpret it. Was the contrast between modest clothing and loose garments about making one feel shameful, or the other to feel stuffy and uptight?

I've heard enough in the past about the author's Mormon faith, which more than covers the seeming aversion to any explicit text. The prim and proper approach is refreshing in a genre that has for too long been dominated by bodice-ripping gratuitousness, but there seemed to be a slight over-compensation into the realm of prudishness. Enough on that however. I was aware that I wasn't starting with Sanderson's acclaimed work, and was perhaps instore for a novel intended more as an exercise in honing one's craft and indulging in fans who want variations on a theme, but it was close to hand, and from the blurb at the very least, the premise seemed intriguing. I was disabused of the notion, and any desire to continue with Brandy Sandy when there are so many other masterpieces yet to read.

Homage to Catalonia, by George Orwell

A quick read. I prefered The Road to Wigan Pier, in the Orwell bibliography of proto-gonzo reporting and essays, but the Spanish Civil War is one of those great proxy war cock-ups of history that is often forgotten now, so I found it a short yet amusing read. Given that Orwell was an on-and-off anarcho-socialist, it's always delightful how he manages to encapsulate the essence of farce to be found when dealing with politicos, tubthumpers and petty bureaucrats. An honest, ascerbic evaluation of all sides, even if the (Spanish, mind you, Manuel) fascists were meant to be the clear Them of the affair. What a sad, shambolic little theatre that caused so much suffering, yet never shook off the impression of being a peripheral disturbance at worst.

I got through a few last week.

Finished:

Ready Player One by Earnest Cline. This was a fun read and me and my son had a good time talking about the differences between the book and the movie. Our reading doesn't often overlap so it's nice when I read one of his books or (more rarely) vice versa.

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. Another fun read! It kept me guessing until the end how everything was going to be resolved.

The Demons We See by Krista D. Ball. I grabbed this one because the author posts on /r/fantasy and I was curious about her work. I liked it. Good characters and interesting sociopolitics.

I'm currently reading Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson. This is my first book of his and I like it so far. I find Siri most relatable but I also like Vasher a lot and can't wait to learn more about him. I'm about halfway through and Lightsong is becoming much more interesting. Vivenna annoys me but she's becoming more likeable.

Also reading Dreams of Distant Shores by Patricia McKillip, everything I've read of hers so far has been magical and this collection of short stories is no exception.

I finished reading a couple of books recently,

The Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson

A Mother's Reckoning, by Sue Klebold

The Day the World Came to Town, by Jim Defede

Vicious, by V.E. Schwab

I started reading,

Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson and Speaking Truth to Power, by Anita Hill

Last week I finished reading, Throne of Glass, by Sarah J. Maas and Crown of Midnight, by Sarah J. Maas and I'm currently reading Heir of Fire, by Sarah J. Maas and Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson

Finished:

A Ladder to the Sky, by John Boyne

How to Know the Birds: The Art and Adventure of Birding, by Ted Floyd

Currently Reading:

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson

Daisy Jones & The Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

These Truths: A History of the United States, by Jill Lepore

The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic, by Mike Duncan

Will finish Edgedancer, by Brandon Sanderson today. I'm trying to get through this and Warbreaker before I start Oathbringer. I like how creative and fresh Sanderson keeps his stories and characters.

Slowly working through Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling. Its starts off a little slow, but its starting to pick up.

Will probably start Red Sister, by Mark Lawrence and/or Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson this week.

Started:

Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson: took a break (from Sanderson) after finishing all of the available Mistborn books, but decided to pick this up four days ago. I’m currently 323 pages in and am really enjoying it. The characters are intriguing enough, the plot has me wanting to find out more, and the world building is obviously good, since it’s Sanderson (but a little underwhelming compared to Mistborn, in my opinion).

Siri is definitely my favorite character, followed by Denth. Lightsong is good, but he gets a bit annoying— this seems to be changing now, though.

Awakening is... interesting. Most of the abilities honestly still make little sense to me. I do like the idea behind breaths though.

The situation between Denth and Vasher is something I really want to find out more about, so I hope more comes out about that soon.

I’m also curious about where the Lightsong plot line (investigation) is going.

Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson I want to catch up with everything cosmere. I think that I only have this one and Arcanum Unbounded left. I'm 50% in and I love it. Sanderson can create such great worlds.

I finished Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson. It's my 13th Sanderson book so I knew what to expect. There is a great magic system and a great story. I think it was a little more adult than for example Mistborn.

I started A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution, by Jennifer A. Doudna. I've read some articles about CRISPR in the past and I want to learn more about it because it seems like it can change the world.

Finished last week: Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

Pretty solid entry into the Cosmere. I really liked it but it of course doesn't compare to the Stormlight Archive which is becoming my favorite fantasy series ever. But I enjoyed it through and through and it had the great Sanderson style twists I enjoy from him. 4/5

Reading: A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami

This is my first Murakami! And wow I've been missing out. His magical realist surrealist writing fits right into the niche that I really appreciate in my favorite works of media. The way he makes the mundane so magical is keeping me captivated. Unless the book takes a turn for the worst, this is looking like a 5/5 for me.

Finished Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson. It was excellent. The world is so interesting and the characters are developed incredibly well. I haven't read a book this well written in a long time. It brings up a lot of interesting philosophical topics about religion and how people view people who are different from them. The story had a good mix of humor, action and intrigue.

I also finished A court of thorns and roses, by Sarah J Mass. This wasn't nearly as good as warbreaker, but the story was fun.

I'm working on finishing: Castle in the Air, by Diana Wynne Jones and The Magician King, by Lev Grossman

I finished Kingdom of Ash, by Sarah J. Maas yesterday and Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson today.

Warbreaker was a joy to read and it was interesting to watch the characters struggle with overcoming their prejudices. I am fascinated by magic system in Warbreaker and I am really wishing I could change my hair color at will.

While Kingdom of Ash was a decent ending to the series, I still had a couple of issues as far as some of the relationships went.

I am currently reading The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien and will be starting Little Nothing, by Marisa Silver this week.

I finished two books yesterday and then immediately picked up Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson.

Completed:

• Tenth of December, by George Saunders — Of the ten short stories, there were three in particular that I really liked: "Exhortation", "Victory Lap", and "Escape from Spiderhead".
• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay — An amazing character story. I cried more than a little at the end.

I got a whole lot of reading done this past week compared to my normal reading schedule, so here goes

I finished:

Creativity Inc, by Ed Catmull

Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman

Elantris, by Brandon Sanderson

Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson

All of these were pretty good. It was quite noticable that Elantris was Brandon's first book, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. I absolutely adore Warbreaker - great book.

Thinking, Fast and Slow is a great book - I just can't explain why. Gave it 5/5 stars, and will probably reread it sometime soon to make sure I got it all.

Next up is: The Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson

Gotta finish that Cosmere

Finished: James Acaster’s Classic Scrapes, by James Acaster

Hilarious book, especially the audiobook with his narration. I really recommend this to anyone who is looking for a comedic book; one of the rare books to make me tear up with laughter.

Started: Metro 2033, by Dmitry Glukhovsky I’m 95% through and I’ve really enjoyed this book; it’s definitely nice to read through as well as playing the game as I find they complement each other really well and although they follow a similar line of progression, the differences are enough that it doesn’t feel a copy and paste.

As I’m so near to the end too I guess I’ll be starting Metro 2034, by Dmitry Glukhovsky as well! Looking forward to going through the entire book and video game series as I find the world very very original and interesting.

I have Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson and Shogun, by James Clavell on my wishlist, would welcome any opinions on how good they are. They seem intriguing but are they good/worth reading?

Finished: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Started: Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

I finished reading Fight Club, by Chuck Palahniuk earlier this week and just started Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson in preparation for Words of Radiance, by Brandon Sanderson.

I just started Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson and I highly recommend it! :)