What I'm Reading- 6/5/13

~The Pillars of Creation~

by Terry Goodkind

This book is kind of strange...but in a good way, I guess. This series- at least so far- is centered around two characters: Richard and Kahlan. This book, however, doesn't include them at all. It's about two young adults named Jensen and Oba. I know because I skimmed through the whole book, not reading anything, but looking for names to see which characters were talking. As far as I know, they're only mentioned, but they aren't actually in the story. They may actually be in it, but only for small stretches that I just missed. It's kind of throwing me for a loop. It's not like it's bad reading, but it's just weird that the main characters aren't present. It is set in the same world/timeline, so it's indirectly pertinent, but I don't think that this kind of thing is done very often. The book is interesting so far, but I'm just waiting to see the point of telling me all of this information. I may need to wait until the next book (Naked Empire) to see why...hmmmm. I'll let you know how it goes, but I'm only on page 122 of about 725, so it may take a while.

~Treasure Island~

by Robert Louis Stevenson

I recently started reading Treasure Island, and of the few pages I've read, I like it already. I'm really only a couple chapters in, but Stevenson's writing style appeals to me. It's simple, yet fun to read, and the language isn't archaic. This is good, especially because I don't really like reading books with a maritime setting. They're just so boring most of the time. I hated "Moby Dick" and "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" (which I had to read in 7th grade). The only books set at sea that I liked are "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" and "The Odyssey" or books that are only partially on the water, like "The Swiss Family Robinson" or "Robinson Crusoe". I have a good feeling that I'll like this book, but we'll see what happens. I'm going to try to block out memories of the many variations of this story in movies that I've seen (Muppet Treasure Island is my favorite) so that I read and understand the "real"/original story. Looking forward to the rest of the book!

What I'm Reading- 1/23/12

Man, I haven't done one of these in a long time! Well, here you go!

Soul of the Fire- Terry Goodkind

Continuing on with The Sword of Truth series, and as in past novels, Goodkind takes his sweet time setting the main plot of the book. As much as I love these books, it's like walking through molasses on a cold day trying to get to the "good" parts (which sometimes is a long time/many pages). I really don't know why I'm complaining though, I know I'll love the rest of it, and whatever Goodkind writes in the last half will make up for the first half being a bit boring.

The Crystal Shard- R.A. Salvatore

This one's been on the back-burner for a while. Wanted to read Inheritance and finish Temple of the Winds over Christmas break. It will continue to be on the back-burner because of this next book!

Death of Kings- Bernard Cornwell

I have been waiting for this book for a while, and I'm super excited about it. I love this author, and he is my favorite historical fiction writer (so far). Ordered it on Barnes and Noble at the end of last week and will start reading it as soon as possible!

Temple of the Winds Review

GO READ THIS BOOK SERIES!!

This is not really a review, but I wanted to tell you guys about this book/series, but I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. Just as a note- this book series should be read my adults only (as in 18 and up) as it deals with some pretty mature issues at times.

I've said this before, but Terry Goodkind is an amazing author. He is very adept at getting you emotionally involved into the characters and the story, and then toying with you the majority of the novel. He builds up the tension and the sense of urgency the whole book, then takes away all hope, and somehow resolves it in the end, making everything better. So amazing! He is one of my favorite authors of all time; right up there with Tolkien, Cornwell, and Crichton! It's a crying shame that Goodind isn't all that popular.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5.

Further Fantasy Reading

This was originally going to be the "Advanced" guide to fantasy, but I feel like people wouldn't necessarily agree with my choices. The great thing is that people all read at different levels. I read The Lord of the Rings when I was in junior high, but someone else could have read it earlier, or later. This list is for either books with more mature content or ones I have left out in my other lists (see here: Beginner's Guide to Fantasy & Intermediate Guide to Fantasy). Note that I have not read all of the books on this list, nor necessarily enjoyed them myself (I hated Jonathan Strange), but they come highly recommended by lots of other people. I hope you enjoy these books if you ever get the opportunity to! These are in no particular order.


The Silmarillion- J.R.R. Tolkien

Wizard's First Rule- Terry Goodkind

The Eye of the World- Robert Jordan

A Game of Thrones- George R.R. Martin

Tigana- Guy Gavriel Kay

Gardens of the Moon- Steven Erikson

Mistborn- Brandon Sanderson

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell- Susanna Clarke

The Name of the Wind- Patrick Rothfuss

Sabriel- Garth Nix