Tag: Brandon Sanderson

Books, Reviews

June Books

giastark

I really need to think of something more creative for my book post titles. Then again, this way it’s very clear what this post is about. Hmm. I’ll think on it.

Anyway, in June I read 3 books, bringing my total to 18/30. Very happy with this. Reading is one of my favourite activities anyway, but this reading challenge is that little extra push that I sometimes need to prioritise it over other things that I could be doing.

June started off with the first book that I’ve ever bought just on Kindle. Cry Baby (Callum Doyle #4) by David Jackson. My thoughts after finishing it were ‘I’d give it 3/10. It kept me reading but it lacked … body and soul. Like going to a bonfire but only seeing smoke – no fire or embers, and sure enough you can see some interesting shapes forming from the smoke but that’s not what you went to see. There were a couple of interesting turns but nothing to make me go “OOOOOOOOOOOOH!” or “I can’t believe this unforeseeable twist of events just occurred!” Soooo yeah. Easy read but predictable and.. stuff.’ Overall I was glad to have supported the author by buying his book, but I’m also glad I didn’t pay more for it as I’d have felt a bit robbed.

The second book I read was Killers: Britain’s Deadliest Murderers Tell Their Stories by Kate Kray. I picked it up on a charity sale as it looked interesting at the first glance. Well, it pretty much says it in the title – the author interviewed a series of murderers about their offences. I must admit that some of those stories were quite compelling. However I couldn’t help but think of them as just stories. I did some research on a couple of the people mentioned in the book and it’s like night and day. I understand that some of the articles on the internet would be telling the other side of the story, but you can’t really argue with hard facts. The hard facts that the killers themselves didn’t mention or the author decided to leave out, thus making the stories quite a bit lighter, perhaps even trying for sympathy. Overall not one of my favourite books.

Luckily things started to look a lot brighter with my third read of the month. The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn #6) by Brandon Sanderson. You probably know that I’m quite a fan on Brandon Sanderson’s books by now and that I’m reading my way through his series. I found Bands of Mourning such an enjoyable read that I was absolutely devastated when I found out that I’ll have to wait for the next book in the series to come out. So many loose ends, so much to look forward to. It’s still one of the very few fantasy books that I know where technological advances are happening, but where somehow the author still manages to keep the magic alive and as an essential part of the story. Loooooved it. The main characters are so lovable – they’ve got their flaws and quirks, but that only serves to make them even more interesting and, well, lovable. One of the characters especially really shone in this one. I’m talking of Steris – the organisation and control nutter. I found so much of myself in her that it really made me laugh and even feel better about myself. We’re both just being really prepared, that’s all. Now I’ve just got to wait for the next one…

2

I’m glad I finished June with The Bands of Mourning as it would’ve otherwise been a rather bleak month! I don’t even know how those crime and mystery books came about, but I do like to mix it up with different genres.

If you’ve got any reading recommendations for me, fire away 🙂

G.

 

Books, Reviews

May Books

giastark

Hi all! I still have two more posts to write about my holiday, but I thought I’d mix it up a little and write about what I read in May instead for a change. To be honest I thought I’d get more writing done over the weekend but poor time planning… Ok, that wasn’t honest, here’s honest – I was knackered and the weather was gorgeous. Although, I guess that’s still poor time planning as well. Well what do you know, eh? Anyway…

I only read two books in May. That brings me to a total of 15/30. Half way there! Wooohoooooo! One of them I’ve already written about a little and the other won’t come as a surprise to any of you, if you’ve read my previous book posts.

The first book I read was PS, I Love You by Cecelia Ahern. What an emotional roller coaster! I kept crying when reading it and then laughing on the next page – I was all over the place. (You can read my thoughts from when I was about 12 pages into the book here from my previous post.) I watched the film based on this book first and was therefore a bit apprehensive about how similar or different the book would be, but I found a pleasant mix of familiarity and new bits. It was a great (albeit emotionally wrecking) read.

The second book I read was Shadows of Self (Mistborn – Alloy Era #2) by Brandon Sanderson. Quite a few AMAZING twists in the story as is common for Mr Sanderson. Although I haven’t gotten quite into this series like I was into the original Mistborn books, I still absolutely loved it. I thought the story was great, the characters were built well and the magic was brilliant.

IMG_20170618_225831_657

I was very happy with my choice of reading material in May, but I think I need to start writing my thoughts down as soon I’ve finished with a book. I find that I’m struggling a bit when I write after a month has passed and I’ve already read a few books afterwards. Hmm… Something to consider!

G.

 

Books, Reviews

April Books

giastark

Hmmm… I see a bit of a theme going on in my recent months books. I seem to be reading a lot of books from the same author. I wonder why? Maybe because I absolutely love what he does? That could be it, you know. In fact, I bet that’s what it is – he’s just THAT good! Yes, ladies and gents, it’s another month full of Brandon Sanderson. Wooohoooo! Ok, I’ll stop fan-girling and get to the books now. Oh, I almost forgot to say that I read 3 books, bringing my this year’s total to 13/30.

The first book I read in April was The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3) by Brandon Sanderson. It was the last book in the trilogy and had me in complete tears in the end. My thoughts at the time were: ‘Absolutely brilliant. I don’t even have words… still bawling like a baby as I write this. It was just amazingly good. 100/10 stars. The ending… it’s just… I’ll go be incoherent somewhere else now.’ I was soooooo sad for it to end and the ending itself was very emotional as well. Just amazing. Oh, in case I wasn’t too clear – I loved it and would definitely recommend it to other fantasy/magic fans.

To shake things up a little I read The Choice by Nicholas Sparks next. It was in many ways predictable and unbelievable and in some ways surprising in a good way. Overall it was a nice change in between all the fantasy that I feel like I’ve been reading lately.

After reading that, I felt like it was time for a bit more of (what seems to be) my author of the year however, so I picked up The Alloy of Law (Mistborn – Alloy Era #1) by Brandon Sanderson. I must admit I wasn’t too keen on it to begin with, as it was slightly more modern than his previous books that I’ve read, but I got used to the new characters and the changes that had happened in the world and in the end I loved it. (Surprise, surprise…).

IMG_20170525_221741_520

This concludes my April books. I’ll try to mix it up a little in the coming months, but with the amount of books the man has published, I see myself reading at least one of his books almost every month for a while going forward to be honest.

Anyway, I’m actually quite behind with my May books so I best go get cracking! Or you know, sleep instead as I’ve just noticed the time. Where have the hours since I got home from work gone?!

G.

Books, Challenges, My life, Reviews

My March Books

giastark

I read 3 books in March which took me to 10/30. I’m 1/3 of the way there guys! Whoop! Anyway, I know there’s only 2 books on the picture and that’s because the third one has been travelling from person to person since I finished it. Having found it quite enlightening and useful, I’ve passed it on to two of my friends since and one of them currently still has it.

In fact, that’s the book I shall begin with. I’m a bit late to the bandwagon with this, but the first book I read in March was The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondō. I’m not claiming it was fully as miraculous as it claims, but I got quite a bit out of it. Overall this books is quite nutty in my opinion, you have to pick and choose what to take from it and it’s definitely not going to suit everyone’s taste. However I learned a few neat tricks to decluttering and better organisation. My wardrobe shrank considerably after I put some of those tips into use (like only keeping the stuff that makes me happy) and now I can wear anything from it, knowing that no matter what I pick, I’ll be happy wearing it. Such a simple concept but one that I never thought of myself. So I had piles of clothes that I hadn’t worn in years and a few items I’d never even put on. Well, not anymore! I also learned a few good ways to organise my clothes which I’ve actually stuck to as it just makes a lot of sense (like storing clothes side by side not in a pile). Anyway, long story short, I liked it.

The second book I read was Lying About Last Summer by Sue Wallman. Right, I’ve tried to start my review about this one three times now and nothing just seems to fit. I thought it was an OK book. It wasn’t amazing, but it was a nice read. It had its interesting bits and some crazy twists which were well done. Overall I’d say I enjoyed it and if you’re after a quick and easy read with some mystery then by all means go for it. Hmm… That doesn’t sound like a very good review. It’s just… You know how some books influence you more and some to a lesser degree or not much at all? Well, I don’t think all books can nor should be life-changing, some should just be simple entertainment. Which is what this books was.

Now then. I saved my favourite for last this time. The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2) by Brandon Sanderson. I’m sure you’re all getting a bit tired about me going oooon and oooooon about the Mistborn series but it’s just that good. If you like fantasy books with magic but are tired of the same old wands and mages then pick this up. I’ve never known magic like this before and it’s just… And the characters and the story and it’s all just. Amazing. Absolutely amazing. I love it. Love it, love it, love it. That’s one of the life-changing books for me.

20170416_163935-ANIMATION (1)

That’s it for now. If you have any recommendations for what I could read next, let me know! 🙂

G.

Books, Challenges, My life

Literally shaking with anticipation and excitement

giastark

To be honest I can’t believe I’m even writing this, but I feel like I need to share it with you lot. I’ve just reached the final hundred or so pages of Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy and I feel like I REALLY want you to be a part of it.

I can’t remember when I was last sucked into a book like this, but it’s amazing. It’s all coming together in mind-bogglingly brilliant ways that I somewhat foresaw, but not to the extents that the book is revealing. I don’t even know if any of this is making any sense, I’m just SOOOOOOOOOOO excited.

Like the title says – I’m literally shaking. You’ll probably think me crazy, but I don’t care. To read something this great is just … I’m dreading the end because I don’t want to be done with it, but I know that once I’ve finished this post I won’t stop reading until I’ve finished.

Prepare yourselves for a post full of wallowing about how I’ve reached an end of an era, having finished the trilogy.

Ok, I can’t write any more for now. Must. Go. Back. To. Reading. Can’t leave my characters that long.

My goodness, I truly hope and wish that you’ve had a similar reading experience recently. It’s so invigorating.

G.

Books, Challenges, Crafts, Food, My life

Of life in general, briefly. / Ups and downs

giastark

Hmm. It’s really weird what I now consider to be my ‘downs’ as they’re actually more of a ‘not that up’. It’s weird to explain, if you haven’t experienced it. But even on my days when I feel like I can’t really be bothered to do anything, which before would’ve found me in a dark hole, I can now just shrug it off. Dealing with things is so different when you’re not well. Also, realising how it’s different is hard when you’re in a place where things aren’t that great.

Now that I’ve noticed the changes I keep finding that I’m more conscious of the slight differences. For example, the other day I was focusing on the feelings in my stomach and the thoughts in my head and realised I last felt like this more than a decade ago. After struggling for so long, it feels amazing to realise that yes, my memories of feeling like this once upon a time weren’t just ‘memory goggles’ that make times gone by feel better, but that I actually did feel different then.

So, back to the topic — oooooh, I just thought that I should’ve told you about my Sunday. I was SO productive and got a buttload of things done. Hmm. Now I’m torn about whether to continue this post or start again. I think I’ll go ahead with my current one at the moment, but expect to see a ‘The Most Productive Sunday Yet’ post soon.

Ok, can I pleaaase get back to my post now? — Today I didn’t go bouncing/trampolining. I should’ve done, but didn’t. Why did I not go? Well, because today is one of the days when I felt like I’d rather eat a reasonably sized portion of lasagna and attempt to make T-shirt yarn. Check and check. The lasagna was a frozen ready meal and actually surprisingly nice. (Today was also one of the days where I couldn’t be bothered to cook from scratch.) T-shirt yarn however… well, I think I’ve got some room for improvement. The first one would be to get proper scissors. The second one would be to learn how to cut even strips… I’m pretty sure some toddlers could surpass me in cutting skills. Once I’ve practised a little bit more I’ll let you know in more detail how it goes and what I’m going to make of the yarn.

Speaking of toddlers (erm… young kids), I watched an episode of Masterchef Junior today. Turns out I’ve got a LOT to learn about cooking and I could learn a lot of it from kids — my fiance just tried to ask me what my post is about and as it’s about everything whilst being about nothing I didn’t want to lose my train of thought so I growled at him. He didn’t appreciate it. — that are half my age and less. My cooking skills were very extremely limited until I was in my early twenties, I think. That’s when I started to explore the world of food a bit more courageously.

Watching a cooking show also reminded me that I haven’t made many soups this year. For those of you who are wondering why I’ve singled out soups – my this year’s challenge is to make 12 different soups. So far I’ve made two. That’s low even for my usual cooking variety, not to mention that I’m supposed to be doing this to complete my challenge. I’m pretty certain I made a lot more soups when it wasn’t a challenge. I’ll need to look into this, I think.

Anyway, it may not have been as brief as the title suggested, but there it is. I got most of the stuff off my mind – a lot of it straight from thoughts to paper without much editing, so I hope you’ll enjoy a glimpse into my brrrrrain. Oh, the image I used is a picture of daffodils that are on my way to/from work. How cool is that. A sea of daffodils that I walk past every day.

20170411_173427-EFFECTS

I’ll go try to make amends with my fiance now and then go read my book. I’m getting really close to the end of the last book in the trilogy and such interesting things are happening! I can’t even… Yeah. I’ll see you soon!

G.

Books, Challenges, My life, Reviews

February books!

giastark

Yes, there’s an exclamation mark. There’s a very good reason for that by the way. In February I read the first book from a series that has become one of my all time favourites already. And apparently the books only get better as the series goes on. Can’t wait!

So, the first book I read in February was The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky. I really enjoyed it. It was sweet, yet bold, and kept me reading almost without stopping. I think it was the perfect book to kick-start February. I gave it 8.5/10.

The second book I read is the one I was so excited about in the beginning of this post. The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) by Brandon Sanderson. Oh. My. Goodness. Do you know that feeling when you’re reading a fantasy book and it’s got magic, but it’s the ‘usual’ kind of magic and even though you love it, you feel that it’d be so great if there’d be something different and new about it? Well, this book series would cover that quite nicely. It’s a fantasy book with the kind of magic that I’ve not read or seen anywhere else. And it’s so good. The author really knows what he’s doing with the characters and the twists and the world where it all takes place. It’s just brilliant. 10/10.

Lastly I read War Horse by Michael Morpurgo. I’d already seen the film adaption of this so I was preparing to cry my eyes out, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the book was quite a bit mellower than the film. So my tissue box remained untouched and instead I enjoyed the great little read about the adventures of a horse during war time. 7/10.

20170319_103806

That’s 7/30 books read for my this year’s reading challenge. Going pretty well. And I’m soooooooo excited to continue with the Mistborn series. I’ll let you know what I think of the next ones from that series, but I have a feeling I’ll only have more good things to say. I have also already read some rather interesting books in March, so watch this space 😉

G.