Hi fellow bipliophiles,
January was a good month for reading. I read a few good nonfiction books and reread my favorite fantasy series from when I was a teenager, Garth Nix’s The Old Kingdom. Happily, it has stood the test of time, and since they were re-reads I breezed through them. I also finished The Wheel of Time, which felt like a momentous accomplishment, not going to lie, and was definitely worth reading 14 books for.
As always, let me know what you think about these books, and if you have suggestions for further reading.
Cheers,
Tonya
Rating: 4 of 5 stars,
Recommendation: yes, if you read and liked the first, this is a strong sequel
Review: This sequel picks up shortly after the first left off. Like the first, it explores multiple viewpoints but focuses more on Lin and Jovis than some of the other secondary characters. I thought this was a good choice and enjoyed seeing their relationship develop throughout the book. It was a bit frustrating though because I just wanted to Jovis to freaking stop lying to her! We got some snippets exploring more of the lore and magic system, but to be honest, I could have done with more explanation of both. I guess they’re being saved for the third. The ending was a typical second book in a trilogy that wasn’t super satisfying but did set up the third installment nicely. Of course, now I have to wait a year for it. Oh well, recommend for anyone who likes epic fantasy, adorable animal companions, cool magic systems, and angsty romances.
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Recommendation: yes! Of course, you must read the previous 12 books to enjoy it
Review: Sanderson really delivered in this penultimate volume of the epic Wheel of Time series. Perrin finally decides to embrace his wolf brother side after avoiding it for literally 12 books! He has a lot of ground to make up, and it’s a good thing he’s a fast learner because he soon has to put his newly developed skills to use against some serious baddies who also reappear after a several book absence. I haven’t liked Perrin this much since book #4, and it was great to see his relationship with Faile develop and her adjust to him for once. I’m now a fan of that relationship. The resolution of his beef with the Whitecloaks was also satisfying. Who would have thought of putting Galad and Perrin together? Sanderson does some great character work for both of them there, and the two make interesting foils of each other. Matt was the other highlight of this book. His journey into the foreboding Tower of Ghenjei to rescue our damsel in distress was a perfect way to wrap up his arc with his lost and found memories and beef with the snake and fox people. Rand is finally much improved-this book after his decision at the climax of the last book to stop being a massive jerk to everyone around him. Everyone approves and is very appreciative. On to the last battle!
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Recommendation: yes, an amazing end to an epic series!
Review: This was an amazing end to the most epic and expansive fantasy series I’ve ever read. Sanderson really hit it out of the park. The chapter about the last battle --- conveniently titled The Last Battle --- was over 200 pages, or a short novel in and of itself. All of our characters got to have their moments to shine. My particular favorites were Lan and Egwene’s showdowns with two of the forsaken. Gawyn is still the worst. I also really liked the secondary characters of Androhl and Pevara. On the whole, I wasn’t a fan of the Black Tower plotline, but I really liked this pair and their relationship. Perrin’s adventures in tel’aran’rhiod were fun to read, but a little drawn out to be honest. I just really wanted him to catch Slayer gosh-darnit! Things that felt a little weird include Thom’s new but apparently not-new love interest -- just why? -- and the final scene post the last battle. That one I didn’t get at all. Anyway, Sanderson did a great job, and I’m glad I read this series. 14 books long with ups and downs, but overall worth it!
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Recommendation: yes, a great read for anyone interested in continuing democracy
Review: To throw in some non-fiction to my otherwise long-running fantasy streak, I picked up this book recommended by my husband. Anne Applebaum is a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist. She is a thought leader -- or clerc to use her terminology -- who in previous days would fall to the right side of the political spectrum. She describes how the old crowd that she used to associate with has now split with some still maintaining their old thoughts about the value of a liberal democracy, where liberal doesn’t mean of the US Democrat political party but the liberal order of seeing the world, and those who have embraced the authoritarian take-over of some segments of the right. She takes us through Poland in the 1990s, Brexit, and the rise of Trump and asks the question, “ How is a nation defined? Who gets to define it? Who are we? For a long time, we have imagined that such questions were settled—but why should they ever be?” She notes that the relative unanimity of opinion that existed in the US post-World War II was not normal, saying, “Unity is an anomaly. Polarization is normal. Skepticism about liberal democracy is also normal. And the appeal of authoritarianism is eternal.” She goes on to try to explain why authoritarianism is so appealing, “the “authoritarian predisposition” …. is not exactly the same thing as closed-mindedness. It is better described as simple-mindedness: people are often attracted to authoritarian ideas because they are bothered by complexity. They dislike divisiveness. They prefer unity. A sudden onslaught of diversity—diversity of opinions, diversity of experiences—therefore makes them angry. They seek solutions in new political language that makes them feel safer and more secure.” She points out that it’s no surprise that the rise of authoritarianism is accompanied by the rise of conspiracy theories and notes their appeal by saying, “The emotional appeal of a conspiracy theory is in its simplicity. It explains away complex phenomena, accounts for chance and accidents, offers the believer the satisfying sense of having special, privileged access to the truth.” This honestly explains a lot about the otherwise rational people I know that subscribe to conspiracy theories. For me, the scariest point she made focused on Trump’s moral equivalency. As she says, “If everybody is corrupt and always has been, then whatever it takes to win is okay.” This is why I’m not OK with anyone portraying an entire political party on either side of the spectrum as “evil” or “trying to destroy our nation.” That type of thinking permits one party to break institutions, rules, and disregard election results because to do otherwise would be allowing evil to win. At least in America, this false dichotomy doesn’t exist with either mainstream Republican or Democratic party. Finally, I liked her point that, “Democracy itself has always been loud and raucous, but when its rules are followed, it eventually creates consensus. The modern debate does not. Instead, it inspires in some people the desire to forcibly silence the rest.” For me, it’s a red-flag whenever anyone tries to silence someone else be it through cancel culture or insisting that they are the only source of truth. Applebaum doesn’t offer much in terms of answers and concrete guidance on how to fight back against rising authoritarianism, but it is helpful to better understand why authoritarianism is so appealing. I think it helped me appreciate the possibly unique and definitely unlikely moments of unity and liberal democracy that we have managed to create amid competing forces. All in all, this was an essential read for anyone interested in reviving and strengthening democracies. Highly recommend.
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Recommendation: yes
Review: I always love when Maeve Higgins appears on my favorite podcast, Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me. She always makes me laugh, so when I heard she had a book, I wanted to check it out. These essays were more thought-provoking than laugh-out-loud funny, but I really enjoyed the thoughts they did provoke. Higgins explores a wide-range of topics from dating, to family dynamics, to moving across the world and starting a new life, and I enjoyed following her thoughts and learning more about how she sees the world.
Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Recommendation: it’s kind of a self-help book, but also not
Review: I’m a big fan of Haig’s other works. I loved The Midnight Library, so when I heard about this new book, I picked it up not entirely realizing that it is a very different experience. First off, it’s not a novel, but is otherwise hard to classify. Haig has basically compiled a long list of quotes, thoughts, meditations, and poems that have helped him improve his mental health. He talks a lot about his own experiences with depression and anxiety and his near-experience with suicide during an extremely depressive episode in his twenties. This would be a good book to have a paper copy of and to reference when you feel dark moods coming on rather than my usual approach to reading which tends to be more along the fast and furious lines. As such, I didn’t appreciate this book as much as his others, but I still enjoyed the thoughts he shared, and appropriately, found many of them very comforting. Recommend for anyone looking for some hope in this world and better coping mechanisms.
Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Recommendation: yes, if you like the other Old Kingdom books, but not as a stand-alone
Review: This is the 6th installment in Nix’s Old Kingdom series, which I’ve been reading since I was a teenager when the first book Sabriel came out in 1995. This one is a prequel to Sabriel where we get to learn more about her father and meet her mother. The scale is much smaller than the apocalyptic stakes in the Sabriel trilogy, and it suffered in the way that all such prequels do where you know how each character is going to die before you even start. I had the same problem with the Black Widow movie, and it makes it hard to get attached to the characters. Nonetheless, I enjoyed visiting the Old Kingdom world again and found myself liking the characters until I remembered what happens to them in Sabriel.
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Recommendation: yes, just as good as I remember
Review: After reading Terciel and Elinor, I got the Old Kingdom bug and wanted to revisit the rest of the series. Sabriel was one of my favorite reads as a teenager. I love that she’s a well-fleshed out, strong female character that doesn’t suffer from many of the obnoxious tropes that authors sometimes assign to female leads in fantasy. The magic system is awesome, the action is great, and it has just enough horror and romance to keep things interesting. Also, who doesn’t love Mogget as a great and contrary animal companion? This is a series that I’ll definitely introduce my girls to when they get older.
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Recommendation: yes, a great sequel
Review: Books 2 and 3 in the original Old Kingdom trilogy are basically one long book split into two. Our beloved Sabriel and Touchstone from the original novel make cameo appearances, but the story focuses on Lirael and Sabriel’s son, Sameth. To be honest, they both start out as kind of annoying characters as both are fighting to force themselves into roles that just don’t fit them. As the story progresses and they find their places, they get much less annoying! Again the action is great, and the Disreputable Dog is possibly my favorite animal companion ever. I would love to have her as a friend. The first part of the book introduces us to Lirael and her struggles to fit in which are exacerbated by her lack of a certain magical skill that everyone else in her environment has. We get a time jump of about 5 years, and the rest of the book is set-up for the show-down with the big bad in Abhorsen.
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Recommendation: yes, a continuation of the 2nd
Review: The showdown with the big baddy is here, and the stakes couldn’t be higher! Our characters, Sam and Lirael, have finally grown out of their whiny adolescence, and we get to enjoy seeing them in their new awesome roles. The pacing is great, the character development is satisfying and makes sense, and the ultimate showdown doesn’t disappoint. Our baddies are pretty one-dimensional, but I think it works well with the whole zombie-horror ambience that Nix has created. I loved getting to see old characters come back and make new friends. All in all, it was fun to return to a series I loved growing up and realize that it still holds up now that I’m an adult. |
| We got some snow in January after not having any for months. Chloe and Maya were pretty excited. |
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| Maya's favorite part of snow is drinking hot chocolate after. |
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| Chloe's getting pretty good at climbing. |
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| Maya and a baby snowman. |
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| Sisters! |
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| Chloe loves making snow angels. |
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| We spent a lot of time at the indoor playground this month. Maya likes this moose. |
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| We went to the Denver Museum of Nature and History and two dinosaurs escaped. |
