NOVEMBER READS
I went into this month with fairly easy-going reading plans. Ultimately, I was able to finish the small selection of books that I wanted to and enjoyed it for the most part.
1. Shadows of Self
This was an exciting 5/5 read
Although the second era of the Mistborn series isn't the most popular among fans, I have been really enjoying my time with it and Shadows of Self may actually be my favorite story in this world to date!
2. Heliotrope
4/5 for a character-focused slow-burn standalone
While maybe not being fully for me in every regard, I really appreciated the depth of the character work in this classic-style fantasy and think it would work extremely well for those who love character-driven stories with a lot of slice-of-life moments.
3. Storm Front
A fun but flawed 3/5 read
The debut for this highly popular series did not impress me all that much. Superb pacing and a compelling neo noir storyline were ultimately cheapened by a gratuitous amount of sexual indecency and innuendo. I will likely try another book or two since they are so short and I hope these get less horny over time.
BONUS: Arcanum Unbounded (The Selish System)
This has kicked off as a very fun 4/5 so far
I've had this in my collection forever but didn't initially realize that a selection of the stories included contained spoilers for Sanderson's other works. Now that I'm a little more caught up on the Cosmere, I wanted to finally start this one and plan to read it in small chunks between other things. So far, I've read the stories set on Sel, which is the world in which Elantris take place. The Emperor's Soul served as an awesome start to this collection and definitely lived up to the hype. I did wish that there were clearer connections to Elantris, but I noticed a couple of small things and I understood that this takes place in a different part of the world (and perhaps a different time period, though that was less clear). "The Hope of Elantris" sort of acts as a follow up to the original novel while also retelling the original novel's climax from a different perspective. I didn't get as much out of this short story, but it was nice to revisit this world and get a little glimpse as to what a couple of the main characters were up. I plan to get to the content for Scadriel (the world of the Mistborn series) next month.
This has kicked off as a very fun 4/5 so far
I've had this in my collection forever but didn't initially realize that a selection of the stories included contained spoilers for Sanderson's other works. Now that I'm a little more caught up on the Cosmere, I wanted to finally start this one and plan to read it in small chunks between other things. So far, I've read the stories set on Sel, which is the world in which Elantris take place. The Emperor's Soul served as an awesome start to this collection and definitely lived up to the hype. I did wish that there were clearer connections to Elantris, but I noticed a couple of small things and I understood that this takes place in a different part of the world (and perhaps a different time period, though that was less clear). "The Hope of Elantris" sort of acts as a follow up to the original novel while also retelling the original novel's climax from a different perspective. I didn't get as much out of this short story, but it was nice to revisit this world and get a little glimpse as to what a couple of the main characters were up. I plan to get to the content for Scadriel (the world of the Mistborn series) next month.
BONUS: Agile 2 (Chapters 6-8)
This is dragging on within the 2/5 range for me
After not really reading this at all in October, I picked this back up finally and honestly just continue to be underwhelmed with it. Every time I think things are about to turn a new corner, I am instantly let down all over again by the way these authors like to make intelligent and analytical complaints about everything in Agile, yet offer nothing in the way of practical advice, ostensibly in a foolhardy attempt to avoid being too prescriptive themselves. So far, I feel like Agile 2 is about nothing. It's vapor on a good day and anarchy on a bad one. I mostly continue to force myself to read it because it seems to be gaining traction with leaders within my industry and I need to be prepared for any potential dumpster fires that this might cause.
This is dragging on within the 2/5 range for me
After not really reading this at all in October, I picked this back up finally and honestly just continue to be underwhelmed with it. Every time I think things are about to turn a new corner, I am instantly let down all over again by the way these authors like to make intelligent and analytical complaints about everything in Agile, yet offer nothing in the way of practical advice, ostensibly in a foolhardy attempt to avoid being too prescriptive themselves. So far, I feel like Agile 2 is about nothing. It's vapor on a good day and anarchy on a bad one. I mostly continue to force myself to read it because it seems to be gaining traction with leaders within my industry and I need to be prepared for any potential dumpster fires that this might cause.
I expect that December will also be a fairly relaxed reading month. There's a lot that I'd like to get to, but I'll probably just take it one book at a time and see where things go. I will be giving special priority to the next book in the Mistborn series.
Comments
Post a Comment