Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Reading Bingelet!

I go through these once in a while. I haven't read much of anything on paper in quite a while. I can't actually think when I last sat and read a book. I tried a few months ago, but ended up taking the books back to the library unread. Got an audio book of one of them instead. Anyway, recently, a friend, Daniel (who doesn't read this) suggested a book to me - historical fiction, which I like: The Skystone. The first in a series of books about 300ish AD in England. Good stuff. While I was reading this, the 14th book of the Wheel of Time Series arrived on my porch. I decided to finish the library book first, before starting the Ultimate WOT book.

Mini reviews: The Skystone was enjoyable to me for few reasons. First, it is fiction - I like fiction. More than fact. More than the "real" world. Second, it is historical fiction - with which one gets a sort of glimpse into what life in the past might have been like. In this case, it is about Britain as it changes from a Roman land to an independent land. I like stuff about Rome. If you haven't seen the series "Rome" from HBO, and you like that kind of stuff, definitely check it out! And lastly, I actually like the characters. Yay. So I have gone ahead and requested the second book from the library system.

A Memory of Light - the 14th book in Robert Jordan's fantasy series. I have written about it here before - I think in conjunction with listening to the books on audio. I started reading the series in 1994 when I found a secondhand copy of Eye of the World on the shelf of a bookstore in Dallas, TX. I read a bunch of it before realizing that it was part of a series. And that the series wasn't done. It was because of this series that I semi-vowed to never read a series again that wasn't complete before I picked it up. I went and found the other three books that were out at that time and began the patient-ish slog through all the rest through the years. 23 years later (from when the series was first published) the series is done, despite Robert Jordan dying back in 2007. I think I had read somewhere that Robert Jordan had written one of the last chapters before dying - I know that he had written copious notes, and had discussions with his wife and others about what his ideas were for the end of the series. Anyway, it was a thoroughly enjoyable book - a few bits here and there seemed rushed and forced, but overall, the book was a nice ending to the series. I will read it again in the not so distant future. And will buy the audio book when it comes down in price a little bit. For anyone who has put of reading the series because it wasn't finished, the water is fine, come on in!

Yay reading!