Book Review: December's Thorn

A giant pet peeve of mine is reading books out of order. When I stumble upon an author who is new to me, whose work I enjoy, I like to go to the beginning and start with their first book and read them in order from there. Many books stand alone and can be read in any order and still be entertaining, but reading all the books by an author, especially those with a recurring character, builds layers of comprehension and enjoyment that is missed if you go in random order.

Get Arrested

It's been a while since I posted anything, and even longer since I posted anything of even moderate value, so I apologize and thank you for sticking with me anyway. I appreciate it. 

Book Review: The Warded Man

In the genre of Fantasy there are a few norms, and "The Warded Man" by Peter V. Brett includes these norms, but manages to do so without being formulaic. In fact, his unique angle on these expected elements is refreshing and compelling.

1. World-building. Fans who are patient with the world-building of series such as "The Wheel of Time" and really get into the meat of the story are richly rewarded. In "The Warded Man",  There are three protagonists, whose stories are very different, and Brett is an excellent storyteller, so the three disparate locations of these protagonists are built from detail, secondary characters, vocabulary and setting. It's all done very well. The best world-building happens without the reader really noticing it, intertwining it into the characters' stories in such a way that readers just float along the narrative and get carried away with it.

A Short Musing on Literature and Language

Isn't it interesting how we may read or watch something and think it's wonderful entertainment until we read or watch it with our children? 

I just finished re-reading "Relic" by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, which is among my favorite books. I keep telling my husband to read it, and I was even encouraging my teenage sons to read it, but as I finished it again I am hesitating now on the latter recommendation. There is a lot more language in it than I remembered. It's not on every page, nor is it every character, but there are a large handful of f-bombs and other such swears that make me hesitate to share it with my kids.