The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

I just want to take this small opportunity to say that this review was VERY difficult to write without the luxury of spoilers. Enjoy!

By chapter 17 I was so surprised when I realized that I really adored Kvothe. By the end of the chapter I just want to give the kid a hug and some fresh cookies… even if that may put him into a strange state of shock, the poor ragged thing. This is what one will come to understand when I say that Patrick Rothfuss knows the way to make someone really invest in his characters. By the time I reached this point, I wanted nothing more than to be there, in this world listening to Kvothe’s story with Bast and Chronicler.

I was quickly immersed into the story in a way I’m not normally involved. I felt panic the first time Kvothe called the wind when he was a young boy with Ben. I held back tears when Ben decided to leave the troupe, even though I knew it was for the best. When the priests came for Scarpy I was honestly afraid of them, but curious about the church and it’s going-on’s. And I actually cried when Kvothe had to say goodbye to Travis, that dear man who gave up everything to care for unwanted children.

The lore behind the Chandrian is beyond fascinating. I want to study them and pick through every story of them like a drug addict to crack. How did this happen? Mr. Rothfuss strings me along, giving subtle hints throughout the book, enough to feed one’s interests but not enough to figure them out on their own. I have my theories, but so little is given that I dare not commit to them. I know these things won’t be explained in just one book, which already tells you that I’m picking up the 2nd book as you read this.

By chapter 40 or so I can’t help but LOVE to HATE Denna. Exactly how it’s explained to Kvothe, men swarm over her and women loathe her. She’s clever and full of wonder and mystery. Exactly how I wish I was when I was 15, minus the money grumbling and what I have to see as trickery. Also, I want Ambrose to die a horrible death. I hate bullies and I absolutely hate how he gets away with everything. But the pure fact that I can read a book and feel that pure hatred for some fictional character tells you enough.

Just when I think it’s time for a new girl in Kvothe’s life he saves one. FROM A BURNING DEATH CLOUD BUILDING! YEEEEAAAAHHHH! Not to give too much away but this scene is CLASSIC. Who doesn’t like a little Die Hard action?

In short, I adore this book. The author has created such a fleshed out world and characters that you want to run when they run, fight when they fight and all the while you’re cheering them on and hoping they succeed in everything they do. I cried when things were terrible and laughed when things were hilarious and worried when the situations were dire.

This book gets five stars!

If anyone would like to join my book club and get in on our more in depth discussions join us here: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/99698-fictional-intrigue

Book Review of Honor Among Thieves by Elaine Cunningham

I had the opportunity last month to have a chat with and take advice from some of the best writers out there. One of the most prominent things they all told me was “Write every day, if you can’t write, read, and read often and consistently.” I’m now on my third book since this advise was given. I took this advise very seriously, since I myself dream of being a real writer and sharing my stories in paper form with the world, and I have come to the decision that I will start writing full reviews of these books. In an attempt to expand my writing skills and hopefully get back on board with what you all expect from me, and what I expect from myself.

Unfortunately, my first review was a true dumbfounding experience. I can honestly say I may have lost something of myself by finishing this book. Which is such a disappointment, Elaine Cunningham, a very successful fantasy author actually wrote this book. I even suspect that she may have really written this book when she was 15 and only just decided to share it, claiming she wrote it much later on in life. Oh Elaine, I wish you hadn’t.

I didn’t enjoy much of this book. The story is confusing and a lot of the time I found myself turning back to previous chapters to re-read something, for clarification and it was still unclear.

This book felt like an unfinished manuscript. Words were duplicated, jumbled, or incorrect all together, misspellings, and incoherent verbiage made this a difficult read, at best.

Did Vishni throw the dagger into the ocean? Because I read that she did, and yet it’s with them in the end. At what point did you find out the big geared secret about Honor, because I must have missed this startling realization until Fox is explaining it to the others. It is no doubt why these books are e-read only, they’re unfinished and rushed and the plot was not fully thought through.

I can tell there were some worthy ideas in there but they were not implemented. It is almost as if she had an idea, a brilliant idea of cons, mischief, and cleverness, and then forgot it half way through.

Ernest Hemmingway once said “The first draft of anything is shit”, and I do believe he was spot-on, but maybe even the final product, unedited, is still shit.

I really desired to be proficient in writing a much more intelligent review, a more fleshed-out review, but in fact I have nothing else to say.

Rain

I’m outside on the porch to our cabin. The rain is pouring down on the forest around me and my collection rain jars are overfilling, the sound echoing the waterfalls further north of me. The scented steam from my freshly brewed hot chai tea latte is lifting into the cool air, filling the musky scent from the wet wood and earth with hints of spice. I’m bundled up with a homemade quilt and laptop secured firmly on my legs in the swinging bench, my fingers clicking away on my latest imaginative chronicle. Frogs croak in the rain, unburying themselves from the soft earth to sing to the sky that drips life back into their skin, a smile crosses my face as my heart fills with wonderment and my mind sparks with imagination. I take a moment, as a bird starts singing, to take a sip of my chai tea and allow myself the time to feel the warmth fill me.

Over the rain drops and light twittering of birds there comes a shrill voice, “Hey, Alexis? Can you come help me over here?” I lean back in my office chair, the corroded thing squeals it’s protest, how dare I even think to move. My co-worker beckons me to her and I remove my headphones, making sure to press pause on my galaxy S3 phone application so I’m sure not to miss a raindrop. The day continues in reality once more.

Remember

Every 1st draft is shit. -Hemingway.

Hi readers! I would like to announce that I am about to post a new short story but would also like to notify you that it’s not my typical post. It’s still in editing, which I suspect it will be in that position for a little bit, even though it’s only 2 pages but when I’m done it will be worth it.

xoxo,
Lex

Writing and people falling from the sky

The good news is that I was able to get a few chapters complete. The bad news is that it was not on the story I previously wanted to work on. Have you ever had a story just run away with you? No matter what I did I couldn’t get the scenes out of my head and the characters wrote themselves. I have no idea what I’m going to do with the plot, but so far it seems to have come up with it’s own story. I’ve seen famous writers talk about this in regards to a few of their books but I honestly didn’t take them seriously. I find it absolutely hilarious that the story that I’ve been working on for a long time is stuck, while this new story is screaming to be noticed.

 

On another completely separate topic…

Dear people who live in the apartment above mine. I understand that you are overweight… and in comparison to myself a bit on the tall side, but please stop jumping up and down in your upstairs apartment. I’m tired of fixing my picture frames and I’m pretty sure that thing that just fell off the ceiling was a paint chip. If you fall through the floor due to your own lack of prep and fall on my awesome stone coffee table… it’s not my fault. <3

Truths About Oneself

No post for today. Turns out I’m terrible at writing biography’s. At least that is something I have come to find out about myself. I’ll work on it here and there but it honestly isn’t something that truly interests me. The only reason I was trying it is because it was part of this creative writing booster project that I’m using to get rid of my writers block. Yay for me. lol!

Instead I shall share one of my many distractions: (Click on picture)

Decisions

It’s come down to the point where I have to decide. I’m 26 years old and I want a lot of things for my life but in reality I have to pick something, one thing, that I want to do the most and go with it. Do I want to own a book store? Do I want to fight crime in a lab? Do I want to be a wedding coordinator? Do I want to be a Journalist? Do I want to write novels? These are the things that I’ve wanted to do with my life and for the last few years I’ve been struggling with this decision. Some people say, “Do them all!” and I just look at them like they’re crazy. One can’t fight crime and be a wedding coordinator or own a book store while fighting crime. Some of them mix and some really don’t. In all truth I want ONE thing. I’ve decided I’m going to hop back on the wagon and do my best to finish my book. I’ve been working on it for 3 years and it hasn’t gone as far as I’d like. Mostly due to the fact that I work in retail 50-70 hours a week and am exhausted when I get home. So much so that my blog has fallen into a deep pit in which I would like to start filling in and bringing it back to life.

I’ve made my choice to write. My husband is backing my decision and will be reminding me to write every day again. If not on my book then on my blog. Only I can allow myself to fail and I can only blame myself if I do. So here it goes, the choice is mine. Wish me luck.