The Fires of Heaven~Robert Jordan | Review

Title: The Fires of Heaven (Wheel of Time #5)
Author: Robert Jordan
Genre: High Fantasy
Length: 704 Pages (Hardcover)
Release: October 1993
My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Review

It took me a very long time to read this book, but not because I wasn't enjoying it. Life happens and unfortunately the reading of this book was caught in the cross fire. But I did really enjoy this one, almost beginning to end. 

This might possibly be my favorite of the series to this point. I enjoyed learning more about the Aiel and the history of the various people in this world that Jordan created. The political turmoil is always interesting for me, so I liked the fact that it was present in this book. 

Many of the characters still really annoyed me, but a few of them actually started to develop into something tolerable. Rand has always been hard for me to like, but I've found myself enjoying his portions more than I did in the past. Aviendha is (mostly) a nice addition to the story. And I felt that Nynaeve, who is probably my favorite female character, actually did some growing in this novel. I did miss Perrin, who is still my favorite character.

Some things about this series continue to vex me. The man hate is just something I don't get, the constant mention of arms folded under breasts (yes, we know that women have breasts!), and the utter lack of any real communication between the characters, but I find myself still enjoying them, despite all of the flaws. They aren't brilliant. They aren't my favorite books. But they are fun. 

I don't want to give away too much of the story, but this one definitely builds (if slowly) on what we've already been introduced to in previous installments. You start to see paths for the characters to take and how all of the stories will eventually converge. And as I mentioned, the historical aspects regarding the various peoples and politics are fascinating.  

If you think that the first book is even a little bit ok, you should continue to this point. If book five isn't doing any more for you, I would stop at that point. 

If You Want to Write~Brenda Ueland | Review

Title: If You Want to Write
Author: Brenda Ueland
Genre: Non-fiction, Writing, Motivation
Length: 179 Pages
Release: 1983
My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Review

I found this book in a thrift store, and being a writer, decided to pick it up and see if it could share some inspiration or insight. Toward the beginning I was really liking it. There's a lot of advice about taking time to ponder and think about your writing, instead of forcing it. There are also many personal stories that help the advice relate more, since it's not just something the author is spouting at you but what she actually feels.

Toward the halfway point, however, I started to lose some of that interest. I did learn some things from this, but I got tired of hearing "which I will show you later" used every other paragraph, if not more often. I just wanted her to get to the point of what she was saying without wasting time telling me about what she was going to tell me. And some of that stuff never really came back up later, which was also frustrating.

The writing style in this was also very different. Not a form that I particularly connected to. This, from my understanding, was literally adapted from her notes though. Without any polish or much editing. These were her thoughts tossed into a book. From that perspective it's actually quite impressive it was as helpful and as interesting as it was, since I'm sure any notes of mine would have been very scattered.

I did gain some insight from this regarding writing what you love and taking your time that I found valuable. It was an interesting read. Don't pick this up if you're expecting a book on the craft of writing, however, that is not the intent of this book.

Life After Juliet: The spotlight is no place for a bookworm

Hello, my wonderful blogging friends! It's been a while, but I'm back.

Over the next several weeks I'm participating in the Life After Juliet launch with author Shannon Lee Alexander and wanted to share some tidbits with you now.

So check out the official blurb and what early reviewers are saying! Then stay tuned for future posts with excerpts and other fun things. As well as my review, which will be coming soon! And while you're at it, go add the book on goodreads. 

 Official Blurb

Becca Hanson was never able to make sense of the real world. When her best friend Charlotte died, she gave up on it altogether. Fortunately, Becca can count on her books to escape—to other times, other places, other people...              

Until she meets Max Herrera. He’s experienced loss, too, and his gorgeous, dark eyes see Becca the way no one else in school can. 

As it turns out, kissing is a lot better in real life than on a page. But love and life are a lot more complicated in the real world...and happy endings aren't always guaranteed. 

The companion novel to Love and Other Unknown Variables is an exploration of loss and regret, of kissing and love, and most importantly, a celebration of hope and discovering a life worth living again.

Early Reviews:

5 stars: "Every word meant something. Every tear they cried was real. Every action, every thought. This book didn't feel like it was just written for the sake of it, it felt like it was written because the author had to write it. She had to get it out, her words had to be heard." - Natasha Platt

5 stars: "I hung on every word and I'll think about it for a long time to come. Becca was brilliant, and I get her. Darby, she was special, Victor was a great crazy friend. Of course Max, there just couldn't be anyone better suited for her than Max. Listen to me... I’m talking as if they are real! Now that's the sign of a great book." - Natasha Platt

5 stars: "Great read for a book lover... Epic love at it's best!!!" - Socially Awkward Book Nerd

5 stars: "I absolutely loved this... The story, the characters, the message... Just perfection! And I dare anyone reading to try not to fall for Max!!" - Jamie Arkin, Fiction Fare