Tuesday Talks | Required Reading

The Tuesday Talks discussion group was created by Janie and Janelle for booktubers and book bloggers to discuss bookish topics together. Visit the goodreads group to find links for all those participating and to participate yourself. It's always a lot of fun.

Required Reading: Good or Bad?

Having been home schooled all the way from elementary school through high school, I probably experienced things a bit differently than those in a public school setting. I was given more freedom, I believe, in what I could choose to read for school. And that's what I want to talk about, choosing what you read. 

I think that required reading can be a good thing and I took several classes in college where there were required books. Some of these I didn't like, some of them I didn't actually read, and some of them I enjoyed. There was less choice in this than I had had previously, but at that age I don't think it's as much of an issue. Those taking courses that are going to focus heavily on reading are usually those who love to read and kind of know what they're getting into. 

For anything lower than college level, I think choice in reading is important. I know there are usually lists of things that people can choose from, but sometimes these are a bit sparse on options. Teachers have a lot of students they are trying to help, so helping all of them find the best fit would be difficult. However, I think there should be some process (and I'm sure some schools have this) that helps students pick books that they are most likely to be interested in. 

With math most people can pinpoint when their dislike (if they dislike the subject) came from. And do you know where that is? Usually in middle school or earlier. They don't feel like they're getting it, their teacher is discouraging, or the content and tests are just confusing. There are so many reasons why people fear math, and the same thing can be said for a dislike of reading. If you don't have a good foundation you won't ever learn to appreciate something. 

While I think required reading can be a good thing, I think there should be more choice in the books being read. Students should be steered toward things that are the most likely to interest them. For some that might mean reading the classics, which are usually required at some point, but for others it might mean more of a focus on non literary pop fiction. 

I'm a believer in reading. A person can gain many things from within the pages of a book, regardless of genre. Encouraging people to read what interests them will open a whole new world to them. This doesn't mean that classics should no longer be studied, it just means a different approaches might be needed. 

What are your thoughts on required reading in school? Is it good, bad? Do you think you had enough choice or that this makes a difference? Share any thoughts with me in the comments!

The Bands of Mourning~Brandon Sanderson | Review

Title: The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn #6, Wax & Wayne #3)
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Genre: High Fantasy/Steampunk/Western
Length: 437 Pages
Release: January 2016
My Rating: 5/5 Stars

Review

If I could give this book more than five stars on any rating site that I use, I definitely would. It was brilliant. Since this is the third in a series (sixth, in some ways), I'm going to try and do my review a little differently. I'm going to focus on specific elements of the story as a whole that I think work really well.

The writing: Anyone who reads my reviews knows how much I love Brandon Sanderson's novels. And it's not just the stories and characters, but his writing in general. It gets better and better with every book. Sanderson is very dedicated to his writing and producing quality content and it really pays off.

Characters: I need a character driven story. A great plot is not even a necessity for me. As long as I connect with the characters and feel for them in some way, I'm going to enjoy the book. This series (including the original trilogy) has been filled with relatable characters that feel so real. Even Steris, who I have never really been able to connect with in the past, became someone that I was rooting for here. There is one section of the book, when she's talking, telling someone how she feels and what it's like to interact with other people, when I was like you're describing everything I feel! It was excellent. And of course Wax, Wayne, and Marasi were just as wonderful as in previous installments. If you want to laugh, just spend some time with Wayne. Even Wax can be funny, although it's more often things he's done that are entertaining.

Relationships: This series has a major focus on friendship and little on romance, which I really appreciate. The bond between Wax and Wayne in this series is amazing. Finding out more about their history as the story has progressed and seeing how they rely on each other is just...I don't even have words to describe it. It just works. And the rest of the friendships being developed are beautiful as well. Marasi with both Wax and Wayne. Steris and the group. The new characters that are introduced. There are just so many beautiful, heartwarming friendships here. And yes, there is a touch of romance. Not going to give any details, but I was happy with the romantic portions of this novel. They were adorable and sweet.

Story: This series is just one nestled within a much larger series (and connected with other series through the Cosmere) and this installment was mind blowing. Again, I don't want to talk too much about specifics because you really need to experience this for yourself. Just know that there are even more connections to the original trilogy and major hints as to what is coming for Scadrial. And I cannot wait!

Overall impressions: This book, and series in general, are kind of slow burners, but once they get going they really get going. There were certainly portions that I guessed correctly about, portions that were shocking, and portions that had me going what in the world did I just read!? So I'd say that overall it was a pretty brilliant installment. The wait for the final book is going to be somewhat painful, but it just gives me time to read the series again, so I can't be too hurt by it. This was definitely my favorite read of January and I think it's going to be hard for another book to top this for the year. Seriously, it was that good.   

Promise Not Kept | Original Poem

Hello, reader friends! Recently I've been wanting to share more of my writing. I'm currently working on outlining a novel and have another planned to start just after I finish the first draft of this one. Here on my blog I want to share some of the short stories and poetry I am writing. And there is no better time to start than the present!

This poem is one that I recently used in a goodreads writing group. I was very happy with how it turned out and thought I would share it with you. Comments and feedback are always welcome, so feel free to tell me what you think.

Promise Not Kept

Whispered promises
in the dark of night
You brushed my lips
with a kiss
Feather light fingertips
across my skin
The space between us
was so thin
Until the cold like a knife
cut right in
Whispered promises
touched by the light of day
We never could have
kept them anyway  

~C.P. Cabaniss~

Note: This is my original work, please do not copy without permission.

The Eye of the World~Robert Jordan | Review

Title: The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time #1)
Author: Robert Jordan
Genre: High Fantasy
Length: 814 Pages (Paperback)
Release: January 1990
My Rating: 3.5/5

Review

This was a difficult book for me to rate. The beginning was intriguing and I was interested in this novel the whole way through, but the beginning was missing something. I am very much a lover of character driven stories and this introduced the characters in too much of a rush for me to really determine if I liked one before another was thrown at me. 

I really enjoyed this novel and by the halfway point I was fully invested, if not entirely in love with the characters. The story had me flipping pages and eager for more. Rand, the main character, is the only perspective you see for the majority of the novel, and really the only one until nearly the halfway point. I wanted to like Rand, but he was one of the few characters that I never really came to care for. It's not that I didn't like him at all, I just didn't like him as much as many of the others. He had a very typical fantasy-lead story: farm boy with questionable origins, loves a girl but doesn't really know how to approach her, longs for adventure at the same time liking his quiet life, his world is forever changed by a huge revelation that takes him far from everything he's ever known. You know, the usual. And while there were some less typical things also, he never stood out to me individually as more than an ok character.  I also never really felt much for Mat (he was too whiny) and Egwene just irked me from beginning to end. 

As the story progressed I did start to enjoy several of the characters. Among my favorites are Perrin, Nynaeve, Thom, and Lan. Each of these seemed to develop more than any of the other characters and Lan, while similar to many characters in other loved fantasy works, was fascinating nonetheless. He was my personal favorite and I'm excited to see more of him in the coming novels. 

The world building in this novel was well done, but a little forceful at times. I would have been able to connect more from the beginning had I not had so much thrown at me in the first chapter. With just a few more explanations in the beginning to open me up to the world, I might have been able to connect to the characters more easily. As it was, it felt like each character was just layering on another piece of the world that I still didn't understand. This eventually worked out (for the most part), but could have been smoother from the beginning. The writing could also be a bit too descriptive and "tell" rather than "show" at times, with dialogue somewhat stilted and confusing. This smoothed out as the novel went on, so I have high hopes that it continues to improve in the future books. 

This, overall, was a very enjoyable read. It's not the best fantasy to start with if you're not already a fantasy fan, but if you are then it's a great story to jump into. There's a quest, magic (after a fashion), prophecies, ancient evil, three plain boys forced to either save or condemn the world, and some fun times along the way. Interesting enough to begin with and gets better as you go. I would definitely recommend this to those who enjoy high fantasy.  

Tuesday Talks | Anticipated Releases of 2016

To find out more about Tuesday Talks, a discussion group created by Janie and Janelle, visit the goodreads group. There are new topics each week and it always makes for interesting discussions.

Most Anticipated Books of 2016

I already talked about anticipated releases in a recent booktube video, so for now I'm just going to focus on one book. And that book was released today! 

 This is the sixth installment in the Mistborn series (the third in the Wax and Wayne books, which is a separate series). I've been looking forward to this read for ages now. The most recent book, Shadows of Self, was released late last year. 

This series is set three hundred years after the original series ended and follows Wax, a Lord with a desire to keep the peace, and his trusted sidekick Wayne, who gets his hands into every mess. The magic has evolved and shifted in the three hundred years that have passed. In some ways I like it even more here, which is saying a lot, since I loved the original magic system. 

There are some other books I'm looking forward to, but perhaps none quite so much as this. And of course Calamity, the conclusion to the Reckoners trilogy which comes out in February. 

What releases are you most excited for this year?

Anna and the Swallow Man~Gavriel Savit | ARC Review

Title: Anna and the Swallow Man
Author: Gavriel Savit
Genre: Historical Fiction
Length: 240 Pages
Release: January 2016
My Rating: 3/5 Stars

I received a physical ARC of this novel during a giveaway hosted during Yallfest.

Review

Novels set during WWII have a special place with me. I don't know why, exactly, but that time period holds a great fascination for me. When I was given this book, I didn't even realize it was set during that time period, but once I knew that I was very intrigued. 

The story follows, Anna, a young girl in Poland who is alone after her father is taken with the other intellectuals in 1939. Then Anna meets the Swallow Man, who is mysterious and fascinating. The two set out on a journey that takes them through the heart of the war, crossing over dangerous territory. 

What I enjoyed most about this novel was seeing this war and what it was doing to the world through the eyes of a young child. Anna is only seven when she and the Swallow Man set out. A very intelligent seven year old with a lot of knowledge, but seven nonetheless. The two mainly stay on the fringes of the war, but you can feel it wearing on them throughout the narrative. 

The story is shrouded in enough mystery to make it fun to read, the story is compelling enough to keep me flipping pages, and it's an easy story to delve into, but I didn't find it great. Character driven stories are what I love most, and while this was character driven in a lot of ways, there was too much passage of time and not enough meat to really have me amazed. 

I really enjoyed the setting. Recently I've heard a lot of people say that they don't think that Poland gets enough attention in novels and histories of this time period, so I appreciated reading something set in its borders. 

This was an enjoyable read and I'm glad that I took the time to delve into its pages. If you're a fan of historical fiction, I think you should definitely gives this a try. It wasn't my favorite, but I enjoyed it a lot.     

Gypsy of the Sea~Cecelia Lefgren | Review

Title: Gypsy of the Sea
Author: Cecelia Lefgren
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 17 Pages
Release: October 2015
My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Review

This is a well written, beautifully depicted short story about a young woman who slaves away in her fathers inn, never able to earn his love. When a female Pirate Captain shows up, things start to change. Abigail must rely on her own strength to survive. And she's dealing with more than she ever expected. A fun, fast paced read.

Just a note, that did not impact my reading of this little story in any way. Cecelia and I have known each other practically our whole lives (though we haven't seen each other much in the past several years), and I am excited to see her finally able to publish some of her stories. I used to read stories she was working on and remember loving them. I'm excited to see where her writing goes in the future. So my recommendation is to start reading her now, because she will only get better with time.