The Name of the Wind: Patrick Rothfuss: If you like your fantasy fast-paced and action-filled, this is not your book. If, however, you don't mind a book that takes its time to develop its characters so that you can get to know them, this may be a book you'll enjoy. I've seen it called the Harry Potter for grownups, and I guess in the sense that it's about a young boy, Kvothe, who discovers his magical abilities at a young age and ends up at a university where magic is taught, the comparison is valid. But The Name of the Wind is more than just Harry Potter for adults; it's its own magical universe. There's also a dread that builds up in this book -- the fear of what Kvothe is going to have to eventually face -- that I never quite felt in the HP books. I am actually afraid for Kvothe -- for what he is going to have to do and what he's going to have to become to defeat his enemy, the Chandrian, legendary figures he learns are all too real. The Name of the Wind can be slow at times, and Kvothe's obsession with this girl, Denna, can be tiresome, but even given all that, the book is well-written and I'm looking forward to the sequel.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Fantasy reading
The Name of the Wind: Patrick Rothfuss: If you like your fantasy fast-paced and action-filled, this is not your book. If, however, you don't mind a book that takes its time to develop its characters so that you can get to know them, this may be a book you'll enjoy. I've seen it called the Harry Potter for grownups, and I guess in the sense that it's about a young boy, Kvothe, who discovers his magical abilities at a young age and ends up at a university where magic is taught, the comparison is valid. But The Name of the Wind is more than just Harry Potter for adults; it's its own magical universe. There's also a dread that builds up in this book -- the fear of what Kvothe is going to have to eventually face -- that I never quite felt in the HP books. I am actually afraid for Kvothe -- for what he is going to have to do and what he's going to have to become to defeat his enemy, the Chandrian, legendary figures he learns are all too real. The Name of the Wind can be slow at times, and Kvothe's obsession with this girl, Denna, can be tiresome, but even given all that, the book is well-written and I'm looking forward to the sequel.
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
My Nook
I got a Nook instead of a Kindle. Mainly because I could demo it in the store and see how it worked -- that's always easier for me -- to try things out before I buy. I knew I wanted to buy an ereader because I'm so sick of carrying tons (sometimes almost literally) of books with me when I travel -- once I carried a huge Stephen King book with me + several others -- that hurt my back. I'm never sure what mood I'm going to be in, so I have to take several books with me to be sure I accommodate the mood I end up in. This is tedious. Very tedious. Tediousness and lack of space was the same reason I eventually got an iPod -- it cut down on the stacks of cds I took with me when I travelled.Do I like my Nook? Yes -- yes, I do. The screen is easy to read -- it's small but the fonts are clear and easy on my eyes. I didn't read the instruction manual (mainly because I never do) but I was still able to figure out how to operate it. I don't like that there is no option for me to set the screen to backlight so that I can read in the dark, but if I'd read B & N's FAQ on the Nook in the first place, I would have known this.
Will it replace the physical book for me? No. But I always knew that. It does satisfy the needs for which I bought it -- space for books and easy carrying of my books when I travel. Plus it has the cute little covers of the books on it.
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