2017 Wrap-Up

Books Read: 18
Pages Read: 5,435
Favourite New Series: The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss

Despite my apparent lack of activity on the blog this year, I actually have still been reading! More than last year, actually, by 8 additional books. I'm taking this as a good sign, and I thought I'd do my year justice by giving it a little wrap-up to highlight what's been going on in my reading world.

This year, I finally caved and bought a Kindle, which I think genuinely helped to kickstart my reading habit again. I'd been a diehard physical book fan for the longest time, and in many ways I still am. Would I prefer a gorgeous hardcover over my Kindle? Sure, any day. But is that always the most convenient way to keep reading when I have to be jumping on and off public transit all day? Not necessarily. I also discovered Amazon Unlimited, the subscription service that allows you to access a large library of books for a flat fee of $10 a month. I was a little disappointed to realize that I wasn't going to be able to read bestsellers using this service, but it did motivate me to try some books that I probably would never have discovered otherwise.

The Frozen Sky series was one of these Amazon Unlimited finds, and despite not being much of a sci-fi reader before now, I actually quite enjoyed it! The concept of humans travelling all the way to Jupiter's moons and trying to establish a settlement there was interesting, and I think the series does a very good job of realistically depicting how we as a species would likely react to discovering an alien species on a planet we wanted to colonize and, more importantly, monetize. The books made for engrossing reading and many of the more intense scenes had me nearly pressing my nose to my Kindle's screen.

I also discovered Robert Dugoni's Tracy Crosswhite books in the same way and powered through several of those in a row. Stories revolving around murder and police investigations are definitely my cup of tea, and the Tracy Crosswhite series did not disappoint. I found Tracy to be an engaging, likable, and realistic character and wouldn't hesitate to pick up another one of her adventures.

And then we came to the Kingkiller Chronicles. Let me tell you, The Name of the Wind had been at the top of my Goodreads recommendations seemingly since the dawn of time, but I never really knew what it was about. I picked it up at my local library on a whim, but, feeling slightly intimidated by its massive size (these are huge books, people), I kind of left it lying around awhile. When I finally did pick it up, though, I never looked back.

The Pros:

Rothfuss writes like an absolute dream. Very few books can have me actually laughing out loud and pumping my fists when things are going well for the characters, and feeling genuine concern when they are not. Rothfuss does this beautifully. I swear these books are worth reading for the threats and curses alone. They are an art form.

The world is full of magic and yet somehow completely believable. The imagery is vivid without dragging on into 12-page descriptions.

You will want to know what happens. It doesn't matter that these books are thick enough to be used as deadly weapons--if you like high fantasy, you are going to want to finish them. Kvothe's adventures are always engaging. The characters are likable (or hate-able, depending). You will get caught up and swept away, and you'll like it.

The Cons:

The books are massive. There's no getting around that. Personally, I think the story is worth it, but some might be turned off.

Kvothe is... difficult to love at times. Initially, I thought he was a ridiculously overpowered and even slightly annoying main character. Even now, I'd easily admit that his character sometimes wanders dangerously close to Harry Stu territory--the boy genius who acts, sings, and talks his way out of everything, no matter the odds. You really do have to give Kvothe a chance to screw up. He does, sometimes royally. You'll want him to get knocked down a peg or two, deflate his ego a little bit, and in my opinion, he does become much more pleasant as the story goes on. At the same time, you really do have to remember that this is fantasy, and Kvothe is a heroic figure. It's supposed to be a little overblown, and if you're willing to accept that and stick with Kvothe even when he's being entirely full of himself, I firmly believe you'll be rewarded.

Probably the most maddening con of all is that the trilogy is unfinished! Apparently, the third one is coming soon, but if you're the sort who absolutely can't bear to start an unfinished series, you're going to want to hold off.

In all, 2017 was a good year for reading. I can't wait to try to make 2018 even more productive!