The Rithmatist
Brandon Sanderson
I love the author's ability to create a believable world and here Sanderson does it again.
The story takes place in an alternate history of the United States. What if the states were all islands? What if there was a mysterious power called Rithmatics where some could use chalk to make things come alive? And what if some of the chalk creatures were wild and ferocious and had to be contained?
Such is the set-up for the story where a normal boy named Joel who attends an Academy mixed with Rithmatists and non-Rithmatists. He loves Rithmatics and loves its study, but not everyone does. And then, suddenly, students start to go missing under strange circumstances. Something is happening that hasn't happened before and it soon falls to Joel to help figure it out along with an old Rithmatic professor and a strange remedial Rithmatist girl.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. It's the first in a series, but it did a good job of setting up the characters as complex people while at the same time containing action and a bit of romance (perhaps). The "magic" in the book is, as usual, well thought out and the drawings really help us to visualize it as well. The book also manages to keep you guessing until the very end as to what is really happening with the mystery and who is doing all the bad things. As usual, the world is well created and gives off the sense that the author knows so much more about the world than we do. Because of that, it allows me to trust that the author really is telling an authentic story with limits and bounds and not merely manipulating plot events to serve his own purpose. The author also shows well his ability to write for a variety of audiences. This book is intended more for young adult readers than some of his other books, but it is still a good read regardless of age.
I will probably read most of what this author writes because, thus far, everything I have read from him has been excellent and this book is no exception.
The Positive Dog
Jon Gordon
I'm not normally the non-fiction type, so when my boss said that we'd have to read this book before the start of the school year, I was initially skeptical. This book, however, does a good job of holding the reader's interest in the subject of positivity. It even uses a fictional account to display its meaning.
The story, inasmuch as there is a story, it about two dogs, one who starts off as a negative downer dog, and another who is a happy positive dog who likes to go around spreading positivity and explaining the benefits of being positive. The story itself is uncomplicated and sweet and a good mechanism for the message of the book. Does the book still feel non-fictiony? Yes, but at an acceptable level. The book is short, each chapter ranging from about 2-3 pages.
If you feel like you could use a boost of positivity or some advice on some things to do to be more positive, this book is helpful, easy to read, and easy to apply. So go for it.
Repair
C.K. Williams
As many know, I love to write poetry and one of the best things I can do then is to read it. This book was a winner of the pulitzer prize for poetry.
So, did I enjoy the poetry in this book? I'll admit, the author has an extremely different style from me, but there were still several gems for me. The author has a large vocabulary and likes to use it and his lines are all very long, which can sometimes make the poem feel conversational and can other times bog me down. That being said, his poems tend to have a strong ending. If you enjoy poetry, give it a try. I wouldn't say his poetry is for everyone, but there are many elements to his poetry that very worth reading.
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