Spencer's Bookcase

The Alloy of Law

Title: The Alloy of Law

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Mistborn #4

Pages: 392 Pages

Synopsis:

In the three hundred years since the events of the Mistborn trilogy, science and technology have marched on. Scadrial is now on the verge of modernity, with railroads, electric lighting, and even the first steel-framed skyscrapers racing for the clouds.

Yet even with these advances, the magics of Allomancy and Feruchemy continue to play a role in this reborn world. Out in the frontier lands known as the Roughs, they are crucial tools for those attempting to establish order and justice.

One such is Waxillium Ladrian, a rare Twinborn, who can Push on metals with his Allomancy and use Feruchemy to become lighter or heavier at will. After twenty years in the Roughs, Wax must now put away his guns and assume theduties incumbent upon the head of a noble house–until he learns the hard way that the mansions and elegant tree-lined streets of the city can be even more dangerous than the dusty plains of the Roughs.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

The Alloy of Law takes place in a new era for Scadriel (the world of Mistborn) where we follow Waxillium Ladrian, a descendent of Breeze from the original series, his friend Wayne and Marasi work together to solve a series of robberies and kindappings happening in Elendel.

I am still getting surprised at how good Brandon Sanderson’s writing is. This was a real page turner with fun characters, an interesting plot, great action scenes and great dialogue. I really feel like the dialogue is much better in this book compared to the previous books.

I really love the characters in this book. I am just going to say it: Wax and Wayne are now my favourite fantasy duo. I love their chemistry with one another, their banter and how they bounce off and rely on each other. They are awesome. I feel the book really started when Wax meets Wayne at his house near the beginning of the book. They made this book for me. Marasi was also a fun character and with her, we sort of get a Han-Luke-Leia like relationship which just made the book even better.

I really appreciate the world building here. Here the world has progressed and time has definitely changed. In the first series, it was sort of a Dark Ages maybe early renaissance type era, but in the second era it’s now like the Victorian Ages. Brandon Sanderson practically evolved the world through time but still kept the world familiar to us. I don’t think that happens a whole lot in the Fantasy genre but Brandon Sanderson seemed to pull it off pretty easily here.

Now at first when I learned about Twinborn where you have one Allomantic Power and one Feruchemical power. At first I thought that Brandon Sanderson was depowering his magic system since no character in this book had access to the powers of all the metals like the first era. But as I was reading, I actually thought this was actually better. Why? Well, I feel like it forces our characters to be more creative in how they use their powers. Sure they are not as powerful not having all the powers from the metals but being creative with their powers led to some fun moments and helped make the action scenes a lot more interesting. This was actually a really cool idea.

It was also just refreshing to have an interesting story that was not about saving the world for once. It was just a three person team just getting to the bottom of solving a series of crimes in a city. It’s a nice reminder that not all Fantasy stories need to have a world-saving story in it in order to be interesting.

Now I do have a little criticism with this book. While I did like Miles as a villain as his power of being almost immortal made it very interesting on how our heroes can defeat him. It was also cool that we got his point of view during the book which helped develop his character. And while I definitely feel that he had a point about the wealthy causing the deprivation in the region of the Roughs. My main issue with him is that he didn’t really offer any compelling alternatives or solutions to the problem other than commit crimes. Regardless he was an entertaining antagonist.

I also feel like we didn’t get to know Steris Harms that much. She’s supposed to be Wax’s betrothed. However due to her getting kidnapped in this book she was absent for most of the book. And the thing is she had a real interesting introduction. I am hoping the next few books develop her character more.

Overall, this was a very fun Fantasy book with some fun characters and cool action scenes. And I am looking forward to reading the rest of Mistborn Era 2! Brandon Sanderson is definitely now one of my favourite authors. I can’t wait to read more! If you loved the first era of this series, I highly recommend you give this book a read.

Rating:

Monthly Wrap-Up: February 2023

Hello everyone! Welcome to the Monthly Wrap-Up where I give updates on my reading and other things I’m up to in the past month. So let’s get to it!

Total Books Read: 5

I managed to do quite a bit of reading done this month. I got to read five books, three of them from my favourite authors, and one who maybe my new favourite author.

Misery by Stephen King

After reading a couple of okay books by Stephen King, this book reminded me why Stephen King is one of my personal favourite authors. I love his writing style, the way he writes his characters, and how he writes horror by creating suspense. This book reminded me everything that I love about Stephen King.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

This was another great read to me, and I am looking forward to reading the sequel to this novel. This book is very prescient. This was a real page-turner for me, and I enjoyed the book from beginning to end.

Far-Seer by Robert J. Sawyer

This is the first book I’ve read this year that I did not like. I did not like this book. Despite it’s uniqueness for being a world where all the characters are dinosaurs on a different world. It had a very slow start for a 277 page book (the story doesn’t begin until 60 pages into the book), the characters were dull and the worst use of the Chosen One trope I’ve seen in a while. This month was a good month where most of the books I read, I really liked but this book stuck out like a sore thumb to me.

Winter’s Heart by Robert Jordan

Winter’s Heart was actually really good. I found it very readable and I loved Rand’s storyline. I’m beginning to think this “slog” doesn’t really exist because I am two books into this “slog” and I still haven’t felt like this is a slog at all. I enjoyed the book and this is the best climax we got since Lord of Chaos.

Like A Curse by Elle McNicoll

I was able to get a copy of one of my favourite authors this month! And it’s another good book from Elle McNicoll! I love the characters, how they bounce off each other. I also love the many Fantasy elements in this book including the magic system.

Currently Reading:

The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson

I am back to the world of Scadriel (the world of Mistborn)! Despite the fact that the world has progressed to a steampunk sort of world. The world still remains recognizable thanks to the magic system, and the fact that the main character Waxillium Ladrian is a descendant of Breeze (one of my favourite characters from the first era). So far I am loving the dynamic between Wax and his friend Wayne. They are fun and I am so far liking the mystery aspect of this book. I’m just really happy that most of the books I’ve been reading recently are from my favourite authors.

What I’ve Been doing and watching:

I haven’t been overly active this month. I’ve just been busy with work and my other commitments.

I am still enjoying the D&D Campaigns I’m in. In the Waterdeep Dragonheist campaign my Bard has multiclassed into a Bard/Hexblade Warlock. Which made my character even more interesting and fun to write. I also written a Ballad! Yes, I wrote a Ballad (my first “poem” since I got to into poetry) about our adventures and the entire playgroup loved it!

Plans for Next Month:

I am planning on going to the movie theater for the first time since the Pandemic. It’s been almost three years since I last stepped into a movie theater. In fact going to the movie theaters was one of the last things I did before the original lockdowns happened. So returning to the movies would be an important step in my Pandemic recovery.

Otherwise I am determined to keep learning poetry, enjoying D&D. I intend to try and keep around 5 books a month (if I can read more than that all the better!). I always wish I could read more but life happens and my other hobbies do matter to me as well as reading.

For the Wheel of Time Series I am planning on reading Crossroads of Twilight (this is apparently the worst of the Wheel of Time books, so we will see how this goes) in March, and then I will read New Spring (The Wheel of Time Prequel) in April to coincide with well Spring. After that I might take a month or so break from reading The Wheel of Time in order to give more time and focus on reading other books.

See you all next time!

Like A Curse

Title: Like A Curse

Author: Elle McNicoll

Genre: Fantasy, Disability

Pages: 300 Pages

Synopsis:

Stuck in Loch Ness while Edinburgh falls under the control of a terrifyingly powerful Siren, Ramya Knox is frustrated. She’s supposed to be learning magic from her Aunt Opal, but that isn’t going as smoothly as she’d hoped. As she pushes to rescue her Hidden Folk friends in the city, long-buried secrets come to light and legends come to life.

Ramya knows she’s different; she knows she’s a witch. But now she must learn the true meaning of her powers… before all she loves is lost.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

Like A Curse is the sequel to Like A Charm, where Ramya needs to learn magic all while trying to save her friends and her home from Portia, the Siren.

I’ve made it no secret on this blog that… Elle McNicoll is one of my personal favourite authors. Elle McNicoll is the best Neurodivergent author that I know and she continues to write strong Neurodivergent characters. I am really happy that I got a copy the same month when this book got released. We get to see Ramya grow and learn the importance of trusting her family and to better control over herself. We learn more about Aunt Opal (honestly Aunt Opal is now my favourite fictional Aunt) and her backstory.

This book expands the fantastical creatures from the previous book. Here we get to meet a Dryad, a Druid, Warlock, a shapeshifting creature. It even has my personal favourite fantasy creature of all time: The Dragon!

We also do see the magic system develop. There are things such as Hexes and Curses and a few rules (such as Magic cannot revive a dead person). We also know that magic takes up a lot of energy out of you, especially if that spell is a bigger spell. Concentration is also needed for a powerful spell.

This was a very readable book, and Elle McNicoll is really fantastic when it comes to surprises. As she made my jaw drop in a few scenes such as the reveal of Freddy and his relationship to Portia, or when a major event in the book happens (sorry no spoilers). I also love the dialogue and how the characters bounce off each other.

This is more of nitpick if anything, but I was confused about discussion about the Chosen One in this book. Ramya believed that she was the chosen one, which to me is weird as the pervious book rejected the idea of the Chosen One. And that what matters is that people choose to do the right thing to do and people will follow that. Which is one of the things I loved about the previous book. Fortunately at the end though they clarified that they were just important people just trying to do the right thing and they rejected the Chosen One trope again. Still though it felt weird that they brought back the Chosen One trope for this book especially after they rejected it in the previous book. This is a nitpick though as it wasn’t a major theme in the book it was mentioned just here and there.

This was a great read, and I highly recommend this book for the Neurodivergent representation, it’s fun characters and it’s adventure. It’s a fun read with many twists and turns! Whatever might be Elle McNicoll’s next book may be, I will certainly be reading whatever she creates next.

Rating:

Winter’s Heart

Title: Winter’s Heart

Author: Robert Jordan

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Wheel of Time #9

Pages: 548 pages

Synopsis:

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

Rand is on the run with Min, and in Cairhein, Cadsuane is trying to figure out where he is headed. Rand’s destination is, in fact, one she has never considered.

Mazrim Taim, leader of the Black Tower, is revealed to be a liar. But what is he up to?

Faile, with the Aiel Maidens, Bain and Chiad, and her companions, Queen Alliandre and Morgase, is prisoner of Savanna’s sept.

Perrin is desperately searching for Faile. With Elyas Machera, Berelain, the Prophet and a very mixed “army” of disparate forces, he is moving through country rife with bandits and roving Seanchan. The Forsaken are ever more present, and united, and the man called Slayer stalks Tel’aran’rhiod and the wolfdream.

In Ebou Dar, the Seanchan princess known as Daughter of the Nine Moons arrives–and Mat, who had been recuperating in the Tarasin Palace, is introduced to her. Will the marriage that has been foretold come about?

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

Winter’s Heart is book nine of The Wheel of Time Series. The book has the following storylines: 1. Perrin looking for his kidnapped wife, Faile and what Faile is up to after being captured. 2. Elayne is politicking to try and become Queen of Andor. 3. Mat tries to escape from Ebou Dar and ends up meeting the Daughter of the Nine Moons. 4. Rand tries to pursue the Asha’man who tried to kill him in the previous book and he plans to cleanse Saidin (male magic).

I’m two books into this so-called “slog”. And again I’m asking: What slog? I am having zero issues reading these books. I’m beginning to think this “slog” is either overhyped or just doesn’t exist.

I pretty much liked all the storylines here. Every major storyline kept me engaged. I love that Elayne is slowly becoming more and more comfortable being a leader. I really like Elayne as a character. With Mat, his story is always going to be fun. If I had to pick a favourite storyline in this book: It’s Rand’s. Rand’s storyline was awesome! It was great that he actually got to team up with both Nynaeve and Lan! This book made me feel that Lan was back to being an active character again. Also it was fun how Rand was chasing after the traitorous Asha’man and then running into Padan Fain all of a sudden. And him teaming up with Nynaeve to cleanse Saidin was amazing!

I also liked how Cadsuane got a bit of character development in this book. Up to this book, she was one of the biggest mysteries as I didn’t know for sure if she was good or bad. This book finally reveals why she wants to help Rand and I think she is on the good side. I also like how Thom Merrilin is a Bard/Rogue in this series. He is a man of many talents in this series. He’s definitely rising in my list of favourite characters.

For worldbuilding, I am actually liking how Elayne has to earn being Queen of her country, by getting enough support from the Noble Houses. I like how it’s just not handed to her. It definitely helps make Andor a unique country in this world. I also found the city of Far Madding interesting as it’s an important trade center and it’s a city where channeling is not allowed nor can you even feel the true source. It’s also interesting how this city is an independent city-state governed by 13 women known as the Counsels, who is presided by First Counsel. I like how Robert Jordan makes every city unique through his books.

As for the magic system, I liked how linking between Saidin and Saidar worked. I learned how linking worked in the previous book but that was all Saidar. Here we got to see how both male magic and female magic work when they link with one another.

I really liked the climax where Rand and Nynaeve cleanse Saidin all while the Forsaken try and stop him. And the Aes Sedai and the Asha’man have to protect Rand and Nynaeve. Probably the best climax since Lord of Chaos.

I do have a bit of criticism with this book. There were only three chapters where I just did not care for the POV in those three chapters. I just did not care about them and not a whole lot happened in those three chapters. Fortunately they weren’t too long chapters.

I also just find it weird how Rand gets arrested and is taken to a prison. It felt very unnecessary and only a few pages later he gets released thanks to Nynaeve and Cadsuane. It happens very quickly and a bit too easy. I still question what was the whole point of that.

It also felt a little weird how Egwene did not get any POV’s in this book. She isn’t my favourite character but it was just surprising as I think every book up to now she was a POV chapter or section in each book.

Overall, Winter’s Heart was an enjoyable read. Each and every time I start reading these books, I feel like I am entering in a very familiar world. I love this world! Again, what slog? Reading Winter’s Heart was no problem to read at all. And this book has plenty of cool moments with an awesome climax at the end. Nine down, six (I am counting New Spring) more to go!

Rating:

My Wheel of Time Book Reviews:

The Wheel of Time (1999 Game)

Lord of Chaos

A Crown of Swords

The Path of Daggers

Far-Seer

Title: Far-Seer

Author: Robert J. Sawyer

Genre: Science Fiction

Series: Quintaglio Ascension #1

Pages: 277 pages

Synopsis:

Sixty-five million years ago, aliens transplanted Earth’s dinosaurs to the moon of a gas-giant world. Now, intelligent saurians—the Quintaglios—have emerged. The Face of God is what every young saurian learns to call the immense, glowing object which fills the night sky on the far side of the world. Young Afsan is called to distant Capital City to apprentice with Saleed, the court astrologer. But when the time comes for Afsan to make his coming-of-age pilgrimage and gaze upon the Face of God, his world is changed forever—for Afsan is the Quintaglio counterpart of Galileo. He must convince his people of the truth about their place in the universe before tidal forces rip the dinosaurs’ new home apart.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

So what do you get with a story that is a retelling of Galileo’s discovery that the world is round and revolves around the sun but takes place on a different world where dinosaurs dominate? Well you get Far-Seer by Robert J. Sawyer. Where yes, all the characters in this story are dinosaurs.

I liked a bit of the lore and worldbuilding in this novel. There’s a mythology in the religions of this world. There are unique creatures that inhabit this world. The country is governed by a monarchy but there are 8 governors in each region in this world. I do also have to give credit for the uniqueness of this novel by having dinosaurs be the main characters on a different world.

The first issue I have is that for a 277 page novel, it takes over 60 pages for the actual story to begin. Now this would be fine if the book was a) Longer. b) There were interesting characters introduced at least. c) Or something interesting happened. And speaking of characters, there aren’t that many interesting characters in this book. They are almost all flat and just serve whatever their purpose is in the story, and not much else. The only character that stood out to me was the religious extreme priest. Which is not really good considering I’ve read a lot of novels with religious extreme characters.

I also hated how they use the Chosen One trope in this book. For one thing, the Chosen One isn’t even mentioned until the last 43 pages of the book. And it doesn’t really add or change anything. When it’s revealed that our main character is “the one”. I literally shouted: What? What?! The only thing the Chosen One explains is how our main character is so good at everything (which is also why I’m not into our main character). I am getting tired of reading Chosen One’s where they are just good at everything. It does not make your Chosen One interesting or compelling. It’s one of the reasons why I like the Wheel of Time’s Rand Al Thor. As Rand has flaws, and he earns his victories and that’s part of the reasons why I think he is one of the best Chosen One’s out there.

This novel to me was a disappointment. It had a slow start, pretty bland characters and plot. And one of the worst uses of the Chosen One trope I’ve ever seen. This is one trilogy that I am going to pass on. I think you can do better with Science Fiction/Fantasy novels.

Rating:

Parable of the Sower

Title: Parable of the Sower

Author: Octavia E. Butler

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia

Pages: 329 Pages

Synopsis:

When global climate change and economic crises lead to social chaos in the early 2020s, California becomes full of dangers, from pervasive water shortage to masses of vagabonds who will do anything to live to see another day.

Fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina lives inside a gated community with her preacher father, family, and neighbors, sheltered from the surrounding anarchy. In a society where any vulnerability is a risk, she suffers from hyperempathy, a debilitating sensitivity to others’ pain.

Precocious and clear-eyed, Lauren must make her voice heard in order to protect her loved ones from the imminent disasters her small community stubbornly ignores. But what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: the birth of a new faith…and a startling vision of human destiny.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

Parable of the Sower follows Lauren Olamina as she struggles to survive and find faith in a world where: Climate Change is disrupting everywhere, epidemics are happening all around the world, corporations having too much control, prices of everything is going up, people are mean and violent towards one another and no one trusts the police. Hmmm doesn’t this sound familiar?

This is my first time reading Octavia Butler and I have to say this book is very prescient. This book takes place in 2024-2027 (yeah talk about near-future) and she’s already describing things that are happening right now. Oh and this book came out in 1993. Almost 30 years ago!

I liked the characters well enough. Lauren Olamina is an interesting protagonist as she comes of age through this story. She is a young woman who is trying to find her place in a very messed up world. And she has interesting condition of Hyper-Empathy. Which means she can literally feel the pain of others. And the development of her own religion: Earthseed was very interesting throughout the novel. Earthseed is based on the belief that God is change. There definitely other characters that stood out to me: her family in the first half of the novel (especially her Dad), Harry and Zahra were two great travelling companions.

I also liked the books themes: the acceptance of change, community and trusting one another. I also appreciate the very accessible writing style this book brought. I was able to read this one in no time!

My only problem with this book is the romance near in the end to me just did not work. It just kind of came out of nowhere for me and it happened with a character that’s not developed enough for me to really care about.

Parable of the Sower is a great book and I am looking forward to reading the sequel: Parable of the Talents. If I like that, I might have a new favourite author. If you are looking for a good read about our possible future, give this book a read!

Rating:

Misery

Title: Misery

Author: Stephen King

Genre: Horor

Pages: 422 pages

Synopsis:

Bestselling novelist Paul Sheldon thinks he’s finally free of Misery Chastain. In a controversial career move, he’s just killed off the popular protagonist of his beloved romance series in favor of expanding his creative horizons. But such change doesn’t come without consequences. After a near-fatal car accident in rural Colorado leaves his body broken, Paul finds himself at the mercy of the terrifying rescuer who’s nursing him back to health—his self-proclaimed number one fan, Annie Wilkes. Annie is very upset over what Paul did to Misery, and demands that he find a way to bring her back by writing a new novel—his best yet, and one that’s all for her. After all, Paul has all the time in the world to do so as a prisoner in her isolated house…and Annie has some very persuasive and violent methods to get exactly what she wants….

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

Misery is the story of Paul Sheldon. Paul Sheldon is a bestselling author who has an alcohol problem (Gee, doesn’t that sound familiar? More on that later). Who ends up in a car crash and is saved by Annie Wilkes, a registered nurse and his number one fan. The only issue is that she is a psychopath.

In Misery, we see Stephen King’s best horror writing on display! And the interesting thing is here is that: He didn’t even resort to the supernatural to try and make this scary. Nope. There is no supernatural in this book, which really helped make this book feel different than his other horror novels. No supernatural elements, no big monsters. It’s just a person trapped in a house with a psychopath.

What really makes this scary is how realistic it is. I can totally see a psychopath trapping someone for months and torture him. What else makes this scary is the suspense. Stephen King is amazing when it comes to writing suspense. As he kept me worried about what was going to happen to Paul (Paul’s the character that Stephen King wants you to care about) all throughout the book and it is what makes this book a scary one.

I also like the reference this book makes to one of my favourite Stephen King novels: The Shining. Considering I’m now reading a lot more Stephen King novels lately, I am beginning to really like this shared universe that Stephen King has created. You don’t need to read The Shining in order to read this book, but it feels like a little reward for reading Stephen King’s other books. I also enjoyed learning a little bit of the writing process that Paul Sheldon had.

The main issue I have with this novel is while Paul Sheldon is definitely a character to care about and his story about desperation and will to live helps make this book great. I cannot help but feel like Paul Sheldon is a self-insert for Stephen King himself. I mean he’s a bestselling author who has an alcohol problem, that definitely does sounds like Stephen King himself. I definitely been noticing that Stephen King really likes making his male protagonists a writer. While I was mostly okay with this trope up until now, this just feels like a self-insert.

This is a very good horror story where Stephen King is at his best. And I definitely recommend that you should read this during the winter months, since most of the story takes place during that time.

Rating:

Monthly Wrap-Up: January 2023

Hello everyone! Welcome to the Monthly Wrap-Up where I give updates on my reading and other things I’m up to in the past month. So let’s get to it!

Total Books Read: 5

I managed to read about five books which I am okay with. I am happy to say that I liked all the books I read this month!

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

This was the first book of the year for me and it was another okay Stephen King novel. I am still questioning what world our characters in though. I’m going to have to read book two before I decide on continuing the Dark Tower series.

The Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan

I really do not understand how people in the fanbase think this is one of the worse Wheel of Time novels because this book to me is one of the best in the series! We get progress on some storylines and there is still a ton of epic moments in this book with decent character development for some of our characters.

Poles Apart by Terry Fallis

This was the book for my book club and I decided it was time for a break from Fantasy. I liked this decent comedy book about Feminism. A very easy read with a very important message.

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

This book is a great choice for a Horror book to read during the winter. I highly recommend you read this during the winter. It’s a great story with the supernatural with the same themes as Pet Sematary by Stephen King.

May Tomorrow Be Awake: On Poetry, Autism, And Our Neurodiverse Future

This was a great book to read about poetry! This book really opened my eyes to just how powerful and the impact Poetry can really have.

Currently Reading:

Misery by Stephen King

I really feel like Winter is a great time to be reading Horror. Think about it: the days are shorter and it’s a cold time of the year that can lead us to shivering! And I’m continuing reading some Horror by reading the King of Horror himself: Stephen King! I just started reading and so far this is looking like the really good Stephen King!

What I’ve been doing and watching:

This has been a very busy first month of the year for me. Work’s been busy and quite a bit is going on in my social circles right now.

I watched the second season of The Librarians and I love this Fantasy show with high stakes but doesn’t always take itself too seriously.

This past month the actions of Wizards of the Coast with it’s poor handling of the OGL has really depressed me in one of my favourite games and hobby in Dungeons & Dragons. I love Dungeons & Dragons! However Wizards actions this month really got me down. Thankfully it was announced on Friday, January 27, 2023 that they are keeping the OGL as is!

Regardless of the controversy, I am still having fun with the campaigns that I’m involved in. In the Dragonheist Campaign, my character died but fortunately it was a temporary death! And I am having fun with my Level Four Bard! And in the main campaign I’m in we had a nice sidequest where we had to pick up an order, get the order into the vehicle and then we got attacked by a bunch of Gnomes. I am looking forward to the Dungeons & Dragons movie that’s coming out in March!

In Magic the Gathering, I finally settled on my Party Deck Decklist.

Plans for Next Month:

I’m going to try and learn more about Poetry and try and find some Poetry to read. I am looking forward to the new Elle McNicoll book that’s coming out in February. I cannot wait to read it!

May Tomorrow Be Awake: On Poetry, Autism, And Our Neurodiverse Future

Title: May Tomorrow Be Awake: On Poetry, Autism, And Our Neurodiverse Future

Author: Chris Martin

Genre: Poetry, Disability and Autism

Pages: 336 pages

Synopsis:

An author and educator’s pioneering approach to helping autistic students find their voices through poetry—a powerful and uplifting story that shows us how to better communicate with people on the spectrum and explores how we use language to express our seemingly limitless interior lives.

Adults often find it difficult to communicate with autistic students and try to “fix” them. But what if we found a way to help these kids use their natural gifts to convey their thoughts and feelings What if the traditional structure of language prevents them from communicating the full depth of their experiences What if the most effective and most immediate way for people on the spectrum to express themselves is through verse, which mirrors their sensory-rich experiences and patterned thoughts

May Tomorrow Be Awake explores these questions and opens our eyes to a world of possibility. It is the inspiring story of one educator’s journey to understand and communicate with his students—and the profound lessons he learned. Chris Martin, an award-winning poet and celebrated educator, works with non-verbal children and adults on the spectrum, teaching them to write poetry. The results have been nothing short of staggering for both these students and their teacher. Through his student’s breathtaking poems, Martin discovered what it means to be fully human.

Martin introduces the techniques he uses in the classroom and celebrates an inspiring group of young autistic thinkers—Mark, Christophe, Zach, and Wallace—and their electric verse, which is as artistically dazzling as it is stereotype-shattering. In telling each of their stories, Martin illuminates the diverse range of autism and illustrates how each so-called “deficit” can be transformed into an asset when writing poems. Meeting these remarkable students offers new insight into disability advocacy and reaffirms the depth of our shared humanity.

Martin is a teacher and a lifelong learner, May Tomorrow Be Awake is written from a desire to teach and to learn—about the mind, about language, about human potential—and the lessons we have to share with one other.

(From Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

May Tomorrow Be Awake is ultimately how poetry can be a way for Autistics to express themselves. This is a book about how poetry can empower, change and inspire people.

Now while I haven’t met Chris Martin. I have seen him read out poems at a monthly Zoom event called Neurolyrical Cafe (an event that I highly recommend and well worth your time and it’s one of my highlights of the month!), a Cafe where songs and poems written by Non-Speaking Autistics get broadcast. And Chris Martin does an excellent job reading out poems during this event!

May Tomorrow Be Awake was a delightful read about the many issues facing the Autism Community: ABA Therapy, the struggle Autistics try to get their voices out there (both speaking and non-speaking), and Autistics just wanting to be accepted for who we are. This book explores the power of poetry and how poetry can be used for Autistics to express themselves. I am a person who doesn’t know too much about poetry and I learned a little more about the appeal of poetry, a little bit on how poetry works and the power it can have.

While I definitely learned about poetry through reading this book, I kind of wished this book explained some poetry terminology just a little better. As some terms I had to actually look it up since I did not understood the terminology.

I really enjoyed this book. And after attending several Neurolyrical Cafes and reading this book, I’ve been inspired to get more into poetry and I may even read some more poetry books. Maybe at some point I will even write poetry. This is a great read and I recommend it if you are interested in poetry and want to learn more about Autism.

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The Winter People

Title: The Winter People

Author: Jennifer McMahon

Genre: Horror

Pages: 314 Pages

Synopsis:

West Hall, Vermont, has always been a town of strange disappearances and old legends. The most mysterious is that of Sara Harrison Shea, who, in 1908, was found dead in the field behind her house just months after the tragic death of her daughter.

Now, in present day, nineteen-year-old Ruthie lives in Sara’s farmhouse with her mother, Alice, and her younger sister. Alice has always insisted that they live off the grid, a decision that has weighty consequences when Ruthie wakes up one morning to find that Alice has vanished. In her search for clues, she is startled to find a copy of Sara Harrison Shea’s diary hidden beneath the floorboards of her mother’s bedroom. As Ruthie gets sucked into the historical mystery, she discovers that she’s not the only person looking for someone that they’ve lost. But she may be the only one who can stop history from repeating itself.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

This is a book that takes place in two different time periods: 1908 and the tragic story of Sara Harrison Shea and the present day with Ruthie. This book is about the secret of the Town of West Hall, Vermont: Can the dead live again?

There is quite a few good things that I liked about this book: the pacing was excellent! I was engaged with the story almost right from the first page and the pacing was consistent throughout the entire book. This was a real page turner for me as I read this book in no time! I love the story, the characters and the lore of West Hall, Vermont. I also like it when we got Sara’s point of view through her diary as it created an unreliable narrator feel. As I was really debating with myself: How much is Sara actually experiencing real? And how much of it is in her head? I also feel this is a great choice for a winter read.

While I was reading this, I got a lot of Pet Sematary vibes. And I just couldn’t help myself but to compare this novel to Pet Sematary by Stephen King. Now this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. As I really did like Pet Sematary. Both books cover the exact same themes: mortality, grief, and loss. Both books have parents who will do anything to bring their child back from the dead. And both books involve the Supernatural.

However there are a few differences that I did like: instead of a father’s point of view in bringing back from the dead we get a mother’s point of view. And Sara’s story is tragic, as Gertie was the only child she had that survived infancy. The rest of her kids never made it past infancy. Which made me feel really sorry for Sara when Gertie died. And I can understand why she would want to bring Gertie back from the dead.

A few issues I have with this story is that I actually prefer the 1908 storyline over the present day storyline. I just found the 1908 storyline the more engaging and interesting storyline. It’s more of a personal preference if anything else.

I also had an issue with the ending for the present day storyline. The main antagonist Candace gets killed off-screen. And the group gets out of the cave without any further trouble. Which I felt was a little anti-climatic, as it would have been interesting if our main group of characters got to meet Gertie in that cave. That would have been interesting to me.

Overall, The Winter People is a great Horror book to read during the Winter. This was a nice scary story that is definitely a page turner. If you are looking for a Horror book that takes place during the Winter, this is a great choice.

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