March Wrap Up

 

Illustration by Jungho Lee

After a pretty rough February, I was determined to get myself back on track in March. I definitely had a better time with my emotions and self care, but I struggled quite a bit with exhaustion. I couldn't bring myself to get back into exercising and I was falling asleep quite a bit. I'm not sure why, because I was getting a normal amount of sleep and everything, but I was just tired. Hopefully I can rally in April.

Aside from the sleepiness though, I had a good month. I have kept my 100-pages-a-day streak alive and finished nine books totaling 3,800 pages. This was one book less than I read in February, but I finished the very long Mistborn trilogy this month, and with each book being around 700 pages, that limited how many other books I could finish. My overall ratings were pretty good, with most things I picked up being four or five stars. 

Here's everything I finished:

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah (5 stars)

Northwind by Gary Paulson (2 stars)

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson (4 stars)

The Art of Running Away by Sabrina Kleckner (3 stars)

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen (5 stars)

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson (3 stars)

When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed (5 stars)

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson (3 stars)

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (4 stars)

My favorite read of the month was The Magic Fish, a beautiful middle grades graphic novel about love, family, and the power of stories passed down through time. I also really enjoyed The Great Alone and When Stars Are Scattered. All three of those books made my favorites list. This is How You Lose the Time War was also a very pretty and memorable read.

I had a few notable disappointments this month too. Northwind by Gary Paulson was definitely not as good as I was expecting it to be. I wanted another Hatchet, but this story was aimless and repetitive. I also didn't love the Mistborn series. I gave the first one four stars and the others three stars. Not terrible ratings, but also not what I was expecting based on the hype around those books. 

I hauled a handful of books this month. There were a few coming out from some of my favorite authors that I was looking forward to, so I picked those up. along with a few others. I ended up getting some teacher books too, to plan for next year. Here's what I ended up with:

Alone by Megan E. Freeman (middle grades, adventure/survival, dystopia, physical book)

The Aquanaut by Dan Santat (middle grades, graphic novel, fantasy, physical book)

The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill (middle grades, fantasy, physical book)

Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel by Mariah Marsden (middle grades, graphic novel, physical book)

Isla to Island by Alexis Castellano (middle grades, graphic novel, historical fiction, physical book)

To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara (literary fiction, physical book)

Gallant by V.E. Schwab (young adult, fantasy, physical book)

Anne of West Philly by Ivy Noelle Weir and Myisha Haynes (middle grades, graphic novel, physical book)

Cress Watercress by Gregory Maguire (middle grades, fantasy, physical book)

Breathing New Life into Book Clubs by Sonja Cherry Paul and Dana Johansen (education, physical book)

Teaching Writing in Small Groups by Jennifer Serravallo (education, physical book)

The Writing Strategies Book by Jennifer Serravallo (education, physical book)

I added a total of 12 books to my collection.  

I decided to donate Northwind, Mistborn, The Well of Ascension, The Hero of Ages, The Art of Running Away, and This Is How you Lose the Time War, so six books left my shelves.

Next month, I want to continue working more on my challenges, especially my Middle Grades Mission. I've picked up a lot of interesting-looking books lately and I want to give them a try. Here are my tentative plans:

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor

Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

Cress Watercress by Gregory Maguire

The Hideaway by Pam Smy

Alone by Megan E. Freeman

I continued to work on my physical reading journal this month too, but I didn't create individual entries for all the different books I read. I wanted to, but I was so tired all month that I couldn't get it together enough to keep up with it. I did create a TBR page and maintained a page listing all the books I read. I aim to do more with this in April.

As far as my non-reading activities went, I did manage to complete a few projects throughout the month. I worked a little bit more on my diamond painting, and I also finally bought a portfolio to store the diamond paintings I have already completed. It was nice to clear off the space on my table that they were taking up! 

I also completed a few jigsaw puzzles. My first was the Ravensburger Krypt Gradient. It was 631 pieces and it was really fun. The cut on it was really unique and the pieces were all kinds of different shapes. I really like gradient puzzles. They are much easier to put together than you might think.

After that, I finished a 500 piece Tangled puzzle. This is part of a set that came with four puzzles. This is the third one I have completed, so I have one left to go before to finish them all. This was a fun one to do because there was enough clear variation in the different parts of the image that I could sort the pieces easily into piles and complete it section by section.

The last project I completed was a wooden Ferris Wheel puzzle that I found on Etsy. This actually winds up and plays a song and rotates around. It wasn't too difficult to assemble, but I had to be very careful not to snap any of the skinny wooden pieces as I was slotting them together. I did end up breaking a few, but luckily, the kit included a few extras of the more delicate parts, so it was okay. The only bad part of the project was that it was pretty rough on the hands. You had to push quite hard to get some of the pieces together and the wood was a little splintery. Overall, I really enjoyed it though, and I would definitely build another one.

My goal for April is to make significant progress on the diamond painting I'm currently working on. It's looking good so far, but for some reason, I'm finding it more boring to work on than the other ones I have completed. I think the issue is that it uses square diamonds, which are slowly and more finicky. I'm learning that I definitely prefer round diamonds overall.

As far as movies and TV shows go, I finished Maid on Netflix this month, and I really liked it. It was so emotional and moving! I also saw The Batman and The Lost City in the theaters. Both were really great, but with totally different vibes. I especially liked The Lost City because I love a romance/adventure, and you don't see a whole lot of those these days. I also saw Turning Red on Disney Plus and thought it was adorable and so relateable. I also watched a few old favorites with my husband this month - The Dark Knight and The Voyage Home. Both were just as good as I remembered. I adore old Star Trek. 

I tried out one new game as well - Aquarium Designer on Steam. It's basically a game where you build fish tanks. It was relaxing and very low stress. I continued to practice my ukulele as well. I'm much better at Surface Pressure now and I'm working on perfecting Once Upon a Dream from Sleeping Beauty. That will be my first song that uses finger picking. It's surprisingly tough to master. I'm still looking for a way to get more practice time in. I do have my spring break coming up in April, so hopefully I can get some extra practice time in then.

So overall, March was a fairly successful month for me. I managed to finish more than I did in February and I felt better doing it. In April, I want to continue to work on my hobbies a bit more and keep focusing on self care. I also want to try and get back to exercising in the gym, which I'm really struggling with right now. I wish I was one of those people that love exercise. It would make things a lot easier! That will never be me though, so I'm going to have to just keep trying. Hopefully April will be my month.

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

 

I first heard about Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone's This is How You Lose the Time War from a YouTuber who loved it and highly recommended it a year or so ago. I loved the title and the premise sounded interesting to me, so I decided to give it a try. I included it as part of my 22 in 2022 Challenge, and I decided to pick it up this week.

The plot of the novel follows two female agents involved in opposite sides of a futuristic war. The agents, known only by their codenames Red and Blue, are both highly effective at what they do. They move backwards and forward through time making adjustments that shift the balance of the war in their favor. Their tasks range from the innocuous to the violent, and they've spent years locked in a covert battle, trying to undo each other's work up and down the timeline. At one point, Blue leaves a letter behind for Red to find, bragging about her work. Red writes a reply, doing the same. Soon, a correspondence develops between the pair.

As Red and Blue are on opposite sides of a very complex conflict, their letters to each other must remain a secret. If their superiors knew of their communication, they would be killed. As they grow closer and closer however, it becomes harder to hide. The two women soon fall desperately in love with each other, but they both know that the nature of their existence means that they can never be together. When their relationship begins to be discovered, they must embark on a desperate mission to try and save both of their lives.

At just 200 pages, this novella was a very unique reading experience. The real point of it was to get lost in El-Mohtar and Gladstone's beautiful language and bizarre imagery, not so much to understand everything they were saying. It's a good thing too, because the world that Red and Blue inhabit is bizarre. Specific details of how their universe works are never explained. We don't know the cause or goal of the time war, we never learn how time travel works, and we never learn exactly what Red and Blue are (because they aren't human). Trying to analyze the way their universe works is impossible, but the romance between the characters is understandable enough to carry the story while you marvel at the weirdness of everything around them. The amount of imagination packed into this story is astounding. I've never read anything else like it.

I definitely enjoyed reading this novel. The language was very flowery and pretty. It reminded me a lot of The Night Circus, which is one of my favorites, so I really enjoyed that aspect of the text. The relationship between Red and Blue was pretty to read as well, although I did think that their affection for each other developed a little too quickly. This was meant to be a short book though, so it's understandable in this circumstance. I was ultimately glad that the novel was short, because there wasn't enough time for the novelty of all the weirdness to wear off. If this was a full length story, I would have grown frustrated with the lack of specific details about the world. As it was, this was just enough to be intrigued with it without getting annoyed.

So overall, this was a weird and very cool reading experience, and I'm glad that I gave it a chance. It was interesting to explore something new and I enjoyed the story, strange as it was. This didn't make it to the level of a new favorite for me, but it was definitely a success!

Challenge Tally

22 in 2022: 7/22

Total Books Read in 2022: 31

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

 

**This review will contain spoilers for the first books in this series, Mistborn and The Well of Ascension, as well as some mild spoilers for this book. The spoilers for this book will be clearly marked.**

I decided to pick up The Hero of Ages for my next read so I could wrap up the Mistborn trilogy and cross it off my Finally in 2022 Challenge list. I liked the first book in the series and felt mixed about the second book. I was still enjoying the experience overall though, so I was interested to see how the story would wrap up. I got started hoping for a satisfying and exciting conclusion.

The plot of this novel picks up a short time after the second book concludes, with Vin accidentally releasing Ruin into the world and making Elend a Mistborn in the process. Ruin's release has further hastened the environmental collapse of the world. The volcanic ash is falling faster and thicker than ever before, clogging waterways and choking crops. The mist is still killing people. Earthquakes are ravaging the land. It's clear that the end of the world is near and Vin, Elend, and the surviving members of their crew are desperate to prevent it.

Vin and Elend aren't exactly sure what they need to do to fix everything, but Vin can sense there's a mystery still to unravel. Ruin isn't quite at full power, which must mean there is a way to defeat him. Luckily, she and Elend stumble onto a trail left by the previous Lord Ruler, full of cryptic clues that they struggle to decipher. Together, they must try to crack the code and figure out a way to return their world to normal before everything is completely destroyed.

My thoughts on this novel closely mirror my thoughts on the previous installments. World-building and story were excellent, but character development was weak. On the positive side, I thought the pacing in this novel was improved from The Well of Ascension. There were less boring political and philosophical discussions. There were definitely still slow parts--in particular, there was a lot of indecision and self-loathing to read through in the characters' minds, and there was also a lot of repeating information from previous books, but on the whole, I thought it was easier to get through. The evolution of the magic system continued to be interesting, and the action sequences remained strong. Sanderson is incredibly skilled at creating fantasy worlds in which every detail feels deliberate and complex. The seeds of the resolution for this novel were planted all throughout the previous volumes in ways that were subtle and clever. The ending tied up all the loose ends. This series was definitely an achievement and this final book felt like a fitting end for it.

That being said, I was still irritated by the lack of effective character development. No one in these novels really comes across as human to me. There's always something missing. We're consistently being told how the characters feel rather than being shown. I didn't like a lot of the choices Sanderson made either. Elend becoming Mistborn made him less interesting, as it eliminated his weaknesses and turned him into more of a generic hero-type. Vin was imprisoned for a large portion of the novel, leaving the more boring (and overwhemingly male) characters to pick up the slack. Sazed falls into a pit of deep depression and self loathing that was rather torturous to read through. I thought TenSoon was the most interesting, but we don't spend much time with him at all. We do get one more female character here with Beldre, but again, she is only around to further a male character's development. She is also a fool. So, the issue of there not being enough diversity among characters persists.

Vin's relationship with Elend continued to be wooden and passionless too. There is one scene in particular between them that I loathed. At one point, they attend a ball and dance together for the first time. I don't think I have ever actually cringed while reading something, but I could barely make it through this section. It was just so not as sweet/romantic/funny as it was supposed to be that I felt embarrassed for Sanderson while reading it. People, and especially women, are just not his strong point as a writer.

**The next paragraph contains spoilers**

I wanted to quickly reflect on one aspect of the ending as well. Sazed becomes the new Hero of Ages in the final chapter of the story after Vin and Elend die. This is fine, I guess, although I was disappointed to see another man rise to prominence in this almost all-male universe. What actually bothered me the most about this was the way Sanderson spoke about his gender at the end. All throughout the novel, the characters comment on the gender neutral language used in the prophecy. This prevented them from knowing if the hero would be male or female. Sazed was castrated as a child as part of the Lord Ruler's partial genocide of his people. When he takes up the mantle of hero at the end, Sanderson comments that this must have been the reason for the gender neutral language. It wasn't to cloak the gender of the hero - it was to allow for the fact that the hero wouldn't be male or female. So, we are left with the idea that Sazed is no longer a man because he was maimed in a horrific act of violence against his people. That hit me wrong. I think I was supposed to think it was clever. I thought it was just a bizarre way to think. There's something weird going on with how Sanderson thinks about sex and gender.

**End of spoilers**

Ultimately though, I still thought this was a pretty good fantasy series overall and The Hero of Ages was a decent ending to it. I had a lot of issues with how Sanderson presented his characters, but his world-building and intricate storylines are unparalleled. I'm glad I read it, but I don't think I need to go any deeper into Sanderson's other works. He's just not the author for me, despite all the hype and glowing reviews associated with his writing. That's just how it goes sometimes. I'm happy to keep on trying new-to-me authors and continue the search for new favorites.

Challenge Tally

Finally in 2022 - Series Edition: 10/28

Total Books Read in 2022: 30

When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

 

I came across When Stars are Scattered in Barnes and Noble last month and had to pick it up. I was drawn in by the cover illustration and the summary on the back, which promised a story about a young boy living in a refugee camp in Kenya. Middle grades graphic novels tend to be excellent at conveying emotional stories dealing with social issues like this, so I decided to give it a try last week.

The plot of the novel follows a young boy named Omar and his younger brother Hassan. They live in Dadaab, which is a refugee camp in Kenya. They have been there for years now, but still haven't given up hope that they will be reunited with their mother one day. They were separated while fleeing from Somalia and haven't been able to reconnect since. In the meantime, they have been placed in the charge of Fatuma, a kindly woman that acts as their foster mom.

Life in Dadaab isn't easy. The camp is massive and thousands of other people are living there, hoping for either resettlement to another country, or for their own home countries to become safe enough to return to. It can be dangerous if you wander too far out of your own section. There frequently isn't enough to eat, getting water is a lengthy and laborious chore, and basic necessities like clothing are difficult to come by. In addition to surviving in the camp, Omar has additional responsibilities. Hassan is nonverbal and developmentally delayed in some way. He has to stay home from school in order to watch him, which makes his days feel repetitive and endless.

The monotony begins to break up, however, when Omar is given the opportunity to start attending school by a community leader in the camp. He starts learning English there and begins to think about a future career as a social worker. He makes new friends and becomes an accomplished student. As the years go by, Omar continues learning and growing. He deals with new difficulties in the camp and continues caring for his brother. Eventually, an opportunity for resettlement comes, and he must use everything he's learned to try and and make a better life for himself and Hassan.

As I suspected, this book was amazing. It told Omar and Hassan's story in a way that didn't shy away from the harsh realities of life in a refugee camp, but stayed appropriate for a middle grades audience. My heart broke for these kids while reading about all they had to go through, knowing that thousands upon thousands of other children are in the same situation. I didn't know much about refugee camps prior to reading, so I learned quite a bit from this book. I always thought of refugee camps as very temporary places for displaced people. I didn't know that Dadaab is basically a town, and that people grow up, get married, have children, and eventually die there. People wait years for resettlement to other countries. Most never get the chance. I feel like this book widened my worldview and made me aware of a terribly difficult social issue that people are grappling with. This kind of story is important for kids to see, because refugee camps are not widely talked about here in America. 

The themes of the novel were beautiful as well, with family, love, and perseverance being the main focus. It would be easy in a place like Dadaab to just give up on life and sit around doing nothing all day. While Jamieson and Mohamed do show that some people in the camps do just that, the main characters show determination and bravery in very difficult circumstances. They help each other and support one another. It was very moving to read about the neighbors pulling together to help Omar keep track of Hassan, and about his friends at school forming a study group to pass their examinations. The fact that this story is true makes it so much better too. At the end of the text, there are several real pictures included of Omar and Hassan along with an update of how their lives are going now. It seriously is enough to bring tears to your eyes. 

When Stars are Scattered is an amazing read. The illustrations are meaningful, the story is emotional, and the text draws attention to a world issue that many people don't know much about. This is a perfect choice for socially conscious young readers, or anyone looking for an inspirational story told well. This is a new favorite for me now and certainly one that I will be pushing my school to purchase for the kids.  

Challenge Tally

Middle Grade Mission: 12/24

Total Books Read in 2022: 29

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

 

**This review will contain spoilers for the first book in this series, Mistborn, as well as some mild spoilers for this book. The spoilers for this book will be clearly marked.**

After reading Mistborn earlier in the month and liking it, I was intent on continuing on with the series. I went into reading The Well of Ascension excited to learn about the next step in Vin's adventure, but also with a few reservations. I was really hoping to see more female characters this time around, as the first book hardly had any. I was also hoping for an improvement in some of the characterization, especially regarding the relationship between Vin and Elend, which I found to be woefully underdeveloped. Interested to see if any of these issues would resolve, I got started. 

The plot of the novel picks up about a year after the events of Mistborn, with Elend ruling as king of Luthadel after defeating the god-like Lord Ruler. Vin is by his side as his lady, although they have not gone through with the formality of marriage yet. The pair of them are hoping to establish a new, more democratic government in the city and have already started that process by electing an assembly of representatives to rule alongside Elend and freeing the Skaa, the formerly enslaved lower class of people. All is not going smoothly, however. Sensing Elend's tenuous hold on Luthadel, three other armies have arrived outside his walls and are intent on seizing the city for themselves. There is Lord Straff Venture, a cruel and powerful nobleman that also happens to be Elend's father, Lord Cett, another nobleman with a large army and a knack for battle strategy, and perhaps more unnerving of all, a group of Koloss, a breed of blue-skinned monsters that are known for their rage and brutality on the battlefield.  

Aside from these concerns, other trouble is brewing as well. The innocuous mists that swirl around the lands at night have turned violent and are suddenly killing people, spreading terror across the populace. The ash that frequently falls from the sky is slowly but surely increasing in volume and intensity as well. As if that wasn't enough to grapple with, Vin can also sense a mysterious figure stalking her through the mist, and she has no idea what its intentions are. Frustrated with all these mystical and political dangers, Vin begins to wonder if they have done the right thing in killing the Lord Ruler after all. He may have been a tyrant, but he kept his kingdom stable and controlled. 

Their one hope is to find the Well of Ascension. This location, according to myth, holds a great source of power that could be used to set the world to rights. Vin thinks she can hear it calling to her, and is determined to step up and become the hero prophesized to unleash the power and save the world. Of course, the way there won't be easy. She still has to try and protect Elend as he struggles to become a strong king and assist in his political strategies to hold off the armies. She also has to deal with another Mistborn that appears named Zane, who has been contracted to kill her. Instead, they develop an uneasy relationship with each other as they bond over concerns that only other Mistborns would ever understand. Vin suddenly finds herself pulled in many different directions as she struggles to make difficult choices about what would be best for the Luthadel, Elend, and herself.

This novel had all of the same positive points as the first in the series. The world-building was excellent, the magic system continued to be intriguing and evolving, and the plot contained lots of action and interesting twists. In spite of all that, however, I enjoyed it significantly less than Mistborn. It wasn't to the point where I would say it was bad or that I didn't like it, I just definitely liked it less. Some of that was due to the pacing. This novel is 756 pages long, and there were times when it was very slow. There were lots of long political and philosophical discussions that felt like a slog to get through, so that wasn't fun. That wasn't my main issue though. My main problem was the same problem I had with book one - a lack of female characters and the awkward development of Vin's relationship with Elend.

We do get two new female characters in this book. The first is Tindwyl, a Terris Keeper that arrives to help Elend learn to be a king. She eventually becomes a love interest for Sazed. Her personality is extremely abrasive, but she is effective at what she is supposed to be doing. She does not become a major character, and her main function is mostly to further Sazed's development. Much like with Vin and Elend, I found her relationship with Sazed to be weakly developed. Although that's a little more excusable in this case-they have prior history that occurs before the events of the book that Sanderson leans on heavily to explain their feelings for each other. Still not very satisfying to read, but better than Vin and Elend.

The second woman is Allrianne, Lord Cett's daughter. She is characterized using all of the negative female stereotypes. She's vain, silly, obsessed with shopping, emotional, and flirtatious. Most other characters immediately roll their eyes when she comes onto the scene. She's also a powerful Soother though, so I guess that makes up for some of that. Sanderson definitely hints that there is more to her than meets the eye and she shows admirable determination at times, but her character doesn't really go anywhere. She's also not in the story very much and serves mainly as a love interest for Breeze, who is many, many years her senior. There's a pattern here that I didn't love. This novel does not pass the Bechdel test. Obviously, the representation of women in this universe still leaves a lot to be desired, at least for me.

Vin's relationship with Elend continued to disappoint me as well. At this point in their relationship, they are supposed to be madly in love, but they honestly have more of a brother and sister vibe. Even when their feelings are described, it's more like Sanderson is just telling you these things. You don't feel them through the writing at all. They kiss in this novel. They touch. They allude to having sex. Nothing is described with any sort of passion or detail. I don't understand why Sanderson can go on for pages about Vin disemboweling people and then barely spend half a sentence on love or romance. 

**Next paragraphs contains spoilers**

This became especially annoying when Zane starts making advances towards Vin. There's supposed to be a bit of a love triangle going on in this novel. Vin is briefly torn between Elend and Zane, and must decide whether to run off with Zane or not at the end of the book. Much like with Elend, her relationship with Zane was extremely underdeveloped and not believable at all. There was another issue here too though - the random introduction of sexual violence. 

When Vin ends up refusing Zane, he attacks her. He kisses her forcefully against her will and then stabs her in the breast. On purpose. We discover later that stabbing women in the breast is something he does all the time. It's his calling card. Even worse, we learn that it's his calling card when his father notices that his mistress also has an old stab wound in her breast - he recognized his son's handiwork and realized that his mistress has been sleeping with his son. These incidents were a small part of a very long novel, but it upset me. If we can't have loving, passionate descriptions of consensual sexual activity, then we don't need brutal depictions of sexual violence either. As I've mentioned before, these books are basically asexual. To have this pop up between Zane and Vin was jarring and felt out of place and unnecessarily gross. I didn't like it.

**End of spoilers**

I ended up feeling quite split about this novel. The construction of it was great and the world was rendered extraordinarily well. The action scenes were genuinely exciting. Despite some slow spots, I was always interested in finding out what would happen next. The ending was great. When it came to the characters though, it had a lot of issues. In addition to its lack of female characters and terrible romantic relationships, it also contained no diversity in regards to race or sexuality either. Now obviously, in a fantasy world, you aren't going to have the same cultural or sexual backgrounds that are present in the real world. However, it was weird to not see any variation among the characters. Something consistently felt like it was missing in this regard - at least for me. The people in this story just didn't feel real.

Clearly, I am in the minority on all this criticism though. Sanderson is an incredibly beloved author and everyone loves these books. I do like what I have read so far, but I'm not understanding the absolute reverence people have for the series. I still plan to read the last book though. At this point, I don't think what I mentioned will improve, but I still want to see how the story ends. I've read over 1,300 pages of this trilogy at this point - I'm not giving up now!

 

Challenge Tally

Finally in 2022 - Series Edition: 9/28

Total Books Read in 2022: 28

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

 

I found The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen on one of those Amazon "other customers also purchased" lists that are so dangerous to my wallet. A quick scan of the synopsis revealed that it was a middle grades graphic novel that incorporated folklore and fairy tales. That was enough reason to pick it up for me, so into my cart it went last month. I decided to give it a try before continuing on with the next Mistborn novel (in other words, before launching into another dense, over-700-page-long test of endurance). I was hoping for a quick, sweet read. Happily, that was what I got.

The plot of the novel follows a young Vietnamese boy named Tiến who lives with his mom and dad in a small American town. His dad works a lot, so he is often at the office, but he and his mother are very close. The spend a lot of time reading old fairytale and folklore books from the library, which helps his mother learn English and gives them a nice bonding time. His life is pretty normal, but one thing has been troubling him lately--he's gay and doesn't know how to break the news to his parents. There's not even a word for it in Vietnamese, so he feels lost and nervous as to how they will react. 

At the same time, his mother is struggling with her sad memories of fleeing Vietnam when she was a young woman. She had to leave her family behind when she came to America and misses them desperately. She's had to wait to become an American citizen before traveling there to visit, and now that she's done that, she just needs to save up a bit more money to make the trip. Her mother is ill though, and she isn't sure how much longer she can wait.

Both Tiến and his mother are comforted through the stories they read to each other. Even though they don't directly talk much about what troubles them, they are able to reach out through the folklore, changing bits and pieces of the plots sometimes to reflect their current needs. Ultimately, the stories help them both come to terms with their worries and grow closer as a family.

This book was magical, and I really loved it. Tiến and his mother's stories were both emotional and uplifting, and Nguyen's beautiful illustrations were the perfect complement to them. The novel uses a color coding system to help differentiate between the current day, character memories, and pieces of the stories that Tiến and his mother read. The current day is shown in red panels, memories are shown in yellow, and the stories are shown in blue. This helps make the action easier to follow, and keeps the story accessible to younger readers. The drawing style is simple, but very pretty. The pictures illustrating the folklore were particularly beautiful, and I found myself pausing my reading frequently to examine the details. 

The themes of the story were beautiful as well, with message about acceptance and family taking center stage. I also really liked the idea of using traditional tales to reach out and connect with others. There is a reason that folklore endures across time and place. These types of stories tap into all the struggles and triumphs that come with being human. Using them like Tiến and his family do--changing them relate to their own, modern problems--is a natural and lovely thing to do, and I really enjoyed how Nguyen wove these into the text.

For a book that I picked up on a whim while browsing online, I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up liking this. The Magic Fish is a wonderful pick for adults or younger readers. It's become a new favorite for me and has rooted itself firmly in my heart. I'm going to end up recommending this to everyone I can, because a story this moving and emotional deserves to be shared. 

Challenge Tally

Middle Grade Mission: 11/24

Total Books Read in 2022: 27

The Art of Running Away by Sabrina Kleckner

 

I picked up The Art of Running Away after seeing it on a Good Reads list of middle grades releases. My students tend to be way more interested in contemporary fiction than anything else, so I'm always on the lookout for books that deal with realistic social issues. The plot summary for this one seemed to promise that very thing, so I decided to give it a try as part of my Middle Grades Mission Challenge.

The plot of the of the novel follows twelve-year-old Maisie, a budding artist that lives with her mom and dad. She works after school at her family's portrait shop, where she assists with sketching out first draft versions of people's pictures for her father to paint. She adores her job there and is looking forward to spending her approaching summer break honing her craft and hanging out with her best friend. Her parents spoil her plans however, when they announce that she will be spending the summer with her aunt in Ireland. Maisie is less than thrilled with this idea, but ends up grudgingly going.

After arriving overseas, something happens that she wasn't expecting. She is contacted by her brother Calum, whom she hasn't seen or spoken to since he mysteriously ran away from home six years ago. Although she was only six when he left, she is hurt by what she sees as his abandonment of her. At first, she is reluctant to reestablish a relationship with him, but eventually, she decides to try getting to know him. Her biggest question for him, of course, is why he ran away. When Calum eventually shares this reason, it opens Maisie's eyes to a lot of things she didn't think about before, and changes her perception of her mom and dad. As she grows closer to her brother, she must untangle some new and complicated feelings about her parents and learn about how to offer forgiveness when your family disappoints you. 

This was a quiet little novel, but a thoughtful and enjoyable one. This is definitely a character-driven story, and Kleckner did a good job developing Maisie's character. She definitely felt like a middle school kid to me as I was reading. She was dramatic and impulsive sometimes, but she was also kind and empathetic. She was confident in her skills as an artist, but insecure about her friendships. She was helpful at times and annoying at other times. In short, she was a mixed up ball of emotions trying to figure out who she really was - just like most kids her age. I like that she wasn't perfect here. She makes a lot of mistakes throughout the story, and watching her learn and grow from them was relatable and engaging to read about. The supporting cast was also characterized well, with Calum in particular being another standout. The pain and heartache he felt at leaving home came across as genuine, and I couldn't help but feel for him.

I thought it was interesting to explore a family relationship in which the parents have done something wrong, but not something illegal, abusive, or otherwise physically neglectful or dangerous. I can't go into much detail without spoiling the most important plot point, so I'll just say that it's something in which they were clearly in the wrong, but it's possible to explore where they were coming from and understand their point of view. I liked watching Maisie grapple with the realization that her parents did something hurtful and disappointing. She has to figure out how to move forward with their relationship in the aftermath. I think this is something a lot of kids have to deal with but I don't read a lot about. Parents make mistakes. Sometimes big ones. Sometimes they break things and can't fix them afterwards. I thought it was interesting to watch Maisie navigate that. 

So, there were a lot of aspects of this story that I really enjoyed. At the same time, there was nothing here that made this a true standout novel for me. While I thought it was interesting, relevant, and well-written, I never felt a deep connection to what was going on. I didn't have that "can't put this book down" feeling. It was still a solid read though, and I think kids who are drawn to contemporary, thoughtful fiction will like it. I'm happy to stick it in my classroom library and wait for that reader to come along.

  

Challenge Tally

Middle Grade Mission: 10/24

Total Books Read in 2022: 26

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

 

It feels like pretty much every fantasy fan in the universe has read and loved the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. Naturally, I've been curious to give them a try myself, so I made the books part of my Finally in 2022 Challenge. I decided to start in on the first one this month. Of course, any time you read a book that's been ridiculously overhyped like this one has, there's a big chance that it will fall short of your expectations. So. I went in a bit cautious, hoping that the book could actually live up to all the great things I'd heard about it over the years.

The novel is set in a fantasy kingdom named Luthadel. It has been controlled for the past 1,000 years by a brutal and immortal king known as the Lord Ruler. He enforces a rigid and cruel social structure across his land by dividing most of his subjects into two main classes: the noblemen, a smaller group of the wealthy elite and the Skaa, a larger lower class that function as slaves of the empire. No one thinks to question his rule, since he is viewed as a god, and no one thinks to question why the sun is red, the plants are brown, and ash falls almost constantly from the sky, because that's how it's always been. The noblemen are arrogant and petty and the Skaa are completely broken down and defeated. 

One man, however, decides to set out and change all of that. Kelsier is a Mistborn, which means that he can use magical powers by consuming and burning different kinds of metals. This ability is rare in Luthadel; being able to burn metals at all is very rare, and of those people, most people can only burn one type. Kelsier, however, can use them all, making him extremely powerful. He comes from humble origins - he is half Skaa and makes his living as a con man. He is good at what he does though, and his skills in manipulation combined with his magical powers make him a force to be reckoned with. He is determined to defeat the Lord Ruler and free the Skaa. As the novel begins, he has done his research, assembled his crew, and is ready to put his plan into motion.

His plan winds up changing a little when he meets Vin, a teenage street urchin. She's been running with a gang of thieves, but her heart isn't in the work. She's had a very abusive past and is just doing whatever it takes to get by. She tries to keep her head down and blend into the crowd, but she catches the attention of Kelsier's crew by displaying an uncanny knack for soothing people's emotions. It doesn't take Kelsier long to realize that Vin is a Mistborn, like him, and he recruits her into his group. 

Suddenly, Vin's life completely changes. She starts training to use her powers, becomes friendly with the crew, and starts to actually trust in people and work in a team. She eventually comes to care about the plight of the Skaa as well, and think further into the future than ever before. She used to only be concerned about where her next meal was coming from. Now, she's daring to dream of accomplishing great things, and saving the entire kingdom from the Lord Ruler's cruelty. Their work isn't easy though. Defeating an immortal leader who has been on the throne for 1,000 years will be nearly impossible. Together, Kelsier, Vin, and the rest of the crew must take dangerous risks, strategize carefully, and fight many battles in the hopes of creating a better future for Luthadel. 

This book was a very solid read. The story was engaging and it's clear the Sanderson is extremely gifted at the world-building part of fantasy writing. Luthadel felt like a complex place with a long history. The social structure of the cities, the different classes of people, and the ruling government were thoroughly described, and the details were creative and engaging. The magic system was especially well developed. The whole idea of eating different kinds of metals to perform different kinds of magic was interesting and fun to explore. It's true that a lot of the details about the world and the characters were tropey, but it was all written in an entertaining way, so I didn't mind it.

The action sequences in this book were particularly well done too. There is lots of fighting and magic wielding across the story, and Sanderson does a good job of explaining everyone's movements and making it exciting. Action scenes are usually not my favorite parts of novels, but I found myself actually enjoying many of them here. One of the special powers that Vin and Kelsier can use is the ability to travel through the air by pushing and pulling against the metals around them. This could be difficult to describe with clarity during a fight scene, but Sanderson pulls it off. Battles are similarly well described. I could clearly envision what was going on in my mind, and there was lots of blood and guts to keep things interesting. 

So while most of the book was very good, I would not say it was perfect. There were definitely a few things that bothered me, one of which was the amount of female characters. Vin is one of the main characters, but aside from her, there are no other positive female characters in the book. There are a few minor villains, but that's it for women. I've read quite a few other fantasy series lately that feature a crew of characters working together, and it's always a mix of men and women. In Mistborn, it's a fifteen year old girl and a bunch of (mostly) middle aged men. It felt strange to have so few females around. I'm really hoping this aspect improves in the remaining installments in this series.

Another thing I struggled with was the relationship between Vin and Elend. Elend is a rarity in Luthadel; he's a noble that is also a good person. Vin falls in love with him during the story, which is fine, but the development of her feelings for him was basically nonexistent. They meet just a few times in the story, and don't even talk all that much during those encounters, but somehow, this is enough for Vin to fall madly in love and risk ruining the plan she's been working on for a a year with Kelsier and the rest of her friends to protect him. There is no discernible passion between the pair of them. There are no details that show desire. It felt sterile and bizarre. The whole novel was essentially asexual, for that matter. Plenty of graphic violence, but not even mild romantic content. It felt strange to have everything else be so clearly detailed and developed, while the romance of the main character was so clumsy and indistinct. I was surprised to see that issue here, because so many people absolutely rave about this novel. This might just be down to my preferences though--I really appreciate a good romance in a fantasy story, whether it be spicy or sweet, so I was disappointed.

Ultimately though, I did enjoy the novel and look forward to stepping back into Luthadel for the next installment. Sanderson is very skilled when it comes to creating rich fantasy worlds and intricate plots, and I'm interested to see where Vin's story goes from here. I don't think this book quite lived up to the incredible hype I heard for it, but it was still a pretty good time and a worthwhile read.     

Challenge Tally

Finally in 2022 - Series Edition: 9/28

Total Books Read in 2022: 25

Northwind by Gary Paulsen

 

One of the genres I am continually drawn to are adventure/survival stories, and I'm pretty sure this inclination came from Gary Paulsen's Hatchet. I loved that book as a kid. I read it and its sequels more than once and remember it fondly as one of my big childhood favorites. When I saw that Paulsen had another survival story coming out last month, I bought it right away. I was eager to try and recapture that feeling of fascination and escape that I experienced with Hatchet as a kid. In an unorthodox move (for me), I actually read it right after I bought it as part of my Middle Grades Mission Challenge this month.

The plot of the novel follows a young boy named Leif, who is living in a tiny fishing camp in a fictional area blending aspects of Scandinavia and the Pacific Northwest. When a plague hits his camp, he is forced to set out on his own in a small canoe and travel north, away from the sickness. Along the way, he has to contend with the whales that patrol the water, bears that live along the coasts, whirlpools that threaten to capsize his boat, and ravens that try to steal his food. He already has extensive knowledge of fishing and making fire, but heading into unknown territory on his own is new to him, and he must reach deep inside himself to find the strength and courage to survive.

Sadly, I did not like this book half as much as Hatchet. There were a few high points though. The writing was clearly well-researched, with descriptions of fishing techniques, food preservation methods, and survival strategies containing an obvious tone of authenticity. The encounters with different animals were beautifully written and interesting to read as well, especially the whales. You definitely got a clear sense of what the landscape looked like and how Leif survives it over the course of the text. The book jacket design is stunning as well, although that's not really related to the text (it just makes it more disappointing that I didn't really like the novel itself).

However, Northwind suffers greatly from a lack of story. The most interesting part of it was the beginning, when Paulsen describes how Leif's camp is taken down by the illness and Leif's harrowing battle with being sick himself. Once he recovers and is on his own though, the plot becomes rather aimless. He has a vague goal to go north, where he believes the air will be cleaner, but he has no other plan or specific destination in mind. His canoe can't handle the open ocean, and the weather will eventually grow too cold, so there's only so far he can go before he has to turn around. Which he does. And then the story basically ends. It becomes a repetitive pattern of watching Leif make camp, eat berries, fish with a spear, smoke the fish, and then set out again. There are a few dangerous encounters thrown into the mix, like a whirlpool or a bear sighting, from time to time. Otherwise, it's just a lot of the same thing over and over.

Another factor working against the engagement level of this text is the fact that Leif is already an expert at all the skills he needs to survive. Part of the suspense of Hatchet was watching the main character learn survival skills on his own. He had to fight for his life. The stakes felt high. In Northwind, however, I did not feel that same sense of danger. There were dangerous moments, sure, but Leif generally always knew exactly what he needed to do to get by. His journey was more spiritual than anything else, and it just wasn't as interesting. There was a lot of focus on him learning to embrace being truly free and independent for the first time in his life, which is great for his character development, but wasn't terribly engaging for me as a reader.

The way Paulsen structures the language in his novel was an issue for me as well. He has Leif speak and think in a strange jumble of words. Presumably, this was to give the reader a sense of him being from a very old time period. There are a few mentions of Norse gods, so I suppose this is meant to be set around Viking times. So, I think the writing was supposed to sound like it was from the distant past, but all it really did was mess with my fluency. I had to keep stopping and rereading to get the rhythm of the speech patterns down. It wasn't difficult to understand, but it grated on my nerves. I don't think it was a particularly successful strategy. This is a book for children. If it was annoying to me, I can only imagine how quickly a twelve-year-old would grow impatient with it.

So between the repetitive plot and the unusual language, I didn't really enjoy Northwind. I'm quite disappointed by that, because I loved Hatchet so much. I can't even say that I believe a younger audience will appreciate this more, because I honestly can't see any kids beyond the most avid readers actually finishing and liking this. It's too sedate to be an adventure story and too mystical to be a survival story. It's very meditative and reflective, but not very engaging. It wasn't a bad book by any means, and Paulsen's love of the ocean and the wilderness in general shone through clearly, but this was not one of his greatest works. It's a shame too, because I would imagine this is his last; he passed away last year. At the very least though, this was clearly a subject he loved very much and he probably had a great time writing Leif's story. I just didn't have a great time reading it. 

Challenge Tally

Middle Grade Mission: 9/24

Total Books Read in 2022: 24

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

 

I picked up Kristin Hannah's The Great Alone a few years ago because I kept seeing it everywhere. It saw it featured in ads, I saw it recommended on Amazon and Goodreads, and it was always featured prominently on the shelves at Barnes and Noble and Target. I thought the summary on the inside flap sounded interesting and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I never got around to reading it back then, so I put it on my 22 in 2022 list. Finally, I picked it up this month.

The plot of the novel follows fourteen year old Leni Allbright. As the novel begins, it is 1974 and she is living with her mother and father in Seattle. The family moves around a lot because Leni's dad, Ernt,  is struggling with severe mental health issues after returning home from the Vietnam War. He has PTSD and has difficulty controlling his anger, depression, and paranoia. As a result, he is unable to hold down a job and is becoming increasing abusive to Leni and her mother. It's a difficult situation, but the family is hopeful when Ernt inherits a piece of land in the Alaskan wilderness. The family moves to the property, thinking that getting away from city life and working the land will help him heal.

They soon discover that they were woefully unprepared to make a home in the remote Alaskan wilderness. Their property has a small, one room cabin on it, and basically nothing else. There is no electricity, running water, or indoor plumbing. Their tiny town only has a bar and a small general store. There are no police or hospitals nearby. They have a lot to learn about survival in this type of place, and winter is quickly approaching. Luckily for them, their neighbors band together and help them figure everything out. At first, Ernt's health appears to improve as he throws himself into taking care of his new homestead. Leni also comes to love their tiny Alaskan home and learns how to fish, hunt, and farm alongside her parents. She even becomes good friends with the only other kid her age in town, a boy named Matthew. She finally feels like she belongs somewhere.

The good times, however, don't last. As winter finally sets in with its freezing temperatures and increasingly long periods of darkness, Ernt's issues resurface and his behavior takes a terrifying turn. Their property is in a place so isolated that there are not resources easily available to help families in trouble. Leni and her mother are basically on their own, and they must figure out how to survive and build a life around Ernt's volatility and violence.    

This was my first Kristin Hannah novel, and I thought it was fantastic. Leni's story was beautiful and terrifying and sad in turns. It was easy for me to fall into her journey and root for her to finally find some happiness and stability. The plot spans several years, and watching her grow up and change throughout that time was very satisfying. There were moments I felt bad for her, moments I was cheering her on, and moments I was very frustrated with her, which just goes to show that I was really getting into the plot. I cared what happened to her. Ernt's character was pretty effective as well. He was vile and scary, and I strongly disliked him. He was a formidable obstacle for Leni and her mother to overcome. His story was sad, as many of his issues stemmed from the trauma he sustained in Vietnam, which served to make his family situation more complicated. His relationship with Leni's mother was toxic and obsessive, and that combined with his veteran status made him a difficult character for the rest of his family to walk away from, even when it was blatantly obvious that they needed to do so.

Hannah's depiction of Alaska was one of the strongest elements of the novel. She truly makes it come alive with beautiful language choices and vivid descriptions of its landscape and weather. It was interesting to read about all the farming, hunting, cooking, etc. that was required to survive there. I'm not a very outdoorsy person myself, but reading this novel made me want to give it a try for a little while. Hannah makes it clear that this is a dangerous, difficult, wild place to try and live, but she also makes it sound incredible to experience. I wasn't surprised to learn from the back flap of the book that she lived there herself for a time. Her love for the place shines through the pages. It is essentially another character in the story, and it was probably the characters that was the best developed too.

One slight criticism I had as I was reading was that the ending of the story was a little bit rushed. The rest of the novel moves at a relatively slow pace and spends a long time developing the characters and plot points. The ending section, in comparison, basically moves at breakneck speed. A lot of important events take place in what is probably an unrealistically short time. It really didn't match with the earlier sections of the novel and felt a bit jarring. However, this was not something that spoiled my reading in the moment. Rather, it was something that I thought was off when I reflected back on it. I remained extremely engaged throughout my actual reading time, so it wasn't that much of an issue for me. 

The Great Alone ended up being  surprisingly good reading experience. I really enjoyed the characters, the dramatic storyline, and the rugged Alaskan setting. I am definitely looking forward to checking out Kristin Hannah's more famous work, The Nightingale, at some point. A lot of reviews I read liked that one more. With how much I enjoyed this novel, I'm excited to see how they compare for me.

Challenge Tally

22 in 2022: 6/22

Total Books Read in 2022: 23