31 Day Blog Challenge: Day 10

[raiindust]

10. What's your best physical featureI'm going to go with my hair, because it's easily manipulated. If I want it to be curly, it will be curly. If I want it to be straight, it will be straight. If I cared about doing my hair more, it would be the greatest thing ever. As is, I enjoy wearing a bun day in and out, and that's probably not going to

Comments

[incandescent]

The Name of the Wind is the first book in an unfinished trilogy, so before you consider beginning it, you should know that the third book hasn't yet been published and doesn't even have a date yet, so far as I'm aware. It's high fantasy, and though it's very detailed and intricate, it can run on the tedious side. I enjoyed both of the published books, but there is a certain lack of narrative momentum to them which is going to make rereading difficult when the third book finally comes out.

I would say skip Rothfuss for now. You're reading Rivers of London! Try China Mieville, particularly The City & The City or Kraken. You might also like Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, if you haven't read that. Or anything by Catherynne M. Valente. Everyone loves Deathless, and I'm partial to The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making and her original Labyrinth series. I hope these work for you!

[raiindust]

Re: The Name of the Wind, I never mind if things are a part of something that's unfinished - I'm happy just reading a good book and seeing where it takes me. Though I read the very very beginning of a sample, and I can definitely tell it's detailed and intricate. Some of the description was lovely, but then it became overwhelming and it was only page 1. So I might put that aside from now - especially if the continuity between the two books (and eventual third) is kinda necessary to keep enjoying them.

Have you read Rivers of London? And the books that followed? They've been such a wonderful delight to read, and I've been meaning to make a fandomly flail post to talk about them but got distracted. I have read Neverwhere... and have such a love/hate relationship with it, lol. But I've not heard of the two China Mieville books, and Catherynne M. Valente sounds wonderful as well, so I'll definitely go look them up and see is something catches my fancy! Thanks so much for the recs :)

[incandescent]

Gosh, this is a late reply. I'm so sorry.

The Name of the Wind and the rest of the series are very closely tied together. It's really a single, enormous book that has been split into three. So the divisions are a bit... meh.

I only read Rivers of London. I really loved how much LONDON it had in it. I love London when it's featured in any book, so that's always something I look for. :) I have a complete love/LOVE relationship with Neverwhere. It's the one book that I can read over and over. I hope you enjoy the others!

[raiindust]

I asked some friends over the weekend who had both read The Name of the Wind, and one said she absolutely loved it - but wasn't sure I would, and that I had to look past the protagonist for quite a while because it takes a long time to warm up to him, and the other said she really enjoyed it but at the same time she really enjoys so many books. So I've got it on my to-read list probably during the Christmas/New Year period when things are quite calm.

I absolutely recommend his follow up books after Rivers of London. Not so much the second, Moon over Soho, but Whispers Underground & Broken Homes are absolutely fantastic! There continues to be a lot of London featured in there (my sister flailed about knowing exactly where something was in one of the books because she'd been there, haha) and definitely keep the mystery happening.

American Gods is definitely my preferred Gaiman text. I've read three, and with each one I came to like his style more until I loved it. But I think the mythology aspects in American Gods is what won me over

[marcasite]

What did you think of the last book in the Divergent series? I was such a huge fan going in so I am curious as to your take on the last one.

[raiindust]

I think there were some positives and some negatives... though I definitely feel let down more so than happy.

[Behind a cut because of spoilers]- I actually came to loathe Tris. Her "I am always right" attitude became intolerable. That being said, the decision to kill her permanently shocked me, but in a positive way. I had to give props to the author for taking the leap and doing that, because not many would. I was hoping it was because she knew Tris was problematic as a character (because she was such a special snowflake) so doing that would salvage the final part of the book

[marcasite]

[raiindust]

And I am trying to put this in a cut but apparently I don't know how
I use a spoiler-cut in comments? So it's <*lj-spoiler text=""><*/lj-spoiler> I believe. Without the *. It's one of those more useful updates LJ added

[raiindust]

Does your hair go crazy when it rains/is humid? That's when my hair is at it's worst! Kinks are the worst though!

[raiindust]

Yessss, I feel you. Mine tends to get these random little curls where there are lose bits of hair, and the rest just becomes a frizzy nightmare. Wet weather is totally the worst!

[kyliemou]

You're so lucky that your hair is manipulable. Mine isn't; it's stubborn as all hell. The only way my hair stays curled if if I chemically perm it and that's super damaging. Ugh.

[raiindust]

I have a friend whose hair is like that as well. It's ridiculously thick though, so the weight just pulls the curls out of it. That being said, people are spending hundreds of dollars to have seriously straight hair, so perhaps that's a positive thing for you?

[kyliemou]

When I normally curl my hair, that happens. I have too much hair, too much weight so it just falls flat really easily. But because it's chemically permed, it just stays curled. But it can get to be a bit too... poofy after a while if I don't use product in it. Yes, you're right, but having straight hair my whole life is boring too. :P I like curls. Grass is greener on the other side. XD

[absolutelybatty]

READ THE NAME OF THE WIND. DO IT IMMEDIATELY. If the sample you read was from the prologue (aka the first few pages), it is absolutely NOT indicative of the style of the rest of the narrative. In fact, the rest of the narrative tends to be quite action packed despite its rather detailed world building and magic style. The first book, especially, is so incredibly worth the journey, Jess. I cannot express to you how much I love The Name of the Wind (and the sequel and the third book, I'm sure, once it is released). Its protagonist is delightful, and you should ignore EVERY SINGLE PERSON who rags on him because he's too smart/perfect/skilled/etc because, whatever. He's also awkward and ridiculous and prideful and HILARIOUS basically. Besides, all the side characters are MAGICAL, and they definitely make up for any flaws (or lack of flaws) you see in the protagonist. And that is saying something coming from me because I am absolutely the first person to slam down a book if the protagonist is terrible. I've done it many times. I've re-read

[raiindust]

SAMANTHA YOU ARE FANTASTIC! I am going to be so happy for so long with all these book recommendations!

Firstly, I promise to go past the prologue of The Name of the Wind. There is the first 40 pages of the book in the sample, so I'll be able to see if I am pulled in more over the next couple of days. I hope I am though, because you seem to be very invested in the book and that is always a good sign.

I'm going to add everything to a list of books to sample and subsequently buy though. I've realised today that I'm quite poor, and am going to Sydney for a couple of days for a work-related thing and everything is more expensive there, so that means I can't just buy books on the whim I've become accustomed to. (WOE)

(because Australian publishers do not seem to understand that they need to label that such and such a book is # whatever out of a series, but hey)
Oh so perhaps I can be of help here. Australian publishers legitimately suck. I'm now on the e-book train, however before that all the book buying I did, I did through