Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson

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It’s been years since I last chose to read instead of to sleep. I was captivated, consumed by this new world. Mistborn isn’t simply a world of magic and wonder; no, it’s full of logic and physics and politics and religion. I wanted to know how this world worked, and I could not stop thinking about how everything in the Mistborn world simply made sense. I read the whole trilogy in a span of two weeks, which is very, very fast for me. It could have been only one week, too, but I had to resume work after the new year and could no longer spend the whole day reading.

World building aside, a major selling point for me was that each book in the trilogy was complete on its own. There was just enough of a cliffhanger at the end of each book, enticing readers such as myself to read the next one, without sacrificing the conclusion and wholeness of the current book. This is a big deal. Some trilogies have books that seemed to be written simply as a lead into the final book. (I’m talking about you, Catching Fire, even if I did inhale The Hunger Games trilogy.) Brandon Sanderson made sure each book had its own complete plotline, all of which kept me hooked.

I also loved the characters. I fell in love with Elend Venture right away, and I loved his character development. I also liked how every main character got their fair share of screen (or page) time, and I was particularly interested in reading Marsh’s plotline. I don’t think there was any character in Mistborn that I didn’t quite like, yet all of them were so different that it was interesting to read how they interacted. This includes the humor thrown around in the trilogy. Even when the world was falling apart and all hope seemed lost, the characters found some humor in their situations. I thought this was a nice reprieve from impending doom that the characters were definitely going to face.

Final thoughts: I am so glad I read this series. If I’d read this a few years ago, I might not have appreciated it as much I do now. I feel that high fantasy is a genre I’d work towards reading, so I would not recommend this to someone who has only started dabbling with fantasy. (Case in point: I read Eragon in high school and could not appreciate it then. Only after reading several Neil Gaiman and VE Schwab books did I start appreciating other worlds outside of Harry Potter. My friends recommended Mistborn to me after I’d told them I was reading The Name of the Wind.) What next? A newfound friend recommended the Wax and Wane series and another recommended The Stormlight Archive. I could go deeper into this world or search out new ones by the same writer. Til next time.

It’s 2021?!

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2020 was one long year. Some might argue that it’s still March 2020, but my calendar claims it’s already January 2021, so I guess 2020 is finally over. Usually I tell myself something along the lines of ‘I’m ready for you, new year,’ but 2020 humbled me. Now I’m thinking, ‘it doesn’t matter if I’m ready—it’s 2021.’

And 2021 it is. Before I write down my hopes and dreams for the year, I want to acknowledge the things I have learned in and appreciated about 2020:

  • I developed a new hobby, gardening, which helped me appreciate the home more. I planted both ornamental and edible plants, and I’m always happy to see them grow. At the end of the year, I acquired some carnivorous plants, and I’m hoping they flourish as well.
  • I read some amazing books this year. Despite missing my 2020 goal of 30 books (I read 21), I’m happy with the books I’d read last year. I intentionally read more nonfiction (my book buying ban only applies to fiction), two of which—Atomic Habits and Educated—have become favorites of mine. I also delved deeper into fantasy. While I did not fall in love with The Kingkiller Chronicle, I would not have discovered (through recommendations) Mistborn, which I now cannot stop thinking about.
  • I learned that some things I deemed frivolous are quite important to self-care. 2020 was a year full of anxiety, and at first I used productivity as my coping mechanism. I worked out regularly, joined wine tasting classes, propagated new plants, and did anything to distract myself during the quarantine. By the end of the year, I’d learned to accept that it’s also okay to simply slow down. I listened to more music (the Crash Landing on You soundtrack is relaxing) and used 15-minute face masks. I also finally used the sleeping/eye mask that I’d received for Christmas 2019.

So here are three things I plan to take with me to 2021:

  1. To continue reading amazing books, exploring other genres and finishing my TBR along the way;
  2. To be mindful/intentional about what I do and why I do them; and
  3. To keep going no matter what.

These aren’t very grand, but I’m not going to let 2021 be another year forgotten. I’m going to make this year matter.

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

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At first I was hesitant to read Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood because it did not sound like a book I’d want to read in 2020. As someone who doesn’t watch tv (to clarify, I watch tv shows online; I don’t watch tv-tv), I had no idea whom Trevor Noah was, and I was confused how “funny” was one of the adjectives used to describe this book. So when my friend loaned me this book, I didn’t read it immediately. (My excuse was that I was finishing off another book, which was true anyway, but we all know it’s possible to switch off…) However, I’d had this book on my tbr a little too long for a borrowed book, so I read it (in the same year I borrowed it at that).

OK, so the book was funny. I couldn’t believe that I laughed at some moments—I was reading about apartheid after all. Reading through the highs and lows made me appreciate Trevor Noah’s storytelling skills. It’s as if he knew what his readers were feeling as he wrote, and to make sure we readers don’t feel the need to throw him a pity party, he’d ease the mood. What skill. I enjoyed reading so much that I looked Trevor Noah up and watched some The Daily Show episodes on YouTube. I think I should start watching talk shows. And now I’m thinking I probably should have gone with the audiobook. Or I should listen to the audiobook in the future.

Yes, so overall, Born a Crime is a great read. I should have mentioned sooner that Trevor Noah painted a good picture of his childhood South Africa, so, as a reader, I could easily imagine the streets he walked and the shenanigans he got into. This is a big deal for me. (When I’m not able to visualize the scenes, I feel meh about the book.) Where it got iffy for me was how the book ended. I’m all about reading books that feel complete, and I felt like the Born a Crime jumped to its ending. It didn’t feel seamless to me (huh, he skipped how he went from dj to comedian?) that I felt underwhelmed (wait, it’s done?) when I finished the book. I’m not sure what I’m looking for exactly, and this is a minor minor detail that I can let go of, so I will.

Verdict: This is a darn good book. I’m glad my friend loaned it to me, and I will gladly tell others to read it, too. I haven’t read too many stories about Africa (pretty sure I can count them with my fingers), so this was not only an entertaining but also an informative read.