This Substack is supposed to be about books!
An update. The detour that was almost 9 months long.
[Please enjoy the audio recording of this newsletter below. It is imperfect, but it gets the job done and make a long essay just the tiniest bit more enjoyable!]
Hi! Hello! Let’s talk about books and reading and stories again! For being all afire to talk about books at the beginning of 2023, I absolutely did not fulfill that promise. Ever heard of that thing people do where they try to do too much too soon and make a ridiculous plan they can’t keep up with? Anyone else? Just me? Ha. Here’s the thing - I’ve kept reading. And I’ve read some fabulous books this year, some incredible authors and phenomenal stories.
YA’LL I FINALLY READ PRIDE AND PREJUDICE.
I GET IT NOW.
Mr. Darcy forever and ever and ever. Amen.
[Sidenote: I completely understand why the title is Pride and Prejudice now. I GET IT. For the longest time I wondered what that title could possibly mean and then I read the book and found out that Darcy’s pride and Elizabeth’s prejudice was their undoing. Their greatest flaws that they both had to remedy to a) grow as people and b) see the other person for more than just their flaws IS the book title. Jane Austen was a beyond brilliant writer and her ability to write flawed, relatable characters who seek their own growth was truly astonishing because this story is supposed to be unrealistic and yet it is entirely real.]
Now onto the details, since I owe you those. I finished out this series by Judith Ryan Hendricks about a baker named Wynter and I owe you a review for those three books, cause heads up, they were fantastic. I think some people would say that she’s a lyrical writer and her prose is a little too much because of her detailed descriptions, but I love it. As stated above I finished Pride and Prejudice and owe you a wholehearted review for that one too. Fear not, it’s in the works.
Then my friends I did a bad thing. Instead of continuing solely on through the utter emotional adventure that is the Legends of the First Empire series of one Michael J. Sullivan, I started the Fellowship of the Ring. And I haven’t finished The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich because that’s a lot of Hitler and I needed a *break*. And then after that I took an accidental wander through Audible and did something very, very bad - I wandered into Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere laden web. And purchased Way of Kings. Now I have a literal metric ton of things to say about Sanderson and getting into The Stormlight Archive series, but for now let me just say that in thinking to myself about mid-year, “I seem to be really enjoying fantasy this year”, I honestly had no idea what I was in for by the time this fall rolled around.
I’m way into fantasy this year. This is my year of the fantasy genre. Have I read other things? Obviously. Will I continue acting as if each new series that I get into is absolutely sensational? Yes, yes I will, because this shit is INCREDIBLE. These fantasy authors are turning my world upside down and it really started with Maas, then Sullivan, then Tolkien came in as the heavyweight, and now Sanderson is just doing a total number on me. I don’t really think anyone can truly compete with Tolkien, he’s kind of at the top of the pile as the most well-known, beloved, original writer of the entire genre of fantasy. He is forever the returning king. But these other folks, these other lovers of originality and far off worlds and insanely original characters, they are taking me for the most wondrous magic carpet ride. I’m so, so in. I’m loving reading the big authors, I’m loving learning about the up and comers or the less well known authors, and I’m slowly gathering Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time in paperback for next year’s TBR stack. I’m not crazy enough to try to start that one anytime soon, but my sister got me the first six for my birthday and I’m loving finding the old 90s paperback editions on eBay and adding them to the shelf!
Okay, so why am I telling you all this? Well, I wanted to catch you up and to let you know that I’ve been doing some personal work this summer that made me realize I was trying to make this newsletter into several things at once, and not at all was I actually practicing how to do all of said things individually. Or slowly. It all went sideways when I was trying to maintain a reading schedule with a weekly posting schedule and somehow do several podcast episodes in there!? What! Seriously, what was I thinking.
Which led me to understanding (after several months) that I have a tendency to do that in just about everything. Go all in, hog wild, balls to the wall, in it to win it, and then be just heartbroken and ashamed when it doesn’t work how I think it should because I haven’t practiced how to do any of the things one at a time and build a steady rhythm. You know, what every single expert on building skills and habits and talents has said for forever. This was applicable to all areas of my life and has been a serious revelation for me about how I tend to treat my time, hobbies, and interests. I’ve been working on it and in September I instituted some small changes, such as going for a walk every day, and keeping that one promise to myself. It’s been 34 straight days of a walk a day and I’m so proud of myself for sticking to it. In October its been about adding a gym routine in the mornings and yesterday was day two of that with a rest day today.
These small changes have been helping me to understand that hating myself into change isn’t sustainable and keeping promises to myself is vital. No matter how small. This has been a big part of this mental shift that I’m working on. Which I’m intending to carry over into this newsletter and my reading life as well.
Now about the books!
Having laid out the thought process and feelings from this past year to you, here now let me talk about the goods. I have a list of books I’d like to get through by the end of the year, definitely including the ones I listed in my February post as the big year reading plan. Yes, I know I didn’t keep to the plan, but I promised to read these specific ones and I will, plus a couple more, even if it wasn’t on the timeline I intended for. We have about three months until the end of the year and while some of these are chunky, monkey big books, most of them read quickly. Definitely not all, but most of them! Without further ado, the books:
First up, the fiction bundle.
Three of the four of these are perfect reads for heading into the autumn season. I have been wanting to read Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte since I read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte two years ago and even though I have read/heard/been told its a downer of a classic, I still want to see what all the fuss is about. Jane Eyre was an exquisite novel of bleakness and sorrow, so I feel as though it helped prepare me for this one. This is a fairly short read and I’m certain it will be enjoyed in the gloom of November.
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier has been catching my eye for years and I am thrilled that I’m finally going to get to read it. Every time I see a preview for a movie adaptation of this classic or another book that is based on its story, I think “oh I should see/read that!”. Well here we are and I am looking forward to it. I need some sad glamour in my life, if only to remind myself that all glamour doesn’t have to be that way! I am very curious to see how the book itself is written and then which film adaptation does it the most justice.
Now Perfume by Patrick Suskind is not on the original list, this is a recent used book purchase after stumbling into an online review. I started reading this last week and let me tell you, it’s creepy and 100% a horror read. I don’t read a lot of the horror genre and when I do, I’m looking for the intense plot lines they usually contain and less the graphic violence they can also contain. It’s probably why I tend to lean towards thrillers. This one though, well worth the buy, and already so, so creepy. The premise is essentially the story of a boy who is born with no scent, but he has an extraordinarily super sense of smell, and uses it first as a perfumer’s apprentice and then to commit murders. It’s based in late 1700s France and let me tell you, the smell descriptions are intense, to the point I might even use the word revolting. I am throughly intrigued and am looking forward to getting through this short read and reviewing it for you.
Last, but certainly not least, is the happiest of this fiction bunch Happy Place by Emily Henry. This is the latest published book by increasingly popular romance author Henry and I am grateful to have it in this slightly gloomy bunch because I know it will help lift the gloom. I have read non-spoiler reviews that have said this is a different kind of story then she usually writes, and that it can be a bit sad, but I’m curious to see for myself. If anyone has read her other three best sellers you know that her stories may be funny, romantic, and have the best banter imaginable, but the characters are not going through easy phases of their lives. Divorce, deaths of loved ones, ego-work, growing up, deciding what kind of relationships to have, career lows and highs, etc. I think it will be great to read this in October to bounce off these other gloomy reads.
The heavy hitting non-fiction bundle of the bunch! As you will recall I thought I was going to read The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shrier in a three month time frame. While looking back this is a chuckle worthy goal, it would have been possible if I wanted to read nothing else. Since that didn’t happen and I got very tired of hearing about Hitler’s egomaniacal rise through politics I took a break. I decided to read this on Audible along with the print version and I’m really glad I did, its well narrated and it helps the deep detail slog that Shrier has to put you through to help you understand the overall significance of Third Reich origins and history. I paused in the war timeline at the invasion into Poland in September of 1939 and I’m glad I did because its about the halfway point of the book. I think this will take me until the end of the year, but I will be glad to have finished it. It’s an incredible read for the quality of Shrier’s writing, his ease of sentence structure, and the importance of the subject matter.
From my original list is the classic memoir All Quiet on the Western Front by Enrich Maria Remarque. This is a short read, but by no means not a powerful one. I have heard from multiple people about the intensity of this author and his desire for you to understand the significance of the trauma of World War I. While I don’t think you can ever discount a solider or combat survivor’s story, I know that this is one of the most deeply compelling memoirs of the world wars. I am looking forward to being exposed to this one and then watching the most recent movie adaptation of the book that came out in 2022. The soundtrack for the film is haunting and gut wrenching and it won several oscars for both the score and the cinematography.
Also from the original list is the intimidating The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksander I. Solzhenitsyn. This is a book that I have started in the past and worked quite a ways through, but ultimately didn’t finish. Not necessarily because it is, how would you say, A LOT, but mainly because I didn’t take the time to really sit with it as you should. This is not an easy read, this is not a fly through, but this is important and valuable and it should sit with you long after your close the pages. I think this will go into the new year with me as a slower read and I am okay with that because I am finishing it this time. Here is the excerpt from the cover that I think sums it up well:
An Experiment in Literary Investigation. For years I have with reluctant heart withheld from publication this already completed book: my obligation to those still living outweighed my obligation to the dead. But now that State Security has seized the book anyway, I have no alternative but to publish it immediately.”
-The Author
To round us out is the historical narrative The First World War by Hew Strachan. This is a dense, fact laden read and its intent is to be historically accurate, but the writing is well done and helps you to understand the often confusing start to World War I. The choice to read this is brought on more by my desire to have a better understanding of the multitude of reasons behind the start of World War I. I think knowing how it affected the politics and cultural attitudes that led to such crises as the rise of the Nazi party and eventually World War II is something that can be difficult to grasp and I’d like to help myself understand better. This is going to be a slow read that I’m going to tackle on a weekly basis through the next couple of months and I anticipate being done by end of year.
Now we’re going to talk about the fantasy section of this list and I will of course be starting with the Lord of the Rings trilogy by one J.R.R. Tolkien. As you will recall I read The Hobbit earlier this year and absolutely loved it and the LOTR trilogy was my second choice in the Big, Bad Beefy books category after Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. Since the timeline was all a jumble because I did things out of order, I haven’t worked my way very far into The Fellowship of the Ring, but I am looking forward to getting back into it. I know there are many people who get all huffy about audio books and that its not “true reading”, but I will use these books as my favorite example of why I don’t think that’s true. In the last three years Audible has hired voice actor extraordinaire Andy Serkis to the recordings of the entire LOTR trilogy (as well as The Hobbit and The Silmarillion) and they are beyond excellent. As you’re probably aware Serkis is the actor behind the character Gollum in Peter Jackson’s movie adaptations of the trilogy and he is an incredible voice actor beyond just being able to do Gollum. He does the voices for the entire cast and brings the books to life in a way that really honors the beauty of Tolkien’s writing. I am loving listening to the audio version and going through the physical books at the same time. I can’t wait to enjoy these books over the next months and watch the extended versions of the Lord of the Rings in January with my book/movie club. What a dream.
Oh Michael J Sullivan and the grip he has on my heart. Now hear me out, I don’t actually have anything against this man and his outstanding talent in writing tales that maroon me on an island of emotion, BUT…. He does inspire me to have what I’ll call “long series avoidance syndrome” or LSAS. When you’re working your way through a substantial series and the author is doing a phenomenal job of keeping their promises and taking you on a journey, it’s lovely. However, fantasy authors have a tendency to do this thing where they give you a kernel of emotional vulnerability and revelation in chapter three of book one and then don’t talk about that specific incident again until chapter twelve of book five. Now I understand WHY they do it, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it!! So I’ll find myself in the middle of a book (like I am now in Book Three - Age of War) trying desperately to stall what will surely be emotional devastation that *could be* happening in the next chapter or four chapters ahead of that, really whose to know. Then I will look up and it’s been a month of me trying to avoid the journey I need to take to get to the next part. Sigh. Sullivan is a master at this and as I mentioned before, his Riyria Revelations trilogy will snag you, destroy you, and you’ll be happy about it.
The world of Elan that he has constructed is pure delight and now that I’ve LSAS’d long enough, I’m diving back in, and will keep you updated as I go along. Sullivan recently published the final book in the Rise and Fall trilogy, Esrahaddon, in audio and it comes out in print on December 5th. I’m in the Legends of the First Empire series currently (3/6) and have the first two in Rise and Fall ready to go. These are fast paced reads even with their length and I know as I get back into them, I will fly through them, so I just need to take a weekend afternoon and clear the calendar. Wish me luck and mental fortitude - the podcast review of this entire epic series will be shouty and long, I already know it.
If you’ve spent even one minute near Pinterest, an Instagram book influencer, on Booktok, or opened Youtube and typed “book” into the search bar you’ve come across Sarah J. Maas in one form or another. Most certainly her wildly popular A Court of Thorns and Roses series and its massive following of both lovers and haters. Plus her popular YA series Throne of Glass, which I have not read yet. What I find most interesting about her writing, the thing that made me like her so much, is how fun she made a big, giant fantasy story feel. Yes, there is a new universe and battles and thousands of years of history and mystery and yes, the spice and steam are there, however underneath all of that is a storyline that is interesting, engaging, and so much freaking fun to read. Her pacing keeps you in the story and that can be one of the hardest parts of a fantasy storyline. It’s because of picking ACOTAR off the shelves last year at my local bookstore and then diving headlong into the rest of the series immediately that I’m reading at the pace I am again. It’s because of reading ACOTAR that the weekly book/movie club I’m apart of got started and I can’t even imagine life now without Thursday nights and the Ladies of MEM.
All of that to say, reading her books is fun and I’m really looking forward to getting into this series, not just because its her adult fantasy series, but the third one is coming the end of January 2024. My sister has read this series and has been AFTER me to get to it. Apparently there is a plot twist of all twists coming and since fantasy series require an extreme “no spoilers” policy, I’m going to have to read it and find out. I’l keep you updated.
We’ve arrived, the final entries to my rest of year TBR and the result of my accidental wanderings through Audible this summer. Now to be transparent I was aware of Brandon Sanderson and I had both seen and heard of his books before I read any of them. He is one of the most well known of the fantasy author cadre for his prolific writing abilities, his love of teaching others how to be better writers, and for being chosen to finish the Wheel of Time series after author Robert Jordan passed away. Also, for having managed a Kickstarter campaign last year that raised over 40 million dollars by the end of the 30 day funding. I followed the news of this campaign and it really cemented for me that the notion of books, stories, and writers being a “dead and dying industry” is complete and total hogwash. People are hungry for books and stories and being included in the adventure - this was just one incident that has helped me understand the reality of it.
So into the universe of the Cosmere I went and my vehicle of choice was The Way of Kings which is the first book in the The Stormlight Archive series. Sanderson has several book series and his Mistborn trilogy is super popular, but Stormlight just called my name. I bought the audiobook and immediately was hooked into the storyline and ordered the physical copy to follow along as well as the rest of the series. eBay used bookstores win again! I would highly recommend getting at least the first one in a physical copy, because the illustrations are lovely and the way it’s designed is helpful for understanding the story. The book is laid out with certain entries that are more easily understood if you can see them versus just hear them. Sanderson is a master storyteller and this story is not for the faint of heart - these books are thicc (with two c’s) at over 1,000 pages and there is generous world building and details. But his characters. Oh his characters. And the storyline progress. Oh man it’s so good. It’s multi layered and thrilling and sad and so exciting and scary and an absolute journey.
If you listen to any of the lectures he gives on creative writing for fantasy he talks about being willing to stick to the promise you give the reader and to allow the payoff to happen and he 1,000% sticks the landing on these. He also talks about not being afraid to lose a reader when you want to tell a story a certain way and let me tell you, this first book will make you understand what he means. He’s such a good story crafter that he spends a great deal of The Way of Kings giving you details and world knowledge and political intrigue and just when you’re about to lose your mind from nothing moving forward, BAM. Action sequence! Scintillating dialogue! Emotional distress! Poor decisions! History revealed! Relationships forged! The pacing is truly unbelievable and I’m really grateful to authors who gave me high expectations for fantasy and how the story should feel as you move through it.
I’m currently about a quarter of the way through the second book, Words of Radiance, and it’s moving at a quicker pace right out of the gate and I’m enjoying this immensely. I haven’t quite decided how I want to talk about these books since writing about them means I will more than likely be quite wordy (as evidenced here). Maybe it would be better to do a podcast episode? Regardless, be prepared for in depth discussions as I work my way through these first four books for the rest of the year and wait with great impatience as he is currently working on finishing number five. This is also due to be a ten book series. Lord help us.
PHEW! We did it! I have missed writing about books and having a reading schedule that kept me on track. I’m so looking forward to investing more in this space this fall as I talk about and review what I’m reading and write more personal essays here and there as well. There is something to be said about the discipline of consistency and what it does for your self-confidence and belief in your skills and abilities. I’m appreciating that very much in my current season of life and how to apply it to this space without letting myself get run away with complicated ideas and plans. Thank you for your patience with me as I figure out what I want this space to be for myself and what I want it to be for you. I have big dreams and ambitions for Huskybleu, but right now I’m choosing simple and staying steady. That is enough.
If you’ve read this far on this ridiculously long essay, I thank you. You’ve done a real service. I’m so glad you’re here.
XOXO
-Elea