Showing posts with label Fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fantasy. Show all posts

Sunday, November 1, 2020

C-SPL Reader of the Month: Courtney Chaffee

About Courtney

I am a musician, a bowler, a photographer, a lover, and a friend. My passions vary widely, but are all art-centered and I include reading as an art. I play trombone with a lot of local groups, bowl in league weekly, and love taking photos on nature hikes.

Fun Book Fact: in middle school my group (which changed yearly) went to district “Battle of the Books” all three years.

I’m always open to reading suggestions and I try to pick up at least one book per reader that’s featured. Some of them included in my lists are books that were suggested to me or book club picks. Books are food for the brain and just like when you’re eating, you’ll never know if you like it if you don’t even try it.


(See the past Reader of the Month posts here) 


Q & A with Courtney

Q. Can you tell us about your reading interests in general? 

A. Anyone who knows me now would have difficulty believing I used to hate reading. I’m rarely seen without a book, more often than not it’s multiple books. I’m a frequent commenter/poster on the library’s Facebook, am featured on their banner, have been on their blog, and now I’m a Reader of the Month! My level of dedication to reading this year increased when I said I was making Diamond Level on the Great Reading Challenge - no matter what. I now have a blog called “The Book Nook by CC-Liz” where I post reading updates regarding the challenge and book reviews. I have already achieved my goal for this year! I’m attempting to challenge myself even more by branching out and reading things that are outside my norm. I’ve worked my way into the nonfiction realm and have been reading memoirs, essay compilations, and studies on different topics. I have let the questions that come from reading guide me to my next topic. I still keep one foot in the fantasy waters though. Right now I am listening to the “Wheel of Time” series by Robert Jordan, while reading a bunch of psychology-heavy books.

Q. What is the best book you have read within the last year (or ever)?

A. This is a hard question. I have to break it down by genre or collection type anytime I am asked. The best fiction book that I’ve read in 2020 is The Alice Network by Kate Quinn, while the best fictional audiobook I’ve listened to in 2020 is Rosemary & Rue by Seanan McGuire narrated by Mary Robinette Kowal.

The best book I’ve ever read is an impossible question to answer. The audiobook that elicited the largest reaction from me was Me Before You by Jojo Moyes read by Susan Lyons (mainly, there are multiple narrators). My favorite book of all time is forever going to be the “Harry Potter” series, with the Prisoner of Azkaban as my favorite one.

Q. What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?

A. There’s two environments that are perfect for reading, it just depends which I’m in the mood for. The first one is outside, anywhere in nature. I can be lying in my hammock, sitting in the woods, feet in the water, wherever. As long as I am surrounded by nature, I am happy.

The other perfect reading environment is snuggled in a blanket in some sort of nook/corner with a warm beverage. Bonus points for each animal I have trying to distract me from my reading (one cat and two dogs).

Q. What book are you most excited about reading next, and what about it is most exciting?

A. I can’t answer this. I rarely know what I am reading next. I have a really long TBR (To Be Read) list, but I just pick and choose. A lot of the time I will walk into the library and look at the displays; then next thing you know I’m walking out with 8 books, none of which were my original plan. I do the same with eBooks, I will look at what is available now and choose one from there. Yes, I use the hold feature A LOT for titles that interest me, but I can’t really say there’s a single book that I am just waiting for on the edge of my seat.

Q. What book do you think more people should read, and why do you think they should read it?

A. I wouldn't suggest a single book because everyone’s tastes are different and my reading style now, isn’t what it was last year. I curate my advice to the person. If you’re looking for a young reader novel then the “Ranger’s Apprentice” series. A romance? Any book by Jojo Moyes or Nicholas Sparks. Fantasy? Rosemary & Rue, J.R.R. Tolkien, or "Harry Potter." Empowering? Girl Up by Lindsey Bates. I can go on and on for each genre (except a few nonfiction topics maybe….).

Q. What book has been the most challenging for you to read? How did it challenge you?

A. After reading memoirs and first person stories of survivors of violence: sexual assault, domestic violence, war, etc. I found a fictional tale on those topics to be really difficult. My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell for example. Her writing style is nice, but I struggled with a fictional telling of grooming and abuse after reading cases like the Larry Nassar trials or Weinstein. I actually advise against this book and would steer a person towards the memoirs/nonfiction titles.

Emotionally the most challenging was listening to Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. I had a bottle of wine and a bar of dark chocolate alongside me when I got to the last third of that novel. She had me bawling like a baby, but I couldn’t stop listening. It was intriguing!

Q. When do you decide to stop reading a book? In other words, do you read every book to the last page, or is there a moment when you decide to stop?

A. Stopping a book is really difficult for me. Once I’m invested in it, I almost always finish it. If the book was suggested to me I tend to try even harder to finish it. There are a few that after a chapter or two I wasn’t hooked and I quit, but that is fairly rare.

Q. Do you remember when your love for reading began?

A. My love of reading actually started in elementary school (kindergarten to second grade area). Shout-out to the best teacher I ever had: Mrs. Resch. Without that woman, I would not be the reader I am today. I used to hate reading and was actually considered ‘behind’ the curve. My parents put me in a summer school course and BOOM, I’m never seen without a book anymore. Mrs. Resch inspired my reading and pushed me along. She took my love of raccoons and used it to help me read, my favorite children’s book will forever be The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. I have multiple copies in multiple formats and languages, as well as my original copy still. 

Check out Courtney Chaffee's book list! 

Apply to be the next C-SPL Reader of the Month!

Thursday, October 1, 2020

C-SPL Reader of the Month: Ryan Bankson

About Ryan

Ryan Bankson is a Library Assistant in the Circulation department at Carnegie-Stout Public Library and an infantry captain with the Iowa Army National Guard. He enjoys wandering around his haunted mansion, messing around in the woods, and devouring any book in sight.

Q & A with Ryan 

Q. What is the best book you have read within the last year (or ever)? 

A. Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts. I'm a lifelong student of military history and Napoleon has been my personal hero for as long as I can remember. Roberts' comprehensive biography of the great soldier-statesman is the best of the many that I've read over the years. It's quite the tome, but readers cannot help but be amazed by Napoleon's accomplishments. 

Q. What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?

A. In fair weather you'll find me on my porch with a book on my lap and cooler full of beer nearby. When the winter weather drives me inside, I do my reading in my chair in the study with a glass of brandy at hand. 

Q. What book are you most excited about reading next, and what about it is most exciting?  

A. I'm excited for Joe Abercrombie's latest, The Trouble with Peace. This is to be the second in a new trilogy from this master of Grimdark fantasy. What's the Grimdark fantasy subgenre you ask? Think George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. These action-packed low fantasy novels feature a lot of 'gray areas' characters–not all good or all evil, black or white. Abercrombie's characters are morally ambivalent with mixed motivations, plenty of snark, and action-packed, fast-moving plots. If this sounds appealing to you, I recommend The Blade Itself, the first in Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy.
 
Q. What book do you think more people should read, and why do you think they should read it?  

A. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I enjoy novels that explore themes of immortality, and this classic from the prolific Oscar Wilde really makes the reader think about the cost of eternal youth.
 
Q. When do you decide to stop reading a book? In other words, do you read every book to the last page, or is there a moment when you decide to stop?   

A. If I decide that a book isn't worth my time, I cast it aside to be returned to the library without a second thought. This could be within a few sentences, a few chapters, or after I've slogged through half of the book. One of the best things about having a library card is that you're not on the hook for the cost of the book if it isn't a good match for you. Your friendly neighborhood library has thousands more, all available for free.  
 
Q. Do you remember when your love for reading began? 

A. I started devouring Goosebumps, Strange Matter, and Spooksville books when I was in early elementary school, later gravitating to Harry Potter, The Wheel of Time, and A Song of Ice and Fire when I was older. As long as I've been able to read independently, I've been a voracious reader with very disparate tastes.

Check out Ryan Bankson's Favorites book list! 

Apply to be the next C-SPL Reader of the Month!

Saturday, April 18, 2020

There's a Snake on My Book!

Librarians spend a lot of their time with books. Reading about books, organizing books, purchasing books, thinking about books. When you spend that much time with books you start to notice patterns. Similar titles, similar stories, similar covers.










~Sarah, adult services

Thursday, January 2, 2020

C-SPL Reader of the Month: Evan Quade

https://catalog.dubuque.lib.ia.us/cgi-bin/koha/opac-shelves.pl?op=view&shelfnumber=1819When not reading, our first C-SPL Reader of the Month for 2020, Evan Quade, writes poems, sings karaoke, and drinks coffee in just about every café he finds. He also works at a car dealership and is admin to the Facebook group, BookAholic Café.


(See the past Reader of the Month posts here)

Evan's Reading Interests

Read beyond your vision. That is my invented philosophy related to books. You control the image the story lays out. It is your journey and yours alone. This is why I love fantasy! I'll read other genres too, but fantasy really sparks my imagination.

Q & A with Evan

Q. What is the best book you have read within the last year (or ever)?

A. The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho! It teaches everyone who reads it to be their own kind of original— “a personal legend,” as the book puts it.

Q. What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?

A. When not reading in the comfort of my reading corner at home, I like reading surrounded by nature or at a café. I like ambience or gentle, soothing music (whether by piano, guitar, harp, or flute).

Q. What book are you most excited about reading next and what about it is most exciting?

A. The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson from The Stormlight Archive series. The series is part of an interconnected universe known as the Cosmere and offers the ultimate developed magic system. They are huge books, but worth it. Don't let the page length intimidate you!

Q. What book do you think more people should read and why do you think they should read it?

A. Go with books by Brandon Sanderson. I can bug every reader about that. He has the talent of world building, well-constructed characters, and of course different magic elements. If you are a fantasy nut, it's right up your alley. If you don't want to jump right into his lengthier books, you can start small. My personal starting book was Mistborn. Carnegie Stout Public Library's Geek Out! Book Club read that during 2019, so shout out to the host and librarian, Angie, for picking that one!

Q. What book has been the most challenging for you to read? How did it challenge you?

A. The Dark Artifices trilogy by Cassandra Clare. They are a sequel to The Mortal Instruments series. There was a new story line and a new set of characters, but familiar elements from the previous series were cluttered and made the three books big and chunky. I enjoyed them, don't get me wrong, but they took a lot of hard work.

Q. When do you decide to stop reading a book? (In other words, do you read every book to the last page, or is there a moment when you decide to stop?)

A. It really depends. It depends what your inner vibe tells you and whether the vision of the story is bright and clear. I am a curious person and always want to know the whole story.

Q. Do you remember when your love for reading began?

A. When I discovered Harry Potter. I was a little boy when the first book in the series and I crossed paths, and now here I am a lifetime reader, thanks to these revolutionary books. I was born to be a reader.

Check out more of Evan's Favorite Books 

Apply to be the next C-SPL Reader of the Month!

Monday, December 2, 2019

C-SPL Reader of the Month: Tori Stanley

https://catalog.dubuque.lib.ia.us/cgi-bin/koha/opac-shelves.pl?op=view&shelfnumber=1782&sortfield=titleWith 2019 coming to a close, we have one final C-SPL Reader of the Month for the year, but no worries, there will be more in 2020! Tori Stanley is a dental assistant and part-time clinical instructor at NICC in the dental assisting program. Besides reading, Tori loves crafting—especially bookish objects and home and holiday decor.

(See the past C-SPL Reader of the Month blog posts here.)

Tori's Reading Interests

I love fantasy and science fiction (YA and adult), horror, thrillers, and dystopian novels. I tend to stick with authors that I really like and other books they recommend. I love reading about characters trying to change their worlds for the better, when their worlds are colorful, crazy, and slightly different than our own, and I LOVE it when a character is morally gray. About two years ago, I ventured out into the world and went to my first Geek Out Book Club at Carnegie-Stout Public Library and it is something that I fell in love with and found a great friend in too. I love that the club pushes me to read different books that I might of just passed up on a regular basis. I also help on a Facebook book club as an admin creating events and discussions with people from all over the world.

Q&A with Tori

Q. What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?

A. Snacks. I need all the snacks. I love candy (especially milk duds—yes I know they’re bad for your teeth), popcorn, ice cream, and chocolate. I also enjoy a glass of green tea in the morning and a beer at night (but those aren’t necessary). I can typically read with or without music. BUT if I had to choose, I love reading any kind of fantasy novel while listening to The Lord of the Rings soundtrack (this will change your reading life).

Q. What book are you most excited about reading next and what about it is most exciting?

A. I am most excited about reading Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Their writing is fantastic. It’s YA science fiction. This band of misfits will make you fall in love with them and then rip your heart out. The first book, Aurora Rising, was one of my favorite books of the year. 

Q. What book do you think more people should read and why do you think they should read it?

A. Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1). Everyone should read this. It’s YA science fiction, but I have not had a single person tell me they didn’t love this series. The style of the book is something I’ve never seen before and the audiobook is to die for. I’m not a fan of audiobooks, but this changed my life: it has a full cast and the most amazing sound effects. It is totally worth the read, even if you aren’t a fan of YA or science fiction.

Q. What book has been the most challenging for you to read? How did it challenge you?
 
A. The most challenging book for me to read was All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover. It’s romance. Romance books are a tough one for me to swallow. A friend recommended it to me for my “read something you wouldn’t normally read” challenge. I won’t lie, I didn’t want to read it. I got it and would pick it up, just to put it back down. But once I finally started it, I fell in love. The book was incredibly real, broke my heart, then put it back together. The writing style was amazing. And now, I recommend it to everyone.

Q. When do you decide to stop reading a book? (In other words, do you read every book to the last page, or is there a moment when you decide to stop?)
 
A. Typically I like to finish books in one or two days, but life sometimes gets in the way. I try to read before bed every night so I have to be careful to watch the clock and not read all night. I have to stop at the end of chapters. It’s bothersome to have to stop reading in the middle of a chapter-it’s like nails on a chalkboard. If the book doesn't interest me, my reading motto is simple: life is too short to read books you don’t enjoy.

Q. Do you remember when your love for reading began?
 
A. I always enjoyed reading. The library where I grew up had great reading challenges that I loved to complete. The day I fell in love is easy to remember. It was my birthday in 1998. My aunt gave me Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. That’s the first night I pulled an all-nighter to finish a book. I fell in love with the characters and the world. And then of course with reading.



Check out more of Tori's Favorite Books

Apply to be the next C-SPL Reader of the Month!

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

June is Audiobook Month: Speculative Fiction

June is Audiobook Month! To celebrate, borrow a Science Fiction audiobook from Carnegie-Stout Public Library's collection. Here are a few recent titles of science fiction and fantasy that you might enjoy:

The Black Prism by Brent Weeks
Brent Weeks writes dark and gritty fantasy novels. The Black Prism is the suspenseful first book in his Lightbringer series about the growing threat of war and the complicated ties of family and politics. The audiobook is produced by Graphic Audio, and includes a full cast of narrators and sound effects giving it the feel of a modern radio drama.



Indexing by Seanan McGuire
Seanan McGuire writes whimsical, yet gritty, urban fantasies with intriguing world-building and colorful characters. Indexing explores a world where fairy tales have the potential to become very real and dangerous. The ATI Management Bureau attempts to keep the world safe. Mary Robinette Kowal skillfully narrates by providing distinctive character voices and accents.



The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
Joe Abercrombie is known for writing fantasy stories filled with adventure, gritty violence, and sex. His writing is sometimes referred to as “grimdark fantasy,” and will appeal to fans of Game of Thrones. The Blade Itself is the first in a series filled with dark humor and less-than-honorable protagonists. Steven Pacey’s audiobook narration provides impressively distinct character voices.



Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer
This is historian Ada Palmer’s thought-provoking first novel. Too Like the Lightning takes the philosophies of the 18th century Enlightenment and creates a distant science-fictional future. Jefferson Mays narrates the audiobook and he provides distinct voices for the various characters.

Monday, June 3, 2019

C-SPL Reader of the Month: Bill Carroll

Adult Services Manager Bill Carroll has been selected as C-SPL Reader of the Month for June. Here he's shared what kind of books offer him the best kind of escapism and shows what has most influenced who he is today.

Q. Can you tell us about your reading interests in general?

A. In general, I enjoy reading books to escape. I enjoy graphic novels and sci-fi and fantasy. On the other hand, you’ll also find me reading current non-fiction science books, particularly in geology or biology. I think reading is important to escape life for a little while, and for me, it is a different form of entertainment outside of sitting in front of a TV. Interestingly, I’m a sucker for books about maps too. I’m not talking travel books per se, just books about how to create, read, interpret, enjoy, or use maps.

Q. What is the best book you have read within the last year?

A. The best book I have read over the last year is Zucked: Waking up to the Facebook Catastrophe by Roger McNamee. I think this is an eye-opening look at tech giants and how they collect and store user information. All of us that are connected frequently agree to user terms and agreements without really examining what we are agreeing to. McNamee gives an insider look into the realities of our online lives.

Q. What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?

A. My ideal reading condition is quietly in bed after a long day. If the book is a real page turner, I can be comfy just about anywhere!

Q. What book are you most excited about reading next and what about it is most exciting?

The next book I am most excited to read is New York Times best seller The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by David Wallace-Wells. This is exciting because the author pairs reputable scientific data with real world possibilities and outcomes that impact human beings across the planet. I anticipate this will be a grim read regarding climatological disasters yet unseen to us. At the same time, I am hopeful this book will be able to provide some level of hope to all that read it that these potential disasters might yet be averted.

Q. What book do you think more people should read and why do you think they should read it?

A. I think more people should read, and then re-read as an adult, 1984 by George Orwell. This classic resonates for me today even more than it did when I first read it back in high school. This literary masterpiece is a reminder of who our society was, is, and potentially, where it may go in the future.

Q. When do you decide to stop reading a book? (In other words, do you read every book to the last page, or is there a moment when you decide to stop?)

A. This can be different for each and every book! Generally, I’ll stop reading a book after trying to get through the first quarter of the book and it has not engaged me (yes, I actually count the total pages and divide by four). The great thing about the library is if I am not enjoying the book I checked out, there are always thousands more to choose from that will likely better hold my interest.

Q. Do you remember when your love for reading began?

A. My love for reading began in high school. The first book that got me addicted was Terry BrooksThe Sword of Shannara. The book is a fantasy book similar in style and story to JRR Tolkien. I’ve been a reader ever since.

Check out more of Bill's Favorite Books!

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See the past C-SPL Reader of the Month blog posts here.

Want to be the next C-SPL Reader of the Month? Apply here.

Monday, April 1, 2019

C-SPL Reader of the Month: Luke Vorwald


https://catalog.dubuque.lib.ia.us/cgi-bin/koha/opac-shelves.pl?op=view&shelfnumber=1450&sortfield=title
April's C-SPL Reader of the Month is a paralegal, avid D&D player, and frequent library user. Luke Vorwald has been gracious enough to share all about his reading interests, the best snacks to accompany a book, and—if you're not getting into a story—what page number it's safe to call it quits.

Luke's Reading Interests  


I tend to lean towards fantasy and sci-fi as my go-to genres of books and novels. Rather seldom will I pick up a biography or a book on real-world history. For me, it's all about the story. If the book doesn’t have an interesting narrative, it will get a hard pass from yours truly. In my humble opinion, I get plenty of real-world experience in my adult day-to-day, and while that is important, I would rather spend what precious little free time I have reading something I wouldn't otherwise experience. The same for me is true with video games; why would I play a golfing video game (an extremely achievable real-world act), when I could be shooting dragons out of the sky with lightning bolts?

However, I have been branching out into some non-fiction work, although they would be more on the fantastical side. Books on the paranormal, cults, and lesser-known history are of particular interest to me. Even when it comes to “real world” stories, I love to be astounded and amazed.

I also spend a fair deal of my reading time on published Role Playing Games books, especially Dungeons and Dragons material. While not a traditional book one might use for casual reading, I find these books contain some amazing stories and ideas; furthermore, these books contain amazing stories and ideas you can actually participate in. Playing an RPG with other folks through the vehicle of these books is the closest one can come to actually experiencing and affecting the same stories we love to read. With the support of books such as these, we are able to create our very own version of The Hobbit by living as our very own personal Gandalf. I also enjoy D&D books on a separately nerdy level, being that I love their lore and world building. I really geek out on knowing the ins and outs of different cosmologies, creation stories, magic systems, and rules that come along with these worlds. This gives me more street cred when talking with other nerds.

To me, that which is not real is just as important as that which is real. Works of fiction are both tools to learn from to prepare ourselves for reality, as well as an extension of reality itself. Our species has been given the unique capability of living in both the real and the fictional, so it would be a shame if we didn’t exercise that capacity.

  • “Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot.”
    ― Neil Gaiman, Dream Country

  • “The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.”
    ― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings


Q & A with Luke

Q. What is the best book you have read within the last year (or ever)?

A. Within the past year, I would have to give it to What the Hell Did I Just Read? by David Wong. I checked that book out on a whim (which is something I normally don’t do as I always have a large “to read” pile), and I was so pleased when I finished it. It was the first horror novel I had read in a long time to actual make me feel fear.

As for Ever… the choice is very difficult, but ultimately it has to be American Gods by Neil Gaiman. That novel was probably the most influential story I had ever read. I discovered it my first year on my own away from home in college, and it not only resonated with much of my core beliefs, but also helped to form new ones.

Q. What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?

A. Location: On my sectional in my living room, on the bed in my upstairs bedroom, a big comfy chair in a library, my futon in my old bedroom at my dad’s house, by the man-made pond of the Waterloo KOA, or on the bench under that huge oak tree on the corner of North West Arterial and JFK. During the fall, preferably.

Sound: Either rustling leaves or those long videos on YouTube of post-rock albums with no lyrics. I could also deal with some of those long lo-fi atmospheric videos as well.

Snacks: York Peppermint Patties, beef jerky, belVita blueberry crackers, Crown Royal Apple, some Stone Cliff wine, and a glass of milk. Not all at the same time though.

Q. What book are you most excited about reading next and what about it is most exciting?

A. I am most excited to read Fire and Blood by George R. R. Martin. I had finished A Dance with Dragons on this most recent Thanksgiving, and I am jonesing for more Ice and Fire. For me, as well as pretty much all the other fans of his work, I love to piece together the subtle connections Martin works into the story, as well as realizing how he takes classic fantasy tropes and filters them through a lens of realism.

I’m also pumped for The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited by the McElroys, which I believe is to be released this year. Those good boys are just too funny and make content with a lot of heart.

Lastly, Jim Butcher, please will you finish and publish Peace Talks? Pretty please???

Q. What book has been the most challenging for you to read? How did it challenge you?

A. The book that challenged me the most would have to have been Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. As you can tell by the majority of the books provided as my favorites in the attached list, I primarily read fantasy and sci-fi. This book, however, is a western, and a very lengthy one at that. I decided to read it as the 4-part made-for-TV mini-series has a very special place in my heart, thanks to growing up watching it with my family. Lonesome Dove was such a challenge for me due to its lack of familiarity. There were no dragons, no vampires, and no magic systems to learn. The demons and monsters the protagonists faced came in the form of other men and from within themselves. This book is about as raw as it gets in terms of what it means to be human. While I had to completely readjust how I view a novel while reading it, I enjoyed it all the more for doing so.

Q. When do you decide to stop reading a book? (In other words, do you read every book to
the last page, or is there a moment when you decide to stop?)

A. A wise man once told me that in order to determine when it is ok to give up on a book, one must take 100 minus your age. The result is the page at which you can truly determine if the book is not for you and can toss it over your shoulder. I will admit I have not always followed this method, and I have given up on a book before the end. There have been times when I read books all the way through, only to find the rewarding lesson at the end was that I wasted my time. It seems to me I could have been using my precious reading time on books I actually would enjoy.

However, it's still worth giving books their fair shake. The Way of Kings was a bit of a rough go for me until about page 800 (out of approx. 1,200) when I first read it, but I am so glad I finished it (and all of the books that follow it).

However, if you don’t want to use the method I provided above, you could always use the Luke Vorwald Method: your heart will tell you when to raise the white flag. 


Check out  Luke's Favorite Reads for a list of books in the library catalog!