What I'm Reading
The Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson
As the fourth book in an allegedly five part series this one has been a pleasant surprise so far. I found the third book to be….well, it was there. It tried. Mostly my patience but I digress. One excruciatingly cringe moment in the opening sequence aside and this entry has been as smooth as butter. Things are rolling along nicely with some very interesting questions that could be answered. I am left, however, with the nagging suspicion that several story beats are continuations of ones that began in a companion novel, and that very notion irks the beejeezus outta me. Quirks aside I’m half way through and find myself burning the midnight oil to keep reading so I wouldn’t expect the back half to survive the week (I just hope it manages to stick the landing and set up the “grand finale”)
Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young
Magic. Romance. MURDER? The perfect little apertif before Halloween this novel tells the story of two long lost lovers finding one another on a small island in the Pacific northwest where old sins come to light. Recommended by a friend who isn’t named Aaron I’m sure this one will be a pleasant read. I’ve been told there’s magic but it simultaneously does and does not play a big role in the story so…going to have to dive into this one to find out just what that means. I’m not averse to enjoying a modern fantasy setting and I used to live out there so, hey, why not? If done properly this could be just the thing to be reading for the spooky season.
The Lost Bank by Kirsten Grind
Not fiction but still a horror story of sorts, this book chronicles the fall of Washington Mutual which until recently was an outlier in terms of financial disasters. More and more institutions seem to be lining up to repeat past mistakes and, well, I’m a nerd. Finance, history, AND drama? Shit, just pour the bourbon already so we can begin the intellectual discussion you tease. Don’t know how smooth of a read it’ll be but I’m sure it’ll be interesting (if horrifying).