Turn The Page ... Tuesday

Series & Sequels

My book club decided that we needed to branch out a bit - read something that wasn't our norm - something sci-fi-ish-fantasy-ish. Enter The Name of the Wind. Enter another book that I couldn't put down. Here's Amazon:

"This is the riveting first-person narrative of Kvothe, a young man who grows to be one of the most notorious magicians his world has ever seen. From his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, to years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-riddled city, to his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that transports readers into the body and mind of a wizard."

Oh boy. We only chose the first book to read for our book club but I couldn't just stop there - I had to know what happened to Kvothe - does he survive (well, I soon found out it was a trilogy of which the 3rd book has yet to be written so I guess it's safe to say that up to this point he has ;-P ) - does he get the girl - does he get revenge? I was really surprised how I was sucked into this fantasy world.

When I began book two The Wise Man's Fear I had no idea that the time elapsed between book one and book two was 4 years - FOUR years! Book two was just released ~ I hope I don't have to wait that long for the last installment! Here's what Amazon says:

"In The Wise Man's Fear, Kvothe searches for answers, attempting to uncover the truth about the mysterious Amyr, the Chandrian, and the death of his parents. Along the way, Kvothe is put on trial by the legendary Adem mercenaries, forced to reclaim the honor of his family, and travels into the Fae realm. There he meets Felurian, the faerie woman no man can resist, and who no man has ever survived...until Kvothe.

Now, Kvothe takes his first steps on the path of the hero and learns how difficult life can be when a man becomes a legend in his own time"

Bonus Book

Please Look After Mom somehow ended up on my radar and my library had it as an ebook so I checked it out. This book reminded my of The Good Earth. The way to story flowed and the values of the characters really lets you escape to another culture; one so different than our American ways. Here's Amazon:

"When sixty-nine-year-old So-nyo is separated from her husband among the crowds of the Seoul subway station, her family begins a desperate search to find her. Yet as long-held secrets and private sorrows begin to reveal themselves, they are forced to wonder: how well did they actually know the woman they called Mom?

Told through the piercing voices and urgent perspectives of a daughter, son, husband, and mother, Please Look After Mom is at once an authentic picture of contemporary life in Korea and a universal story of family love."

I appreciated this book because it was so different from what I usually read. Before having children I worked with seniors and always found the family dynamics fascinating. If that is attractive to you and you didn't put down Pearl S. Buck before finishing then you might just enjoy Please Look After Mom.

Now don't be shy! What have you read?