Matt started reading The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan (The Wheel of Time, #4)

The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan (The Wheel of Time, #4)
The fourth novel in one of the most influential fantasy series of all time - now also a major TV …
Fiction reader - primarily cosy crime, mystery, suspense, and thrillers, but open to anything good.
Not really interested in non-fiction - the world is already enough itself without having to read about it!
I always review my reads, and I make sure to always add them fully onto bookwyrm's database. :)
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43% complete! Matt has read 13 of 30 books.
The fourth novel in one of the most influential fantasy series of all time - now also a major TV …
This is a book that was recommended to me by my therapist, owing to the problems that I was having with life. It is most likely a combination of therapy and the desire to change/improve that had me reading this book.
The title of this review is deliberately provocative - we see so many things that say they're the 'cure' to things, and every single time we scoff at them because it's so not true, we have this problem and the only thing that can 'cure' this problem is for all of our problems to be fixed, for us to have what we currently do not have, and so on.
But is it true?
I realised recently that I've been going about life judging myself and defining myself not by what I have, but rather what I don't have. I don't have lots of friends, therefore I am a failure. …
This is a book that was recommended to me by my therapist, owing to the problems that I was having with life. It is most likely a combination of therapy and the desire to change/improve that had me reading this book.
The title of this review is deliberately provocative - we see so many things that say they're the 'cure' to things, and every single time we scoff at them because it's so not true, we have this problem and the only thing that can 'cure' this problem is for all of our problems to be fixed, for us to have what we currently do not have, and so on.
But is it true?
I realised recently that I've been going about life judging myself and defining myself not by what I have, but rather what I don't have. I don't have lots of friends, therefore I am a failure. I don't go out each week socialising, therefore nobody likes me. I don't have people reaching out to me, therefore I am simply unforgettable. There is no happiness to be had until I have these things.
However, this book (and by extension, my therapy) taught me that we need to stop thinking like this - and make a conscious decision to actually do so. By doing so, we realise that what we have is actually worth having, and there is a happiness in the ordinary things we do, see, hear, and feel.
Consider the people you know that you like - do you judge them by what they don't have, or do you judge them by what they have (which you also probably want)? The people you're thinking of probably also aren't necessarily happy, but you only see what they have and figure they have a decent lot in life.
This book gives extremely relateable anecdotes, stories, and studies to help us see that how we externally judge others (which is generally done with kindness, compared to ourselves) is how we need to start judging and treating ourselves. Catherine Gray herself is also supremely funny throughout the book, and I couldn't help just feeling a sort of happiness at the enjoyment of the ordinary things - because when you see them written down, you realise those are good, happy things, and they are present in your life too.
So, is this book the cure to depression and anxiety? Not really, but it's a great tool to help you overcome them, and the path to overcoming depression and anxiety is not to have our problems fixed - that's probably not possible - but rather to make peace with them and be grateful for what we do have, which surprisingly, is a lot more than you probably think you do.
Ordinary. Average. Normal.
The everyday is the wall-to-wall humdrum we seek to upgrade, like a fifties carpet we long to …
This was an interesting read.
Initially, I found this book a little hard to get into - things just... happen, but you're never really explained what anything is in the world or how it works. What are the Houses? What's the Ninth House? What exactly is this whole system that's going on?
However, things were intriguing enough that I kept chugging along despite having literally no clue what was happening or how anything worked, and about halfway through the book, everything starts falling into place and you really start to feel for the characters and the world. The characters are all well-rounded and likeable (even the assholes), and by the end of the book you just can't help but feel things for the events that transpire in this book, and you'll end up buying the rest of the series for sure.
THE MOST FUN YOU'LL EVER HAVE WITH A SKELETON
THE EMPEROR NEEDS NECROMANCERS
THE NINTH NECROMANCER NEEDS A SWORDSWOMAN.
GIDEON …
THE MOST FUN YOU'LL EVER HAVE WITH A SKELETON
THE EMPEROR NEEDS NECROMANCERS
THE NINTH NECROMANCER NEEDS A SWORDSWOMAN.
GIDEON …
If you're already on book 3, there's not much more to say.
It's more or less more of the same, more exposition, more world building, more secrets, more character building, and a continuation of the so-called Prophecies.
This book finally gives some other characters introduced earlier some spotlight, most notably Mat, which was great to finally see what he was capable of, although admittedly he did feel like a bit of a Mary Sue, but perhaps there will be explanations for that in the future.
The third novel in one of the most influential fantasy series of all time - now also a major TV …
The third novel in one of the most influential fantasy series of all time - now also a major TV …
We Solve Murders is a great read. The detective duo is unlikely, but very loveable, and the book always keeps pace that it's hard to put down.
The introspective moments always hit hard, and you always feel for the characters and can't help rooting for them.
Highly recommended for anyone who is a fan of detective fiction / thrillers.
Solving murders. It's a family business.
Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He still does the odd bit of investigation …
I'm assuming you've read The Eye of the World if you're reading this.
After book 1 with over 600 pages of nothing happening, everything starts to happen in this book.
There's plenty of page turning plots in this book, and Jordan is not afraid of making the main characters suffer.
Loial is also part of a lot of this book and we all love Loial.
All in all, this book was a great read and recommended if you managed to finish Eye of the World.
Solving murders. It's a family business.
Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He still does the odd bit of investigation …
The second novel in one of the most influential fantasy series of all time - now also a major TV …