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Saturday, December 31, 2016

2016 Book List

2016 Book List

At the end of every year I create a post from the year's readings. I like wrapping it up this way, with a few thoughts packaging up a specific section of time, and yes, a specific goal.  Every year I pledge to read 52 books, and once again I fell short in 2016 (17).  As usual, I have a number of things I could blame, but my key take-away this year is that I didn't make a plan to succeed.

I love to run, not as much because of the running, but because of the success I feel for having planned, trained, and completed a goal.  Well, this year I aim to approach my reading more like a marathon. I am going to make a plan, and follow it as best I can, and lets see if I don't get closer in 2017!

#BookAuthorCompleted
1What the Most Successful People Do Before BreakfastLaura VanderkamJanuary 6
2Shadows of SelfBrandon SandersonJanuary 20
3A Crown of SwordsRobert JordanFebruary 9
4The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de ZoetDavid MitchellMarch 23
5FirefightBrandon SandersonApril 3
6CalamityBrandon SandersonApril 10
7The Path of DaggersRobert JordanApril 30
8The Name of the WindPatrick RothfussMay 30
9The Bands of MourningBrandon SandersonJune 19
10A Man Called OveFredrik BackmanJuly 24
11Winter's HeartRobert JordanAugust 10
12Wednesday WarsGary D. SchmidtSeptember 16
13Five Dysfunctions of TeamPatrick LencioniSeptember 27
14Crossroads of TwilightRobert JordanOctober 5
15Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North KoreaBarbara DemickNovember 20
16The RithmatistBrandon SandersonNovember 27
17Knife of DreamsRobert JordanDecember 31




Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan

Knife of Dreams (Wheel of Time, #11)Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this back in 2011, so you can read my old review here,  or you can keep reading for my new review which was written independently of the old one.  It is interesting what they have in common.

2016 Review:
This book is like that first breeze hitting  sailors that have been stuck in doldrums for weeks.  It promises the potential of movement,  but only promises. It isn't enough to create real movement yet.  Plot lines here and there started to get wrapped up,  but at the end I look at where we are in the story and we didn't get anywhere.  Most of the sub plots that were completed were extraneous anyway.

An example: Aram. Here is a character who we have known for most of the series.  He was developed as a significant secondary character tied to one of the main characters, Perrin. And then in this book,  in one scene,  the plot line of Aram is concluded.  I'm trying to avoid a spoiler, so I won't go into the details, but I can say that the whole plot line,  and character,  was unnecessary.  Pages of the overall series could have (and should have) been cut out.  I feel like that was the purpose of this whole book--to clear up plots and characters that should have never been created in the first place.

Was this book refreshing?  Absolutely.  Did it demonstrate the problem of the series? Yes. Did I enjoy it?  Yes,  I still like this series, so this was much appreciated. But like the stranded sailor,  the real excitement lays in the winds to come that will really get us where we want to go. And that is Tarmon Gai'don!