Justin's Notes

Jan. 29, 2024

This year, I am hoping to write my thoughts on every book I read mostly right after. Some books may warrant a longer write up, but the goal really is to have my thoughts on all books I consume so that when people ask me for recommendations, I can just send them these writings. So every month I plan to put up said thoughts on any books I finished during the month. So here's what I finished this January.

Mistborn is sick. Seeing how the world changes between The Final Empire and The Well of Ascension was interesting. In the best way. Part of that is driven by where I thought the end of the first book was going to go. Once that surprised me, I had no idea where I was heading as I opened the second book. The continued world building in this book, along with the refinement and expansion of the magic system pulled me in. I honestly can't get over this magic system. I wrote a bit more about it when writing about the first book, but the magic depending on the ingestion or wearing of metals doesn't feel extraordinary, which is why I like it so much. It feels like it could just be proven by science. I also felt like the second installment had a more political focus on it which I thought was really intriguing. The first book looked at ending a political power (I swear this isn't a spoiler it's on the back cover). Seeing Sanderson expand upon politics role in the world, along with bringing in moral and spiritual sides of politics, felt like a natural progression of the story. Also Sazed is a boss I just love this character.

I may have mentioned this before, but it isn't often I find myself going from one book of series straight into the next. I usually feel like I need a break from most worlds, wanting something different until I am ready to explore more. It wasn't the case with The Well of Ascension and The Hero of Ages. This was the type of conclusion I was hoping for with this series. It felt epic. It had really great moments that caught me off guard. Ultimately, it ended in a way that I thought answered questions and gave closure to the characters. I loved more understanding of the third branch of the magic system. I thought the pacing was captivating. As I mentioned above, Sazed continued to be my favorite character. His development from start to finish of this series just felt personable and relatable in different ways. Obviously not in the ways of Feruchemy or being a Keeper with wealths of knowledge stored in my jewelry, or you know, being fictional. More in the sense of love, friendship, happiness, suffering and all other emotions and experience in life defining who we are and what we believe. Now that I am done with the series, I would absolutely recommend to any fantasy world enjoyers. It is quite a ride.

Street photography is probably my favorite type of style. I love the idea of documenting everyday life of people, capturing moments within where we live and just the sense of exploration mixed with mundane life. I would say that I tend to shoot street photography more than anything else, but I would use that term loosely. That being said, I found this book pretty interesting and helpful. It is essentially a quick tips and tricks guide to street photography. Advice like knowing your camera means more than the camera you have. Have confidence and be friendly so if someone notices you taking a photo, they don't feel awkward. Find your favorite spots and try to shoot with different perspectives. Ultimately, just seek out inspiration and take photos to say something with them. It was a quick read with some great advice. If you like photography, I would recommend it, even if you wouldn't consider yourself a street photographer.

Over New Year's weekend, my wife Sydney and I watched the movie Stand By Me. Thought it was great. Found out it was based on a Stephen King novella. Got even better. I had to read it. What I loved most about this book was that it made me reminisce about my own childhood. Which was obviously nothing like the childhoods of Gordie, Chris, Teddy and Vern. Yet I found the parallels of experiencing life and learning who you are with the kids you grew up with down the street and in school relatable. The story itself is so good, and as someone who has never read Stephen King, felt like a good place to start with his works. There is nothing better than a coming of age story. Seeing a character figure out life, evolving in the short glimpse of their life you get to be a part of. If you want to get into Stephen King, or enjoy a coming of age story then you should read this novella.