N is for Name of the Wind

Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss, startled me when I read it. It did several things that I’d been told you couldn’t do in a book if you wanted to get published: only one POV in an epic fantasy — and first person at that, a story that is either told primarily in flashback or has a frame story (depending on how you look at it), a main character who is good at everything — magic, music, and swordwork. Kvothe (the main character) does have a temper, though, and more than a bit of pride, so even when you see him about to make a mistake, you understand and you keep reading, to find out both the repercussions of his actions and the way he copes with them.

It’s a completely engaging read. When I first checked it out of the library, I showed it to my son, who promptly sat down and began reading — not least because he wanted to learn what the name of the wind is. I’ll admit to not having picked up the following book yet (Wise Man’s Fear), but I have no doubt I will enjoy it when I do.

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This is a post for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge. My theme is epic fantasy, and blog posts will cover authors, books, tropes, themes, or anything else I can think of to fill the alphabet. Check out some of the other bloggers participating or follow my blog by e-mail if you like what you’ve read.

Originally published at Erin M. Hartshorn. You can comment here or there.

Ice pops!

(If you’re here for the A to Z Challenge, scroll down to the next post. This post is one of a regular series on things I am grateful for.)

It’s the middle of April (or just past, anyway), and today’s high was close to 90. Fortunately, last month, when we had our last heat wave, I found some of the leftover ice pops from last summer in the cupboard and stuck them in the freezer. There’s nothing quite like the joy on a child’s face when they come in flushed from the heat and you tell them they can have an ice pop to help cool off with. My husband and I are rather fond of them, too.

Yes, another modern convenience, brought by the combined might of artificial flavors, sugar, and electricity. What’s not to love?

(For the record, the current forecast is that tomorrow will be at least ten degrees cooler, and Wednesday ten degrees cooler than that. So not worried about general climate warming right now.)

What are you grateful for this Monday?

Originally published at Erin M. Hartshorn. You can comment here or there.