Atanas's Updates en-US Tue, 14 Jan 2025 05:35:33 -0800 60 Atanas's Updates 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg UserChallenge61044828 Tue, 14 Jan 2025 05:35:33 -0800 <![CDATA[ Atanas has challenged himself to read 12 books in 2025. ]]> /user/show/15941648-atanas-nikolov 11627
He has read 3 books toward his goal of 12 books.
 
3 of 12 (25%)
Create your own 2025 Reading Challenge » ]]> Review3003957080 Mon, 13 Jan 2025 05:07:27 -0800 <![CDATA[Atanas added 'Oathbringer']]> /review/show/3003957080 Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson Atanas gave 4 stars to Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archive, #3) by Brandon Sanderson
bookshelves: fantasy
On re-read:

Again, I've enjoyed this book more the second time around. Though I still have to say that the book is suffering from pacing issues in my opinion. Certain sections are too long, and while the plot does move forward, it really doesn't feel too much like it. ]]> Review490558661 Tue, 31 Dec 2024 04:30:54 -0800 <![CDATA[Atanas added 'The Way of Kings']]> /review/show/490558661 The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson Atanas gave 5 stars to The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1) by Brandon Sanderson
I am really torn on how to judge this book. To begin, for an epic fantasy, this seems very contained. The world is supposedly large, but you never feel like it. It is weird and fantastical, but a lot of that seems to be for its own sake, rarely contributing to something more. It isn't until much later in the book when you start seeing how certain things from the world are incorporated into the story. Most are not though, and seem to be there "just because this is an epic fantasy story, you know".

It is quite the hyped up book so I went in with high expectations, though I did not know what to expect really. Perhaps one of the problems I had with it is how much of it is actually centered around war and war alone. I would love to see an epic fantasy series where war isn't a theme AT ALL. That being said, the war story here is much better than average and a lot more personal, so that's something of a benefit to it.

The other issue is that for the majority of the book there is hardly anything magical to it. Only bits and pieces. Reminds me of Elantris, actually, which many people point out to be its main flaw (introducing magical elements in prominence only by the end of the book). The mystery element also gets introduced rather late here, which in my opinion is a mistake that could have been handled in a much better way. I don't see how introducing the mystery early on would have detracted from the story, considering it is largely unrelated to the main cast and happens behind the scenes (duh, because it's a mystery).

Anyway, these are my major gripes with it, which knock off a star or two from it. Seriously, while reading it I couldn't help myself but think that I want to read more and more, yet I don't even know why because for half of it nothing really happens. The last quarter of the book is perfect though, which is what earns it a star back. Seriously, it is perhaps one of the best pieces of fantasy literature.

The book is also fairly emotional, even if the plot feels sluggish for the most part. This also earns it some credit. There are many themes that are handled much more maturely that I had expected from Sanderson (not that he handles things immaturely otherwise, just that he doesn't go that deep into it).

Because it made me chuckle a couple of times (hard for a book to do), it made me shed a tear or two, and it had an awesome ending, I thought of giving it 5 stars. But I have to be honest with myself and say that on a first read it takes a lot to get going. I actually suspect that Brandon wrote the book more with rereads in mind. I am sure there are countless clues scoured throughout it. So 4* it is.

Re-read:
This book is quite interesting on a re-read. Now that I'm reading my review, I see why I didn't enjoy it as much on my first go. Knowing certain things from the future of the series puts a lot of things into perspective and you get to catch quite a few hints for things to come not only for this series, but also for the rest of the Cosmere. I've bumped my rating to 5*. I have enjoyed the book much more this time around, it seems, much like I suspected. ]]> ReadStatus8781670562 Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:26:10 -0800 <![CDATA[Atanas wants to read 'The Lost War']]> /review/show/7112194722 The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson Atanas wants to read The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson
]]> Review1506508451 Sun, 22 Dec 2024 20:16:20 -0800 <![CDATA[Atanas added 'The Lost Metal']]> /review/show/1506508451 The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson Atanas gave 5 stars to The Lost Metal (Mistborn, #7) by Brandon Sanderson
bookshelves: to-read
I really enjoyed this book. I have a lot of catching up to do with Sanderson's stories, but I keep coming back to them. I've been wondering why that is - I rarely re-read things, and yet... Perhaps it's because Sanderson's stories have heart, where modern fantasy largely doesn't. Grimdark is all the rage nowadays, and though I've enjoyed most of it in my 20's, I've grown to appreciate heart-filled stories much more.

That's probably why Mistborn Era 2 has beaten Era 1 for me. It is less epic, yet somehow grander. It is about people doing more with less. I enjoyed the characters, the plot, the humor, even the cheese. Now, I have some gripes with the LDS-y universe beats, but it figures that the author would steer the ship in that direction.

I've also had quite a few moments of considering the themes of sacrifice, love, forgiveness, even trauma. It takes a certain kind of magic and wonder to really tug at my heartstrings. I guess that's why I love Tolkien as well. Because ultimately, good wins. I don't need yet another cynical take in my life. Not because it's hard to take, but because it's not truthful.

So that's that. Era 2 is done, and I bet I'll quickly forget most of it, as I tend to do with fiction. But the general feeling will live on.

P.S. I cannot imagine myself ever reading the books instead of listening to them with Michael Kramer's narration. Actually, a good chunk of my enjoyment of Era 2 comes down to what Kramer does with the characters, especially Wayne. ]]> Review1506508398 Fri, 20 Dec 2024 04:02:07 -0800 <![CDATA[Atanas added 'The Bands of Mourning']]> /review/show/1506508398 The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson Atanas gave 5 stars to The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn, #6) by Brandon Sanderson
Okay, this is the Wax and Wayne book I was waiting for. The action is great, the character development is awesome too, there is way more plot and way better mystery (although some of it is rather predictable). A lot of things start to make sense and to be honest, it does not feel like a mid-series book at all.

Solid 5*, even in the light of Mistborn Era 1, so that is saying something. Actually I may put this on par with Hero of Ages and definitely better than The Final Empire or Well of Ascension. Basically awesome, and I was chuckling all the way through.

2nd Read
Definitely the best book of Era 2 so far. I am expecting that the last one is even better, but now I can frankly say that I favor Era 2 more than Era 1. I prefer that it is somewhat lighter, but also more unique. Mistborn Era 1 is epic, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't have as much charm. Perhaps I am not too fond of ash and dust. It's just that truly, the atmosphere of Era 1 has never been a favorite of mine. Gimme color! ]]> Review2993568988 Wed, 18 Dec 2024 02:32:34 -0800 <![CDATA[Atanas added 'Shadows of Self']]> /review/show/2993568988 Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson Atanas gave 4 stars to Shadows of Self (Mistborn, #5) by Brandon Sanderson
So, uhm, again, I don't know what to say about the book all that much.

The characters are better fleshed out here, but again, not as much as the first trilogy. Luckily we start seeing some development of the plot at last, and the whole Cosmere impact gets deeper and deeper. So that's good.

All in all 4*, though only if I review it for the book it is meant to be, not in the light of the first trilogy.

2nd Re-read:
I like this book a lot. I'm leaving the 4*, but now I have grown to appreciate it more. It's been 5 years since I've read it, and my tastes are changing, perhaps. ]]> ReadStatus8347067834 Fri, 30 Aug 2024 00:26:18 -0700 <![CDATA[Atanas wants to read 'Code Generation in Action']]> /review/show/6803073163 Code Generation in Action by Jack Herrington Atanas wants to read Code Generation in Action by Jack Herrington
]]> Review6221717301 Wed, 14 Aug 2024 19:30:22 -0700 <![CDATA[Atanas added 'Nashata liturgiya / Нашата литургия (Bulgarian)']]> /review/show/6221717301 Nashata liturgiya / Нашата литургия (Bulgarian) by Pavel Finlandski Atanas gave 4 stars to Nashata liturgiya / Нашата литургия (Bulgarian)(Български) by Pavel Finlandski
bookshelves: orthodoxy
Кратка книга, която обяснява Светата Литургия в Православната църква. Предвид, че повечето хора в България не са запознати с културата си и номиналното си вероизповедание, книгата е повече от полезна, дори като обща култура.

Не давам 5 звезди, понеже липсват детайли, които ми се искаше да разбера. Например не е обяснено какви други служби има, освен Света Литургия, какво е Утреня и Вечерня, както и службите на различните часове. Това не е било цел на книгата, но предвид, че служи като въвеждащо четиво, струва ми се пропуск, който нямаше да отнеме много страници за някакво дори частично разяснение. Също липсва литуригията на св. Василий, която макар и по-рядко все пак се отслужва и е редно поне да бъдат очертани разликите с тази на св. Йоан Златоуст.

И все пак е може би едно от най-добрите четива за общ очерк на Светата Литургия, което имаме на български език. Интересно, че книгата е писана от финландец. ]]> Review2396086343 Wed, 31 Jan 2024 04:42:01 -0800 <![CDATA[Atanas added 'The 48 Laws of Power']]> /review/show/2396086343 The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene Atanas gave 2 stars to The 48 Laws of Power (Paperback) by Robert Greene
bookshelves: crap
First things first: It gets two stars only because of the historical research. The stories were fun.

Now about the self-help and psychology part... It's painfully outdated and mostly wrong.

Greene interprets examples in a very biased way. Anyone at least a little skeptical should have alarms going off all over the place. He turns rather vague examples into general laws. How does anybody trust that is beyond me. On several occasions the author discourages you from studying the subject further and tells you to just trust him. Red flag, anyone?

The laws may only work - if at all - for a very small subset of people. Politicians most likely. For other people employing them will lead to quite an unhappy life. Being always skeptical and distrustful, is no fun, I've been there.

Not to mention that some "laws" are actually contradictory. Case in point -Greene tells you to manipulate and use others, but to run away from particular kinds of people. He then describes virtually what could be everyone. Sooo run from everyone?

The random laws of power are also illustrated mainly by historical figures of great stature. Never does he speak of ordinary people, save for a few occasions, which have little to do with the laws of power, but rather with hard and diligent work. ]]>