Exile's Honor by Mercedes Lackey

Title: Exile's Honor

Author: Mercedes Lackey (American, 1950- )
Originally published: 2002
Page count: 423


Dates read: 4/17/2020-4/25/2020
2020 book goal progress: 12 out of 20
Reading category: TBR Shelf - Valdemar Universe


Read my other Valdemar book reviews.
Read my other book reviews for my 2020 goal HERE.



Description on back of book:
Saved from burning as a witch when his odd white stallion braved the flames and carried him over the border from Karsite into Valdemar, Alberich was healed by the same enemies he had been taught to hate his entire life. Though he knew he could never again return to his home, Alberich also knew he could never truly become a Valdemaran. How could he remain true to his people and still retain his honor while helping to train the direst enemy of Karse?

First sentence:
"Silver stamped restively as another horse on the picket line shifted and blundered into his hindquarters."

Favorite quotes:
"Being naturally good at something only took one to a certain point. It was dedication and practice that took one beyond that point."

"Honor was never taking the easy way when it also was the wrong one. Never telling a falsehood unless the truth was painful and unnecessary, or a lie was necessary to save others. Never manipulating the truth to serve only yourself. Protecting the weak and helpless; standing fast even when fear made you weak. Keeping your word."

"You can study justice all you like in books, but you never really understand it until you see it done and do it yourself. Justice isn't just laws, it's people."

CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 9.6 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters      - 10
Atmosphere   - 10
Writing Style - 10
Plot                - 9
Intrigue          - 9
Logic             - 9
Enjoyment     - 10
What is a CAWPILE Rating?

Review:

I love the Arrows of the Queen trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and have wanted to read all her novels in that universe for a while. I am starting that goal, which currently consists of 36 books (not including the companion book and 13+ anthologies), with Exile's Honor. I put off reading it because I was concerned that my enjoyment of the other books would overshadow this one - but it didn't. This was a great book!

This was a wonderful background story for a character from the trilogy I've read multiple times. It had incredible depth of character, culture, politics, and religion. You didn't get to learn much about magic, or what training to be a Herald is like - but you get that in other books. It would be interesting to hear what someone thought about this book as their first introduction to the Valdemar Universe. Even if this book didn't go in-depth about magic, companions (special horses that can mind-speak with humans), and general knowledge of Heralds - I knew a lot because of the other books I read and I wonder if I would have felt a little lost without that additional knowledge. I love the fantasy feel of this Universe and that females play an equal role with the men.

If you like reading fantasy, I highly suggest checking Mercedes Lackey out. I also highly suggest reading the Arrows of the Queen trilogy first - they're the first Valdemar books published. In my goal, I'm not reading in publication order, I'm reading (sort of) in chronological order. If I read in true chronological order, it would take a really long time to get to read the original trilogy that I love. What I did was split the chronological order in half with " Heralds of Valdemar" being the first read, but second chronologically. This section starts with 3 prequels before getting to the first trilogy and consists of 16 books published from 1987-2003. The half I'll read second is the "History of Valdemar," which all chronologically happens before the first book of "Heralds of Valdemar." This section consists of 10 books published between 1988-2000 and 10 books published between 2008-2019.

Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let Mercedes Lackey have the last words:

(King's speech before leading a charge into battle.)
"The enemy thinks that the land is the nation. We know better. We know that Valdemar is not the land - and it is not just the people. Valdemar is a spirit, a community of spirit that binds a hundred disparate peoples with a hundred different religions and ways of life into a company and a greater whole. It is not unity, for that would be denying our diversity, and in our diversity and our tolerance is our strength. That spirit is what you fight for, and what you will live for, Heralds of Valdemar, for you are at the heart of that spirit  -  a spirit of tolerance, compassion, understanding, and care - all things that our enemy cannot and will never understand."

The Four Purposes of Life by Millman

Title: The Four Purposes of Life

Author: Dan Millman (American, 1946- )
Originally published: 2011
Page count: 142

Dates read: 4/13/2020-4/15/2020
2020 book goal progress: 11 out of 20
Reading category: TBR Shelf

Read my other book reviews for my 2020 goal HERE.

Description on back of book:
For many of us, life seems like a puzzle with missing pieces. We form plans and change them; we choose one path and then another, trying to find the right mate and career, hoping that we've made the right decision and that it will all work out. At some point, we ask ourselves the central question: What is the purpose of my life? This book is for anyone seeking deeper insight into themselves and their lives, but especially for those at a crossroads, facing a challenge or change, when past approaches no longer work.

First sentence(s):
"With the pace of life accelerating, in a world of change, it's not easy to maintain our balance and sense of direction. Yet we strive to do so, because a sense of direction, toward a meaningful goal, may be the better part of happiness. In this pursuit, the journey may indeed matter more than the destination - but without a destination to aim for there is no journey; we can only wander."

Favorite quotes:
"As we learn to let intuition become reason's trusted adviser, we integrate reason and faith, building a bridge to wisdom and a new way of sensing our world."

"What you do matters, but how you do it matters even more. Fulfillment lies not in the work itself but in the quality and care you bring to it. So bear in mind that you don't only find a fulfilling career; you create it."

"No matter what role you play at work or at home, you influence people around you - you teach and lead by example - because people notice what you do. Therefore, leadership is a universal calling that has nothing to do with one's status or level of authority in an organization."

Review:

There wasn't really anything new in this book (except in purpose 3 - I'll get to that later). I already knew everything, but sometimes it's nice to have the jumbled up thoughts in your head laid out simply in a book. The Prologue is titled Living on Purpose and it can be summed up in the first sentences quoted above.

Purpose 1: Learning Life's Lessons
"Earth is a perfect school, and daily life is the classroom. There is no way to fail as long as you continue to learn."

The curriculum of life includes 12 required courses: self-worth, discipline, well-being, money, mind, intuition, emotions, courage, self-knowledge, sexuality, love, and service. This is nothing new, but it's good to have a reminder to keep an open mind and always try to learn from your circumstances.

Purpose 2: Finding Your Career and Calling
"The primary difference between a career and a calling is that we pursue a career primarily for income and a calling for innate satisfaction (through serving). But if you love your career so much that you'd do it for free (if you could afford to do so), then it has likely become a calling as well. And if a calling begins to produce a good income, then it has also become a career."

Three qualities to consider in your career and calling: talents, interests, and values. Three career criteria: satisfaction, money, and providing a service. A calling is about serving others in some way - a hobby is not a calling, but when you share it with others (through performing, teaching, or others means) than it becomes a calling.

This was by far the longest portion of the book and I got a lot out of it. I've always felt like my career and calling had to be one and the same - but it's really freeing to know that it doesn't have to be that way. I'm taking prereqs to get into an MA program, which I hope will then lead into a career that will turn into a calling... but if that doesn't happen, then I'll probably have a career solely for income and then a calling that I work on at home.

Purpose 3: Discovering Your Life-Path (or "hidden calling")
This is where it gets weird. I didn't know the book had this when I bought it, otherwise, I probably would have gone with a different book instead. At this point, Millman describes his numerology system of adding up the numbers in your birthday to find your hidden calling. No big surprise - the descriptions of the 9 different life-paths are so generic that pretty much all of them would have some resonation with any person. To me, I saw this more about understanding your motivation for making the decisions you do - instead of a calling. The life-paths are interesting to think about in regards to how each is reflected in my life in its own way - just as different aspects of my life and not as some hidden calling, though.

For those interested, the 9 life-paths are creativity, cooperation, expression, stability, freedom, vision, trust, recognition, and integrity.

Purpose 4: Attending to this Present Moment
"Past and future are both happening now. There is only now. Wherever we go is now. Past is memory; future is imagination. Nice places to visit, but you don't want to live there. Purposes tied to past or future have no reality; they are phantom concepts conjured by the mind. Handle just what is in front of you. By attending to this arising moment, you find the simple life. Reality is where you are now - moving in stillness, floating with the current in the river of time, resting in the eternal present. Refrain from comparing this moment with memories of the past or an imagined future, and you find contentment - here and now."

This is pretty straightforward: instead of dwelling on the past or daydreaming about the future, we need to learn to live in the moment and appreciate the here-and-now.

Epilogue: Our Spiritual Purpose
"Seeking the transcendent (spiritual purpose) does not mean rejecting our conventional world but rather embracing it fully, releasing our resistance, attachments, and expectations. As we do, we experience a lighthearted wisdom; we take ourselves and our dramas less seriously. A momentary glimpse of the transcendent can restore our humor and refresh our spirits, which is why many awakening individuals consider our spiritual purpose the ultimate quest even as we do the laundry, care for children, and work for a better world."

The epilogue was pretty weak, but, if I wanted to read up on spiritual purpose, I would have read my Bible or found a Christian author to get insight from. I intentionally found a non-Christian author when I bought this book, just to get away from what I tend to read and to challenge myself... though the whole numerology thing was a bit far for me. (As I said, if I had known that was part of it, I wouldn't have gotten this book.) Overall, this was an OK book - you could just skip the third purpose altogether if that's the only thing from keeping you from reading it yourself.

Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let Dan Millman have the last words:

"Insight isn't enough. At best it provides a map, but we still have to make the journey. Just thinking about something is not the same as doing it. We know we've learned a lesson in the school of life only when our actions change."

"Much of the time, we humans are bored with the present. So the prime difficulty of learning to live in and attend to the present moment is that we don't really want to. It doesn't seem enough for us, because we're not really paying attention."

Dave Ramsey's Complete Guide to Money

Title: Complete Guide to Money

Author: Dave Ramsey (American, 1960- )
Originally published: 2011
Page count: 346


Dates read: 4/6/2020-4/12/2020
2020 book goal progress: 10 out of 20
Reading category: TBR Shelf



Read my other book reviews for my 2020 goal HERE.


Description on back of book:
This book will teach you how money works. It's easy to read and ultra-practical with the information you need, like how to save, budget, dump debt, invest, and plan for college and retirement. You'll also learn the truth about credit cards and credit bureaus, how clever marketing can sway your decisions, what insurance you need (and which kinds are garbage) and more. These are the principles Dave learned - the same ones that have turned millions of families around. To go from debt and discontentment to Financial Peace will take some work, but it's not as far off as it seems. You just need will power and a plan.

First sentence:
"For the past couple of decades,  I've been known as 'that money guy on the radio,' but if you had met me back in the late 1980s, you would have met a very different Dave Ramsey."

Review:

I was disappointed in this book because most of it I already knew. I was lucky that, while in college, I was required to take the class 'Church Administration and Personal Finance.' About a year or 2 after taking that class, while still in college, the same professor offered a seminar called 'Financial Bootcamp' - which I also attended. I have kept my notes from the class in the booklet that came with the seminar - both of which contained the same material. I still have those and keep them with me while I do my budget each month. When I compare that information to this book, the statistics, baby steps, and even some quotes from other people are all the same. So, I'm guessing I went through a Financial Peace University class twice without really knowing it.

I skimmed much of the book because I already knew the information and I already am practicing most of the baby steps. This book was persuasive, it was trying to convince the reader that debt was bad (you don't need to convince me of that - I have a mountain of student debt I'm working on paying off)... but what I really wanted was information and it just didn't have much more than I already knew. There was a chapter on investing, another on retirement, one on mortgages, and the last on giving. Those chapters were why I got the book and I did learn some things from them... but for only a quarter of the book? Not worth it.

The anecdotes felt gimmicky and it really bothered me that he quoted himself  (multiple times) from other books he's published. It made me feel like he didn't really have anything new to say - he just wanted to publish another book to make more money himself. If you haven't ever taken a financial class/seminar or been taught about finances from your parents, spouse, or someone else, I would suggest reading his Total Money Makeover book instead of this one. I haven't read it myself, but he said it covers his seven baby steps in more depth, which would probably be more helpful to you than this book. If you've already done Financial Peace University or read another book by him, I wouldn't waste your time on this one.

Here are his baby steps:
1. Put $1,000 into an emergency fund
2. Pay off all debt using the debt snowball
3. Put 3-6 months of expenses into your emergency fund
4. Invest 15% of your household income into ROTH IRAs and pre-tax retirement plans
5. Begin college funding for your kids
6. Pay off your home early
7. Build wealth and give

Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let Dave Ramsey have the last words:

"I once heard the story of a clever English professor who wanted to teach her students the power of perspective. She walked into class and wrote the following on the board:

A WOMAN WITHOUT HER MAN IS NOTHING

She picked two volunteers from the class, one man and one woman. She brought them to the front of the room, handed each of them a marker, and asked them to provide the appropriate punctuation for the sentence she had written. The young man went first. He didn't pause at all as he walked up and made three quick marks making the sentence read:

A WOMAN, WITHOUT HER MAN, IS NOTHING.

He stepped back smiling, confident that he had aced the assignment. Now it was the young woman's turn. She approached the board, shaking her head, and without hesitation, she erased two of the guy's marks and replaced them with the following:

A WOMAN: WITHOUT HER, MAN IS NOTHING.

The lesson, of course, is that two people can look at the same thing but see two very different interpretations. It's all about our perspective; a simple change in perspective can fundamentally change our whole lives."

Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe

Title: Dr. Faustus

(Originally written in Early Modern English.)

Author: Christopher Marlowe (English, 1564-1593)
Originally written: 1589-1592
Page count:1604 publication - 42 pages;
1616 publication - 63 pages

Dates read: 4/1/2020-4/5/2020
2020 book goal progress: 9 out of 20
Month category: April - Easter / Religion
Back to the Classics category: 
Classic with a Person’s Name in the Title


Read my other book reviews for my 2020 goal HERE.


Description on back of book:
Dr. Faustus is Christopher Marlowe's version of the famous legend of a doctor who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and power. Based on the German legend of Johann Georg Faust, a magician of the German Renaissance who reportedly gained his mystical powers by selling his immortal soul to the devil. The Faustian legend has forever come to symbolize the inherent peril in dealing with unscrupulous characters and supernatural forces. Marlowe's account is based primarily upon an anonymous late 16th-century work concerning the history of the real-life Faust. Marlowe's work is presented here in this volume in both its 1604 and 1616 versions.

First line:
1604 version -
CHORUS:
Not marching now in fields of Trasimene,
Where Mars did mate the Carthaginians;
Nor sporting in the dalliance of love,
In courts of kings where state is overturn'd;
Nor in the pomp of proud audacious deeds,
Intends our Muse to vaunt his heavenly verse:
Only this, gentlemen, - we must perform
The form of Faustus' fortunes, good or bad.

1616 version -
CHORUS:
Not marching in the fields of Thrasymene,
Where Mars did mate the warlike Carthagens;
Nor sporting in the dalliance of love,
In courts of Kings where state is overturn'd;
Nor in the pomp of proud audacious deeds,
Intends our Muse to vaunt her heavenly verse:
Only this, gentles, - we must now perform
The form of Faustus' fortunes, good or bad:
And now to patient judgments we appeal,
And speak for Faustus in his infancy.

CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 5.4 - ⭐⭐⭐
Characters      -  6
Atmosphere   - 5
Writing Style - 6
Plot                - 5
Intrigue          - 6
Logic             - 4
Enjoyment     - 6
What is a CAWPILE Rating?

Review:

This was pretty meh. There was no real message to the play other than if you sell your soul to the devil, you'll be damned and go to hell. I was hoping it would have more depth to it, but it just fell flat for me. One thing I didn't get was why Faustus only asked for 24 years to control a devil and then accept damnation. If he was making a deal with Lucifer and Faustus was the one making the terms - why did he only give himself 24 years?

The 1616 version is more humourous and about a third longer than the 1604 version. The earlier version seemed to focus on knowledge as the reason for Faustus selling his soul and getting the power to control Mephistophilis, a devil from hell. In the later version, he seemed more focused on petty vengeance and making fools of others. My favorite characters were GOOD ANGEL and EVIL ANGEL. They made me think of...

Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let Christopher Marlowe have the last words:

1604 version -
FAUSTUS: First I will question with thee about hell.
Tell me where is the place that men call hell?

MEPHISTOPHILIS (a devil): Under the Heaven.

F: Ay, but whereabout?

M: Within the bowels of these elements,
Where we are totur'd and remain forever;
Hell hath no limits, nor is circumscrib'd
In one self place; for where we are is hell,
And where hell is there must we ever be:
And, to conclude, when all the world dissolves,
And every creature shall be purified,
All places shall be hell that is not Heaven.

F: Come, I think hell's a fable!

M: Ay, think so still, till experience change thy mind.


1616 version -
FAUSTUS: First I will question with thee about hell.
Tell me, where is the place that men call hell?

MEPHISTOPHILIS (a devil): Under the heavens.

F: Ay, so are all things else; but whereabouts?

M: Within the bowels of these elements,
Where we are totur'd and remain forever:
Hell hath no limits, nor is circumscrib'd
In one self-place; but where we are is hell,
And where hell is, there must we ever be:
And, to be short, when all the world dissolves,
And every creature shall be purified,
All places shall be hell that are not Heaven.

F: I think hell's a fable.

M: Ay, think so still, till experience change thy mind.