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Book and Anti-Materialism
Jun. 21st, 2025 02:23 pmAs I've mentioned before, Little Free Libraries have been getting me back into reading. And I also bought several books on Independent Bookstore Day.
I've been more into non-fiction lately, but fiction tends to grab my attention and provide suspense, and I've been reading much more when I'm reading fiction than I'm reading nonfiction. I'm reading a slim little volume by Rebecca Solnit, "Hope in the Dark," which has been stuck in my dark backpack for about a month and a half now, half read.
But just this week I picked up Assassin's Blade, by Sarah J. Mass. It's a collection of novellas that functions as a prequel to The Throne of Glass. I didn't love it. It's pretty similar to the fantasy fiction I used to read huge volumes of when I was a teenager, but I'm not a teenager anymore. I just don't think that I'm the audience for this.
It's also a little different than most of what I used to read: Assassin's Blade is definitely Romantasy, and I'm much less into Romance than most other genres. If it were more straight fantasy I might like it more, but the thick heaping of "enemies to lovers" and other romance tropes were my least favorite part of Assassin's Blade.
I did read it very quickly, though. And I also had a book I'd already read, ready to put back in the Little Free Library. And the little Free Library is pretty empty right now. So I knew I should go put Assassin's Blade, along with Tooth and Claw, which I have already reviewed, and some puzzles, in the Little Free Library. But I hadn't written a review of Assassin's Blade, and I didn't want to let go of the books.
I grew up primarily reading library books, not buying books, and there weren't Little Free Libraries when I was young, so I've never owned very many books. I generally think of myself as anti-materialistic, but I'm struggling to give up books!
I did write a little about Assassin's Blade, most of which is above, and then I went ahead and put the two novels, and two puzzles, in the little Free Library. So I am working through my book related materialism. But it's so strange to not want to put back in the Little Free Library two books that I got from the Little Free Library! It did feel good to let go of them, though, and hopefully I'll continue to be both anti-materialistic and generous.
I've been more into non-fiction lately, but fiction tends to grab my attention and provide suspense, and I've been reading much more when I'm reading fiction than I'm reading nonfiction. I'm reading a slim little volume by Rebecca Solnit, "Hope in the Dark," which has been stuck in my dark backpack for about a month and a half now, half read.
But just this week I picked up Assassin's Blade, by Sarah J. Mass. It's a collection of novellas that functions as a prequel to The Throne of Glass. I didn't love it. It's pretty similar to the fantasy fiction I used to read huge volumes of when I was a teenager, but I'm not a teenager anymore. I just don't think that I'm the audience for this.
It's also a little different than most of what I used to read: Assassin's Blade is definitely Romantasy, and I'm much less into Romance than most other genres. If it were more straight fantasy I might like it more, but the thick heaping of "enemies to lovers" and other romance tropes were my least favorite part of Assassin's Blade.
I did read it very quickly, though. And I also had a book I'd already read, ready to put back in the Little Free Library. And the little Free Library is pretty empty right now. So I knew I should go put Assassin's Blade, along with Tooth and Claw, which I have already reviewed, and some puzzles, in the Little Free Library. But I hadn't written a review of Assassin's Blade, and I didn't want to let go of the books.
I grew up primarily reading library books, not buying books, and there weren't Little Free Libraries when I was young, so I've never owned very many books. I generally think of myself as anti-materialistic, but I'm struggling to give up books!
I did write a little about Assassin's Blade, most of which is above, and then I went ahead and put the two novels, and two puzzles, in the little Free Library. So I am working through my book related materialism. But it's so strange to not want to put back in the Little Free Library two books that I got from the Little Free Library! It did feel good to let go of them, though, and hopefully I'll continue to be both anti-materialistic and generous.
