Brief Adjournment

I am more than halfway done with the next chapter - but will be on a road trip from, now (I should be finishing packing), until September first.  It is highly unlikely I will be able to post anything during that time, but I hope to keep reading and taking notes during this time.  I'll be looking forward to sharing my Thoughts when I am settled down again.

Chapter Seven (Out of the Woods)

Like Winternight, not a TON happens here, but enough.  A lot of pieces are certainly falling together.  Rand's small world is growing - he has questions for his father, who he can no longer see as indestructible.  His Wisdom who could fix everything, is no longer infallible.  Even the Mayor had to be given outside help from Thom to point Rand in the right direction.

Chapter Six (The Westwood)

Much foreshadowing in this chapter, but if the reader is like me at all, especially at the first read, they're just wondering "okay, what in the world is going on?"  Back during my first read I'm sure I sped quickly through this chapter hoping only for Rand to get Tam to the village and for me (the reader) to find out whether Tam lives or dies. 

Chapter Five (Winternight)

At last- still not a lot happens, but we're moving the story forward. Another reader may have found Strangers, The Peddler or The Gleeman more entertaining, I simply found those chapters filled with many details I could easily overlook. After some foreshadowing and some, yes, important albeit, let's get on with the story, world building, the story begins to unfold. Now, I should also admit, my impatience might be tempered more were I able to read more than one chapter at a time. I devoured Towers of Midnight; read it in two days. I'm really loving taking my time with this book, but knowing what lies beyond - I kind of want to get there already. Impatient much?

Chapter Four (The Gleeman)

Wow, there is a lot, and yet so little packed into this chapter.  Stories and mentions of things that the reader won't see again for sometimes chapters, or even books.  The Green man, black veiled Aiel, Tinkers.  Reading it this time all I can think is wow, Jordan built his world so thoroughly that it popped into existence, it didn't have x, y or z introduced randomly in the 5th book, it already was waiting to happen. 

Chapter Three (The Peddler)

I actually tried to just read this chapter and not take notes - I read, I read a lot, and I needed something to just read - but I couldn't do it.  My hand kept reaching for my pen.  Details, especially in this chapter, kept jumping out at me.  I mean, c'mon, Padan Fain, how could I miss a chance to get in my character details from the first time Rand sees him this Spring?  Yeah, I didn't even past the first page of the chapter; I won't try to do that again.  Heck, yesterday afternoon I was getting my hair done and I was sitting with my notebook in my lap, scribbling my half legible notes into it.  Couldn't waste sitting around for 35 minutes reading a magazine instead. 

Side Note to an Empty Road

Huh...I forgot about this when I was writing my thoughts, but when I was reading the chapter, it was very prevalent in my mind.  This chapter is where we hear this quote for the first time, and Rand tells Mat, rather like a matra: