Justin's Notes

Sword of Kaigen is a story set on a mountainside of the Kaigen Empire, in a modern, yet traditional Japan, where a village of families with historically great bloodlines to produce fighters lives to protect their empire. Melding more traditional-feeling swordplay along with a magic system built off of elements of nature, the Theonite warriors deliver a blend of combat that feels incredibly open-ended and exciting. You follow both Mamoru (the eldest son) and Misaki (the mother) of the current generations of the Matsuda line, one of the most revered families of Theonites in Kaigen, as they prepare for the invasion and war that seem to be coming.

I really enjoyed this story. I had seen it recommended all over the fantasy YouTube channels I follow and finally gave it a go. The pacing started a little slow but picked up real quick around the 1/3 mark, so if you begin reading this and feel like it may not be enough action, I promise it will come. The world-building was incredibly appealing to me. This isn't an original thought, a review on the back cover of my copy makes the same comparison, but the world and magic are pretty similar to Avatar the Last Airbender, which has to be one of my favorite cartoons of all time. Different parts of the world have access to different elements, which are used in battle alongside a samurai sword fighting style just made for super fun action scenes and a combat style that felt somewhat familiar.

I also loved the characters, seeing the growth and change in what is a relatively short timeframe that the present-day story you are following fits in. I always appreciate when I feel legitimate disdain or admiration for a character in a story. It is even more telling when those emotions flip or drastically change, as they did in this story. Themes of loss, love, identity, and the conflict of traditional and modern culture not only helped support the character development but also gave the reader a sense of connection and relatability to them, as much as you can relate to element-wielding samurai.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's a solid read that was quite appealing to me because of my love of Japan, samurai and Avatar. If you are a fantasy fan, I would recommend it.

This is a great book. I loved the way Brenna wove her own personal testimony so effortlessly into theological discussion. She touches on so many important topics, both on a human level and a spiritual level, while keeping the focus on what Christ has done in her life. Brenna did such a good job making this a book accessible to anyone with any spiritual background. She addresses fellow believers, those on the fence, and even those uninterested in or angry at the church. Brenna invites anyone and everyone to critically think and ask questions.

Oh, also, Brenna is my cousin (technically my cousin-in-law?), so I will fully admit some bias here because I love her, and she is my friend. That said, I honestly believe this book was great. It is just a bit more personal and special for me. So feel free to take that as you will.

It feels difficult to talk about the content of the book, because Brenna's story is hers to tell, not mine to regurgitate into a handful of sentences. So what I will do is just briefly talk about one of the subjects that I really enjoyed. Brenna poses the question, "Are you listening to us?" in the context of prayer. As she gives examples in her story of both times when prayer felt empty and times when prayer felt deeply satisfying to her faith, she also contextualizes prayer using David and the book of Psalms. Brenna uses David to demonstrate how prayer truly is the greatest way to grow with the Lord. As David continually came back, he grew deeper in his understanding of the Lord and His character. The same applies to us. Brenna shows her vulnerability by exposing her prayer life at different points in her life in order to support her theological point. It was my favorite chapter because continually learning to pray has been one of the biggest challenges and benefits of my own faith, and the encouragement I felt to remember to bring everything to my prayer life is appreciated.

If you are a believer, I highly recommend you read this book. It is an incredible example of how God uses our lives and experiences to show others who He is. It was both encouraging and challenging for my own faith. If you are not a believer, I still think there is value in reading this book, whether you are searching for or re-evaluating your faith or not. I believe there is something special at a human level about hearing other people's experiences, and whether you share Brenna's (and my) faith or not, I do believe there is encouragement in her story.

The Boys in the Boat is an incredible read about Joe Rantz and the University of Washington's rowing team in the early to mid-1930s and their trip to the 1936 Olympics in Germany. Brown transforms a story about rowing into a story of perseverance, overcoming adversity, hard work and friendship. To me, Brown blends the economic, political and cultural conditions of America and the world with the personal growth story of Joe, which gives a unique combination of biographical and historical work that was so enjoyable to read.

I never thought I would be able to read about rowing and be so captivated. Page after page of detailed accounts of the races, story after story of practices and time trials. The descriptions of the crew on the water never felt stale. As someone who has never rowed, it made me really enjoy the sport and the technicality of it. I especially loved that Brown spent so much time talking about the mental side of rowing for Joe, which I believe broadly translates to anything we as humans pour ourselves into. Getting such a detailed behind-the-scenes look at the mentality and emotions of Joe was special. Seeing moments of his past dictate moments of self-doubt after a bad row, his relationships being crucial to his success, and his childhood helping him know how to learn from his failures. Brown really helped connect the sport to the person in quite a captivating way for me.

I also just really enjoyed the historical context given throughout the book. Everything from touching on the great depression, which directly impacted Joe's family, to the Germans somehow effectively spinning the Olympics to their benefit in the uprising of the Nazi party. It added so much depth for me to the importance of the 1936 Olympics from a patriotic standpoint, even though so many of the Americans', including the rowing team, really didn't have a ton of context about what was truly happening in Germany. It also, funny enough, made me feel so much more patriotic reading the Olympic finals race sequence from almost 90 years ago. Let's go America.

I feel pretty strongly that anyone and everyone should or could read this book. It is just a heartwarming story of dreams coming true and the bonds we have with the people who realize our dreams with us. I loved everything about the story and felt emotionally tied to it, which is always a special feeling. Read this before watching the movie cause you know, the book is always better.