Rest in peace, comrade.
For those who haven't read or seen Parenti speak, I highly recommend both the "Yellow Parenti" Speech and Blackshirts and Reds | Audiobook both litanies against anti-communist mythos, an examination of the real successes and struggles in the USSR, and an analysis of fascism.
Michael Parenti's Inventing Reality: The Politics of News Media has always been better than Manufacturing Consent. Considering Chomsky's appearance in the Epstein files as being good friends with billionaire pedophiles, On Chomsky is also a fantastic read for why the left should reject him.
Parenti has turned countless westerners into Marxists, and was vital in my own journey to the left. May we carry on his legacy.
I personally did not like mistborn (era 1) nearly as much as most fans. The setting is very grim, very "life is imminently doomed". Its that way for Elantris as well. I get enough bleakness from reality. Same reason I could barely get through the first Wheel of Time book before dropping that series.
Fair enough, I'll keep my headspace in mind for whenever I start. I have to recommend to you to read Piranesi, it's my favorite book I've read in the past few years. It's never bleak due to the way the main character sees and interacts with the world, while still being quite suspenseful.