Review: Ender’s Game
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Publisher: Tor Books
Ratings: 
Source: Purchased
In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race’s next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew “Ender” Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn’t make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.
Ender’s skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.
I’m probably one of the few people that did not read Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card as a teenager. I saw the trailer for the movie that is coming out later this year and just knew I had to read the book before I saw the movie and boy am I happy I did. This was one of those books that as soon as I finished reading it, I wanted to hunt down all the other books in the series and read those books too.
This book was simply incredible and I’m still quite shock I have never picked up this book before. Ender is a delightful and interesting character to follow. I was really surprise to learn that he was only 6 years old at the beginning of the book and he was expected to save the world. Talk about putting pressure on children. It was also shocking to see how mature he was for his age and how quickly he was forced to grow up at the Battle School.
This book had everything you would ever want in a great book. It had incredible characters from Ender to Bean to Petra as well as Peter and Valentine back on earth. I love reading about the camaraderie and friendship that developed between the characters. The plot is interesting and it keeps you on your toes. I was completely caught off guard by what happened in the end.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card is a book I would highly recommend for all. It has wonderful and well developed characters, adventure, politics, conflict, pretty much everything but the kitchen sink. I absolutely can’t wait for the movie to come out.
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I’m BACK!
Sorry about that impromptu hiatus I took. I’ve been so busy with school and trips that I just haven’t had the time to update my poor blog. Don’t worry though, I’ve read a ton of books while I’ve been gone and I’m refreshed and ready to review them. I know I say this every year, but can ya’ll believe its already summer? It’s unfortunate, but I have summer school this year. On the bright side though, I’m entering my last year of dental school! I’m still trying to process that. It’s hard to believe that I only have one year left. I’m excited yet nervous and scared.
How have ya’ll been? Any summer plans?
An Evening with Jess Walter
If you spent any time on my blog at all, you know how much I LOVE Jess Walter and how I can’t get enough of his books. So you can only imagine my excitement when I found out he was coming to Houston. I made sure to keep March 20 clear and I even passed up a trip to Las Vegas during my spring break to stay in Houston because I wasn’t sure if he was ever going to come back and I couldn’t miss the opportunity to meet him. With that said, it was completely worth it! I’ve actually never been to an author reading/signing event before and I’m really glad it was Jess Walter that inducted me to it and took my author event virginity.
He started the event by reading a short story from his new book, We Live in Water. And while I just recently read that story a few weeks ago, it felt refreshing and hilarious to hear it again coming from him. He followed that up by reading an excerpt from his recent novel, Beautiful Ruins, and a poem from, The Financial Lives of the Poets. Hearing him read the poem made me want to read that book again. It’s been a while since I’ve read it and I honestly forgot how funny it was and how much I enjoyed it.
My favorite part of the evening though was the Q&A part because not only is he as hilarious in real life as he is through his books, but it was also insightful to hear stories about his life. It gave me a new perspective on where he came from and how his work turned out the way they do. Take for example, his latest book, We Live in Water, which is a collection of short stories that to some are stories about scary deadbeats, but to Jess Walter are characters that share resemblances to his cousins. He told us that he wanted to write stories about the people we drive and don’t really look at and as I sat there and mentally went over the stories in We Live in Water, I realized how completely right he was—you have the homeless guy, the convict doing community service on the side of the road, the meth addicts, the gambler, the newspaper editor, etc. They’re all characters that we’ve probably ran into at one point or another in our lives and they’re all characters that have finally managed to hit rock bottom. He’s a great person to talk to and is just simply entertaining. I think I could have sat there and listen to him talk all night with a goofy grin on my face.
I didn’t think I could love the man anymore going into this event, and yet when I was walking out that door I was brimming with excitement and couldn’t believe how amazing and awesome Jess Walter is in real life. If you ever get the chance to attend one of his events I would highly recommend it. Besides, how can you not like a guy that signs your tooth?
Review: Outlaw Platoon
Outlaw Platoon by Sean Parnell
Publisher: William Morrow
Ratings: 
Source: Publisher
At twenty-four years of age, U.S. Army Ranger Sean Parnell was named commander of a forty-man elite infantry platoon, the 10th Mountain Division—a unit that came to be known as the Outlaws. Tasked with rooting out Pakistan-based insurgents from a valley in the Hindu Kush, Parnell assumed they would be facing a ragtag bunch of civilians until, in May 2006, a routine patrol turned into a brutal ambush. Through sixteen months of combat, the platoon became Parnell’s family. The cost of battle was high for these men. Not all of them made it home, but for those who did, it was the love and faith they found in one another that ultimately kept them alive.
When my friends saw me carrying around Outlaw Platoon by Sean Parnell they couldn’t help but mention how wide my tastes in books are. One day you can see me carrying around a fun and fluffy chick lit novel and the next day you can see me carrying around a serious war novel. I have to admit after reading Matterhorn (one of my all time favorite books!), my interest in war novels increased greatly. Therefore, when I was given the opportunity to review this book I knew I just had to jump on ship for it and boy am I glad I did.
Parnell’s novel is an excellent book that gives you a small taste of what happened during the war in Afghanistan. I guess one of the reasons I have such an interest in reading war books, especially nonfiction war books is because these are the stories that are not told in history books. We all took history growing up and we learned about the wars and the battles and the winners and losers, but we didn’t get the behind the scene story that you get when you read a memoir written by someone who experienced the situation himself.
I love reading these books because it’s the untold story that everyone needs to know. Can you imagine being 24 and leading a whole platoon? Parnell is the same age I am today when he was put in charge and became responsible for 40 men. Every time I read one of these books I’m always shocked and surprised by how young these men are and how mature they are for their age.
As I turned the pages in this book, my appreciation for the armed forces grew larger and larger. My heart broke for them as I read the hardships and obstacles they had to overcome. I was amazed by their determination and willingness to continue to serve their country. Many of these men ignored their own personal injuries and refused to be evacuated because they couldn’t live with the option of leaving their fellow soldiers behind. It was amazing to read about the bonds of brotherhood forged between these men and how they really became a family for one another.
I highly recommend the Outlaw Platoon by Sean Parnell because it contains all the stories that you won’t get from reading history books or CNN news. Parnell takes you on quite an adventure as he retells his tour in Afghanistan and recounts the bravery, brotherhood, and treachery of war
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Review: A Land More Kind than Home
A Land More Kind than Home by Wiley Cash
Publisher: William Morrow
Ratings:
Source: Publisher
For a curious boy like Jess Hall, growing up in Marshall means trouble when you get caught spying on grown-ups. Adventurous and precocious, Jess is protective of his older brother, Christopher, a mute whom everyone calls Stump. Though their mother has warned them not to snoop, Stump can’t help sneaking a look at something he’s not supposed to—an act that will have repercussions. It’s a wrenching event that thrusts Jess into an adulthood for which he’s not prepared. He now knows that a new understanding can bring not only danger and evil—but also the possibility of freedom and deliverance.
A Land More Kind than Home by Wiley Cash has all the makings of a perfect southern novel with its mystery, history, and culture. Cash is a wonderful author and I absolutely fell in love with his writing. I’m excited to read his future works.
The mystery in A Land More Kind than Home isn’t quite a mystery and the readers learn quite quickly what has happened, but despite this, the story actually unfolds quite slowly and this gives the book a bit of southern charm in the slow way everything unfolds and is explained. The characters are given a chance to add great depth to the story by providing their own personal history to it. There are plenty of flashbacks that give the readers insight into the actions of the characters and how the narrators became the person they are today.
One of the reasons I really enjoyed reading this book was because of the journey it took me on. I’m sure every reader knew where the story was going within pages of starting this book, but for once, this book wasn’t about the destination, but rather the ride it took the readers on. I was enchanted by the world that Cash created and I was fully immersed in the lives of the characters. I never wanted to stop turning the pages.
A Land More Kind than Home is a book I would recommend to those who are looking for a good Southern novel to read. The pace is slow, but the story and writing are amazing!
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