Review: Foundation and Earth

Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I read the first three, not thinking that I really wanted to continue as it was a chore keeping up with all the different characters and that frankly wasn't as great as I thought it would have been. But then I wound up reading the 4th book and it was amazing, and the fifth was an extension of the fourth.

I don't really like to write synopses but here it goes: To ensure that he has made the right choice in enabling the society of Gaia to extend their one-mindedness with the whole galaxy, Trevize decided to find Earth (he is insistent that his answers lie there; it's a tad weak and the ending explanation for this search is kind of flimsy too, but isn't a big enough point in the book really to not read it for that reason- it's more like how he was directed to find Gaia,). His friend Pelorat (who first told Trevize about Earth) and Bliss, from Gaia head off to search for a world which seems to have hidden itself from the rest of the galaxy.

I especially liked this one because previously, when we visited other planets, they were so similar to each other. This book showed us the vastly different spacer worlds and kind of reminded me of Kino's Journey (anime) and other books where you just get to read about cultures which are different, and I love that. Plus I really wanted to read what would happen when they found Earth. To explain to you how awesome this book was- When they entered Earth's solar system, I felt like "we" the characters and I were coming home, to my home. They had been searching for so long and they came from so far away. It was like landing in the states after having been abroad.

For the record, I hated the character Bliss. Clearly it didn't wind up ruining the book for me.

Now I will continue on to Prelude to Foundation.



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Review: The School for Good and Evil

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Amazing. As I was reading, I went back and forth mostly because of how I felt about the correlation between beauty and good that the book portrayed.

But of course you see 5 stars here.

The School for Good and Evil gives us a classic fairy tale. Children from the magic realms (children of Arthur, and well known villains) and from the village beyond the magic realm are taken to this school to learn the virtues of being good or evil. It used to be that after graduation, sometimes good students won their fairly tales, and other times evil won their fairy tales, but not anymore. Good had been on a winning streak for 200 years! Now Sophie (who thinks she is good) and Agatha (who things she is evil) are taken from the non-magical realm to the school, but not quite the school they thought they should be in. The book chronicles their journey to find where they truly belong.

I really enjoyed reading about their classes, nuances of each school, and especially all their textbook titles which were adorable. This is a children's book, but it's probably more because of the traditional magic motif and the lack of type of love story that teen books prefer (which made me like it even more honestly). I thought it was great, and if your like fantasy and light, happy fairy tales you'll love this!



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Review: Seriously...I'm Kidding

Seriously...I'm Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



So this is the third comedian written book that I've read. I didn't read Ellen's previous 2 books which I assume would have had more of a "how I became famous" aspect to them like the other comedian books I've read. So it's probably not a fair comparison to say that I liked this book the most, but I did.

It's a fun quick read and I found myself chuckling quite a bit. I don't really watch the Ellen show, but I do like her humor and personality and have some general similarities such as healthy eating and not being late to functions, which made me like the book more.

Also I really played along with the meditation chapter and it was fun/ny.

I might have to go back and read her other two. :)



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Review: Ender's Game

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Finally got around to reading Starship Troopers Ender's Game, and loved it.

Ender's Game is a story of Earth after two attempted invasions by a bug like alien species. In anticipation for a third invasion, Earth takes its brightest children from their families and trains them in space to be the next commanders of the new army.


I don't have too much to say about it really. I actually wasn't too sure about how I felt about this book until I got to the end, where it all came together. Most of the time is spent with Ender's training, and the rest I don't want to give away. I can't even say that I particularly felt strongly about any of the characters. I just thought it was masterfully thought out as a whole...

I think it came together beautifully, and feel that *that* is how you end a book. Of course there was room for addition, which they did as there are three more books, but honestly it would work just as well as one stand alone novel. I don't feel compelled to read the other three (there was no strong cliff hanger), but I probably will because this one was so good.



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