Review: Endymion

Endymion by Dan Simmons
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm so glad I read this. Books 1 and 2 took me a while to get into, and I felt the story ended enough for me not to continue the series. However, I was looking for books to read and the person who recommended it to me (and the one who recommended it to him) said I should finish it. Reluctantly, I did.

The story felt a lot clearer to me than when I began book one. I felt like book 1 dropped you into the world and expected you to know it. By book 3, I did. The characters and their stories were not only far more interesting to me and right from the beginning, but there were fewer of them to keep track of, which I think worked a lot better.

I had a much better time getting through this book, and even looked forward to reading onward. Now, there is no doubt that I'll finish the series. :D

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Review: A Confusion of Princes

A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I never read book summaries, but with Princes in the title, I thought it was an odd book for Garth Nix to be writing.

Then I read it. Yeah, definitely a Garth Nix book, not all Prince and Princess-y fairy tale stuff that it sounded like.

From page one I was so intrigued by the premise. I knew right a way that this was my kind of book and couldn't read it fast enough to find out more about the world, and see where it was going. This is definitely a new favorite for me. Great sci-fi book. I could read a series of books set it this richly developed world. Also, for how short it was, to have developed such a rich, complex universe and make it so easy to understand as a reader is just freaking impressive.

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Review: Me Before You

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Had to read this after seeing a preview for the movie a while back. Pretty much everything everywhere (preview included) already gave away the ending, but it didn't ruin the book for me, and I was still hoping for a different ending, even knowing what it was going to be. I still liked it a lot, even though it was such a different kind of book for me. I feel like it ended so fulfilling-ly that I'm not sure I'll read the sequel.

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Review: The Heir

The Heir by Kiera Cass
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ok, I read it.

This book had four huge things going against it. 1) The premise reads as if the political ideals in books 1-3 never happened. 2) It's the same book as 1-3, but gender swapped 3) All the reviews complain about the main character being a brat. 4) It focuses on a different character than the first books (really should be a companion series but...)

I liked it. Let's address the things going against it in order 1) The premise for the situation was satisfying enough. You already know that's what it is, you already picked up the book anyway, so it's nice to see that it was justified, and in a way that I felt worked. 2) Yea, but, that was the best part of the books! I'm not mad that it's the same thing. 3) I didn't hate her. I might be in a minority here, but the Heir's personality makes sense for who she is. She's the first one who is allowed to be an Heir despite having brothers. She's walking that thin line between a strong woman in charge and traditionally feminine, and it's hard. She's got herself into a personality rut, like people do, and she's working through it. It's fine. She never made me mad, unlike every character in the first books. She's not stupid. I didn't mind her at all. 4) Well, you see how much I liked the new character. I barely even remember half the people in the first book to really remember them when their names pop up. I think it worked because it'd been so long since I read the first three that I was no longer tied to those characters.

Anyway, over all, I liked this way more than I thought I would, considering the reviews and change of cast, and I'm really glad I read it. It's everything it should be. I actually think it worked way better than the first three. I never really liked the back story to the kingdom, and now that explanation is done with you can just enjoy the selection process. Of course, politics still plays a role. The state of the country plays a role. It's still fun though.

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Review: UnHappenings

UnHappenings by Edward Aubry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I stumbled upon this book my accident while looking for something to read from the kindle store.

The initial concept is really fun and interesting- the narrator's life keeps 'unhappening' meaning there are little things around him that change, and no one notices but him. He meets a girl who knows what it's like, and knows what's happening.

UnHappenings is so well thought out. It has the potential to be really confusing, but it's not, not at all.

As I joyfully made my way through this page-turner, a few thoughts did creep in my mind, mainly that the whole book kind of centers around the complete selfishness of the main characters. I began to worry about this as it was revealed. But I needen't have worried. Stick with it to the end. Like I said, this novel is so well thought out, and the issue is thoroughly addressed. [ Maybe not in the most respectful way to Time and any people who did wind up suffering (Two in particular), but in a way that way right for the characters and story nonetheless.(view spoiler)[

Anyway, this is going to go on my 'highly-recommended' shelf.

I'm a little worried about the half sequel/companion novel in the works. They tend to lose the wonder of the original- but do know in this book the story is contained and all the lose ends are tied, so you can just read this by itself. (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]


Anyway, this is going to go on my 'highly-recommended' shelf.

I'm a little worried about the half sequel/companion novel in the works. They tend to lose the wonder of the original- but do know in this book the story is contained and all the lose ends are tied, so you can just read this by itself.

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Review: The Translator

The Translator by Nina Schuyler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book combines so many things I love. Japanese, translating, Japan. Hanne is a translator, working on a novel that's going to be 'huge' though the author doesn't seem to like the direction she's taken with it. We learn about her life and how her up-bringing caused rifts between her and her children.

Though I wanted a resolution of sorts that was similar to the actual ending, and though I can also see how the novel lead to that end, still somehow, the end felt a little disjointed from the rest of the novel. And it wasn't just the character transformation, because that was very well done. I don't know, it just felt tacked on at the end. I really enjoyed this novel so much but felt like the end was just shrug worthy. Not bad, but not what I thought really matched the story.

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Review: Buying a Fishing Rod for My Grandfather: Stories

Buying a Fishing Rod for My Grandfather: Stories by Gao Xingjian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I always wanted to write a kind of disjointed dream story. Gau Xingjian does this magnificently. I, as always, didn't know what to expect when I began this collection but really enjoyed each story except the very last, that one was a little too disjointed for me.

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Review: The Martian

The Martian by Andy Weir
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mark Watney is part of a six man crew with a Mission to mars, but six days in, a storm hits and they have to evacuate under rushed conditions. Mark is lost and presumed dead, but he's not! Now he has to survive in a barren wasteland until the next crew arrives.

A very fun and action packed read. It's cool to see all the ways he thinks up to survive, and what he thinks up again when those plans turn to hell due to unforeseen circumstances. He book is easy to get into and is fast paced.

Sometimes the change in viewpoint threw me off because at first it seems like it will all be Mark's POV then we hear from Huston which is fine, but then sometimes we get a narrated view of what Mark is doing, which only happens like twice in the novel. It's fine, it just wasn't what I was expecting.

Can't wait to watch the movie! I'm sure I'm a fool for reading the book first. Hopefully I won't hate the film. XD

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Review: The Sea of Monsters

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I really liked this book. The five stars was probably because I read it in a day, and quick reads always make me feel that it must have been a great book. I was expecting it to be longer, actually. I seem to remember the first one being longer.

I saw the movie first, so I kind of knew what to expect (and can't wait to read book three, where I'll be totally in the dark!). I realize there is a lot that is different in the movies, but from my 'reading the book afterward' perspective, I wasn't upset. I feel like the movies leave in that which is critical (The big three not being able to have half-bloods because of the prophecy, minimal parental intervention, character's personalities, and the end result of the golden fleece's effect on the tree). The only thing I wish they did keep in was the beginning where Grover missing, because the fact that the satyrs all disappear is important (I think), and that is what explains it.

Really, this novel is very fast-paced, and at no point was I bored. It's funny and I'm learning tidbits about mythology that I never knew and otherwise wouldn't go out of my way to study. :-P I think it's a great children's book. It's action packed and to the point, the vocabulary is age appropriate (I read a kid book recently with curse words so...), and also teaches kids some new vocabulary. It's pretty awesome.



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Review: The Bone Clocks

The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I won an advanced reader's copy through goodreads. I've watched Cloud Atlas but have yet to read the book. From talks with other people, this book may be a bit similar.

The Bone Clocks first follows our Main character, Holly. Holly used to hear voices until a doctor took them away. This is a terrible summary, and you might want to look up an official one.

For me, the book took some time to get to the point of the story, the point of which I'm not quite sure in the end what it was. It was really that section before the last where we really understand what Holly and previous characters were experiencing - what the whole novel was leading up to. Because the reveal was so late, there was a lot of information packed into that section, and hard to keep up with everything.

I still found the novel interesting and enjoyed reading it. I at first worried about jumping through time, especially after I'd gotten to the second section and didn't see anyone I knew around, but as I read through, I saw how it worked and liked it.

While it wasn't a novel that I jumped into and couldn't put down, I enjoyed reading it and found the lives of the character's and authors imagination of what could be fascinating.



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Review: Double Identity

Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Just some tiny thoughts on the book. I thought the character was very well developed- all the tiny little details about her personality and quirks was really great, and always came back to matter in the story. However, the age of landlines wasn't that long ago, so it's funny that people would think this - near the end, a power outage is blamed for the phone being cut as well, and... I know I've lost power before and still had landline capabilities. Just couldn't get past that. Phones still work.



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Review: Flashforward

Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Great! After enjoying the TV show which ultimately was cancelled, I was ecstatic to see on goodreads that the whole thing was based off of a book.

It reminds me of something I told my coworker a few months ago, "The best part about reading is the show doesn't get cancelled in the middle." Of course, this is also why I try my hardest to say away from ongoing series. I fail.

This novel did not disappoint. It was interesting, clearly the tv show took a different direction, but that's ok. It reminded me a lot of some modern guy written sci-fi books I read and hated last year- except this one was actually good. I don't know how to explain the feel they all have which makes them stand out as similar in my mind... Maybe they way they integrate their idea of the future into the story, and the way the action sequences are made to be filmed. Like they write every book to be translated to a movie, or they already pitched the idea, and it got trashed, but they liked it so much they made it happen with a book (and the way they typically end supports this theory). This one, however, I liked.

I can't imagine what the TV producers thought they were going to do season after season with this. You could really fit it into a 3 to 6 episode mini-series and call it a day. I really with the US did that more. We just cannot let stories go. *sigh*



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Review: Children of the Mind

Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Ah the last book! (Though I guess I have to go back and read Ender in Exile?)

As I understand it, this book was really part two of book three, but was split up so the author would be able to finish it more fully. So while books 1, 2, and three have major events that make them distinguishable as separate, more so even than some newer trilogies, this one is really just a continuation. But I'm not sure how much sense that makes.

For me, this one wasn't as good and one and two. Book three already wasn't a shining star to me (though I really got into the Path's storyline), but I did enjoy it, and enjoyed this one as well, and was happy with the end. I see why the author did what he did, but I think that even in this sci-fi realm he built, it was still a little weird, but that started in book three anyway.

I think it still kept with it's previous installments as being very well written and philosophical.



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Review: Castle in the Air

Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



More like a companion novel than a sequel but I liked it.

I loved the main character's politeness and enjoyed experiencing a new setting in the same world. I don't think it was quite as funny and charming as the first novel, but that could be just because the story has sat with me for so long from watching the movie so many times.



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Review: The Shadow Throne

The Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I loved the first book. The second one was okay, but I really feel the third one redeemed itself.

While we did revisit some plot points (Jaron gets caught, again) I feel like the execution was better this time around. Personally, I feel like the series could have been just the first novel and this one Roden's parentage not being that important to the plot at all to need book two, and the pirates role easily could have been anyone else .

There are some holes, unless I missed why Conner did what he did.

But overall, in keeping with the first book, this one was fast paced, humorous, with twists and turns throughout, Jaron knowing his plans well in advance to let the readers be surprised later. He's in control. Much closer to the atmosphere of the first installment.



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Review: Howl's Moving Castle

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Why did I wait so long to read this?! I'd been wanting to since the movie came out.

Of course there are many differences between the book and the film adaption, but I feel like the film very much captured the essence of the book, and so I can love them both equally.

What I liked so much with the book was how adorable it was. I love the curmudgeonly Sophie, though at the beginning it sometimes felt out of place (like how she handled the customers) but more often than not it added to the humor of the story. Howl was hilarious, and I didn't find any of the characters to be annoying in the least.

The one thing that put me off was that the story connected itself to the "real" world in a way that I feel pulled me too far out from the fantasy than I wanted to be pulled, but in the end, it didn't have as great of an impact on the overall story as I thought it was going to have. I just needed a little more faith. It all ended just great, and I can't wait to read the rest of the books. :)



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Review: The Runaway King

The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
It's like KJ Parker (Fantasy w/o magic) except for kids...and that the King is moderately competent and cunning...
Anyway, I really enjoyed the first book, but for me the second one lost a little of the magic. It might have hurt that I just finished reading a writing book, which made the characters telling each other information each of them already knew solely for the benefit of the reader stand out so much more.
I also felt that this book took me a bit longer to get into compared to the first one. I also though a thing that happened at the end was a little campy. Too easy kind of.
Anyway, it's still cute, but I liked the first one so much more. From the last few lines, book three seems to be exciting, and I'm looking forward to reading it.

Review: The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide To Staying Out of the Rejection Pile

The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide To Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Okay so first of all I will say the book addressed everything it set out to, and though it had a limited scope, I knew that from the beginning, and that in fact was an asset. I read some reviews complaining about things not touched upon- those were out of the scope, and the whys were discussed in the beginning of the book.

What I loved was how easy it is to read. I can jump to a chapter, learn about an issue, see examples, and get exercises to solve the problems. It's not this huge step my step technical manual, it's not dense and it doesn't treat you like a child either. It's perfect for me and I love it, I completely plan on reading it again (I only did the first chapters exercises and decided to read though the whole book once before doing the rest to confirm my suspicions that this is a book I'll be reading again, and I'll be wanting to buy and have as a reference myself, as the copy I have now is from the library).

The only downside is in some of the examples in the beginning, all the issues were underlined, when I'd rather try to find them myself, and then all the fixes were in a paragraph written out, when I felt reprinting the passage with the fixes would have been a better contrast. It also would have made the book longer, and it's not something that I think is completely necessary, but the visualization would have been helpful.

And there were a few typos. Well, at least one, and it was a little awkward to see it.

But you can see I gave it five stars. The book is a great reference and I felt a surge of creativity while reading it, thinking of all the fixes I can make to my work to really bring it up.



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Review: The False Prince

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I loved this book! The first few pages didn't really capture me from the start, because I didn't know how long it'd take for the plot to take off, but about ten pages in I knew it was good. Reading it gave me a sense of nostalgia and deja vu for some great fantasy I read in high school.

Recently, I've had trouble with teen books for various reasons, and while this could have easily fallen into one of my pet peeves of the author withholding too much information from the reader, it didn't. The author expertly handled the main mystery in such a way that I knew it early on, but didn't feel like I had to know it or that from figuring it out there was no need to continue to read. Sometimes an author will be so mysterious that it's hard to enjoy the book, or even understand it, but that did not happen here.

I can't even think of one thing I didn't like. There was nothing that bothered me at all. All the characters were great, the main character was amazing, the premise was good, it was fast paced, and I can't wait to read the next book, which I've already requested from the library. It's been a while since I wrote a "review" but I liked this book so much I felt I should tell people. :)



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Review: Where Children Sleep

Where Children Sleep by James Mollison

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I really enjoyed this. I understand the limitations the author faced which prevented more of a variety of places and backgrounds, but it was still an eye-opening book, highlighting exactly what it was meant to- the differences in wealth among children and the situations they can be placed in. From cultural and economical standpoints, it's a very interesting book.



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Review: Tao Te Ching: A New Translation

Tao Te Ching: A New Translation by Lao Tzu

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This would probably have to go on my list of one of those books everyone should read at least once. Maybe I'm biased from my Eastern Culture, but I feel like it puts forth some very valuable lessons and truths which are still relevant today.

I think maybe the introduction and afterward may put off some people. There's a lot of history there. I'd say, if you don't want to read it, don't. Just read the actual translated book. You'll get the meaning, and there are always notes on certain lines to help. I plan on reading this again when I can take more time with it.



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Review: Tales from Outer Suburbia

Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



It reminded me a lot of the podcasts 'Welcome to Nightvale" that I'm currently listening to. Cute and strange in the best way.



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Review: Lone Wolf & Cub Omnibus, Volume 1

Lone Wolf & Cub Omnibus, Volume 1 by Kazuo Koike

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I loved this! The artwork the beautiful! The story was great too. I love the premise. Don't have much more to say...

Basically it is a manga of a rogue samurai who travels with his infant son. He's incredibly strong and kills for payment. Sometimes he even uses his son to lure his prey.

Not a book for the kids.



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Review: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I loved Elsewhere and it's on my to re-read list, so when I saw this was by the same author, I had to pick it up.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac begins with of course, the main character being an amnesiac after falling down the stairs at her school. She must then figure out who she is and who those around her are while navigating a high school where everyone else knows who she is and is dealing with her differences. She learns things about her own life that come to a shock and says some things to people she no longer remembers which hurts them.

It was a fun read, interesting enough that it's a pleasure to read and therefore also a very quick read. It's very cute and I think the relationships between all of the characters worked very well. The one thing that upset me was that in the very beginning when she's going through her room she finds a food diary displaying disturbingly low calorie counts with smiley faces next to them. This is not only met with indifference, but is never again mention in the book and so why even put it there at all?



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Review: Pompeii

Pompeii by Robert Harris

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I heard that a movie was coming out called Pompeii. I've always loved Pompeii so I was really excited, and in the comments for the trailer, someone mentioned this book (which the movie is not based off of though there was talk years earlier of a movie which never happened).

So that's how I came to read this book. I really enjoyed it. The beginning is a little slow and I learned more than I ever though I would about aqueducts which I'm not upset about. Actually for all the research the author put into it, it would be a great school book. Learn a lot about a civilization through a story and characters you care about.

In the middle of reading the book, I watched a British documentary about how the bodies truly came to be, and on top of that, I've visited Mt Vesuvius, Pompeii and Herculaneum before so I think that really helped my imagination bring the story to life in the correct and detailed settings (and also makes me a little biased on my opinions for all things Pompeii).

I think if you're interested in Pompeii no doubt you'll like this book, but if you're not, the beginning might come across a little boring. On top of that, I had trouble keeping track of who was who because there were so many minor characters, many of them having similar names to each other.



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Review: The Long Earth

The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



The Long Earth occurs in a time and place when humanity realizes that there are and infinite number of shadow Earths that, via a device, can be "stepped" to. The novel follows a few characters, one special man who was born on a shadow Earth and who was left there for a few minutes all alone as an infant, a man who accidentally wandered there and lived there long before anyone knew they existed, a police officer trying to understand and control the new phenomena, and a few characters who learned of the Earths after instructions to create a devise were released to the public.

I love novels and stories like this. The anime Kino's Journey, old tv show Sliders, a few of the Foundation novels, and another few stories which I can't exactly remember right at this moment. We basically get to see a lot of "what could have been's." Not only in the potential alternate developments of Earth life, but also what kind of new communities can emerge from the result.

I really enjoyed how rounded the story was. You got perspectives from so many different angles. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book!



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Review: The Omega Project

The Omega Project by Steve Alten

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Not at all what I was expecting. Well, I don't read book synopses, only tags, and the front cover mentions a rogue computer so I kind of just went off of that. Basically we start a few years after the great die off, initiated by the lack of oil, with many flashbacks to how it all happened. Then humanity regroups and searches for more sustainable energy. The time frame here I had trouble getting over, plus the number of deaths. I think it was too much death too fast (the order of who died based on income was weird), and the regrouping of society also happened too fast with technology that would never be available that quickly now, not to mention after such a massive event... and who even *wants* a holographic phone? And for old people to have adopted this technology so quickly?

But this is only the first 50-100 pages of the book, and it changes severely after that. The main character, with a number of astronauts and a super computer go to Antarctica to test a habitat that is to be sent to Aurora to mine energy resources. After a few chapters here, the character is put into and then wakes up ("allegedly" O.o) from cryogenic sleep.

Though I initially hated what came to be the beginning of the rest of the book (and which I only thought would carry on for about 2 chapters, really I should start reading synopses), as you can see I came to like it. It was imaginative and I liked the new species and the main character/s.

Sometimes the descriptions didn't really work for me. I feel like the author describes landscapes within about 5 feet surrounding the main character, and then those landscapes become something completely different two paragraphs later as the character runs forward, which make it difficult to keep up with the settings.

I liked the back and forth thinking it was real vs. a dream. I kept going back and forth on which I felt it *had* to be, which was fun.

I mean, aside from the initial time frame and how sharply the story evolves into an awesome nightmare, I still thought it was every interesting. It was very descriptive to handle all the changes and it's very much tied into real life events which I think added a lot more layers to the story. Overall it was exciting but it was like reading two different books.



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Review: Love Minus Eighty

Love Minus Eighty by Will McIntosh

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Anyone ever read the book Feed by M.T. Anderson? I had to freshman year of high school. The world set up by Love Minus Eighty reminded me of Feed, though LMF is much more complex and felt more realistic, and understood that technology doesn't degrade language - you can look up everything! But they're both about such technologically advanced futures that people are assumed to be plugged into everything constantly. Here it's through wearable devices while Feed was a brain implant.

Anyway, the novel centers around a future in which people who have sustained horrible injuries can be frozen and brought back to life, at a very high dollar amount. For those who don't have freezing insurance, if they are young and scientifically pretty enough, they can be put in the bridesicle program where if a man likes them enough, he can pay to bring them back and they have to be his bride for life. But it's another shot at life after having died.

It is a couple of chapters before you connect the characters and see where it's all going but all the characters are connected, which I also like.

The technologically advanced world is very complete, mentioning those people who shun technology, how the world is for people of different economic statuses, the people who love every bit of the technology and use it for fame, plus those average in-betweeners. The story itself was amazing - I almost don't want to say anything to give anything away for anyone who wants to read it. It's an interesting take on the idea of freezing people until technology is advanced enough to bring them back, or until they find someone rich enough to bring them back, even squeezed in some morality and religion in there. I read a lot of science fiction but while others focus on dystopian outcomes (massive changes in social structure) this felt more of a continuation of what we are now. Just us - in the future. The interactions between the characters was very organic, very believable, and you feel for everyone... well except Lorelei :)

Anyway, as a whole, it was a great and creative story. It was well thought out and well developed. I thought it was fantastic

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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Review: Goliath

Goliath by Scott Westerfeld

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Book 3 in the Leviathan series, so I won't go too much into the plot. Though I will say that the main focus in book 3 is Nikola Tesla and his proposed weapon that could end the war! We travel to Japan, Mexico, and the USA, so it was fun to see all those different places, although I did prefer the second book where they mostly stayed put.

I enjoyed the series as a whole, and this book didn't take away from it. I loved seeing the loris mature and learn more, as well as Alek finally learning Deryn's secret! The end was a little underwhelming for me. I wasn't upset with it, I wasn't mad about the decision Alek made, but I still wanted more!! T_T

Obviously, I still loved the book. It's not one of those amazing trilogies with the horrible ending, that's for sure.



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Review: Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I really liked this book. Though it's sci-fi, it's much more centered on the drama between a few students from a particular school, following them as they grow up and interact with each other and the world they live in. I don't know how to describe this book, except maybe "gentle"? I think it's hard for novels which are so artistic to be so fully engaging to me at least, but this book certainly had no trouble.

It's also one of those rare cases where the movie is quite like the book. I watched the movie first, which seems to be the better route of doing things if you want to enjoy both. I'd definitely recommend the book , but at the same time, I feel that it's so much like the movie that, having experienced one, you don't need to experience the other to get the full meaning.





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Review: The Gods Themselves

The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I really enjoyed this book. I convinced my friend to buy it for me for the holidays and just now got around to reading it.

I guess first I'll say that the middle section of the book (titled "...The Gods Themselves...") was a masterpiece on its own and my favorite part. I totally didn't see the last part coming, although I did foresee some other minor things. I thought it was amazingly imaginative and well written and the characters were all adorable, I loved them all!

But it wasn't just the middle section, I did enjoy the whole book. Even though sometimes the science seems a bit off (we need the moon right?) at times, most of it was too over my head for me to notice.

The premise was intriguing- Earth is contacted by a parallel universe and together they set up a (seemingly) mutual beneficial relationship for exchanging energy. I did feel that it lost a bit of its steam in the last section, however. While I was on the Denison's side, I didn't care for the company he kept and how it seemed that everyone wanted to use him. Furthermore, I felt that Neville's pet project didn't really add anything to the story but I minor, annoying conflict. All of which makes no sense to anyone who hasn't read the book...

The last Asimov book I read, The end of Eternity I felt read almost as a prequel to the foundation series (as in it could have happened in the same universe), and after finishing this (and perhaps the only way to give reason to Neville's pet project) is that it fits nicely between End of Eternity and the Foundation series, which I really like.



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Review: Eve and Adam

Eve and Adam by Michael Grant

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



It started slowly but then really picked up during the second half. Some of it was a little cheesy but in the end most of the cheesiness made for good comedy.



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Review: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I loved it. I don't really read non-fiction but I think Mindy is awesome and the title is a thought I seriously wondered about as a kid.

It's short and sweet and funny. Not reading many books like this, I actually had no idea what to expect, but I liked reading about funny incidents from her life.

Maybe reading this book will help cement the idea in my mind that she's not actually a doctor, but a writer and actress. O:)





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Review: 2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America

2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America by Albert Brooks

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



I did not enjoy this book. I just felt like the author wasn't aware of politics, and yet tried to write a whole book focused on it. Very few of the characters were believable. I read it all the way through, but it didn't get better.



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Review: Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary by David Sedaris

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I don't typically like short stories, but it was lying around, so I read it. I thought this book was hilarious.

Yes, it was gross in some places, but it was depicting animals with human thought, not human thought if they had magically turned into animals...if that makes sense.

It was a light, quick read. Cute despite the gore, surprisingly funny (I don't read blurbs for such short books), and I enjoyed it very much.



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Review: The End of Eternity

The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



The End of Eternity follows Andrew, a technician who makes small changes in the world to supposedly create a better future.

It started a little slow for where it was going, but overall, I really enjoyed it. Women weren't shown in a very good light, which I will chalk up to the times not only of Asimov but in the reality in which Andrew was living.

Like I said, it started slow, but the last 4 or 5 chapters packed quite a punch. Lots of twists and turns, and very exciting. Only one thing that happened early on in the novel suggested what was to come. I would have preferred it to be spread out a little more, but what can one do.

I especially like the shout-out to the Foundation series. The books really can go together in a way.



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Review: Foundation

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



In this novel a psycho-historian predicts that his Galactic empire is about to fall, which would inevitably lead to thousands of years of ignorance and stagnation of all things scientific. He proposes to compose an Encyclopedia so that the previous millenia of human knowledge does not forever dissappear, leaving them to relearn it once order is restored. Finally, he says that this encyclopedia will shorten the time of disorder to about only one thousand years. However, he also knows that his calculations don't work when individuals are knowledgeable of the outcome...

First thoughts, which have little to do with the book but I wish to say anyway: I read awhile back about a Canadian system of writing short stories that were very interconnected. I wondered what those would be like, but if they are like Foundation, than that would be amazing. So what I'm saying is, Foundation, is split into sections of stories which are all connected by following Seldon's path, but are all written in different generations with different characters. I wish I had known this ahead of time, but I caught on soon enough, and still like it. So it's not really a complaint than a surprise.

My only complaint is that Seldon appears after certain crises. So what role does he play? Apart from setting up Foundation in the first place, all he has done is verified that actions past were the correct ones. Of course, he is a historical figurehead to the characters, but they relied so much on his appearances where he's been most unhelpful.

What I did like was the strategy of the characters. It's fun watching brilliant minds have everything work out exactly to plan (which is manufactured by the author, but is great anyway). I also like that they have realized that war would lead to a prolonged period of strife and that instead they should be fostering nonviolent (although sometimes equally oppressive) actions. I'm excited to read more about the journey to the second Galactic Empire.

Also, I can imagine Firefly taking place in Asimov's Foundation setting, which is a fun thought. ^_^



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Review: Light Boxes: A Novel

Light Boxes: A Novel by Shane Jones

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Light Boxes is about a town experiencing a perpetual winter and an end to flight (birds, balloons) at the hand of February.

I enjoyed this book. It was really sweet, gentle, soothing even. Although I did at one time get confused with February.

Some of the typography decisions really worked and added to the feel of the novel, while others I could have done without. I liked more of the atypical typography than I disliked, however. The chapters start in various ways and sometimes it's first person while others there is a narrator, which I didn't feel added to the story in any other way than to make it different.

It's a quick read and it's definitely different than the majority of books out there, so if you're looking to shake up your reading habits, you can't go wrong with this novel.



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Review: Reached

Reached by Ally Condie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Since this is the third and final book of the trilogy, I'm going to skip any form of summary and go straight to my thoughts on the series, and this book.

Obviously, I was hooked after reading Matched, but only sort of. Mostly, I loved the book until I got to the final chapter. Then, I didn't know that it was meant to be a trilogy, but it really could have ended a chapter or two sooner. Despite how much I hated the end, I loved the bulk of the book enough to read Crossed.

Crossed was awful. I'm sorry, but I felt like it was pointless. It lost the charm and wonder of the first book. There was a lot of walking and a lot of poems and a lot of longing, but not much substance. It was a lot of book to accomplish only two things. I almost didn't read the third book. I gave it two stars and I was being too nice. I was disappointed. Nothing in book 1 suggested a follow up like book 2.

But when I start a series, I must finish it (unless it's a billon books long like Jacky Faber and Mister Monday, etc). So I read Reached. This book put us back into Society, where we were in the first book (I generally don't like it when books drastically change their setting, which added to my distaste of Crossed).

Cons: Firstly, I don't think it was at all necessary to go into depth how viruses spread. One, because I think everyone already knows, and two, because even if they don't they get it enough to understand the magnitude of the situation. Not only was virology explained (needlessly), but it was explained, not once, not twice, but THRICE. And the analogy they used to help people along wasn't until the third explanation, and wasn't a good analogy anyway.

This is basically one of my biggest issues through the whole series: So many words, most of it repeating things we already know, don't care about, or reprinting old poems. I'm a fan of efficiency. The length of the book felt stretched.

Pros: I really feel like this third book captured the intrigue of the first book. What I like about dystopian books is reading about a society that is not my own. Learning about their customs, and their outliers. Book three showed us a society falling apart, yet we still learned so much about it's inner workings despite that.
While others have wars and battles to overthrow their dystopian powers, it was more fitting in this society to use a virus. Makes sense. Do I think those characters should have been the most capable to fix everything? No, but they did and that's why the book's written about them. Everything that was introduced felt settled, even if I felt that some of those issues weren't pertinent to the story. :)

All and all I gave it 4 stars for recapturing all that it lost in book two, which was so far above my expectations (I had heard bad things). It ended well, no loose ends (well...), I was moved, and I was happy for the characters.



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Review: Sharps

Sharps by K.J. Parker

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Finally finished! After loving KJ Parker's Engineer Trilogy, I was delighted to find Sharps at the Library. I know about nothing about fencing, but figured it's KJ Parker, so I gave it a shot.

This book took me awhile to get into. I was worried with all of the character introductions that I didn't know who was where, why they mattered, and I surely didn't think I'd be able to keep track of them all. I almost gave up, but I always try my best to finish books that I've started, so I pushed the worries out of my mind and kept reading.

Basically, in Sharps, a fencing team is sent from one country to a country that they had recently been at war with. The idea was that the show of good faith would bring about peace, but it would seem that other people had different ideas about what their function was.

The book had plenty of laughs. The fencing, I assume was all accurate. Even though I don't know anything about fencing, I was always looking forward to the fencing scenes. I liked the characters and thought they were mostly well balanced in terms of screen time. I must say I don't quite get the point of reading from some of the officials (there were only a few scenes with them and it was a lot of stuff we already knew, I felt).

Overall, I enjoyed the story, but at times it felt like work to read. Which sounds bad, but it's probably because I read too much YA.



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Review: The Knife of Never Letting Go

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I loved this book. It took a second to get into it, but when I got there, it was a page turner.

If you like sci-fi or dystopian novels, you'll love this.

It was action packed all the way through, the concept it great. Hopefully in the next book we hear more about the Spacks...



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Review: Elemental

Elemental by Antony John

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Elemental takes place in a world after the plague has befallen. Now, people are scattered and wary of each other, fearful of catching this plague. We read about a small colony of people who can control various elements (wind, water, earth). During a storm they are attacked by pirates. The parents are kidnapped and the children (teens) plan to save them.

(Some spoilerish stuff follows)

I really like the idea of people having elements, and taken with the information provided at the end of the book, believe that it can be a really good series.

I also liked the dynamic between the characters (Specifically Thomas's relationship with Rose and Alice, and his relationship with his younger brother). Of course I didn't like the Guardians but we didn't have to see much of them... XD

Some things that came to light at the end, I had already figured out in more of a 'this should have been explained better' way than a 'oh I bet I know it's like this' sort of way (not that I think that makes any sense to anyone). There were just some things which could have been clearer. Some things didn't seem like they should have been surprises. If someone can create fire from their fingertips, I would expect someone else to be able to keep wind at bay.

I also had a hard time believing that these Guardians who had these special powers would think that it would be better to hide a strong power than to help the wielder control it. I just think there were too many secrets. Seemed a little much with not a good enough reason for keeping them.


With secrets out in the open now, I'm excited for the next book.



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Review: The Last Book in the Universe

The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



The Last Book in the Universe takes place after the 'big shake.' There are now two classes of people, the 'normals' who live in squalor in the Urbs and the 'proovs' who have been genetically improved, and who live in Eden. The main character Spaz learns that his sister is sick and embarks on a journey to save her life.

Though it was a quick read, it took me a while to get into it. So if you start the book and aren't sure about it, I say keep going, it's worth it in the end.

I liked all the characters, especially Little Face! It's a very hopeful book with a cute message.



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Genesis

Genesis by Bernard Beckett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First let me say, I picked this book up by chance, didn't read the synopsis, but began reading the book.

I very much enjoyed the book, but do have one complaint (and though I'll spend most of my time in this review on the complaint, it does not effect my overall rating). My complaint is that it was a sort of bait and switch. The first two chapters which detail Adam's early life have no bearing on the rest of the book. I saw the book going in a completely different way, which I'm sure is what they author wanted.

Spoilers:

I get why there was no more mention of Eve or the impact of the trial beyond aggravation among the people. These things meant nothing to the tellers of the story. The plight of the humans and their viruses. I, however was drawn in and compelled by this post-apocalyptic world and feel like he could have written the book on that. I really feel like it was two separate books and that the first two 'hours' were unnecessary means to the end of was Adam meeting Art. Well, it served as a 'red herring' but this is why I don't read mystery novels.

Having said that, I loved this book. Granted, I decided this before he met Art, I decided I would find other books by this author because it was just a gem. Even after he met Art and I realized I wasn't going to learn anything else about that which the first two hours alluded to, I still enjoyed the book.

It was engaging and well written, and now I finally understand why there's red hair on the cover! I find that short reads like this sometimes prove to be the most rewarding. Their is something special about being concise.

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Review: Breed

Breed by Chase Novak

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Breed is about a couple who desperate wants to conceive, and finally gets pregnant with the help of a doctor from some obscure European country. The process however changes their bodies and makes their kids different.

I don't watch horror films (I always have to close my eyes) and I don't typically read horror novels, but I picked this one up and thought the premise sounded interesting enough before I saw that it was supposed to be horror. I decided to read it anyway.

I thought it was a page turner and I was completely into the story all the way through. Well written good story, fun read. Not scary.

I'll never know how people decide when to classify something as 'horror.' Just because people die doesn't make it scary. Just because you say a character was scared won't make me scared... I didn't find it frightening or disturbing...I feel like the grotesque things were written more matter of factually than in a way that should make me fear for the character's safety. Nor did I ever feel any sort of time pressure to get my heart racing. *shrug*



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Review: Inferno

Inferno by Dante Alighieri

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



This translation replaced names- so many names! Added modern phrases.

I appreciate that I may not have been able to real the original(or earlier translation) so easily (well, I'm not sure, but this is the only translation I've read) but I could not accept the replacement of the names. South Park's Cartman? Please. I prefer purer translations. The the addition of modern phrases and names stuck out like a sore thumb. I would be reading easily, then get so thrown off that I had to stop.

Now, I've read this, and I don't know how much of it was from the original, and how much the translator replaced. Now I feel like I have to re-read it, with a different translation.

It wasn't written in 2013, so don't translate it like it was. Please.

What was intact, the messages and the stories, all that makes this a classic, earns my four stars. Since I'm rating this particular translation, however, I'm giving it two. If I find out later that earlier translations are written in a way that I can easily read, then I'll come back and only give it one star.





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