Annette's Book Spot

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Book Review: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (Re-Read)

I very seldom re-read a book, but with Orson Scott Card’s recent new releases, I wanted to go back and read Ender’s Game again. I really enjoyed it, after over 20 years.

Card writes a science fiction, world is gonna end, hardcore war story. Ender is 8 years old when the story begins, and he’s a “third.” That means his parents got special permission to have a third child because their first two were so intelligent. The government is looking for a certain kind of student to train for their army. You see, they are anticipating another attack by The Buggers—creatures from outer space that take no prisoners, and are out to destroy everyone on the earth.

So, after much testing and training, Ender is conscripted into the army. He will not see his family (or Earth) until he is at least 12 years old. Ender does very well in school and combat training, but things are not all that they seem. And that’s the excitement of the story. And also the part I can’t tell you. The types of suits they use for battle training are very creative and well-described and are an example of what makes this book so appealing to the hard science fiction fan.

Ender’s Game is a quick read, and most assuredly a “boy book.” There’s action, and battles, and fights among the students. There’s a big battle at the end that determines the future of the world. What more could you ask for in a science fiction tale? If you haven’t read this one, and you are at all interested in science fiction and/or war books, you don’t want to miss Ender’s Game. If you enjoy this one, the story continues in Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind.

Published by Tom Doherty (originally published in 1977)
Copy obtained from the library
324 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

Monday, February 7, 2011

Irresistably Sweet Blog Award

Today Kyanara at The Life of a Bookaholic awarded me The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award. I love this picture - it makes me want to each strawberries!! Thank you so much for thinking of me.

Here's what I need to do:
1: share 4 guilty pleasures with you
2: Pass the award over to 6 other blogs

4 guilty pleasures

1. Wine. I find it irresistible. I really look forward to having a glass with my dinner.

2. Sewing. I spend a fair amount of money on this hobby. More than on books . . .

3. Camping. We have a fifth-wheel camper that I would spend a lot more time in if I could. But we do go camping quite a bit in the summer.

4. Pedicures. I love them. I need to do this more often, but to me it's the ultimate in pampering.

I've recently received some awards that I passed on, and I really don't know who to pass this on to. It takes a lot of time to find blogs that will accept awards and that haven't yet received this award, and so I'm just going to say "Thank You!" (Now I understand why so many blogs are "award free!")

Book Review: Bad Things Happen, by Harry Dolan

Bad Things Happen was an interesting “who done it” story. I listened to this audiobook, and I think that experience may be different than reading the book.

The plot seemed to develop slowly, although it kept my interest, and like I said, I was only listening to about 30 to 45 minutes per day, so that is a much slower pace than I would read a book.

The main character, David Loogan, becomes an editor for Gray Streets Magazine (which publishes crime drama stories) and Tom Kristoll is his boss. They develop a friendship, as David develops a romantic involvement with Kristoll’s wife. After Kristoll is pushed out the Gray Streets’ office window, David Loogan becomes obsessed with finding Kristoll’s killer. Several more people will meet their demise before it’s all over, and David will also become a suspect.

There are a lot of characters in this story, and many of them have reason to be suspects for the various deaths. But every character is defined; there is no confusion as so often happens in a book with many characters. The plot develops and the reader has no idea where it is going (which I love!) Every time Loogan, or the beautiful detective, Elizabeth Waishkey begin to have a handle on these crimes, something else happens to throw them a curve.

I wouldn’t call this a suspense. I never felt the heart-pounding, danger-filled drama, but I enjoyed listening to how it all inevitably unfolds. The tie-up is nice, and although the very last scene was unnecessary, it didn’t change my opinion of the book as a whole.

I think I would recommend reading this instead of listening. The narrator was OK, but not exceptional. I know this is a difficult job, especially when there are a lot of characters, but I became annoyed with his voice at times.

If you like an intricately woven plot in a crime novel, Harry Dolan has written an excellent debut novel. I’ll be looking forward to his following publications.

Published by Berkley Trade, 2010
Audio book obtained from the library
352 pages

Rating: 3/5

Sunday, February 6, 2011

In My Mailbox - The Salt Edition

This week I received a review book, The Limping Man, which is the third book in the Salt Trilogy by Maurice Gee. The book was from the publisher, Orca Books, through LibraryThing. The package also included a pin and bookmark (awesome!)

So, since this is the third book in the series, I got the first on from the library:

So, I'm excited to read Salt first, and then I'll read the second one (Gool) before reading The Limping Man.

I brought home a few more books from the library too:

I have read Enders Game, by Orson Scott Card many years ago, and just wanted to read it again because I remember really enjoying that whole series. The Replacement, by Brenna Yovanoff has been showing up on a lot of blogs and sounds very intriguing.

So, that's what's new for me this week. How about you? Thanks for stopping by! Happy Reading!

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. Make sure you go over there and check out all the other blogs participating!

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Book Review: The Dressmaker, by Posie Graeme-Evans

Ahhhh. Totally satisfying. That’s how I feel now that I’ve completed The Dressmaker. This is a novel that takes place in the 1850’s, in Europe, and follows the story of Ellen Gowan from the day her father dies (that’s not really a spoiler, because it happens in the first chapter) through many ups and downs, trials and tribulations, to her happy ending.

I’m not going to say much about the specific trials, but you can tell by the title that Ellen becomes a dressmaker. That’s one of the things I loved about the story--the descriptions of the clothing. And not just the clothing, but the furniture, drapes, and the entire setting was described so that you feel you are sitting in the drawing room with Ellen and her family. I found the actual process of designing and constructing garments during that time to be very interesting.

Back in the 1800s, once the husband/father had died or left for some reason, the women were fairly destitute. Unless one could find a relative or friend who would take you in, you might end up in the poor house. What could be even worse, was a husband who abused his wife. There was really no hope of escape. Even if you could get a divorce (which wasn’t likely) the husband was automatically given custody of the children. All of these situations factor into the story of The Dressmaker.

Graeme-Evans’ characters were marvelously flawed, and each had a distinct personality. Ellen was strong and inspiring; she was the one that refused to quit. She’s the one you want so badly to be happy. Ellen lives with her cousin Oriana for a while, and they develop a deep, sisterly love, even though Oriana doesn’t have Ellen’s strong personality. Polly was one of my favorite characters. She’s there at the beginning as Ellen’s housemaid when she is just a child, and she appears several more times throughout the story. The maturing of the relationship between Ellen and Polly is heartwarming to read. Raoul is brilliantly written to be the hero who becomes the villain. He’s very easy to hate.

The plot doesn’t speed along, but this is a richly detailed book about a certain time period, and I was reluctant to put the book down. I became really invested in the characters’ lives, and needed to find out what was going to happen. I enjoyed every minute of the telling, and was content with the ending.

Pick up The Dressmaker if you want to snuggle up with a heartwarming, romantic book about a time long ago. You won’t regret it!

Published by Atria in 2010
Copy was a gift from my Secret Santa!
439 pages (Qualifies for my 350 Page Book Challenge!)

Rating: 4/5

Friday, February 4, 2011

It's Friday again! Let's HOP & FOLLOW!

I love Fridays, because I get a chance to visit a lot of other blogs and see what's new with them. I even get to discover some new blogs that I've never visited before! If this is your first time here--welcome! Thanks for stopping by; feel free to take a look around and stay for a while.

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy-For-Books, and the question of the week is:

What are you reading now, and why are you reading it?

I'm reading The Dressmaker, by Posie Graeme-Evans. This was a gift from my Secret Santa! I've recently read several dystopian, fantasy type books. Historical fiction is my favorite, so it was time for a break from the fantasy!

Follow Friday is hosted over at Parajunkee's View and asks this week:

What is the book you are currently "pushing?"

I do a lot of book pushing, since I'm a high school librarian. I've recently pushed the book Matched. I just got a big order of books in (probably my LAST of the year, since they cut my budget!) and there are a lot of books in there that I want to push. Such as, Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, Anna & the French Kiss, Accross the Universe, Rot & Ruin. I'm very excited about all those books sitting right next to me!

Hope you all have a great weekend! Come back and visit soon!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Book Review: The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan

My first zombie book, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, was everything I wanted in a zombie book. I could not put this down after page one. The world-building that Ryan did was vivid, mesmerizing, depressing, riveting, and dangerous!

The village is surrounded by a fence, because the forest around them is infested with the Unconsecrated (i.e. zombies.) These are your classic zombies that crave human flesh, and are pretty much indestructible unless you behead them. The community is governed by the Sisterhood, basically a convent of nuns that guard secrets about the outside world and the history of how society ended up this way. They have convinced everyone that this village is the last of human civilization, and rule with much fear and distrust.

But our main character, Mary, cannot believe this. She longs to see the ocean, which her mother has told her stories of many times. Things don't go well for Mary in many ways. She loses her mother and father, is disowned by her brother, and she has no one to marry. So she ends up in the Sisterhood, a place that she does not want to be. After much misery, Harry asks her to marry him, so she can finally leave the Sisterhood. But… Mary is in love with his brother, Travis.

Never fear, though, things are going to get a lot worse. The fence gets breached, and Mary and her friends, including Harry, Travis, and her brother, are on the run from the Unconsecrated. This story just doesn’t stop. Every time you think “OK, now this is good, they are going to be safe,” something horrible happens to change everything. It’s hard to catch your breath.

I really liked all the characters. Ryan makes you care about all of them, even with their faults. Their reactions to disaster are believable from people who are under this much pressure constantly. The end brings some sadness, some safety, and still a lot of questions to be answered. I’m going to have to grab The Dead-Tossed Waves soon.

I can't believe I waited so long to read this one! I would recommend this to anyone who likes an adventure featuring paranormal creatures, in particular zombies. You won’t be disappointed.

Please give me some recommendations of other zombie books I might like. I think I need more!

Published by Delacorte, 2009
Copy obtained from the library
308 pages

Rating:5/5

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

The Winners of my Big Thank You Giveaway have been chosen!

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway. Random.org has chosen the following people as winners:

Maeva from Murphy's Library

has won

XVI

and

Genna from Reading, Writing & the World of Words

has won

So Much Closer

The winners have been notified via email and have until Saturday to contact me.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Book Review: Dead Barchetta, by Kathryn Lively

Dead Barchetta,while a mystery, is really a book for fans of Rush (the rock band, not the talk show host.) I happen to be a Rush fan, so I found this book enjoyable.

Lerxst, our main character, is a member of a Rush cover band. The story begins with Lerxst waking up to someone trying to smother him with a pillow. This begins an unusual journey for Lerxst, involving suicide, running away from home, and uncovering many secrets from the past. The characters and settings in the book are rather flat; the descriptions given are not remarkable or memorable. Some really heavy stuff happens to Lerxst. Some examples: He sees a dead body. He decides to go on the run because he thinks he’s going to be accused of killing someone. He is the victim of a bombing. He has a gun pointed at him. And throughout the entire book, there were no strong emotions, no sense of panic, fear, sadness, nervousness or anything. He seems to just take everything in stride and move along to the next episode of the story. This flatness applies to all the characters.

Lively has created a somewhat complex plot, with many quirky characters, and I was entertained by how it all played out. My favorite parts of the book, however, were the references to Rush and other rock music. For example, a police officer interrogating Lerxst talks about a Rush concert he attended in a certain city, in a certain year. Lerxst knows that this particular concert was cancelled-so there was no way the officer was telling the truth. Side stories about Rush and their songs pepper the story, and for a classic rock fan this adds much to the enjoyment of the book.

Dead Barchetta contains strong language, not overly used, and casual sex, which is not explicit by is tawdry. Therefore, I would recommend this to older teens.

My other recommendation is that the reader is a Rush fan, or at least a classic rock fan who is somewhat familiar with Rush. The rest of the book just doesn’t hold up without this element.

Published by DLP Books, 2010
Copy purchased for my Kindle
326 pages

Rating: 2/5