Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

I don’t remember reading books like this when I was 10-15. If I would have, I am not sure that I would have understood and appreciated them as much. The lessons in this story are so deep. I can see and understand an adolescent reading Harry Potter or Percy Jackson but Ender’s Game is so heavy, dark and based on the manipulation of Child Soldiers. This is a great book for discussions on “what will we do in order to survive”. Is survival the one common of the Human Species? As a whole do we just want to live? The story addresses the struggles of an unwanted child, but it is based on many social, political and ethical ideas of society. This is a great book overall and the author concentrates on the sacrifices and difficulties of war.

The story takes place in c. 2300AD; Earth is at peace following a devastating nuclear war against an alien race called "buggers". Ender is the third child of a family at a time when having more than two children was not acceptable. Ender was genetically engineered to have superior physical and mental capabilities and at six years old he has been chosen as Earth's final hope against the next war with the buggers. 

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

This is the second book in the series of The Heroes of Olympus. Percy is back in action and we finally know what happened to him, this time he is at Camp Jupiter. Percy has a wicked case of amnesia and doesn’t understand why everyone keeps calling him the son of Neptune. He befriends Hazel, who is back from the dead and Frank, who doesn’t know who his Godly father is. The three embark on a dangerous quest to Alaska to free “Thanatos” (Death).

The book is exciting and full of adventure. As always Rick weaves life lessons, historical studies and geographical information as he keeps you glued to the story. Now I am learning about the Roman Gods.

These can be found on Rick Riordan’s web page.

Gods

Greek     Roman

Zeus        Jupiter       God of the Sky

Hera        Juno          Goddess of Marriage, Mothers and Families

Poseidon  Neptune    God of the Sea

Ares         Mars         God of War

Athena     Minerva     Goddess of Wisdom, War and Useful Arts

Apollo      Apollo       God of Archery, Music, Poetry, Prophecy, Medicine and later on the god of the sun

Hades       Pluto         God of the Underworld

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games Trilogy

Katniss Everdeen has left a lasting impression on me. Every once in a while you read a book that twist your insides, a fiction that rings and corresponds too closely to the real world. This is a story that forces you to accept the cruelty of the world around you, and pushes you to make an individual choice of how you will live your life. Will you succumb to it and become as cruel in order to survive. Or will you rise above it and build the best life possible without sacrificing your integrity. Will you let the circumstances around you dictate who you become or will you use those circumstances as lessons to help you become the individual that you want to be?

Book I –“The Hunger Games” focuses on an event that happens once a year; a barbaric game where two adolescents and/or teenagers, a girl and a boy are chosen from every district to partake in The Hunger Games. Think of the TV show “Survivors” with kids and played to the death. The games are a reminder to the districts of what the last revolution cost them, a punishment to subdue the districts and remind them of the Capitols power. There are 12 districts (the 13th was destroyed); reminds me of the 13 US colonies. The districts are separated and never allowed to communicate with each other, the Capitol’s idea of divide and conquer. 


The Hunger Games depicts a cruel and horrible world run by the “Capitol”. The Capitol has an iron grip on the districts, using cameras to watch their every move and have “The Peacekeepers” who punish and kill for any disobedience. While the districts suffer, lacking the basic needs of clean water, a place to live and the people die of hunger, the people of the Capitol want for nothing. Their children never have to join the hunger games and they have such an abundance of everything that they are able to spend their free time leisurely, partying and dining; spending an enormous amount of money on their appearance. The most exciting event is watching the Hunger Games each year; watching children kill each other.


Book II –“Catching Fire” begins with less violence but just as menacing as book I. Katniss’ (the protagonist) survival and defiance angers the Capitol. There is unrest in the districts and. President Snow is out for revenge and no one is safe, not her family or even the previous winners of the Games.
Katniss describes the abundance the people of the capital have. How they take it for granted and do not realize that people in other districts are dying every day from lack of food, clean water and other essentials for life. It truly makes me look at myself and all that I have. Running hot and cold water every day, A home to come to, family and friends and so much food that I’m always on a diet.


The love triangle is so potent and gut-wrenching that it makes Twilight look like kids giggling and holding hands.


I do not like Katniss but that’s because I like my heroine in a neat package. The author made her too angry and suspicious even for her surroundings. Everyone around her is going through the same thing and even worse but she takes it too far. I know she wasn’t named after a cat but that’s what she reminds me of.


The books are real page turners. Even thought the story offers a reality that’s a bit too rough, awful and mean for me (I know plenty of it exist in real life, I don’t want it in my recreation). I couldn’t stop reading and I really wanted to see how the story would develop. Her coming of age, but I think the authenticity of her character is what appealed to me.



Mockingjay
Katniss is convinced to become "Mockingjay": the symbol of the rebellion. The ending of the story is sobering and calm; all of your trials and tribulations, where will they lead you? In the end, Will it be Worth It?

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

I’ve only read three of the seven book series and so far I find it enjoyable but better suited for a junior high school audience. I don’t find them very intriguing or fantastic fairy tales. The movies bring the books to life in a way that the stories do not. The stories are very two dimensional, where as the movies are much more vivid and vibrant. CS Lewis wrote these stories to bring Christianity to children and the philosophy is woven in all the books. The stories are easy to follow and allow a child to use his or her imagination to discover the world of Narnia.

The Magician's Nephew was actually the sixth book written in the series even though it depicts how Narnia was created by Aslan.

Digory and Polly were forced to use the magic rings made by his uncle to travel to different worlds. In one of their travels they meet Jadis (The White Witch who wants to destroy the world) in a world called Charn. The book is a fun way to introduce children to God and the story of creation. The story moved at a very slow pace and not very exciting.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The story of four ordinary children: Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. They discover a wardrobe in Professor Digory Kirke's house that leads to the magical land of Narnia. The children help Aslan, a talking lion, save Narnia from the evil White Witch, who kept Narnia in the winter season for a century. The children become kings and queens of Narnia.

The Horse and His Boy

The Horse and His Boy takes place during the reign of Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy in Narnia. The story is about Bree, a talking horse, and a young boy named Shasta. They were both slaves in Calormen and after a chance meeting plan their escape to return to Narnia and to be free. Along the way they meet Aravis and her talking horse Hwin who are also escaping to Narnia.

The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan

This is the second book in The Kane Chronicles, which concentrates on the Egyptian Gods and Egyptian mythology. I am learning so much about the Egyptian Gods; their names, what they stood for and what roles they played in the society. Reading Riordan, is a great and fun way to learn about these cultures, but I don’t like the Heroine (Sadie) and her brother the hero (Carter) that much. I enjoy the author’s style of weaving the Ancient World and Modern Society together. It’s great the way they travel to the underworld and Ancient Egypt through the Duat. The “Brooklyn House” is the Magical House where the Kane House of Life resides and where they prepare and practice the magic that will save the world from Apophis, the god of Chaos.

There are always great lessons to learn; Carter reflects “that all we can do is keep trying and keep believing that we could salvage something from a disaster”.

for ages 10 and up

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

A Game of Thrones is the first in Martin’s fantasy novel series. I did not get to finish the book because there are 800 readers on hold for it at the library. What I’ve read so far is a story that is detailed, complex, and very dark and bloody. The monarchy of old England is strongly represented with the Stark and Lannister families. Even though I’ve only read a quarter of the book, I’ve encountered many characters and story lines. You have to like this genre in order to enjoy this series because it takes a lot of patience and focus to make it through one of these books. You can’t just read this type of book; you must become a part of its world as the story unfolds in such detail, it feels like the author is building the world around you as you read.

The story starts with a mysterious killing by what seems to be a ghost of some sort but that’s all you get and then moves suddenly to the present at the castle of Winterfell. We are introduced to the noble house of Eddard (Ned) Stark, ruler of the North and one of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros; the direwolf, the symbol of the house; and the death of Jon Arryn, the Hand of King Robert Baratheon. Eddard and Robert were once as close as brothers, but Eddard is soon to learn that the man he once new has changed in many ways. Love, hatred, betrayal are at the center of the story. This story has a bit of everything; politics, family tragedies, brother sister conflict, incest and all kinds of rivalries.

I read the book in the mornings on my way to work; it takes me about twenty minutes on the train. The book would bring a calm sadness over me. The voice was steady, monotone and would flow continuously from chapter to chapter. I never felt invigorated or happy after reading (not recommended if you need a pick me up). I didn’t like any of the characters, but felt sorry for the life they experienced. The writing is well done and easy to read. I can almost hear the narrator speaking in my head. It is obvious Engel is a very good writer and very talented but the tone and the story itself is extremely morbid. She is able to pull you into the life of her characters with few words and though I did not like the book I was mesmerized by the haunted voice of the main character Sabina.

Sabina, born of Colombian immigrants and raised in New Jersey, tells you the story of her life (Vida). Sabina takes you through the events of her life in a slow non-chronological pace. She tells you of her family in the US and Colombia, her boy friends and friends. What was missing for me is I didn’t get a clear sense of what Sabina has learned and where her life is right now.

1st to Die by James Patterson

1^st to Die is about a serial killer whose victims are newlyweds. Lindsay Boxer, a homicide inspector, forms “The Women’s Murder Club” which includes herself, a reporter, assistant DA and medical examiner. I don’t think they are very good at solving crimes because they get it wrong so many times. The story provides plenty of suspense and action but I didn’t enjoy the story. This is your typical cat and mouse thriller.

I thought the story was very depressing and I couldn’t wait to be done with the book. That said; Patterson fans gave the book an average of four out of five stars and most readers found the book exciting. 1^st to Die was also a TV miniseries which is now available on DVD.

The Winner Stands Alone by Paulo Coelho

This is very different from any of his previous books. A psychological thriller based at the Cannes Film Festival, Paulo seems to hate everyone and everything about the festival. He doesn’t say anything positive about any of the characters and they are utterly pathetic. The book was so depressing, not inspiring, with no silver lining at the end. “Vanity all is Vanity”

Igor is a psychotic Russian executive who has everything and comes to the Cannes film festival in pursuit of his ex-wife, Ewa, who ran off with Hamid, an Arab clothes designer. Igor kills a few people and sends messages to Ewa on her cell phone, believing she will understand that he will do anything to get her back. The story is supposed to show us the emptiness of pursuing fame and fortune at all cost.

I did not like this book; not because it wasn’t well written but because I think the message got lost in all the negativity, hatred and anger that were the focus of the characters. His disdain for the rich (The Superclass), the media, film producers and super models is overwhelming. Paulo Coelho is a member of The Superclass, how does he separate himself from what he describes in the book.

I was interested to see how the book would end but overall not my idea of entertainment/good read.

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

Gladwell looks into the different reasons why some ideas spread like viruses. He discusses that it is not easy to pin point why some messages spread like wildfire while others don’t. This book is very informative and raises your awareness of how powerfully you are influenced by your surroundings. His examples are simple and clear. I like the way he connects ideas to things that people are exposed to in everyday life.

He explains three things that can bring about fast changes in society:

 1) The Law of the Few (a few exceptional people can spread the word)

2) The Stickiness Factor (There are specific ways of making a message memorable)

3) The Power of Context (Human beings are a lot more sensitive to their environment that they may seem) p.29

Tackling the small problems is as important as going after the big ones

We should think about preconceptions of what character is

“Character, then, isn’t what we think it is or, rather, what we want it to be. I isn’t a stable, easily identifiable set of closely related traits …”p.163

You never know what you will do in different situations

The rule of 150 – It’s easier to have a close united group when the number of people is 150 or less. When that number rises close to 200 the people tend to become disconnected and begin to create their own groups.

The scary questions are: Can we control the outcome of people/society? Can people/society be manipulated? How important are peer groups and environment when growing up?