The Power of Six

I'm sad it took me so long to pull this one off my shelf.  I bought it when it first came out a year ago and I just kept picking up other books instead.  Why?  No idea.  And then recently a friend of mine asked if I had read it.

This is what he said, "I Am Number Four was good but, The Power of Six was awesome!" 

So, a few weeks later, I have finally read it and I cannot wait for the next one to come out in three weeks!  I devoured this one and then had dreams all night about having "legacies" of my own.  He he he.  For those of you who don't what what those are, you should just read and find out.  I wish I had some!

The Power of Six was so exciting!  So many twists and cool things kept happening.  One adventure after another.  This one picks up where I Am Number Four left off.  The Mogodorians are getting closer to uncovering the locations of each of the Nine and the time for hiding is coming to an end.  It's time to unite and fight.  John is coping with how to live his new life and struggling with his continued feelings for Sarah and new feelings for Six.  This sequel also dives into the mind of one of the other Nine, Marina.  The woman who is supposed to be her protector and trainer has practically abandoned her and Marina is left to figure things out on her own.  But, now she fears the Mogodorians have found her.  I loved reading both points of view.  Their stories are so different and the characterization is well done.

This story is unique and such an enjoyable read.  There were several moments where I laughed out loud and even more moments when I was literally sitting on the edge of my chair.  At the end of every chapter I had to relax my shoulders because the action was intense. 

That's another thing I should mention.  In many books the action has a tendency to get confusing because it's not always very well explained.  Sometimes it's because the author wants to keep the pace moving and fears too much detail in the action will slow it down too much.  That was not the case here.  The action was well detailed and I was never confused about what was happening to who or where.   At the same time the pacing was excellent.

This is one series where you shouldn't judge the book by the movie.  I won't lie, I was entertained by the movie adaptation of I Am Number Four, but the books are so much better.  And I have to agree with my friend.  The first one was good, but this one was fantastic! 

Pathfinder

I am long overdue to be talking about this rather incredible book.  A couple of years ago, I bought Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card for my brother for Christmas.  I'd heard through the Mom-line that he wanted me to buy him a book.  So, I scoured the internet searching for the perfect book I thought he would like.  I wanted to get him something new, exciting, and of course something with a beautiful cover.  (My brother loves art almost as much as I do.  If the whole package isn't right, he's not going to read it.)  Then I found this little baby.  It was the one!

Much to my sadness, it took him nearly a whole year to read it!  Who does that, right?  But he kept saying, "Mal, you have to read this when I'm done." 
To which I would respond, "Why?  It must not be any good if it's taking you this long to read." 
"Yeah, I know," he'd say.  "But it really is good."
"Mm-hmm."
"It is!  And the cover is amazing, look at it!"

We had many of these conversations.  They all went about like that.

At long last, he finished and conveniently placed it upon my bookshelf so that it would be the one I read next.  Then I finally picked it up.  I thoroughly enjoyed it!  Orson, you've done it again.

This is the story of Rigg.  Rigg has a special ability to see the paths every person throughout time has walked or moved.  His father is a man who goes by many titles and doesn't always seem to be the most loving of men.  Rigg's father taught him many things that the other villagers seemed to have no need to know.  One day his father is killed in the woods while the two of them were out trapping and hunting.  His father tells Rigg to run home and talk to their caretaker.  On his way something very strange and unique happens to him.  The paths he sees begin to slow down and he can actually see the people moving through time and not just their path.  What Rigg learns next takes him on a journey he never planned, and becomes someone he never expected. 

The writing is beautiful and well crafted.  There are many difficult concepts in this book to grasp and I frequently had to set the book aside for a second and make sure everything the author said was sinking in before I moved on to the next chapter.  While it took me a little while to read it during this exhausting bit of summer, I don't understand why it took my brother a whole year!  This story is very well told and unlike anything I've read before. 

Hope you love it too!

Ender's Game

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is simply one of my favorite books of all time.  I've just finished reading it for the second time, and I think I loved it even more.  Maybe it's because I've grown up a little bit, or I have a little more reading experience under me, but more than that I felt like I was renewing old friendships.  Like I was talking an old friend that I haven't seen in years.  The characters in this book stay with you.  They've stayed with me.

This book is exciting, smart, and really enjoyable.  Some of you may be thinking, "Sci-fi?  I don't like sci-fi."  I've always liked science fiction, but I don't think I really started to like it until I read this book.  Not the alien-type stuff anyway.  Before you freak out about reading about aliens, there really isn't that much.  This is the story of children actually.  A story of beating the odds and coming out on top when all was potentially lost.

Ender is only six years old when when he is recruited into the International Fleet (I.F.).  He may be the one to save the world from the "Buggers," but if he's not, it could mean the end of everything.  Ender is recruited because he's brilliant.  His brother and sister are also brilliant but, failed to be recruited because he was too violent and too willing kill, and she wasn't willing enough.  Ender is believed to be the perfect blend of both, the perfect leader of an army to end the war.  But, after the relentless training he receives, will he be too broken when it's his turn to lead?

What I love most about this book is the fact that they're all children doing incredible things and facing what few adults ever face.  Not only that, but they are absolutely brilliant!  This book is surprising and well deserving of its awards.  The writing, on occasion, was not perfect, but I devoured this book too fast to care.  You should also know, that I rarely re-read books, and this one was even better the second time around.

Happy reading!

Christmas Jars

There's something about the upcoming holidays that brings out the very best in people.  Thanksgiving helps us realize how much we've been given and been blessed with.  With a heart so full of gratitude it's hard not to share.  And what happens during Christmastime?  A lot of sharing and giving.

For my book club this month our book is Christmas Jars.  I just finished reading it, and that's probably a good idea since our meeting is tonight.  (You could read it in one sitting. ;) It's one of those stories that lifts your heart and makes you want to give a "Christmas Jar" of your own.  This story shows that no small act of kindness goes unnoticed.  I don't want to say too much about it.  Just know that I sat here at work attempting to hold back tears and wasn't very successful.  If you are looking for a good Christmas book to get you into the spirit of giving, I recommend this one. 

Can You Keep A Secret?

Can You Keep A Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

This book was so enjoyable!  I have to admit it felt a bit slow at first, but once it got going it held my attention and I couldn't put it down.  My friend Jernae recommended this book to me a while ago and I was finally able to read it.  And I was certainly not disappointed.

Whether you know it or not all of you are acquainted with chick lit.  It's just like a chick flick in book form.  This one felt pretty real to me, for the most part.  It didn't feel trite and insignificant like others in the genre can be.  The story was solid and so cute!

It is the story of Emma Corrigan.  She wants so badly to succeed in her job and get that promotion she's been waiting for, but the her chances aren't looking good after the last meeting she attended.  In a stroke of luck, she's upgraded on her flight home from that meeting.  The unlucky part?  She's afraid of flying and in a bout of turbulence she honestly feels she's going to die.  In that turbulence and amidst the screams of the other passengers she turns to the man sitting next to her and without thinking divulges all of her deepest secrets!  Of course, she never thought she'd see that man again, thank heaven.  When she arrives back to work the stranger she spilled everything to is there!

I recommend this book to anyone who needs a fun cute story and is ready to laugh.
Happy Reading!

Surprising

I was pleasantly surprised by this book.  Because of other things that I've heard and read from Dr. Allred, I wasn't sure if I was really going to like this book or not.  Not only was I worried about the writing, but it was also a biography.  Typically, biographies are not really my style.  I've read a few that have been really good, but facts tend to leave me cold sometimes.  When I read a book, I usually do it to escape in some way or another into the life of someone else.  This book was assigned by Dr. Allred in my biographical writing class so I had to read it.  I decided to get a head start on it so that I could have spring break to read whatever I wanted to read.  But, I didn't expect what I read.  I'm also so happy to know the author of this book.

The Kamikaze had always been a bit of a mystery to me, why did the government of Japan allow so many men to plummet to their death in hopes of striking a foul blow to the enemy?  What I didn't know, was that these men were actually just teenagers, and the main character was only fifteen when he was drafted as a pilot into the Japanese air force.  This book gives a truly remarkable account of the Kamikaze and what they went through to be considered "worthy" to die for their country.  This book may be a biography but it reads like a novel.  While I was reading this book everyone asked me how a suicide pilot survived to tell the tale and I had to keep replying, "I don't know yet!"  I did find out and I hope you take the time to check this book out and find out for yourself.

Meh... Could've Been Better

I finally finished Charlie St. Cloud.  In all honesty it started slow and I had trouble diving into it at first.  While I was really searching for some easy brain candy to dive into for this Christmas break I think I was really looking for something that took me out of life for a while and a book that was impossible to put down.  That's not quite what I got out of this book... at first.  Yesterday, at work, I took the book with me and if I had time, I was going to read it.  Turns out I had a lot of time and it got to the point where I didn't want to put the book down.  I had to find out what was going to happen.  So, I must say the book was quite enjoyable and a good love story.  It was unique and original.  I don't think I've read anything else like it.
The biggest reason I had trouble getting into this book was because the author simply told the story he didn't show it.  I kept waiting to experience what the character was and it never really got there.  I liked the characters and the story, the writing just seemed to lack.  It started out great and interesting and then sort of died off.  During the climax the tension increased and I think that's really the reason the book was enjoyable to read.  If you are looking for a unique love story that you are able to walk away from on occasion, this is good brain candy for you.
Now, I think I need to go watch the movie!

Life As We Knew It

Last night I finished Life As We Knew It.  And I must say it was pretty good.  The entire book is written through journal entries of the main character.  It think that's what made the book feel so real at times.  It almost felt like the story was happening to me instead of being fiction.  That could just be because in my sci-fi mind I'm always thinking of disasters in which I will have to live in a situation just like this one.  (Hopefully not as long.)  I would recommend picking this one up for a bit of entertaining reading.  While I'm not sure the actual catastrophe would actually ever happen, the stories about the people were excellent.