Things I Tell Myself

5 Books

2010-01-15T11:37:00.001-08:00

Emperor: The Field of Swords and The Gods of War

I have really enjoyed these book as they have provided me with some interesting history on a man that has become very much a part of most western culture. I keep thinking that Caesar was adopted by the Russians as the name of their king (Czar) and that term is very much alive today in our own government. Reading a fictionalized account of his and Marcus Brutus life has been fun. The story is fast paced and enjoyable and provides very good history between the two friends. The one difficulty I had with this was the ending of the series (though the end should not be a surprise). The series ended with the assassination. Caesar is dead. His story ends but there is not tie up with the other story lines, Octavian, Marc Antony, Brutus and the other conspirators. I was so curious as to how their stories ended that I spent hours reading encyclopedia article about it. And of course the only other story I new about Julius Caesar.

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

I took a Shakespeare class in college and kept the text book (The Complete Works of William Shakespeare) so when I wanted more information about Caesar I decided to reread Julius Caesar. I was glad I was able to but I think next time that I read Shakespeare I will borrow it from the library because I do not really want to hold a 2,000 page book while I read. I enjoyed the play again however I realized that these are plays and they are much better watched than read. I don't mind reading them and now that I have read one and am a little more used to the language I might be up for another but nothing beats seeing them on stage.

Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George

I had heard about this book a while ago and had considered reading it but always put it off because I thought there were more enjoyable books on my list. When I came across a copy of it I decided to give it a try. It was okay. A descent book and a quick read but I am not dying to read the next one. Though if it happens to come my way I could spend a day or so reading it.

Hidden Empire by Orson Scott Card

The second book in what might be a trilogy(?). This is Card's near future exploration of what will happen if the United States follows the example of Rome and moves from a republic to a empire. I still enjoy Card's writing style and his signature internal moral conflicts however I have found that this story like the first one Empire, did not draw me in as much as I wanted it to. I think that in part it was because of references to real life people who are around now and many of the current situations in the United States. He did not blend these with the fictional element of the story well enough for me to be completely drawn in. I think that in part that I am familiar enough with Card's political views that I could spot them through out the book and tell which political statements he was trying to make. A good book to read and well worth it even if I couldn't get past a few things.

Chaosbound

2009-12-04T09:17:00.000-08:00

This is the eighth book of the Runelords series by David Farland and it felt like it. I had thought that this series was going to be two sets of four but this book was different than the others in that it dealt with the same time period as books 6 and 7 yet from the view point of a supporting character from the first 5 books.

This story was Okay but I was more excited about it before I read the story. It looks good but I think that I am just getting impatient with this series and want it to come to an end. Maybe the ninth book will be the end? Because I don't know if I will be able to get through any more.

Alcatraz Versus the Scrivner's Bones

2009-11-24T12:35:00.001-08:00

So it did not take me long to get the next Alcatraz book and I believe that it was even better than the first. This continues the story of Alcatraz Smedry and offers enough back story and new information that the story began to become important to me as opposed to the first one where the way the book was written was what stood out to me. There is still the same humor given in asides and through the narration but the story also took on depth and created enough suspense that I am eager to read the next book in the series. These books are going to be well worth it.

Leven Thumps and the Ruins of Alder

2009-11-24T12:31:00.000-08:00

Why did I even finish this series. I have not liked any of them much but still had hope that maybe it would get better as the series went along. I didn't. Everything that bothered me about the first book was still here and I really had very little interest in the story.

Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians

2009-11-06T10:04:00.001-08:00

I had no idea what to expect when I picked up this book. I have really enjoyed Brandon Sanderson's Adult books however I did not know what to expect in his young adult fiction. This book again surprised me. I was actually expecting something like Leven Thumps or The Sisters Grimm or maybe even Fablehaven. It was nothing like any of those. True there was a story that was fairly entertaining but the real intriguing part of this novel if the narration with it's constant asides, critiques of writing and self deprecating humor.

He narrator that is actually sharing the story is Alcatraz Smedry but in his moments of reflection he details all of the "evil" things that authors do to "torture" readers. All of these "evil" things are exactly some of the author tricks that have become so blatant and obvious that they are now common place in literature.

As much as I hate the narrator making comments that pull me out of the story, Sanderson does this intentionally to make points about writing. This also happens to be the most laugh out loud funny book that I have read in a very long time. These funny moments come from both the actual story and the asides the narrator uses. In reality the narration was still a little annoying to me but the humor in the book more than made up for it. When the nest books are available I will read them, though they are not that high on my list.

Catching Fire

2009-11-05T11:16:00.000-08:00

After having read the first book in this series I was not sure exactly what to expect from this one. I did remember not liking the present tense point of view in which it was written but it was a quick read and an exciting story. Catching fire lives up to the previous book and present somemore in depth information about the world in which these stories take place. Another good quick read and a great young adult book.

Elantris

2009-10-28T08:51:00.001-07:00

After reading Warbreaker I was a little less excited about Elantris. I was afraid that I had already read Sanderson's best books in the Mistborn Trilogy. However as I started Elantris I was immediately drawn into the story and the Mystery surrounding the city of Elantris. I did not like this as much as Mistborn but it was much better than Warbreaker. This book still had many of the traits I had come to expect from Sanderson (plot twists, deep history, unique magic system, even a little mystery) yet I came to notice a little more about his writings. In all of Sanderson's book that I have read so far there is a heavy emphasis on Religion and religious history. Also in each of these books there are characters who achieve great powers and are considered Gods. These characters are ordinary people who usually through no particular effort of their own, become Gods. I find this theme in Sanderson's books to be very interesting especially considering his belief system (he is LDS).

The emphasis on religion is refreshing especially when we are constantly bombarded either anti religious or just plain irreligious attitudes in most pop media today. Some authors hint at it but no one I have read (beside regional or niche authors) has detailed religious beliefs as thoroughly as Sanderson. And as a person of strong religious beliefs I really do enjoy seeing characters who display such faith.

The Lost Symbol

2009-10-12T14:30:00.003-07:00

For as much as I enjoy Dan Brown's books I also despise them. The Lost Symbol did not change my perception of Brown's writing abilities. The strength of Brown's books are his research and his ability to extrapolate from that information a world that is so close to being real that many people take his "fictions" as "facts." This is in the purest sense science fiction (which is probably why I still enjoy these books).

What I do not like about Brown's books are the way he cheats to create urgency. Brown writes his novels in the Third person all knowing point of view, however even though the narrator knows everything he does not reveal this very promptly. This is prevalent through out Brown's books and it continued to bother me in this one. Brown could still create this same sense of urgency by using a third person limited point of view (similar to Orson Scott Card, Brandon Sanderson, Shannon Hale, Stephanie Meyer, JK Rowling and many other). By using third person limited and shifting characters (as Card, Sanderson and Hale do) an author can create just as much urgency as Brown creates without making the reader feel as if he is being cheated information.

If I were to compare this to Brown's other books I would place it third behind Angels and Demons and The DaVinci Code but well above his other two (the one nobody has ever heard of).

Warbreaker

2009-10-12T14:30:00.001-07:00

After reading the Mistborn trilogy I was excited to try another novel by Brandon Sanderson. The first one I was able to get was Warbreaker. I had not heard anything about this book before I just knew the author, but the way this book came about also interested me. Sanderson wrote this as an online book. He would write a chapter and then post it online with a new chapter coming out every week. This is reminiscent of many previous books that were originally published as serials in magazines or newspapers (i.e. Asimnov's Foundation, Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo and many others).

I really did enjoys this book. Sanderson creates another unique world with a detailed magic system and a rich history that is hinted at throughout the book and revealed more in-depthly towards the end. Twists that should have been expected yet floor the reader are ever present and the conclusion is very fulfilling.

If there is a fault with this book it is in the lack of details that I was expecting. Motivations of some peripheral characters is not very clear and I was hoping for a more detailed explanation of the magic system that is in effect in this world. For whatever faults there are it was still a good book to read.

The Book Thief

2009-09-30T17:42:00.000-07:00

I don't know what I expected when I picked up a book narrated by Death but I was hoping for a little bit more of a happy ending. Happy isn't even the right word. Many books that have depicted World War II can be uplifting. Stories of triumph in depressing times are inspiring and there can be many things that we can take out of these stories. The Book Thief had all of that potential but the conclusion of this story fell very very flat. (Spoiler Alert:) EVERYONE DIES, and there is absolutely no resolution after the fact. This young girl who makes tremendous strides after losing her parents and watching her brother die then loses everything and everyone she has come to care about and that is the end of the story. How does she deal with it? That is the real struggle, that is the story I want to read about, everything else is a set up for this.

The other thing that I really did not like about the book was how the Narrator continually inserted him self into the narration even though he had very little to do with it most of the time. He adds excessive foreshadowing and opinions on what is happening that pulled my so far out of the story that it was very hard to get back into it. When I read I just want to immerse my self in the story and enjoy what is going on. When an author does something that pulls me out of it, I enjoy the story so much less.

The actual story was very good but I hated the ending and the narration was awful.

Ender's Game

2009-09-08T10:12:00.001-07:00

This was my fourth time reading what I still consider my favorite book. And it is still as good as ever. This should be on the list of books that everyone should read.

Mistborn: The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, The Hero of Ages

2009-08-20T11:50:00.000-07:00

I think that I am getting tired of Young Adult Novels. It is a great Genre but they really are not doing it for me right now. They are the 20 minute sit com when what I am craving is a 3 hour epic. Part of my problem with this is I am very selective of which Adult Fiction books I am going to read because I would really like to avoid some of the more gratuitous material present in so many Adult novels.

When I heard of a recommendation for Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn Trilogy I was interested in trying it out. I have a new author to add to my favorites and will be reading the rest of his books as soon as I can get a hold of them.

These books impressed me not only by the unique world that the author creates but also by the subtle twists that he inserts into the plot. I typically am pretty good at guessing the conclusion and picking up on a lot of the foreshadowing in books. Sanderson has succeeded at embedding these twists so deeply into the story that and they surprised me so much that I was urged to keep reading. Sanderson did not use cheep tricks (like Dan Brown or some other authors) to keep you reading. There was enough information to feel satisfied and yet a constant impulse to continue with the story.

This story, these characters have been ingrained in me so much that I find myself continuing to think about them even a month after finishing this book. There are lines from these books that I continue to think about "There is always another secret," "Unfortunately, I am the Hero of the Ages." There are scenes that were so moving that I still think about them. In short this is an amazing story that goes against convention and is surprisingly very very good.

The Princess and the Bear

2009-08-10T15:04:00.001-07:00

It had been a long time since I read the Princess and the Hound and when I heard that there was going to be a sequel I was a little interested. I don't remember it being that impressed with the Princess and the Hound so I did not have very high Expectations. The Princess and the Bear met my expectations. It was a good story but there was not enough conflict or action to balance the characterization (at which Mette Ivie Harrison excels). A good story and it could stand alone as well.

The Dangerous Book for Boys

2009-08-10T15:02:00.000-07:00

I had heard about his book a few times and was curious to see what was in it. Most of what I had heard was good. I was even more interested when I recognized the one of the authors as being the Author of Th Emperor series that I have been reading. However I was not so impressed with this book. The information presented is great information such as "Things every boy should have" and "How to Build a Tree House" or "How to make a perfect Paper Airplane". Again great information but I found this very similar to a Boy Scout Manual (complete with the page of badges at the end of the book). Great information in this book but it is nothing more than a pale imitation on a Boy Scout Manual.

The Actor and the Housewife

2009-07-26T08:22:00.002-07:00

Can a married women and a married man be friends with each other? That is the central premise of the Actor and the Housewife. This friendship is complicated and every aspect of it is explored, especially the possibility of a more intimate relationship.

As always I enjoyed Shannon Hale's writing style and there were many times during this book that I found myself laughing out loud. It is an extremely well told story and I am glad that I read it but the benefit of this book is in the discussion that it can contribute and the ability to make you think about things. It made me question some of my previously held thoughts and reconsider things.

I would highly recommend that after reading this book one also read the article about Emotional Fidelity that was in the Ensign in either Aug or Sept. Between these two one could find a way to walk the careful line of friendship while married.

Emperor: The Death of Kings

2009-07-26T08:22:00.001-07:00

The Second book in the Emporer Series and this contunues to improve upon the premise set up in the previous book. This really is a great series and the comments and critiques I offered in the post about the previous book apply here as well.

In this book both Brutus and Ceasar are making names for themselves and return to Rome as Heroes. Their friendship is renewed and they begin working together bring about the Rome that they idealized in their youth. The fractions in their relationship are begining to appear and it will be interesting to see how the next book continues to reflect how their ideals are diverging.

Bill Peet An Autobiography

2009-07-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

When I was young I remember reading the picture books of an incredible author whose pictures and the verses that went along with them were entertaining enough to read over and over again. Now that I have kids of my own I have redicovered this author and shared it with my children. I had known this before but I was reminded of it again when I watched the Sword and the Stone that Bill Peet had also worked at Disney. His animation style is present all throughout the Sword and the Stone and I also catch a glimpse of it in some other Disney Animated Movies. So when I was walking through the library the other day and I saw this book on Display I thought it would be interesting.

The layout of this book was no different than any of his childrens books with about a half page of text and an illistration to accompany it. However it was almost 200 pages long. Even though this was writen to a young audience I found a lot of the information very interesting especially when he started working at Disney. He worked on every disney animated movie from Snow White to Jungle Book, however what I found most interesting were his insights into the origional workings of the Disney Company and his numerous run ins with Walt Disney including his final dispute which led to him quiting to begin writing full time.

This is an amazing story of a boy who began as a talented artist dreaming of illistrating childrens books but was no good at writing. He eventually ends up as an important person within Walt Disney's circle of colleagues. After growing into writing screen plays for annimated movies, he learns how to tell stories and begins a prolific career in writing children books. An excellent story for anyone who enjoys classic Disney annimation and Childrens books.

The House on Mango Street

2009-07-24T14:11:00.001-07:00

My Brother Matt introduced me to this book and I borrowed it from him because I will be working much closer with some of the Hispanic students this next year and I thought it might give me an understanding of what some of them might be experiencing.

The House on Mango Street is a series of vignettes told from the point of view of a young girl growing up in Chicago. Each chapter is a series of thoughts and experiences of this girl almost as if they were excerpted from her diary. The writing is good and some of these vignettes I appreciated more that others. I did enjoy it for the most part but there is no plot or any kind of substantial story line that keeps you reading from chapter to chapter. If this book had been any longer than it's hundred sum odd pages I would not have even come close to finishing it.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

2009-07-15T19:37:00.000-07:00

I have always had an appreciation for satire and find comedioc spoofs entertaining when they are done right. However, they are rarely done right. Because of the constant disappointment of these comdies over the past few years (Scary Movie, Date movie, Disaster Movie etc.), I have shied away from the genre for awhile. But when I read a review for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies I though it might be worth trying again.

Seth Grahame-Smith took the origional Jane Austen text and added to it the subplot of a Zombie plague sweeping England. Austens text (from as much as I can tell) is still in tact for the most part however Grahame-Smiths additions tend to appeal to the baser sex (as opposed the the fairer one). Grahame-Smith does play it for laughs as he uses his zombie plot to add over the top violence and gore. He also uses this to add motives to some characters behaviors.

One of the problems with this work, espcially at the begining, the additions were very obvious as writing styles changed. However as the book went on the changes became less obvious to the point where I had to ask some one who had actually read the book if certain things were included. The additions did tend to be entertaining especially the fight scenes between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy after he proposes (the first time) and then the fight between Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Elizabeth at the end. However the additions did get old after awile and I found myself only reading because I had never read Pride and Prejudice before and that was the story I wanted to read.

The Sisters Grimm: The Everafter War

2009-06-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

It seems like I have been waiting a long time for this book to be published and now I am wondering if the series will ever end. This is the seventh book in the series and they are not difficult reads. It really only takes a day or two to get through each of them but the stories have been interesting, especially the fractured fairy tale elements. However each story introduces new plot twists and more information than you ever expect. As exciting as that is sometime in this case the story just seems to get longer and stranger. I really didn't feel this way about the series or even this book until the very end. Over all an interesting read but I am about done with this story.

Emperor: The Gates of Rome

2009-06-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I have read a historical fiction novel though I really do enjoy them, especially the increased perspective I gain from the historical setting. I have especially enjoyed some of the series that have a more religious bent. This is however the first time that I have read a book set in Ancient Rome. Though what really peaked my interest in this book (and series) were the historical figures that it followed and the fact that I got the book for free from Good Reads.

The story of this series is very intriguing as it deals with the youth of two young men who grow up as brothers. One is the son of a noble with an estate of his own. The other is the orphaned son of a noble and his mistress who has been adopted into his friends family. The book covers their childhood friendship as they face bullies together and begin their training to enter the military at age 14. After this time the politics of Rome spills over into their lives and they are forced to go their separate ways remaining friends and pledging their support one to the other. This back story of young men who grow into their historical roles of Julius Caesar and Brutus is intriguing just in it's potential. I recall reading the Shakespeare play Julius Caesar in high school and know the end of the story, but what brings them to that point? This should be an engaging series of books that will be very enjoyable.

This first book was a good step in the right direction. The presentation of these two childhood friends and the development of their relationship is really well done. And it is a very real relationship as well. They have their difficulties and they overcome them. They fight over the same girl, there are disparities in their social status and they have different personalities. Through it all they remain close friends. The one downfall of this story is that some times the action of the story pushes the relationship portion from the forefront. Now most of this action is necessary however I wish that the author had been better at maintaining the relationship portion of the story in focus even while the action was occurring. In spite of that, this story is an excellent read.

There were a few things that bothered me about this book. Mostly it was the in depth description of the gore and violence that the characters experience. The author also did not hide the decadence and depredations of this society which I truly did appreciate but some of the experiences were described in a little too much detail. Not as awful as some others that I have read but at some points it was a little much.

I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to finding the next three (already published) in the library.

The Dragon Quintet

2009-05-28T10:53:00.001-07:00

My second recent foray into short stories was not a successful as the first. Not only did I have the same difficulties as I did when I read Wizards but there were more difficulties as well. Basically none of the stories really seemed that worth reading. Again this time the only reason I picked up this book was because of the Orson Scott Card story but that one didn't thrill me and none of the other four were much better. It will probably be a while before I try short stories again.

The Hunger Games

2009-05-15T14:18:00.000-07:00

Man did this book catch me off gaurd. I was recommended this by my sister in-law who seems to enjoy the same books that I do and man am I glad that she recommended it (Thanks Kate). The premise sounds interesting in the setting up of a battle to the death amongst teenagers. Though I have heard of this plot in various forms especially in movies I have never actually read anything like this.

The premise of how these games came to be seemed very far fetched (like many of the distopian societies that are created for YA books, i.e. The Uglies) and I was put off by the First person present tense styule in which the book was written. Even as I think back at the story there is nothing very catching or new about it.

What blew me away about this book was both the characterizations and dialogue presented in the writing. The main characters were real and the relationships rang true througout the story. Even the periffrial characters who were little more than characitures are entertaining and even real. The dialogue is very entertaining and also funny in many spots.

This book was very entertaining and I would highly recommend it. I also look forward to finding more of Susanne Collins books to read.

Wizards

2009-05-15T07:22:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I have read a short story collection and I remember why. Because there is no long term investment in the book it takes me a long time to get through. I can read one story at a time and it does not matter when I come back to it. This can be a pain especially when there are other books that I would like to read.

The only reason that I did pick this one up was because there is a story included in here by Orson Scott Card that he is using to launch a new series of books, and I wanted to get a glimpse of this world. This book also included stories from several authors that I have read as well including Neal Gaiman, Garth Nix and Eoin Colfer. Apart from Card's "Stonefather" there were a couple of other stories that stuck out to me including Colfer's "A Fowl Tale" and Nix's "Holly and Iron." I really enjoyed the latter and would have really liked to see a full novel set in this milieu. Mostly the other stories were unremarkable and the vast differences in writing style was jarring. Especially when I read several in a row.

It might be worth picking a choosing the stories that you read but not to read the whole thing.

Shade's Children

2009-04-21T08:02:00.000-07:00

I had never heard of this book before but as I looked through our libraries stack of discarded book I saw this one and was curious. I have heard of Garth Nix's books before and even considered reading some of them and this one was science fiction and I have been looking for a good sci-fi book to read. (I was really excited to hear that Shannon Hale's next project is a Sci-Fi trilogy.) And for only 50 cents I thought it might be worth a try.

This is a post-apocalyptic story set 15 years after "the Change." Everyone over 15 disappeared and the Overlords showed up. These Overlords kept the children for Parts and on their 14th birthday the are taken to the Meat Factory to be harvested. As gory as that sounds I am very glad that nothing very explicit was ever described even though it could have been. The Overlords use these part to create monsters that they use in their own war games amongst each other.

Some of these children escape and meet up with a mysterious computerized individual that goes by the name of Shade. While Shade motives appear to be genuine his methods show an appalling disregard for life. This story tales of four of these children who fight against the Overlords, apparently with the help of Shade.

Overall the writing was decent but I was less than thrilled with the Sci-fi aspects of the story. Many of the plot devices seemed more fit for a horror novel than a typical sci-fi (yes I know that horror falls under the science fiction category as well).

There was also included several aspects that were completely unnecessary. A sub plot involved teen sex in this post apocalyptic society. Though there was nothing really graphic about the scene it did not do anything to further the central story. There was also a lot of vulgar language in some of the excerpts that are included between chapters. This excessive language did nothing more than pull me out of the story at it's completely illogical addition.

Overall a decent story that was worth the 50 cents I paid for it but not worth the sleep I missed trying to finish it before I went to bed.

The City of Ember

2009-04-13T11:37:00.001-07:00

This is another book that I wish that I had read before I saw the movie. The movie was actually very well done and stayed pretty true to the book however because I knew the story I was not as motivated as I think I would have been to finish the book (As you can see it took me a while to finish this book even though it is not very long).

This story is that of a community that was built hundreds of feet underground to protect them from "the destruction that is coming." This society has existed for over 240 years and many generations, and the facilities that the "builders" left them are breaking down and supplies are running out. They were only meant to be there for 200 years yet because of a sudden death the instructions to leave were not passed to the appropriate person and they were lost. This story focuses on two young people, Lina and Doon, who strive to find ways to improve the situation of the city.

This story is very intriguing and I like the science fiction aspects of it. However I did feel that themes and messages the author was trying to convey are only thinly veiled by the story (more thinly than The Chronicles of Narnia), though the message was a very good one. The central premise of the story is the eminent failure of the city's infrastructure. The message of the story is in how different groups face the problem.

The first group is the mayor and his cronies. These individuals are siphoning off supplies and hoarding them to give themselves a more comfortable demise. They know that the end is coming and there are problems but they don't care about anyone but themselves and they are going make sure they are comfortable until the end.

The second group is called "the believers". This group (which seems to be a veiled knock on organized religion) states that we just need to be patient. We will be rescued. "The Builders will return." And they go about the lives as if nothing were wrong.

The final group is mostly Lina and Doon and a few others, such as Doon's father and Clary, Lina's friend. These are individuals who are actively searching for solutions and doing what they can to help others as well. You can imagine which group comes out ahead in the end.

A great book and I look forward to reading the next in the series The People of Sparks and I hope that the only reason I had such trouble reading this was because I had seen the movie.

Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary

2009-03-31T10:14:00.000-07:00

After having read Harry Potter again I was very anxious to read the next Falehaven book. When it comes to fantasy stories set in modern times often we are hearing about an underground culture of things that are hidden from view except for few who are either invited in or stumble upon it by accident (for example Harry Potter, The Dark is Rising, The Spiderwick Chronicles etc.), or we are listening to stories from different worlds that modern individuals are sucked into, in such as series as The Chronicles of Narnia, FarWorld or Leven Thumps. Fablehaven falls into the former category but adds the unique circumstance of having mythical creatures relegated to sanctuaries or preserves similar to those set up for endangered animals. This twist added to the hidden culture theme pulled me into the first book (probably my least favorite) and got me interested enough to read the second. And the second book blew me away (I still want a cat with nine lives as my guardian).

I have been anxiously awaiting this book for some time now but even more so after I reread the third book not long ago. And I was not disappointed. One thing that I have feared the most about these books is that the repetition of the characters continuously braving a series of obstacles to recover some magical item. This is possibly why I was not so excited about the third book as the character try to retrieve the item at Lost Mesa after having done the same thing in the second book. In this book there continues to be some similar situations but they are not the focus of the story. I hope that in the next book there is not much more of these obstacle course types of scenes.

This being the biggest disappointment of the series says a lot about the author and the world that he has created. I am in awe as I learn more and more about the characters and the things that make them special. Kendra and Seth have both been endowed with mythical powers that complement each other and illustrate their differences. The Dialogue between these two is as close to actual sibling dialogue as any author can get.

Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary picks up where Grip of the Shadow Plague left off with the characters looking for more artifacts to protect from the Society of the Evening Star. Two items are known to be in their possession and one in possession of the Knights of the Dawn. Where are the other two and who will get to them first? The process through which these are accomplished is enthralling and the action continues to excite (though nothing yet as good as that 3 headed panther). Some mysteries are explained and there are not many unanswered questions at the end of the story.

I continue to enjoy Mull's writing style, the characterization, the dialogue and especially how he depicts the action within the story. These stories continue to amaze me and I can't wait until next march to read the final book.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows

2009-03-31T07:26:00.000-07:00

It has been almost 2 years since this book came out and I read it the first time. I had reread all of the other Harry Potter books before this one was released and when this one did come out I sequestered myself to read it pausing only for a few hours to sleep. Since I had finished I planned on reading it again to pick up on anything that I might have missed and to be able to say that I had read each book twice.

I have also been distancing myself from the Harry Potter Books. As you will notice they are not in my list of favorite books and I do not talk about it much. In part this comes from my desire to not appear trendy. I would much rather appear to be different. However as I started this book again I recognized that it really is a great book. This series deserves a spot along with the most influential works of fantasy books of all time, Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia.

The seventh book of the Harry Potter series is one of the best (my favorite is The Goblet of Fire). It is a very satisfying finish to a thrilling and enthralling story. The one disappointment that I had with this book was the chapter called the Princes Tale (or something like that). This is where all of Snape's back story comes out. This section of the book feels like a dumping of information that is fairly overwhelming even the second time around when I know that it is coming.

Overall the Author does a great job of presenting new information that puts everything else we know into perspective. She starts by presenting information about Dumbledore and then continues as we learn about the Deathly Hollows. The chapter call Kings Cross is also an enlightening view on an internal conversation that Harry has with himself (Dumbledore takes the form of the sounding board). And finally the emotions that the Author is able to elicit over the course of the series is amazing as we have come to care for these characters and we learn of their fates at the end of the story, of those that die and that survive.

This is a great series and it is no wonder that these books were so popular. They deserve it.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

2009-03-17T07:07:00.001-07:00

Here is another book that I thought it might be worth reading before the movie came out. I sow this preview and it intrigued me as I watched a young, innocent boy exploring his backyard to find a fence with another boy on the other side wearing "stripped pajamas." Of course the movie is set in Germany in the mid 1940's and one is left to draw your own conclusions.

I picked up the book because the movie looked interesting (and I would still like to see the movie) and I was not disappointed. The book is pretty short and very easy to read and would definitely be a kids book if not for the holocaust content. It is actually told from the point of view of the nine year old main character Bruno and his experiences at his new home in "Out-with." The author does an excellent job at portraying the innocence through this style but it does get annoying to read.

Though he book is far from an accurate portrayal of German/Holocaust history, nor does the characterization feel right for what I know about Germany and the history of WWII, but the author qualifies this by calling the story a "Fable."

This is a great depiction of the emotional impact of the holocaust and how it would have impacted the most innocent of us, a nine year old boy. A book that I will be thinking about for a while.

Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague

2009-03-12T09:48:00.001-07:00

In anticipation of Fablehaven: The Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, I figured I would go back and read book 3. I had already reread the first two before 3 came out and just wanted a quick refresher before the next one. Am I glad that I didn't read the other first.

The Rise of the Evening Star is by far my favorite book of the series so far. There are so many scenes from that book that I have embedded in my memory almost as if I had seen them happen myself. Most notably Seth and the Revnant and the final battle with the guardian, an cat with 9 amazing lives. Even now as I talk about it the images in my mind are just breath taking. Reading this book before I picked up the third really tainted by expectations.

The first time I read Grip of the Shadow Plague I was not very thrilled with it. It was good and a decent addition to the series but I didn't walk away with the same types of images as I did after the second. Rereading the book without having read the second one was a revelation. I was impressed with the complexity of the story and the additions to the overall story of the conflict with the Society of the Evening Star.

I am excited to see how the quest for the 5 artifacts continues and how the increasing magical abilities of Seth and Kendra will contribute to this quest. How is Navarog (Prince of the Dragons) going to be involved in the next book, Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary? Who really is the Sphinx? Is he also a Dragon appearing in Human form? Patton Burgess now knows what kind of conflicts will be facing Fablehaven a hundred years after his time what kind of information is he going to include in his Journal of Secrets that Kendra now has. So many questions I am excited to find the answers to and I hope that we can get a glimpse of some scenes similar to those from book 2.

Inkheart

2009-03-05T09:38:00.000-08:00

I have been very curious about Amazon.com's recommendations and how accurate they would be. Looking at these as I have bought and rated items through Amazon I have been curious about several books that they think I will like. As I have used this as a resource I have found that it is very obvious what I would not like however there are many that am peak my interest yet I don't know how much I will actually like them. Many series that have been suggested include Septimus Heap, The Sisters Grimm, Nicholas Flamel, Percy Jackson, Charlie Bone, Inkheart, Ember and others. As I have sampled some of these none have really stood out as great books.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke has had quite a following. It was a best seller and has even been made into a movie. The story is about a Single Father raising his daughter and their love of Books. Mo the father discovers that he has the ability to read things out of books and to the pain of him and his Daughter he reads the villains out of a book called Inkheart.

This story enthralled me because it is a unique take on fantasy and the fantastic elements were not overbearing in the tale until the end. The story flows well and is very interesting but it is not a book that you can't put down. Towards the end of the book many of the fantastic elements (which are not explained clearly) seem to become exaggerated and leave many more questions about the magic that is depicted. This may be a set up for the other books but it seems that even a general explanation would have been welcomed within the book.

Overall a decent book and I will read the other two but I am in no rush to do so.

The Dark is Rising

2009-02-28T08:37:00.000-08:00

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper is a series of books that I have been considering reading for quite a while. I have heard many good things about them. They have been compared to The Lord of the Rings and The Chroicles of Narnia and it is a Newbury Honor Book. They even made a movie out of this book last year, though it did not do so well. So I picked it up.

I was actually fairly disappointed in this book. The story was alright but the way it was written was more likely to put me to sleep than to keep me interested in what was going on. It seemed like everything just took a very long time to happen, even when characters are explaining some key plot points the story just seems to drag on. The story was OK but nothing really different or noteworthy.

Bailout?

2009-02-12T16:09:00.000-08:00

I have been having a really difficult time with all of this talk about an economic bailout and as I have listened to the discussion about it from a variety of sources and it just bothers me that all everyone wants to do it throw blame and money at the problem.

First lets talk about the blame. I am sick and tired of hearing that the blame is to fall on "the failed economic policies of the past 8 years." Is it the Bush tax cuts that got us into this?

From what I understand this is a credit issue. Too many banks making too many risky loans to too many people who were not able to keep up with these absurd adjustments in the mortgage rates.

Are the people who took out the loans to blame? Well, yes they should have realized that there was no way they could keep up, but why were these individuals offered these programs in the first place?

Are those greedy banks to blame? Why are banks offering these illogical loans anyway? I guess in a way they were playing the housing market and hoping to bennefit. Isn't that what the individuals who took out the loans were doing as well?

Or maybe it is the governments fault, this lack of regulations that everyone is talking about. Was there a relaxing of regulations during the last 8 years? Probably, but what about the increase in regulations that required certain banks (including Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae), to issue more risky loans in order to assist low income families in buying a home?

So the government pushes the program for political gain, the banks push the program for financial gain and the individuals who took out the loan did so for personal gain. In a case where houses continue to sale and home values continue to rise this situation could continue to bennefit everyone. However, as with all forms speculation there are down turns and when all of these payments began to increase almost simultaneouly everyone party to these loans suffers. Unfortunately in this situation not only those who participated in these programs suffer but everybody is suffering to one extent or another our whole economy is seffering.

So how do we fix the problem? I am no economist but if this crisis is a function of credit than lets help banks increase their ability to lend money. We already tried that before Bush left office. What about helping people keep their homes? Is this really the best idea? Most of these people bought houses that they could not afford and will not be able to pay off their loans. I don't want them to be stuck but something needs to happen so that they are not thrown out on the street but all should not just be forgiven either. This is a complicated situation to which we all wish there was a simple solution but throwing money at it is not going to work.

What of this $789 Billion dollar plan that congress has come up with? What exactly is in this bill? All I have heard is that it is needed immediatly to stimulate the economy and if it does not happen things will get worse and that it will create 3.5 Million jobs. The only substantial claim in there is that this bill will create Jobs. So if we are spending $789 Billion to 3.5 million jobs than each of these jobs is costing the government $225,428.57. If that is the pay for these new jobs than line me up for one. I'll take it right now!

What I want to know is how is this Bill going to increase the amount of credit?

How is this bill going to help these individuals who are not able to pay for their house but still holding them accountable for their mistakes?

And finally how do we increase the cash flow in the economy?

Can anyone answer me that?

The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull

2009-02-09T11:45:00.000-08:00

I picked up this book the other day to reread and even though it is not quite as good as I remembered it I still really like this book. Brandon Mull is one of my favorite YA authors and I have no problem rereading his books. My favorite of his is still the second Fablehaven book but this one is still up there. I really enjoy the way Mull describes the action in his books. He draws me in and I can't wait to see how things will turn out. He is also good with twists in his books however rereading this one I noticed that there are several conversation amongst the characters in the story where pertinent information about the twist would have been shared amongst the characters but it was intentionally left out by Mull to preserve the surprise ending. I do not want to ruin this for those who have not read it but I am share a little bit of information about it. Several times the main characters talk about what magic candy they have left yet not once in any of these conversations does Nate reveal all that he has. That conspicuous neglect on the part of the author was not consistant with the character of Nate and was only left out to preserve the surprise ending. This did not matter the first time I read it but after I knew the results it was a glaring absence. I still really enjoyed the book and will probably read it again some time. I can't wait until Fablehaven 4 comes out in March. I'll have to reread 3 to prepare for it.

9 Books

2009-02-05T12:38:00.001-08:00

I have very much neglected writing about the books I have read over Christmas and since then. Everything has been really busy (and it doesn't help that we got a Wii for Christmas). So here I am going to go over the books I have read since the last post and there have been a few.

From the End of Heaven and Clear as the Moon books 5 and 6 of the series The Great and Terrible by Chris Stewart.

As with the rest of this series these books are very well written and explore some very realistic future possibilities. The one complaint I have was a lack of resolving some very important issues. The major dilema is resolved however some of the accompanying problems are just glosses over and not really solved. I would highly recomend this series to everyone (however those that subscribe to an LDS perspective will find much more to relate to).

Pillage by Obert Skye

I had high hopes for this book because I really like the way Skye writes however I have not liked the how he presents the worlds he has created. In Pillage he does a great job of setting up the Mystery and suspence that is involved and I really enjoyed that part of the book. It kind of fell apart after all of the Mystery was gone. This book was far better than all of the books in his Leven Thumps Series. Maybe the last book in that series will be better.

Water Keep by J. Scott Savage

Pretty good book that has many traditional fantasy plot devices, orphaned children with special gifts, unknown parents/ancestery and the like. It is different from some others in that it deals with handicaping conditions in the two main characters, a physical hanicap for one and a magical handicap for the other. This was a descent start to what appears to be a four book series.

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

After hearing a lot of this book and in anticipation of seeing the Movie I picked this one up and was quite disappointed. It may have been that I was just expecting too much. I just found it kind of plain and not incrediblly entertaining. I still haven't seen the movie yet but I wonder if I will like it more than I liked the book.

Rolling with the Tide by Jeff Call

The second novel by LDS author Jeff Call, and one that I think is much better written. The story of and LDS Quarterback who ends up playing for the Alabama Crimson Tide. I really enjoyed this story about the extreem challanges that face an extrodinarilly talented young man.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

This book has become something of a national phenomenon and I don't think that I would have read it had I not gotten it as a gift for Christmas. Not that I didn't want to read it but It did not stand out to me. I began reading it and I really enjoyed the book. The author talks about having a fulfilling life by realizing your childhood dreams. He also talks about the lessons he has learned to live by and how one canhelp other realize their dreams. A very uplifting book and one that really made me take a look at my own life.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling

This was an interesting addition to the Harry Potter books that is enjoyable in and of itself however it does not add anything to the origional story. Neither does it have the same charm or intensity as the Harry Potter books. A good quick read.

The Innocent by Harlan Coben

I got this book for free and I have seen so many of his books around that I thought it might be interesting to give it a try. However I now know why I have always avoided this typical Adult fiction. I really enjoy reading both Young Adult and Adult books however I am always leary of "Adult" books because I don't want to read offensive material and for the most part the books I have read I have been able to avoid anything too bad (even though just about every author has to throw in some language and sex so it has to be an "Adult" book). This book was not awful however what I thought would be an intriguing murder mystery ended up being a convoluted though intriging story that involved more strippers than police officers. The mystery was intriging and kept me reading however the resolution was far from satisfying. I don't think that I will read another of his books.

Zanna's Gift

2008-12-16T10:44:00.001-08:00

A very Short (150 pages) Christmas story by Orson Scott Card that was written years ago under a seudonym. Very good historical fiction about a family dealing with grief and lose and the gift of their 4 year old daughter that helps them begin healing. Excelent inspirational fiction. Of course everything by Orson Scott Card tends to be excellent.

Mormonville

2008-12-16T10:35:00.001-08:00

Mormonville is a novel written about an outsider trying to infiltrate the Mormon Church and to write a tell all book about them. It is an interesting premise and leads to a careful examination of Mormon society and the culture it creates especially within Utah. It is a very good sceptical view of Mormon society written by someone from within that society and it does not condescend towards the members of the LDS Church. It is a very uplifting story of someone who moves from sceptic to a true believer and develops a profound faith. Very good fiction for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and those investigating the Church.

Ender in Exile

2008-12-03T13:37:00.000-08:00

Orson Scott Card's continued return to Ender Wiggin's Universe is something I have deeply enjoyed again and again. This is the 9th novel that contributes to this series which also includes several graphic novels and several short stories. I guess since Ender's Game this has been Card's most commercially seccessful work, it makes sense that he will return again and again, and I do not mind a bit. It has been very satisfying to revisit with characters I have previously met. One of the interesting things about these books is that they have not really been writen in order. There are technically 4 stories within these nine books. Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow tell the story of the Battle School and the Third war with the Formics. Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets and Shadow of the Giant are the story of the wars on Earth following the extermination of the Formics. Ender in Exile is a stand alone story that overlaps and follows several of the stroylines in the book previously mentioned. Finally Speaker for the Dead, Zenocide, and Children of the Mind bring together Ender and the 3 known centient species centuries after the earlier stories.

These stories are all very interesting and even though my favorite continues to be Ender's Game they are all very good books that I will read again and again.

Fury and Light (The Great and Terrible Book 4)

2008-12-03T13:32:00.000-08:00

This book continues the devastation began in Book 3 and depicts the United States in the depths of a disaster that completely incapacitates everyone. This unique perspective on how the last days could play out is very intriguing and I hope that things begin to resolve in the next novel. (See my post on The Second Sun)

Proposition 8 Backlash

2008-11-13T12:05:00.000-08:00

I greatly respect everyone's right to express their opinion. I also appreciate our democratic processes which allow us to demonstrate the voice of the people in the administration of our laws. This is one of the founding principles on which our country was established. However one principle that has often been overlooked is that of accepting the will of the people as long as that will does not impinge on the basic rights of others.

Our constitution, our laws and our elected officials are established by the will of the people and as the will of the people I believe it is my duty to obey, honor and sustain them whether I agree with them or not. This does not mean that I will not exercise my constitutional right to challenge and work to change the laws or officials with whom I may not agree, and this I will do following the legally established process. This is actually the first problem I have with the genesis of Proposition 8 in the state of California.

The people of California passed a law by the voice of the people that defined marriage as being between a man and a woman. An elected executive whose job it is to enforce the laws that have been enacted decided to defy the will of the people and began to marry same gender couples in a heavily publicized ceremony. It does not matter where your beliefs lie in this situation, the fact remains that someone who was supposed to enforce the laws intentionally broke that law just to prove a point, and because he was able to win the case when it went to court he faced no legal consequences.

Our Justice department is designed to protect the rights of the minority, but those in the Executive branch of government have no right to defy legislation just to promote a cause. The executive branch of government should enforce these laws and let the people take these issues up in the justice department. Talk about a waste of government money when one government entity sues another and we get stuck with the bill.

The people then proceed to pass another proposition over riding the Courts decision and this has now been taken back to the courts for them to decide the legality of it again. I am glad that these people are able to pursue all of their legal options. What has bothered me the most the past few days is the repercussions that come against those that supported proposition 8. The demonstrations and rallies are acceptable forms of free speech. I do wonder why it appears that the LDS church is the only one that is being targeted but that is their right. But when these demonstrations spill over to impeding someone right to exercise their religion (as it did in LA) than things are going too far. Even worse are these few people who have committed acts of vandalism against LDS chapels, presumably in opposition of the churches position on Proposition 8. Please keep your demonstrations within legal bounds and continue to seek you recourses through acceptable means, and if the voice of the people continue to oppose you, accept your lot while continuing to work through these legal means.

On another note, I have been skeptical of accusations of broad based media bias however I do find many instances of bias in specific new stories. In a recent story I read in the Ogden, Ut Standard Examiner there was a line that really demonstrated bias towards the LDS church. The article was about a presumed recrimination against the LDS church in Colorado. A Book of Mormon was set on fire on the front steps of an LDS Chapel. In the opening line of the story this crime was called a "bias-motivated arson." Excuse me but is not that the definition of a Hate Crime! I am not prepared to call the author of this article biased, s/he could have been trying to use flowery and unconventional descriptive language to describe the situation. To me however this downplays the seriousness of a crime that was perpetrated against a religious organization soley because it is. If anyone had called the burning of the flag at the house of a Black family after Barak Obama was elected president a "bias-motivated arson," many people would be very upset at how it is being portrayed.

Change

2008-11-13T10:30:00.000-08:00

I know that I have said this is a place where I will talk about the Books that I have been reading but over the past couple of books I fell like I am struggling to say anything that would be worth while so I am going to follow the title of my blog much more closely. There are times when something happens, I read or hear something and I really want to gripe, complain, explain or laugh out loud at it. In short a lot of things go through my head that I want to state and usually they die there. No More! Whenever I have these intense thoughts they will now appear here!

The Second Sun (The Great and Terrible book 3)

2008-11-05T07:09:00.000-08:00

The Great and Terrible by Chris Stewart is a series of books that piqued my curiosity when I first heard about them. For those that have heard of the Left Behind series this takes the same subject matter but addresses it from an LDS perspective. Not only is Chris Stewart LDS but he is also retired military, so many of the things that are addressed in these books are done so through a perspective that I can really relate to.

I find it very interesting to see what might happen in the future which is part of the reason I enjoy science fiction so much However when I read these books it is always with the notion in the back of my mind that I know there is no way these things will actually happen because they do not often correspond with my religious beliefs and how I understand that the last days will play out. To read a book that follows those beliefs has been very enjoyable if not a little scary.

This series starts in the Premortal life and describes some of the circumstances there in which Lucifer was thrust down to Hell. It also follows the experiences of four spirits who will have a great work to do in the last days. The second book Where Angels Fall introduces us to these characters in this life and begins to set the stage for the final war, Armageddon. These events are not only punctuated by the authors LDS views but also his military experience. These events are driven by politics and military actions which are greatly related to present day situations. A scene in which a foreign dignitary stands in front of the UN general assemble and publicly disparages the United States is reminiscent of many current events. This tie in not only makes this novel extremely interesting but frightening in that one can see these events happening any time now.

As in most novels there are some things that I enjoyed and some that bothered me. On things that I was not sure about in the beginning but grew on me throughout the books was the depiction of Lucifer and his minions tempting others. At first I thought this was weird but as things moved on I could see how this added to the mental anguish of many of the characters and it serves as a reminder of where the circumstances are heading. The thing that probably bothered me the most about this book was authors in depth descriptions of the specifics of flying airplanes. It offers a sense of authenticity but often comes off as unnecessary especially when one is impatient for the action to move on.

Overall this is an amazing story and I am very excited to pick up the next one.

Brisingr

2008-10-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

In my last post a talked about how I much prefer Science Fiction to fantasy and here I am reviewing another Fantasy book.

Brisingr by Christopher Paolini is the third book in what was going to be The Inheritance Trilogy, and I have to say that I am very impressed by what Paolini has done especially at a very young age. The first book in this series was published shortly after he graduated from high school at fifteen. Impressive enough to be published at that time, but the scope of this epic and its intricate subplots also testify to Paolini's dedication to his writing and ability to craft a well written story. This is a very interesting story in spite of its borrowed plot devices. A special group of peace keepers is betrayed by one of their own, who goes on to destroy them and become a powerful and ruthless ruler. Almost by accident a young man rises up to challenge evil with the promise of restoring the ancient order.

Most of this story has been told before, but Paolini's strength comes from the writing of the story. His choice of words is clear and he adeptly portrays his vision of what is happening within the story. Within the larger story, Paolini includes many subplots and details that make this story unique as well. Most of these succeed, however some demonstrate his lack of real world experience, namely his portrayal of pregnancy.

The action scenes come swiftly and Paolini does an excellent job of describing the fighting however he does tend to emphasize the gore more than necessary. He also does an excellent job addressing some of the moral conundrums that are brought to the minds of good people when they have to go to war. Overall a good book and I hope that the final book comes quicker than this on did.

The Wyrmling Horde (The Runelords Book 7)

2008-10-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

I have always been more of a fan of Science Fiction than I have of Fantasy which makes sense for someone who grew up watching Star Wars and Star Trek with my Dad. I have always loved thinking about the future and what amazing things will be possible, whereas fantasy always feels like I am looking back at things that are definitely not possible. (I also think that the best horror is always about what is possible and not what is fantastic.) In spite of all that I still find myself reading a lot of Fantasy. I think that this is because writing well about the fantastic is easier than writing well about what might be possible someday. Thus there are many more, well written fantasy books than there are Science Fiction. A well written science fiction book always shoots ahead of many fantasy books on my favorites list.

In spite of this I feel that The Runelords by David Farland is decent fiction. I have very little to compare this to because my adult fantasy experience consists of The Lord of the Rings and The Sword of Shannara. I loved the former but the latter didn't seem to offer me much. The Runelords falls somewhere in between. There are two major concepts presented in this series that I see as unique.

The most intriguing is the concept of endowments. In this world an individual can acquire attributes from another using a kind of metal brand that draws the attribute from one person and grants it to another. The attributes that are transferred include brawn, grace, beauty, stamina, metabolism (speed), sight, hearing and many more. This concept is thoroughly examined and flushed out through the first four books as this process is an integral part of this world and many aspects of this culture are examined.

The second concept at the center of these novels is the creation story of this universe. The idea is that all worlds used to be one, where everybody lived in a quasi perfect state. One individual sought to gain control over the whole world and in the process destroyed this sense of perfection and shattered the world into a “million million shadow worlds,” each one being a shadow of the “one true world” and containing some portion of what the one true world once was. This concept is much less clear through out the course of the novels is not clearly described. Part of this, I am sure, is because all the information is not available to any one character and the information is presented as the characters learn about it. However it is very difficult to pick up on everything all at once and does cause a little bit of confusion.

This series of novels is an epic and the author explores many storylines and subplots that take up many pages within the novels, some being much more interesting than others. All of these have value and contribute to the overall feeling of the book. The Wyrmling Horde I feel is probably the best of the series but I do reserve final judgment until after the 8th and final book is published.

A Train to Potevka

2008-09-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

When I was ten years old, my family moved to Germany. This was less than a year after the Berlin wall had been torn down and shortly before the Soviet Union was dissolved. I remember hearing about the coup in Russia where Mikael Gorbachev was almost over thrown, and even at that young of an age I felt the importance when Gorbachev abdicated and Boris Yeltsin was elected president of Russia. A couple of years later I was able to visit Russia and stay with a family just outside of Moscow. I was able to visit with these people and learn first hand some of their history. Because of these experiences, I have always had a strong interest in Russian history. The previous book took place before the Bolshevik Revolution replace the Czars with the communist government. A Train the Potevka takes place in the month leading up to the demise of that communist government.

Mike Ramsdell was a Military Intelligence Office who also worked for the State Department on many undercover counterintelligence operation within the USSR and Russia after the demise of the Soviet Union. This book, though classified as fiction, serves more as a memoir for his life. The outline for this story is Mike's final mission in the USSR before the change in government. He and his team are charged with extracting a Russian politician who embezzled millions of dollars from the United States so that he can be tried in an international court of law. When their cover is compromised his team is extracted and Mike is left to make his way from the far eastern end of Russia to Moscow on the Tran Siberian Railroad. This journey serves as a time for the author to reflect on his life and he uses this novel to share brief stories from his life.

I found this novel to be very interesting. The story itself, though is has some exciting elements, was not the action thriller novel the I expected. It served as a backdrop in which the author could relate many stories about his life and history. I really enjoyed the stories about his military experiences and wished he would have expounded more on some of those. Many of these stories were however more about personal family experiences, his divorce, his relationship with his son, the romance with his second wife and other things of that nature. This does seem appropriate since that is what I hope I would be thinking about when I am faced with death.

What I found most valuable within this book was the realistic view that we are given of the United State Intelligence programs. These are not the heartless killers or the debonair spys that we are used to seeing in the movies. These are real people that the author describes as "middle aged" and balding." In this book we are presented with real information about what goes on within an undercover operation and the mistakes at so many levels that can cause things to go wrong. Most of all within this book you will find someone who faced some very difficult circumstances and his story of faith and survival.

The Journey's of Socrates

2008-09-17T07:07:00.000-07:00

The Journey's of Socrates by Daniel Millman is a tragic yet fulfilling story in which a quest for revenge is replaced by a quest for peace, very fitting since this is the first book in the Peaceful Warrior series.

I found this book very interesting because it is a work of fiction yet it is based on true events and the author even states that he does not want to reveal which aspects of the story are true and which he interpolated. This is very different from other historical fiction I have read in which the authors go out of their way to differentiate what is true and where they interpolated.

The story is compelling as it is the tale of a young soldier who loses all who are close to him, his mother and brother on the day of his birth, his grandfather and finally his wife. He is then consumed with revenge and spends years training and searching for those that have caused him such grief. He eventually finds a teacher that not only teaches him how to be a warrior but also helps him find peace with his past. That peace is challenged when he is forced to confront those from his past that caused him such grief.

The story was enjoyable and I found myself continually comparing it to The Count of Monte Cristo with very similar religious overtones. The writing was very easy to understand however some of the topics were disturbing (rape, and some descriptive violence). What I enjoyed most about this novel though was the historical setting. I really enjoyed the historical facts that served as the back drop for this story. The information about the Jewish Pogroms, the life style of the Cossacks and the history between the two of them. As the story continued I could also get a sense of the impending Russian Revolution and I really would have enjoyed some more information about that.

I did enjoy this story and much of the information it provided however I did get tired of some of the cheap tricks the author used to try to maintain the readers interest. A really good author will present information in a way that the reader does not consciously know that he is being drawn further into the story. Dan Millman however resorted to comments like "Little did he know things were about to change." Comments like this pull the reader out of the story and into the world of the narrator. The narrator might as well be saying, "I hope your paying attention." or "keep reading, you will want to know what happens next." I found these comments very distracting from the actual story and it shows the author's distrust in his writing abilities.

Over all a good story that provides inspiration to all to overcome what ever tragedies might occur in their lives. I might even read the next book The Way of the Peaceful Warrior.

Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus

2008-09-08T10:25:00.000-07:00

The most recent book I have finished is Orson Scott Card's Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus. This is the second time that I have read this book and I admit that the first time I found it rather difficult to get through especially as the story seems to jump around a lot. I did enjoy it the first time around but this time it was even better.

Part of the reason that it was better this time I am sure is because I knew that I liked the story and was more invested from the beginning, which is the slowest part of the book. This time as I read it I recognized that this is not a story about a specific set of characters but a story about an event. By changing that focus I could see that reading the book felt more like watching a documentary. It was amazing to get that feeling while reading and it really enriched the experience.

What initially brought me back to the book was the story. This is the story of a group of researchers in the future who can watch the past. They discover the possibility of manipulating the past and begin a project to find a key moment in which many of the horrors of the recent past can be mitigated. The focus turns to Christopher Columbus, whose story is interspersed throughout the novel.

The information presented in this novel about possible alternate time lines and historical speculation is amazing and will astound anyone who finds science fiction and time travel the least bit interesting. When it comes to ideas presented in novels this is one of the best speculative fiction has to offer.

As always Card's writing is engaging and the moral dilemmas presented by his characters show how thorough he is in presenting all options and thinking though many possibilities. I highly recommend this novel to all who find time travel and science fiction interesting.

Next Post: The Journeys of Socrates

Book Reviews

2008-09-08T10:13:00.000-07:00

With all of the reading that I have been doing recently I thought it would be fun to publish my reviews on line. I did not want to occupy my families blog with these not so important opinions I will set this up as my own blog. Then I can actually feel like I am expressing my opinion, even if nobody reads it.