Ordinary People, Extraordinary Power is a book written by "Apostle" John Eckhardt. This is the first 'first reads' book I have been fortunate enough...more Ordinary People, Extraordinary Power is a book written by "Apostle" John Eckhardt. This is the first 'first reads' book I have been fortunate enough to receive, and I was dying in anticipation for it to arrive. I will be honest and say that I went in a frenzy to win a free book and get started in this first-reads stuff, and the description of this book was a bit vague, so I wasn't aware, before I got it, that in a word, it is a God book. Yes, it is a book to rally the Christians to keep their faith, strengthen it, and spread the 'new' thinking to everyone around them, without being persuaded back into the 'old' way, which is actually the current way. It is about being 'apostlistic', or, like the apostles, and being revolutionary in changing the thinking of your communities. Having a positive spirit, Integrity, and teaching. Though apparently, if you have 'pastoral thinking' you cannot be apostlistic. This book is very straight forward with the author's beliefs in a living Satan, and the 'enemies of the church', and how we must prevail over them and come out successful. The qualities of an apostle are clearly defined, and non-negotiable. I'm sorry to say that I don't share the author's beliefs, and that I think it will narrow his audience greatly to be so narrow minded, straight forward, and, as he says, apostlistic. When I entered to win this book, I had some sort of idea that it would be about some incredibly influential people of the past, and their histories and their paths to greatness. Not a Christian how-to-and-how-not-to-do. Though I suspect it will still sell a million copies to the modern American Christians who eat books like this up on Sunday mornings. How is that for an honest review?(less)
In November I read this book on my Nook, as a recommendation on goodreads.com. For some reason, this book was popping up everywhere, it seemed like ev...moreIn November I read this book on my Nook, as a recommendation on goodreads.com. For some reason, this book was popping up everywhere, it seemed like everyone had read it, so I did too.
The story is set in transition between World War 1 and World War 2, in Germany. It is told to us, the readers, by death, who is a strange character who is very curious about the little girl he is telling us about, and describes most everything in vivid colors. This was a strange perspective to tell a story, yes, but an adequate one to tell of the holocaust, no?
A little girl, Liesel, is traveling to live with foster parents, because her mother is too poor to keep her children. On the train there, her little brother dies, so they stop to bury him in a small town with frozen soil. One of the gravediggers drops a small book out of his pocket, which small Liesel picks up and takes with her, as a token of her brother, her mother, her whole (old) life. That is the first time that death sees her. He describes the two other times she is next to death before he comes to take her, and then he continues the story (where eventually the scenes he described will occur).
I don't want to give away any of this book, because I think if you are interested already, you need to go buy it, experience it firsthand. It is about a little girl's journey in growing up, understanding the world, and relationships (between her foster parents, an illegally harbored jew, and her best good friend who lives down the street). I want to be very clear though, this is not a happy book. It is heartbreaking, in so many ways, but I promise you will be glad that you read it. Zusak captures childhood so beautifully with Liesel and her adventures and interactions with others. She is not perfect, but we love her even more for it.
We get to know Liesel's foster father quite well in this story, too, as we follow him into his...difficult political situation. He had fought in the first world war, and wanted nothing more to do with fighting, or the Nazi party. Everyone shunned him, he was a disgrace, but he had to still go through the motions, and not do anything suspicious as to not be noticed, and be able to live in peace. He plays an accordion, which serves as a symbol throughout the story; a symbol of happiness, of loyalty, of friendship.
This novel is very powerful, and should only be read when you are emotionally ready to handle it. It is classified as a young adult novel, and though early readers may be able to read the words, I think the material may be a little heavy.(less)
A book told in the perspective of a dog. It starts as the newborn puppy becomes aware of his siblings wiggling next to him which he calls Hungry, Fas...more A book told in the perspective of a dog. It starts as the newborn puppy becomes aware of his siblings wiggling next to him which he calls Hungry, Fast, and Sister, for obvious (and cute) reasons. The book touches on several themes relating to canines such as animal abuse and animal rescue in sweet ways. The book also actively uses the idea of reincarnation, which surprised me. I didn't like that at first, but I warmed up to it after I became aware of the reason Cameron uses it. In the end it was a very enjoyable book, and I would recommend it for any dog lover!(less)
Ender's Game is about the government 'breeding' genius children to be trained in a military operation to obliterate an alien species which had attacke...moreEnder's Game is about the government 'breeding' genius children to be trained in a military operation to obliterate an alien species which had attacked planet Earth in the past, the Buggars. Ender is one of the children they accept into the training program, which is located in space.
I may be biased, since I basically grew up reading this book, but I seriously love Ender's Game. It is a commentary about government and the way adults treat children. It isn't a super long book, and the reading level isn't difficult. I first read it when I was probably ten. The idea of him training to guide whole armies in a weightless enviroment stuck with me.
I have read many reviews concerning this novel. It seems people either love or hate it. Some of the complaints are how young the children are, the slang terms they use, that the characters were one dimensional, he is obsessed with a game, that Card doesn't give you enough information to understand what is going on. Personally, I think that these people shouldn't be reading science fiction if they don't want to read about cultures different from theirs. This is a unique world Card creates (and continued to write about in a series of novels). And personally, I think he gives just enough information about the world, and he doesn't give it all away at once, which I think is a characteristic of great writing.
If you are looking for a Utopian book, this is not it. It is full of lies and deceit and unfairmess and fear. But you are right there inside Ender's head as he is going through these trials of character. I am confident that if you read it, you will love Ender too, and you will be surprised by the ending, and it will stick with you too.(less)
I recently read The Princess Bride, after seeing the movie countless times throughout my life. The script was taken directly from the book, so if you...moreI recently read The Princess Bride, after seeing the movie countless times throughout my life. The script was taken directly from the book, so if you are looking to find out more about the characters and anything else that may have happened that they left out of the movie, like I did, you might as well turn the movie on, it takes less time. Though there were a few additions:
-The beginning goes more in depth about how they met, and grew up together, and their roles in the small community they came from. -When Wesley gets tortured and 'mostly' killed, it goes into detail about the several levels of Prince Humperdink's 'hunting rooms'.
What I have always loved about the movie is how funny it is, without any of the characters noticing the humor. None of the tone is lost in the book, in fact, it is perhaps funnier, because every once in awhile there is a side remark about the 'real author' (since it begins on the title page by saying it is the abridged version, so he can get away with only writing the 'good parts'), and why parts are skipped, or a funny comment like, (This was before war, but after cosmetics, because women have always wanted to look their best) or something similar to that, many very funny.
Probably my favorite part is after Buttercup sees the way the Countess looks at Wesley, and simply cannot sleep all night because she keeps thinking about it. First thing in the morning she is knocking on the door of his shack saying she loves him more every second and she thought she loved him the night before, but it doesn't even compare to the love she felt for him several hours ago, though that couldn't have possibly been love, for the way she feels about him now...etc.
This is a wonderful comfort book, a light read, and great for a stay home day. I would recommend it for anyone looking for something lighthearted and witty.
From my blog: The Princess Bride is a beloved story of my generation. Because I loved the movie so much, I decided to read the novel version. I bought it promptly on my Nook, and was immediately angered because on the cover page, it says 'abridged version'. Now, if I'd have been a patient reader, or even one who didn't pay much attention, I probably could have just started the story and immediately understood the joke. Instead, I logged onto google and looked up the 'unabridged' version, which, I'm telling you now, does not exist. It is an extremely clever literary device that allows the author to tell the story as if he is retelling you the tale, but leaving out all the 'boring stuff', and giving you the good parts. Keeping that in mind, this book didn't seem like a quick read, since I'd seen the movie so many times.
The story is literally nothing but action, so if you've never seen the movie, you HAVE to read this book, but if you've seen it, you really aren't missing out on much of the plot, but the details are so much more detailed, and in my opinion, much more humorous. Scattered throughout the sentences there are parenthetical references made by the author, 'abridging notes', which are short comments about what is happening in the story. So many of them made me laugh out loud; when trying to pinpoint a time reference for when this tale took place, or where, he tries to give us hints in these references. For example: "'I'll leave the lad an acre in my will,' Buttercup's father was fond of saying. (They had acres then.)" (pg. 49). So many of these little tidbits are so ridiculous they are funny.
There are only very few things added that weren't in the movie. Idigo's back-story for example. It explains more about his father, and the sword he wields, and the six fingered man. It goes more in depth about Buttercup's upbringing and how she and Wesley's love came to be (this alone, I think, is reason enough to read the book, no matter how many times you've seen the movie, in fact, I think I will leave an excerpt I loved it so much), and describes Humperdink's astonishing hunting skills.
This is a tale of wit, humor, adventure, death, miracles, fire swamps, fencing, giants, and most of all....true love. There is something for everyone in this one, and I highly recommend it.
(Now here is my favorite passage, as promised:)
"'I love you,' Buttercup said. ' I know this must come as something of a surprise, since all I've ever done is scorn you and degrade you and taunt you, but I have loved you for several hours now, and every second, more. I thought an hour ago that I loved you more than any woman has ever loved a man, but a half hour after that I knew that what I felt before was nothing compared to what I felt then. But ten minutes after that, I understood that my previous love was a puddle compared to the high seas before a storm. Your eyes are like that, did you know? Well they are. How many minutes ago was I? Twenty? Had I brought my feeling up to then? It doesn't matter.' Buttercup still could not look at him. The sun was rising behind her now; she could feel the heat on her back, and it gave her courage. 'I love you so much more now than twenty minutes ago that there cannot be comparison. I love you so much more now than when you opened your hovel door, there cannot be comparison. There is no room in my body for anything but you. My arms love you, my ears adore you, my knees shake with blind affection. My mind begs you to ask it something so it can obey. Do you want me to follow you for the rest of your days? I will do that. Do you want me to crawl? I will crawl. I will be quiet for you or sing for you, or if you are hungry, let me bring you food, or if you have thirst and nothing will quench it but Arabian wine, I will go to Araby, even though it is across the world, and bring a bottle back for your lunch." (Pgs 58-59)(less)
I found this book at my boyfriend's grandparent's house, and found out it belongs to his father. I've been on a huge classic kick lately, and had a no...moreI found this book at my boyfriend's grandparent's house, and found out it belongs to his father. I've been on a huge classic kick lately, and had a notion in my mind that I would read it just to read it and say that I have, which is what I did, several months later, which was just a few weeks ago.
I'll start by saying I've never read a graphic novel before, because I guess I figured they were for kids, or something. I still reserve my judgment on the genre, but the writing in Tarzan wasn't as simple as I'd anticipated. It was basically an illustrated short story. On one hand, the pictures help to enhance the story, and give images to who you are reading about and how they behave, but that takes away most of the room for your imagination to expand the story into your own.
Of course I had heard of Tarzan, and had even seen the Disney version of the movie, but this version was still new to me. I was surprised at how brutal and violent it was, in parts, but I was glad it was that way, because the animal world is that way. The way Tarzan's mind developed is very interesting. He thinks like an ape, though at the same time he has so many human qualities. The author must have really put some thought into his character, and how actually being raised by apes would (hypothetically) affect someone. Tarzan is insecure about his hairlessness. He believes his face is ugly, when he sees his reflection in the river, because he does not have a wide forehead and a flat nose, like all of his family. He is eager and fascinated with the relics left behind from his parents, though I'm not sure if he knew they were his parents, and is dedicated to learning the language with the elementary picture books. These are all traits I would probably never thought of myself.
I was finished with the story in about an hour and a half, and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I do recommend everyone to read it, because it is well worth the short time it takes to do so. Especially read it if you have, like me, never previously read a graphic novel. (less)
A short book, at 202 pages, Franny and Zooey is jam packed full of discussion of family, religion, and culture. The story starts with Franny going to...moreA short book, at 202 pages, Franny and Zooey is jam packed full of discussion of family, religion, and culture. The story starts with Franny going to see her boyfriend, Lane, on a weekend trip in college. He is very excited to see her, and when we meet him he is reading a letter she sent him, which Salinger includes (there are two letters in the book total, and I really enjoyed reading them as part of the story). They go to dinner and Lane is telling Franny all about what is important to him, but Franny can’t seem to stop dismissing everything he says, or shoot it down flat. He eventually gets pretty fed up with her, and asks about the book she has been carrying around, like it was a secret. She proceeds to tell him a story about a pilgrim who abandons everything to seek out how to say the Jesus prayer correctly, ‘without ceasing’ as one verse in the bible mentions. She struggles with this little pilgrim with intensity that only a young woman can show throughout the book.
Zooey’s story takes up most of the book, but it seemed to me, calmer, more of a cerebral experience. He is reading a letter from one of his brother’s (like I mentioned before, I really liked the letters in this book), in the bathtub, when his mother comes in, sits down on the toilet, just sitting, chain smoking, and asking him what he thinks about Franny’s condition (by this time she is completely hysterical, having a complete breakdown because she is unsure of what to do or how to feel, and she is constantly feeling above everyone around her, and thinks they are all ridiculous in the things that they do.) At first, it seemed like a very ‘family’ thing to do. A family who is close and completely trusts each other, who cares if you are in the bathroom at the same time, it was almost endearing. But she stayed in there…a very long time, talking with her son (who was hidden behind a shower curtain, but still), it did start to get a little strange. The way they interact with each other, and ‘speak’ to one another in their letters and conversations, it just seemed to me to capture family perfectly; the love, the resentment, the advice, the anger, the worry, all in perfect proportions. One of my favorite lines was when Zooey’s mother told him he was just like his brother, “If you don’t like somebody in two minutes, you’re done with them forever.” Salinger used italics A LOT throughout this book. Almost in every line of dialogue at least part of a word is italicized. It gives the characters passion, dramatics, and quite a bit of humor, I thought. I found myself chuckling about a line I’d just read, even though the words weren’t funny, and weren’t meant in a funny way. As an outsider looking into the situation, there is a bit of humor.
While this is going on, Franny is in on the couch moping, or crying, or just plain docile, in the middle of her breakdown. Every family member we are introduced to carries a lot of passion for what they believe. I think Franny’s breakdown is based on the loss of her passion or belief in things she once found important, and the gain of so much passion for those little stories, she didn’t know where to put it, or direct it, or share it with. I think we have all been in a situation like Franny, when we don’t feel anything about something we used to love, or even hold negative feelings towards. It is unsettling.
Once his mother talks to him, Zooey decides that he really should go and talk to Franny, so he goes to the living room to discuss the stories she’s been reading, and the scene really escalates. She is taking a nap with the cat when he comes in. When she wakes up, they talk, in a very civilized, catching up sort of way, but when Zooey starts talking, lecturing really, about the book about the pilgrim, the conversation turns. He is almost outraged that she is so moved by the prayer, for what he thinks are the wrong reasons. He explains that Jesus Christ was the best teacher in all of mankind, and that she didn’t know anything about him, as a person, only as an ‘icon’. He raised huge issues on religion, which they don’t discuss in dialogue, but makes you, as a reader, really ponder on, after reading. Zooey seems almost wise to me, or at least a deep critical thinker; he doesn’t believe in anything if he doesn’t know exactly why, something I admire about him.
I think I liked the book as much as I did because the short, direct manor of writing Salinger employs, and the themes he almost sneaks upon you until you turn around, and BAM, there they are. This is a short book, and well worth the time, in my opinion. It isn’t heavy on plot, and it is one of many books about the Glass children (Of which Franny and Zooey are the youngest), though this is the only one of those I have read, personally. It is a good book to read if you are in a witty, critical thinking type of mood.(less)
I was at the library one day after work looking for a book, and of course, being me, I picked several. The one I read was called Year of the Flood, by...moreI was at the library one day after work looking for a book, and of course, being me, I picked several. The one I read was called Year of the Flood, by Margaret Atwood. That book is a companion to the one in this review, Oryx & Crake. I read that she is currently writing the third installment of this series, which gets me very excited :-)
These books are technically science fiction, which doesn’t mean about spaceships and aliens and time travel. What it means, in this case, is an alternate world. It’s based in the future, and one not so far off. Year of the Flood is based in a very grungy, almost underworld, sort of atmosphere, where no one has a real identity, and everyone is struggling to survive, in some pretty raunchy ways. Oryx & Crake however, is based in the upper class societies, called the compounds. Each compound is basically a company/military barracks. The families live inside the compounds, and are protected there while one or more family member does work for the company who runs the compound. There are schools inside the compounds, and I can’t remember specifically but I believe grocery stores are inside the compounds, but for dentist appointments and other general shopping, they have to travel to the ‘pleeblands’ (The grungy underworld I was telling you about). The compounds are regularly attacked with biological weapons, by the other compounds, viruses that are biologically engineered. Biology, that is HUGE in these novels. Each of the compound’s companies, are basically full of biological engineers developing new species to market and mass produce for a specific purpose. There are multi-colored sheep, gigantic pigs growing human organs inside, rakunks (raccoon skunks people often keep as pets), even a small type of animal that feeds on car break cables that a rebellious group develops and releases into the environment.
The actual books are written in a ‘present’ where a huge biological weapon was released, and almost every single human on the planet is wiped out. The stories are about the very few who did survive. In Oryx & Crake, we see Jimmy, who was Crakes best friend, and Oryx’s lover. In Year of the Flood there are two women from an organization called God’s Gardeners, who live completely organically and were taught to survive; the world knew that a biological weapon would eventually be developed to wipe them all out. They called this extermination the ‘invisible flood’. During the ‘present’ for these individuals, we are shown flashbacks, where we learn about the world they lived in, before total chaos ensued, and their unique and astonishing stories.
This series is an amazing commentary on politics and culture; they are gems in literature, in my opinion. There are many philosophical questions raised about genetics, which is fascinating in this future world, and other topic such as government, power, rebellion, friendship, love…They are definitely meant for a mature reader, there is quite a bit of mature material covered between them, but it doesn’t take away from the stories at all. The world Atwood creates is…in a word, chaos. The way humanity has matured, in the pleeblands, most everyone (especially men) are obsessed with sex and instant gratification, and in the compounds, genius’ on the loose playing with genetics, creating quasi-humans with the ability to purr (because apparently a cat’s purr has healing qualities). Every page of these books holds something new. Atwood is a compelling author, and many of her other books are on my ever growing to-read list. Did I mention she’s writing a third in this series. Oh, yes. She is ;-) I hope you all enjoy them as much as I did!(less)
I was at the library one day after work looking for a book, and of course, being me, I picked several. The one I read was called Year of the Flood, by...moreI was at the library one day after work looking for a book, and of course, being me, I picked several. The one I read was called Year of the Flood, by Margaret Atwood. That book is a companion to the one in this review, Oryx & Crake. I read that she is currently writing the third installment of this series, which gets me very excited :-)
These books are technically science fiction, which doesn’t mean about spaceships and aliens and time travel. What it means, in this case, is an alternate world. It’s based in the future, and one not so far off. Year of the Flood is based in a very grungy, almost underworld, sort of atmosphere, where no one has a real identity, and everyone is struggling to survive, in some pretty raunchy ways. Oryx & Crake however, is based in the upper class societies, called the compounds. Each compound is basically a company/military barracks. The families live inside the compounds, and are protected there while one or more family member does work for the company who runs the compound. There are schools inside the compounds, and I can’t remember specifically but I believe grocery stores are inside the compounds, but for dentist appointments and other general shopping, they have to travel to the ‘pleeblands’ (The grungy underworld I was telling you about). The compounds are regularly attacked with biological weapons, by the other compounds, viruses that are biologically engineered. Biology, that is HUGE in these novels. Each of the compound’s companies, are basically full of biological engineers developing new species to market and mass produce for a specific purpose. There are multi-colored sheep, gigantic pigs growing human organs inside, rakunks (raccoon skunks people often keep as pets), even a small type of animal that feeds on car break cables that a rebellious group develops and releases into the environment.
The actual books are written in a ‘present’ where a huge biological weapon was released, and almost every single human on the planet is wiped out. The stories are about the very few who did survive. In Oryx & Crake, we see Jimmy, who was Crakes best friend, and Oryx’s lover. In Year of the Flood there are two women from an organization called God’s Gardeners, who live completely organically and were taught to survive; the world knew that a biological weapon would eventually be developed to wipe them all out. They called this extermination the ‘invisible flood’. During the ‘present’ for these individuals, we are shown flashbacks, where we learn about the world they lived in, before total chaos ensued, and their unique and astonishing stories.
This series is an amazing commentary on politics and culture; they are gems in literature, in my opinion. There are many philosophical questions raised about genetics, which is fascinating in this future world, and other topic such as government, power, rebellion, friendship, love…They are definitely meant for a mature reader, there is quite a bit of mature material covered between them, but it doesn’t take away from the stories at all. The world Atwood creates is…in a word, chaos. The way humanity has matured, in the pleeblands, most everyone (especially men) are obsessed with sex and instant gratification, and in the compounds, genius’ on the loose playing with genetics, creating quasi-humans with the ability to purr (because apparently a cat’s purr has healing qualities). Every page of these books holds something new. Atwood is a compelling author, and many of her other books are on my ever growing to-read list. Did I mention she’s writing a third in this series. Oh, yes. She is ;-) I hope you all enjoy them as much as I did!(less)
I was expecting a cheap thriller/quick summer read when I picked this book to read on my nook. Imagine my surprise, then, when I got sucked into the p...moreI was expecting a cheap thriller/quick summer read when I picked this book to read on my nook. Imagine my surprise, then, when I got sucked into the plot INSTANTLY and could NOT stop reading. I loved how this book crossed over into two time periods, with an interesting plot in each. I loved the research and tid-bits of real history we learn, about early medicine practices in particular. It turned out to be the most refreshing and satisfying read I'd had in awhile (and I read a LOT of books). So cheers, Tess Gerritsen, I will be reading more of your stuff!(less)
I was reading it as I was watching season one of true blood. I didn't enjoy reading it that way, and I chose to watch the show instead since it is som...moreI was reading it as I was watching season one of true blood. I didn't enjoy reading it that way, and I chose to watch the show instead since it is something my boyfriend and I do together.(less)
This wasn't a bad book, overall. The beginning really captured me, the idea of the girl and her father running a book shop together, and a mysterious...moreThis wasn't a bad book, overall. The beginning really captured me, the idea of the girl and her father running a book shop together, and a mysterious letter coming, asking her to write a story.
After these inital 50 pages or so, the pace slowed way way down (for me), and it was a chore to finish. By the end everything comes together, but it wasn't the grueling mystery I think it was going for. (less)
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