Reviews

Someone had the idea that I should review the books that I read instead of just telling you that I had read them. I'm not terribly good at that sort of thing, but perhaps I can at least tell you a bit about what I thought of them, or what made me want to pick them up in the first place.

1984 by George Orwell


I can't believe that it took me so long to get around to reading this. It's a much different version of the future than Huxley's "Brave New World," but I found it to be more frightening. I think what got to me the most was how the past simply did not exist for these folks. Chilling. I won't say I loved it, but I am glad that I read it. I cautiously recommend it to anyone who wants to feel better about the present...because things could be much worse. Just watch out.


The Host by Stephanie Meyer


I'm almost ashamed to say I read this. More ashamed to say that I liked it and that it only took me two days. I was unenthusiastic about it when I picked it up, but I used to see it a couple of times every day at work and I wanted to know what the fuss was about. After reading the jacket blurb, I was even more turned off. I mean, the main character's name is "Wanderer," not even anything cool and alien. However, despite my prejudices I was drawn into the story. Mostly, I wondered how the story could possibly end well. I had to keep reading to see if a feasible resolution would present itself. I wasn't terribly disappointed. The characters are cheap, but if you're a girl who thinks a story revolving around a parasitic outsider campaigning for world-peace sounds like good times, then dig in. I wouldn't recommend this to my brothers, though...


Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card


Read this if you've read both the Ender series and the Shadow series. It won't make sense otherwise. This book picks up where "Ender's Game" left off, giving us a glimpse into the blank spaces left by Ender's 3,000 year jaunt through space. It also answered some of the questions I had left over from "Shadow of the Giant," the most recently published book in the Shadow series. Not for everybody, since you have to read at least five books beforehand to get the picture. Preferably you would read all eight. An Ender fan doesn't really need me to tell them about this, though. They'll read it anyway.


The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare


I picked this up for a book group. It's a Newberry Award winner, so you know that someone somewhere liked it. Also, you can guess that the title witch doesn't get burned because, come on, it's a book for kids. I rather liked the story. A young English girl is orphaned, and has to leave her carefree life in Barbados to join her Aunt's Puritanical family in Connecticut. Needless to say, she does not fit in. She befriends all the wrong kinds of people and shocks people with her unorthodox upbringing. Also, she can swim. Definitely a witch.