Lost Boys - Orson Scott Card

I love mysteries. I love following a story and not knowing how it is going to turn out in the end. But Orson Scott Card has a way of wrapping up a story in such a way that when he reveals his twist, I usually have to stop and see if I read it right. Or if I do read it right, the twist catches me so off guard that have to stop, flip back and read it again to catch the clues that I didn't recognize as clues. I love that.

The premise of this book is that a family moves to a new town as the father follows work. And their oldest son has trouble transitioning. He does not fit into school well, and begins to play with imaginary friends. But his parents become worried when they find out that the names of his friends match up with the names of several boys who have gone missing in the town. And so the mystery begins...

One issue I have is that the plot as outlined on the book jacket (ok, and here) is about the boy. But it is not even revealed in the story until well over halfway through the book that there is even the possibility of a serial killer in this sleepy little town. It feels like too long to wait for the advertised story to get going.

But here is what I loved about the book. While the story did not exactly take the path I would have expected, it was not bad. It followed the ups and downs of a family trying to make it work through some very tough times. And the characters are realistic. They are flawed. But they keep going. The effect this had on me is that by the time I reached the conclusion, I was invested. And I cried. I am coming to realize I do that more often that I was previously willing to admit.

Mitford Series (3.5)

So when I last posted the update, I also posted a review on a series of books I had read.  Trouble was I posted it on the wrong blog, Dale's family's blog.  Oops, and embarrassing.  I have now gotten over it and decided to try it again.

This is a cute series about a  60 year old pastor who falls in love with his new next door neighbor.  It is a quaint series that takes place in a sleepy little town.  It is a great read if you are looking for something a little slower but still amusing.

Update

I am wondering if anybody looks at this any more.  I would love to keep it going.  I am always looking for a new book.  I don't get much time to read, but when I do I don't want to waste my time looking for something only to find out it is trash.  Anybody up for posting their new reads on here again???

Enders Game / Enders Shadow (5.5)

I don't have reactions to a lot of the books that I read. I read them, I enjoy them, and then I put them down. I first read Ender's Game in it's original form - a short story. I was in the library at BYU and studying before I headed home for the night. I had to read it for a class, but I found myself so wrapped up in it that the time passed quickly and before I knew it, they were closing the library for the night. I finished the story just before last call, and was so surprised that I went back 10 pages and read the ending again. I walked out to the car with my head spinning. I was absolutely blown away. I remember looking at the sidewalk wet from the rain, so many thought racing. It only took me a few days to pick up the full-length novel from the bookstore and read it through. Different from the short story, but still amazing. I sampled some of the other books in the series, but didn't really have the same reaction to any of them until I read Ender's Shadow.

Ender's Shadow - This is the first book that I have ever heard referred to as a "parallel novel." Same story as Ender's Game, but told from the perspective of a different character. I thought since I already knew what happened, it really couldn't be that different from the first one. Wrong. When I got to the climax of the book, I actually found myself crying. It put such a different spin on things, that it made it totally worth reading. Highly recommend both. Even if you aren't really the sci-fi type.

Forest Born (3)

I liked it. It was cute. Probably my least favorite so far of the Books of Bayern, but I still thought it was worth the read.

Sword of Truth Series (all 11 of them...) 2.5

I am annoyed by this series. First of all because I lost so much sleep over it. The story is incredibly engaging and there were so many sub-plots going on that I normally had a hard time putting a book down at the end of a chapter. However, as the books went on (and on and on), I became a little disenchanted with it all. While most of the initial characters I like throughout, new and annoying characters kept cropping up and sometimes would dominate almost an entire book. Then to cap it all off, I got down to the last 200 pages of the final book (don't get me started about the non-standard paperback size) I could not imagine how it would all come out ok in the end. 100 pages left...50 pages left. And when I got to the climax that had been building for 11 books and roughly 3000 pages...give or take a few thousand...I was disappointed. Or maybe just tired. Anyway. It all kind of fell flat for me in the end. Glad I didn't save them to read in New Zealand!

Re-Dedicating to Posting

So...it has been two years since I have posted any of my readings. I think I probably have 100 books I should have/could have written about during that time. So here is to getting back in the saddle!

Daughter of the Forrest (3.5)

Juliet Marillier - I thought this was a pretty good retelling of the fairy tale of the seven swans and their sister. There is one fairly graphic scene, so I can't really recommend it to the little ones. Not too much detail so I was grateful for that. I have started reading another series from this auther - The Bridei Chronicles - and I think I might be liking this one better. I think her characters are facinating...how else could you tell a love story when one of the characters never actually talks?

Author - Elizabeth Peters (5.5)

I know I have mentioned this author to most of you by now, but I really get a kick out of her books. I haven't been really good to read them in order, but I still enjoy the ones I have read. She follows two egyptologists at around the turn of 1900. One of the main characters is nicknamed "The Father of Curses" because he will throw out a 'darn it' every now and then. Someone's life is guaranteed to be in danger at some point during the book, and I haven't been able to successfully identify the bad guy before she reveals it. (I like that!)

The Princess Diaries (4)

Author - Ann Cabot
Such a cute book. I thought it would be like the movie...while there were similarities, I enjoyed the character of the Grandmother so much more in this book. She is a feisty thing! There are somewhere around a dozen books in the series, so it could keep you entertained for a while.

Goose Girl

Author: Shannon Hale

If you guys liked Princess Academy my guess is you will like this one even more. It is hard to put down and believe it or not the ending isn't to terribly predictable.

Skywatch West, The Complete Weather Guide (3.0)

Author: Richard A. Keen

This is an interesting book. It describes the various forces at work that produce our weather in the Western US. It talks about the atmosphere, winds, jet streams, cyclones, storm tracks, micro-bursts, tornadoes, lightning, rain, snow, cloud formation, etc. He discusses some things that I still have a hard time understanding. Maybe someday I will understand. I found the discussion of 'latent heat' and its role in storm development interesting.

Hazardous Duty (4.5)

Author: Betsy Brannon Green; Publisher: Covenant
Savannah McLaughlin is running a little late. Those extra few minutes could mean she may never see her daughter again. The only clue Savannah and the police have to six-year-old Caroline's disappearance is a note with a cryptic verse of scripture. With no signs of progress, Savannah is desperate enough to call the one man she knows can help - the one man who absolutely despises her.

If anyone can find Caroline, it's Major Christoper Dane. The Army often calls on him to discreetly extract people from dangerous situations. But can Savannah trust him and the band of misfits Dane surrounds himself with? Or will the betrayal that took place in their dark past exclude any chance of a bright future?

This was another excellent novel. I had a hard time putting it down to go to bed.

Fancy Pants (4.5)

Author: Cathy Marie Hake; Publisher: Bethany House
When "Big Tim" Creighton spies the mincing fop headed toward Forsaken Ranch, he is appalled. Thankful his boss isn't around to witness the arrival of his kin, Tim decides he'll turn "Fancy Pants" Hathwell into a man worthy of respect.

Lady Sydney Hathwell never intended to don men's attire, but when her uncle mistakenly assumed she was a male, the answer to her problems seemed clear. Her disguise as "Syd" was meant to be temporary ... but the arranged marriage she's fleeing, her uncle's attitude toward the fairer sex - and her own pride - compel her to continue the guise far longer than she had planned.

When her deception is exposed, will she be forced to abandon her hopes for family ... and true love?

This was an excellent book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel.

Chaos (4.0)

An LDS novel. A school teacher (man) comes home after school and finds his apartment trashed. On his bed are drugs. He receives a phone call that tells him an assassin is going to kill him for being a rat. As he hears sirens in the distance, he takes his bike and runs. He has the police looking for him because they think he has killed four policemen. The assassin is following him and wants to kill him. Who has set him up and why? Who can he turn to for help? Oh, what about the girl friend from college? Would she help him? How can he figure out how to get out of this mess? This was another fun book and story. Oh, briefly, chaos theory becomes part of the story too.

Unspoken (4.0)

Another LDS novel. A good story. This is a psychological story. Lots of good things to think about. There is of course a romance. (The actual story is fuzzy in my mind. I know it was good, I just can't remember all the details.)

Do No Harm (4.0)

Another LDS novel. A good story. Bad guys are kidnapping people and performing horrible medical experiments with them. They must be stopped. But the bad guys are well financed and are not afraid to kill. There is romance, of course. A lonely widower and a beautiful nurse (the females are always beautiful) who has been the subject of a medical experiment. She survives and escapes her captors. She is awesome.

The Perfect Plan (4.0)

Author: Jeri Gilchrist. A good story. This is an LDS novel. Rich girl is neglected by her father and abused by her Aunt. Her Mother is killed when she is 3. Father interferes in the girls college romance and drives the two apart. Rich girl separates her self from her father and Aunt and finds happiness in landscaping. Oops! She gets arrested for stealing $50,000. She is now poor and requests a court appointed lawyer. A lawyer shows up at the jail and it is her college sweetheart. In the background, there are evil people that want the girl and her father dead. Why? Could it be greed? Will good and love triumph? Of course. It is a novel.

A Matter of Character: Inside the Whitehouse of George W. Bush (1.0)

I only read a few paragraphs here and there in this book. The author traces George W. Bush's conservative development. The author slams the liberals and their elitist attitude. I decided I didn't really want to read much more than a few paragraphs.

Plan of Attack (1.0)

This book is written by Bob Woodward, one of the Washington Post reporters that helped break the Watergate scandal. It is about the Bush Whitehouse and how we ended up attacking Iraq. I did not read the entire book. I read a few of the first chapters and decided I had read enough. It details the differences of opinion of those surrounding Bush and how Bush made decisions.