I haven't actually read this book yet, but the idea is one I like. We really should find ways to solve our population problem. It sounds like this guy has some. I'll try to remember to update this when I've read his book.
August 11, 2003
Ender's Game
This is a good book. None of the other books by Orson Scott Card that I've read are as good, although Ender's Shadow comes close. It's a sci-fi story about a boy who goes into Battle School in the year 3000 AD or so. He is trained to defeat the "buggers" who are an alien species that are going to attack earth. It's a good window into humanity.
As usual, the movie, was not as good as the book, but the movie is good. It's pretty close to the book, too. Harry Potter is closer to the book. As most of you I'm sure know how good the movie was, you will realize that the book is excellent. Tolkien wrote a nearly unsurpassable fantasy novel. If you have never read the Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings, you're really missing out. The movie could not do them justice. Supposedly, 80% of all fantasy books claim Tolkien as a big influence in their writing. Mine does. The Dwarves are Tolkienien dwarves; the dragons in it will probably resemble Smaug to some extent, the idea of human size elves is Tolkien's, I believe.
Gone With the Wind
This is a classic. It is well written. I still marvel at how a writer who has to think somewhat analytically can write a character like Scarlett. That's really what I liked about the book. She's completely non-analytical. Mitchel states this, then she backs it up!!! I could never do that! I can't even think like Scarlett thinks.
Despite outward appearances, Gone with the Wind is not a book about the South, or romance, or civil war. It is a book about trials, and about growing up. It follows the life of Scarlet O’Hara, a Southern girl who manages to remain a child as she lives through a civil war that destroys her home. “I don’t care if I have to lie, cheat, steal or kill, as God is my witness I will never go hungry again!” With this quote Mitchell expertly portrays a selfish adult child—a girl who never grew up. The story reaches its climax in that famous line, “Frankly Scarlet, I don’t give a damn.” Rhett Butler, the man whom Scarlet has unknowingly grown to love, betrays her, and in that instant Scarlet knows the meaning of pain. She begins to comprehend the meaning of valuing something above herself, so starting her journey toward adulthood.
Most readers complain that Gone with the Wind stopped in the middle, and that it needed a sequel. However, I believe Mitchell knew what she was doing when she ended the novel where she did. It is not a novel about romance. It is not meant to have a happy ending, but a real ending. This is why Gone with the Wind is a classic. Not because it is a smooth flowing romance, not because it is one of the very few books that portrays the Civil War from a Southern perspective, bu
Harry Potter
Rowling has written four of these books so far, plus some silly Quidditch guide and monster manual. Despite all the hype that's been going around with these books, they are really good. They are written for kids about the age of Harry Potter,(11 for the first book, 12 for the second, etc.) but they are interesting enough to hold most people's interest. I thoroughly enjoyed reading them.
King's Dragon
This is a fantasy novel by Fiest, I think. I've forgotten. And that doesn't look right. It follows English history a bit before the time of Henry VIII very very loosely. The plot is complex, and contains elements of fantasy, magic, romance, adventure, violence and day to day struggles that make it an enthralling novel.
The Magic Attic Club
These are good books for 4th graders. I loved them. Fun adventures into other places and other times. Well written.
So, You Want to Be a Wizard
This is a good fantasy book. I'm not sure exactly why it's so good. It's about a girl and a boy who discover they have magic powers and then learn how to use them. It's a good people story. It's in the children's section, written for 14 or 15 year olds, I think. Possibly 13 year olds. I haven't read it in a while.
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