Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

This is my husband's favorite book, and I can't believe I haven't read it until now.  What's not to love?  It's a young adult sci-fi book!  To me, it's like The Hunger Games, but without the oppressive government and with aliens.

The book's protagonist is Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, who is about 7 years old when the book begins.  He is sent to Battle School where he is challenged on many levels as the fate of the human race depends on his success.  The world is expecting another Bugger (or alien) invasion, and they only barely defeated them the last time.  Ender's abilities are unmatched by any other.  Will he be strong enough to defeat them again?

What was CRAZY to me was all of the technology in the book.  All of the Battle School students have their own "desks" that seem exactly like iPads or other tablets.  Remember, this was written in the 1970's when a computer took up an entire room!  Bananas.

There are many other books in the Ender's series, and there is even a parallel series that follows another important character from this book, Bean (see Ender's Shadow, the first book).  I am beginning to read Ender's Shadow right now based upon my husband's recommendation.  The second book in the Ender's series is Speaker for the Dead.  I love that I have a new series to keep me busy (and these are all in the FC LMC, too) :)


Card, Orson Scott. Ender's Game. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 1977.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

This was the second book I read this summer (the first was Everfound), and I hate to say that it was my least favorite.  The book takes place during and post 9/11, which is why I felt compelled to read it.  Oskar Schell, the protagonist, is a child whose father died in one of the towers.  He and his father had a special relationship, and they used to play games.  After 9/11, Oscar comes across a key in an envelope that says "Black" on it that he believes belonged to his father.  He goes on a quest to figure out what this key belongs to, believing it to be a final game from his father.

The problem I had with this book was that it was very dense, and I didn't feel connected to Oskar or his quest.  The side plot about Oskar's grandmother and her husband was okay, but it was underdeveloped.  I have yet to see the film based on this book.  Perhaps that is better than the book (which would be rare).

Foer, Jonathan Safran. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005.

Everwild and Everfound by Neal Shusterman

I already blogged about book one of the Skinjacker Trilogy, Everlost.  Everwild and Everfound are the last two books in the trilogy.  Each book follows Allie, Nick, and Mikey as they try and take down Mary Hightower, the Sky Witch who is planning to destroy the living world.  Allie is captured, Mary dies (again), and Allie continues to hone her skinjacking skills.  This trilogy was a good read, and the ending of Everfound was just as it should be.


Shusterman, Neal. Everwild.  New York: Simon and Schuster, 2009.

Shusterman, Neal. Everfound.  New York: Simon and Schuster, 2011.

The Rook by Daniel O'Malley

I LOVED this book!  I actually read it back in February when it debuted, but I forgot to blog about it.  The author, Dan, and I went to MSU together, so this was an especially fun read for me--he's done an amazing job, and I can't wait to read more from him.

The Rook is a first person sci-fi/fantasy novel told from Myfanwy Thomas' point of view.  The first chapter begins with Myfanwy waking up outside with several dead glove-wearing bodies around her, and she has no memory of who she is or how she got there.  Inside her jacket is a letter from the body's former owner; this letter contains instructions for how to go about living as Myfanwy and how to solve the mystery of the person trying to kill her.  What a fantastic way to hook a reader!

It is a fast read, and there is a lot of humor in it as well.  It'd make a great movie too, just sayin' :) 

O'Malley, Daniel.  The Rook. New York: Little, Brown, and Company, 2012.