Book Review: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Featuring Channie (my cat) staring into the distance

Title: Ender’s Game
Author: Orson Scott Card
Publisher: Tor Teen
Length: 384, Paperback
Genre: Science fiction
Rating: 5 Folded Pages

Blurb:
Once again, Earth is under attack. An alien species is poised for a final assault. The survival of humanity depends on a military genius who can defeat the aliens. But who?
Ender Wiggin. Brilliant. Ruthless. Cunning. A tactical and strategic master. And a child.
Recruited for military training by the world government, Ender’s childhood ends the moment he enters his new home: Battle School. Among the elite recruits Ender proves himself to be a genius among geniuses. He excels in simulated war games. But is the pressure and loneliness taking its toll on Ender? Simulations are one thing. How will Ender perform in real combat conditions? After all, Battle School is just a game. Isn’t it?

Review:
I think my review for this might be a little biased. I read the original short story in my science fiction and fantasy literature course and I wanted to see the difference between that and the novel. I think this review will be biased simply because I can’t help but compare the novel to the short story and the novel is 1000x better.

Ender is a deeply complicated little boy and then teen in this and I love that the novel allows you to see so much more of Ender. The short story gives as little as possible because it needs to meet a word requirement. The fact that the overall story and characters are fleshed out more is amazing and perfect.

The novel has so much feeling in it even if I don’t compare it to the short story. I found myself crying for Ender and even some of the other characters. I was invested and I honestly couldn’t put the book down once I started. I hated having to stop reading it because I needed more.

I also loved being able to see how much Card’s writing had improved from the short story. Card was able to convey what he wanted more clearly but beautifully. I love his simplistic way of writing. It makes this novel and the genre so much more accessible than other of it’s type.

Overall, I can’t really find anything bad to say about the book. I enjoyed it for what it was and I can’t wait to continue the series.

Fun Fact Friday [5]

This series occurs every Friday and will feature Fun Facts about me. At the end I will also pose a question or questions to you guys that will relate to my fun fact so I can get to know you better. Feel free join Fun Fact Friday on your own blog and post a link below!! Or just answer in the comments. 🙂

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This week’s Fun Fact: What I do to “find a happy place”

With everything that’s been happening at work, I’ve been in need of mood boosters. AKA, something that can create a happy place for me. Lots of times that books, but you can’t really do that quickly or while in the midst of working. I also turn to music and Korean dramas sometimes.

I mean seriously how can anyone be unhappy watching these two???

But even those take a little too long. Which is why I’m going to share the thing that makes me insta happy. Legitimately I can’t even think of this thing without a slight smile being brought to my face and watching it (even though I’ve seen it thousands of times) still makes me literally laugh out loud.

First a little background info. SHINee is a South Korean boy band who debuted in 2008. I have been a fan since I discovered them in 2009 and they are the reason I’m so invested in South Korean pop culture. One of the longest running jokes about the group (good naturedly of course) is Minho’s dibidibidis rap. It’s in two of their songs and it’s what he used to feature on variety shows when asked to show his talent.

The video below is a clip from Korea’s Saturday Night Live with the 3 of the 5 members actively poking fun at themselves with this song. I legitimately lose my shit when I see this and even if others don’t quite find the joy I do from it I wanted to share. Plus it may provide you guys with a happy place as well. 🙂

This whole skit is amazing. But this is my absolute favorite part. During the whole of the Ill Brothers skit, SHINee continually makes fun of their own songs and I think it’s one of the best things. Recently when I’m at work and need to restore my mood quickly, I watch this a few times (usually just the unsubbed 30 second clip) to boost my mood and I’m almost as good as new. Much quicker than dramas, books, or music.

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How do you find your happy place quickly? Do you have any standbys that instantly make you happy? Share with us and maybe you could help others find their insta happy.

Recommended Book Blogs

What an amazing list of book blogs to follow. Check here first if you’re looking to add more to your reader!!

It's All About Books

I do not only love to read books, I also love reading about books. I’ve encountered a lot of great book blogs out there, and decided to make a big list including all the blogs I follow for easy future browsing.

So I present you with the list of the book related blogs I follow in alphabetical order(please contact me if you think one is missing! It’s a big list and it’s easy to overlook a particular name…):

>>>Last updated September 5th 2015<<<

View original post 2,090 more words

The Encouraging Thunder Award

Thank you SO much to Enthralling Dimple for nominating me!! 😀 Being nominated and tagged in things truly makes me feel like part of the community so I get super duper excited every time it happens.

Rules:

• Thank the person who nominated you.
• Post the Encouraging Thunder logo.
• Mention your purpose in blogging.
• Nominate others for the award.

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My Purpose in blogging:

This blog started out mainly as a way to gain experience in building SEO, managing a brand, and writing on a deadline frequently. Basically, I meant for it to help me stay on top of my game with writing and content management while I’m stuck in a line of administrative assistant positions until someone will risk hiring me for writing with so little experience.

However, this blog definitely became more than that and rather quickly. It’s a part of me. I want to share my love of books and let people know what I thought. That way others with similar opinions might be able to connect. I also really love interacting with the book community and I think my purpose has now become more about bookish interactions than anything else.

I nominate:

• Elena from Elena Square Eyes
• Rae from Bookmark Chronicles
• Duchess from Duchess Reading
• Aentee from Read at Midnight
• Claire from Art and Soul

Sorry if you’ve already been nominated or have done the challenge! Feel free to ignore if you don’t want to do it. 🙂

WWW Wednesday #10 (9/9/15)

Thankfully the weather is back to a rightful mid 70s. I’d be happier with 60s but I can’t complain. Anything is better than FOUR 90 degree days in a row. Also, September is in full swing and I’m super excited about all the fall things coming back. Boots and pumpkin spice and colder weather and changing colors. Moving on to the books though~

This meme is hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words but was originally hosted on Should Be Reading. To do the meme answer these three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

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What are you currently reading?

At this point, I’m pretty sure A Really Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson is on hold. I haven’t touched it in ages. It’s definitely not the speedy read I was hoping for.

I’m about halfway through Changeless by Gail Carriger. I was a little worried how the dynamic of some of the characters would play out now that there is a relationship change (no names to avoid spoilers of course) but I’m actually really enjoying how it’s going. I do think it’s a bit slower paced than Soulless but Carriger’s writing more than makes up for that.

I’m also reading The Source by J.D. Horn. It’s the sequel to The Line in the Savannah Witching Series and this book is pretty good as well. I think it may suffer a little bit from sequel syndrome but it’s hard not to. I still really enjoy all the characters though Mercy has become a little grating for me.

What did you recently finish?

I’ve been really bad…I’ve only finished two book this past week. I’ve been so crazy busy that I haven’t had a lot of time to read. Plus I’m still kind of slumpy. Books that seemed super interesting and that I really want to read just don’t fit my mood at the moment so I’m at a loss for what to read. Hopefully I get over this soon.

• Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
• The Line by J.D. Horn – Review

What do you plan on reading?

Well what do you know, the two books I put here for last week are actually the two books I’m currently reading. Take notice
because this isn’t likely to happen again. Lol. I’m thinking I might read Crown of Midnight next. With all the Queen of Shadows hype going around I’m suddenly feeling the need to continue the series. I’m also going to start a Harry Potter reread so I plan on starting The Sorcerer’s Stone. I think I’ll also end up reading the third book in Savannah Witching Series: The Void.

Book Review: The Line by J.D. Horn

Title: The Line
Author: J.D. Horn
Publisher: 47North
Length: 298, Kindle Edition
Genre: New Adult, Fantasy
Rating: 4.5 Folded Pages

Blurb:
Savannah is considered a Southern treasure, a city of beauty with a rich, colorful past. Some might even call it magical…
To the uninitiated, Savannah shows only her bright face and genteel manner. Those who know her well, though, can see beyond her colonial trappings and small-city charm to a world where witchcraft is respected, Hoodoo is feared, and spirits linger. Mercy Taylor is all too familiar with the supernatural side of Savannah, being a member of the most powerful family of witches in the South.
Despite being powerless herself, of course.
Having grown up without magic of her own, in the shadow of her talented and charismatic twin sister, Mercy has always thought herself content. But when a series of mishaps—culminating in the death of the Taylor matriarch—leaves a vacuum in the mystical underpinnings of Savannah, she finds herself thrust into a mystery that could shake her family apart…and unleash a darkness the line of Taylor witches has been keeping at bay for generations.

Review:
I found this book on Kindle Unlimited. Actually the whole series is on there which is amazing since I happened to LOVE this book. It could be considered Young Adult but since the main character is 21 and a few of the themes seem a little too adult to be in YA I’m going to put it with NA.

Mercy is one interesting character. She’s loyal almost to a fault but also extremely curious. The book starts off with her giving a “Liar’s tour” and honestly I think it sets an amazing tone for the rest of the book.

I don’t want to get into any of the other characters for fear of spoiling anything, but I loved the way they were presented and the fact that we only had Mercy’s perspective on them. It means that the majority of the plot twists that happened I didn’t see coming at all which was extremely refreshing.

Going more into the plot twists, there are several and only one of them was semi predictable but by the time it happens you’re almost convinced it won’t happen because you thought it would be there sooner.

The only thing I could wish for from this book was more. I wanted more descriptions and explanations. I think certain parts could have been better explained. Basically I think 50 more pages would have been perfect to help flesh the plot, characters, and details out a little better.

Summer Madness Book Tag

I’m so sorry it took me so long to respond to being tagged!! This past week has been crazy. Anyway, thank you so much Amber at Only True Magic for tagging me!!

Unfortunately for me Summer seems to be making a comeback with 90 degree weather all last week. I’m so read for rain, and 60s it’s not even funny but I digress. Lol. Let’s get started with the tag shall we. 🙂

Show a book with a summery cover

Summer covers in general make me think of Sarah Dessen but I definitely think this is her most summery cover. Summer to me means hot days at a Lake Michigan beach.

Pick one fictional place that would be the perfect destination for a summer vacation

Honestly where better to go for summer than camp half blood. I mean yea, I’d need to be the daughter of a god but still it’d be awesome just to see everything and hang out.

You’re about to go on a flight to your summer vacation, but you want to read a book that lasts for the whole flight. What novel do you choose?

Anyone who has been around since I started the blog, knows that Beauty by Robin McKinley is my favorite book. I’d probably bring this along to reread because even if I finished it (which I probably wouldn’t) I could literally open this book anywhere and continue reading from that page and be perfectly fine with it.

You have a case of Summertime Sadness. What happy book do you pick up to shine a smile on your face?

This book had me giggling out-loud the whole time I was reading it. Mindy is hilarious.

You’re sitting at the beach all alone. Which fictional character would be your beach babe?

I’m sure this is a little unusual but I’d definitely choose Graham. He’d let me read on the beach while he graded papers or something but still play in the water with me when it got too hot to bare.

To match your ice cream, you want an icy cool sidekick! Which fictional sidekick do you pick?

Basically anyone from the Maximum Ride series (though I’m super behind) but if I had to choose one it’d be Iggy. He’s super funny and good with technology. All the things I need in anyone close to me but especially a sidekick. lol.

Share the Summertime Happiness! Who do you TAG?

I feel like my answers are all over the place so I’m curious to see what others post. I tag:

Rae at Bookmark Chronicles

Lala at Lala’s Blog

Miss Darcy at Darcy’s Book Blog

Feel free to ignore this tag if you’ve already been tagged or don’t want to do it. Also if you haven’t been tagged consider yourself tagged and post a link. I’ll take a look. 😀

Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Length: 576, Paperback
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
Rating: 5 Folded Pages

Blurb:
One choice can transform you. Beatrice Prior’s society is divided into five factions—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). Beatrice must choose between staying with her Abnegation family and transferring factions. Her choice will shock her community and herself. But the newly christened Tris also has a secret, one she’s determined to keep hidden, because in this world, what makes you different makes you dangerous.

Review:
This is the kind of book that reminds me why I loved YA dystopian so much in high school. I enjoyed every second of reading it which is why I finished it in two days. It was paced perfectly, the romance was kind of insta love but not cheesy and it took second place to the plot, and Tris is as badass as I could want in a female heroine while still remaining original.

I truly loved how fast paced this plot was. I needed a book like this to pull me from the reading slump I was sinking into for sure. It kept me interested and I didn’t want to put it down. There were no slow points (for me) and it reminded me why dystopian is such a great genre.

The characters were also felt very real. Tris was flawed and it showed on almost every page and I love that. She was badass but she could be hot blooded and she had a hard time not standing up for herself and doing what she wanted even if that could put her in danger. I enjoyed every second of her narration.

Four did fall a little flat at times but I enjoyed that he wasn’t a big focus for the book even if there was instalove there. It worked for me. I can enjoy instalove if it’s not the main focus of the book and here the plot was definitely more important than the romance.

The side characters all felt very fleshed out as well. I understood their reasons for acting out of character and they responded and acted like real people. Which is to say, they didn’t have 4 characteristics in total. They seemed completely fleshed out.

If it’s not obvious by the amazing rating, I really enjoyed this book. I understand why it was hyped and I’m glad I went into with my expectations a little lower because the hype has fled from it. I’m not sure I would have enjoyed it as much but I thoroughly loved this!

Book Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Title: Delirium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperCollins
Length: 401, Kindle edition
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Romance
Rating: 2.5 Folded Pages

Blurb:
In an alternate United States, love has been declared a dangerous disease, and the government forces everyone who reaches eighteen to have a procedure called the Cure. Living with her aunt, uncle, and cousins in Portland, Maine, Lena Haloway is very much looking forward to being cured and living a safe, predictable life. She watched love destroy her mother and isn’t about to make the same mistakes.
But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena meets enigmatic Alex, a boy from the Wilds who lives under the government’s radar. What will happen if they do the unthinkable and fall in love?

Review:
I did not love this book. I thought and hoped I would. The first 100 or so pages flew by but after that point it go so incredibly slow that I was legitimately falling asleep at some parts. The book could have been about 150 pages shorter and I would have liked it better. I felt like absolutely nothing happened for at least 150 pages. I understand the need of some of it but for the most part it was just plain boring.

I didn’t hate Lena. I think she was a little indecisive and a tad bit annoying but I enjoyed that she tried thinking for herself and not taking everything at face value. However, I do think that she fell a little flat as a character. I also HATED that she only changed because of a boy. Hana, her best friend for years, had no part in the change and she almost stopped being friends with Hana when Hana did try to change her. I just I hate when a guy is the only reason a girl develops. It’s just not right and it shows girls they should be dependent on boys and I’m not about that life.

Speaking of Lena’s best friend, Hana is the only character in the book I absolutely loved. She understands her limits, is an amazing friend, and is trying to fight the system but knows that she really can’t. I just really enjoy her all around.

Alex was kind of eh for me. His lines were cheesy, and he also fell flat for me. Considering he was the main reason for Lena’s change, I would have hoped he’d be a bit more 3 dimensional.

I might read the next book in the series if I find it really cheap on kindle or see it in the library but I have no desire to go out of my way to read what happens next even though it did leave off on a pretty solid cliffhanger. I think this is another dystopian book that kind of coasted on the dystopian craze that was going on when it was published.

Fun Fact Friday [4]

Welcome to the newest series on my blog! Fun Fact Friday!! I want to give my wonderful followers a chance to know me better (and for me to know you better) so welcome!!!

This new series will occur every Friday and will feature Fun Facts about me. At the end I will also pose a question or questions to you guys that will relate to my fun fact so I can get to know you better. Feel free join Fun Fact Friday on your own blog and post a link below!!

I’d also like to say sorry for being kind of absent this week. I got some bad news at work which is making me too anxious to focus on things. But never fear I am not going anywhere. 🙂

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This week’s Fun Fact: I hope to work for Simon & Schuster Publishing someday while also writing my own novels.

I suppose it comes as no surprise that my ultimate dream is writing novels. But part of that dream is also having the day job of helping others write their novels. My dream publishing company is Simon & Schuster and it has been since I was about 12. S&S has published so many of my favorite novels. I’ve applied to S&S several times but I need more experience. I will get there someday.

I learned early that writing (for most people) isn’t their day job. Even for relatively successful authors. Book deals are rare and I don’t want to rely on writing to be my main source of income. I love the entire book writing process from conceiving an idea to the final editing touches and I want to be apart of that process both for myself and others.

Also nothing irritates me more than seeing typos and grammar mistakes in published works. That’s what made me want to go into editing in general. I get irrationally angry when a book (published by a company that is) is published with typos. There should be people there to catch that. And I know to err is human but I also think that fresh eyes (coughmyeyescough) could help.

Today’s post is a little job centric I know. But currently I work as a temp and I’m trying to find a permanent job hopefully in my field of study so jobs are on the mind.

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What’s your dream job? Why do you want to do it?