2010 TBR Challenge - Recap

I thought this would be the easiest challenge ever - just read 12 books that I already own from a list of 24. HA! It's almost the end of the year and I'm calling it quits at 9 books.


9 Books Read

1. The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race Against an Epidemic, by Gay Salisbury & Laney Salisbury - a fascinating look at a true emergency and the people (and dogs) who overcame it
   
2. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett - a very good Civil Rights era story - not perfect, but highly recommended
   
3. Silver: My Tale as Written by Me, with a Goodly Amount of Murder, by Edward Chupak - if you are a pirate fan, this is a must read
4. Time Bandit, by the Hillstrand Brothers - as a fan of The Deadliest Catch (on the Discover Channel) I really loved this behind-the-scenes look at one of the featured boats
   
5. Steve & Me, by Terri Irwin - a touching look at the life of The Crocodile Hunter that reminded me how much I loved him - fans of the show will get a lot from this book
   
6. Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific by Raft, by Thor Heyerdahl - fascinating true story, one of my favorite books of the year
   
7. The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova - a very complex and gothic-feeling book - I think it would translate very well into a movie
   
8. Crazy for the Storm: A Memoir Survivaof l, by Norman Ollestad - interesting survival story but not as good as I'd hoped
   
9. Old Man's War, by John Scalzi - reminded me of a mix between Avatar and Starship Troopers - if that sound like a good mix then you'll enjoy this book
   

15 Remaining Book Choices:

1. The Greatest Generation Speaks: Letters and Reflections, by Tom Brokaw (this has been on various lists for 2 years now)
   
2. Vivaldi's Virgins, by Barbara Quick (I started this but couldn't get into it - it's in the donation box now) 
3. Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett (I want to read this one now but I let someone borrow it ...)
4. The Last Town on Earth, by Thomas Mullen (I started this one then I lost the book)
5. When We Were Gods: A Novel of Cleopatra, by Colin Falconer 
6. Ireland: A Novel, by Frank Delaney
7. A History of Celibacy, by Elizabeth Abbott
8. Mistress of the Vatican, by Eleanor Herman
9. A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson
10. The Toss of a Lemon, by Padma Viswanathan
11. The Book Lovers Cookbook, by Shaunda Kennedy Wenger
    
12. Consumption, by Kevin Patterson
    
13. The Last Gentleman Adventurer: Coming of Age in the Arctic, by Edward Beauclerk Maurice
14. Dry Storeroom No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum, by Richard Fortey
15. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie

I fully intend to read more from my own shelf next year.  Last week I went through every book and gave away any that I didn't intend to read (or re-read) and now I really KNOW what is on my shelves.  There are so many that I really want to get to! I'm intentionally accepting fewer review books - hopefully that will allow me to get to more of the books I already own.  *fingers crossed*

20-Minute Book Club Challenge - Recap

Last year Nicole @ Linus's Blanket started a blog talk radio show called That's How I Blog! which featured a different book blogger each week.  You can check out some of the recent episodes through the link in my left sidebar. 

At the end of each show Nicole and her guest do a mini-book club on a book chosen by the guest.  Nicole challenged her listeners to read the book as well and then call in to join the discussion.  I took her up on that challenge and committed to four books. 

I read the following books and called in to discuss each of them:

• The Little Stranger, by Sarah Waters - VERY good book - I like it more the longer I think about it 
• The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan - ok, I cheated ... this was for the episode that featured me :) - but still, it's a great book and every fantasy fan should read it
• Black Hills, by Dan Simmons - I loved the "idea" of this book  but the execution wasn't such a success
• Beatrice and Virgil, by Yann Martel - um ... yeah ... not really sure what to say about this one ... you'll have to check out my review, though I don't know if it is much more coherent ...

I have to admit that I really haven't been listening to the show much over the last few months.  Although I really did enjoy it I found that I just didn't have the chance to listen to anything on the computer all that often.  Still, what I did listen to I really enjoyed; it was great fun getting to know other bloggers a bit better!

Mind Voyages Challenge - Recap

The Mind Voyages challenge isn't actually over until December but I've completed it - yay!  The goal was to read 12 science fiction or fantasy books and I did just that. In my original post for the challenge I mentioned a few titles I wanted to read this year.  From that list of 6 books I only read 2 (?!?!) but there are two more that I plan to get to early in 2011.*


Here's what I read:

1. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood - (audio) a bleak look into our possible future - interesting but not a favorite
   
2. Kindred, by Octavia Butler - (audio) time travel to the pre-Civil War American South - HIGHLY recommended
   
3. The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell - (a re-read) Jesuits in space - HIGHLY recommended
   
4. Genesis, by Bernard Beckett - (audio) short novel about a dystopic future - not a big hit with me
   
5. The Invention of Morel, by Adolfo Bioy Casares - novella featuring a machine that (sort-of) recreates life - a strange and fascinating little story
6. Old Man's War, by John Scalzi - fighting aliens in the future - it felt like a mix of Starship Troopers and Avatar
7. Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert A. Heinlein - a human is raised on Mars by native Martians - had a promising start but I didn't end up liking it much
8. Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow - teens fighting against an oppressive government in the near future - again with the promising start, and yet it didn't work for me in the end
9. The Invisible Man, by HG Wells - (audio) what if invisibility were truly possible? - excellent classic that more people should read
10. Children of God, by Mary Doria Russell - (a re-read) Jesuits go back to space - HIGHLY recommended
11. The Gathering Storm, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson - (audio)(a re-read) excellent continuation of Jordan's Wheel of Time series, proving that Sanderson is worthy to carry this literary torch
12. Towers of Midnight, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson - (audio) I haven't reviewed this one yet but I really REALLY enjoyed it and am looking forward to seeing how the series concludes with the next book

Did anyone else participate in this challenge? How did you do?

* I'm planning a read-a-long of Dune, by Frank Herbert in February and I'd love to have you join me if you are interested. I'm also planning to read Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card, early in the year but I don't know when yet.

Non-Fiction 5 Challenge Recap

I've participated in this challenge for the past few years and it is one of my favorites.  For some reason I seem to read a great deal of non-fiction over the summer months and easily surpass the goal of 5 books between May and September.

I made a list of books that were already on my shelf and decided to work from that list for this challenge.  In the end I read only 3 of the 10 books on that list, but I read a total of 19 non-fiction books.

Here are the 5  19 books I read (or listened to) for this challenge:

1. Alone: Orphaned on the Ocean, by Richard Logan and Tere Duperrault Fassbender - fascinating story of a child who survived the unthinkable.
2. Indian Chieftains and Great Heroes, by Charles Eastman - short stories shedding new light on Native American history (audiobook)
3. The Basque History of the World, by Mark Kurlansky - a bit dry but still education and worth reading (audiobook)
4. The Lost City of Z, by David Grann - fascinating look at jungle exploration and treasure hunting (audiobook)
5. The Eyes of Willie McGee, by Alex Heard - racism and rape charges in the 1940's American South, and the repercussion that last to this day
6. Crazy for the Storm, by Norman Ollestad - another child survival story, this time on a mountain
7. Blizzard: The Storm That Changed America, by Jim Murphy - excellent short book that taught me a great deal (audiobook)
8. Beyond Smart, by Linda Morgan - this parenting book wasn't much help to me
9. Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, by Dee Brown - heartbreaking look Native American history from the Native American perspective - A MUST READ (audiobook)
10. The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind, by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer - an inspiring reminder of what you can do if you simply put your mind to it 
11. Steve and Me, by Terri Irwin - heartwarming love story between the Crocodile Hunter and his wife, and between the both of them and the natural world
12. We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young, by Harold Moore and Joseph Galloway - important story of a turning-point battle in Vietnam (audiobook)
13. We Are Soldiers Still, by Harold Moore and Joseph Galloway - Vietnam veterans return to the scene of their greatest battle and reconcile with their enemy - I liked parts of this book (audiobook)
14. American Widow, by Alissa Torres - a 9/11 widow's story told in graphic (comic) format
15. Kon-Tiki, by Thor Heyerdahl - fascinating story of a raft journey across the Pacific Ocean
16. Outcasts United, by Warren St. John - bringing together refugee boys to create a soccer team - excellent book
17. Naked In Eden, by Robin Easton - had a promising start but fell flat for me
18. Smile, by Raina Telgemeier - hilarious memoir in graphic novel format about getting braces and being a pre-teen 
19. Once A Warrior King, by David Donovan - a very different look at the war in Vietnam - highly recommended

Did anyone else participate in this challenge?  How did you do?  What was the best book you read for the challenge?  I enjoyed so many of these, I'd be hard pressed to pick just one ...

Ready for some Really Old Classics?

It's time to blow the dust off those ancient scrolls and dig in to some Really Old Classics.  

This challenge is all about discovering the treasures of the ancient world.  "Really Old" in this case refers to anything written prior to 1600 AD, and the challenge is to read just ONE BOOK.  There are additional levels for the more ambitious out there, but how many other challenges can you say you've completed by reading just one book?! Not many, that's for sure.

Details about this year's challenge (which I'm co-hosting) and a place to sign-up can both be found at the 2010 Sign-Up page on the challenge blog. Be sure to start following the blog so you don't miss out on anything: http://reallyoldclassics.wordpress.com/.  Happy ancient reading!

Irish Reading Challenge Recap

I've been sorting through my challenge notes and I realized that I've actually completed a challenge early - woohoo!  

I signed up for the Irish Reading Challenge at the Shamrock level, which means I had to read two books:

• Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show, by Frank Delaney
• Teacher Man, by Frank McCourt

Both were great books and I definitely recommend them.

Crazy for the Storm

Crazy for the Storm

by Norman Ollestad

304 pages

*** About the Book ***

You can read my summary or you can check out this excellent video from Nightline that includes photos and video of Norm as a child before and after the crash.

By age 11 Norm was an accomplished skier, surfer, ice hockey and football player. Most of his activities were directed by his father who drove him mercilessly to experience everything and push himself beyond what he thought he could bear. Most of the time Norm just wanted to be a kid and he resented his father for all the pressure he put on him.

Just after Norm won his first skiing trophy in 1979, disaster struck. The small plane carrying Norm, his father, his father's girlfriend, and the pilot crashed into the side of an mountain. Norm woke up on a steep, icy slope thousands of feet above the nearest sign of civilization. Drawing on all the skills and strength his father instilled in him, he spend the next nine hours scrambling down the treacherous slopes ... all alone.

This is a true story.


*** Why I Read It ***

I first heard about this book in the Reading Group Guides newsletter last summer. Then I won a copy from At Home With Books. I've had it on my shelf for quite a while and decided that I had to read it this year for the 2010 TBR Challenge and the Non-Fiction Five Challenge.


*** My Thoughts ***

In alternating chapters Norm tells the story of the crash and his survival as well as the story of his unorthodox childhood.  Each part of the story was fascinating but the alternating chapters got bothersome after a while; it seemed that just when I was getting into a particular story, all of a sudden I was thrust back into the other story.

As for Norm's childhood and survival experiences themselves, they are utterly fascinating.  It is clear that his father loved him very much but his parenting style was rather "unique" to say the least.  It doesn't seem that he was pushing his son so hard in order to get something out of it for himself as a father, but rather that he wanted to give Norm the chance to experience life to the fullest whether Norm wanted to or not. Still, reading about it was painful at times.  Then to see how Norm survived the crash ... well, let's just say that I doubt I could have done it!

I love survival stories like this, especially those about people surviving the cold, so I expected to love this book.  I can't say that it lived up to my expectations but I did enjoy it.


*** Your Thoughts ***

The only review I know of it from At Home With Books - did I miss yours?

Little Brother

Another quick review as I slowly get caught up ...

Little Brother

by Cory Doctorow 
416 pages (paperback edition)

ebook edition read on my phone

When I got my new Droid phone in May I immediately realized that I could read books on it - woohoo!  The first thing I downloaded was this book and once I started reading I realized that with all the technology in there, it was the perfect book to read on an eReader.

High school student Marcus is out with his buddies when the world goes crazy.  A terrorist group bombs the Bay Bridge in San Fransisco and homeland-security-types immediately begin arresting people left and right.  Marcus and his pals feel that the security forces are quickly becoming worse than the terrorists with all the insane controls they put on the city so they decide to (clandestinely) fight back using all the technological savvy they have at their disposal.

I LOVED the first half of this book and recommend it to several friends.  But then I got to the middle and I felt like Doctorow went off on too much of a political rant.  The end was a bit better, but not nearly as good as the beginning.  I did enjoy reading it but it could have been much, much better in my opinion.

LOST Books Challenge: Recap and Continuation

Back in 2008 I signed up for a new challenge based on the tv show LOST (here's my original post). The challenge didn't take off much that first year, but Amy decided to host again the next year anyway and I volunteered to help. That's when the LOST Books Challenge Blog was born, and what fun I've had since then! I can't believe that the show has finally come to an end. (If you are interested, click here to see what I thought of the final episode, and for pics of the LOST viewing party I attended.)

If you were a fan of LOST then you know how important books were to the development and progression of the show. Whenever I read books from the show list I tried to figure out what significance they held; part of each review is my thoughts on that topic.

The original goal two years ago was to read five books from the show. That first year I read two but since the challenge just seemed to flow seamlessly into it's second year, I didn't do a recap back then. So here is a list of everything I've read for this challenge since the beginning:

1. Moby Dick, by Herman Melville - Although it was slow, I really did appreciate this book. And I found of a lot of relation to LOST, although the official site disagrees with me.
   
2. Island, by Aldous Huxley - Like the LOST island, this island is closed to outside influences. But the book is possibly the biggest waste of time ever.
   
3. The Odyssey, by Homer - A true classic, and it parallel's Desmond and Penny's relationship - yay!
   
4. The Pearl, by John Steinbeck - I really didn't like this one, but it relates to Hurley so I can't hate it.
   
5. On the Road, by Jack Keruac - This one I DID hate, and it had no real connection to the show in my opinion.
6. The Invention of Morel, by Adolfo Bioy Casares - This was an odd little story but it had a lot of connections to LOST, which I realized only after reading Amy's review.

Here's the extra cool part: because there were so many books that we didn't get to read before the show ended, Amy and I decided to make the LOST Books Challenge into a perpetual project.  That means that if you are interested in participating, you still can!!!

If you are a LOST fan - whether you liked the ending of the show or not - please join us in exploring some of these fantastic books ... and get LOST reading. ;) 

The Invisible Man

The Invisible Man

by HG Wells

audiobook: 6.2 hours

narrated by Scott Brick

originally published in 1897

*** About the Book ***

In this classic of science fiction a young scientist invents a process whereby he makes himself invisible. He didn’t think things through ahead of time though, and quickly realizes that surviving in secret as an invisible man is very difficult. He also realizes that he can get away with just about any crime …


*** Why I Read It ***

I recently upgraded from a “you-can-only-use-it-to-call-people” phone to the Droid phone, complete with lots of bells and whistles. One of the greatest things about this phone is that it can run my library’s audiobook program! As soon as I figured this out I immediately began browsing for something I could download right away, and this book was available. I love the movie The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, and the character of the Invisible Man is one of the only characters whose original story I had not read; hence my decision to check this one out. AND it will count for the Mind Voyages Challenge.


*** My Thoughts ***

What a deliciously creepy tale! I absolutely loved listening to this book! Not only did the narrator do a wonderful job but the story was fascinating and kept me on the edge of my seat. (I ran my phone’s battery down more than once while listening to this!)

There is a definite moral question in this story: if you can do something and get away with it, does that make you more likely to do it? It’s an interesting question to consider …


*** Your Thoughts ***

Are you familiar with this story? Do you agree that knowing you could get away with something makes you more likely to (at least consider) doing it?

A Day for Alex from One Day at a Time

Back in August I dared several of my bloggy friends to read and watch some of my favorite SciFi/Fantasy book and shows.  Two of the four people who took me up on that dare actually completed it - yay!  As a reward for their efforts I sent each of them a box-o-goodies which should be arriving any day now.  I also promised to dedicate a day to each of them on my blog, so ...

Today is Alex's Day!

Alex (aka Goddess) blogs at One Day at a Time where she shares what's going on with her and her family.  Any idea why this is important to me?  It's because Alex is Hubby's cousin!  I think I met her for the first time the day I married Hubby back in 1998.  Over the years we've realized that we have quite a lot in common, and we get along fabulously.  I was so excited when she started blogging because it helped us to stay in touch (we live in different states) and to get to know each other a bit better.

Alex has three boys and one of her goals is to use her blog to remember special moments with them.  Here are a few she's posted recently, one for each of the boys: oldest son, middle son, youngest son.

Just 6 months after starting her blog (in Feb. '08), Alex's father passed away.  She's used her blog to share memories of him with family and also just to save those memories for the future.

She also writes occasionally about what she is reading/watching.  In keeping with that, here's a list of everything Alex did for my dare (links take you to her posts) INCLUDING the dreaded vlog: 

• complained about naming conventions in SciFi (I LOVE this post!)
• absolutely loved THE EYE OF THE WORLD
• had fun introducing The Princess Bride (movie) to her kids
• loved revisiting Labyrinth and David Bowie's hotness
• thought Dragonsong was "sweet"
• enjoyed Willow with her kids
• completely hated Dune and gave up on it
• couldn't really enjoy the cheesiness that is Xena: Warrior Princess
•  finally made it through MISTS OF AVALON and liked it
• did a big bad video blog!

Perhaps the greatest thing to come of out of this dare is that Alex really took to the concept.  She's already accepted another dare from another blogger friend AND she's coming up with dares to challenge herself - woohoo!

A huge thank you to Alex for taking me up on this dare and for completing the entire thing!

A Day for Robin from My Two Blessings

Back in August I dared several of my bloggy friends to read and watch some of my favorite SciFi/Fantasy book and shows.  Two of the four people who took me up on that dare actually completed it - yay!  As a reward for their efforts I sent each of them a box-o-goodies which should be arriving any day now.  I also promised to dedicate a day to each of them on my blog, so ...

Today is Robin's Day!

Robin blogs at My Two Blessings where she shares her thoughts about books, her family, homeschooling her son, and her own writing.  I've been reading her blog for a long time now and have come to realize that we have a lot in common - despite living on opposite sides of the country. :)

Currently Robin is hosting the Mind Voyages Challenge, which she also created.  This year-long challenge focuses on award-winning science fiction.  She has done a great job with the blog, and I'm really enjoying my experience with this challenge so far. 

Another big deal for Robin this year is her Year of Writing Deliberately.  She has three novels in progress and plans to make this year about working on them in a more deliberate way.  I can't wait to see how far she gets by the end of 2010!

Robin is involved in several other challenges and she's on Twitter as well (@my2blessings59).  You've probably seen her around the blogosphere before!  I hope you enjoyed getting to know a bit more about her, and that you'll drop by her blog to say hello.

Before I go, here's a list of what Robin did for the challenge (the links take you to her posts).  The last one was a vlog, in case you want to see and her Robin for yourself.

• reviewed Dragonsong
• really enjoyed Mists of Avalon
• enjoyed revisiting Dune
• realized she actually had NOT read Eye of the World before
• introduced her son to The Last Unicorn - they both enjoyed it
• watched Labyrinth with her reluctant husband (he ended up liking it)
• still remembers certain lines from The Princess Bride
• decided her son wouldn't like Willow even though she did
• didn't get around to Xena but she's seen it before
• and even did a vlog! 

A huge thanks to Robin for taking me up on this dare and for actually completing it all!

NYC Challenge - Recap

To help us all get excited for BEA (like we really need any help with that!) Fizzy Thoughts hosted the NYC or Bust! Challenge.  There were four parts to the challenge and I completed each of them. 

1. I wrote a list of the 10 things I love about New York.
2. I shared about my mom: a New York Woman.
3. My lack of poetic skills was showcased when I wrote a limerick.
4. And I reviewed a book set in New York: Teacher Man, by Frank McCourt.

I've found roommates, purchased my train ticket, made a (tentative) schedule of things to do at BEA, and organized my BBC panel.  Now all I need to do is pack and I'll be ready to go to New York - yay!

The Invention of Morel

The Invention of Morel

by Adolfo Bioy Casares

90 pages

originally published in 1940

translated from Spanish by Ruth L. C. Simms

*** About the Book ***

In this short story, the main character is a fugitive from Venezuela who has somehow escaped to a tropical island. The island has several buildings on it but no people. After a long time alone on the island, the fugitive suddenly sees people in the buildings! He is terrified that he’ll be captured so he runs off to the forest and hides. From there he observes these new people and he falls in love with a beautiful woman named Faustine. When he finally gets up the nerve to approach her, she doesn’t even acknowledge his existence. Things become steadily more mysterious and the fugitive becomes more and more confused. Finally he decides to sneak in to the building to see if he can figure out what is going on. What he finds out is strange, unexpected, and life-changing …

(This is technically PART of a book, since I read it from a book of collected short stories, all by the same author. )


*** Why I Read It ***

This book counts for the LOST Books Challenge (since it was mentioned in the show) and for the Mind Voyages Challenge (since it won the 1941 First Municipal Prize for Literature of the City of Buenos Aires). Lately I’ve been on a roll with books that count for more than one challenge!



*** My Thoughts ***

This is an odd little story. I could probably have read it in one sitting had I had that much time; instead I read about 15 minutes before bed each night, making the book last about a week. It gave me more time to consider what exactly was going on.

The pace is quick, the writing/translation flows nicely, and the story is intriguing. I really enjoyed reading it, although the entire plot is somewhat disturbing. I can’t say why or I’d be ruining it for you, but suffice it to say that there is definitely some “funny business” going on with Morel!

I do have to point out that the idea of falling in love with someone you’ve only seen from a distance and expecting her to love you back is not only far-fetched but demeaning to the other person in my opinion. That part of the story really bothered me. [I read later that this situation is based on the author’s own appreciation of silent film star Louise Brooks (details can be found here); it does actually make a bit more sense now. Oh, and that's her on the cover of the book.]

On the whole, I did enjoy reading this; it is a story that will stick with me for a long time.


*** Connection to LOST ***

For the fugitive, life on this island is not what it appears to be. The same could be said of the LOST island, that’s for sure. In the story Morel has created his own version of the world just the way he wants it to be (or, at least, mostly the way he wants it to be). Again, the same could be said of LOST; Ben ran Othertown the way he wanted it to go, at least for a while. And neither Morel nor Ben – nor many other characters on LOST – are averse to manipulating people to get what they want with little regard for the feelings of those people.

That’s MY opinion … let’s see what Lostpedia has to say:

[In the episode Eggtown] Sawyer is seen reading this book at the barracks.

Seriously?! That’s all you’ve got?! Even I did better than that …


*** Your Thoughts ***

I can’t imagine that many of you have read this one, but maybe I’m wrong … if you have, what did you think of it? If not, are you intrigued? Also, if a book disturbs you in some way is that a good thing or a bad thing for your enjoyment of the book?

Stranger in a Strange Land

Stranger In A Strange Land

by Robert Heinlein

525 pages

originally published in 1960

revised version published in 1991

*** About the Book ***

In this science fiction classic, life has been discovered on Mars. The first expedition to Mars was never heard from again. About 20 years later a second expedition travels to the red planet and discovers something amazing: a human baby, born to the crew of the first ship, has been raised by the Martians after the rest of the crew died. When the second ship returns to Earth they bring this strange young man with them. What will happen to him on Earth? What lessons of Martian life and culture did he learn and what does he not know about humanity? How will he be treated by “regular” people? By the government? What will happen to him? Is he even really “human” anymore?


*** Why I Read It ***

This book is a classic of science fiction and I’d never even heard of it until recently. It won the 1961 Hugo Award so it counts for the Mind Voyages Challenge. Plus it is one of the 1,001 Books To Read Before You Die AND it counts for the LOST Books Challenge. One book that counts for three challenges is a must-read for me. :)


*** Original vs. Revised Editions? ***

When Heinlein first wrote this book his editors insisted that he remove large chunks of it because it was so very different from what was then acceptable in science fiction, and also because some parts would be considered too scandalous. After he passed away, his original manuscript was discovered. When the time came to renew the copyright on the book, his estate decided to publish the original work instead. They reasoned that the book as originally published was completely different than Heinlein had meant for it to be, and they wanted his complete story to be told as he intended it. The revised edition, published in 1991, has almost 100,000 more words than the first edition from 1960.


*** My Thoughts ***

If you’d have asked me my opinion of this book after I’d read about 1/2 of it, I’d have said that I was really enjoying it. It is creative, fun to read, the characters are interesting, and the plot was unexpected. But then, about two-thirds of the way through, it got all preachy and utopian on me. Ugh.

There were a few flaws in this book before that point. The biggest example? The literary treatment of women left MUCH to be desired. All the women were good looking and their sexuality was an integral part of who they are. Not that there is a problem with that, but there was also much of what today we’d term sexual harassment going on, and the women were not allowed to be non-sexual (does that make sense? I’m not sure I’m getting my point across correctly.)

There were also some things that dated the book, but I rather enjoyed those. The news broadcasts in the book reminded me greatly of the radio broadcasters of the 1930s-1940s – the over-the-top personalities, programs sponsored by one product (like a particular brand of soap) with repeated mention of it throughout the show, lots of alliteration by the announcers, and so on. Plus the “newest” inventions either didn’t make sense in today’s world or were dated in other ways. But all that didn’t bother me at all; in fact I enjoyed the book more because of it.

What really bugged me was the last third of the book. Without giving any of the plot away, let’s just say that this section reminded me of a 1960s hippie commune. The book was clearly stating that this is the correct way to live, the only way to be truly fulfilled as a person. It was all a bit much for me. [And to show you how important this idea is to the whole book, and how convincing the author tried to be, there was actually a church founded on the ideas presented in the book.]

I’m really glad I read this book, even if the last section was rather disappointing. I like to be familiar with books that have made a mark on society (this IS a cult classic after all). Oh, and I now understand the work “grok” ...



*** Connection to LOST ***

I don’t recall what happened in the LOST episode entitled “Stranger in a Strange Land” but that could fit any number of situations on the show. In the book the “Man From Mars” is a complete outsider on Earth. Likewise, in the show LOST, there are many characters thrust into groups where they don’t fit or don’t belong.

Here’s what Lostpedia had to say about this book:

• The title of the book is taken in turn from the Bible passage Exodus 2:22: "And she [Zippo'rah] bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.
• Episode Summary: Jack bargains with Ben to save Juliet while Kate and Sawyer struggle with the consequences of their escape.

*** Your Thoughts ***

• Have you ever read this book – either the original or the revised version?
• Are you familiar with any of Heinlein’s MANY other works?
• Do you mind when older books are “dated” by some of the references they use?
• What is your thought on utopian-themed books?

Old Man's War

Old Man's War

by John Scalzi

320 pages

*** About the Book ***

In a not too distant future, Earth is only one of many inhabited planets in the universe, medical science has advanced the expected life span to approximately 90 years, and the planet is becoming overcrowded. The mysterious Colonial Defense Force is always recruiting for off-planet military service but you may only enlist on your 75th birthday. John Perry, like most people his age, is convinced that the CDF will somehow make him young again; after all, what possible use would an army of senior citizens with health problems be?

On his 75th birthday, John enlists in the CDF … and begins an entirely new life, far different than anything he ever imagined.


*** Why I Read It ***

When I mentioned in an email that I hadn't read this book, Dot from Tor.com thought I'd really enjoy it so she sent me a copy.  I've had it on the shelf for a few months but I'm reading it now so it will count for the 2010 TBR Challenge and the Mind Voyages Challenge.


*** My Thoughts ***

I’ve been hearing good things about this book for a long time and I’m happy to say I really enjoyed it. It wasn’t what I was expecting but it was highly entertaining. The story is fast-paced and kept me wanting to turn the next page, and the next, and the next.

The best way to describe this book is that it is a mix of Starship Troopers, Avatar, and maybe Full Metal Jacket. Does that give you a clue as to what to expect?

This is the first book in a series. I don’t plan to continue on to the next book at this point, but I’m not adverse to picking it up down the road.


*** Your Thoughts ***

Are you a Scalzi fan? Have you read other books in the series? If you haven’t read OLD MAN’S WAR, do you think you might give it a shot?