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Showing posts with label Orson Scott Card. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Orson Scott Card. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 22, 2021
Top Ten Tuesday: Just Because It's Your Birthday Doesn't Mean I'm Going to Read the Books You Recommend!
Once upon a TTT, someone (I wish I could remember who, but I can't—if it was you, please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due!) made a list of the top ten books her husband had recommended to her that she'd never read. Since my husband's birthday was on Saturday, I thought it would be fun to use this as my list topic today.
My husband and I will have been married for 24 years in August. We were attracted to each other because we have a lot in common. We were reared in similar environments with similar values. We like (mostly) the same types of music. We both enjoy traveling, learning, eating, talking, researching family history (we are 8th cousins once removed, after all), etc. People even say we look alike! When it comes to our reading preferences, though? We're miles apart. He prefers non-fiction, whether it's the newspaper, online articles, a biography, or some deep, philosophical tome. When he does reach for fiction, it's almost always sci-fi or something highly satiric or allegorical, all of which I usually avoid. Because of this great divide in our reading tastes, I rarely take his recommendations, poor guy. To be fair, he doesn't take mine either, so I guess we're square. At any rate, I decided to create a list of the top books he's recommended to me in recent years that I still have not read (and, honestly, probably never will).
Before we get to that, though, be sure to click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl to wish Jana a happy birthday and to join in the TTT fun.
Top Ten Books My Husband Has Recommended to Me That I Will Probably Never Read
1. The Martian by Andy Weir—As much as I enjoyed the movie version, this novel is such a snooze fest that I couldn't get past the first few chapters. Way too many details for me.
2. The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis—This is one of my husband's very favorite books. It's a religious allegory about a bus ride that goes from heaven to hell. When the hubs tried getting me to listen to The Great Divorce on audio during a car trip, I promptly fell asleep. I did enjoy the on-stage production we watched of it, but I'll likely never actually read the book. Sorry, honey!
3. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl—I have considered reading this classic philosophical text by a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps, but I've never gotten around to it.
4. 2001: A Space Odyssey and sequels by Arthur C. Clarke—Space + allegory? Hard pass.
5. The Gift of the Devil by Emily Ayars Smith—A very wise friend of ours just published this book about her experiences with life, God, and Satan. My husband is probably the book's biggest fan and has bought multiple copies to share with others. I probably won't read this one only because, as a general book reviewing rule, I don't read books written by people I know. Too awkward.
6. Greenlights by Matthew McCounaughey—I'm not sure I've ever witnessed my husband enjoying a memoir as much as he did this one. He says the book is irreverent, but hysterical. I do like McCounaughey, so maybe I'll get around to this one eventually. Who knows?
7. Anything by Terryl and/or Fiona Givens—Terryl Givens is a professor of literature and religion who writes deep, intellectual books about spirituality, Mormonism, Christianity, and other topics. His wife is an equally knowledgeable teacher and scholar. My husband is a huge fan of them both (he and Terryl are also distant cousins). I'm sure they're both awesome, but reading their writing makes my head hurt. If I have to re-read a sentence ten times to understand it, I'm out. I'll just get the highlights from my husband, thank you very much.
8. Healing Your Family History by Rebecca Linder Hintze—We have numerous copies of this slim book laying around the house, but I've never actually picked one up and read it. I don't know why since I'm very interested in family dynamics and family history. This one is about patterns that develop in families and how to get rid of the harmful ones. My husband has found it very helpful and always recommends it to people. I honestly have no idea why I haven't read it yet.
9. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card—I have a love/hate relationship with Card's books. This one falls in the latter category. I've tried to read it several times and I just can't get past the first chapter or two. It doesn't resonate with me at all.
10. Muddy by Dean Hughes—I've actually read a number of books by Hughes, who writes historical fiction for both teens and adults. He mostly focuses on the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His newest series, which starts with Muddy, is based on the experiences of early members of the Church who were called by Brigham Young to settle the Muddy River Valley (what is now Nevada), among whom were some of my husband's ancestors. Polygamy was practiced in the Church at this time and the series focuses largely on the challenges and difficulties that arose from the practice. Like many members whose families have long been associated with the Church, my husband and I both have polygamists in our family lines. His were excellent at the practice, having many wives and numerous children. Mine were more like polygamy dropouts. Only a couple of them engaged in the practice and none of them had more than two wives at a time. In fact, my great-great-grandpa only lasted for a year or so as a polygamist before he had an argument with Brigham Young that resulted in him leaving the Church, abandoning one of his wives, and high-tailing it out of Utah, never to return! Anyway, my husband enjoyed Muddy quite a lot. He says it's interesting and entertaining. I'm sure he's right, but honestly, I don't want to read about plural marriage. Like my ancestors, I just don't have the stomach for it!
There you are, ten books my husband has recommended to me that I probably won't ever read. What do you think of his choices? Have you read any of these? What books has your spouse/significant other recommended to you that you have totally ignored? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, February 03, 2015
My Top Ten Ways for the World to End
Y'all know how much I love Top Ten Tuesday. It's a fabulous weekly meme hosted by the ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish. If you're looking for great new book blogs to follow, lots of reading recommendations, and traffic for your own blog, you want to get in on this. Plus, it's fun to respond to the weekly question.
Before we get to that, though, I want to make sure you know about the awesome giveaway I have going on right now. Up for grabs is a signed hardcover copy of Fairest, the newest book in The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer. It's a prequel that tells Queen Levana's story. The winner also gets a signed bookmark. Cool, right? Click here to be redirected to the giveaway post. Don't forget to come back after you enter!
Alright, back to the TTT topic du jour: Top Ten Books I Can't Believe I Haven't Read From X Genre. I chose dystopian/post-apocalyptic books because even though I'm a big fan of the genre, there are lots of classic dystopian books I've yet to read. Here are the top ten that came to mind most readily:
2. 1984 by George Orwell—My husband is aghast at the fact that I haven't read this dystopian classic. I need to remedy that soon.
3. On the Beach by Nevil Shute—I didn't love this bleak tale in movie format, so I don't know how I'll feel about the book. Still, it's on my need-to-read list.
4. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card—I've tried to read this one a few times and can never get past about Page 50. I'm not planning to attempt it again, but I still can't believe that I've never read it all the way through.
5. The Stand by Stephen King—Right? I need to read this one, like, ASAP.
6. Under the Dome by Stephen King—Ditto for this one. I've got a copy on my bookshelf, it's just so dang HUGE. I'll get to it one of these days.
7. Lord of the Flies by William Golding—I'm pretty sure I have read this one, it was just so long ago that I don't remember much about it. Either that or I've never read it. I definitely should.
8. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood—I started this one a few months ago, but put it down in favor of a newer, shinier title. I need to get back to it.
9. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury—I read this book-burning dystopian classic back in junior high or high school (you know, a million years ago). A re-read is long overdue.
10. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells—I've never read anything by Wells. This would be a good place to start.
What do you think? Which dystopian big hitters do I need to read ASAP? Which have you read and loved? What books can you not believe you've never read?
*All book images from Barnes & Noble
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Top Ten Tuesday: Some Forceful Reading
I haven't uploaded any of my pictures yet, so I'll show you my favorite from those my husband snapped with his phone:
This is my kids standing on the banks of the Mississippi River at sunset. Cool, no?
I know everyone loves hearing recaps of someone else's family vacation, but lets talk about books, shall we? Since it's the third day of the week, it's time for Top Ten Tuesday, a fun meme hosted by the lovely ladies at The Broke and the Bookish. Today's topic has to do with books you were "forced" to read, either for school, work, or because a friend, family member, or pushy blogger (as if!) compelled you to do so. I'm not sure if we're talking about the Top Ten Best Books We Were Forced to Read or the Worst, so I figured I'd do five of each. Ready? Here we go:
Top Five Worst Books I Was "Forced" To Read
1. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger—I had to read this for a course at BYU (I know, right?). Classic or not, the book's crass and vile. I hated it.
2. Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman—Technically, this is a poem not a novel, but oh my heck-fire, what a self-indulgent snooze fest! Yawn, yawn and more yawns.
3. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand—I forced myself to read this one since it's supposed to be a grand literary classic, but man, I had a hard time finishing it. Snooze-a-palooza.
4. The Heretic by Andrew Feder—Many moons ago, when I was just an infant in the book blogging world, I forced myself to read every book I received for review. Back then they were few, far between, and mostly terrible. This one was especially bad. Nowadays, if I hate a review book, I just close it, but then I finished them all. And gave them scathing reviews, which ticked off the authors (especially Mr. Feder). Live and learn, folks, live and learn.
5. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card—I've talked about my tried-to-love-it-but-still-loathe-it attitude toward this book. After attempting to read it several times, I finally just gave up the dream. Then, Hollywood had to go and make it into a movie and now my husband says he won't take me to see it until I finish the novel. Bah!
Top Five Best Books I Was "Forced" to Read
1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis—I read this at some point in my elementary school career and I can still remember how vividly the story came to life in my imagination.
2. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith—This was part of the required reading for a Children's Lit class I took at BYU. It's a lovely book, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
3. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery—I'm not sure if this was "assigned" reading or just something I read at the suggestion of a favorite elementary school teacher, but I fell in love with its characters, story and Montgomery's (very) descriptive prose.
4. Cinder by Marissa Meyer—Sarah (of Sarah's YA Blog) isn't a pushy blogger at all, but she did recommend Cinder to me several times. And very enthusiastically. I opened the book with reluctance (I mean, robots? C'mon!), but was sucked right in and ended up loving both Cinder and its sequel, Scarlet.
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling—Okay, no one really forced me to read this, but it was getting so much buzz that I had to give it a try. This was in the days when I felt weird reading children's lit (being an adult and all), especially fantasy, which has never been my favorite genre. Guess what? Harry Potter changed all that. Now, I read tons of children/teen books, fantasy and otherwise—without an ounce of shame!
So, there you have it. What do you think of my list? What are the worst and best books you have ever been "forced" to read?
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Top Ten Tuesday, More or Less
Books I Liked Less Than I Thought I Would:
1. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card—I admit I'm kind of a fair weather fan when it comes to OSC. Some of his books I like, some I don't. But, everyone (it seems) talks about how amazing Ender's Game is and ... I just don't get it. Admittedly, I've only read the first third or so, but I've done that at least three times! The book's so terribly written that I've never been able to get past that point. Judging from the enthusiastic responses of readers whose opinions I respect, I thought I would love this one. Yeah, not so much.
2. Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien—After I read Birthmarked, I went a little fan girl over this author. Since I loved the first book in the series, I figured I'd adore the second. Again ... not so much.
3. Viola in Reel Life and Viola in the Spotlight by Adriana Trigiani—I love Trigiani's adult books, so I thought I'd really get into her YA series. Nope. Even after two installments, I'm still very underwhelmed by it.
4. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys—This is another one that readers/bloggers adore and recommend like crazy. While I understand why (it's definitely impactful), the book didn't wow me. The prose felt cold and distant, which makes sense considering it's about the imprisonment of innocent people, but still ... Sepetys' second book, Out of the Easy, was much more to my liking. Even though it also dealt with difficult subjects, it was a much warmer, more satisfying novel.
5. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray—I loved the cover and the premise of this one. The beginning made me laugh with its quirky, tongue-in-cheek examination of beauty. However, as the story went on, it got increasingly bawdy and bizarre. I read it, but found the experience disappointing.
Books I Liked More Than I Thought I Would:
1. Cinder by Marissa Meyer—I had an ARC of this one for a year or so before I actually read it. Why? The cover. It showed a robot and, although I like sci fi in small doses, I've never been into robots. At all. But, when a fellow book blogger insisted I had to read Cinder, like now, I listened—and totally devoured it. Now, The Lunar Chronicles is one of my very favorite YA series.
2. Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult—I adore Picoult so much that I pre-order every book she writes (in hardcover, no less), without even reading the plot summaries. So, I was a little surprised by the look of Lone Wolf. Its cover featured a ... wolf. And while I'm not like an animal hater or anything, I'm really not that into wildlife. Thus, it took me a while to get around to reading the book. When I did, though, wow, it totally pulled me in. And, in case you're wondering, it's not so much about wolves, as about a family dealing with their comatose husband/father.
3. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand—Everyone raves about this book. And because the people in my life who kept recommending it to me represented such a variety of reading preferences, I knew I had to check it out for myself. War memoirs are usually too violent/depressing for me, but Unbroken just grabbed my attention right off the bat and kept me totally and completely absorbed. Now, I'm one of those people who recommend it to everyone I know!
4. The Grace Valley series (Deep in the Valley; Just Over the Mountain; Down By the River) by Robyn Carr—You've probably noticed that I don't read much romance. It's usually too sappy, too graphic, too melodramatic, etc. for the likes of little ole me. But, my friend kept going on and on about how great Carr is, so I decided to take a chance (although this same person also recommended Ender's Game ...) and it totally paid off. I love Carr's ability to create vivid towns full of warm, big-hearted people dealing with their problems in the best ways they know how. The people and places she creates just speak to me!
5. White Horse by Alex Adams—This book is so incredibly violent and disturbing that I can't believe I read the whole thing. And liked it. Because despite the ick factor, this story is very compelling. And it's got the best last line I've ever read in a novel. If you've got a strong stomach, I recommend it. If not, stay away. Far, far away.
Monday, March 12, 2012
And My Love/Hate Relationship with OSC Novels Continues ... *Sigh*
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Although Danny North has grown up in an isolated compound in the mountains of western Virginia, surrounded only by members of his family, he's never really felt the love. Unlike his vast collection of aunts, uncles and cousins, Danny's not special. While the rest of them practice their magical, godlike powers, he can't. Because he has none. Considering who his parents are, Danny should be the most talented member of the clan. And yet, he's not. He's a lowly, misfit drekka—a person who should have powers, but doesn't.
As Danny grows up, struggling to decide what he is and where he fits in with his
strange family, he makes a startling discovery: he can create "gates," which allow him to move about the compound unnoticed, invisible. This revelation leads to an even greater understanding—Danny's not a drekka, he's the most powerful mage to enter the world in a thousand years. As a gatemage, he should be able to move between lands, between times. Danny has no idea how to actually do that, but he knows that rival clans—heck, even his own clan—wouldn't hesitate to kill him just for one shot at using his power as their own.On the run from his family, Danny must find the answers to all the secrets that have been withheld from him, secrets about his people, his powers and, most of all, himself. Finding his way in the modern world, of which he's never really been a part, is hard enough for Danny, but with the angry, warring clans chasing him, it will become downright life-threatening. If Danny can't figure things out fast, he may lose his talent—not to mention his life—before he has a chance to understand just how powerful he really is.
Orson Scott Card books are always hit and miss for me. Some I love (Pathfinder, the Women of Genesis series), some I loathe (Ender's Game, Saints). The Lost Gate, the first entry in OSC's new Mithermages series, falls somewhere in between. While I enjoyed the idea of the book, I wasn't so impressed with its execution. I liked the beginning and end, both of which had enough action to satisfy, but got irritated with the middle, since it just got ... weird. As for the book overall, the writing is bumpy, the characters are so-so and OSC's intense world-building gets in the way of the actual story. So, yeah, I found this one disappointing. Not too surprising, considering my love/hate relationship with Card novels, but still, I always hope.
(Readalikes: Um, I don't know. Suggestions?)
Grade: C
If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for language (no F-bombs), sexual innuendo/content, violence and scenes depicting illegal drug use
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
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