So books I have read recently huh?
I read Little Brother by Cory Doctorow maybe 3 weeks ago now. It examined the results of a terrorist attack in San Francisco. While I enjoyed it, it was way too preachy to me. It was written by a flaming liberal and so of course the government goes way overboard and imprisons and tortures it’s own citizenry and places cameras on every corner and taps every phone. It is up to a dysfunctional teenager and his hacker friends to bring Homeland Security down. The book was just too political to me. I enjoyed the single book, but would not have finished had it been much longer and wouldn’t recommend it to others or read anything else by this author. I quit reading the conservative/objectivist Sword of Truth series for the same reason and I actually agreed with what that series was preaching!
Märia had me read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins as she really enjoyed it. I think she has posted about it. It is an excellent book about a dystopian post apocalyptic society after the breakup of America. Salt Lake City essentially conquers the rest of America (my assumption, they describe the conquerers as “a city in the Rocky’s” but Hill Airforce Base has Minute Men Nuclear missiles and they nuke one of the conquered to oblivion) and puts them under their subjection. It gets nasty from there. Anyway, basically the Hunger Games takes 2 teens from each of the conquered nations and throws them into an arena where they have to kill each other. The only fatal flaw in the story is a lack of closure. I know books need to leave an opening for a sequel if said sequel is going to exist, but this book simply doesn’t end. Or rather, it does end, but without an ending. I would most definitely recommend it, but after the series is complete. =)
I just finished Brandon Sanderson’s Hero of Ages which my brother got me for Christmas. Jason has mentioned Mistborn before; this is the concluding novel in that series. I wonder if Mr. Sanderson knew the end from the beginning. The books fit so well together that it is as if he wrote them all at once, and released them over time. When reading series’, and I have read many of them, you come to expect many inconsistencies and contradictions as the author changes his ideas about the story world or it’s characters. Sometimes the author simply forgets what he wrote before. In any case, this is simply part of reading long series’. They don’t exist in this series. The author ties everything together very well. The littlest things from the orginal book and it’s sequel become profound in this book. Highly recommended.
On my “To read” list:
nothing! Leave me comments on books I need to read!
I enjoy reading about the books you have read and your impressions from them. I recently finished the Prelude to Glory series; it was a nine volume series about the American Revolution through 1812 +/-. Historically accurate and very moving; I think I learned more about the period of American history than from any other source ever.
Now I am reading the Children of Promise series (4-books), which is about a fictional extended family growing up in Utah and in East Germany during the 1960’s. So far, it is quite interesting.
I think reading is one of the great past times that may be a lost passion with many; that is too bad as I think there is so much we can gain for the stories of others (real or fictional).
Keep reading and thanks, Russ
If you read Brandon Sanderson’s website, I believe he says that he completed the third book just a few days before the first went to publishing… giving him the opportunity to go back and rewrite things to make things work and such. and if you listen to his podcast, which all of you should be doing, he says that he writes nearly everyday and has always been a year ahead of schedule for his books… so wow.. go Brandon Sanderson! I have every intention of reading everything you publish for the rest of my life.
My brother really likes Brandon Sanderson. The kids listened to Alcatraz vs. the Librarians and loved it! I listened to part of it before they moved the book into their room.
We need to assign surname letters or something
Everytime I see the name ‘Sarah’ on something I always think it’s Sarah.. my wife… one of the writers on the site :-). I’m like… wait… Sarah’s brother has kids?!! no he doesn’t!! Then I remember.. oh.. that’s the OTHER Sarah i’ve never met.
HI OTHER SARAH I’VE NEVER MET!