ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card

ENDER’S GAME by Orson Scott Card

Card, O. S. (1991). Ender's game. New York: Tor.

GENRE: Science fiction

ANNOTATION: Little Ender Wiggin quickly ranks up in Battle School excelling above all others. But can one boy really defeat the Buggers and save his planet?

SUMMARY: Andrew "Ender" Wiggin is the result of genetic experimentation. The world has been at war with an alien race they call Buggers for a hundred years. The only battle commander to ever defeat the Buggers has aged and they are actively searching for a suitable replacement. Ender's older siblings, Peter and Valentine, were observed for years. They seemed to have potential to be sent to battle school but they turned out unsuitable. In hopes for a child perfect for the task, the government allowed and asked Ender's parents to have a third child. At the age of six years old, Ender has been observed and deemed suitable to attend Battle School, making him the youngest student they've ever had. He knows if he accepts the assignment he will not see his family again for many years. But Ender knows why he was born and feels it is duty. He is accepted and boards ship to fly to another planet where he will begin his training. As soon as he leaves Earth he finds himself the object of one manipulation after another. It seems even the adults are picking on him. He soon finds that they are only trying to make him stronger and separate him as a leader. Battle School and the war games they simulate there get harder and harder. Ender is under a great deal of pressure. Will he be able to step up and command his team to save Earth from the Buggers when the time comes? Does he even want to? Ender grows and learns and makes many difficult decisions.

EVALUATION: 5 - The plot is carefully woven and brilliantly executed. The depth of character development and subplots make the book even more enthralling and realistic. The author draws the reader into another time.

OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION: This is the first in a 9 book series called “Ender’s Game” or “Enderverse.”

SIZZLING SIXTEEN by Janet Evanovich

SIZZLING SIXTEEN by Janet Evanovich

Evanovich, J. (2010). Sizzling sixteen. New York: St. Martin's Press.

GENRE: Mystery – Humor

ANNOTATION: Someone wants to kill Vinnie, but who? Stephanie Plum and the gang are on the case!

SUMMARY: Nobody likes sleazy Vinnie, owner of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds and both cousin and employer to bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum. But when he’s abducted and held for ransom due to his high stakes gambling debts, the business in jeopardy. Stephanie, Lula, and Connie, with the occasional help of Rangeman, must save him from a group of local mobsters. Meanwhile, Stephanie dances the line between part-time boyfriend Joe Morelli and dark and dangerous Ranger. Complete with hilarious mishaps and lots of laughs, this page-turning book is a riot. Along the way, the gang facilitate a cow stampede, encounters an alligator, and are assisted by a group of hobbits. No mishap impossible for Stephanie Plum but luck always saves the day.

EVALUATION: 5 - Janet Evanovich brings her best in this laugh-out-loud hilarious addition to the Stephanie Plum collection. The sometimes jaded sexual tension in the Stephanie, Morelli, Ranger triangle takes a backburner to plot and action for a genuinely funny and unique story.

OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION: This is the sixteenth book in the Stephanie Plum series.

SH*T MY DAD SAYS by Justin Halpern

SH*T MY DAD SAYS by Justin Halpern

Halpern, J. (2010). Sh*t my dad says. New York: It Books.

GENRE: Popular Non-Fiction

ANNOTATION: A hilarious coming of age story, when Justin Halpern, at 28 moves home, he records the hilarious adages of his foul-mouthed father.

SUMMARY: When 28 year old Justin Halpern is brutally dumped by his girlfriend, he moves home with his parents and begins to record the crazy rantings of his foul-mouthed father. He welcomes him home with, “All I ask is that you pick up your shit so you don’t leave your bedroom looking like it was used for a gang bang. Also, sorry that your girlfriend dumped you.” His father is rough and crude but the epitome of tough love. In the end, he may not be warm, but he loves the sh*t out of his son.

EVALUATION: 5 - This book was a hilarious, quick read. Equal parts quotes and storyline, this old man’s rantings are a riot. Just when you begin thinking what a horrible father he is, he does something so heartwarming you see his kind inner heart.

OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION: Based on Justin Halpern’s twitter feed by the same name.

BLINK by Malcolm Gladwell

BLINK by Malcolm Gladwell

Gladwell, M. (2005). Blink: The power of thinking without thinking. New York: Little, Brown and Co.

GENRE: Popular Non-Fiction

ANNOTATION: Malcolm Gladwell exposes the power of the subconscious.

SUMMARY: In this short and intellectually accessible book, Malcolm Gladwell enumerates on “the power of thinking without thinking.” He details the way our subconscious works, giving tips and insight into both its great potential as well as possible pitfalls.

EVALUATION: 1 - Though short and easy to read, this book feels long as the author reiterates his points with long-winded examples. Interesting information is dumbbed-down almost to the point of irrelevance.

GOODNIGHT NOBODY by Jennifer Weiner

GOODNIGHT NOBODY by Jennifer Weiner

Weiner, J. (2005). Goodnight nobody: A novel. New York: Atria Books.

GENRE: Fiction – Chick Lit – Mystery - Humor

ANNOTATION: Kate Klein

SUMMARY: Kate Klein, accidental mother of three, is having a hard time fitting in with the perfectly polished mothers in the Connecticut suburbs. These women are perfect wives, perfect mothers, and perfectly put together, and perfectly content to be just that. Kate, on the other hand, is clumsy, awkward, and curious. She's constantly late picking up her kids, forgets to pack snacks, wears the wrong outfit, and is bored with the everyday life of raising kids and an absent husband. She wants something more... Something intellectually stimulating. She finds it when she walks into Kitty Cavanough's house only to find that she's been murdered. Kate launches herself into an unofficial investigation of her death. As the investigation progresses, Kate comes alive, ironically, as her life is endangered. Will she be able to be the mother she must while preserving her own identity?

EVALUATION: 4 - This is a light, fun, and silly read. The protagonist’s self-pity borders on irritating at times but is off-set by the humor in the situations.

A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS by Khaled Hosseini

A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS by Khaled Hosseini

Hosseini, K. (2008). A thousand splendid suns. New York: Riverhead Books.

GENRE: Fiction – Historical Fiction – Political Fiction

ANNOTATION: Two Afghan women are brought together by tragedy and bonded through mutual heartbreak and hope.

SUMMARY: Miriam, the scorned illegitimate child of a successful business man and a maid had nothing but love and admiration for her father, Jalil. But when her mother dies, she realizes he is not what she thought. Confronted with the wrath of his wives, he forces her, the living reminder of their shame, to marry Rashid, a shoemaker from Pakistan. Lila, a generation later, is also forced to marry Rashid by her own desperation after her family and childhood friend are killed by a Taliban bomb. Brought together by misfortune, the two women become unlikely allies in the face of a hostile and abusive husband as well as a ravishing war.

EVALUATION: 5 - This book weighs heavy on the heart and mind as it weaves between the lives of the two women. Ultimately, this touching and unforgettable story is one of love, sacrifice, and redemption.