Childhood's End

Book: Childhood's End by Arthur C Clarke published 1953
How I found this book: School book list 7 out of 7! :D

ISBN 13:  9780345347954
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.09 stars (out of 62,559 ratings) 
My Rating: 3 out of 5 happy face stickers


     Whoo! My last book from my English class list is done! I'm going to do one book from the AP list next and then do a bunch of YA ''junk food'' books. So, Childhood's end!
         
        I am a fan of classic sci- fi. Modern sci fi doesn't seem to have as much thought and energy put into it, especially movies. Explosions + creepy cyborg looking creatures = sci fi movie but this book in my opinion is as much about philosophy as it is about science fiction. It poses questions that the human race will likely ask themselves in the event of an alien encounter. What does this mean? Why did they come here? Why now? How will our culture be affected? What will these creatures contribute to our society? What is 'right' and 'wrong' at this point? etc.That is probably the best part of the book in my opinion.

      The aliens in this book were also much more realistic compared to a lot of other sci fi. The only cheesy part was that the aliens were called 'overlords' but granted, when this was written it was probably less cliche at that point. Anyway, The Overlords weren't hostile or tried to enslave the human race or commit genocide. They were just intelligent beings who visited the humans to lead them into a new period of development (sorry I guess that was kind of a spoiler) I do think that is the most likely reason that aliens would come to earth. Not the whole making us part of the overmind bit, but to learn about our psychology and read our books like Rashaverak and Karellin. Since, think about it. When humans travel to other planets we are doing it for research. That is the main point of sending all of the rockets and rovers. If we found aliens somewhere, wouldn't we just try to study them peacefully? At least I hope so.

     The end of the book got a little weird. When the children started changing into these super beings and altering the planet I started to think this book was more far fetched. If the human race ever did make a huge evolutionary change 1) I think it would be a slow transformation and 2) All of the adults seemed to accept the taking of their children too easily. I would expect more screaming and mass hysteria. The book kind of tried to explain that as society was a lot more calm after all the changes the overlords made. 

      Overall, this was a great book that poses some complex ideas and requires you to think about the effects of what an alien encounter will do the earth. 
Thanks for Reading!                                                                  - R

Sky on Fire (monument 14 book 2)

Book: Sky On Fire by Emmy Laybourne published 2013 (Monument 14 #2)
ISBN 13: 9780312569044
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.03 (out of 4,855 ratings)
My Rating: 5 out of 5 donut holes

      Okay, book 2 of the series! This book was pretty short I was surprised how thin this book was when I got it from the library its maybe 200 pages -and yes, for me that's short- This series is really great if you're looking for a quick read that's just sweet and fun. I love the kids in this story including the 'annoying' Chloe. Plus I'm just really into apocalypse stories (I think I said this in the part one post but eh. I don't feel like checking) OH AND BTW...!!!! I heard that Monument 14 is going to be a movie??! Emmy Laybourne posted her dream cast. I only remember Astrid as Bridget Mendler and China Anne Mcclain as... Sahalia I think. I don't know about Bridget as Astrid though... partially just because I don't really like Astrid and I sortaa like Bridget... or at least I liked Lemonade Mouth when I was like 11. Lol Plus Bridget Mendler seems a little too 'Disney Channel' to play someone 16 and pregnant who beats up a child. (Granted it wasn't her it was the chemical compounds) As for China, I know she was on Ant Farm but that show came out when I had already outgrown Disney so yeah. But I assume she's also a little Disney for a rebellious, seductive 13 year old.

         Was that off topic? Ha. Anyway! Sky On Fire... Dean and Astrid! Lord so many things about that couple. I'm sort of rooting for Dean in that you always want the hero to get the girl but Urmm... she's pregnant. With a drug addicted douche bag's baby. And she has no personality! The only thing Dean really liked about her in describing her was ''her abs'' and 'her shiny blonde hair'' well 1) Pregnant girls aren't exactly known for great abs. Sorry dude.  2) They haven't showered since the series started (about 2 or 3 weeks) so I'm guessing her hair isn't looking so hot at this point. I think he's just in love with the idea of her and not 'her'. And same goes for Astrid, she was all over Jake one minute and literally the day after Jake leaves she's banging Dean. No wonder you're prego honey! Jake does come back so...awkward. I think Niko and Jo make a better couple... the end of the book. Awww! Speaking  of couples... Alex and Sahalia?! Is that happening?! Whoa. Didn't see that coming but I think that actually has the potential of being adorable. In moderation. They're 13. No sex scenes please. And she's just getting over Brayden. Poor Brayden :( that such an awful way to go. I was starting to kinda like him.

     Other things I liked about this book really quick. Max and Ulysses are like adopted brothers now! Aww! I love that Ulysses found his family! Max's story about the dog, I love Max in general. His backstory just tugs at my heart. The whole part with the twins getting saved was so sweet! The scene where Dean was running to the helicopter and he tears of the oxygen mask was epic! I just heard intense movie music in the back of my head while reading. Think Spartan warriors rushing out to battle. That epic super hype feeling lol.  Well, I've been writing this for too long, must do homework *inward groan*
       Thanks for Reading!                                                                -R

        

       
     

Alicia

Book: Alicia by Alicia Appleman-Jurman published 1988
ISBN 13: 9780553282184

How I found this Book: School list (6 out of 7 baby!)

Average Goodreads Rating: 4.2 stars (out of 5,246 ratings)
My Rating: 5 out of 5 magic markers

   Okay so this book took a little longer to finish because I started school again. *tear* Winter break why must you go by so fast. Technically I haven't finished the book yet, but I'm 20 pages away and i'm having internet related issues that I won't go into.
        
      Wow! This book should be a movie! It's a memoir written by a woman who survived the holocaust, Alicia Appleman-Jurman. She lost all of her brothers and both her parents to the Nazis and she escaped death countless times and earning an award from the military for her bravery. At the age of 13 she began saving the lives of strangers and at 15 she began an orphanage for Jewish children and later moved on to help smuggle jews out of the country.

        This book has some wild highs and lows and honestly I cried a little when she lost her mother. She had to do so much to support her for several months bringing home tiny amounts of food and just trying to survive. Alicia had to switch homes so many times and deal with disease and spent several months in prison. I have so much respect for this woman it's unbelievable. She reminds me of Katniss and Tris with her level of badassness and bravery but its so much better since it's real!

     I would never be able to survive the way she did. If I lost my family I have no idea how I would function. I've thought about this a few times, since there seem to be so many teens thrown into scary apocalyptic situations and handling the situation, becoming heroes.  I would wonder how I would react in that kind of situation. As much as I wish I was a badass, I'm a nerd. I would freeze with fear and run away. I'm around the same age as she was and couldn't imagine doing any of the things she did.  Of course we'll never know unless it happens so when the zombies and or Nazis... or zombie Nazis arrive we shall see.  So again, this lady is really something special.

   I highly recommend this book. So if you ever get a chance you really should. This book was beautifully written and by far the best memoir I've ever read. (although there have not been very many. Ha.)
        
                                  Thanks For Reading! - R

Brave New World

Book: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley published 1932
ISBN 13: 9780060929879

How I found this book: School book list #5

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.93 (out of 779, 074 ratings) 

My Rating: 4 (and a half) out of 5 taco shells 

      This is actually the second time I've read this book, I tried reading it several years ago but I was too young to really grasp it. -I was probably 11 if you're curious-  Reading it now was a completely different experience. Brave New World is a classic representation of a dystopian society that is shown in so many Hollywood recreations. I also couldn't help but compare this with 1984 since they were so similar. 
        
     Like 1984, Brave New World takes place in a future version of England. Both novels had content that was way before their time. Orwell predicted that as society progressed, privacy would become harder and harder to find with his creation of 'telescreens' and some of Huxley's ideas are becoming reality as well, with the birth of the first 'test tube' baby, Louise Brown in 1978. 

    Speaking of comparisons between the novels, I actually had a discussion with my piano teacher about which book was 'better'. He liked 1984 whereas I think I prefer Brave New World. He said that Huxley's novel didn't have a solid plot but I actually think the weaker plot came from Orwell. Well. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I think the most major difference between the two were the views of their society on sex. In Brave New World it was a pretty major idea in the book that sex was a casual, recreational act. Whereas in 1984 sex was only between two married people for the purpose of having children. I think Huxley's interpretation is a little more believable since I do think sex is becoming more and more casual and people are doing it at younger ages. Sad but true.

       I think dystopian novels have really changed over the years. Looking at new teen books like The Hunger Games, Monument 14, Eve, Matched, Delirium compared to Brave New World and 1984 the books have gotten overall less dark in terms of tone. This is probably a harsh generalization but I think the idea of a harsh government and restrictions of society have gotten more familiar to us. Since the entertainment industry has desensitized us to so many things including sex, drugs, violence, and other negative concepts. In's really interesting to see how much society's views of things can change so quickly. 
   
                                Thanks for Reading!                                           -R

Monument 14

Book: Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne published 2012
ISBN 13: 9780312569037

How I found this book: School Book Club <3 + Hot YA

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.87 (out of 11,841 ratings)

My rating: 5 out of 5 magic pinwheels


     A couple members in book club had this recommended by their friends and brought it back to us. It's a pretty popular book right now so we all decided to read it. I read this in one day because I was so hooked.
   
      One of the main reasons I love YA is because they're laid back books, you don't have to analyze. They're just fun. A lot of reviews online bashed this book because of ''lack of character development'' but honestly you don't read these kind of novels for tropes, metaphor, and character development. They have lots of action and most times romance two things i'm kind of a sucker for. This story happens when Earth is in the midst of the worst natural disaster in history, which leads to a chemical weapon spill and turning people with type O blood into violent creatures. 14 kids and teens hide out in a superstore -Greenway- during the disaster.

      The only thing I have to say about the characters is the fact that there was a lot of them. 14 to be exact, so I had a little bit of a hard time keeping that many people straight at first. By the end I was pretty sure I could name them all.  Dean, Alex, Astrid, Sahalia, Jake, Brayden, Chloe Niko, Josie,Ulysses, Henry, Caroline, Max, Batiste. Whoo!

       One thing I didn't like about this book was the 'romance' bit. The main character Dean has had a crush on Astrid for a long time. However she loves Jake, the football star and he loves her back. Well, he says so. I didn't much like Astrid and I can see where the ''no character development'' comment comes in with her. Here's the reason Dean likes her: She's hot. That's pretty much it. She's AWOL through most of the book hiding in the ceiling of the store.
 
    *spoiler alert* This book ends with two pretty massive cliff hangers that make me really want to read the next two novels. After Astrid's boyfriend Jake runs off she tells Dean that she's pregnant with Jake's child. Whoah! We also find out that Dean and Alex's father is still alive and heading to Colorado airport. Alex and the rest of the kids want to head to the airport in the schoolbus but Astrid doesn't want to leave begging Dean to stay with her. Dean knows he has type O blood and doesn't want to put the others at risk so he decides to stay. Chloe, Caroline, and Henry decide to stay too but everyone else leaves.

      Arghh! I must know what happens. Dean how could you leave your brother?? The ending made me so sad omg. The next book is called Sky on Fire and I can't wait. *sigh* One more to add to my 'to read' list. Story of my life. lol
   Thanks for Reading!                                                  - R

     

Snow Falling on Cedars

Book: Snow Falling on Cedars by David Gusterson published 1994
ISBN 13: 9780679764021

How I found this book: Class list #4

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.74 stars (out of 100,245 ratings)

My Rating: 1 out of 5 rotten tomatoes


         UGH. This book was the exact opposite of The Scarlet Pimpernel, I thought I would hate that book and ended up liking it, but with Snow Falling on Cedars, I thought I'd like it and ended up hating it with a passion. The story was described as a mystery, and yet it lacked one of the main things people love about mystery novels. Excitement. The story was the most dull thing I've read in a long time. A few times in reading this I realize I've read about 10 pages and have no idea what's going on. Not because it was a difficult read, but because I don't care whats happening.

      The characters in this story were also very one dimensional, you get a bit of back story for some of them but it all seems forced. The reporter Ishmael Chambers especially, he's a weepy old war veteran who hasn't gotten over his young love of over 20 years ago. He lives with his mother -once again, pathetic- and just mopes through the story hardly even contributing to the plot. He's just a tired, cliche, character that Gusterson recycled from the trash can of literature. Even the suspect himself didn't stand out much. Everyone was just painfully average.

       Another thing that bothered me, was the obsessiveness of the detail in this book. I know, adjectives add to descriptions but do I really need a whole page dedicated to the sheriffs love of Juicy Fruit gum? Seriously, unless paid by Juicy Fruit to advertise there is no logical reason for doing that. Oh and the creepy lawyer... It is described how he tugs at the wattles of skin at his neck and then it goes into how he's old and can't get it up anymore. There is such a thing as too much information David Gusterson. Please learn that.

      The only good thing I can think of about this story is the final plot twist. Ishmael and his ex lover (oh and the wife of the murder suspect) Hatsue find evidence at the last minute to prove her husband's innocence. I'll be honest, the ending made me consider changing my 1 star rating to a 2. However I still really didn't like the book and I figured that if I would ever give a 1 star review this would probably be it.  Sorry for such a mean review! I hardly ever do that lol maybe I got a little carried away.
                       
                                Thanks for Reading!                                             - R

The Scarlet Pimpernel

*Note: Something weird happened to my last post and I keep trying to fix it. The letters aren't showing up but if you highlight it with your mouse its there. Hopefully this one turns out okay.  Anyway!

Book: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy published 1903
ISBN 13: 9780451527622
How I found this book: School list (third one out of seven) 
Average Goodreads rating: 4.05 stars (out of 81,066 ratings)
My rating: 4 out 5 prickly pears 

      I'm not going to lie, I really didn't think i was going to like this book. It's set in England/ France during 1792 and focused mainly on the issue of The French Revolution. Considering the fact i'm not a history fan, I was not looking forward to an extra history lesson. However I did enjoy Les Miserables and I had to read this book anyway so why not keep an open mind? 
      
      I didn't warm up to this book until halfway through. Getting through the first half felt like I was trying to eat a cardboard box, it was bland and there was a lot of it, strange metaphor I know. The only thing I really liked from the start was the character of Lady Blakeney (or Marguarite) she is described as clever and witty, and had a bit of a sense of humor. The book starts to heat up when she is blackmailed by Chauvelin into helping find the mysterious scarlet pimpernel, a British man who sneaks French aristocrats across the border to avoid being sent to the guillotine as 'traitors'. It's hard for Lady Blakeney to decide whether or not to help because she admires the pimpernel but her brother Armand will be put at risk if she refuses. The inner conflict in her character is done well and does a lot to spice up the story. 

       Of course this book is considered a romance, and I think it was a good one. The love story between Sir Percy Blakeney and his wife (yes, they're already married when the story begins) is not overdone or cheesy *cough* yes Twilight, i'm looking at you. Marguarite and Percy used to be in love. However after she tells him that she had confessed a family of rich aristocrats as traitors to the French government (and their death) he grows distant. She tries to explain that this family almost killed her brother for falling in love with one of their daughters but he doesn't understand. 

      She begins fantasizing about the dreamy and unknown Scarlet Pimpernel, not realizing that the mysterious French outlaw actually is her husband. Even. Though. There. Are. SO MANY HINTS! I was practically yelling at her ''You're supposedly the cleverest woman in all of France! How do you not see who your own husband is!''

        By the end of the book I was fully involved in the story. When Marguarite realizes not only that Percy is the scarlet pimpernel, but Chauvelin knows this too, and is following him to France for his next rescue. Like a true heroine she decides to try and save him. In the end of course she (sort of) does. Percy is safe but he pretty much made up a plan and saved himself. But he seems to think she was to one who saved him and they repair their dysfunctional relationship! 

       I kinda made that ending sound lame but it was really sweet! The book had me worried though, since in Maugarite's head she kept saying that 'there's no way I can save him now' and 'This will be the last time he sings that song'. At the same time those statements were also clues that the exact opposite would happen, since if he did end up being killed by Chauvelin it would be too predictable of and ending. 
       
           I'm just happy I found a classic novel that doesn't end in tragedy. Once again *cough* Romeo and Juliet, like damnn Shakespeare why you gotta be such a downer bro?