Little Willow's List

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - A beautifully imaginative story that many people know of but not everyone has actually read in the original form. Watching the 1972 musical film adaptation of the book, I shrieked, "Mom! Look! Alice has brown hair, like me!" Years later, I was delighted to find out that the real Alice, Alice Liddell, was also a brunette.

The NeverEnding Story by Michael Ende - Because I loved the movie, I wanted to read the book. My mom got it for me, and I dug right in. People outside of my family doubted that someone so young could and had read a book that thick. I ignored their condescending assumptions and went back to my book.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - Upon opening this book for the very first time, I quickly noted, "The first paragraph is all one sentence." I love the entire series. Anne Shirley is intelligent, spunky, outspoken, and endearing.

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin - "Turtle should be the first female president." (and) "I want to make this into a movie someday. I'll play Turtle." I am still upset that someone beat me to it. Then it aired on a channel we didn't get. I have yet to see it.

Body Bags by Christopher Golden - Since everything on my list so far was from my childhood, I wanted to select something I read as a young adult. I narrowed the field down to Body Bags and The Great Gatsby, two very different books. Since the latter is something I'm sure many of you have read, I selected Body Bags, the first of ten books in the well-written and well-researched Body of Evidence series. I hope those of you who haven't read it will pick it up!

I'm Little Willow. I'm a reader, a writer, a performer, a dreamer, a thinker. My book blog is Bildungsroman. Feel free to drop by the blog or the corresponding archival website. My full post about this challenge is available here.

Thanks to Sarah Miller for repeatedly urging me to take part in this challenge.

Wendy's Challenge List

With only a few more days before the official start of this challenge, I thought it was time to post my list of books I will read. To see a complete list of books I've read in the past (a total of 38), as well as those I want to read eventually (a total of 65 - including those I intend to read during the challenge period as well as alternates) you can check out my blog.

Books to be read during the challenge period (books highlighted in red have been read):

1. The Echo Maker, by Richard Powers (3M - Michelle)
2.The Country of the Pointed Firs, by Sarah Orne Jewett (Megan)
3. The Amateur Marriage, by Anne Tyler (In memory of Nattie)
4. The Robber Bride, by Margaret Atwood (Ellen)
5. Marley and Me, by John Grogan (Lynne)
6. The Essays of E.B. White (Dana)
7. East of Eden, by John Steinbeck (Vasilly)
8. I Am The Messenger, by Marcus Zusak (Jill)
9. A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Housseini (Becky Rech)

Alternates/Extras During the Challenge period:

1. Rebecca, by Daphne Du Marier (Christina)
2. She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb (Bookworm)
3. Harvesting the Heart, by Jodi Picoult (Heather)
4. The Awakening, by Kate Chopin (Pattie)
5. The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri (HeidiJane)
6. Biblioholism, by Tom Raabe (Twiga)
7. Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte (Suey AND Trish)

Gracie's List

The five books about me are:

*Persuasion by Jane Austen (F)
(I do so identify with it)
*Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks (NF)
(I read it between tours of duty in Turkey)
*Beowulf trans. by Seamus Heaney (Epic Poetry)
(I was an English Lit major; this version is accessible & magnificent)
*Time and Again by Jack Finney (F)
(I would so love to be able to do this - and he lived in Marin County)
*Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (Juv.F)
(the book that made me a reader)
and one more, just because:
*Without by Donald Hall (Poetry)
(every person should be loved like this)

What I plan to read:

*Heidi by Johanna Spyri (Heidijane’s list)
*The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle (Dewey’s list)
*Tale of Despereaux by Kate diCamillo (Booklogged’s list)
*Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh (Beachreader’s list)
*So Many Books, So Little Time by Sara Nelson (A Book in the Life’s list and Sally’s list)
*Booked to Die by John Dunning (Bonnie’s list)

I’m looking forward to reading these books, for a number of reasons, and am glad to be a part of the challenge

For more about me, please view my blog at http://web.mac.com/akagracie

Becky's List

Becky's Book Reviews

From Sarah Miller's List I am reading All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten: Uncommon Thoughts on Common Things by Robert Fulghum.

From Sally, a.book.in.the.life, and Vasilly, I will be reading So Many Books, So Little Time by Sara Nelson.

From Rhinoa's list, I'll be reading Lord of the Rings.

From bookworm, Pattie, I'll be reading Pride & Prejudice.

Alternates I'm considering:

From Athena's list, Peter Pan.

From Tiny Little Librarian's list Gallery of Regrettable Food by James Lileks

From Booklogged's List, I am considering Number the Stars and/or The Tale of Despereaux.

From Karlene's list, I'm thinking Dune or The Secret Life of Bees.

Ender's Game

This review is can also be found on my blog.

Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card, is a science fiction novel. So I would have probably never read it, except for it being suggested by Becky for the "Something About Me" reading challenge. She had stated that this book started her "love affair with science fiction." So I thought I'd give it a shot. After I had chosen it to read, it turned up on Karlene's list as well.

General comments:

This book is about a very young, incredibly intelligent boy, Ender, who is taken from his parents and trained to fight in the earth's military organization, the Intergalactic Fleet, known as the IF. He is thought to be the last hope in the war against the buggers, and those in authority use every means possible to turn him into the ruthless commander they think they need him to be.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. It hooked me right at the beginning, and I enjoyed the relationships among the kids at the Battle School. Once Ender left the Battle School, however, it started to drag a bit for me.

What I liked:

I liked how Ender managed to hold on to his humanity throughout his ordeal. He could see the various aspects of his personality and what he liked and didn't like about himself. He didn't like unfairness, and when faced with it, always managed to come out on top.

I liked this quote from a character who is considered a legend in the novel:

Humanity does not ask us to be happy. It merely asks us to be brilliant on its behalf. Survival first, then happiness as we can manage it.
-Mazar Rackham

I think that the quote rings true not just for this novel, but for real life as well. After all, we all want to be happy, but that won't matter if we're dead.

What I didn't like:

Despite the author's intent to make Ender wise beyond his years intellectually, but still a little boy emotionally, even emotionally Ender seemed too old. Even as a 6-year-old, he was able to control his emotions. And then as a adolescent he was extremely adept at it. Well, I have a adolescent, and an unusually bright one, and controlling emotions is not a strong suit in children of that age. I also have a wise-beyond-her-years 6-year-old, who does try to control her emotions, but she pretty much sucks at it.

I think there was no need for Ender to be so young. He could have started at 11 or 12, while other kids started around 14 or so. The story would have been just as good, and the main character more believable.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I am not, however, chomping at the bit to find out what happens to Ender (or the little bundle he found at the end of the book), like I am with Harry Potter. If I stumble across the rest of the Ender books, I'll probably read them, but I don't feel compelled to actively seek them out. So I guess I'm not starting a love affair with science fiction, but I will be more open to science fiction suggestions from others than I have been in the past.

So, what does this book tell me about Becky and Karlene? Well, Karlene wants to someday "write a story this compelling," so I guess she is either a writer or an aspiring writer. And Becky's love affair with science fiction and particularly Orson Scott Card started here, so the book obviously made quite an impression on her. I think she must have really empathized (as did I) with Ender. We all often feel at the mercy of those in authority, and so a book about a child who, in an adult world, ultimately holds all the power really resonates.

Margo's Reading List

I've chosen some books to read in my challenge, but haven't gone mad, as I'm not a fast reader.

So my list is from August 1st.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (Alyson's)
To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee (Janet's)
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (from a few peoples lists)
Anne Frank: Diary of a young girl (Pattie's)
I Elizabeth by Rosalind Miles (Soleil's)
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz (JMC's)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (Becky's)

Karlene's Reading List

The five books (all fiction) about me are:

1. Dune by Frank Herbert—my book of courage
   
   
2. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd—my southern heritage
   
   
3. Saints/Woman of Destiny by Orson Scott Card—the strongest woman I know
   
   
4. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card—I hope to someday write a story this compelling
   
   
5. Harriet the Spy by Loise Fitzhugh—the book that made me want to be a writer

The books I've chosen to read are:

1. Uglies (Uglies Trilogy, Book 1) by Scott Westerfeld (REVIEW) (Faith)



2. The Giver by Lois Lowry (Sarah Miller)
   



3. The View from Saturday by EL Konigsburg (Sarah Miller)
   



4. The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillippa Gregory (Margo)
   



5. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (alisonwonderland)
   

I'm participating in several reading challenges right now, so I'm posting lots of reviews on my blog. But this link will bring up only my posts for the Something About Me reading challenge.