Playing Catch Up!

Wow, I have a lot of catching up to do. This time it was not because I have been busy elsewhere. Well, I am busy elsewhere but it's not the main reason. I haven't had internet access for the last wee while and it's only now back to normal. Hopefully I will soon catch up with all my reviews. However I have something like 6 to do and I am on placement doing 13 hour shifts. So I may have to do some mini ones. Hope everyone is well though.

Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card

Ender has been watched from a very early age. His brother and sister are also geniuses but they failed to make the cut. Now Ender is the last hope. Only he can stop the alien's who once devastated Earth from doing so again. First though he has to be put through some rigorous training and testing at military school. All rule book is thrown out the window in order to test Ender to the fullest. However, if pushed too far they could break him which would mean all is lost.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting with this book. I just knew that sci fi and non sci fi fans seem to love it. Glad to say that I enjoyed it too. Surprising considering this book is about a 6 year old genius who is expected to go through military training and save the world.

Yet, love it I did. The premise does seem a bit rediculous. No matter how intelligent Ender is a 6 year old doesn't have the emotional intelligence to go through what he was put through. I was able to get past that though because Ender was such an engaging character. Occasionally he would come across as a 6 year old who has been taken to a strange place and won't see the people he loves for years to come. This is shown on his first night when he has been deliberately isolated from his class mates.

The majority of the book is set in the military school. As Ender becomes used to something (and as the reader becomes used to the situation too) those in charge deliberately through in challenges or change the rules so that Ender has no time to get comfortable. In this way the reader also has no time to get comfortable. You don't want Ender to have to deal with more challenges for the characters own sake but these challenges keep the book pacing along.

About a third of the way through we see things from the point of view from Ender's equally intelligent brother and sister. Peter is cruel with a hard side which was why he failed to make the cut. Something he has been bitter about. Valentine is loving and caring, too soft which was why she failed. Peter though plans to use his intelligence to manipulate the political scene on Earth with Valentine's help. Through them this gives us a good idea of the history of Earth and it's politics. In this way we are given a bigger view instead of just Ender's need to prove himself and defeat the aliens.

I very much enjoyed it as a whole and enjoyed each of the characters, the good and the bad. I understand this is just the first book in a series and I think that I will be reading the rest at some point. It was a relatively easy read. I can see why my local library classed it as YA. I also think that the non-sci fi fans may like it for it's psychology and political aspects. I read this as part of the sci fi challenge hosted by Ellie of Curiosity Killed the Bookworm. If you want to see what others have been reading you can do so here.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This is a book meme hosted by Sheila of Book Journey. A great way for everyone to share their reading week.

Thanks to two weeks and a readathon I have quite a list of finished reads to share. Feels like I have actually achieved something this month.

I finished reading;

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. I liked this but I don't think I will ever be a huge fan of this writing style.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain. I read this for the classics challenge. Was disappointed but that had more to do with my expectations and my mood at the time of reading.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. I read this for the sci fi challenge. I LOVED it. Was very sorry when I finished it. Could have kept reading.

A Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler. This was the first of the readathon books. Very much enjoyed it. Just a nice read.

Monday Mourning by Kathy Reichs. Annoyed me in sections but still enjoyed it overall. Able to ignore the annoying bits for the most part.

Skulduggery Pleasant: Kingdom of the Wicked by Derek Landy. Not as good as the others. However, the ending was brilliant.

Just now I am reading;

Books to Die For edited by John Connolly. Just reading a bit at a time but have enjoyed reading what authors think of other authors.

Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler. I started this in the last hour of the readathon. It was a little slow in starting but I'm getting into it now.

Next I plan to read;

The Greatest Show On Earth by Richard Dawkins. This is my last book in the Mixing It Up Challenge. Not usually a popular science book person so it will be interesting to see what it's like.

Anyone else had a good reading week thanks to the readathon?

A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court - Mark Twain

A man mysteriously talks about King Arthur's court as though he has been there. He then leaves some papers with a stranger and encourages him to read. The papers are an account of this man's time in court. How he tried to change the way those people worked and how he was sent on his own crusade by King Arthur himself.

When I picked this up I was hoping for/expecting something light and extremely funny. Sadly that's not actually what I got. Whilst there was plenty tongue in cheek the book took itself a little too seriously, I thought. First the humour was really a ridicule of the King Arthur legends. It strips away the romantic view everyone has of King Arthur and his court. The men and women are slobs. The men make up or exaggerate their tales of adventure before King Arthur. Everyone realises this but it's all part of the ritual. The ladies are crude, laughing and making jokes that would make a women of Hogan (the time traveler  era blush.They are also none too bright.

Once Hogan manages to save his own neck he believes that he can change the way the world works with him as the leader. This is where the serious part comes in. He spends much of his time trying to remove power from the church and put it in the hands of the man. He sets up a school to educate the masses. When he is sent (against his will) on his own quest he rescues prisoners and sends them to his schools. He brings about commercialism and advertising.

Had I known that much of this was going to be an essay on the power of the state and the church I probably would have left it to another time because it's not what I was in the mood for. That's not to say it wasn't a good book./ It was, it just wasn't what I wanted at that time and as a result I didn't enjoy it quite as much. I also found the narrator, Hogan, to be quite irritating. He was quite pompous and so sure that he was right. Quite a lot of the time he made a bit of a fool of himself but he was also Twain's mouthpiece. On the plus side I was amused at recognising some of the stories thanks to John Steinbeck.

I read this as part of the classics challenge hosted by Katherine of November's Autumn. This months prompt is about the last chapter read. As I tend to wait until I finish the book before doing these prompts I am going to go for most memorable. For me that would be the first chapter. The one in which the story is set up. The person who comes to read Hogan's story is admiring a portrait of King Arthur's court. As he does he notices that one of the figures in the painting has been damaged so you can't see the features. It's then that Hogan approaches him and claims to have known Arthur. We can guess that Hogan had deliberately damaged the painting so that he wouldn't be recognised. This set up makes the book sound more promising and more like what I was expecting.

What I Learned - Redathon Wrap Up

So I made it through the readathon. I have napped (not enough) and I am actually wanting to pick up my book again. Does this mean I am a glutton for punishment or just dedicated?

Anyway, thank you to everyone who has sponsored me for this. I have so far collected £118 on behalf of SAMH. I have a few sponsorship's to collect and a friend of mine took part for 6 hours (she's not a blogger so did this just to help raise money). This means that I will have beaten April's £130 for Crohns and Colitis UK. So big thank you everyone as the mental health charity means a lot to me and my family.

April I read 4 books and just over 1200 pages. This time I read 3 books and 1354 pages. I don't know if that means I beat last year on that front to or if it equals out. Either way I am chuffed with the results. Sadly I doubt I will be able to take part next April. If I can though I might join in for 12 hours at the most. Which means I won't be beating this years tally. The books I read were;

A Patchwork World - Anne Tyler
Monday Mourning - Kathy Reichs
Skulduggery Pleasant: Kingdom of the Wicked - Derek Landy.

Hopefully I will get reviews up over the next week. I did enjoy them all but the first one was a favourite. Every year I seem to make mistakes in my readathon choices so here are my tips if you decide to take part (ignore them if you want).

1. Remember to buy snacks. A mix of healthy and naughty works for me. Anything heavy just makes you all the more tired later on.

2. Start on the caffeine when you really need it. It will eventually lose it's effect if you start straight away (think that was my problem last night).

3. Have your books decided before hand. Don't go for a huge pile unless you won't be disappointed if you don't read them all. Can be off putting when you realise you will be lucky to finish half of them. Instead go for  3 or 4 and a couple reserves (if this wouldn't bother you then pile them on).

4. Go for light reads. Anything that doesn't require concentration and you know that you will enjoy them. I know some people choose classics but I personally wouldn't be able to concentrate on them when it's hour 20 and all I can think about is sleep.

5. Book size, here is the big mistake I made this year. I would recommend shorter books. 400 pages at the most. One of mine was just over 600 and in the end it felt like a slog.

6. If you normally like a mix of books then mix them. You don't want to get bored. Oh, and this is one I learned in April, do not leave the scary books until the early hours of the morning. Maybe that's just me but I have an overactive imagination. Books that wouldn't normally scare me in the light of the day had me wondering if there was a serial killer waiting for me outside the kitchen.

7. Find somewhere comfy to read where you are unlikely to be interrupted. Also if you can change rooms every so often.

8. The last couple of times I've had a yankee candle lit and it's been refreshing. Especially this years candle which was Garden Sweet Pea. However, if there is a chance you might fall asleep then put it out.

9. Face wipes! They do refresh you a little.

10. If you need to nap then nap. Set your alarm for a couple of hours and come back in. It's actually rare for people to manage all the way through with out a nap. You shouldn't feel you've let yourself down because of it.

Lastly, enjoy it.

Nearly There! Last Readathon Update

Hour 24: This is the last hour and I'm onto book 4. Went for the second Anne Tyler rather than the Karen Rose as I need to get this back to a friend and I doubt I will get much read this last hour. So far have read 3 books and am 10 pages into this one. This brings my total page count up to 1,327. Despite my 2 hour nap I think I have beaten last years page count.

End of Event Questionnaire;

1. Most daunting hour was probably right before I fell asleep around 7.30am. Think that's around hour 19.

2. Not sure I can recommend any books from this years pile. I think I picked ones that were far too long. The first Anne Tyler was my favourite though.

3. No suggestions for improvement.

4. The mini challenges seemed interesting although I didn't take part in that many.

5. I have read three and a bit books this time.

6. I read; A Patchwork World, Monday Mourning, Kingdom of the World.

7. Already mentioned my favourite book in question 2.

8. The book I enjoyed the least was the Skulduggery. Simply because I was at my most tired and it wasn't quite as good as the rest of the series. More disappointed than dislike.

9. No advice for future cheerleaders. Thought they did a fab job and they made me laugh (in a good way).

10. I doubt I will be able to take part over the next few years as my studies are getting heavier. If I had known how much my work load was going to increase I wouldn't have taken part in this one (had already taken in sponsorship).

FINISHED: I am so tired now. How did I manage the full 24hours and the stay awake reading for another two in April? Anyways, I am off for power nap. I will give my final update later. Well done everyone!

Readathon Update 2

In case you haven't noticed me mention it before I am doing this and trying to raise money for the Scottish Association for Mental Health. It's a fantastic charity which promotes well being. It helps many people who suffer from mental health problems and their families  Little known fact but anyone can reach a crisis point at some time in their lives which will affect their mental health and 1 in 3 people do. So if you have a few pennies you can donate by clicking on the SAMH image.

Enough of my spouting. Have finished book 2 and I have now moved onto book 3. That brings my page count up to 741. I think I am still behind April but I am getting there. The main thing is I am enjoying it and have now reached the half way point. Here is the mid event survey;

1. I am doing okay although I am very tired. It's 1.10am here in the UK and I would like my second wind right about now. Haven't gone cross-eyed yet though.

2. Just finished Monday Mourning by Kathy Reichs which I enjoyed.

3. Favourite read is the first one, A Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler.

4. I haven't really snacked yet. I am about to toast some pitta bread and have that with humous. Looking forward to that.

5. No new blogs discovered but I am re-discovering some I haven't visited in a while

Hour 14: Breached the halfway mark and I got my wish for a second wind. Lets hope it lasts. 76 pages into book 3. Am away to toast the pitta bread I've been promising myself and then back to bed cause it's freezing!

Hour 16: Starting to slow down again and feeling VERY tired. Dozed off for about 10 mins there. 184 pages into book 3.

Hour 18: Still here, still going. 310 pages into book 3 which is just over the half way mark. That means I have read a total of 1,021. I am ahead of April as I reached 1,021 by hour 19.

Hour 22: oops, fell asleep for 2 hours. Really didn't mean to do that but I can see myself finishing now. 422 pages into book 3.