The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

For me, Spark is usually a HUGE hit or a complete miss.  This one was reminiscent of The Notebook or A Walk to Remember.  In other words, this one is a return to that old Sparks magic - a huge hit.  This is the story of Luke and Sophia, but also the story of Ira and Ruth.

In typical Sparks fashion, the stories, at first, seem unrelated.  The reader doesn't care though because both stories as so well written and so engrossing that the only thing you mind is leaving one story to return to the other.  I love the way that Sparks tells a story- the way he makes you feel what his characters are feeling and explains their motivations.  He is a master storyteller.

5/5 stars.  Glad I read this one.

The Call of the Wild

Jack London has been one of my favorite authors for a long time.  I read White Fang when I was 14 years old, and to this day, it is one of my favorite books ever.  I never read this, his more famous work, until now.  I once caught a brief glimpse of the movie with Clarke Gable and just didn't think my heart could take it.  I was probably right.

One writing style alone, this one deserves 5 stars.  London crafts beautiful sentences and creates  environments that are so real, you feel you are there.  His depiction of the klondike along with his descriptions of the nature of the men and creatures who live there is simply breathtaking. His sentence structure is perfection.  It's hard to believe that this work was serialized by the Sunday Evening Post in 1903.  When compared to our papers of today, we seem to have declined quite a long way when just the quality and difficulty of the text is considered.

This was a difficult book for me to read, being an animal lover.  There are so many examples of the cruelty and often stupidity of humans.  Buck suffers so greatly in this book and yet, his spirit is not defiled. There are moments of compassion and love also demonstrated, but that really isn't the point of the story.  I'm glad that I finally read this one, but where I read White Fang over and over, this is a one time read for me.  Still, Jack London has been firmly ensconced in my heart forever as a great American writer. 

Speaker for the Dead

My husband has been encouraging me for over a year to continue on with the Ender's Quintet.  I loved Ender's Game so much and I thought that the ending was beautiful.  I loved that Orson Scott Card allowed the reader to create their own ending... and then I realize that there are more books.  I was reluctant to take anything away from the perfection that is Ender's Game and so, I put it off.

I finally picked up Speaker for the Dead and I am so glad that I did.  Ender's all grown up, both physically and emotionally.   I enjoyed the growth, understanding and compassion that his character showed throughout this book.  I could also relate to all the newly introduced characters as well and thought the added depth to this new level of the story.

A new alien life form has been found.  Horrible murders have been committed and someone has called for a Speaker for the Dead.  Will Ender be able to create harmony between the human population and the "Piggies"?  What about the cocoon of the Formic Hive Queen that he carries with him?  Will he finally find redemption for how he played his game?  

I can't say that all these questions are answered, but I will say that if you enjoyed Ender's Game, it is worthwhile to pursue the entirety of the series.