One of my favorite books of the summer was The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton. The story takes place in two different time periods. In the present, Laurel Nicholson is dealing with her elderly mother's failing health. Her mother, Dorothy, is on her deathbed, and Laurel is desperate to find answers to deep family secret.
When Laurel was a teenager, she is a witness to a murder, and it wasn't just any murder. Laurel's mother killed a man at their home. Laurel watched as the man walked up to her mother, said hello, and her mother quickly stabbed the man in the chest. As the investigation unfolded, Laurel's mother claimed that the man attacked her and that she stabbed him in self defense. Laurel goes along with the story, all along feeling that something wasn't quite right.
Laurel thinks back to her childhood trying to uncover any clue that might help her solve the mystery. She also investigates leads and clues to her mother's past. As she begins to discover more information about her mother, she learns about the life she led before meeting Laurel's father. Dorothy's friends Vivien and a man named Jimmy become important characters in the mystery, and Laurel finally learns the truth about her mother and the murder.
This book was fascinating! It kept me reading into the very late hours, and there were TWO HUGE twists at the end of the book that I never saw coming! If you like mysteries and suspense, you have to pick up The Secret Keeper! You won't be disappointed!
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
I am sooooo excited about this book! It has been around for quite a long time and was a Rosie nominated book in 1996. However, it has recently come back into the spotlight thanks to the upcoming movie release in November!
Ender's Game is set in the future. The human race is at risk of extinction because of attacks by an alien species. The aliens, or "Buggers" as they are called, and humans have engaged in two major wars. In preparation for a third attack, the humans have resorted to a very different approach. Because adults have experienced war and have preconcieved notions of battles and battle tactics, they decide to turn to children for ideas. Children have no prior experience in battle and are therefore not limited in their ideas and tactics. So, military leaders establish a Battle School where children train in preparation for the third invasion. The adults are looking for a child who will lead them against the Buggers and who will win a final victory for Earth. Military leaders observe children on Earth to select the best and the brightest for Battle School.
The book's protagonist, Ender Wiggin, is only six years old when he is selected as one of the children to be transported into space to attend school. In Battle School, the children participate in battle simulations conducted in zero gravity. Each child is placed on a team, and the teams compete for the highest scores. Ender soon emerges as the best of the best and is sent on to Command School, skipping several levels of education. At Command School, students are selected as Commanders who fight in simulated battles against the Buggers.
Going into much more detail would ruin the experience for you, so I will end by saying that this book is such a wonderful read! The ending has a twist that I never saw coming! Make sure you pick up a copy of this book, and then take a trip to the local theater to catch the movie version!
Ender's Game is set in the future. The human race is at risk of extinction because of attacks by an alien species. The aliens, or "Buggers" as they are called, and humans have engaged in two major wars. In preparation for a third attack, the humans have resorted to a very different approach. Because adults have experienced war and have preconcieved notions of battles and battle tactics, they decide to turn to children for ideas. Children have no prior experience in battle and are therefore not limited in their ideas and tactics. So, military leaders establish a Battle School where children train in preparation for the third invasion. The adults are looking for a child who will lead them against the Buggers and who will win a final victory for Earth. Military leaders observe children on Earth to select the best and the brightest for Battle School.
The book's protagonist, Ender Wiggin, is only six years old when he is selected as one of the children to be transported into space to attend school. In Battle School, the children participate in battle simulations conducted in zero gravity. Each child is placed on a team, and the teams compete for the highest scores. Ender soon emerges as the best of the best and is sent on to Command School, skipping several levels of education. At Command School, students are selected as Commanders who fight in simulated battles against the Buggers.
Going into much more detail would ruin the experience for you, so I will end by saying that this book is such a wonderful read! The ending has a twist that I never saw coming! Make sure you pick up a copy of this book, and then take a trip to the local theater to catch the movie version!
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