A Book Review: The Martian

The Martian
By: Andy Weir
My Rating: 5/5

Guys, stop what you're doing at this very moment and go read this book!  Yes, even if you're in the middle of reading my review, I'll wait.

*Waits patiently on you*

Okay, now that you're done, we can get into the review!

Mark Watney, botanist, engineer, and first man to be alone on Mars.  After a severe dust storm forces the crew to evacuate Mars, Mark finds himself alone on the surface clinging to life.  His crew believing him dead flee from the red planet just before their only form of escape fatally tips over.  Having made it safely onto their escape ship, the whole crew wishes there was something more they could have done to save him.

Mark is on his own.  The first step was to grow some food.  Being a botanist did come in handy on Mars!  To grow food, Mark needed to "make" more water.  This is where the book lost me a little.  I'm sure someone else could read this and understand just fine, but it just went slightly over my head.  With some potato plants growing he started to use his engineering skills.  Mark starts brewing up ideas for communication.

After about a month of mourning, NASA takes a look at Mars. They would have to make any images they found public, so for obvious reasons they were very hesitant.  With a nudge from an administrator of NASA Venkat finally caved and gave him the satellite time he was after.  They expected to find a body, but instead they found Watney alive!  There was no way to communicate with him, but they knew he was alive and were working on a way to get to him.

Mark planned to travel to the Pathfinder site.  NASA lost contact with that rover long ago, but he's an engineer, fixing things is his job.  All he knows is if he can make it there he may be able to communicate with Earth, and let someone know he is still alive.

Its been a long time since I've actually wanted to read a book so full of suspense.  After seeing the movie, and hearing such good things about the book I talked about it so much I got it for Christmas. (Thanks Issac!!)

I have so much that I want to say about this book.  I'm a sucker for anything written in journal format and most of this book was done just like that.  Watneys humor kept me laughing through the darkest parts of his journey.  It kind of made me want to be an astronaut.  Kind of.

Stephanie Need this book for yourself? Here's a link to its Amazon page! I do get a small commission if you use my link so it's a win-win! Thank you for your support! The Martian Amazon Page

Thoughtful Thursday #4

Hey fellow readers!!

It's Thursday and you know what that means!! Another Thoughtful Thursday!!
I've decided to dig back to my freshman year of high school and go with a book I really enjoyed.

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice.

I had to do some looking to find these, I do not own this book and haven't read it since then.  I knew the first quote was a given.  I had this one hung up in my locker most of my freshman year.  

“People who cease to believe in God or goodness altogether still believe in the devil. 

I don’t know why. No, I do indeed know why. 

Evil is always possible. And goodness is eternally difficult.” 

-Anne Rice, Interview with the Vampire 

Then I found a couple of quotes from the book I thought were interesting in and out of context.  Vampires have been very intriguing to me for a long time. 

“The world changes, we do not, therein lies the irony that kills us.”

-Anne Rice, Interview with the Vampire

 “The only power that exists is inside ourselves.”  

-Anne Rice, Interview with the Vampire

A Review: Love Fortunes and Other Disasters

Love Fortunes and Other Disasters
By: Kimberly Karalius
My Rating: 4/5

This book has one of the cutest covers I've seen in awhile, and normally I don't pick up books based on that.  The day I saw this in the library was the day I felt a reading block coming on and I needed something light and cute to life me out of the soon to be slump.

I felt like I could see the little town of Grimbaud like it was something from Amsterdam, or even out of a Nicolas Sparks novel, but that's exactly how it's supposed to feel.  She sets the scene in the town square with cute decorations and love is always everywhere.  I just can't handle the cuteness of the whole thing.

I loved how the relationship developed between Fallon and Sebastian.  The whole time it felt real, and not rushed.  I felt the pain for her friends ill-fated love fortunes, and for hers.  None of them wanted to end up in spinster or bachelor villa when they graduated.  So they took it upon themselves to break free of the fortunes that hung over the town.

If you're in the mood for a cute light read, this should be your next one.

Stephanie 

Love Fortunes and Other Disasters
I do receive a small commission if you buy the book through my link. Thank you for your support!!

Thoughtful Thursday #3

Hey Fellow Readers!

Today I bring you another Thoughtful Thursday!  This time we will be taking a closer look at Orson Scott Card.  I'm a big fan of his Ender's Game series, and can not wait to keep reading the shadow series.

Lets start with one most of you have probably either read, or seen the movie.  I highly recommend you check out Ender's Game, it definitely surprised me.

Ender's Game.

“I think it's impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves.”
-Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game

“Sometimes lies were more dependable than the truth.”
-Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game

“If you try and lose then it isn't your fault. But if you don't try and we lose, then it's all your fault.”
-Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game

Short Review: The Rest of us Just Live Here

The Rest of us Just Live Here
By: Patrick Ness
My Rating: 3/5 Liked it, will not read again

 


Aren't we all sick and tired of reading about "the chosen one" by now?  Would you like to see when the rest of us go through when you are suddenly chosen to protect and save the world?  Well, I thought I was ready when I heard about The Rest of us Just Live Here, but I just couldn't fully get into it.

I will say it was an easy read for the most part. The chapters flowed well, the characters grew well, but something just seemed to be missing and I couldn't put my finer on it.  Maybe it was because he called the chosen ones indie kids, maybe it was the random bits of the indie kids lives at the beginning of each chapter.  I don't honestly know.  I do know that I still want to read more of his books, and plan on doing so very soon.

So long story short, if you already are a fan of Patrick Ness, please pick this one up.  If you are new to him and want to start somewhere I recommend picking up one of his other novels first.


Stephanie

 *Want to buy the book to read for yourself? The picture is a referral link to Amazon, and I'll get a small commission if you buy through it. Thank you for your support! 

Thoughtful Thursday #2

Hey Lovely Readers!

I'm back with another thoughtful Thursday!!

I thought I would go with someone that I read last year but never go to finish her series, but plan on doing so this year.  I've picked Lani Taylor, author of Daughter of Smoke and Bone.  I quite liked her first book and am disapointed in myself that I haven't picked up the other two yet, so quotes for today will just be from the first book.

Hope you guys enjoy!

“Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love.
It did not end well.” 
-Lani Taylor, Daughter of Smoke and Bone

 “Your soul sings to mine. My soul is yours, and it always will be, in any world. No matter what happens. I need you to remember that I love you.”
-Lani Taylor, Daughter of Smoke and Bone

“Peace is more than the absence of war. Peace is accord. Harmony.”
-Lani Taylor, Daughter of Smoke and Bone

“Because hope comes from in you, and wishes are just magic.”
-Lani Taylor, Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Ender's Game, A Review about the book (mostly)

Ender's Game
By: Orsan Scott Card
My Rating: 4.5/5 Loved it, will probably read again


This book seems a little intimidating at first, science fiction, space travel, and aliens.  No thanks, I would normally skip over that one.  To be honest, I only picked it up after watching the movie.   My boyfriend actually let me borrow his copy of it after he read it and said it was extremely good, and even better than the movie.  So that got me thinking "huh, I wonder how the book compares to movie."

The first thought I had was "wait, the kids are six?! I don't think they were that young in the movie!"  The answer is no, they did not show them that young.   They start off in battle school, training to fight an inevitable return attack by the Buggers, an alien species that almost wiped out humanity the first round. All of the kids grew up watching videos of the final battle with the Buggers. Then finally a heroic fighter pilot sacrificed him and his fighter jet to blow up the "mother ship" hoping that would put an end to the bloodshed.

Ender is a third child, which was unheard of, during the time in the books and was very uncommon.  Ender grows up before our eyes, and rather quickly.  He is so smart for only being six (must have something to do with being a special third child) and outsmarts bullies that are way larger than him.  His siblings, Valentine and Peter both went to the battle school Ender is in.  Peter failed out for being too quick to turn to violence and Valentine didn't make the cut because she was too kind.

The movie left out most of the subplot about Valentine and Peter, which I understand, but it is a shame.  For kids they are both highly intelligent and think like adults.  They were honestly two of my favorite characters in the whole series. 

With so much action, and a young unknowing hero, I couldn't put this book down and flew threw it.  So if you think this book it too intimidating, like me, just give it a chance!  You may just be surprised, I know I was.

Stephanie 




Want to start the series get the book here.  If you buy the book on Amazon with my link I do get a small commission.  Thank you for your support!!