Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy





This is the first time since middle school that I have listened to any type of audio broadcasting. It is certainly a big change from just reading a book. It changes the feel compared to silence. I would rather read this in comic form because it would make it easier for me to read. I tend to get lost quite easily when things don't go at my own pace. I think anyone could agree with that!

Listening to this made me crack up! The sarcastic nature of the narrator constantly made me laugh out loud. I have always liked thick sarcasm and sardonic senses of humor. At other moments I would get kind of lost in the conversation. Like the word "Beetle Juice" was mentioned and I just kept thinking of the movie. The narrator pretty much makes fun of humans and how flawed they actually are. I agree with this because we are flawed and sometimes it just amazes me how stupid people can actually be.

The longer I listened to this audio the more I was confused. The narrator makes the man of the tale seem that he is slightly bonkers. The man is constantly trying to explain his situation to the people around him, and most of them are in denial. I like this audio because it makes me think about how the story is told and the way the people in the story act.

All in all I liked it. I would much rather read it myself because it appeals more to me. I am able to imagine the scenarios the way I want them to be in my head. Thats why I believe that books should not be made into movies. They absolutely butcher the movies and it makes people like me, who actually read the book very angry. Books are made books for a reason! I'm sorry I just think that things should be left how they were initially intended. Sadly this world only cares about money and greed, so they try everything they can to make a buck.

I recommend listening to this if you want to constantly giggle to yourself, or even laugh out loud! It is definitely a different experience.

The Handmaid's Tale




Let me just say this book is wrong on so many levels..

Offred is a Handmaid in what is known as the Republic of Gilead, and it is a totalitarian and theocratic state that has now replaced the United States. Due to extremely low reproduction rates, Handmaids are made to reproduce children for elite couples. They must do this because most of the women of the elite "Commanders" are unable to have children. So they must partake in a wordless intercourse with the commander while his wife copies what might be called sexual intercourse. This place restricts women's freedom, so they are only allowed to leave the house to go shopping, and basically have no privacy at all in their life.

Offred wasn't always a Handmaid though. There was a time that she had a family before all of this hell broke loose. They had planned to escape this type of ruling and try to live a better life. However, they were caught and Offred was separated from her husband and her daughter. She barely recalls the memories of that time due to what the Eyes did to her. The Eyes are the spies of this type of government. Throughout the book the Eyes are secretly keeping an eye on her. It is absolutely horrible!!

 This book actually made me incredibly angry at how these women were treated. They are basically walking sperm banks that are made for old men's convenience. Not only that but the church is a big player in this. They condemn women and men for the slightest crime as they see fit. They display hanging corpses out in the open for everyone to see, which sends all of them a message. Its actually kind of scary because this book was written and published a long time ago. To actually see what was going around in this authors head must have been wild. It makes me think that this could ultimately happen one day. Well I will be damned that I would let this happen to me!

Despite how angry some chapters made me, this was an excellent book! I didn't really like the way that it ended though. It was a definite cliffhanger. When I got to the end I was like, "What! thats it?" I wish that this book would be made into a series!It makes you think that we actually have it pretty good compared to most places. We don't know how cruel our world can be. I hope we never have to experience them either.

Dawn



This book went by amazingly fast! It pulled me in right from the beginning. It is a fast paced novel that will have you guessing at every turn of the page. I enjoy books like this because I am able to quickly read them and enjoy them.

This book is about Lilith Lyapo, who is a human found in the Andes Mountains, and is brought back to life through biochemically induced Hybernation. The ones who brought her back are known as the Oankali, who are extraterrestrials. The Oankali are are who are left after there was a nuclear war on Earth which caused the near-extinction of the human race and also 80% of the population. What the Oankali want is to colonize thw world with hybrids of humans and Oankali.

This part of the book freaked me out because there were three different types of genders, man, woman, and the Ooloi. The Ooloi are able to change the genetic make up of their bodies to fit either sex. They also have powers that seductive neural stimulate and also they can basically read minds. Breeding with the Oankali produces offspring that are genetically altered in numerous ways. This makes me squirm!! It makes me this way because I believe it isn't right to genetically alter children. They should be born in their original states. When everything is chosen for them they no longer posses their own individuality.

Another reason why I'm creeped out is because this book makes me think of Splice, a scary movie. In the movie these two scientists genetically engineer this life form from the genetic materials of different species. The product of their experimentation is a creature that rapidly develops physically as well as mentally. It eventually becomes slightly human, but much more dangerous. It is able to change its gender because of it inner molecular structure. Long story short this movie scares the hell out of me! It strengthens my reasoning behind genetic altering because something can always go wrong. There are certain boundaries in this world that are not meant to be crossed. However, people today are certainly pushing them to the breaking point.

This book was really good and I plan to read the other books that come after this first novel. I believe there are two more!

Space Opera

Shards of Honor

This book was also one of the genres that I usually do not pick for my preferences. It was slow to me at first, but then it gradually started to pick up. I typically don't read this type of genre, but I gave it a shot. It wasn't that bad actually. It just took me some time to get into it.

The story kicks off instantly. Usually when reading books they don't always start off with a drastic event, however this one did. Our main character, Cordelia and her crew are exploring a new world, and then her camp is attacked. She is shocked to see a solider that she has never seen before, and ends up hitting her head on a rock and rendering her unconscious. When she eventually comes to, she discovers that most of her crew has escaped, but now she is stranded with two men. One of the men is an injured crewman of her ship and the other is Captain Lord Aral and is is known as the "Butcher of Komarr", but he is there because he was seen as a traitor where he was from.

They all end up working together to hike to a secret Barrayaran base to seek help. Along the way Cordelia slowly starts to change her opinion of Aral as she starts to see his true character. She soon realizes that her is nothing like the stories say, and that he is not cruel an ruthless. She soon finds herself having feelings for him, and he also has mutual feelings toward her. What eventually happens is that he asks her to marry him and she says yes. Things aren't as easy as they seem because Cordelia must try to get her crew and the people to understand that Aral is not dangerous. She wants to marry him without having problems with the others.

To me the romance was a little bit too sudden. It reminded me of the classic good girl likes bad boy scenario. All in all it was a pretty good book and an easy read. I just wish that the romance could have developed in a deeper way. I like when things get a little crazy. It helps develop an attachment to the characters and makes you become even more immersed in the book.

Snow Crash



This is the first book that I have ever read from Neal Stephenson, and it was quite interesting. When I first started to read it, it seemed to move at a slow pace. However, it started to pick up quite nicely and it eventually became a pretty fast read!

From the beginning of the book I would get confused by the main characters name, Hiro Protagonist. I didn't really understand why the author would choose this name, but I have seen my fair share of odd names in literature. I liked how this book delved into the nightclub scenes and everything that goes on. This is the perfect setting for the book and it unfold beautifully! Honestly I prefer settings like this one because I am able to get a feeling of mystery and anxiousness. These feelings help build my interest for what is going to happen next. I also enjoy this type of setting because I am able to relate to the scenery, and how it happens in real life. I usually don't like when a place or setting is too far from reality because I become disconnected from the book.

The story itself was very good and I am tempted to read it again. I say this because I believe that there are certain parts of the book that I became a little foggy on. It didn't keep me from finishing it though. Throughout the book I kept remembering two other books that I have read a couple of years back that relate to this book. The books are called Unwind, and Little Brother. They both involve a world that is thrown into hectic chaos, due to crazy genetic altering as well as major hacking. Both of these books are great reads and I highly suggest them!

This book and it's characters kept throwing me in circles because it was hard to distinguish some of the interrelationships that they had. The world that they live in is also very different from what I would usually read about. Hiro has a business card that states he is last of the worlds "freelance" hackers and Greatest sword fighter in the world. This kid was delivering pizza for the Mafia!! when has that actually become a thing?! There is also a virus for electronics that is also a drug for human consumption, how does that even work?! Regardless, this book had twist and turns that had me hanging on the edge. All the terms that I find normal in reality are completely skewed in this book. It has me asking myself if it is actually like what the book says, or is what I think actually a lie?

Babel 17



Let me start by saying I have never read anything in this genre before. It isn't something that I would typically choose to read for my personal enjoyment. However, I read this book and actually liked it. I also admit I have never watched any of the Star Wars movies. I think that I might have missed out by not watching them because I think that if I read them I might have a way better understanding of this type of unfamiliar genre.

Babel 17 was a very quick read. You become immersed in the characters world right away and are able to see the relationships between each of the characters. This book was quite different from the books I have read involving outside influences on the main character. Usually the influences are good or bad, and in this case it is both. Usually when a character faces a dilemma or dangerous decision you see the inner struggle of the choices of good and evil. In this book our lead character is actually affected by the influence of her crew that alerts her to the unknown danger she is getting into.

I really like this twist because I don't really see it n many of the books that I read. I like it because it adds more depths to the crew around Cordelia and their relationship. I think its also cool to read about the types of cool "body mods" or body modifications. One of the crew members even has a tail!

What is also quite different about this book is that it is about language. It is a type of language that is extremely dangerous to even speak of. Cordelia specializes in different types of languages and just so happens to discover it. I have never read a book that was based on a language that jeopardizes the world. It is something that is probably not seen in many other literature works beside this.

Due to this factor I slowly lost interest in it. It isn't due to the author's style or the plot of the book, it is just not my cup of tea if you know what I mean. It is kind of difficult to read something that is completely out of your general genre zone. However, by reading this book I was able to enjoy some of the highlights of this genre. I enjoyed the fact that it was on a planet that was unknown to me. I like when a book tells of a place that doesn't truly exist because then I am able to imagine and envision the space to what I think it might look like. Someone else could see it completely different, and that's what makes it so great!! It offers the reader another dimension while going through the story with the characters.

Night Circus



This was actually a pretty fast read for me. Right from the start is pulls you in with all of these intricate details. Then it trows you for a loop when the characters actually have crazy powers that they harness with their minds. I really enjoyed the details that the author gave throughout the book. I have always enjoyed major details as well as small ones. I have always had a knack for remembering those minute details that usually get quickly overlooked. And what makes it better is that those details usually end up becoming a major key in the book. Also with details that are so small I have a knack for remembering them perfectly. I think books that lack detail are less appealing to me as a reader and I slowly start to lose interest. When it seems to drag on and not really set a mood for the setting or the characters, I tend to stop reading it.

I also enjoyed the story line! I always love books that involve a fight to survive. In this case it would be a duel between two very powerful teenagers. Sadly they are just pawns in this cruel world they have grown up in. They have been trained over the years to hone their skills in the hope of their teachers to win this duel. However, these two end up getting together despite their teacher's knowledge.

This book kind of reminds me of Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I say this because in both books the characters are faced with life risking challenges for the sake of other peoples enjoyment. They are faced to fight to the death against each other. They also end up unwittingly falling in love with the ones that could be a dangerous threat. While facing such dangerous obstacles the characters are drawn or forced to help each other with the hope of survival. I recommend both books for anyone who enjoys awesome fight scenes and unexpected romance!

Knowing this, I really enjoyed this book and what unfolds within it. I think for some the beginning might seem to drag on with all these crazy details, but it really adds to the feeling of the book and the spaces around the characters. I also think it was really great to start with the father's past and introducing his daughter, which was an unknown element to him at the time. He learns quickly that she possesses the same powers as him, if not stronger. This is when the unyielding training unfolds on his daughter, our main character. She plays as his pawn from the very beginning.

All in all I truly enjoyed this book, it was quite refreshing!