Reading two books this week:

Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card

The Caves of Steel, by Isaac Asimov

Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card

I started reading Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy, got 2 chapters in and kinda gave up. I know it's supposed to be amazing but i just didnt like the writing style. Wierdly first person with a disjointed flow to it all, unsure if that's deliberate or just McCarthy's writing style.

Instead, started reading Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card. Good so far, but it seems like it's more skewed for a young audience, which i didn't expect from all the recommendations

EDIT: OH, and finally finished OathBringer, by Brandon Sanderson. Seriously good read, the last 12% of the book was so gripping

Finished:

Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card

Damn this book was incredible. Can't believe it took me so long to read it. Particularly loved the ending.

Started:

Speaker for the Dead, by Orson Scott Card

Basically spent the entirety of Saturday binge reading this. About two thirds of the way through right now and I think it might be even better than Ender's Game. I'm really impressed at how well both books stand on there own, while still very clearly being interconnected.

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome, by Mary Beatd

I don't read all that much nonfiction typically but I've been wanting to get around to this one for years. Really quite enjoying it so far, especially as someone who has always had a fascination with Ancient Rome.

The Fifth Season, by N.K. Jemisin

Literally just started this. I haven't even finished the prologue, but I already quite like the writing style.

Started:

The Gunslinger, by Stephen King

The Invisible Empire; racism in canada, by Margaret Cannon

Finished (last week or the week before?):

Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card

I finished:

• Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card as a library audiobook.

• Vox, by Christine Dalcher as an owned physical book.

I was enrapt by Ender’s Game. The only parts that had me a bit glazed over were the military and battle specific descriptions. But it was never too much.

Vox disappointed me. Top marks for concept. Horrible execution. Characters were not interesting. How the situation came to be was never explained. The task the main character was procured to accomplish was so slap-dash. You felt like it was going to be drawn out and further conflict with intrigue, but it was over so quickly and was confusing.

This week:

• The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt as a library audiobook.

• Bright Dead Things, by Ada Limon as an owned physical book.

• Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery as an owned physical book.

Still not sure about the Goldfinch but it’s an audiobook so I just turn it on whenever.

Still not sure about Anne of Green Gables because I might not be in the mood for it.

Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card

started Hyperion, by Dan Simmons really good so far, was a bit difficult to get started but it really flows once you get into it.

Also finished Enders Game, by Orson Scott Card. Definitely worth a read but i'm still unclear why it's rated as a pinnacle of scifi. Probably for the same reason I can't appreciate Citizen Kane as so many movies have used the tropes and style that the movie created

Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card

I finished:

• The Maze Runner, by James Dashner as a library, audiobook

• All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque as an owned, physical book #theunreadshelfproject2019

• Some Say: Poems, by Maureen N McLane as an owned, physical book #theunreadshelfproject2019

I was not inspired to continue the series after The Maze Runner. It took too long to get to the story and by the time I got there it was cryptic and not interesting enough. Also, the characters were frustrating.

All Quiet on the Western Front was a rewarding read. I'd never read it in high school though I was required to. The prose was easy and beautiful. The inner dialogue profound. The action jarring. What a powerful novel. I won't soon forget it.

Some Say: Poems was just a poetry book on my shelf. I've been getting into poetry the past couple years. After finishing my two other books over the weekend, I used this to fill in. Her poetry covered several topics and heavily employed nature, especially the sun. I definitely had emotional reactions to a few, so I loved it. Not everything did it for me, but it read beautifully anyway.

This week:

• Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card as a libary, audiobook

• Vox, by Christina Dalcher as an owned, physical book #theunreadshelfproject2019

Undecided for this week:

• Dance of Thieves, by Mary E Pearson as a library, audiobook

• Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery as an owned, physical book #theunreadshelfproject2019

• Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott as a library, eBook

For Dance of Thieves, I didn't realize this was a spin-off and I haven't read the original series, but it became available on Libby. So, I might look through my TBR on there to see what's available now and pick something at random.

For Little Women or Anne of Green Gables, I'm still just undecided. Hopefully I pick one up and I get sucked in.

I finished Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, By Jonathan Safran Foer, which was very good, and River of Teeth, by Sarah Gailey, which was not. The later is a novella that serves as the first third of this month's bookclub, and I'll be stopping there.

I also finished Letters to John Glenn, by John Glenn, which I'd been picking at for almost three years. A selection of letters sent to Glenn after his Friendship 7 flight in 1962, it's a mix of amusing, moving, and downright insane views. It's a great book to pick up and read a few pages out of every week or two.

I'm actually covering two weeks in this post, since I never got around to it last week. I was feeling pretty sick for a while, and decided to relax by jumping into the Ender saga, reading Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card, Ender's Shadow, by Orson Scott Card, Shadow of the Hegemon, by Orson Scott Card, and the first half of Ender in Exile, by Orson Scott Card.

I've set down Exile for the time being, as I think it'll be better to read it after the rest of the Shadow series. The first two of Shadow haven't been all that gripping, despite being recommended as better than the Ender thread (except maybe Speaker?), so I'm not sure if I will finish them. My plan now is to read Speaker and decide whether I continue the series based on that one. From what I've heard I've probably gotten the bits I'm least likely to enjoy out of the way already, so I am hoping it will take an upturn for me.

The Final Call: Hockey Stories from a Legend in Stripes, by Kerry Fraser

Ender's Game (Ender's Saga, #1), by Orson Scott Card

A War of Gifts (Ender's Saga #1.1), by Orson Scott Card