Ender's Game Book Series

Last Fall I read the whole Ender's game series. I was drawn into the saga with playfulness, popiness, and relaxing Book 1: reading Ender's Game was super fun.

Ender's Game (Book 1)

I didn't expect the series to take such a serious turn (as I neared the ending of the first book), but I have to say that's what kept me reading on and what made me stick with it.
I'm not a fan of Orson Scott Card's writing style. There's something about the way he writes that's annoying to my reading aesthetics. But maybe what applies here is the saying that it's what's inside that matters. The Ender's series is filled with ideas that linger with me even now, months after finishing the series. I keep churning and churning topics like life after death, cyclical nature of the world we live in, probability of existence of a supreme being, meaning of life, urge to procreate, survival of the fittest, relationships, the dark side inside us, choices, free will, space travel, aliens, sibling love, and so on.

Even more surprising to me was how much I liked the Ender's Shadow series. Why? Because I didn't expect to enjoy military strategy and politics. But I did.

Bean's Series (Ender's Shadow)

There are couple of different ways to read the saga - in the order of writing, one series after the other, or you can switch back and forth between Ender's series and Bean's series. I finished all books in Ender's series first and then followed it by Bean's series. There's no right or wrong way to read it.

Another favorite part about these books is LEADERSHIP. There are tons of books written on how to be a good leader and most of them are so dry and boring and very serious (MBA material). In his books, Card reveals the qualities of what I think make up a true leader, along with some of the downfalls that come with it. Sometimes when I think about work and leadership, I think about Bean and Ender. They may be imaginary characters, but to me they're very close as if they were my teachers.

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Intellectual insanity for bookies - compulsive writing that’ll make you a reluctant reader.

The name screams controversy and is stained by the pages of Urban Dictionary and pop culture misrepresentations. Everyone knows the name. Everyone thinks they know the meaning.

The world isn’t black and white. The world is complicated.

That’s what makes this book a difficult read, no matter what your stand is. If you‘re outraged and think there’s only one stand to take, I don’t really care, I say read the book.

How words are used here will leave you breathless. The level of detail when the writer zooms in on the simplest of the simplest things will make you dizzy with appreciation and you’ll want more, yet at the same time you’ll have to force yourself to continue reading. I’ve never experienced such word density as in this book. What a masterful way to tell a story!

When you get to the point when your allegiance changes (or it’s about to), before you’re even able to evaluate it and become aware of it, the book’s over. And if you don’t have friends to turn to and talk about it while it’s fresh in your head, I pity you. This is one read that you will appreciate for what it really is only after verbalizing all the silent impressions imprinted on you from the very moment your eyes glance:

Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta. She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita. 

The Ghost Writer by Phillip Roth

A lot what I would say about the book doesn't belong out in the open (Internet). I enjoyed discussing it with my book club a lot.
The book is packed with hidden, and discovering it can feel like a job. Missing the hidden parts will make this a 'meh' read.

I have to say that I found the book excellent for discussion. I found so much depth in it, I felt if I was to re-read it (which I won't), I would find even more stuff buried in there. But others didn't react to it in the same way. They felt it was a drag to read, not easy to understand, not so interesting.
So, read it - if you like finding depth somewhere were most people find boredom.

Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev

Of course I like books with a strong female character, duh. Remember, this was written in 1862. This book will provide you with couple of cool quotes, and maybe even get you started on wondering why today's young generation doesn't rebel?

Viva la Revolucion!

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

My second time reading this book made me love Sir Henry even more. If you're looking for a timeless, unique, entertaining, deep, philosophical, and unforgettable character, well, get your own, because Sir Henry is all mine.

If that isn't reason enough to read it, let Oscar Wilde be. Nuff said.

Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov

In between insanity and reality, compulsion and love, wealth and rags, fame and insignificance, the format is unique and will surprise you. That isn't the only surprise. Stick through it and find out.

This was the first book read by Liber-T-Rexes when we only had two members, back in the Summer 2010.