Calamity by Brandon Sanderson

I find I have more time to read when I do it on my Kindle. I read while I'm putting my little one to sleep or before I go to sleep at night and don't have to worry about lights. (That's why I love the Kindle Paperwhite--no harsh lights.) I've been on the ebook waiting list for Calamity for a few weeks. But when I saw the paper version sitting on the shelf of the library, I snagged it and thought maybe I'd start reading this one and then pick up when I got the ebook.

Well, I'm still on the waiting list for the ebook version and I finished Calamity last night. Turns out I find time to read better when it's a page turner, which the entire Reckoners series is. It's an entertaining, fun, adventure. Now that I've started to get to know this author, I have a lot more on my TBR list!

The Reckoners series is great because it takes a well-loved theme, superheroes, and gives it a fresh look. The characters are interesting and the story keeps you guessing. The content is clean and appropriate for any kid old enough to read the books, As entertaining as the book is, it's more than that. I'm still thinking about the ending and contemplating what some of it might mean.

Have you read any Brandon Sanderson books? Which ones are your favorites?

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Calamity 
By Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Year: 2016
Ages/Themes: Middle Grade Books, Young Adult Books, Science Fiction, Adventure, Series, Books for Boys

Firefight by Brandon Sanderson

For a few years I happily read and followed along with many of the most popular YA trilogies. I read the Hunger Games, Divergent, and Matched trilogies. But over time, I got really sick of trilogies. I've started some YA series and not moved on to the second book, because I'm weary of the books never ending. I really got sick of it with the Maze Runner series. I found the first book entertaining, but I think that the second book could have told the story in a couple of chapters and been part of the third book. It seems that authors have this great idea for a longer story and they know the ending, but since trilogies are a thing now, they have to come up with something for the middle.

Well, Brandon Sanderson has broken that stereotype for me. I really enjoyed Steelheart, so I was eager to read the second book, Firefight, despite my misgivings about trilogies (and the second book in particular). Firefight continues the story of the Reckoners, but it stands alone as a good story, and has a complete ending along with anticipation for the conclusion. It had important plot developments and character growth. I really can't wait to read the conclusion, but the second book's conclusion left me with a sense of completion that so many second books just don't do anymore.

So, the point of my long rant about trilogies and second books comes to this: read Firefight. It's just as good as Steelheart. It has adventure and humor and great storytelling.

What is your favorite trilogy? Is there one you think could have skipped the second book?

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Firefight
By Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Year: 2015
Ages/Themes: Young Adult Books, Middle Grade Books, Fantasy, Adventure, Science Fiction, Series

Steelheart (The Reckoners) by Brandon Sanderson

Superhero movies and books are abundant these days. There are even superheroes with dark sides. But what if there were people who gained superhero powers, but none of them were good? What if the world was filled with super villains but there were no good guys with super powers to stop them?

I was in the middle of reading two other books when I started reading Steelheart, the first book in The Reckoners series by Brandon Sanderson. I abandoned those and finished this book as quickly as I could. The premise is intriguing, the story was fast-paced and fun, and its full of twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I'll probably reread it someday to see if there's foreshadowing that I missed. The good news is it's part of a series, so there's more to read.

I recommend this book for anyone who likes superheroes, adventures, or alternate worlds (I hesitate to call it a dystopia, but the world is certainly a grimmer place with villains controlling everything). This would be a great book for teenage boys.

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Steelheart
By Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Year: 2013
Ages: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Books for Boys

You can buy this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent library).

The Rule of Thoughts by James Dashner

The Rule of Thoughts is the second book in James Dashner's Mortality Doctrine Series. It picks up right where The Eye of Minds left off and follows Michael and his friends on their quest to stop a computer program from taking over the world. This time they have to navigate the rule world as well as the gaming world, and its anyone's guess which is which.

This book wasn't totally my thing. And sometimes series of books tire me and I crave a book that will stand alone. But as I thought with the first book in the series, young adults who love science fiction or gaming would love this book, and it would be a good choice for otherwise reluctant readers.

I'm pretty sure I'll read the third book, but I need a little break first. What's your favorite series of books? On the other hand, is there a series of books that you feel really should have just been one book?
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The Rule of Thoughts
By James Dashner
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Year: 2014
Ages/Themes: Young Adult Books, SciFi, Gaming

You can buy this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent bookstore.

The Eye of Minds by James Dashner

They Eye of Minds is by James Dashner, the author of the well-known Maze Runner series (two of them have been made into a movie so far). This one has all the same kinds of thrills and adventures, but with a gaming twist. It imagines a world where virtual reality is so real, that gamers actually feel like they're in the game. 

This isn't my regular type of read, and lately I've become a little tired of series (because you never get to the end of the story!). But the ending to this one surprised me and made me want to read the next one.

This would be a great book for young adults who usually prefer video games to books. If you liked the Maze Runner series, you'd probably like this one too.

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The Eye of Minds

By James Dashner

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Year: 2013

Ages: Young Adult

Themes: Science Fiction, Gaming, Thriller, Books for Boys

Find this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent bookstore.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

“You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.” – Madeleine L’Engle

A Wrinkle in Time is one of my favorite books ever. I've put it on every list of books I think everyone should read and I've read it at least once a year since I was about ten years old. I miss it if I don't read it. Thought it is geared toward younger readers, I think every adult should read it too.

I've had a hard time explaining why I love this book so much. It undeniably has some strange elements to it. It's written in very simple language. It begins with a cliche--"It was a dark and stormy night." But I could relate to Meg--awkward, emotional, unpopular, feeling unloved. I think most young girls feel that way. (I'm not sure about the popular pretty girls, because none of them ever talked to me.) Yet in the end, Meg is the hero. She saves her family.

This book is simple enough for children, but has themes complex enough for me to choose it for my adult book club read. If you haven't read it, you should. It needs to be sitting on your bookshelf for your kids to discover and love someday.

What's your favorite book from  your childhood? Do you have a book that you read over and over again?

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A Wrinkle in Time

by Madeleine L'Engle

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Year: 1962

Info: Newbery Award Winner

Ages: Middle Grade, Young Adult

Themes: science fiction, good vs. evil, conformity, family, love

Source: my bookshelf