The Dune series RULES

I finally read book 3 in the Dune chronicles, Children of Dune. The life of the Fremen on Arrakis aka Dune is my kind of life. MAN I have never wanted to live in a desert and ride giant worms and drink water out of dead humans more than I did when I read this book....except for when I read the other two. Children of Dune has a lot of interesting philosophy to it; the children the title refers to are the children of Maud'ib, who was the prophet/savior/king of Dune. They are "pre-borns", meaning their mother was addicted to the spice when she was preggo with them, and participated in spice overdoses while preggo. This made the children aware of themselves in the womb, and aware of and able to communicate with all their ancestors. It is pretty cool. Their fear is succumbing to one of their ancestors (who live in their mind essentially) and having their body taken over by them, becoming an "abomination". If they were to ever overdose on Spice, there is a possibility that this would happen. Anyway, since they are so aware of themselves and eternities, they discuss existence and prescience a lot, which is a great read. Cuz it makes you think. Haha. Duh. The twins' Grandmother, aunt and the mother of a local prince plot against them, and the result is another great Dune book. Love it!

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Okay at the risk of sounding like an obsessed fan I might have to tone down my absolute love for Brandon Sanderson's style. . . . Or not! He is so great at creating life like characters in worlds that exceed my imagination. He infuses real-world issues into fantasy worlds that make me never want to put the book down.

In this book, we follow the main characters (Sarene, Raoden, and Hrathen) on journey of love, power, and religious beliefs. Each character struggles to overcome personal issues and find their true selves. In the end, each is left better for it. I marvel at Sanderson's ability to humanize all his characters even the "evil" ones. His abiltiy to blur the line between good and evil creates an intense plot line that keeps you guessing until the very end. I can never figure out where he is taking his plot, and I love his books all the more for it. Everyone please pick up this book and start reading like yesterday.

Pretties, Uglies, That's where I stopped.

Pretties and Uglies belongs to a four book series. I lost interest after Uglies. They're quick reads and decent plot lines. It is a young adult series, and it is quit apparent that it's targeted toward teens and tweens. The plot is easy to guess, but an enjoyable way to loose yourself in teenage drama for a couple of hours. I recommend it if you're looking for a quick beach/lake/camping read. But don't get your hopes up for any super revelation; the message of the book sticks right on the surface. If you like digging for meaning I'd probably pick up some Shakespeare or Hardy.

Female Chauvinist Pigs by Ariel Levy

I recently read this book, and I though the review below described it better than I ever could.

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. What does sexy mean today? Levy, smartly expanding on reporting for an article in New York magazine, argues that the term is defined by a pervasive raunch culture wherein women make sex objects of other women and of ourselves. The voracious search for what's sexy, she writes, has reincarnated a day when Playboy Bunnies (and airbrushed and surgically altered nudity) epitomized female beauty. It has elevated porn above sexual pleasure. Most insidiously, it has usurped the keywords of the women's movement (liberation, empowerment) to serve as buzzwords for a female sexuality that denies passion (in all its forms) and embraces consumerism. To understand how this happened, Levy examines the women's movement, identifying the residue of divisive, unresolved issues about women's relationship to men and sex. The resulting raunch feminism, she writes, is a garbled attempt at continuing the work of the women's movement and asks, how is resurrecting every stereotype of female sexuality that feminism endeavored to banish good for women? Why is laboring to look like Pamela Anderson empowering? Levy's insightful reporting and analysis chill the hype of what's hot. It will create many aha! moments for readers who have been wondering how porn got to be pop and why feminism is such a dirty word.

This book did just that. There were so many times when I would look up from the book and say out loud "OMG she is right!" or "Ah, I see!" or something like that. It was an eyeopener. I didn't realize there were so many contradictions in today's idea of Feminism. Before reading it, I had not been able to decide if exhibitionism can really be empowering, even if some women feel empowered, and this book really helped me sort out how I feel about it (objectification!). It also made me realize more and more that it is not okay for men to call someone a pussy, or tell a woman to "man up" and the like. It is demeaning! This book will enlighten you, and I strongly suggest everyone of every gender read it!

The Gathering Storm, Brandon Sanderson & Robert Jordan

I thought I would continue on the Brandon Sanderson theme. I recently re-read the Wheel of Time series when the 12th book was released, so I was primed and ready to take Brandon Sanderson for a test drive, to see if his writing style held up the the great Robert Jordan. OMG did it ever. Don't get me wrong, I love Jordan's style, but books 8 & 9 were slower and even boring at points. 10 & 11 were much better, but Sanderson's voice was a breath of fresh air. He brought the focus back to the characters we love, he rounded out their personalities more, and brought more humor to the book. It was non-stop enjoyment. Actually I could not stop reading it. When I wasn't, it was all I was thinking about. Haha. Creepy? Whatever. I love book. This book had some great turns and great action; thank goodness Mrs.Jordan chose Sanderson to complete one of the best series of all time. I have complete faith the remaining 3 books will be fantastic. Go read them!!

Warbreaker By Brandon Sanderson

A This book is absolutely amazing. Brandon Sanderson does not disappoint. It has it all: action, love, religion, friendship. Sanderson has the ability to pull multiple events into one grand finale that even the most intelligent book aficionados will not be able to guess. His characters are witty, naive, and strong. Halladren is world of color surrounded in a shroud of secrets. If I could read all day, I never would have put the book down,but I also never wanted it to end. I hope he makes this book a series! An even more unique aspect of this novel is the fact that he put his entire creative process and the final version of Warbreaker on his website. You can read it for FREE! And for that Mr. Sanderson, I salute you.

http://www.brandonsanderson.com/portal/Warbreaker

The Lost Symbol~Dan Brown

B+ Dan Brown's most recent novel is a riveting thrill ride through our nation's capital.Professor Langdon is once again racing the clock to save a nation from exposure to ancient and modern evil. I couldn't put this book down; however, I found that it was simply a carbon copy of The Da Vince Code and Angels and Demons. Don't get me wrong, I love those novels as well, but after learning to expect the unexpected, I anticipate the conclusion of the novel in the middle. I refused to believe that I could have figured out Dan Brown's twist, but alas it was true. So I would have given the book an A-; however, he did take severe liberties with flourished language and lengthy prose. I could let this slide except for the fact that he had a CIA agent use the word penultimate. Really, Dan Brown? This is almost as offensive as having Professor Langdon survive a fatal fall from a helicopter in Angels and Demons. Would it have really hurt to have the CIA agent think "second to last" instead of penultimate? It is really great to know that you have an expansive vocabulary but anyone who uses the word penultimate is simply showing off, and for that you get a B+!