An Assortment Of Bookish Links

Everything you need to know about life, you learn from Jane Austen - a feature in the Huffington Post. Including quotes from Pride and Prejudice ("Humiliation is the fastest way of growing up.") and Emma ("Listening to people's stories is the nicest thing you can do for them."), I did smile - wryly - at the chosen quotes. The movie for Ender's Game (announced last year) is going to start shooting early next year. However, they are planning on converting it to a youth-oriented franchise. Uh-oh...

...and another uh-oh moment: Superman has renounced his American citizenship to be a citizen of the world. Truth, justice and the American way - will that morph to truth, justice or the American Way? Sorry! Couldn't resist...

A link which I re-discovered recently (it's an old old link), while cleaning up my bookmarks: Khol decides to prove Steve Jobs wrong, by reading more than a book a month. Fair enough, but - since then, the iPad's come out, and the considering that iBooks is an integral part of it.... Don't get me wrong, I am a big Apple-o-phile (or Mac-addict), but this did surprise me, as I'd completely forgotten the way Big Steve dismissed the Kindle/e-reading.

Jamie Lee Wallace discusses the ten ways journaling makes one a better writer. Have you ever kept a journal? Do you think it makes you a better writer?! I maintained my journal for about twelve years (since I was ten), but I barely write anymore. I need to return to it.

And finally, read this article at the Harvard Crimson that I can so relate to, because honestly - I could have written it! I've always said that it's because of mum that I'm into reading, and she's the reason why I love books. However, when I was about fifteen, our literary worlds took different paths, and now, she and I read very different books. She still hasn't forgiven me for recommending Never Let Me Go, and I haven't forgiven her for singing high praises of The Kite Runner. Of course, there will be times when both of us will reach for the same Nabokov or the same book by Rohinton Mistry, but... How about you? Have you ever felt the same way?

Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game

I picked up this book as part of the Take A Chance Challenge, under Challenge#3: Birth Year Book: "Find a book that was published or copyrighted in the year of your birth. Read the book and write about it." For better or for worst, I was born in 1985, and as I haven't read much fantasy this year, I opted for this gem of a book, and I must say it was a great choice. I loved the book, and it makes me wonder why I don't read more fantasy.

Ender, the protagonist, is six years old when the book starts, and, deemed a genius. A 'third', i.e. the third offspring in a day and age where only two children are allowed, Ender is 'special' - the government requested his parents to have a third child, due to their exceptional genes. The first two children were both 'monitored', but due to minor inadequacies, they were deemed not good enough.

What does the government want little geniuses for? To train in battle, lest the "buggers" (an alien civilization that resembles insects) invade again, and this time, everyone's running scared despite humanity prevailing stronger in both the previous invasions. Humans need a strong leader, a capable one, and Ender is chosen, after being closely monitored by the government, by literally having a monitor "installed" on him.

The characters are extremely well-drawn, be it six year old Ender, his old brother Peter, and their sister, Val - or - Ender's friends from battle school. Dink and Petra remain two favorites, whereas Bean was almost a repeat of Ender's character.

While the book is far-fetched, there is a strong feeling of reality as Ender's character grows and matures, and swings between different emotional states, as people continuously toy with him. He's not perfect, but, he does what he's meant to better than anyone else.

And this is Ender's journey, training in battle, playing 'games' with fellow genius children, battling it out, and aiming for just one thing: winning. But as the government and the teachers keep changing the rules, to test Ender further and further, one wonders: is Ender going to make it, or will he succumb to his darkest nightmares?

Rating: 4