book recommendations

• "surely you're joking, mr. feynman!": adventures of a curious character by richard p. feynman - autobiography, comedy - approx. 350 pages - rating: ? - comments: i haven't read it yet, but i have heard excerpts and loved them. it is definitely on my christmas wishlist! a review will be posted as soon as possible.
  
  
• the andromeda strain by michael crichton - science fiction - approx. 300 pages - rating: 4 - comments: not quite thrilling, yet refreshing in a scientific sense.

"pastwatch" by orson scott card - this book creates a likely future and an equally likely past all in one. sometime in the future, we have created time machines that can see into the past and may be able to change it. here's what the back says about the book: "in one of the most powerful and thought-provoking novels of his remarkable career, orson scott card interweaves a compelling portrait of christopher columbus with the story of a future scientist who believes she can alter human history from a tragedy of bloodshed and brutality to a world filled with hope and healing."

"the worthing saga" by orson scott card - this book is also set in the future, but at first this seems not to be true. i can't say it better than the back of the book does: "it was a miracle of science that permitted human beings to live, if not forever, then for a long, long time. some people, anyway. the rich, the powerful -- they lived their lives at a rate of one year every ten. somec created two societies: that of people who lived out their normal span and died, and those who slept away the decades, skipping over the intervening years and events. it allowed great plans to be put in motion. it allowed interstellar empires to be built. it came near to destroying humanity. after a long, long time of decadence and stagnation, a few seed ships were sent out to save our species. they carried human embryos and supplies, and teaching robots, and one man. the worthing saga is the story of one of these men, jason worthing, and the world he found for the seed he carried. orson scott card is 'a master of the art of storytelling' (booklist), and the worthing saga is a story that only he could have written."

"the memory of earth" by orson scott card - this book is more for adults, but it's still very good! it's set in the future, but it doesn't seem like the future at all. the earth has been destroyed and planet harmony colonized. there's a machine called the oversoul which is meant to protect the humans down on harmony, mostly from themselves. the oversoul changes the course of life on harmony through its control of data banks and the thoughts of the inhabitants. but the oversoul realizes it's losing access to some memory banks and that some of the power systems are failing. people soon begin to think about wealth, power, and conquest. there are others in the series which you may wish to read as well. the series' name is "homecoming."

"waiting for odysseus" by clemence mclaren - i also recommend this book. it's just as good as "inside the walls of troy." i can't phrase it much better than what it boasts itself: from the moment she first sees the cocky warrior odysseus, penelope knows that one day she will be his wife. what she doesn't know is that odysseus's pride will take him away from her to fight the trojan war. penelope must become an expert at waiting, and it is this waiting that proves to be the ultimate test of her courage, patience--and love. i cut their version short, but you get the point. this is, like "inside the walls of troy," told by the women. it's great!

"seventh son" by orson scott card - i've read all five books in this series (alvin maker series) and i've heard that there are more in the making. the series deals with an alternate history of america (and the rest of the world)... with one twist: knacks. i liked this series a lot and i can't wait to read the next one when it comes out!

"kane and abel" by jeffrey archer - this book follows the lives of two men born at the same time shortly before 1900, one starting out in poland, the other in the united states. it's very interesting to see how the life of an immigrant compares to that of a man raised in wealth.

"sarah: women of genesis" by orson scott card - his latest work proves once again to be great! as you might have guessed by the title, this book sort of follows sarah and abraham from the book of genesis and adds in personal details. i have three more things to say for this book: read it, read it, read it!

"the adventures of ulysses" by bernard evslin - this book is about, as you've probably already surmised by the title, ulysses, a leader of the greek forces in ancient times and his travels after becoming lost--it's quite interesting!

“the giver” by lois lowry - this book gives us an idea how different life could be! everything is different in their world. while it’s somewhat hard to follow for a younger audience, i think many teens would enjoy it!

"inside the walls of troy" by clemence mclaren - i highly recommend this book! for those of you out there who would rather have a woman tell history, this is the book for you. here's what the book has to say for itself: helen is renouned as the most beautiful woman in the world. her divine beauty will lead her to a lifetime of adventure--from being kidnapped at age 12, through her arranged marriage, to a passionate affair that will ultimately bring about the trojan war. cassandra, the sister of helen's true love, has the gift, or curse, of predicting the future. when she forsees the ruin of her family and city, caused by helen's arrival in troy, she is outraged. yet cassandra cannot help being drawn to helen, and as the war rages around them, the two young women develop a deep friendship. through their eyes, the classic tale of the trojan war and its mythic cast of heroes is romantically, grippingly told. (can i say much more?)

"mara, daughter of the nile" by eloise jarvis mcgraw - this book, set in ancient egypt, includes a proud and beautiful slave girl who has always wanted freedom, and those who will help her gain it. but... freedom does not come easily! she finds herself acting as a spy for two enemies, and it's only a matter of time before she is discovered. she is in love with one, but he is not the one who can grant her freedom. her life and egypt's fate are at stake.

"the kitchen god's wife" by amy tan - now this was a good book. it's a tale of how a mother suffers in china in the early 90's and eventually ends up giving birth to pearl, the main character, to whom the story is being told. i'd recommend this book to just about anyone 15 (just because if he or she was any younger than that, s/he might not get as involved with the story and wouldn't enjoy it as much), but mainly women because they may identify with it more easily.

"ella enchanted" by gail carson levine - this book is about a girl who has a curse put on her and it must be removed--it's also very good!

"the phantom tollbooth" by norton juster - this book is about a boy who travels into a world of puns...very funny!

"where the red fern grows" - oh this is one great story! it's about a little boy who, through perserverance, gets two hunting hounds. it's a seeming utopia, until tragedy strikes. read for yourself! it's great!

“the moorchild” by eloise mcgraw - this book is set in an earlier time, though an entirely different society. it includes invisible creatures and would be interesting for young audiences as well as adults.

“the true confessions of charlotte doyle” by avi - this book is set back in the 1800’s, but it’s not dreary, that’s for sure! charlotte witnesses a death and records it in her diary her father requires her to keep. she is unable to escape, for she is aboard a ship bound for the united states. this is an action-packed adventure! it may be unsuitable for a younger audience, but only for the violence (i’m not sure about the language, but i don’t believe there is any vulgarity.)

"old yeller" - this is another classic and wonderful tale! set "way back when," this story of a boy and his dog takes us back to the days out on the plains. it's another great story!

"sabriel" by garth nix - this book is almost set in the past... it deals with magic and, i guess you could say it, the 'afterlife'--the dead aren't dead anymore. though the actual writing itself wasn't the best (there are better, but... there certainly are worse), the tale itself was enjoyable--good enough to keep me reading!

"holes" by louis sachar - this book is about a juvenile delinquent who's sent to a juvenile detention center--his family has a history of bad luck, and that comes into play. good book!

"z for zachariah" by robert c. o'brien - this book is about a girl who survives a nuclear radiation disaster and her life thereafter--it's very interesting!

"captain kate" by carolyn reeder - this book is about a teenage girl and her step-brother that are trying to help their boating family earn their keep during the revolutionary war. it really gives you something to think about by showing you how different life was then.

"time capsule," edited by donald r. gallo - this is a collection of stories through the eyes of teens growing up throughout the century.

roald dahl - i read all of his books for children when i was younger and i loved them! famous books of his include: james and the giant peach, matilda, and the bfg (short for big friendly giant).

a good place to shop for books is amazon.com