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Book Reviews

This is a list of book reviews and summaries of those I read.

Date	When I finished the book
	My rating out of five

Things they carried - Tim O' Brian (5/2000) This book was a little gory for my taste, but gave a crisp view of Vietnam combat. I came out more knowledgeable about Vietnam and a little happier to be a civilian. The underlying theme seems to be that the soldiers carry more than just the load on their backs. Their minds act as ever filling suitcases.

Cuckoos Nest (2000) This was a book written by a crazy person about crazy people, and just might make you a little crazier by the time you're done. The author actually put himself on illegal narcotics while writing to help him relate with the schizophrenic narrator. He welcomes us into the evil asylum of the big nurse Ratchet. She runs the place like a smooth machine, dehumanizing everyone she controls. Instead of healing the patients, she actually "emasculates" them, destroying who they are. Then, a cool character, comes into the place, figuring that it's better than the manual labor term he was serving. He decides to help the men reclaim their pride, but finds out that big nurse it the last person he wants to pick a fight with. It left me sad and depressed, yet, it was still a gripping story.

Animal Farm - George Orwell (2000) A horrible depressing novel, in my opinion. The concept is funny: A bunch of animals take over a farm from oppresive humans. The pigs soon become leaders, and are just as oppresive as the humans. You may root for the animals to win, or for the good donkey to stay alive, but nothing but a sad ending will be your consolation. It's an interesting depiction of the Russian revolution, but a far cry from a fun book to read.

Night - Elie Wiesel (2000) This book was fun to read, although quite depressing. It was a true fairly short novel of a Jewish family in Nazi Germany going from a middle class lifestyle to a brutal death camp experience. This book will leave you with a first hand understanding of the horror those Jews went through. Through Elie's eyes, you will friends and family frantically trying to pass "selection" so they're deemed worthy to work. Then, by the truck load, you will see his friends burned in huge furnaces called creamatories. Elie Tries to pass every test thrown at him, battling with the guards, the lord, and himself, and leaves the camp a hollow man within. So, it's depressing, yet enjoyable and educating.

Scarlet Letter (1999) Nasty old English. I don't recommend this one unless you're a medieval enthusiast. Hard to follow writing with a dull story, this book is about a nice girl who happens to be a widely hated adulteress in a puritan society.

Hostage - Edward Myers (8/2000) This was a fairly short, fun to read adventure book. It shows how even young people can learn valuable lessons about life in a traumatic situation.

Star Trek Voyager: Mosaic - Jeri Taylor (8/2000) This was my first Star Trek book, and I enjoyed it a lot. For any Star Trek enthusiast, I'd imagine it's great to know a detailed past of a vital character like Janeway. This is the "untold story" of Kathryn Janeway, which reveals a lot of things including what happened to her father and fiancee in a shipwreck, how she got good at tennis when she was little. Also, it links to the next generation when Janeway met Data on mars when she was little and had a date with Riker when she was older. While learning about Janeway, I also learned some things about being a leader. The book was deep, action packed, and fun to read.

Star Trek Voyager: Violations - Susan White (9/2000) This was tense book about interplanetary politics. Janeway and her crew try to battle pointless bureaucracy, in order to get their stolen processor back. I found it comparatively dull to other star trek books, yet it had it's moments, and was worthwhile to see more thoughts within the minds of characters. I also learned that the doctor's name is "Zimmerman." It's used all over the book!

Full House/Michelle: April Fools (9/2000) A cute book about how Michelle learns that jokes aren't always funny. It was fun to read, but a little predictable.

Nancy Drew: The Key in the Pocket Carolyn Keene (9/2000) This book was a mystery, where I found out that Nancy Drew is almost as shady as the people she's trying to bust. She does everything from sneak into a school to lie for the information she wants. I was faced with lots of boring trivia about vintage clothing, and this old family she was trying to piece together from only a bank deposit box receipt and a key in a coat she bought. I must admit though, she had a tough mystery on her hands.

Hardy Boys: Training for Trouble - Franklin W. Dixon (9/2000) This book had a lot of action in it, and a lot of suspense, yet a lot of it was about futile things, such as a van that was following them, which ended up being a reporter. It did have it's share of danger, and was pretty gripping.

Star Trek Voyager: Crystillis (9/2000) This book was about an ancient civilization and religion on a planet. Natives enter a state of utter unconcious euphoria or what is called the "long sleep," before their "awakening," after a long time. When the crew lands on the planet, they begin to feel the pleasant effects. When crew members start to fall themselves, transport doesn't work, and the natives become hostile, Janeway's got a pickle on her hands. I'd say it's the most I've heard the word "pray" mentioned in a Star Trek book. It was sort of fun to imagine the crew becoming one with the planet, as they scrambled to find a cure before they all fell asleep. At least the planet meant no harm!

Star Trek Next Generation: A Rock and a Hard Place - Peter David (9/2000) I found this to be a very good book. It was full of action, as well as a lot of things to be learned about the characters. It goes into the inward love affair of Troi and Riker, Data's quest for humanity, this crazy and funny guy named Stone's psyche, and Picard's strength. Also, diplomatic tactic I learned is never go back on an order for crew's morale sake. Although this was the longest star trek book I've ever read, I still couldn't find myself able to put it down even until the very end. Somehow, Peter David works magic here to present a lot of information while keeping my interest with a lot of action. It probably also helps that the next generation is my favorite star trek series.

Adventures in Odyssey: Passages 5: Draven’s Defiance - Paul McCusker (2001) - I was surprised that this story about the kingdom of west Marus was set in near-present times with machine guns, clocks, solar power, cars, and television. The most intriguing part about the book is that it's set on another world parallel to ours, created by the same God. Although technology is present, these are biblical times for Marus, and the main character (warped from our earth) finds himself helping God or "The Unseen One” do his work beginning with the restoration wtih time. One thing it lacked was detailed description. It was still fun to read, but many questions were left unanswered at the end. Also, the next work in the series features a whole new set of characters.

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Last Updated: January 24, 2001