Lone Survivor

Title: Lone Survivor - The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of Seal Team 10

Authors: Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson

Pages: 386

Genre: Non-fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This is the account of Operation Redwing, a counter-insurgent mission that took place in Afghanistan in 2005. 4 Navy SEALs were inserted high on a mountain with the intention of capturing or killing a Taliban leader. They are caught in a massive firefight which kills three of the SEALs. The rescue helicopter with additional SEALs is shot down by the Taliban killing an additional 16 members of the US Armed Forces.

My Review: This book is very powerful because half of the book isn't even focused on the failed mission, but on the training and boot camp that the Navy SEALs go through. This book details why the SEALs are the United States strongest fighting forces and why they are used most often in special missions where much is at stake (see the killing of Osama Bin Laden on May 2, 2011). The training regimen that the SEALs are put through is amazing. By the time one has trained to be a SEAL, there isn't anything that they can't do. The author of this book and the lone survivor, due to miraculous circumstances, places much of the blame for the bad decisions made by the SEALs on the mountain on the fear of retribution by the "liberal media" back in the States. This was an incredible look into the training and pressures that these heroes are faced with.

Disclaimer: As is typical with most books about military procedures, there is some foul language, but Luttrell makes an effort to limit the poor language to specific quotes or examples.

From the Book: "(p. 88) The SEALs place a premium on brute strength, but there's an even bigger premium on speed. That's speed through the water, speed over the ground, and speed of thought. There's no prizes for gleaming a set of well-oiled muscles in Coronado. Bulk just makes you slow, especially in soft sand, and that's what we had to tackle every day of our lives, mile after mile."

Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters

Title: Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know

Author: Meg Meeker, M.D.

Pages: 288

Genre: Non-fiction

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Drawing upon decades of experience counseling girls, Dr. Meeker makes the case that the most important individual in a girl's life is her father, for better or worse. The book is well-structured and discusses why fathers need to be heroes, strong communicators and examples that their daughters can follow.

My Review: There were a lot of things that I really liked about this book and a few things that I didn't. This is the type of book where the real benefit is in taking the advice that is applicable to your situation and doing your best to apply it in your life. This book has earned a unique spot on my shelves as I would like to re-read it every five years or so in order to glean what is important for me and my girls during each stage of life. I enjoyed the applicability of this book as I have two daughters (turning 5 and 3 in July) and one on the way!

Ella Enchanted

Title: Ella Enchanted

Author: Gail Carson Levine

Pages: 232

Genre: Fantasy, Fairy Tale

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This book is a new look at one of the world's oldest fairy tales. Young Ella is happy as a lark until her father ends up marrying a mean step-mother with two daughters after her mother's death.

My Review: First off, I didn't realize that this book was taken from one of the most popular fairy tales until after I had finished the book. The Newbery Honor book was a fun, quick read in just a couple of hours.

Keys to the Demon Prison

Title: Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison

Author: Brandon Mull

Pages: 593

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: A-

Synopsis: This is the fifth and final book of the Fablehaven series. The Sphinx is on the verge of obtaining all five of the magical artifacts necessary to open the demon prison Zzyzx, which houses most of the most dangerous servants of darkness and evil, including the demon king Gorgrog. It is once again up to Kendra, Seth and the Knights of the Dawn to unite all creatures of light in order to defeat those who want the demon prison opened.

My Review: I'll be honest, I really like the Fablehaven series. It was a little juvenile, but I thought the series was well-written and unique. Although this book was almost 600 pages, I felt that the author was rushing through much of the story in order to squeeze everything that he wanted into the single book.

Mockingjay

Title: Mockingjay

Author: Suzanne Collins

Pages: 390

Genre: Thriller

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This is the third and final book of The Hunger Games trilogy. Young Katniss Everdeen remains the face of those who oppose the Capitol and the Capitol has declared an all-out war on the residents of District 12 and those throughout the remaining districts who are loyal to the opposition.

My Review: My personal favorite book of the trilogy was the first one. However, I thought this book took the most unexpected turns. Just like the others, it was a fun read and a satisfying conclusion to the series.

Catching Fire

Title: Catching Fire

Author: Suzanne Collins

Pages: 391

Genre: Thriller

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This book is the second in The Hunger Games trilogy. Katniss and Peeta somehow made it through their first Hunger Games, but now they are the poster boy and girl for a rebellion that they never meant to lead.

My Review: Once again this is a book that is hard to put down. It's quick-paced and full of unexpected twists. The book does, unfortunately, feel a little bit like it's the filler between the first and third books, but it's not one that you'd want to skip.

The Hunger Games

Title: The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

Pages: 374

Genre: Thriller

Grade: A-

Synopsis: The Hunger Games take place in the nation of Panem, which is located on the North American continent, long after the United Stated and other nations in the area have fallen. Panem is ruled by a capitol with 12 outlying districts spanning the continent. As punishment for previous uprisings against the Capitol, each year, each district must send 1 boy and 1 girl to fight to the death in an arena for the Capitol's entertainment. Katniss Everdeen's younger sister is chosen as District 12's girl, and Katniss steps forward to take her place, realizing that it is a death sentence.

My Review: This is the book/series that everybody has been talking about. While the general premise of the book is disturbing (kids killing other kids and fighting to be the last one standing), the book is well written and certainly manages to keep you on the edge of your seat. After reading this book (the first of a trilogy) it was hard not to dive right into the second book.

The Likeability Factor

Title: The Likeability Factor

Author: Tim Sanders

Pages: 5 discs

Genre: Non-fiction, Self-help

Grade: B

Synopsis: Being likeable is a critical component to having good relationships with you family, at work and in other areas of life. This book explores how anybody can increase their likeability factor by boosting their friendliness, relevance, empathy and realness with those around you.

My Review: I enjoyed listening to this book and learned a great deal. It was interesting to think about the factors discussed and how I could apply them in my life.

The ABC Murders

Title: The ABC Murders

Author: Agatha Christie

Pages: 5 discs

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B

Synopsis: When Alice Ascher from Andover is murdered and an ABC railway guide is placed next to the body, nobody thinks that this would be the beginning of a string of murders.

My Review: I was in the mood for a short Agatha Christie mystery and this book did not fail to deliver. I enjoyed the story and was surprised by the ending (although that's nothing new. Whenever I hear that people knew who was the bad guy all along, I'm afraid to admit that I'm usually clueless up until the very end).

The Real Life of Eva Peron

Title: The Real Life of Eva Peron

Authors: Nicholas Fraser & Marysa Navarro

Pages: 198

Genre: Biography

Grade: B

Synopsis: Eva Duarte is born out of wedlock to her mother and fights her way out of the poverty she was born into in the Argentine pampas. She makes her way to the capitol city by the time she is fifteen where eventually she is working as an actress voicing soap operas on the radio. She becomes romantically involved with Colonel Peron, before marrying him and becoming Argentina's first lady after he is elected president. Evita is loved, worshiped and adored by millions while simultaneously being hated, feared and despised by millions. After her death so young, her body is hidden for decades because the Argentine government feared the demonstrations and protests that would have inevitably taken place at her grave by the Peronists.

My Review: I added this book to my 'to read' list after Alison and I were able to watch Evita at Pioneer Theater in spring 2004. I finally got to it and enjoyed the book quite a bit. The biography is very academic and did not feel to be written as the type of book that would appeal to the masses. It was very apparent that the book took great pains to clarify the known facts from the unknown facts and assumptions. Evita was such an icon and loved and hated by so many that there are numerous conflicts in her life's story depending upon who's telling it.

The Swan Thieves

Title: The Swan Thieves

Author: Elizabeth Kostova

Pages: 16 discs?

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Andrew Marlowe is a single psychiatrist, satisfied with his life working at a full-time care center. He is devoted to painting and intrigued when the renowned painter Robert Oliver is entrusted into his care after he attacks a painting with a knife in the National Gallery. As Dr. Marlowe begins to try and unravel the mystery of Oliver's illness he crosses his own ethical boundaries in his search for more information about the obsessions of Robert Oliver.

My Review: As you may know, Elizabeth Kostova's debut novel, The Historian, is one of my favorite books. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this book, her second novel. The Swan Thieves dives deep into painting, 100-year-old love letters and French Impressionism with Dr. Marlowe trying to unravel the mystery between them and it never really caught my fancy. I felt that the plot was fairly weak and the story slow as I found myself daydreaming quite often while I was listening to the book. That being said, from reading other reviews online, there are quite a number of people with whom the book really resonated.

Crime and Punishment

Title: Crime and Punishment

Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky

Pages: 542

Genre: Russian Classic

Grade: B

Synopsis: Originally published in 1866, the story is about the law-student Raskolnikov who devises a theory about how great men may sometimes be above the law as the benefits they provide to society far outweigh any of their misdeeds. Raskolnikov, who is very poor, murders an old pawnbroker and her kinder sister. The remainder of the book focuses on the penetrating psychological analysis that Raskolnikov undertakes to try and clear his conscience.

My Review: While not exactly a page-turner, the book turns out to be a fascinating look inside the head of the young criminal. The entire story is extremely believable as we follow Raskonikov as he interacts with his family, friends and the police investigators. Can we ever find redemption of our own missteps through personal suffering?

From the Book: "(p. 288) We always imagine eternity as something beyond our conception, something vast, vast! But why must it be vast? Instead of all that, what if it's one little room, like a bath house in the country, black and grimy and spiders in every corner. and that's all eternity is? I sometimes fancy it like that."

"(p. 327) "That is all about the raising of Lazarus," she whispered severely and abruptly, and turning away she stood motionless, not daring to raise her eyes to him. She still trembled feverishly. The candle-end was flickering out in the battered candle-stick, dimly lighting up the poverty-stricken room the murderer and the harlot who had so strangely been reading together the eternal book. Five minutes or more passed."

To the Rescue

Title: To the Rescue - The Biography of Thomas S. Monson

Author: Heidi S. Swinton

Pages: 588

Genre: Biography

Grade: A-

Synopsis: President Monson is the President and Prophet of the 14 million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He grew up in Salt Lake City and was called to serve as Bishop of the ward he grew up in his early 20s. Before he was called as an apostle at 36, he had served in a Stake Presidency and as a mission president in Toronto, Canada. For almost the last 50-years he has served as a Special Witness of Jesus Christ, traveling the world uplifting the Saints, dedicating lands and temples and extending callings. President Monson played a critical role in the Church gaining permission to build a temple in East Germany, behind the Iron Curtain, where the communist government still generally rejected all religion.

My Review: This biography was very well-written in a way that exemplified the life of President Monson. The book is a collection of stories, many of which focus on the individual in need and the ways that President Monson has spent his life in the service of each and every one of us. The book was spiritually uplifting, motivating and instilled a desire for me to be a better person. I have no doubt that President Monson was prepared to lead the Lord's Church in this day of age. As always, it was a special treat to hear President Monson speak at conference the last couple of days.

From the Book: "(p. 473) At the Veracruz Mexico Temple dedication six weeks later, he spoke of the temple helping the members there. "We all have certain talents, and the Lord knows what they are," he said. "We all have limitations and the Lord knows what they are. Whatever our limitations may be, the Lord said this: 'Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect,' [Matthew 5:48.] He would not give us commandments we could not fulfill. We can become perfect in our love of God. We can become perfect in our love of our fellow men. We can become perfect in the payment of our tithing. We can become perfect in living the Word of Wisdom. We can become perfect in our home teaching. In other words, all of those degrees of perfection are within our reach... We know what we must do."

Rachel & Leah

Title: Rachel & Leah

Author: Orson Scott Card

Pages: 9 discs

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Rachel and her tender-eyed older sister Leah are the daughters of Lord Laban, brother of Rebecca (who married Isaac, the son of Abraham). Rachel dreams of meeting a man at a well as a young teenager. He kisses her and asks Laban if he may serve 7 years for her hand in marriage. The young man was Jacob, the brother of Esau. For those who recall the story from Genesis, Jacob becomes the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, but the situation surrounding his marriage makes a great story.

My Review: Orson Scott Card is an author that has churned out books at an amazing pace throughout his career. Everything from fantasy (Ender's Game), thrillers (The Abyss), to religious based (Sarah, Rachel & Leah). Amazingly, his books based on the Women of Genesis are just as good as his more well-known other books. As very-little information is given in the Bible about the specifics of the relationships between Rachel and Leah and their handmaidens Zilpah and Bilhah, Card must use his imagination to fill in the gaps. He weaves a story that is very believable and structured around the specifics given in the Bible. I was very disappointed that the story ended right at Jacob's wedding, but the author's epilogue indicated that the book would have to be completed in a trilogy and not one book as he had originally planned. Unfortunately, that was 5 years ago and he has not yet completed the next book and Card had a stroke a few months ago that may or may not inhibit his ability to complete the series at all.

A Clockwork Orange

Title: A Clockwork Orange

Author: Anthony Burgess

Pages: 6 discs

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The book takes place sometime in the future when sadistic gangs of youth roam the streets raping, and beating people mercilessly. Alex is a 15-year-old teenager in one of these gangs who loves ultraviolence and Beethoven before becoming a special project of the state where they attempt to brainwash him against this violence.

My Review: The whole first cd of this book I had no clue what was going on. Half of the slovos (words) of the book are gibberish words that actually happen to be English-ized Russian words (which meant that I could understand them - if you could make it through the ridiculous declension and pronunciation). Once I was able to wrap my head around the strange text, I found that I really enjoyed the book. It was a strange, unexpected and uniquely written story that really got you thinking about the powers that the government holds - much like Orwell's 1984.

Disclaimer: While the language is generally clean, rape, beatings and even murder is explained using slang and gibberish words.