Crime and Punishment

Continuing high school reads that I loved--Crime and Punishment.  Great piece of work.

Crime and Punishment --Fyodor Dostoevsky
This novel explores the human conscience and the sub-conscience that deals with moral dilemmas of the protagonist Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov after murder.  His punishment stems from his guilt and the subsequent effects on his soul and person to find in the end that justice of physical imprisonment initiates his relief through atonement.

While I read this book, there was one part that really gave me the nervous butterflies.  It wasn't the descriptive anxiety of the murder that gave me the chills, but the description of Raskolnikov stealing the axe and gripping it under the inside of his jacket, walking with unsure intent to perform his deed--this got me.  It gave me the uneasy tingle of fluttering interest to keep reading on, so sure of what would happen but with disbelief.  Great novel.  Its really dense on the descriptions and the names take a while to get used to, so just make sure you have someone to discuss this with after you finish.  Or post discussions on here if you'd like. =D

Ender's Game

As you all know, I love to read.  But only novels of my choice, which effectively exclude school reads for the most part.  But I suppose we could start there...school reads that I actually liked.


Ender's Game-Orson Scott Card

This was a summer read in 10th grade.  I absolutely love this book.  The setting is an Earth in total unity under the threat of alien invasion.  70 years ago, the buggers brutally attacked the humans, but retreated after a decisive battle, never to be heard from again.  Ender'sGame is about an interwar period with mobilization and preparation for the threat of a future attack.



Ok..I know, sounds super sci-fi, but I would say its along the same line as District Nine (which I loved. GREAT MOVIE.) in that there's a different twist in the old alien invasion story that all of us know to be cliche and dull.  You delve into the mind of a brilliant 6 year old, monitored by the government in a new environment called Battle School in space--a school with selective children, trained to become potential military leaders.  Its a really fast read and honestly, I'm a sucker for novels with children that trump odds and show up adults.  I don't know.  It always make me feel good to read about people who more than exceed the expectations of others, especially when it seems like the whole world is against them.  This is one of my very very favorites.