Elisha's bones is like reading a lost story of Indiana Jones. Archeology is the path to some excitement and in this case into gaining some unexpected faith in God along the way. A fun story to read and one that moves along at a fair clip to keep you engaged. In Indiana Jones fashion it has you visiting several countries and going down several dank and dusty corridors before you find what you are looking for. It is a fun entertaining book to read.
Once again I am reading one of Orson Scott Cards Intergalactic Medicine Show on line magazines. Not all of them are available on Kindle but this was the next one available. Like I did last time i will write about each short story contained in the kindle addition.
Vanishing by Peter S. Beagle
This is a story about a man who had a traumatic experience when he served in the military when the wall existed separating East and West Germany. He inexplicably finds himself back there with only three other people, a Russian soldier, a German woman and her now adult son. What ties them together is the woman and how all three had a part in her life. Interesting healing story of men who carried around guilt and fear for most of their lives.
The Sin Hypothesis by E.A. Lustig
This was an interesting story about a young woman who wonders what happens to the sins when a person is baptized. She concludes that the sins are released into the water. So she decides to test the hypothesis and how she tests that hypothesis is a unique story which could lead to some interesting thinking.
Tekkai Exhales His Avatar by Tony Pi
In a world where people can connect to the web through avatars and live in it, a group of immortals have become the enemy of the government. The government has one in prison and offers him release if he will help to catch another. In the attempt the imprisoned immortal chooses 20 more years of imprisonment rather than to allow the government to kill AIs which have developed from the web.
The Urn of Revalos by Rebecca Day
A young man was taken and is now a very low ranking sailor on a pirate ship. When their ship is hired to transport the Urn and two mages his mage past becomes apparent and what results forces him to choose between being a sailor or a mage. A fun little read that could make an interesting book.
The Man in the Tree by Orson Scott Card
A disappointing story about a family that goes for vacation to the same place under a tree that has bark on it in the shape of a man. That night the oldest daughter and father see a man/boy come out of the tree. Not too exciting and I seem to have missed the point but as usual it was well written by Orson Scott Card.
Free Seas by David Lubar
A very short story about two teens who sneak on what they think is a cruise ship to find out they need to look twice before boarding.
InterGalactic Interview with Tanith Lee
A so-so interview with a fantasy writer or many books. I've never read anything by he,r although I've seen her books around, so I guess I wasn't too interested
The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card
This is an interesting book about a 13 year old boy that grows up in a society of Mages but is thought to be without any powers of his own. This Mage society is in our world of the present time but they have minimal interactions with humans. The boy learns that he does indeed have unique powers and as he learns to use them and matures as a person and begins to choose his behaviors instead of doing what he has seen around him he starts to develop into something great. The book was enjoyable for the most part but does have the occasional swear word that OSC uses to delineate the character of the person or to show the immaturity of the person. As usual OSC pulls you into the various characters life until you begin to care about them. There are the occasional 13 year old bodily function humor as well. This could easily have been a YA novel with a few minor changes.
Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton
I really enjoyed the book and found it to be inspiring. Honestly I enjoyed the movie better but found the book to be a great companion for the movie. for one thing you can see which things actually happened and how they happened and which things were changed or put into the movie to make it more cinematically pleasing. The story comes out even stronger about how her faith has helped her through a very difficult time in her life. Her family is clearly a great support to her as well. Finally surfing is really her preferred activity over almost everything else. One part I enjoyed especially was a section at the end about how she wanted the movie to represent them very well and especially to represent her Christian beliefs well. She expressed some concerns about modest in the movie as well as being as accurate as possible. Bethany Hamilton comes across as a reluctant celebrity. She is willing to do it to represent her Savior but not for herself. I recommend this book.
Reading is a great way to get relaxation and to learn and be inspired. Movies and T.V. are more hit and miss, mostly miss so don't put all your eggs into the visual entertainment, let a book create a world in you mind so that you can see it more clearly.
sounds like you've been reading some interesting things! i agree that reading a book lets you see things more clearly in your mind - it also lets you use your imagination and lets your mind play an active role in the whole experience vs. a more passive role in watching movies/TV. great reminder, thanks dad! :)
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