Jan 212014
 

A Wizard of EarthSea

_A Wizard of Earthsea (The Earthsea Cycle)_ by Ursula K. Le Guin

Back in the days of L, I first heard of Ursula Le Guin. I had never heard the name before although she is apparently well-known amongst young adult readers. It must have been in a time that by-passed me….

Since I do occasionally like a fantasy novel, I put her on my someday reading list. Then, recently a colleague was talking about one of the books in her series that he really likes. So, I heard the name again. Thus, when I found myself a few months back with nothing interesting to read, I decided to start her Earthsea series.

This is the first one.

It was definitely written for a young adult audience and it might even be fair to say the male young adult, nerdy-type. However, it was still an engaging read and not at all like the Harry Potter series, which I think is good. It was written in the late 1960’s, the next two in the early 70’s and the last two in late 90’s to early 2000’s, with a total of five books in the series.

So, with the first one it is clear it is a different time just by the simplicity of the character’s life. He struggled with his inner battle between the good and the bad. It was a personal struggle. However, I am curious to see how the tone might change in the latter books.

I am not in a particular rush to read the next ones, but I imagine that I will get through them eventually. πŸ˜€

-T

Jan 212014
 

Unbroken

_Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption_ by Laura Hillenbrand

Somehow this book got lost in my reading posts, which is funny because it came back into my life after having read a while ago.

Laura Hillenbrand tells a biographical tale of Louis Zamperini, an Italian American from California who becomes an Olympic miler and goes off to the war in the Pacific. It is almost impossible to believe that one man could have survived everything Zamperini did, but that’s why it becomes a story worth telling.

For a non-fiction story, this is a captivating read especially if you like war stories and survival.

Strangely, after I read it (I don’t even know how long ago), I started a freelance writing job that requires books to be rewritten in brief form. So, to avoid copyright issues, about 25% of the book is summarized for quick reads. My first assignment was this book, which was great because I had already read it despite its hefty length.

Now, my summary – Book Brief – is in print (digitally). Here’s a link if you want to read the book in a shortened form. πŸ˜€

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