#BIR2010 - Second Chance Giveaway: Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card

Second Chance Giveaway:

Pathfinder
By: Orson Scott Card
Published by: Simon & Schuster
Card's website: http://www.hatrack.com/

Book summary:

A powerful secret. A dangerous path.

Rigg is well trained at keeping secrets. Only his father knows the truth about Rigg's strange talent for seeing the paths of people's pasts. But when his father dies, Rigg is stunned to learn just how many secrets Father had kept from him -- secrets about Rigg's own past, his identity, and his destiny. And when Rigg discovers that he has the power not only to see the past, but also to change it, his future suddenly becomes anything but certain.

Rigg's birthright sets him on a path that leaves him caught between two factions, one that wants him crowned and one that wants him dead. He will be forced to question everything he thinks he knows, choose who to trust, and push the limits of his talent . . . or forfeit control of his destiny.

Giveaway Details:
Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card
Open to US only
Ends 12/17

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+1 Leave a comment on this post sharing the best book you have read during 2010.

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#BIR2010 - Second Chance Giveaways: Another chance for some great book!

What an amazing 8 days it's been so far. 

Today I've got more great giveaway for you.  Simon & Schuster provided 2 copies of four different titles for me to giveaway.  I've already had giveaways for 1 copy of each of these titles.  Today you'll have another chance to enter to win the second copy of these great books!

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card
Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

BIR2010 - There is more to come!!

So here is the deal.  Today marks the "official" end of BIR2010 but I'm not close to being done.  I had so many books to giveaway that instead of cramming them all into 9 days I decided to the "The 12 Days of Best I've Read". 

 So keep coming back to my site for the next 3 days because I still have 24 books to giveaway.

Here's what you can look forward to:

Wednesday, December 15th:

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer
39 Clues: Into the Gauntlet by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Runaway by Meg Cabot
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White (Open Internationally)

Thursday December 16th:

The Lost Saint Nail Polish by Bree Despain
The Fablehaven Series (all 5 books) by Brandon Mull
The Hourglass Door & The Golden Spiral by Lisa Mangum
Halo by Alexandra Adornetto
Bloodthirsty by Flynn Meaney
Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt

Friday, December 17th
Special Grand Prize Giveaway:

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
The Eternal Ones by Kristen Miller
The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima
My Double Life by Janette Rallison
The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Behemoth by Scott Westerfield
My Ridiculous Romantic Obsessions by Becca Wilhite
Firelight by Sophie Jordan
Radiance by Alyson Noel
Dust City by Robert Paul Weston
The Pirate Ruse by Marcia Lynn McClure
Bloodthirsty by Flynn Meaney

#BIR2010 - Book Giveaway: Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card

Orson Scott Card is a phenomenal writer. I'm excited for his new book that was just released: Pathfinder.

Pathfinder
By: Orson Scott Card
Published by: Simon & Schuster
Card's website: http://www.hatrack.com/

Book summary:

A powerful secret. A dangerous path.

Rigg is well trained at keeping secrets. Only his father knows the truth about Rigg's strange talent for seeing the paths of people's pasts. But when his father dies, Rigg is stunned to learn just how many secrets Father had kept from him -- secrets about Rigg's own past, his identity, and his destiny. And when Rigg discovers that he has the power not only to see the past, but also to change it, his future suddenly becomes anything but certain.

Rigg's birthright sets him on a path that leaves him caught between two factions, one that wants him crowned and one that wants him dead. He will be forced to question everything he thinks he knows, choose who to trust, and push the limits of his talent . . . or forfeit control of his destiny.

Giveaway Details:
Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card
Open to US only
Ends 12/16

This giveaway is closed

Shadow of the Giant by Orson Scott Card

Bean's past was a battle just to survive. He first appeared on the streets of Rotterdam, a tiny child with a mind leagues beyond anyone else. He knew he could not survive through strength; he used his tactical genius to gain acceptance into a children's gang, and then to help make that gang a template for success for all the others. He civilized them, and lived to grow older. Then he was discovered by the recruiters for the Battle School.
For Earth was at war -- a terrible war with an inscrutable alien enemy. A war that humanity was near to losing. But the long distances of interstellar space has given hope to the defenders of Earth -- they had time to train military geniuses up from childhood, forging them into an irresistible force in the high-orbital facility called the Battle School. That story is told in two books, the beloved classic Ender's Game, and its parallel, Ender's Shadow.
Bean was the smallest student at the Battle School, but he became Ender Wiggins' right hand. Since then he has grown to be a power on Earth. He served the Hegemon as strategist and general in the terrible wars that followed Ender's defeat of the alien empire attacking Earth. Now he and his wife Petra yearn for a safe place to build a family -- something he has never known -- but there is nowhere on Earth that does not harbor his enemies -- old enemies from the days in Ender's Jeesh, new enemies from the wars on Earth. To find security, Bean and Petra must once again follow in Ender's footsteps. They must leave Earth behind, in the control of the Hegemon, and look to the stars.

I finally finish all the Ender's Books. It took me over a year to get through all 9 books in the series. My husband and I listened to most of them on audio together.

I made the mistake of reading Ender in Exile before reading Shadow of the Giant. Don't make that mistake. A good portion of Shadow of the Giant is summarized in Ender in Exile.

Even knowing a lot of the storyline I enjoyed this book! I admit it is really slow in places. There is so much strategy, politics and war games. That part didn't hold my interest as much as the relationships did.

This book actually made me cry near the end. I don't cry very easily especially while reading Sci-fi books but my mother's heart ached while reading parts of this book and the tears just came.

I think when the next and I think final book in the series comes out I will take the time to reread this series.

Orson Scott Card is a phenomenal writer! I'm amazed at how much he was able to interweave between books.

When I started the series I wasn't sure which order to read the books in. You can read them chronologically or in the order they are written in.

My recommendation is to read the series in the order they were written:

Ender's Game

Speaker for the Dead

Xenocide
Children of the Mind

Ender's Shadow

Shadow of the Hegemon

Shadow Puppets

Shadow of the Giant

Ender In Exile - Don't read until after you have finished the other 8 books.

Content Warning: If you've ever read an Orson Scott Card's book you know what to expect. There is mild language throughout the book. This is war so there is violence but I didn't find it to be graphic or gruesome. There is also some innuendo. I think this series is appropriate for ages 16 and up. I know it is read by those much younger but I will wait until my boys are 16 to suggest they read this series. My son's 12 year old friend read Ender's Game and told me it was "so bad" in places due to the language, crudeness and innuendo.

Rating: A solid 4 star book and series. I highly recommend this series. Orson Scott Card is a phenomenal writer!