So...what have you been reading? Part II

As of this week, I've continued my pursuit of finishing the Ender saga.  I read Ender's Game a couple years ago (after a friend recommended it to me) and more recently decided to read the others.  I read Speaker for the Dead  and Xenocide within weeks of each other around the start of the new year, but decided to take a break before taking on Children of the Mind. 

It's interesting to me how different (as I see them) Ender's Game and the three other books in the quartet really are.  Ender's game seemed like more of a juvenile read (this of course strictly refers to the intended audience, not the writing itself) while the rest of the series seems to be far more philosophical and written for a more adult audience.  Speaker was simply amazing.  I enjoyed Xenocide and the dual plot, but don't feel like I can truly appreciate it until I finish Children. 

Beyond the Ender saga, I have several other reads to take on.  A co-worker, who has also edited my own book, also recommended The Sparrow and The Golden Compass series.  I'm looking forward to reading The Sparrow after I finish Children of the Mind but am also interested in reading Stranger in a Strange Land  and Starship Troopers by Heinlein. 

I can't help but find it funny that all the novels I am currently interested in are science fiction.  Of course, one might consider my own work juvenile science fiction, but my science, at least in Stanley, does not go any further than what is necessary to explain simple plot points.  The first sequel dives much deeper into current theoretical physics (as well as some of my own theories.)

Sidebar:  I also recently finished The City of Ember, the first book in the Ember series.  This book took me a while to get through.  I found the narrative style intriguing.  That is, I understood the purpose behind how simplistic it was, and almost the style alone is what kept me interested in the novel.  The plot seemed to linger, and I feel that the only way I can accept its pace is by finishing the series in order to see how it develops.  That series, I feel, will have to wait a while.

So...what have you been reading?