The Turn of the Screw

The Turn of the Screw

I am now reading a novel written by Henry James called The Turn of the Screw. It takes place in England at the end of the 1800’s. I picked it up because it is a well known ghost story, a genre which I like. This is not your average ghost story though, it is hard to read, the phrases are long and many times I find myself re reading entire paragraphs to understand what is going on.

The book begins with a group of friends telling ghost stories. One of them, an older man named Douglas, tells the story of a governess he once knew who went to work at a large country house. She was in charge of two young children, ages 8 and 10, who had lost their parents and had been adopted by their uncle. Douglas reads the story from a manuscript written by the governess herself.

The governess is a young 20 years old woman who comes from an unsophisticated environment and is very naïve and impressionable. She arrives at her new post both, happy to be in such an important position, but also afraid of not being up to the task. Immediately she feels that something is not right, she hears voices when nobody is there, she sees people that do not belong to the household outside the window or in the tower. The children seem to share a secret. She soon learns that the previous governess, a young woman like herself, is dead.

Since the story comes from the governess’ manuscript, it is written in the first person and is mostly about the feelings that she has as the strange things happen. It is confusing at times because it is not clear what is going on, but I believe that we are in the governess shoes, who also doesn’t understand what is going on.

The main question so far is whether she is imagining everything, or if the ghost of the previous governess is roaming around the house for an evil purpose.

The author is also vague in the description of actions and environments. Most of the writing is concentrated in describing the emotions of the governess and how they change, leaving most of the scenery and rest of the characters to our imagination.

Overall it is a strange book but one to think about. I would recommend it for a reader looking for something definitely challenging, but that is not too long.

Fearless

Recently, I have been reading the book Fearless by Francine Pascal. This book has continued to develop in many different ways. Some of which include setting, characters, and the overall point of the story. First, this book started out very slow, and honestly I wasn’t really excited to continue reading this book that was about 500 pages long. When I continued to keep reading I realized that this story was actually very interesting and intriguing and I was looking forward to keep on reading it every night. Although I am not done with the book and the whole story hasn’t fully unraveled I have still noticed many pros- and cons to this book along with the author. Some pros of the book include the gripping plot and conflict- this super girl who is being hunted down for her powers. I personally was instantly drawn into reading this. Other pros include the character development. Over the course of the book I instantly fell in love with the main character Gaia, she is strong, witty, and athletic. Some cons include the lack of description in the story. While reading the book the reader is hungry to figure out what happens next and to me it seems like the author (Francine Pascal) draws it out too much and keeps the reader in such suspense so they’re literally dying to figure out who this person is who is following Gaia, and why they want her powers so badly. Overall, I am really excited to continue reading this book, it has been a great read so far!

The Hunger Games

I have recently finished reading The Hunger Games by suzanne collins, which was a totally different story then what i have read before. it had a very clever plot in it and i thought it was a great read. I was herring a lot about the hunger games sense everybody was always talking about it, and then the movie came out and i thought to my self, i guess i could read it. I'm glad i did because one of the best books i have ever read. Though it was one of my favorites it was not completely perfect. in the very beginning of the book there a couple chapters or so describing the setting, setting up a back story. I thought that suzanne collins could have done a better job giving it a past story, because i never really got a good sense of when the story takes place until about half way through. Just because there was this one flaw in the story there were several more better things suzanne collins has done. She does a fantastic job of showing not telling, she really makes it feel like your in the story, which is why its such a addictive read. She also had great sensory detail, for example there is a explotion and the main character is blown off her feet and her ears burst, suzanne collins describes it in such a way that you can almost feel what the main character is feeling.

MAN VS. BEAST by Robert Muchamore

I recently finished this book and have actually noticed that it is not quite as good as some of the other CHERUB books. Maybe it was just me but I felt that it was less exciting than my favorite of the CHERUB books, The Recruit. This series has always been my favorite series but I am thinking of changing to a different series. I recommend this series but not the individual book! If you're into action without horror or scary scenes, then this would be a good series for you!

Catching Fire

I recently read Catching Fire by Suzanne collins. Most people have read this so i won't spent much time on the plot. in the Hunger games series, just like TKM, a bird is a very prominent symbol. in TKM it's a mockingbird representing Boo and Tom, in this series it's the fictional Mockingjay that is a symbol for an entire society. the story of the mockingjay is that it starts as as the Jabberjay, trained by the Capitol to record and replay the conversations of rebels, but the jabber jays were turned against the Capitol and the Capitol disposed of them, sent them into the wild and tried to kill them, they thought that they would die because they had never adapted to living alone. the Jabberjays though survived and thrived, they bred with Mockingbirds and became mockingjays. In catching fire the mockingjay becomes a fashion symbol in the Capitol, but, because of katniss, they are a symbol of rebellion for the districts. in the end of the book the Capitol's Hunger games turn on them and a rebellion is started.

Ultimate Avengers: Crime and Punishment

Ultimate Avengers: Crime and Punishment

I really enjoyed this book overall because of the many characters and interesting plot. The general team for the book was part of the avengers, just a darker and more brutal side than what is normally seen. These are the guys who are doing the dirty stuff others won’t deal with. I really liked how the antagonist turned out to be some what good in the end of the story. It really changed your opinions about all the murders that were going on. Overall I would suggest this book to other readers who enjoy this genre.

The Diary of Anne Frank

Right now, I am almost done with The Diary of Anne Frank. Like Night, it was really shocking to hear the perspective of the Hollacost/ the war from someone who was actually there rather than someone who had studied it. It really affected me in a way I cannot really explain, especially because she was around my age when she was writing this. I cannot imagine being in her place as a girl my age, it just shows how strong they had been. I have never heard the war explained quite like this, and it really just got me to think about how lucky I am to be living now. I realized that if I was alive back then living like she did before the war, I would have been in the same place as her. Like Anne, I am Jewish. It is so hard to understand how such a thing happened, it is really hard to think about for me.

The Diary of Anne Frank has actually been one of the hardest books to read to me because of how touching and sad it is. The things she wrote I cannot believe that someone my age had to go through that, and still had the strength to write in her only friend, her Journal. Even thought it is so sad, it is a book that I am not able to put down. I really recommend it if you are willing to read sad stories, it is a must read.

Jack Jablonski article

I recently read the Jack Jablonski Article in Sports Illustrated by Cades mom, Karen. A couple months ago, Jabs got checked behind in a hockey game. Before anyone knew it, he was lying on the ice, motionless. He is now partially paralyzed, just from one check in hockey. I have thought about his accident a lot lately, but I have never thought about it with a point of view of a hockey mom. The article by Karen truly shows what the hockey parents have to go through with the risk of their child being severely hurt at any time. The article talked a lot Karens experience as a mom of two hockey players, and then how she personally knows Jabs. It was really eye opening hearing about how peers of Jabs feel, and parents in the same boat as his parents. Not only did Karen talk about Jabs, but she talked about other High School hockey players in Minnesota. It was really weird reading and hearing about people who I know, and having them be known around the country now because of this article. This just shows that when a community comes together, we can make anything happen.

Persepolis

I recently read Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. It is a memoir of the author's experiences in revolutionary Iran in the 80s and 90s. It is interesting to read it at this point in time because the US is currently contemplating going to war with Iran. It is also interesting that the author chose to tell this extremely dark story as a comic book. This surprised me a little, but I had previously read Maus by Art Spiegelman, a comic book telling the story of the Jewish author's father's experiences during the Holocaust, which is a great book and is in many ways similar to Persepolis, so it kind of set a precedent for me. Persepolis starts out in 1979, when Iran was ruled by a brutal dictator called the Shah (a Persian (the language spoken by most Iranians) word for "king"). The Shah's brutal repression of freedoms sparked a rebellion consisting mainly of supporters of democracy as well as socialists and communists. The Shah's regime started a brutal crackdown on these protests, causing many civilian deaths. A year later, the Shah relented and tried to appoint a prime minister, but at that point all the people wanted was for him to leave, so he went into exile in Egypt. Later, elections were held, but they were rigged by the Islamist Party, a group of faux Muslim fundamentalists that basically used their religion as an excuse to do anything they wanted, whether or not it was allowed by the laws of Islam. After falsely announcing that 99.99% of the population had voted for them, they began a brutal crackdown (sound familiar?) on so-called "enemies of the revolution," which was basically everyone who had actually been a part of the revolution. Revolutionaries and communists (such as the author's uncle) who had just been freed from prison were sent back to jail and executed. The torturers in these prisons were the same ones who had previously served the Shah (and had special training from the CIA), and the number of political prisoners went from 3,000 under the Shah to more than 300,000 under the new regime. Soon after the revolution, Saddam Hussein's Iraq attacked Iran and a brutal war ensued, with thousands of people on both sides being killed. The regime used the war as an excuse to begin a reign of terror that could get you killed for wearing lipstick or having hair (or, God forbid, skin) showing if you were female, or wearing a short-sleeved shirt or shaving if you were male. Alcohol and parties were strictly forbidden, as well as listening to anything but government-issued music. However, the vast majority of these laws and the people who enforced them were not actually religious, they just used Islam like Hitler used anti-Semitism: as a means of gaining power. A good example of this is a scene in the book in which the author's family is coming home from a party and her parents have been drinking wine. They are stopped by the "Guardians of the Revolution," (basically the police), who follow them home to see if they have any alcohol (which they do). However, the father easily bribes the Guardians and they are left alone. Persepolis is an excellent book that is made even better by the fact that it is a true story. The author makes many wry observations about the world and human nature. I highly recommend it, but be warned that it is a very dark, violent and sad story.

Hunger Games

The hunger games is about a girl named Katniss Everdeen, whos living IN District 12 in Panem after the apocolypse of the U.S. Years ago District 13 revolted against the Capitol, causing the Capitol to come up with the Hunger Games. In the Hunger Games the Capitol requires that one girl, and one boy is chosen from each district to become a tribute and fight to the death in the arena with tributes from other districts. When Katniss's younger sister Prim is chosen as tribute, Katniss immediatley volunteers, and is now tribute with Peeta Mellark. She must leave her family and her friend Gale, to be in the Hunger Games with the risk of no return. Haymitch was a former tribute for District 12 and he is now their mentor. He tells them to play the star-crossed lovers role. Will it turn out to be real love??

10 Things We Did

10 Things We Did, by Sarah Mlenowski, is about a girl whose father moves to Cleaveland in her junior year of high school, and she stays behind to live with her best friend. Alone. In a house.

Just that part probably tells you how completely unrealistic and unbelievable this book is. April, the main character, has very little personality and Mlenkowski often seems to forget to develop her characters much farther than a name and the stupid things they do at parties. Also, the plot of this book is boring. Actually, to be honest, I'm not quite sure there is a plot at all. In each chapter it seems that April finds a new way to get more money from her father for "rent" or "groceries" (she actually spends the money on thinks like drinks, hot tubs etc.) and other ways to make her life less and less realistic and harder and harder to believe. I think that I am quitting this book, because I am simply fed up with being bored and annoyed by April's life.
I do not recommend this book.

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs, as you may know, had his many strange habits and, in general, style of life and personality. For example, Steve ate certain very strict diets, such as only eating fruit. More obvious things, too, set Steve apart from the ordinary person. Such qualities, such as not showering or using deodorant at certain times made many people look down at Steve, despite his knowledge of technology and gift or running a business. In-fact, during his work at Atari, Steve got moved to the night shift, as to prevent other workers from complaining about Steve, but also to keep Steve there (the manager liked him). Steve almost had two personalities. Sometimes, he could be very charismatic, other times he could be pushy, rude, and, every once and a while, plain brutal. Despite the obvious contrast between Steve's personality moments, the difference actually complemented each other very nicely, and gave Steve a boost that hardly anyone had. His pushy and rude personality enabled him to buy parts for cheap to help him and Wazniak build computers. His charming side worked quite well to attract and please customers.

Steve, despite his knowledge of electronics and computer parts, couldn't have made Apple come to life alone. Wazniak, similarly, couldn't have been as successful without Steve. Steve was very good at organizing a company and had the ability to obtain parts for very cheap. Wazniak, unlike Steve, had a gift for electrical engineering, as well as coding, that was essential to the creating of computers such as Apple I. With out Jobs and Wazniak together, Apple may have never been formed.

I really have enjoyed this book so far. I have learned so much about Steve's personality, as well as Wazniak's. Walter Isaacson does a terrific job describing in detail the very strange things about each of them, esp. Steve, but also shows how talented they are. It's a neat combination, such talent and yet strange personalities. Walter Isaacson really goes deep into the details about how Apple was formed, how names like "garageband" and the name itself "Apple" were formed/chosen. I would recommend this book to anyone that has interest in Steve Jobs, Wozniak, Apple computer company, or general interest in computers. This is a superbly well written book!

NOTE: Steve = Steve Jobs. Wozniak = Steve Wozniak.

The Dolphin Song

I recently read the Dolphin Song and thought it was an okay book. It was about a girl in Africa who had to go on a school boating trip in the ocean. Her and a few of her classmates where then thrown overboard during a storm, and saved by dolphins, then brought to an abandoned island. I found the book very unrealistic and if found the plot very confusing. The story just kept jumping around to different places in the story. I also found it confusing when the main character said that she road a white giraffe, I didn't see how that was relevant to the plot. Overall, I would not suggest this book to my peers because it jumps around in the story and is very confusing.

Thirteen Days To Midnight

I just started reading Thirteen Days to Midnight by Patrick Carman. I'm only about 60 pages into the the book so I don't know to much about it yet. There hasn't been much character developement but the characters are very real. None of them are perfect or bad just high school kids that want to have a good time. I think later in the book it will be important that their just highschool kids as the try and deal with the fact that they can't die. I've just learned about the power that Jacob has and Oh had. Since I'm not very far yet I don't really know what the plot will be but the beginning of this book moved very fast so I suspect that once I get into the book, the plot will move very fast also. The author also does a very nice job with the emotions the characters have by really showing how they feel instead of telling how they feel. She shows alot of emotions through actions the characters take and words the characters say rather than the narrator, Jacob, saying "I was mad," or "she was mad." The emotional tensions are starting to get higher in the book as they begin to figure out what going on so I think there will be more emotional examples in the future. I really good book and I can't wait to finish it.

The Warrior Apprentice

Recently, I started reading The Warrior Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold, the first book in the Vorkosigan Saga. A science fiction book, it starts out when Miles, a boy and future Count training to be a warrior apprentice, fails the physical part of his warrior apprenticeship and is more or less sent off to join his grandmother on the Beten colony. He also goes there with his bodyguard and more or less girlfriend . When they arrive, they go to his grandmother's, but on the way, Miles overhears a conversation about someone they are trying to get to come out of an old ship. Miles decides to see what he can to and ends up befriending the guy and helping him fly the ship, along with another outcast he meets and the two other characters who I mentioned earlier. They get a load of cargo and go off to another planet, but they have to pass through a blockade to get there. When they get to the blockade, all seems fine, but the inspection takes a turn for the worst, and they are forced to take over command of both ships and take the workers prisoner. This is about where I've gotten to so far, though I have read a lot more because they stay on the ship for awhile. Overall, the book is pretty well written, but it does lack humor in places where it could add a lot, but at the same time, the plot line is good enough that you do want to keep reading it. I would recommend this book especially for science fiction readers, but I think that almost everyone should at least try it out.

The Dream that Failed

After scouring the house and encountering no books that I could read, I had recourse to the Economist magazine to help me scrape together pages for this reading check. I sifted through the magazine for useful articles, and although they were interesting, they centered on politics or international affairs that didn't spur some reaction or that did not suffice for an adequate blog post. Finally, I stumbled across an article titled The Dream That Failed, and immediately, I was preoccupied with it. The dream it features refers to nuclear power. This article basically expressed who nuclear power, which many people envisioned as a savior from fossil fuels that wreak havoc on the environment, had failed, due to the disaster that afflicted Japan.

One thing off the bat that I doted on about this article was its language. It employed complex words that enlivened it, but as well, it didn't mince its words; in other words, its tone was straight and it voiced a clear message. Another thing I admired about this article is how it was fashioned like a story. The first part was the rising action, where it elucidated the dream of nuclear power and how prominent it was. It heartened readers with hope that this dream would be successful. Then came the climax, where this dream was devastated; the article recounted the disaster in Japan, disheartening the readers, which it had built up with hopes to just to tear back down. The falling action was basically the affect of the disaster and a description of how the remnants of hope dwindled: Germany and other countries started to phase out their nuclear power plants, fracturing a once great image of nuclear power and all of its benefits.

American Assasin part 2

As I continued onward with th book the intensity of it picks up as he completes his training after finding out one of the students was really just another teacher by separating his arm from his shoulder in a practice fight. In the book Mitch rapp often makes connections with things in the past, one was during the fight when te other instructors clearly said no face punches and yet the disguised teacher repeatedly threw punches to the face trying to break down the trainies. Mitch realized that this was the second time an instructor had cheated when fighting him, the first was against the head instructor when Mitch was about to beat him the head instructor grabbed mitchs testicles and squeezed. After separating his shoulder he and one other trainie make it though the camp. And Mitch is assigned his first assanation contract.

American Assasin part 2

Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita

I just recently finished the book Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita. I absolutely LOVED this book I couldn't put it down! The book is about a girl named Sam who goes away to camp without her bestfriend. They constantly send each other video messages from camp to stay in touch throughout the summer. "Sleepaway girls" is there code word for making video diaries for the yearbook they are making for camp. Hunter is hot guy in the book and Sam immediately falls for him in the beginning but later on she meets a super sweet guy named Cole. Cole is an extremely nice guy who is literally the perfect boyfriend, he likes kids, he's sweet, generous, smart and caring. They make a news report for the yearbook and finally in the end of the book Sam falls for Cole. Which is he first boyfriend and they spend the last parts of camp as a couple. Sam's mom and Hitch the owner of the camp fall in love. The whole family practically finds love over the summer. I would truly recommend this to book to anyone that wants a romantic type of novel to read over spring break. I'd give this book a 5/5.

The Ask and the Answer

The other day, I started The Ask and the Answer, By Patrick Ness. The book is a sequel to, The Knife of Never Letting Go and continues the story of Todd, a boy living in a strange world, on a distant planet. In The Knife of Never Letting Go Todd escapes from Prentisstown and goes on a quest to find “Haven” a city where he and his newly met companion Viola will be safe from Mayor Prentiss and his soldiers. The world that Todd lives in is much different than the one we do. All men’s thoughts are projected for everyone to hear, this is called “the noise” and all men obtained this, “disease” when they first colonized the planet. In this sequel, Todd wakes up to find him strapped to a chair and is soon brutally questioned by Mayor Prentiss and another man. All he wants to find out is if his friend, Viola is safe, after being severely wounded in the first book. He soon learns of the new ways that life will be conducted in “New Prentisstown” (“Haven” after it has been captured by Mayor (now President) Prentiss. Although he is filled in with more details of what is going on, he still doesn’t know if Viola is okay, or here whereabouts. So far this book is really good, and I look forward to reading it over spring break.

The Fabrics of the Cosmos: Part 3

"Physicists spend a large part of their lives in a state of confusion... To excel in physicsis to embrace doubt while walking the winding road to clarity... en route to explanation... theorists must tread with considered step through the jungle of bewilderment, guided mostly by hunches, inklings, clues, and calculations.... nothing comes easily. Nature does not give up her secrets lightly" (470). This quote gives me a reason to be who I am and to love what I love. This quote gives me the reason to become a physicist, that there is still more out there to explore, for me and thousands of others to discover about life and the universe. We have so little time on this earth and it is amazing to me that people would dedicate their live to finding out about the cosmos. I can remember one night I was camping in the alps and I lay down and look at the stars and think To only think that star is right near the Constellation of Orion, is a solar system, with a sun and planets, just like ours that just like our sun and all the rest of the planets, we bend space and create gravity. And in there there are trillions upon trillions of atoms that too bend space. This is what this book means to me. It is more that just pages, but an opening and a way to show me into a different world. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone because maybe you too can be inspired.

The Runaway Jury

Moodle Entry:

March 11, 2012

Pages 300-550- The Runaway Jury

The book Run Away Jury was full of twists and turns. The entire theme of the book was deception. Each character although knowing the truth used lies and deception to get what they wanted. The court of law is supposed to be built to test and defend the truth yet this book although fictitious probably could be true. The two main characters Nick and Marlee were trying to get justice from their own loved ones dying from tobacco use. I thought that in the start of the novel they were scheming to get money. How ever it turns out that they were using the same system of corruption with Rankin Fitch to prove a point.

It is a shame that powerful companies can use their money to change the truth. Tobacco has been proven to cause cancer. The different chapters in the book where the author has jurors being blackmailed added to the suspense of the book. I was completely surprised at the end when Marlee returned the money. This showed her commitment to the truth and would allow future trials to be free of corruption. Although I find this unimaginable I hope that in reality, people will be trustworthy. I recommend this book to those readers that like suspense, twist and turns and multiple shady characters.

CHERUB: The Recruit

I started reading this series about a week ago and it started off great. There was action every few pages. The book follows the life of James, a 12 year old boy who often gets in trouble. It shows his adventures with getting in trouble with school, and then he joins an organization called CHERUB, a group that uses children to be spies on missions. He makes friends when he gets to CHERUB, including Bruce, Kyle and Kerry. When he goes through training he is paired up with Kerry who is determined to finish training. He goes through some troubles during his training, but he finishes. He then goes on his first mission where he has to stop a terrorist group called Help Earth. He breathes in Anthrax while he's there, but it turns out it was something that made him immune to anthrax. I would recommend this book to all of you. The good things that I heard about this book were all true. This book is great and I look forward to reading the second book.

God Is Not Great

Thought provoking and complete in its argument against religion, God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens is certainly an unusual read. Hitchen’s uses modern and personal experiences as a international journalist throughout his own years as evidence for being against religion. Nearly this alone makes God is Not Great into an amusing, brutally honest, refreshing read. Hitchen’s factual, but unexpected writing style and dry humor shine through the book. Hitchen’s includes and continuously cites the bible in his work and proceeds to hypothesize, point out ironies, weigh the pros/cons, and effectively attack the case for religion. I really enjoyed reading Hitchen’s book. Though the book may be considered offensive to some, I hold it up as an example of excellent writing. The book can be dry in some areas but rarely does Hitchen's ramble on one point for too long. Clearly, God is Not Great is not suited for all readers but Hitchen’s systematic argument against religion and unique writing style make me wish all readers would give God is not Great a chance.

Unbroken

I recently Started the book Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, about the amazing story of Louie Zamperini's World War Two experiences. He starts out as the young town criminal at a young age, but then converts his talents from running away, to running track. Through his hard work and hard coaching by his brother, Pete, he becomes a top runner, blowing out opponents by his sophomore year. He then attends USC and quickly becomes one of the best runners in the nation, qualifying and getting sixth place in the olympics as the youngest man in the field. A year before the next olympics, which he is favored to win, the war starts. He is enlisted into the air force, and quickly becomes friends with Russell Phillips (known as Phil), his pilot. Together with their crew, they succeed in many hard missions, until are sent to rescue a lost plane. Their engines fail, and are sent plummeting to the vast Pacific. Three men survive: Louie, Phil and Mac. They fight off sharks, catch fish and birds, and survive an attack by a Japanese plain from a life raft. They have been on the ocean for 40 days now, and Mac has just died.

What I find most amazing about their story is how they kept sane during forty days of boredom, extreme pain, hunger, thirst and fatigue. Stories are told in the book of people who have started hallucinating and going crazy after fifteen to twenty days. The book tells that Phil and Louie stay sane, and even improve their memory and imagination by quizzing each other on song lyrics and recipes, along with anything they can think of, for weeks upon weeks. My question is, how would this occupy them and keep them sane for forty days? It does make a little sense, that something distracting them from a sense of hopelessness and despair would help.

So far, the book has been great, and I recommend it to everybody to read.

Nineteen Minutes (2nd Post)

Between now and my last post I've finished Nineteen Minutes, and though it was a bit different than I expected, I still really enjoyed it.

Skipping over what I've already mentioned about this book, I think one really unique part of Jodi Picoult's writing style is how she seemlessly incoorperates different timelines to go with the different viewpoints. Though at times the order can seem to be random and confusing, once you get an understanding of which character is which it's perfectly easy to keep up with the style because she changes the time each chapter, heading it with "5 years before" or "2 months after". What I also find really interesting about this is that when she does this chapter labeling, the central date is always the school shooting. When the chapter title is "2 weeks before" it means that the events in that chapter happened two weeks before Peter Houghton shot up his school. Within the chapters Picoult also keeps it organized whenever she switches viewpoints, skipping a line so as to symbolize someone else speaking.

I also love how she uses the switching around of time periods to explore the depth and background of the characters. Without those little sections like the one about Peter's first day of kindegarten and getting his Superman lunchbox thrown out the window, Peter would just be seen as some sort of maniac by the reader, instead of the sad, victim of bullying that lasted throughout his first day of school to his last. The book truly makes one emphasize with Peter, he was picked on at school simply because he looked weak, and at home he was neglected, constantly being asked why he wasn't more like his brother. Although these experiences don't justify him killing people, the entire book would be off without Picoult's ability design her characters in such a way.

As for the ending, another trend I've noticed in Jodi Picoult's books is that sometimes the endings seem to be out of the blue. For example, in My Sister's Keeper, the entire book you are lead to think that at any minute Kate, the one who has Leukemia, could die. However in the end, Anna gets in a car crash and is killed, with her organs going to Kate to save her life. This ending was disliked by many readers and when the book was adapted into a film, they changed it so that Kate was the one who died in the end. However, I really liked the ending of Nineteen Minutes. The entire book we've been wondering what happened to Josie during the shooting, since she has no memory of it. The plot twist of Josie being the one who shot Matt was actually led up to by certain moments that had seemed unimportant at the time when they were given too us, times when Matt was just a bit too possesive, or he even seemed to be becoming abusive.

I can go on about what I loved about this book, these were just some of my favorite moments.

I would reccomend this book to anyone who can handle the topic of a school shooting, as well as a bit of a longer and probably more serious read.

Born To Run

Have you ever heard of the Tarahumara Indians? Me either. But as I looked at the back of this book a few weeks ago, I was interested. They are a tribe that live in one of the most unlivable regions of the world, the Copper Canyons, and if that isn't enough, they are the best runners on the planet, running hundreds of miles over unsteady rocks, every day, for fun! Christopher McDougall, the author of this weird story, sets off to find their answers based on the single question, Why does my foot hurt? So far, this book has been a very slow read. Although it has been very interesting, it is very dense and skips around a lot, not really getting to the point. A lot of the story has been about Ultramarathon running, or running in races that are longer than 26 miles long. Some of the runs they have talked about are 50 miles long, and others are 100, up and down mountains. Personally, I could not run 100 miles without practically dying, and my views are shared with many people. Less than half of the runners that begin a 100 mile race finish it, and many of the finishers are so tired they collapse. Yet some people in this story are amazing. There are two college kids from out east, that don't train, are as broke as they can be, and still manage to get to races and finish really well. There is another woman, who is a third grade teacher, and runs for fun in Ultramarathons and does really well, breaking lots of records and winning lots of races. She's small, stocky built and does not look like a runner. That's what I really like about this book. The best runners come from the least likely places, aka, anything can happen to anybody, and miracles can come true.

Sports Illustrated-Jack Jablonski article

I just finished reading the article on Jack Jablonski in Sports Illustrated. In the article is shows how much hope and optimism Jack has towards his injuries. He says that his main goal is to be able to get back on the ice and skate again. He also says that he doesn't want the kid from Wayzata to feel like it was his fault. "It was just a freak accident. He was just playing hockey." Steven Yurichuk has been coaching boys hockey for 20 years, he talked about how he think when playing the game there shouldn't be any back talk, chirping, or cheap play, and to try and win the game fairly. Jack Jablonski is now able to sit at a 90 degree angle and is re-learning how to manage his new life. Jack has realized that he will probably never be able to walk, but he still keeps hope he will eventually skate, and he wants to be able to go to collage and have a job that involves hockey in someway.

The Warrior Heir- Cinda Chima

I recently finished the book the Warrior Heir. It follows the coming of age of Jack, one of the last of his kind. He belongs to the Weir, a group among us that deal in powerful magic. There are wizards, the ruling class, enchanters, socerers, seers, and warriors. Jack belongs to the Warrior group, and is one of the last of his kind due to the game, a battle to the death by two warriors to see who controls the weir until the next tournament.

This book is extremely hard to explain but if you read it you will be in awe. I think that is the true test of a good book, not how well you can explain it, but how exciting it is when you're reading it. Chima does a great job explaining the complex history behind this group while still making it interesting and even better, being able to add a exciting twist at the end, and another that will change the history if this group. I would seriously recommend this book and series to all who just enjoy a good book.

The Old Man and the Sea

I just recently finished the Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. While I thought it was a very interesting book, filled with courage, hardships, and complex dreams and thoughts, I hate to say it was a little dull in that the entire book was about a man trying to catch a fish. It wasn't a very complex plot, there was very little in the way of dialogue or relationships, and I couldn't see very clear character development, or a clear theme, but I will do my best with this blog as I can.

The book starts out with the boy, who I think remains unnamed, and the man coming in after a long day of fishing. This boy is a dear friend of the old man, who I think might also remain unnamed throughout the book. The boy explains to the man, that his father will not let him fish with the man again, not after this eighty-seven day streak without catching a fish. However, since the old man is weak, the boy walks him home, and brings him what little food he can. The man dreams of lions in Africa, where he used to sail as a little boy.

The next morning, in the early hours, the man goes out again to fish, alone this time, without the boy. He stays without a catch for almost the entire day, until a large fish takes his bait. The man stays with the fish for a night, and sees him jump in the morning. It is the biggest fish the man has seen, over a thousand pounds. The man stays with the fish for two more days, eating only raw dolphin. His hands cramp, and his back aches, but he stays. He talks to himself quite a bit, about baseball, and fishing, and lions.

He goes through some changes at this point. He grows to respect, rather than hate the fish. He tries to ally with God, despite the fact he is not religious. He keeps trying to convince himself he can defeat the fish though, even if he dies doing it. He seems ready to wait a lifetime if he has to.

Soon the fish jumps again and again, growing tired. He circles around the boat, and the old man stabs him with a harpoon on the third day, finally killing the fish after 81 pages of waiting. He ties the fish against the side of the boat, and sails home, having to fend off sharks on the way. The sharks overwhelm him, but he fights still. At night the sharks attack again, and his fight is useless. He arrives in Havana in the morning, his fish deprived of all its meat, and goes to bed. The boy finds him in the morning, and cries for a long time. People wonder about the fish, and praise the old man for his catch. The old man does not come out though. He just sits in his shack, dreaming about the lions.

I think one possible theme might be that courage is fighting even though you know you were beaten before it started, or that one should never give up no matter the consequences. I am really not sure. I do know that I enjoyed this read, and it would be fun to read for anyone looking for a few hours of entertainment.

Another article about Jack Jablonski

I just read a really cool article from the Star Tribune about Jack Jablonski, called "For Jabs and Benilde, tears end in triumph". It is about how Benilde won the state hockey championship, the fans' support, and Jablonski's reaction. I also have read the article from Sports Illustrated on Jack, so it was interesting to hear more about his story, and how happy he must have been to see his team win. But, I must say, the article describes Jack as happy throughout the whole thing. If I were in his position, and I saw my team win the championship without me, I would be really bummed. However, it is also understandable that he is just excited to be there, and to hear chants from the fans supporting him. This story about Jack winning state sounds like a happy ending to a sad story, but I don't think the support for Jack will end now, at the obvious climax of his story. Even though it seems like there is nothing left for him to hope for, I think, that if any one person has the potential to do something amazing, like walk once again, it would be Jack Jablonski. From what I have heard about him, he seems to be the kind of person that never gives up, and believes in perseverance.

YES MAN

YES MAN is a book by Danny Wallace it is the book the inspired the movie YES MAN. This is a great book but if you are looking for a book that is exactly like the movie this is not the book for you. YES MAN is a funny and witty book about a man named Danny Wallace (same as the author) who vows to never say no again and always say yes. But always saying yes has some down side. Danny gets a job offering to be a minister knowing nothing about it he has to say yes. If you are looking for a very funny book this is the book to read.

Gone With The WInd

I have just started reading Gone With The Wind, a classic by Margaret Mitchell. I saw the movie first, which is very long, but very good. It takes place just before the Civil War in the county of Clayton in Georgia. Scarlett O'Hara, the main character, is a Southern-bell in the confederacy who has always gotten everything she wanted with her witty charm and believes there will be no war. A useless argument at the time, with all the men around her having their guns already loaded. Scarlett felt that the idea of a war would compete with the attention given to her social life, parties, dresses, and power over her peers. When war would become the topic, she would describe how bored she was with the topic, which would cause all the men to beg for forgiveness for not being exciting enough. I feel that as the 1037 classic progresses, Scarlett will have to face life without all of the attention on her.

Shadow Wave

For this reading check I decided to read Shadow Wave Its a book about a cruel governor who tears down islands to build hotels and get richer. It is also a book in the oh so famous Cherub series. I feel that I am becoming too old for this series and style of books because I can literally read one of the cherub books in 3 hrs. Shadow Wave is the final cherub book with James Adams as the main character. James's friend comes to campus to hang out and James tells him about the governor. James's friend Kyle did an earlier mission that involved this governor and decides to catch him in the act. James is torn between following the law or his loyalty to his best friend. I think that this is sometimes what peer pressure is like, it's either following the law and letting your friend down or breaking the law and helping your friend. It is a very tough decision even though it sounds like a very easy one. I think that this book didn't portray it well because they made it seem like a small decision. Another thing I found kind of dissatisfactory about this book is that in the middle of the book a flashback occurs and it is relevant but extremely boring. I would recommend reading this book if you have read all of the other cherub books, but if not I wouldn't pick this one up.

Charlie St. Cloud

I recently started and finish Charlie St. Cloud written by Ben Sherwood. This amazing novel is about a boy in his teens named Charlie and his younger brother Sam. They were both very smart boys, infact Charlie was his junior class president and is planning on attending Dartmouth. He and his brother shared the passion of sailing, they would sail together and apart all the time. Charlie had to look after his younger brother Sam one night while their mother went out. Charlie had somewhere to go, so he tried to sneak out, but Same saw him and decided to go with him if when they got back Charlie would play ball with him everyday. They were driving back from the party, and Charlie had had somthing to drink. Sam and Charlie got into a fight, swirved off the road, and hit a truck. The next thing they knew, they were in an ambulance. Sam had passed away, and Charlie had some cuts on him. The family went to Sam's funeral a couple of days later, but in the middle of the barriel at five o'clock Charlie was crying, and ran into the woods near their house. He went there because this was the place that Charlie promised Sam he would go to play ball. Charlie is in the woods with his ball and glove, and he can see Sam. Everyday they meet here at five o'clock. One day Charlie meets a girl named Tess who is smart and also loves to sail, and they fall in love. One day him and Tess are together, and Charlie falls asleep, he wakes up about two past five, he runs to the woods to see his brother and he was never there, he was know a free spirit. Tessgoes out to sail one day to practice for a race and never returns. Charlie starts to become worried because a storm starts to build up. He calls the police, and gets into a helicopter with one of them. They go out over the bay and start to look for her. She was laying on a big wet and cold boulder. Charlie had seen her and went down to see if she was okay, and she was unconsious. She gets the girl, and they go to the hospital, and she ends up to be okay. I thought this book had many miracles in it, Charlie could see Sam, and he was able to find Tess. If someone loves touching magical love stories, they would love this book. Whether it's a brother brother relationship, a brother mother relationship, or a brother girlfriend relationship, it's always a touching relationship, no matter what.

Never Have I Ever (Part 3)

I’m still reading Never Have I Ever and I’ve noticed some foreshadowing Sara Shepard, the author, is using. In chapter 11, Emma, the main character, and Ethan sneak into Emma’s neighbor’s pool at night because her neighbors are out of town. Right when they are getting out of the pool, lights shone thorough a fence and they heard a car outside. Ethan left and Emma went to go check if the car was still there. It was gone. Emma suspected that someone had been watching them while they were swimming. Then, when Emma gets back into her house, she is surprised by Laurel, Emma’s younger sister, who is still awake. Laurel asks Emma a bunch of questions about what Emma was up to so late at night, and Laurel already seems to know she was swimming and was with someone. Laurel seems like a very suspicious character and might do something in the future to harm Emma. This whole book is about secrets and mysteries, and the girls in the book are all involved in “Lying Games” which are pretty in-depth pranks they pull on each other. I think Laurel might try to pull a “Lying Game” on Emma with secrets she knows. I still have to finish the book to find out what happens next.

Eldritch Tales: A Miscellany of the Macabre

I am currently reading Eldritch Tales: A Miscellany of the Macabre, by Howard Phillip Lovecraft (H.P. Lovecraft is how he is commonly referred to). Unfortunately, it is a compilation of short stories and poems, sharing next to no characteristics except the author who wrote them. However, as H.P. Lovecraft is a little known writer, I feel obliged that I should at least use this blog post to inform the readers a bit more about him. He started writing in the early 20th century for pulp fiction magazines, writing short stories in a strange, new genera that was eventually dubbed "weird fiction". In my opinion, his genera is a cross between fantasy and science-fiction with the occasional dab of horror thrown in. I guess I could compare his writing to that of Edgar Allen Poe, just more sci-fi and ... grandiose? On a larger scale, I should say, as Lovecraft loves to delve into the human mind, cross the world, and even look into the cosmos. However, often times his poems are written in a kind of older English that just hurts my eyes to try and read which might also bother other readers. Going back to "weird fiction", I think this title came around simply because the plots are VERY weird. Example: Man finds 600-year-old Frenchman named Charles in his basement. I would like to point out, that the stultifying plots do not retract from any of the short stories I've read. An interesting feature is he often brings in actual science, such as actual stars in space, and the like. Many of his stories take place in Britain or in Massachusetts, with the main character typically being an educated, white, man. Part of the reason behind this is I'm pretty sure he had racist beliefs (not sure where I read that, but makes sense). This could trouble readers because he often portrays other races.... not very well. For example, there is a short story involving African tribes - he makes the reader think they are barbaric savages. However, Lovecraft gives no love (pun intended) to "rednecks" either. Essentially, there are some sensitive subjects that are indirectly breached in his writing which may discourage certain possible readers - I strongly urge to overlook these shortcomings in favor of some writing that is stupendously descriptive, deeply captivating, and overflowing with mind-boggling ideas. The writing of H.P. Lovecraft.

The Red Pyramid

I recently read The Red Pyramid by Rick Roidan and it was an excellent book. It was about a brother and sister who's father had recently died and mother was dead. I thought this was a good book because it expressed egyptian history, while still keeping the plot very modern. I can relate to this book because both of the kids in this book are around my age and I can relate to what the kids are going through. I would defiantly recommend this book to anybody who has read all of the Rick Roidan books because it is an excellent book, and relates to the Percy Jackson series.

Marley & Me

I recently finished Marley and Me by John Grogan, a novel about the Grogan's and their rambunctious, mischievous, but loving dog, Marley. Throughout this book Marley shows compassion and love toward his family. At the beginning he is very wild and crazy, eating anything he can "get his mouth around." They think of him as the world's worst dog, since he destroys the house as a puppy. As the novel progresses he grows up, teaching his family what really matters in life. He never fails to fill their hearts with devotion and loyalty, as well as providing the kids lots of fun as they also grow up. He is always their for the Grogan's when they need something to cheer up their lives, like when Jenny has a miscarriage. The Grogan's did not realize at first that they could find the key to happiness through a crazily energetic dog . But, Marley proves to them that he can.

This book is a heart-warming story filled with benevolence and adoration. This book taught me that you can find admiration through the love of a man's best friend.

Independent Reading

I recently started a book called The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan. I saw this book in my younger brothers room and was excited when I saw the author. I remember when I was in elementary school and read the Percy Jackson series and really enjoyed it. I was happy to find that this book is a continuation of that series with some new characters. The Books are about teenagers who learn that one of there parents are Greek gods. Where I am in this book the character have just started there quest to save the queen of the gods. This book is a little immature and easy but it is ok in my opinion to take a break from really challenging books. I would recommend this book to all people who would like to take a break from reading serious topics.

Seedfolks

I recently finished reading the book Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman, a Newbery Award-winning author. This book was a quick read but nevertheless still had an underlying theme that the author developed in a very creative way. Fleischman conveys his theme by using first person point of view for the duration of the book, while introducing a new narrator every chapter. I believe the theme of the book to be how individuals can have an impact on their whole community. By having 13 different narrators in his story Fleischman is able to show each persons' individual impacts and how they add up to affect the entire community. Fleischman's unique writing style is one that keeps the reader engaged throughout the story, and makes the book's theme stand out. As I mentioned before, the book is very short (about 102 pages). I think the author's choice to make the book "short and sweet" was definitely a wise one, as it didn't take long for him to develop the theme and by keeping it short the reader never becomes bored. Although the book is a quick, light read, I absolutely recommend it because of the distinct style in which Fleischman delivers his story.

A Crack In the Line

This book takes place in London. the main characters are two teenagers a boy and a girl. They have the same last name same facial features and same parents but they have never met or even heard of eachother. Until one day the boy finds a little glass vase with a house inside that mimicked his own. When someone is very frustrated or have very strong feeling and they touch the vase they are brought to the other world. As the main characters further explore the reasoning for this happening they find out more about their family's history and the history of the house.

Burden of the Soul

I haven't gotten very far into this book, but I'm hooked. On Clara's, the main character, birthday, a blinding white light comes into their apartment. Clara's mom orders Clara to hide, and Clara hides, but has to watch her Mom be taken by this light. Clara and her Dad separate and move, each taking a floor in their new house, and rarely crossing paths. Clara has frequent dreams about someone named Devin, but we do not know who he is. Clara's aunt, Grace, is the same 'type' of person Clara's mom is, but we do not know why the light wanted to take Clara.Th.is book is very suspenseful. It adds a twist of romance, and friendship troubles as her best, and only, friend is moving up, gaining popularity, and leaves Clara in the dark.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a story about a 9 year old boy whose dad dies in the 9/11 attack. His name is Oskar Schell, and he is scared of so many things, but he and his dad have always had a tradition of having little missions made for Oskar. On 9/11, Oskar is sent home from school early. As he arrives the phone starts ringing; it's his father. He leaves 6 messages that day, none of which he picks up. He is rooted in place, just standing and hearing his father's last words.

The book then goes on to follow Oskar to finding a key in an envelope saying "Black" on it. He is determined to find what the key opens, and thinks it's a last message from his dad. The book follows him through every visit to every person named Black in New York.

This book is written really well. The author uses run-on sentences to build intensity and it works really well. I find myself holding my breath during them, just waiting for them to end. There is also a movie based on this book, but they have changed tons of small details. I think some of the small details that are different in the movie should be like that in the book, as they just round everything out and tie up loose ends.

Brave New World: Part 2

What is more important, freedom or happiness? This is the question that stayed in my mind after finishing Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. If you have never been free, would you understand what freedom is? Will you be willing to give up your personal freedom to end pain?

In the New Word the idea of freedom does not exist, so it is not missed. When the main character appears half way through the story, the question gets asked.

His name is John the Savage. He grew up in the “Old World” and then moves to the “New World”. In the slightly depressing world described in the book, there are two different types of characters, those seeking happiness and those seeking freedom. However, sometimes it is a bit hard to identify which characters desire which. The author likes the ambiguity.

This brings me to my next point. One complication in reading this book is the vagueness of the language that the author uses to tell the story. Many key events are described using metaphors or with barely any words at all. However this also allows the readers to use their imagination and take the book to different places, something I enjoyed.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a slightly complicated topic of reading or anyone looking for a quick read between series.