No True Glory
By Bing West
Jake Gustafson. 2/14/16
"BAM"a bomb went off behind me as five humvees followed. This is just one example of what happens in No True Glory by Bing West. In this book it is pretty much a realistic view of the battle of the city of Fallujah in Iraq. It is in the view of American fighters thinking that the war would be quick and easy.However, after 4 American contractors were killed the war got heated. So in this book it shows the heated fight between the American and the Iraqi terriosists. So my opinion on the book is that it's boring, I know how can war be boring? Well I'll tell you. Pretty much there was too much build up to the actual fighting. I know that's how real war works and the author wants to make it as realistic as possible,but it just doesn't work out. The planning for what the soldiers do is at least a hundred pages. While the actual fighting might be 30 tops. I wanna read a book that's action filled not just people talking for the whole first half of the book. Another reason why the book is boring is the diction. The book uses war terms only people who are or were in war would understand. And those words come up a lot. So I usually have to stop reading and figure out what they're talking about. And that happens pretty constantly. I want reading to be easy not a hassle ,and that was what it was in this book. The final reason why this book was boring was the character development. The characters in this were really bad. The characters always seemed very monotone and the plot and idea of war was just carrying them along. So if I was to put these characters in a another book it wouldnt workout and be even more boring. The characters just seemed to be filler they really did nothing more but be there to have a character. I wouldn't recommend this book for anyone besides soldiers. Anyone else would be in the situation I am in. However I think soldiers would like it for the reasons I thought it was boring.So all in all I gibpve the book a 5.5 out of 10.
Friday, February 17, 2017
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Jakob Bailey Book Review
Jakob Bailey
The Book of General Ignorance
By John Lloyd and John Mitchinson
Misconceptions, misunderstandings, and the unknown! That is what this book is all about. I have read this book cover to cover and was not dissatisfied one bit. It was very enjoyable, intruiging, and interesting. This book is a collection of facts that you might not know or thought you did know, but were actually wrong about. One fantastic example of this is the evil number 666. It turns out, the people who were translating the Bible mistranslated. The actual number is 616. But there's a slim chance you knew that. Another example is the life span of headless chickens. If you didn't know they can live without their head, they can. If you did know this, you most likely thought they lived for a short period of time. Well, I present the story of Mike the Chicken. On September 10. 1945, Llyod Olsen decapitated Mike with an Axe, missing the jugular vein and leaving enough brain stem for him him to strive. He toured the country and was even in both Time and Life magazines. He lived for about two years. The crazy part? He didn't die from the complications of not having a head. He ate and drank through an eye dropper. One night, however, he started choking, and Olsen, his owner, didn't have the eye dropper. He is actually still an idol in Fruita, Colorado, where he is celebrated in May. One final example is a blue whale's throat. Now, with blue whales being roughly 105 feet long and weighing about 381,400 pounds, making them the biggest animal on earth, they could easily consume something as big as a human, or even a car, right? Well, the biggest thing they can swallow has to be less that 4 inches in diameter. Their throat is only the size of a "side plate". If you were confused by that, don't worry. I was too. As said before, a side plate is about 4 inches. That's roughly the size of a grapefruit. Another interesting fact about the blue whale is that it's throats is the exact same size of it's belly button. Also, they don't eat anything for eight months. After this period, in the summer, they eat almost 3 tons of krill a day, which is 6000 pounds. No wonder they're the biggest animal on earth!Some other topics that are covered are presidents, modern day science, and the history. This book is perfect for procrastinators, time wasting situations, and people interested in history and science.
The Book of General Ignorance
By John Lloyd and John Mitchinson
Misconceptions, misunderstandings, and the unknown! That is what this book is all about. I have read this book cover to cover and was not dissatisfied one bit. It was very enjoyable, intruiging, and interesting. This book is a collection of facts that you might not know or thought you did know, but were actually wrong about. One fantastic example of this is the evil number 666. It turns out, the people who were translating the Bible mistranslated. The actual number is 616. But there's a slim chance you knew that. Another example is the life span of headless chickens. If you didn't know they can live without their head, they can. If you did know this, you most likely thought they lived for a short period of time. Well, I present the story of Mike the Chicken. On September 10. 1945, Llyod Olsen decapitated Mike with an Axe, missing the jugular vein and leaving enough brain stem for him him to strive. He toured the country and was even in both Time and Life magazines. He lived for about two years. The crazy part? He didn't die from the complications of not having a head. He ate and drank through an eye dropper. One night, however, he started choking, and Olsen, his owner, didn't have the eye dropper. He is actually still an idol in Fruita, Colorado, where he is celebrated in May. One final example is a blue whale's throat. Now, with blue whales being roughly 105 feet long and weighing about 381,400 pounds, making them the biggest animal on earth, they could easily consume something as big as a human, or even a car, right? Well, the biggest thing they can swallow has to be less that 4 inches in diameter. Their throat is only the size of a "side plate". If you were confused by that, don't worry. I was too. As said before, a side plate is about 4 inches. That's roughly the size of a grapefruit. Another interesting fact about the blue whale is that it's throats is the exact same size of it's belly button. Also, they don't eat anything for eight months. After this period, in the summer, they eat almost 3 tons of krill a day, which is 6000 pounds. No wonder they're the biggest animal on earth!Some other topics that are covered are presidents, modern day science, and the history. This book is perfect for procrastinators, time wasting situations, and people interested in history and science.
Lock and Key blog by: Leah Jones
Lock and Key by: Sarah Dessen
By: Leah Jones
Have you ever wanted to fast forward time and go from a kid to an adult as soon as possible? Well imagine being thrown into an adults lifestyle at the age of 17 years old. Ever since Ruby was young she had to take the mature role and act like a mother, while her mom would take the place as an immature child. Ruby's mom is shy especially when she's hungover. That was a big issue because as people we have to communicate with strangers everyday, "But interacting with the majority of the population (cashiers, school administrators, bosses, ex boyfriends) was not something she engaged in unless absolutely necessary, and then, with great reluctance." (6). So Ruby was used to talking to adults for her mom and even sometimes lying for her.Ruby and her mom lived in a decent sized yellow house and paying the rent, water bill, and electricity bill was always a struggle. Ruby who works at an airport was always worried about something going wrong or someone figuring out her lies, while on the other hand her mom would be knocked out drunk with the tv on; "She's at the bank right now," 'I'd tell the landlord, even as she snored on the couch.' (7). How would you feel if you were seventeen years old and never got to enjoy it?
Suddenly this all changes when Ruby's mom leaves and doesn't come back for months with no communication or reasonings. Where did she go? When will she be back? Does she even care if she left Ruby? these are all questions that pop in your head immediately, what kind of mother abandons her own daughter to live in their house alone for a few months with no warning. Surprisingly Ruby thought that it was fine! She believed that she could live in that yellow old house forever since she was almost eighteen years old and that no one would ever find out?. Until she got a rude awakening and something goes wrong in the house causing people to come and see the truth. How much can this teen take before she calls this some type of child abuse?
To make things worse Ruby has to go and try to live with her sister Cora who is ten years older than Ruby with her wealthy entrepreneur husband. How awkward? Ruby and her sister haven't talked for years. How will Ruby survive? Where's her mother? Will Ruby ever get to live in a stable home?READ "Lock and Key" by Sarah Dessen and take this wild journey with Ruby. I recommend this book completely because we've all been through the stage of wanting to be older with more responsibilities until we realize what all the good parents have to do everyday to be able to call themselves a true parent. I love this book it draws you in and you never want to put it down because it might leave you on a cliff hanger!.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Brother Hood Rivalry
When you think about sports rivalries, the first thing to come to mind are the big name teams who absolutely hate one another.Red Wings and Avalanche, Red Sox and Yankees, or even college rivalries such as Florida State Seminoles and Florida Gators. But one of the most epic rivalries come from two NBA players who started off at Michigan State and Indiana State then took their dynasties to Los Angeles and Boston. One of the biggest rivalries in sports history comes from Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Larry Bird.
Jackie MacMullan’s Larry Bird Earvin Magic Johnson When the Game was Ours explains all throughout the two legends and who they are, how they became who they are, and how the two greats became great friends throughout their careers. She goes throughout both of their lives with interviews, statistics, and big games and decisions. All along both their astonishing careers, Magic and Larry both knew that they were one of the most if not the most talented basketball players in the world, event before they knew who each other were. Everybody that knew who they were knew that they were going to perform as a great in the NBA and in college setting multiple records and winning games, tournaments, and titles. Jackie got an interview with Magic Johnson’s head coach of his high school basketball team and claims that he has always said the same words over and over again to Magic knowing that he was extremely talented when he would say, “There is somebody out there somewhere who has the same talent that you do, you just haven't found him yet.” Magic would always take those words into a deeper state of mind and would use it as motivation to always be working hard and determined to be the best. Little did he know though, that someone somewhere goes by the name of Larry Bird. Larry grew up in Indiana and was very close with his mother as a child all the way up to now. In fact, Larry made the promise with Georgia, his mother, that he would graduate from college with a degree no matter what happens at all. Because of how much his mother meant to him and how badly he needed her trust, even when the Boston Celtics drafted him as a junior in college, he decided to go back to ISU to get that degree. Later on after he got his degree for his mom, the Boston Celtics decided to go for him again the next year and drafted him early in the first round after being passed up by the Portland Trailblazers who begged him for years to play there but he always knew he was a Celtic. Rather than going back to MSU in his junior year, Magic Johnson decided to go straight into the NBA after being drafted by the LA Lakers first overall. Magic ended up having a breakout rookie season and won his first NBA title. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson end up being the best of friends after their career because of all the games and championships they've played in against each other and all of the charity and fundraiser events that they took part in together.
Whether you are the sports type of guy or gal, Jackie Macmullan’s Larry Bird Earvin Magic Johnson When the Game was Ours is the book for you
Jackie MacMullan’s Larry Bird Earvin Magic Johnson When the Game was Ours explains all throughout the two legends and who they are, how they became who they are, and how the two greats became great friends throughout their careers. She goes throughout both of their lives with interviews, statistics, and big games and decisions. All along both their astonishing careers, Magic and Larry both knew that they were one of the most if not the most talented basketball players in the world, event before they knew who each other were. Everybody that knew who they were knew that they were going to perform as a great in the NBA and in college setting multiple records and winning games, tournaments, and titles. Jackie got an interview with Magic Johnson’s head coach of his high school basketball team and claims that he has always said the same words over and over again to Magic knowing that he was extremely talented when he would say, “There is somebody out there somewhere who has the same talent that you do, you just haven't found him yet.” Magic would always take those words into a deeper state of mind and would use it as motivation to always be working hard and determined to be the best. Little did he know though, that someone somewhere goes by the name of Larry Bird. Larry grew up in Indiana and was very close with his mother as a child all the way up to now. In fact, Larry made the promise with Georgia, his mother, that he would graduate from college with a degree no matter what happens at all. Because of how much his mother meant to him and how badly he needed her trust, even when the Boston Celtics drafted him as a junior in college, he decided to go back to ISU to get that degree. Later on after he got his degree for his mom, the Boston Celtics decided to go for him again the next year and drafted him early in the first round after being passed up by the Portland Trailblazers who begged him for years to play there but he always knew he was a Celtic. Rather than going back to MSU in his junior year, Magic Johnson decided to go straight into the NBA after being drafted by the LA Lakers first overall. Magic ended up having a breakout rookie season and won his first NBA title. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson end up being the best of friends after their career because of all the games and championships they've played in against each other and all of the charity and fundraiser events that they took part in together.
Whether you are the sports type of guy or gal, Jackie Macmullan’s Larry Bird Earvin Magic Johnson When the Game was Ours is the book for you
Prodigy by Marie Lu Term 3
Mel Wan
Prodigy
By: Marie Lu
Have you ever heard of a criminal that stole just to save his family? Have you ever seen a military Major fall in love with the most wanted criminal? June is the only daughter of an elite family from one of the wealthiest districts. She got a perfect score on her trial exams. The trial exams are them exams to identify if you will be useful to the republic or not, and if you are not then you get thrown out into the poor districts. On the other hand Day is the most wanted criminal who has done a great deal of crimes but haven't been seen or hurt. He is believed to have fail the trial exams but did he? Continuing from the first book, June and Day nearly escaped with the help of Day’s brother, who sadly died instead of Day, and are on their way to Las Vegas to get help from a rebel group called the Patriots. When they found the Patriots, the Elector died and instantly the Electors son, Anden, became the new Elector. The Patriots planned an assassination for Elector Anden to have freedom and Day and June gets right to work to kill Anden. As planned, June gets arrested to get close to Anden for the assassination. As time goes by Anden and June's relationship grows while Day risks his life to get June back. June tries to tell Day to stop the assassination by making signs at the cameras for Day. Day sees them and is confused what to do. Either save both of them or just save June? I 10000% recommend this book. To start off I think you should read the first book of the series which is even more exciting. While you read the book your interest will grow as the intensity also grows. The “Mr. Perfect’ and “Ms. Perfect” couple that does everything right but not everything goes the way they want when it comes to romance. I recommend this book to everyone who likes action and some love triangles.
Prodigy
By: Marie Lu
Have you ever heard of a criminal that stole just to save his family? Have you ever seen a military Major fall in love with the most wanted criminal? June is the only daughter of an elite family from one of the wealthiest districts. She got a perfect score on her trial exams. The trial exams are them exams to identify if you will be useful to the republic or not, and if you are not then you get thrown out into the poor districts. On the other hand Day is the most wanted criminal who has done a great deal of crimes but haven't been seen or hurt. He is believed to have fail the trial exams but did he? Continuing from the first book, June and Day nearly escaped with the help of Day’s brother, who sadly died instead of Day, and are on their way to Las Vegas to get help from a rebel group called the Patriots. When they found the Patriots, the Elector died and instantly the Electors son, Anden, became the new Elector. The Patriots planned an assassination for Elector Anden to have freedom and Day and June gets right to work to kill Anden. As planned, June gets arrested to get close to Anden for the assassination. As time goes by Anden and June's relationship grows while Day risks his life to get June back. June tries to tell Day to stop the assassination by making signs at the cameras for Day. Day sees them and is confused what to do. Either save both of them or just save June? I 10000% recommend this book. To start off I think you should read the first book of the series which is even more exciting. While you read the book your interest will grow as the intensity also grows. The “Mr. Perfect’ and “Ms. Perfect” couple that does everything right but not everything goes the way they want when it comes to romance. I recommend this book to everyone who likes action and some love triangles.
The Batboys Hunt for his Idols Approval - Derick Babayan
Brian, is not just a boy... He's a batboy. A batboy trying to make friends with a man that he's always idolized, Hank Bishop.
Brian, a 14 year old batboy for the Tigers, has been trying all season to impress Hank, to just make Hank like him or even just remember his name, but no matter what Brian does, it never seems to work. Not only does Hank not want to be friends with Brian, but he is constantly bad mouthing and blaming Brian for the smallest things, he even says things like "This is the wrong bat, you idiot"(95), to Brian but no matter what, Brian seems to stay a Hank bishop fan. But do you think that this will make Brian stop trying to get Hank to like him... Of course not. He runs into many obstacles I guess you could say but Brian will do anything in his power to impress his idol, why you might ask, well you'll have to read the book to find out, to find out what really drives Brian, to find out what his real motivation is. He has no farther, he lives with his only mother that loves him so dearly, their are so many people out there he could be trying to impress, yet he still try's and try's and try's to impress the one man that doesn't want to be impressed, Hank bishop, he even says "Hank, this is the greatest night of my life"(75) when Brian see's Hank play.
The book The Batboy by Mike Lupica truly is a great sports novel. If you are a fan of any sport, even if you dislike baseball this book will still appealing to you. This book has all the qualities of a great sports novel, it puts you on the edge of your seat, every day is a new yet old adventure, their's action, their's a main character with one goal, it's appealing to read, and it makes you want to come back to read more. It really does because basically every day Brian had the same goal, yet every day there is a new adventure, every day there's a new obstacle to tackle, and new choice Brian has to make, every day he has something new waiting for him and every day is a new day not only in his eyes but also in the readers eyes. I really think that it may be relatable for some sports fans, or players out there who can't really reach their goal or every time they attempt to something new tries to stop them. Like I said before I personally really enjoy this book, because I love how the main goal is just set in stone but every time Brian goes and tries to reach for the goal something or someone always pulls him back and makes him fight and fight for him to get what he wants, and through all this seriousness baseball still comes to play and baseball is really the main thin effect Brian's life, his moms life, Hanks life really everyone in this books life. I would definitely recommend this book to any person who is a fan of any sport or a person who likes a novel that has lots of twists and turns in it.
Brian, a 14 year old batboy for the Tigers, has been trying all season to impress Hank, to just make Hank like him or even just remember his name, but no matter what Brian does, it never seems to work. Not only does Hank not want to be friends with Brian, but he is constantly bad mouthing and blaming Brian for the smallest things, he even says things like "This is the wrong bat, you idiot"(95), to Brian but no matter what, Brian seems to stay a Hank bishop fan. But do you think that this will make Brian stop trying to get Hank to like him... Of course not. He runs into many obstacles I guess you could say but Brian will do anything in his power to impress his idol, why you might ask, well you'll have to read the book to find out, to find out what really drives Brian, to find out what his real motivation is. He has no farther, he lives with his only mother that loves him so dearly, their are so many people out there he could be trying to impress, yet he still try's and try's and try's to impress the one man that doesn't want to be impressed, Hank bishop, he even says "Hank, this is the greatest night of my life"(75) when Brian see's Hank play.
The book The Batboy by Mike Lupica truly is a great sports novel. If you are a fan of any sport, even if you dislike baseball this book will still appealing to you. This book has all the qualities of a great sports novel, it puts you on the edge of your seat, every day is a new yet old adventure, their's action, their's a main character with one goal, it's appealing to read, and it makes you want to come back to read more. It really does because basically every day Brian had the same goal, yet every day there is a new adventure, every day there's a new obstacle to tackle, and new choice Brian has to make, every day he has something new waiting for him and every day is a new day not only in his eyes but also in the readers eyes. I really think that it may be relatable for some sports fans, or players out there who can't really reach their goal or every time they attempt to something new tries to stop them. Like I said before I personally really enjoy this book, because I love how the main goal is just set in stone but every time Brian goes and tries to reach for the goal something or someone always pulls him back and makes him fight and fight for him to get what he wants, and through all this seriousness baseball still comes to play and baseball is really the main thin effect Brian's life, his moms life, Hanks life really everyone in this books life. I would definitely recommend this book to any person who is a fan of any sport or a person who likes a novel that has lots of twists and turns in it.
Monday, February 13, 2017
Coldest Girl in Coldtown: Twilight revamped or a new spin on an old trend
Rachel Boudreau
The coldest girl in coldtown
By Holly Black
Imagine a world in where every night you have to hide in fear of the dark. The dark holds danger you never thought would be true. Vampires walk among you and they are hungry. If you are bitten you go cold, if you go cold it's already too late. Find your nearest coldtown don’t try to sweat it out don’t you’ll only get hungrier. One drop is all it takes and you're one of them a monster in human skin eyes blood red, fangs like blades, hunger never ending.
“Clever girl. You play with fire because you want to be burnt.”
Tana is a girl with a past full of pain, heartbreak, and mistakes. Her father lives in a bottle after the incident with their mother. The same mother who went cold tempted Tana for blood and left her with more than enough trouble than Tana would ever want in her life. Tana lives a life of parties and trouble or at least she use too. Now she tries to stay on the straight and narrow but life doesn’t always go here way. Tana life goes from bad to worse when she encounters her ex apparently infected and a strange vampire who is as mysterious as beautiful.
“They wore their strange beauty like war paint”
I love this book more than I should admit. I devoured every word and read it at every chance I could. The characters were well written and felt real. The world and story were so realistic that I could picture this sort of thing happening in real life. It brilliantly showed the effect media can have on society and how cruel the world can be. I can not recommend it enough but it does take a certain type of person to enjoy it. I was taken aback by how many people said they didn’t even finish the first few chapters. If you like vampires done right then read this. There will be no sparkly loving vampires like Twilight. The vampires in this book wouldn’t hesitate to kill you and that is the way it should be in my opinion. The ending left me wanting more but I loved it anyway. I would recommend this to lovers of suspense and urban fantasy lovers. I have yet to find a book like it and try to recommend it to anyone who is willing to go on a ride for a few hundred pages of pure joy and madness.
“So I'm scared, because you're not just not human, you're not like anyone....there's nobody like you in all the world and it's you I want. I want you and I hate wanting things and I especially hate admitting I want them.”
Taking Chances
Caroline Crowley
Faith, Hope, and Ivy June
By Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Could you ever imagine living someone else’s life? What if your school told you unexpectedly that you are going to be spending your spring break with a family that you don't know, and they live across the country, just so you could study their lifestyle? For Ivy June, who is a very smart, musical, and shy teenager, that is how she will be spending her spring break. Ivy lives in Kentucky in a small cabin that is surrounded by mountains. She lives with her grandmother and grandfather because her parents did not have enough room in their own cabin. Ivy truly believes that the key to having a happy life is being surrounded by your loved ones and the little things in life should bring happiness. On the other hand, Catherine Clark who is the person that Ivy will be living with during her spring break, is very different from Ivy. Catherine is very outgoing, athletic, and popular. She lives in California with her family in a beautiful house with space for everyone. For several weeks, Ivy is on a journey and gets to experience a day in the life of Catherine Clark. Ivy is there to see, Catherine’s high moments such as winning the soccer championship, along with her low moments such as the time when Catherine’s boyfriend dumped her. When Catherine first met Ivy her first reaction was, “felt weird, though her interests were weird” (71). Catherine didn't believe at first that she had anything in common with Ivy. Ivy’s initial reaction when she met Catherine was, “strangely, Catherine was carrying her younger siblings on her back” (78). Ivy does not know how to act with younger kids, because she is an only child and can't relate to Catherine. As the book goes on, Catherine and Ivy experience many ups, downs, laughs, cries, and memories that will stick with them both forever. They both realize that they may be more alike than different when they come across a situation where both their loved ones are in serious trouble. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is afraid to go out of their comfort zone and try new things. Both Ivy and Catherine took risks and faced many challenges. It wasn't easy for them to overcome their challenges, but they overcame them together and overcoming the challenges made them both stronger. I can relate to that because there are times in my life when I am afraid to go outside of my comfort zone, or try something new. However, once I believe in myself and have confidence in my abilities, I have the strength inside of me to try something new and whether it works out or not, I feel stronger stronger as a person.
Caroline Crowley
Faith, Hope, and Ivy June
By Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Could you ever imagine living someone else’s life? What if your school told you unexpectedly that you are going to be spending your spring break with a family that you don't know, and they live across the country, just so you could study their lifestyle? For Ivy June, who is a very smart, musical, and shy teenager, that is how she will be spending her spring break. Ivy lives in Kentucky in a small cabin that is surrounded by mountains. She lives with her grandmother and grandfather because her parents did not have enough room in their own cabin. Ivy truly believes that the key to having a happy life is being surrounded by your loved ones and the little things in life should bring happiness. On the other hand, Catherine Clark who is the person that Ivy will be living with during her spring break, is very different from Ivy. Catherine is very outgoing, athletic, and popular. She lives in California with her family in a beautiful house with space for everyone. For several weeks, Ivy is on a journey and gets to experience a day in the life of Catherine Clark. Ivy is there to see, Catherine’s high moments such as winning the soccer championship, along with her low moments such as the time when Catherine’s boyfriend dumped her. When Catherine first met Ivy her first reaction was, “felt weird, though her interests were weird” (71). Catherine didn't believe at first that she had anything in common with Ivy. Ivy’s initial reaction when she met Catherine was, “strangely, Catherine was carrying her younger siblings on her back” (78). Ivy does not know how to act with younger kids, because she is an only child and can't relate to Catherine. As the book goes on, Catherine and Ivy experience many ups, downs, laughs, cries, and memories that will stick with them both forever. They both realize that they may be more alike than different when they come across a situation where both their loved ones are in serious trouble. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is afraid to go out of their comfort zone and try new things. Both Ivy and Catherine took risks and faced many challenges. It wasn't easy for them to overcome their challenges, but they overcame them together and overcoming the challenges made them both stronger. I can relate to that because there are times in my life when I am afraid to go outside of my comfort zone, or try something new. However, once I believe in myself and have confidence in my abilities, I have the strength inside of me to try something new and whether it works out or not, I feel stronger stronger as a person.
Young, Wild and Free
Kyleigh Hairston
Looking For Alaska
John Green
What if you went on a life changing journey to find your great perhaps? What would you're life end up looking like? Looking For Alaska follows a boy named Miles "Pudge" Halter, who's talent is remembering famous people's final words. Pudge doesn't like his safe life at home and wants to search for his great perhaps like poet Francois Rabelais. He decides to leave home and go to a boarding school called Culver Creek in Alabama, where he meets the most interesting people he will ever meet. On his first day there he meets Chip "Colonel" Martin who introduces him to Alaska Young and Takumi, who eventually end up becoming close friends.
In the beginning of the novel you can tell that there is a connection between Pudge and Alaska. She shares a lot with Pudge, but at the same time don't really tell him anything. Throughout the novel they get closer and closer despite the fact that Alaska has a boyfriend (who she eventually breaks up with) and that Pudge is crushing hard on a girl who he threw up on.
At Culver Creek there are two separate groups of people. One group is the Weekday Warriors. They are your stereotypical rich kids who don't live at the boarding school and get everything they want. The Weeday Warriors and Pudge and his friends don't get along very well. They're always playing jokes on each other which causes more and more problems. Every time one group pulls a prank the other group fires back with another. This back and forth stuff eventually gets out of hand and causes Alaska and The Colonel to come up with a big plan to fire back. Their prank is aimed towards all Weekday Warriors and can get the expelled if they get caught by the eagle aka the dean.
This novel is one of those books that makes you feel like you really understand and can relate to the characters very well. For me reading is very boring because I can never find a book that I like. Reading a book with a character as outgoing and interesting as Alaska, a boy who is looking for something good out of life and a deep message that is conveyed makes reading Looking For Alaska a thousand times better. Coming from someone who isn't a big fan of reading, when I picked up Looking For Alaska I knew it was a book I would definitely love reading and recommend to everyone. If you like any other book by John Green or a book about finding yourself then I would definitely recommend that you read Looking For Alaska!
Looking For Alaska
John Green
What if you went on a life changing journey to find your great perhaps? What would you're life end up looking like? Looking For Alaska follows a boy named Miles "Pudge" Halter, who's talent is remembering famous people's final words. Pudge doesn't like his safe life at home and wants to search for his great perhaps like poet Francois Rabelais. He decides to leave home and go to a boarding school called Culver Creek in Alabama, where he meets the most interesting people he will ever meet. On his first day there he meets Chip "Colonel" Martin who introduces him to Alaska Young and Takumi, who eventually end up becoming close friends.
In the beginning of the novel you can tell that there is a connection between Pudge and Alaska. She shares a lot with Pudge, but at the same time don't really tell him anything. Throughout the novel they get closer and closer despite the fact that Alaska has a boyfriend (who she eventually breaks up with) and that Pudge is crushing hard on a girl who he threw up on.
At Culver Creek there are two separate groups of people. One group is the Weekday Warriors. They are your stereotypical rich kids who don't live at the boarding school and get everything they want. The Weeday Warriors and Pudge and his friends don't get along very well. They're always playing jokes on each other which causes more and more problems. Every time one group pulls a prank the other group fires back with another. This back and forth stuff eventually gets out of hand and causes Alaska and The Colonel to come up with a big plan to fire back. Their prank is aimed towards all Weekday Warriors and can get the expelled if they get caught by the eagle aka the dean.
This novel is one of those books that makes you feel like you really understand and can relate to the characters very well. For me reading is very boring because I can never find a book that I like. Reading a book with a character as outgoing and interesting as Alaska, a boy who is looking for something good out of life and a deep message that is conveyed makes reading Looking For Alaska a thousand times better. Coming from someone who isn't a big fan of reading, when I picked up Looking For Alaska I knew it was a book I would definitely love reading and recommend to everyone. If you like any other book by John Green or a book about finding yourself then I would definitely recommend that you read Looking For Alaska!
To jump? Or not to jump?
Anthony Rodriguez
A Long Way Down
A Long Way Down
By: Nick Hornby
Four pairs of shoes, eight feet, hundreds of feet above the ground.
Jess, JJ, Maureen, and Martin, four strangers with many opposites, different backgrounds, different problems, but all with the same intention: to jump off of a building in South London, on New Year's Eve. They all have this intention to commit one of the worst things a human being can do to themselves… but they choose to assess their problems instead, rather than jumping and regretting it all after it’s too late. First it’s Jess, on New Year's Day, trying to track down the person who partially caused her to end up on that roof. Then soon after Jess, it’s Maureen, Martin, and JJ. They all want to fix their problems, but sometimes they do the opposite, chasing it, or even embracing it, without realizing it.
This book, to me, has been quite an amazing story. The concept wholeheartedly intrigues me. This concept of having multiple characters wading through a great deal of problems all the meanwhile trying to support each other without killing each other is a major selling point. But sometimes I find some of the content a bit, "oversaturated," in the form of repetitive explanations. Not necessarily the material of the explanations, but more of how it’s delivered.
Personally, I think the dialogue and narration is going to be interpreted differently by others, and how much information you think is “enough.” Despite this “oversaturation” I find the dialogue and narration paired splendidly with the characteristics of the protagonists. In regards to dialogue and narration, I believe that some readers may find the book a bit disorienting at times. The concept of having more than two characters is innovative, but distorted. After each line of dialogue, it doesn’t say who had spoken, but if the author had chosen to do this, it would’ve made the book mundane. So if you’re able to get past the confusion of the two-plus character dialogue, you’ll find the beauty in said dialogue, and of how the author does an excellent job of executing a creative and expressive setting, based on the personalities of the characters, even if there may be some degrading and vulgar language, “‘Oh Christ,’ he [Martin] said when he first saw it. I could feel myself [Maureen] blushing. ‘Is this your suicide note?’ ‘Cool. Read it out,’ said Jess. ‘Mine are crap, but I bet hers is worse.’ ‘Yours are crap?’ said JJ. ‘Meaning, there are, like, what, hundreds of them?’ ‘I’m always writing them,’ said Jess. She seemed quite cheerful about it” (54). The baseline theme of four people who all want to end it all is, depressing, dark, cold hearted, but the characters aspirations to overcoming their problems is empowering, strong, encouraging, and leads them down a long road, “‘Good,’ said Martin. And when he said that, you could tell that instead of killing ourselves, we were all going to come down from the roof and look for Jess’s boyfriend, or whatever he was” (55). Based on the characters, you may share a similar connection, and if you do, this book may truly impact you in a good, positive way, and/or possibly a bad, negative way, but this negativity may explicitly be weak, or strong, based on your interpretation. The central conflict, issue, or problem (whatever you’d like to call it) can greatly change one's view on this topic; especially because it revolves around a heavy, grim topic, suicide. The book and do a great deal of convincing one that suicide is more to it than a person just wants to die. The book goes into detail of why these four seemingly normal (for the most part) people, all make the decision to plan an event that will end up with them taking their own lives, “[JJ] It’s more, you know, Oh, OK, your band was f---ed up, you were at the end of the line with your music, which was all you wanted to do your whole life, plus you broke up with your girlfriend” (28), “[Martin] But two years ago Martin Sharp was a different person. I still had my job. I still had a wife. I hadn’t slept with a fifteen-year-old. I hadn’t been to prison” (10), “[Jess] I launched in. I just went, My name’s Jess and I’m eighteen years old and, see, I’m here because I had some family problems that I don’t need to go into. And then I split up with this guy, Chas. And he owes me an explanation. Because he didn’t say anything. He just went” (42-43), “[Maureen] My eyes filled with tears, and JJ noticed. ‘What are you, a f---ing idiot?’ he said to Jess. ‘Look what you’ve done.’ ‘Sor-ry,’ said Jess. ‘Just an idea.’ But that wasn’t why I was crying. I was crying because all I wanted in the world, the only thing that would make me want to live, was for Matty to die. And knowing why I was crying just made me cry more” (39).
The audience that I think would enjoy this book is for those into a bit of action, drama, and possibly something emotional. This book isn’t for the faint of heart. If you’re truly a human being, there is in almost no way that you cannot express some sympathy for at least one of the characters in the book, as the hardships they face are truly an emotional roller coaster. I would definitely recommend this book to those looking for a rich story and an interesting theme.
Two greats one book
Cullen Millerick
Brady vs. Manning
By Gary Myers
If you have two thumbs and can call yourself a human and lookingfor a very factual book about the greatest rivalry in sports history then Brady vs Manning by Gary Myers for you
This novel is based around the two greatest quarterbacks of our generation and the journey that they went on to get to greatness. The path that these two quarterbacks took to get to the NFL is almost the complete opposite of each other. Tom Brady had three sisters, a father that never played football, and a mother that played soccer. Peyton Manning on the other hand had two brothers, Eli, the starting quarterback for the New York Giants(the patriots archrivals), and Cooper, a once starting wide receiver for the University of Mississippi. His father, Archie Manning, was the starting for the New Orleans Saints. Tom was a sixth round draft pick by the patriots while Peyton was a first overall pick by the Colts. Both of the quarter backs are arguably the greatest to ever play thier position but in my opinion Tom comes out on top.
I can honestly say that this book is very informational and gets the point across pretty well although, I can't honestly say that it is very exciting. The book gives a lot of interesting facts about the two quarterbacks and also gives a great backstory on how the rivalry first began but it doesn't do it in a very fun and exciting way. The author does a great job at staying neutral when comparing the two and gets into great detail about each player. I would strongly recommend this book to avid football fans or someone trying to better educate themselves on either Peyton Manning or Tom Brady.
Brady vs. Manning
By Gary Myers
If you have two thumbs and can call yourself a human and lookingfor a very factual book about the greatest rivalry in sports history then Brady vs Manning by Gary Myers for you
This novel is based around the two greatest quarterbacks of our generation and the journey that they went on to get to greatness. The path that these two quarterbacks took to get to the NFL is almost the complete opposite of each other. Tom Brady had three sisters, a father that never played football, and a mother that played soccer. Peyton Manning on the other hand had two brothers, Eli, the starting quarterback for the New York Giants(the patriots archrivals), and Cooper, a once starting wide receiver for the University of Mississippi. His father, Archie Manning, was the starting for the New Orleans Saints. Tom was a sixth round draft pick by the patriots while Peyton was a first overall pick by the Colts. Both of the quarter backs are arguably the greatest to ever play thier position but in my opinion Tom comes out on top.
I can honestly say that this book is very informational and gets the point across pretty well although, I can't honestly say that it is very exciting. The book gives a lot of interesting facts about the two quarterbacks and also gives a great backstory on how the rivalry first began but it doesn't do it in a very fun and exciting way. The author does a great job at staying neutral when comparing the two and gets into great detail about each player. I would strongly recommend this book to avid football fans or someone trying to better educate themselves on either Peyton Manning or Tom Brady.
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Can Survive the Night See the Light of Day?
Emily Butler
Survive the Night
By Danielle Vega
Oh no. Realistic fiction. Beautiful and Casual Alcoholic Dream Girl Changes Boy's Adventure-less Life Before Dying in the Most Tragic and Romantic Way! Or how about Quirky Nerd-Boy is Secretly Cool! Anything to say, John Green?
It's true, though - realistic fiction these days is the same old stuff. Recently, however, I've come across a book that takes realistic fiction and infuses it with with spine-tingling horror, mystery, and suspense: Survive the Night by Danielle Vega. Casey is a high school girl who once had it made: she was a star soccer player and hung around with the popular crowd. However, after suffering an injury in her sport, she becomes addicted to her prescription drugs. After leaving rehab, she tries to revert back to her old life, but is whisked right back into a world of late night clubbing by Shana (known for being a professional rebel) l, whom Casey became close with at the hospital. One fateful night, Casey and her group of rule-breakers find themselves in an underground rave, located in a subway system. Little do they know, they won't be able to get out until the rave is over - and they're being hunted.
Vega manages to take a story of addiction that is tragically real to many people and create a character that is relatable for all. Casey’s constant struggle between the life she once lived and the one she lives now is both apparent and familiar to people her age. It's hard to fit this book completely into one genre, which is just another thing I love about it. Although it's technically realistic fiction, the intriguing details such as the spray paint Twister in the subway station set it apart from the rest of its genre. Rather than labeling it, Survive the Night is simply recognizable by its detail, suspense, and utterly real characters.
As I continued to read the novel, I couldn't help but compare it to other books in my head. I was pleasantly surprised to see something other than the “perfect good-boy falls for total wild-card girl” when it came to love interests. Instead, we see Casey fight for someone that she lost due to her addiction. Unlike books such as Looking for Alaska or Stargirl, Vega introduces a love story that is imperfect and believable. At the same time, Casey’s attempts to talk to ex-boyfriend Sam as they traverse the subway rave don't take away from the story - there's much more to the plot and the relationships between Casey and her friends or family.
No book is perfect, though. Survive the Night does have a few things I would change if I had written it. First of all, I wish Casey’s relationship with her parents was delved into more in the beginning of the novel. We are only given a brief car ride with Casey and her father in the beginning of the story. In my opinion, more exposition on the familial level would have added more layers to Casey’s character and her state of mind. One other problem I had was with Shana’s character. From when we meet her, and for a large part of the novel, Shana is simply a rebellious girl. The reader doesn't get much backstory on her, and no reason is given as to why she acts the way she does. You may be able to infer the amount of pain she is holding in based on her actions, but I would have liked less to be left to the imagination, personally. This can also be applied to the more minor characters of Aya and Julie, but the lack of backstory is more prominent with the fiery Shana. Even though she's probably mainly meant to build on Casey’s character, I don't think giving her more of a dynamic character would hurt the book in any way.
Overall, Survive the Night brings something fresh to the table in young adult literature. It's a great read for teenagers who may be wondering who they really are. Not only that, but this book will definitely resonate with teenagers who have endured addiction firsthand. If you're looking for something realistic but with a thrilling twist, Danielle Vega definitely has you covered.
Survive the Night
By Danielle Vega
Oh no. Realistic fiction. Beautiful and Casual Alcoholic Dream Girl Changes Boy's Adventure-less Life Before Dying in the Most Tragic and Romantic Way! Or how about Quirky Nerd-Boy is Secretly Cool! Anything to say, John Green?
It's true, though - realistic fiction these days is the same old stuff. Recently, however, I've come across a book that takes realistic fiction and infuses it with with spine-tingling horror, mystery, and suspense: Survive the Night by Danielle Vega. Casey is a high school girl who once had it made: she was a star soccer player and hung around with the popular crowd. However, after suffering an injury in her sport, she becomes addicted to her prescription drugs. After leaving rehab, she tries to revert back to her old life, but is whisked right back into a world of late night clubbing by Shana (known for being a professional rebel) l, whom Casey became close with at the hospital. One fateful night, Casey and her group of rule-breakers find themselves in an underground rave, located in a subway system. Little do they know, they won't be able to get out until the rave is over - and they're being hunted.
Vega manages to take a story of addiction that is tragically real to many people and create a character that is relatable for all. Casey’s constant struggle between the life she once lived and the one she lives now is both apparent and familiar to people her age. It's hard to fit this book completely into one genre, which is just another thing I love about it. Although it's technically realistic fiction, the intriguing details such as the spray paint Twister in the subway station set it apart from the rest of its genre. Rather than labeling it, Survive the Night is simply recognizable by its detail, suspense, and utterly real characters.
As I continued to read the novel, I couldn't help but compare it to other books in my head. I was pleasantly surprised to see something other than the “perfect good-boy falls for total wild-card girl” when it came to love interests. Instead, we see Casey fight for someone that she lost due to her addiction. Unlike books such as Looking for Alaska or Stargirl, Vega introduces a love story that is imperfect and believable. At the same time, Casey’s attempts to talk to ex-boyfriend Sam as they traverse the subway rave don't take away from the story - there's much more to the plot and the relationships between Casey and her friends or family.
No book is perfect, though. Survive the Night does have a few things I would change if I had written it. First of all, I wish Casey’s relationship with her parents was delved into more in the beginning of the novel. We are only given a brief car ride with Casey and her father in the beginning of the story. In my opinion, more exposition on the familial level would have added more layers to Casey’s character and her state of mind. One other problem I had was with Shana’s character. From when we meet her, and for a large part of the novel, Shana is simply a rebellious girl. The reader doesn't get much backstory on her, and no reason is given as to why she acts the way she does. You may be able to infer the amount of pain she is holding in based on her actions, but I would have liked less to be left to the imagination, personally. This can also be applied to the more minor characters of Aya and Julie, but the lack of backstory is more prominent with the fiery Shana. Even though she's probably mainly meant to build on Casey’s character, I don't think giving her more of a dynamic character would hurt the book in any way.
Overall, Survive the Night brings something fresh to the table in young adult literature. It's a great read for teenagers who may be wondering who they really are. Not only that, but this book will definitely resonate with teenagers who have endured addiction firsthand. If you're looking for something realistic but with a thrilling twist, Danielle Vega definitely has you covered.
Friday, February 10, 2017
Miracle on ice: A story of triumph
Michael Vital
Boys Of Winter
By: Paul Coffey
A story of rejoice and triumph. The story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, a Winter Olympics the country will never forget. The 1980 Winter Olympics were possibly the most memorable for the USA as the hockey team beat the Soviet Union in the finals of the winter games. Conquering a feat that never seemed possible for the bunch of banded brothers. Herb Brooks, born and raised in St. Paul Minnesota assembled a very young hockey team. Most players freshman and sophomores in college, but Herb saw something great in them.
The U.S. team played over 100 exhibition games before stepping on the ice for possibly the most important game of their young lives. The coach, Herb Brooks was a hockey player himself who attended the University of Minnesota and played Division 1 college hockey there for four years before starting his very long coaching career. The road to the Olympics was very bumpy and rough as many players failed to play at their highest potentials in the months leading up to the Olympics. One practice Brooks had the team skate suicides as many players failed to finish the drill right and he soon lost his temper. He set the players on the goal line and simply shouted "Again!'', signaling that he wanted the players to repeat the endurance skating from red line to red line. Many players became fatigued and gave up. He asked out of the blue to the very tired players, "Who do you play for?". Many shouted back their college or Jr. Teams, but that was not the answer he was looking for. He made the team skate until finally a heroic young man by the name of Mike Eruizone said, "I play for the United States of America.". Herb finally got the answer he was looking for and the skating ended. There is no real explanation into why he was looking for this particular answer, but that is the way Herb was. The Soviet Union was one of the most powerful hockey teams in the world. Their players were grown men vs. the U.S.A's college players. Yet, anything is possible in the world of sports as underdog teams win all the time.
This book is a must read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves books about triumph and overcoming obstacles. You do not need to be a sports fan to fall in love with this book as it is a page turner and will keep you up all night wanting to read on and on. The book is very factual and historical and contains a lot of important U.S. sports history. I personally put this book at my favorite book I have ever read. The main character, Herb Brooks sets a hopeful mood throughout the book as he hopes his team and him can reign as champions in the Olympics. The book is very motivational
and made me want to become a better athlete. The moral of becoming better and overcoming odds really hit me. "Great things are born from great opportunities.(384)". Quote from the main character Herb Brooks. If that quote dose not motivate you then I am sure you'll find plenty more in this great book.
Boys Of Winter
By: Paul Coffey
A story of rejoice and triumph. The story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, a Winter Olympics the country will never forget. The 1980 Winter Olympics were possibly the most memorable for the USA as the hockey team beat the Soviet Union in the finals of the winter games. Conquering a feat that never seemed possible for the bunch of banded brothers. Herb Brooks, born and raised in St. Paul Minnesota assembled a very young hockey team. Most players freshman and sophomores in college, but Herb saw something great in them.
The U.S. team played over 100 exhibition games before stepping on the ice for possibly the most important game of their young lives. The coach, Herb Brooks was a hockey player himself who attended the University of Minnesota and played Division 1 college hockey there for four years before starting his very long coaching career. The road to the Olympics was very bumpy and rough as many players failed to play at their highest potentials in the months leading up to the Olympics. One practice Brooks had the team skate suicides as many players failed to finish the drill right and he soon lost his temper. He set the players on the goal line and simply shouted "Again!'', signaling that he wanted the players to repeat the endurance skating from red line to red line. Many players became fatigued and gave up. He asked out of the blue to the very tired players, "Who do you play for?". Many shouted back their college or Jr. Teams, but that was not the answer he was looking for. He made the team skate until finally a heroic young man by the name of Mike Eruizone said, "I play for the United States of America.". Herb finally got the answer he was looking for and the skating ended. There is no real explanation into why he was looking for this particular answer, but that is the way Herb was. The Soviet Union was one of the most powerful hockey teams in the world. Their players were grown men vs. the U.S.A's college players. Yet, anything is possible in the world of sports as underdog teams win all the time.
This book is a must read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves books about triumph and overcoming obstacles. You do not need to be a sports fan to fall in love with this book as it is a page turner and will keep you up all night wanting to read on and on. The book is very factual and historical and contains a lot of important U.S. sports history. I personally put this book at my favorite book I have ever read. The main character, Herb Brooks sets a hopeful mood throughout the book as he hopes his team and him can reign as champions in the Olympics. The book is very motivational
and made me want to become a better athlete. The moral of becoming better and overcoming odds really hit me. "Great things are born from great opportunities.(384)". Quote from the main character Herb Brooks. If that quote dose not motivate you then I am sure you'll find plenty more in this great book.
Ready to Die of Shock?
Danielle Pouliot
Peter Pan Must Die
By John Verdon
Are you still a part of this crazy, twisted ride? If you've been here for the whole story, you haven't seen anything yet. If you're just joining this ride, prepare for something shocking.
Dave Gurney is still continuing his investigation of the murder of Carl Spalter. As he becomes closer to finding the truth, more people are getting hurt or have been found dead. Gurney could either keep digging deeper into the case, or die trying.
Where we last left off, Gurney has only discovered that there was a secret visitor in Kay’s apartment. House fires, an attempted murder, and a decapitation later, Gurney almost has the pieces of the puzzle put together. Gurney can almost taste the truth, but someone is willing to cut off his tongue to keep the truth hidden.
From the clues that Gurney and Jack found out together, the death of Carl, and his mother, was planned by someone. Carl was hated because of his money and power, and that leaves many suspects for Gurney to investigate. To help them with this case Jack invites another agent, Esti, into the investigation. Gurney meets with Carl's daughter, Kay’s lawyer, and other suspects in the case. After house fires and a near death experance that was described as “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.” (193), Gurney and his team believe they have found the murderer. But before they can find this person, a dead body that is: “not just a body, but of a headless body.” (265) is found and sends a shocking message to the trio.
I have said this once before and I will say it again, this book is incredible. The further you get into the book, the more unpredictable it becomes. The reader could be convinced about something in this book, but then be completly proven wrong. John Verdon continues to amaze the reader page by page. Also, Jack’s dry humor is always something that can cause a smile to appear on your face.
A theme that keeps occurring in this book is the idea of karma, or receiving what you deserve. Towards the second-half of the book, the reader sees some characters in the book receiving karma, ether good or bad, for their actions.
As said in my previous blog post about the book, the characters and the plot make this book so enjoyable. The characters can relate to someone in our everyday lives and the book ropes you in with its twisted plot. Even if you don't like the characters, you can't help but follow this story.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure, mystery, danger, or even to someone who is looking for a good read. This book can be enjoyed by anyone because it takes place in a world that is familiar to everyone.
If you wanted to, you could drive straight to the nearest library and read this book. But, I would not force you to do anything of that matter. However, I highly recommend that you should read this novel. After reading the book, the ending might make you die of shock.
Peter Pan Must Die
By John Verdon
Are you still a part of this crazy, twisted ride? If you've been here for the whole story, you haven't seen anything yet. If you're just joining this ride, prepare for something shocking.
Dave Gurney is still continuing his investigation of the murder of Carl Spalter. As he becomes closer to finding the truth, more people are getting hurt or have been found dead. Gurney could either keep digging deeper into the case, or die trying.
Where we last left off, Gurney has only discovered that there was a secret visitor in Kay’s apartment. House fires, an attempted murder, and a decapitation later, Gurney almost has the pieces of the puzzle put together. Gurney can almost taste the truth, but someone is willing to cut off his tongue to keep the truth hidden.
From the clues that Gurney and Jack found out together, the death of Carl, and his mother, was planned by someone. Carl was hated because of his money and power, and that leaves many suspects for Gurney to investigate. To help them with this case Jack invites another agent, Esti, into the investigation. Gurney meets with Carl's daughter, Kay’s lawyer, and other suspects in the case. After house fires and a near death experance that was described as “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.” (193), Gurney and his team believe they have found the murderer. But before they can find this person, a dead body that is: “not just a body, but of a headless body.” (265) is found and sends a shocking message to the trio.
I have said this once before and I will say it again, this book is incredible. The further you get into the book, the more unpredictable it becomes. The reader could be convinced about something in this book, but then be completly proven wrong. John Verdon continues to amaze the reader page by page. Also, Jack’s dry humor is always something that can cause a smile to appear on your face.
A theme that keeps occurring in this book is the idea of karma, or receiving what you deserve. Towards the second-half of the book, the reader sees some characters in the book receiving karma, ether good or bad, for their actions.
As said in my previous blog post about the book, the characters and the plot make this book so enjoyable. The characters can relate to someone in our everyday lives and the book ropes you in with its twisted plot. Even if you don't like the characters, you can't help but follow this story.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure, mystery, danger, or even to someone who is looking for a good read. This book can be enjoyed by anyone because it takes place in a world that is familiar to everyone.
If you wanted to, you could drive straight to the nearest library and read this book. But, I would not force you to do anything of that matter. However, I highly recommend that you should read this novel. After reading the book, the ending might make you die of shock.
What's Your Purpose?
What’s your purpose?
A Dog’s Purpose
By: W. Bruce Cameron
Mariana Fry
Picture this, you're a newly born pup who has to make a decision. Either you stay in the kennel with the nice owners, or you walk out with your mother, who's taught you everything, and never return. What do you chose? This will determine your journey for the rest of your life, or lives to come. This will determine your purpose. So just like Bailey asked, what is your purpose?
In my opinion, A Dog’s Purpose is a must read. No this book isn't just for dog lovers, although it is highly recommended for those who are, but this book also takes you through a dog’s life narrated by the dog, making it still interesting for others. It’s a touching story that will melt your heart and change your point of view when looking at a dog the next time you see one.
The book starts off with the narrator, Toby as a puppy who is homeless with his three other siblings, and his mother of course. His first thoughts consisted of him thinking of food, and his annoying siblings. “One day it occurred to me that the warm, squeaky, smelly things squirming around next to me were my brothers and sister…”(1). For a short amount of time, you can live through Toby’s struggles with him through laughs and tears. You’ll come to find he is more of an independent pup, for he does spend most of his time alone. One day, a little later in his life, he comes across the biggest challenge he’ll ever face, and because he does not overcome it, Toby wakes up as a new dog. “I remembered becoming sleepy, and then there was a sense that much time had passed, the way a nap in the afternoon sun will span the day and suddenly it will be time for the evening feed. This nap, though, brought me not just to a new time but to a new place”(55). In this new life, Toby’s name becomes Bailey. Bailey is smarter than Toby ever was, because he uses everything he had learned in his past life. He is happier now because he lives in a safe home with three loving owners, Ethan being one of them. The two become inseparable, giving Bailey a purpose. Bailey’s purpose was to always be there for Ethan, but why was this his purpose? How did he get here? Bailey and Ethan grow up together, but Bailey unfortunately leaves Ethan's life a little while after he goes to school. Bailey then becomes Ellie. W. Bruce Cameron comically transitions to the next dog by writing “...I stopped and squatted and all at once realized I was a female!”(182) Using everything Ellie has learned in her past lives, her purpose changes to be a service dog. Ellie’s life lasts about 75 pages, but you’ll have to read the book to live through her life. Next we move on to Buddy, the last, and second-most important dog in the book. Buddy isn’t treated the best by his initial owners, and he is eventually left on the streets. So, using everything he’s learned from past lives he finds his way back to a familiar face. This is the ending of the dog’s life, so everything ties together here. You MUST read this to find out who Buddy’s “familiar face” is.
I think one of the reasons why I loved this book so much was because I love dogs to the moon and back, and because of this, reading about four different dogs in one book was pretty cool. W. Bruce Cameron does a wonderful job including humor, and tragedy. Multiple times throughout these pages. I found myself crying and laughing, and sometimes both at the same time. Because of this, I feel that this book is a must read for all ages. If all this dog stuff is boring, it also includes romance, and major conflicts. These conflicts include houses burning down, permanent injuries, lost children, and dying. In case you couldn’t figure this out, I’d definitely rate this book 11/10 stars to everyone who knows how to read.
Brian's Return a must read!t
Víctor Santiago Maldonado III
Book: Brian's Return
Brian's Return is a must read for all ages no matter who you are. I felt this was an exciting page turner til the very bitter end. The decision Brian makes at the end is thrilling and worth the wait. Also the way he described his decision made me have to take a step and really absorb what I had just read. I really enjoyed this novel due to its creative structure and plot. Gary Paulsen really took his time with this book and it shows.
I also think this is a good read even if you haven't read the previous two brilliant novels Gary Paulsen has written as part of the "Brian" series. This book also gives you a unique perspective on city life compared to living a simple life in the wilderness.
With its well written plot and entertaining storyline I believe this should be a book read by everyone. After reading this book it immediately went on my top favorite books list. Since my first time reading it I felt compelled to read it again it is that good. I hope that whoever reads this blog decides to pick up Brian's Return.
Book: Brian's Return
Brian's Return is a must read for all ages no matter who you are. I felt this was an exciting page turner til the very bitter end. The decision Brian makes at the end is thrilling and worth the wait. Also the way he described his decision made me have to take a step and really absorb what I had just read. I really enjoyed this novel due to its creative structure and plot. Gary Paulsen really took his time with this book and it shows.
I also think this is a good read even if you haven't read the previous two brilliant novels Gary Paulsen has written as part of the "Brian" series. This book also gives you a unique perspective on city life compared to living a simple life in the wilderness.
With its well written plot and entertaining storyline I believe this should be a book read by everyone. After reading this book it immediately went on my top favorite books list. Since my first time reading it I felt compelled to read it again it is that good. I hope that whoever reads this blog decides to pick up Brian's Return.
The G.O.A.T Rules
The Jordan Rules
By Sam Smith
Book Review,
By, Ethan Morales
2/9/17
Picture the scene, the greatest basketball player to ever live winning numerous titles against all odds from around the world... Well Michael Jordan did that.
The 1991 NBA playoffs were the final step in the coronation of King Michael of Chicago. By winning his first title, His Airness put to rest all the complaints about him: that he was too selfish; that unlike Magic Johnson or Larry bird he didn't make the players around him better; that his greatness was all directed at his own glory. By winning his ring, Michael Jordan proved for all time that those complaints were unkind and untrue. But are they?
I would HIGHLY recommend this book to all basketball players and sports players as it is an inspirational journey. It's about a player who had to fight through all the hate and "not good enough" mentalities from people all around him. I wouldn't recommend this book to people who don't know what basketball is or the rules because basically you wouldn't understand.
The fight that Michael Jordan had to go through in this book is the real reason why this book spoke to me because it's so inspirational and gritty to be able to do what you do best without thinking about
what others have to say. To never give up is a theme that revolves around this book and is a reason why my opinion is what it is. Michael Jordan never gave in to the hate, complaints, and the unsportsmanlike attitudes of people around him, that is the true definition of grit to just do what you do best and do not give up. It's kind of hard to connect to his Airness, but the way his composure to play the game really connected to me, "He was the star who couldn't win, they had said all these years, and now not only had his team won, but he had too in the biggest way, the way he had always dreamed it would be." (11). To be self-composed is indefinitely the only way you can really be able to succeed in anything you do. The language of the people who doubted him and the hate they had for him really moved me because it hurts deep down to try so hard and end up winning it all being the best for your city and the people of that city are against you even though you brought your city a title, "And Jordan had done it against the arch rival Magic Johnson, who had been held up by basketball pursuits as the exemplar of all that Michael Jordan wasn't." (11). These are reasons why my opinion on this book is what it is.
Again I would only recommend this book to people who know what and how to play basketball and the rules of the game or basically the entire book wouldn't make sense. Also, to readers who watched Michael Jordan as a kid I would also recommend this book to you as it tells in detail the inside of a season with his Airness and his dream team the Chicago Bulls. And lastly, I would recommend this book to fans of Mike Lupica books or just sports books in general.
By Sam Smith
Book Review,
By, Ethan Morales
2/9/17
Picture the scene, the greatest basketball player to ever live winning numerous titles against all odds from around the world... Well Michael Jordan did that.
The 1991 NBA playoffs were the final step in the coronation of King Michael of Chicago. By winning his first title, His Airness put to rest all the complaints about him: that he was too selfish; that unlike Magic Johnson or Larry bird he didn't make the players around him better; that his greatness was all directed at his own glory. By winning his ring, Michael Jordan proved for all time that those complaints were unkind and untrue. But are they?
I would HIGHLY recommend this book to all basketball players and sports players as it is an inspirational journey. It's about a player who had to fight through all the hate and "not good enough" mentalities from people all around him. I wouldn't recommend this book to people who don't know what basketball is or the rules because basically you wouldn't understand.
The fight that Michael Jordan had to go through in this book is the real reason why this book spoke to me because it's so inspirational and gritty to be able to do what you do best without thinking about
what others have to say. To never give up is a theme that revolves around this book and is a reason why my opinion is what it is. Michael Jordan never gave in to the hate, complaints, and the unsportsmanlike attitudes of people around him, that is the true definition of grit to just do what you do best and do not give up. It's kind of hard to connect to his Airness, but the way his composure to play the game really connected to me, "He was the star who couldn't win, they had said all these years, and now not only had his team won, but he had too in the biggest way, the way he had always dreamed it would be." (11). To be self-composed is indefinitely the only way you can really be able to succeed in anything you do. The language of the people who doubted him and the hate they had for him really moved me because it hurts deep down to try so hard and end up winning it all being the best for your city and the people of that city are against you even though you brought your city a title, "And Jordan had done it against the arch rival Magic Johnson, who had been held up by basketball pursuits as the exemplar of all that Michael Jordan wasn't." (11). These are reasons why my opinion on this book is what it is.
Again I would only recommend this book to people who know what and how to play basketball and the rules of the game or basically the entire book wouldn't make sense. Also, to readers who watched Michael Jordan as a kid I would also recommend this book to you as it tells in detail the inside of a season with his Airness and his dream team the Chicago Bulls. And lastly, I would recommend this book to fans of Mike Lupica books or just sports books in general.
Get Ready, Player One
Justin Loc
Ready Player One
By Ernest Cline
So, this is my second blog on the book Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. If you have no idea what it’s about, I'll summarize the story again. No spoilers though, because I'd rather have people read the whole book and find out the story themselves.
This is a science fictional novel that uses real history of video games to add to the plot. Living with a crude aunt in a catastrophic future (starting around year 2044), the story begins with our protagonist/narrator, the lovely Wade Watts. Earth at the moment has futuristic technology that you could easily imagine being used in 20 years, while on the other hand, over half of the world is starving and in ruin (which by the the way is also easy to imagine in 20 years). Living in a trailer park in poverty, he is an orphaned teen who is both a gunter and student. Like many other people on the planet, Wade dreams of finding the hidden Easter egg of the OASIS, a virtual reality system that is used by most of the world’s population. Created by James Halliday and his partners, the OASIS became an extremely popular and necessity for all of mankind. The OASIS became a new world for humanity, at least whenever they weren't hungry. You wouldn't know who people were in real life though, as they could set their appearance and username to anything they desired. Other people would have to tell you who they really were, which was merely a trust system. Also in this paradise, students like Wade could complete their educations online, making school in reality unnecessary. Anyways, the Easter egg I was talking about was added into the OASIS by James Halliday before his death. To find the secret, you have to find and complete the three gates, and before each you had to find the keys and clues to unlock them. Each key and gate has a riddle of some sorts, where you must somehow decipher them to find where the appropriate gate is located. Whoever wins the challenge will receive Halliday’s fortune; over 240 billion dollars, as well as the position of boss at Gregarious Simulation Systems (James Halliday’s and Ogden Morrow’s company). Since finding a lead is extremely tough, it takes five years after Halliday’s death for something to progress in the Hunt, and Wade is the kid responsible for this. Wade, like many other devoted gunters, has an extreme knowledge of Halliday’s life, which the majority of it is about video games. The antagonists of the story are members of Innovative Online Industries, another worldwide and powerful organization. They commit inhumane acts to get any closer to finding the Easter egg. The prize being a fourth of a trillion dollars, throughout the novel we learn how serious the Hunt really is in Wade’s world. You are in for a bumpy ride once you start reading this, yet you will never want to get off of it once you do.
So, my first opinion of the book, as I said in “A Novel Incorporating Video Games? Yes Please!”, was that the book was perfect. Amazing. Ingenious. Well, now that I've finished reading the novel, my final opinion is that the book was indeed perfect, amazing, and ingenious. Cline’s story is an original one, and the characters themselves, as well as their dialogues, are relatable to modern day life. Some lines like “You and the other Sux0rs can all go f*ck a duck,” (141) can either get you to hate or love a character. Many lines people say are oddly relatable and humorous towards many teenagers. So, it makes sense for me to recommend this masterpiece to teenagers to read this. Even if you don't like video games, this is still quite enjoyable to read. Throughout the story, you can find action, drama, friendships, and hilarious moments, making this the most interesting and diverse book I've ever laid my eyes upon. Another thing I loved about this was how nearly every detail played a part in the story, and even the most strange of them somehow play a part. The story ties together every detail as you come closer to the climax of the novel. Personally, I have to admit that Wade has many similarities with myself. The one I noticed was that he says things I would totally say; “‘Greetings,’ I said, bowing slightly. ‘I am Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez,’”(88). This book fascinated me, related to me, and was pretty funny to me whenever there wasn't anything ‘serious’ occurring. If you think this book sounds like something you'd be willing to read, I doubt you would be disappointed with the results.
Ready Player One
By Ernest Cline
So, this is my second blog on the book Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. If you have no idea what it’s about, I'll summarize the story again. No spoilers though, because I'd rather have people read the whole book and find out the story themselves.
This is a science fictional novel that uses real history of video games to add to the plot. Living with a crude aunt in a catastrophic future (starting around year 2044), the story begins with our protagonist/narrator, the lovely Wade Watts. Earth at the moment has futuristic technology that you could easily imagine being used in 20 years, while on the other hand, over half of the world is starving and in ruin (which by the the way is also easy to imagine in 20 years). Living in a trailer park in poverty, he is an orphaned teen who is both a gunter and student. Like many other people on the planet, Wade dreams of finding the hidden Easter egg of the OASIS, a virtual reality system that is used by most of the world’s population. Created by James Halliday and his partners, the OASIS became an extremely popular and necessity for all of mankind. The OASIS became a new world for humanity, at least whenever they weren't hungry. You wouldn't know who people were in real life though, as they could set their appearance and username to anything they desired. Other people would have to tell you who they really were, which was merely a trust system. Also in this paradise, students like Wade could complete their educations online, making school in reality unnecessary. Anyways, the Easter egg I was talking about was added into the OASIS by James Halliday before his death. To find the secret, you have to find and complete the three gates, and before each you had to find the keys and clues to unlock them. Each key and gate has a riddle of some sorts, where you must somehow decipher them to find where the appropriate gate is located. Whoever wins the challenge will receive Halliday’s fortune; over 240 billion dollars, as well as the position of boss at Gregarious Simulation Systems (James Halliday’s and Ogden Morrow’s company). Since finding a lead is extremely tough, it takes five years after Halliday’s death for something to progress in the Hunt, and Wade is the kid responsible for this. Wade, like many other devoted gunters, has an extreme knowledge of Halliday’s life, which the majority of it is about video games. The antagonists of the story are members of Innovative Online Industries, another worldwide and powerful organization. They commit inhumane acts to get any closer to finding the Easter egg. The prize being a fourth of a trillion dollars, throughout the novel we learn how serious the Hunt really is in Wade’s world. You are in for a bumpy ride once you start reading this, yet you will never want to get off of it once you do.
So, my first opinion of the book, as I said in “A Novel Incorporating Video Games? Yes Please!”, was that the book was perfect. Amazing. Ingenious. Well, now that I've finished reading the novel, my final opinion is that the book was indeed perfect, amazing, and ingenious. Cline’s story is an original one, and the characters themselves, as well as their dialogues, are relatable to modern day life. Some lines like “You and the other Sux0rs can all go f*ck a duck,” (141) can either get you to hate or love a character. Many lines people say are oddly relatable and humorous towards many teenagers. So, it makes sense for me to recommend this masterpiece to teenagers to read this. Even if you don't like video games, this is still quite enjoyable to read. Throughout the story, you can find action, drama, friendships, and hilarious moments, making this the most interesting and diverse book I've ever laid my eyes upon. Another thing I loved about this was how nearly every detail played a part in the story, and even the most strange of them somehow play a part. The story ties together every detail as you come closer to the climax of the novel. Personally, I have to admit that Wade has many similarities with myself. The one I noticed was that he says things I would totally say; “‘Greetings,’ I said, bowing slightly. ‘I am Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez,’”(88). This book fascinated me, related to me, and was pretty funny to me whenever there wasn't anything ‘serious’ occurring. If you think this book sounds like something you'd be willing to read, I doubt you would be disappointed with the results.
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Digital Dependency: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Digital Dependency
Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline
Doctors ask you how many consecutive hours you look at a screen for a reason. Sure, it's bad for your eyes, but spending too much time online can also lead to depression, isolation, obesity, social ineptitude, and anything/everything else that your PCP warned you against even when when you said you only look at your phone for maybe an hour a day.
You filthy, filthy liar. Doctors can smell the dishonesty.
Even if it's not your phone (maybe you're like me, and you don't even have one), then it's the computer, a tablet, or the TV. Pretty much everyone, regardless of age or generation, is at least a little bit guilty of this new "digital dependency" pandemic. Maybe this is just what we are becoming as a society, but what does our future look like if we take this all a little too far?
Ready Player One explores exactly that. In Ready Player One, the whole of the world's population lives inside of a video game simulation called the OASIS: a place where you can present yourself as whatever you'd like to be and forget about the real, dismal world that you live in. Sounds great, right?
If the public's obsession with the OASIS hadn't been strong enough to begin with, the creator, James Halliday, found a way to rouse everyone's interests in one video he made shortly before his death; in it, with several cameos of popular shows and video games from the '80s, Halliday lays down the rules of a contest which would decide who would inherit the rights to the OASIS as well as Halliday's entire multi-billion dollar fortune. The goal? Be the first to find the "Easter egg" hidden inside of nearly-limitless OASIS world by collecting three different keys and passing through three different gates.
For those who aren't savvy with video game terminology, an "Easter egg" (or just an egg as it is referred to in the novel) is a secret that is programmed into a game's coding that is often irrelevant to the game itself, meant to serve as a little "bonus" for those that find it. For example, in the real-life Adventure for the Atari, the name of one of the non-credited programmers flashed upon the screen upon carrying a "gray dot" into a secret room in the game.
Wade Watts, the main protagonist, is a self-proclaimed gunter: someone who has dedicated their entire life to the search for the egg. It took five years since the start of the contest, but Wade becomes the first person to obtain the Copper Key, the first in the series of three mentioned in Halliday's video. He becomes an instant celebrity overnight, but not everyone is wishing him congratulations on his discovery; some are going great lengths to get information about the key's location from him.
To be frank, I really enjoyed this book. Like, a lot. I'm not a huge sit-down-with-a-book-and-read type, but I found myself wanting to get to the end of this book more than anything else. I can be extremely critical of character development (or lack thereof), romantic subplots, and dystopian themed books in general, but these are all things that Ready Player One does extremely well. Many books based off of video games are usually incredibly plain-- the whole "let's have an adventure and go save the princess!" type plots-- and/or are written by people who are gamers, not writers. Ernest Cline is both of those things, clearly; he knew what he was doing when he wrote this. He is so well-versed in games and '80s pop culture that I actually did learn more than a thing or two that I felt guilty for not knowing, being the video game fan that I am.
However, I would not recommend this book to every person that I see. It is extremely well-written and an incredible debut novel, and while I wouldn't necessarily say you need prior video game or pop culture knowledge to read it, it would be easier to understand the novel's jokes and references if you do; in addition to that, Ready Player One can be extremely wordy in many places, to the point where some might say it's just a whole lot of filler. I disagree; I think that nearly all of what he includes is necessary to understand the story, but if you're the type of person who is more into a quick read than a detailed novel, then Ready Player One probably isn't the book for you.
Like all books, it does have its pros and it cons, but what really sets it apart from others in its genre is its ability to raise some really thoughtful questions: is our world becoming Wade's, and is it coming in less that 30 years, like this book predicts? Will we become even more dependent on the digital world than we already are-- eyes glued to cellphones, more friends online than in real life-- so much to the point where we don't even live in the physical world anymore?
Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline
Doctors ask you how many consecutive hours you look at a screen for a reason. Sure, it's bad for your eyes, but spending too much time online can also lead to depression, isolation, obesity, social ineptitude, and anything/everything else that your PCP warned you against even when when you said you only look at your phone for maybe an hour a day.
You filthy, filthy liar. Doctors can smell the dishonesty.
Even if it's not your phone (maybe you're like me, and you don't even have one), then it's the computer, a tablet, or the TV. Pretty much everyone, regardless of age or generation, is at least a little bit guilty of this new "digital dependency" pandemic. Maybe this is just what we are becoming as a society, but what does our future look like if we take this all a little too far?
Ready Player One explores exactly that. In Ready Player One, the whole of the world's population lives inside of a video game simulation called the OASIS: a place where you can present yourself as whatever you'd like to be and forget about the real, dismal world that you live in. Sounds great, right?
If the public's obsession with the OASIS hadn't been strong enough to begin with, the creator, James Halliday, found a way to rouse everyone's interests in one video he made shortly before his death; in it, with several cameos of popular shows and video games from the '80s, Halliday lays down the rules of a contest which would decide who would inherit the rights to the OASIS as well as Halliday's entire multi-billion dollar fortune. The goal? Be the first to find the "Easter egg" hidden inside of nearly-limitless OASIS world by collecting three different keys and passing through three different gates.
For those who aren't savvy with video game terminology, an "Easter egg" (or just an egg as it is referred to in the novel) is a secret that is programmed into a game's coding that is often irrelevant to the game itself, meant to serve as a little "bonus" for those that find it. For example, in the real-life Adventure for the Atari, the name of one of the non-credited programmers flashed upon the screen upon carrying a "gray dot" into a secret room in the game.
Wade Watts, the main protagonist, is a self-proclaimed gunter: someone who has dedicated their entire life to the search for the egg. It took five years since the start of the contest, but Wade becomes the first person to obtain the Copper Key, the first in the series of three mentioned in Halliday's video. He becomes an instant celebrity overnight, but not everyone is wishing him congratulations on his discovery; some are going great lengths to get information about the key's location from him.
To be frank, I really enjoyed this book. Like, a lot. I'm not a huge sit-down-with-a-book-and-read type, but I found myself wanting to get to the end of this book more than anything else. I can be extremely critical of character development (or lack thereof), romantic subplots, and dystopian themed books in general, but these are all things that Ready Player One does extremely well. Many books based off of video games are usually incredibly plain-- the whole "let's have an adventure and go save the princess!" type plots-- and/or are written by people who are gamers, not writers. Ernest Cline is both of those things, clearly; he knew what he was doing when he wrote this. He is so well-versed in games and '80s pop culture that I actually did learn more than a thing or two that I felt guilty for not knowing, being the video game fan that I am.
However, I would not recommend this book to every person that I see. It is extremely well-written and an incredible debut novel, and while I wouldn't necessarily say you need prior video game or pop culture knowledge to read it, it would be easier to understand the novel's jokes and references if you do; in addition to that, Ready Player One can be extremely wordy in many places, to the point where some might say it's just a whole lot of filler. I disagree; I think that nearly all of what he includes is necessary to understand the story, but if you're the type of person who is more into a quick read than a detailed novel, then Ready Player One probably isn't the book for you.
Like all books, it does have its pros and it cons, but what really sets it apart from others in its genre is its ability to raise some really thoughtful questions: is our world becoming Wade's, and is it coming in less that 30 years, like this book predicts? Will we become even more dependent on the digital world than we already are-- eyes glued to cellphones, more friends online than in real life-- so much to the point where we don't even live in the physical world anymore?
Ender's Game Can't Live Up To Expectations
Ender’s Game Can’t Live Up To Expectations
Nick Perez
Ender’s Game
Written by Orson Scott Card
Imagine a futuristic world, in which humanity is recovering from a devastating war of worlds. In this futuristic world, the entire human race is scared, and the military is willing to find the one who will save the world from anywhere. This set-up presents us with Ender Wiggin, our main character, as well as the plot, which features Ender going through the steps on the path to becoming a military commander. Now, this plot sounds very interesting and had the potential to be great. However, the book falls short too often for it to live up to that potential.
At first, I was excited to read this book. The idea behind the book seemed interesting, and I thought the author would be able to create some interesting characters to go along with the good backstory he had set up. However, in the first chapter, we are met with our main character Ender. He is what they call a Third, meaning he is the third child in his family, something frowned upon in the new world. However, outside of that there seems to be nothing compelling behind his character. He is picked on by the other children, however he beats another kid up brutally, kicking him when he is down and generally fighting dirty. After the fight, he shows little remorse, which makes it impossible to be sympathetic with his character. His family is just as uninteresting, as his brother Peter is always hitting him, and coming close to killing him at times, and his parents don’t seem to love him or even acknowledge that he is their son at some times. His sister Valentine is the only member of Ender’s family that seems to have some genuine love for him, but we don’t get enough time with these characters before Ender is shipped off to Battle School. When the main character is unlikeable and the author makes it so we don’t have enough time to learn or care about him and the characters surrounding him, it really is a disconnect from the story. In addition to this, the location is unfamiliar, and a lot of the backstory is not clear. The location is a future Earth, devastated by a war (one that we never learn much about), and later on Battle School, a type of private academy run by the world’s military (something we never learn much about) where they train the young men who they think will become commanders. The description of Battle School is very brief and vague, giving the reader not much clarity on where it is that the majority of the book will be taking place. This again creates a disconnect, as the reader cannot be immersed when they don’t know where the book is taking place. The backstory is much the same, as though the reader can follow the plot without much of an issue, the motivations behind the actions from some of the characters can be confusing. The reasons Ender is so violent at some points in the novel can be perplexing, as he switches between violent and kidlike seemingly at will. All of the other children at Battle School seem to be very rude, and refuse to include Ender. It does not make any sense, as Ender hasn’t done much to most of these children, so the motivation behind being rude and making him not feel welcome is confusing. These problems really plague the book, and make it feel like it could have been a better book than it was.
On a more positive note, this book does some things well. The novel sticks to the storyline for the most part, which is good, because straying from the plotline would have made the novel more confusing. The author is very good about progressing the story at a good pace, and keeping the action interesting. Also, during the battle scenes, he is able to keep a good balance, and allow the reader to keep up with what is going on. Because a fair amount of the scenes in this book involve battles between the humans and the alien enemies, known as “Buggers”, it is very fortunate the author was able to write a comprehensive battle scene. The dialogue between characters also seems authentic, which gives the characters a bit more humanity. This is good for character building, and immersing you in the world of the novel. Though this novel may have some weaknesses and pitfalls, it also has some bright, shining moments of greatness. However, that makes the bad moments in the book feel that much more disappointing.
Overall, it’s pretty obvious I did not enjoy this book so far. However, I feel like if you are a person who likes science fiction novels and movies, especially ones that enjoy ones that have to do with war or space battles, I think you will enjoy this book, and I would highly recommend that you read it.
Is The Hobbit a very interesting book?
Name: Neil Patel
The Hobbit
By: J.R.R. Tolkien
Bilbo Baggins, one of the most famous mythical creature that was made by a very famous author J.R.R. Tolkien. He made a book that became famous instantly named The Hobbit which is one of his books followed along by Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. The book The Hobbit is basically about a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins who lived in the most perfect hobbit hole. One day Bilbo woke up in the morning and was unexpectedly met a person named Gandalf. They described him as a very curious man. Gandalf and Bilbo talked for a bit and then Gandalf gets to the point. He want Bilbo to come along on a journey. Bilbo kindly rejects the offer meaning he does not want to go anywhere. Before Gandalf left Bilbo offered them to come to tea for tomorrow which Bilbo forgot about later in the day. Next morning Gandalf came with Dwalin to Bilbo home. He was the one who convinces Bilbo to go on the journey. Read the book to find out how the Journey shapes out.
In my opinion this book was ok. It wasn't bad but it wasn't good. I would this book maybe a 6/10. I really like Fantasy books but this book is more like a Sci-Fi Fantasy book and I don't really like the book. I thought that it was going to be more of a Fantasy type book but it was the opposite it was more Sci-Fi type book. To those people who love Fantasy book I wouldn't recommend the book to you. But I would recommend this to Sci-Fi lover. There was two reason why I didn't like this book. One is that I like the theme of the book like the journey part but the book wouldn't get right into the point. I kept on getting annoyed during reading this book. Second is that there is too much detail. Every little thing was described. These are my opinion to the book. But everyone is not the same so some people could like this book. It all depend on the type of books you like.
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