Post #12: Reading Wishlist

Books I Want to Read:

• Hollow City (Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, #2) , Ransom Riggs
• Karen Kingsbury books
• Harry Potter series, J. K. Rowling
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
• The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, Sean Covey
• Julie of the Wolves, Jean Craighead George, John Schoenherr
• 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life, Don Piper, Cecil Murphey

Future Classics I Hope to Read:

• The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
• The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
• To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
• Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
• All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
• The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett

Post #11: Book Talk

Post #10: Book Review

Through the use of oxymorons, stream of consciousness writing, and fabricated life experiences, Ellen DeGeneres allows readers to kick back and relax with Seriously... I'm Kidding.

Ellen DeGeneres is a comedian and host of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Her show features celebrities, musical performers, games, and more. It's fun and fast-paced, much like the book. Ellen is known for her distinct comedic voice. She aims to entertain her audience on the show and relieve stress and tension. This is also a goal of Seriously... I'm Kidding. 

Sarah Hann, from The Saturday Evening Post, said, "She’s as funny in her book as she is on the air (if not more so). Every page is better than the next; I raced through it, eager to see what else she had to say." This review couldn't be more accurate about the book. It keeps readers flipping the pages, and every page is packed-full with Ellen's humor. Sometimes, it felt like Ellen was right there in the room!

Describing the plot is an impossible task. There are no underdog heroes that face adversity, there isn't a guy who gets the girl in the end- it's just Ellen and her thoughts! Ellen did not craft a literary masterpiece filled with complexity and hidden meaning when she wrote this book. In fact, it was her goal to craft just the opposite! On page 3, she said, "I let my mind wander through some of the biggest moments in my life and then I realized what I needed to do. Since I don't know specific things about each and every one of you... I decided to include a little something for everyone in this book. You're going to find some short stories for adults, coloring pages for kids, and many things for all ages in between." Ellen didn't try to craft a novel that would be studied in classrooms for centuries, she just wanted to write something that everyone could enjoy.

Ellen pokes fun at things that are a part of our everyday lives. On page 17, she talked about the humor that can be found in lotion. "There's lotion for your face, lotion for your hands, lotion for your feet, lotion for your body. Why? What would happen if you put hand lotion on your feet? Would your feet get confused and start clapping? Each kind says it has something special in it for your skin- aloe, shea butter, coconut, cocoa butter, vanilla, lemon extract. That's one ingredient short of a Bundt cake." By poking fun at simple, universal items, all readers can relate to what Ellen is saying.

Ellen keeps the flow of the book moving by including short chapters after long ones. She followed a chapter ironically titled "The Longest Chapter" (only five pages long) with a 140 character Tweet. Her goal was not to tie readers down with hours and hours of reading, but to supply them with something to read while lounging by the pool, flying on an airplane, or taking their lunch break.

While the book is enjoyable and easy to read, at times, it's almost too simple. In the chapter called "The Longest Chapter", Ellen rambles on and on about how she has something important to say. She'll get close to telling the readers, then veer off on another subject, then come back to the important item, then get off topic again, then come back- almost like this sentence. In the end, Ellen tells readers that the thing that changed her life forever was the Swiffer. The chapter was pointless and somewhat obnoxious. However, there are only a few other instances in the book like this, so it's still enjoyable.

Hectic but soothing, confusing but restful, this book deserves 4.5 out of 5 stars. Readers are encouraged to "kick off their Sunday shoes" and laugh a little as they take a whirlwind tour through the brain of Ellen DeGeneres. 

Post #9: Heroes and Villains

In Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs, there are clearly defined heroes and villains.

The main hero, Jacob Portman, is somewhat of an Epic hero. He doesn't have superpowers, and he has to overcome his fear of the villains (the wights and the hollowgasts) to save his friends. He accidentally journeys into Miss Peregrine's time "loop" where the peculiar children live. Once he finds out that they're all in danger, he returns home feeling more courageous. He also returns home a little more sane than before because he realizes that he's not crazy and that all the things his grandfather told him are true.

The other characters in the book, the peculiar children, are also heroes. They are more Romantic heroes because they use their "peculiar" powers to fight evil. Because their powers are somewhat unusual, they have to use their own ingenuity to figure out how their powers will help them. For example, one girl named Olive can levitate. She isn't entirely sure how her power will help her fight evil, but she thinks of a creative idea. When the kids are on a boat surrounded by fog, they tie Olive to the boat, then have her levitate above the fog so that they can see what's going on around them and where land is.

The wights and the hollowgasts are the villains in this book. Hollowgasts are things that were once peculiar children that experimented to try to conquer time and make themselves immortal. However, their experiment backfired and made their lives into a living death. Now, hollowgasts try to eat peculiar children because if they do, they will transform into wights. A wight is almost like a regular person, except for the fact that they don't have pupils. Wights try to hunt down peculiar children for the hollowgasts to eat. Wights are kind of like the hollowgasts' evil minions.

Hollowgasts follow the pattern of villains very closely:
Stage 1: Injustice
The hollowgasts tried to make themselves immortal but instead, they were turned into terrible beasts.

Stage 2 & 3: Obsession and Pride
The hollowgasts are obsessed with becoming regular people again.

Stage 4: Isolation
Because they are evil, people isolate the hollowgasts.

Stage 5: Detachment
Since the hollowgasts are so obsessed with becoming normal again and because they're isolated, they begin to have no sense of worth for human life.

Stage 6: Wickedness
Detachment is what allows the hollowgasts to kill and eat people.

Post #8: The Truth About Memoirs

In my mind, there is a difference between a true story and something that is based on a true story.

A true story should be 99-100% true. As Seth Greenland said, we must make allowances for small gaps in memory. Laila Lalami also talked about how everyone remembers experiences differently. So naturally, there are going to be slight differences from one person's account of a story to another's account.

However, both of them also agreed that in non-fiction writing, there is not room for things that never actually happened. Writers can not claim to have experienced something if they never actually did.

Laila Lalami explains that there is a contract between readers and writers regarding non-fiction and fiction writing. In fiction, writers admit that the story is completely made up, and they invite readers to "come along for the ride". But in non-fiction, authors say to the readers that everything they wrote is true, even though they may have slight differences in their story than someone else's.

So, I think that if a writer is going to label something as non-fiction, it really has to be non-fiction! Writers exploit the trust of readers when they fabricate stories that are supposed to be true.

Now, to touch on David Shield's theory that we don't need lines between genres, I disagree. I think it's important to label books as "fiction" and "non-fiction" because readers need to know what's true and what's not. If there was nothing to distinguish between those things, people may begin to believe certain things happened that never actually did, and vice-versa.

The difference between fiction and non-fiction should be clear. Even if most of a story is true, if it speaks of even one fake experience, it should no longer be labeled as non-fiction. It should be labeled as being "based on a true story".




  

Post #7: The Book Thief Book Trailer

Post #6: Readicide

I do believe "Readicide" is a problem in our schools. Some students are born with a natural longing to read, while others are not. The students who don't have the desire to read on their own don't have many experiences with books until they are forced to read them for school. Often times, these books are analyzed for their literary structures, and they are not meant to be read simply for pleasure. Because some students' first experiences with books are not pleasurable, they automatically think that all books will be that way. This causes many kids to turn away from reading.

I believe schools should teach one genre fiction book for every classic book. I don't think classics should be totally eliminated- they're classics for a reason. They teach us important lessons and cause us to think on a deeper level. They also serve as a common link between people. If someone says, "That movie is like a modern version of Romeo and Juliet," everyone will automatically understand the correlation.

However, I think some books in the curriculum should be read for pleasure. Sometimes, when we overanalyze a book, we lose sight of what it's truly meant it to be- a pleasurable journey into another world. Getting lost in a book and relating to the characters is what ignites a passion for reading.

Some people look down on genre fiction books and think that they don't compare to certain literary works. While this can be true, just as classics are classics for a reason, genre fiction books are best sellers for a reason. Genre fiction books are enjoyable to the reader and well-loved. They too can create common links between people. If someone compared something to The Hunger Games or Twilight, immediately readers would identify with what they were talking about.

Genre fiction books can be just as valuable as literary works, and they may be the only way to wage war on this "Readicide".

Post #5: Adapting The Book Thief

Although there is a movie adaption already in theaters for The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, I have not yet seen it. So, I'm going to tell you how I would adapt the book into a movie.

One thing that would definitely need to be kept in the movie would be Liesel Meminger's journey to her new home and parents on Himmel Street. This is the main event that starts off the events in the book. Without Liesel’s arrival, none of the events in the book would've taken place.

Rudy, a boy Liesel meets on Himmel Street, would have to be a strong main character in the movie. He is often involved in Liesel’s mischievous adventures, and he grows to be a very good friend to Liesel. Without Rudy, Liesel would probably just sit inside her house all day feeling depressed that her mother left her. Rudy encourages her to come out and play with the kids on the street and is a big part of her life.

A third important piece that could not be left out of the movie is the arrival of the Jewish man, Max Vandenburg. Although I have not finished reading the book, I can tell this will be a very important event because the book is set in Nazi Germany, so inviting a Jew to live in your house is a very dangerous thing to do. I’m curious to see what is going to happen to Liesel and her parents because of this.

However, there are a few things mentioned in the book that would have to be cut out of the movie for time’s sake. In the beginning when Liesel is traveling to her new home, her brother dies. Although this is very hard for Liesel and causes her to be very depressed, it doesn’t seem to be a key event in the book so far because it hasn’t really triggered any of the events.

Finally, the part where Rudy talks about wanting to be Jesse Owens would have to be cut out. The author spends a fairly good amount of time discussing how much Rudy idolizes Jesse Owens, but once again, it doesn’t seem to trigger any important events. I don’t think the audience would have to know that about Rudy to understand the movie.

The Fault in Our Stars: Amsterdam Fun Pack

If you read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, you probably found yourself wishing you could've seen the iepen falling like a "spring snow" into the canals of Amsterdam as Augustus Waters and Hazel Grace dined at Oranjee. You wished you could've climbed the stairs in the Anne Frank house and stayed the night at the Filosoof hotel.

Well now, you can!

With the all-inclusive "The Fault in Our Stars: Amsterdam Fun Pack", you can experience everything Hazel Grace and Augustus experienced, and more! A round trip to Amsterdam is included in the package, as well as a five night stay at the Hotel de Filosoof. You will experience life in the city through trips to famous sites, lunches at cafes, and bike rides along the canals. Fans will be all abuzz when they hear that they can partake in this adventure.

At the Hotel de Filosoof, The Fault in Our Stars fans will feel as if Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters are in the room with them as they gaze at the works of famous philosophers. If they’re lucky, they might even get the chance to stay in the Kierkegaard room where Hazel stayed, or the Heidegger room where Augustus stayed! Here’s a sneak peek of the Kierkegaard room as told by Hazel, “There was a dusty old paisley chair with a sagging seat, a desk, and a bookshelf above the bed containing the collected works of Soren Kierkegaard,” (Green, 157).

For dinner one night, fans will dine at an exquisite Amsterdam restaurant. While we wish we could take them to Oranjee (mentioned in the book), it does not truly exist. They will munch on superb dishes such as Belgian white asparagus, dragon carrot risotto, and crèmeux surrounded by passion fruit. Our travelers over the age of 21 will drink champagne. For our younger travelers, sparkling juices will be available. While dining, readers will gaze out over the canals and city sites. Here’s a brief description of a few things they might see. “…on one side of us, cyclists pedaled past… And on our other side, the canal was choked with millions of confetti seeds… A bit further down the canal, I could see houseboats floating on pontoons…” (Green, 162).

 

Although Peter Van Houten’s house is fictional, The Fault in Our Stars fans can still visit a house similar to his and imagine how Augustus and Hazel Grace felt when they were there. The house will be fully furnished and decorated to suit Peter Van Houten’s personality. Swedish hip-hop music will blare from the speakers as fans tour the house. Here is a description of what they might see inside. “We followed him… past a huge oak dining room table with only two chairs, into a creepily sterile living room. It looked like a museum, except there was no art on the empty white walls. Aside from one couch and one lounge chair, both a mix of steel and black leather, the room seemed empty,” (Green, 183).

The Amsterdam Fun Pack also contains visits to famous sites, such as the Anne Frank House. Readers will get to climb the steep stairs in the house, just as Hazel Grace and Augustus did, and immerse themselves in history. They will experience feelings similar to Hazel Grace, “As I read about each of the seven who died, I thought of Otto not being a father anymore, left with a diary instead of a wife and two daughters,” (Green, 201).

This experience will leave readers yearning to be a part of the book. When they look back on their trip to Amsterdam, memories of The Fault in Our Stars will come flooding back to them. Readers will feel more connected to the characters in the book through the experiences they shared and the sights they saw in Amsterdam. Those who experienced the trip but didn't read the book will feel drawn to read it when they arrive back home in order to understand the significance of the places they visited.

The only question left for fans to ask themselves is, “Which week am I going to Amsterdam?”.

Post #3: The Fault in Our Stars

I recently finished reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I chose to read this book because I'd  heard tons of great things about it. I was told by many people that it was the best book they'd read in a long time. Personally, if I had to give it a letter grade, I would only give it a B. I'm the type of person who enjoys the happy-ending, feel-good type of books, and for me, this book just didn't fulfill that expectation.

*SPOILER ALERT*

In the end, one of the main characters dies of cancer, and we are left with the fact that the other main character is going to die of cancer soon. That left me feeling really sad because I was hoping the two characters would overcome their cancer and live. 

Also, I didn't finish the book with a very overwhelming theme to take away. I didn't have that moment of, "Wow. I want everyone to read this."

However, I did like some aspects of the book. I liked the imagery that was included in the book, especially when the two main characters were in Europe. I also feel like I gained a little bit of knowledge about how cancer patients feel and look at life. Finally, I liked John Green's writing voice. It was very unique and somewhat sarcastic.

In conclusion, since I enjoyed the imagery, perspective and John Green's writing voice, but didn't feel moved or compelled by a specific theme in the book, I think this book deserves a B.

Post #2: What is a book?

A book is a cottage nestled deep in the woods.

When you read a book, you travel to a place found within the crevices of the pages. If you search, you won't see it. It's a cozy place you create in your imagination. You can't help but be absorbed in it- it just happens. When you have your own, printed copy of a book, your cottage is kept safely inside. Even if someone else purchases the same book, they won't have your copy- your cottage. They will have their own, personal copy, kept safely away from yours. Your book is your place, your cottage.

Your cottage is a magical place. You decide what to do with it. You can write notes on the walls if you want, and you can invite your family to join you in it. You can build a shed behind it or plant a bed of daisies on the hill just to the right of it. Your book is your place, your cottage. No one else can change it.

But when you purchase an e-book, your quiet cottage in the woods is taken from you. Everyone downloads a digital copy of the book to their devices. Regardless of whether it's read on a Kindle or a Nook, it's the same exact copy that everyone else has. It's not your own. It doesn't have an ink mark on the cover or a page folded down. It's no different from the next.

Your cottage is no longer alone. Soon, a street of cottages will develop. Then another street. Then a subdivision. Before you know it, your once isolated cottage is surrounded by a city of cottages. The air becomes polluted with everyone else's thoughts and feelings about the book. Your book is no longer your own. It belongs to the rest of the world, too.

I would rather have my own cottage, surrounded by a trickling creek and birds in the trees, than a cottage crammed five feet from my neighbor's.

Post #1: Why I Read

Why do I read? I read to travel. I can escape to new places, or even travel away from this planet or universe. I can meet new people and become immersed in new communities, all while staying in the comfort of a fuzzy blanket and a bowl of soup.

Why do I read? I read to gain control. When you read, you can create characters and scenery in your head. You can imagine if a character's hair is a soft, caramel brown, or a deep, dark chocolate brown. You have control over what you see. When you watch TV shows or movies, you lose that ability. You can no longer think for yourself because the images are handed to you. Reading gives you the control to imagine a story the way YOU want to.

Why do I read? I read to learn new writing techniques. I am exposed to new writing crafts when I read. I can apply these crafts to my own writing to make it more interesting. By looking at the writing crafts of authors, I can begin to gain an appreciation for the thought they put into their novels.

Why do I read? I read to satisfy my thirst for knowledge. I've loved to learn ever since I was little. Unlike most kids, I've always loved school. I've never understood why most people don't. School gives you a chance to learn about the world around you! There are few things I find more satisfying in life than making a connection from something I learn in school to something in the real world. I love the feeling you get when something just clicks and a lightbulb goes off in your head. Books help me to make these connections. They teach me about any subject I want them to!


I truly hope this gets you thinking about why you enjoy reading. Reading opens up whole new worlds, and it certainly doesn't hurt those SAT scores, either.