Summer reading post 4

       I chose this book for my summer reading project because I had read other books by John Green and they were very good. His books always get me thinking about things he writes even after I put the book down. His books never seem to amaze me. I love his writing style because it is so unique. This book drew my attention with the book summary because it was bright and hopeful and then suddenly it took a turn to the darker side, without explanation. It was very intriguing. I could relate closely to Pudge at different points of the story, to be honest he was a very relate-able character so it was not that hard to find resemblance between his thought process and mine.  I can also relate how the main character would sometimes be prone to over think what someone said or what someone did. This book is very well known already in the young adults age area. The author, John Green is actually a very well known by young adults. This book would be read by young girls. Based on all of the attention that the book 'The Fault In Our Stars' , another book by John Green, got I wasn't surprised by all the press that this book got. I think this book would be a big hit with any age group.

Summer reading post 3

    "We walked across the dorm circle to the gym. I sported baggy jeans, a sweatshirt with no shirt underneath, and a bad case of bedhead. All the teachers were in the dorm circle knocking on doors, but I didn't see Dr. Hyde. I imagined him lying dead in his house, wondered who had found him, how they even knew he was missing before he failed to show up for class. "I don't see Dr. Hyde," I told the Colonel. "Poor bastard." The gym was half full by the time we arrived. A podium had been set up in the middle of the basketball court, close to the bleachers. I sat in the second row, with the Colonel directly in front of me. My thoughts were split between sadness for Dr. Hyde and excitement about Alaska, remembering the up-close sight of her mouth whispering, "To be continued?" And it did not occur to me—not even when Dr. Hyde shuffled into the gym, taking tiny, slow steps toward the Colonel and me. I tapped the Colonel on the shoulder and said, "Hyde's here," and the Colonel said, "Oh shit," and I said, "What?" and he said, "Where's Alaska?" and I said, "No," and he said, "Pudge, is she here or not?" and then we both stood up and scanned the faces in the gym. The Eagle walked up to the podium and said, "Is everyone here?" "No," I said to him. "Alaska isn't here." The Eagle looked down. "Is everyone else here?" "Alaska isn't here!" "Okay, Miles. Thank you." "We can't start without Alaska. " (page 70)

    Pudge and the colonel are found by the headmaster of the school and he tells them to go to the gym for an announcement. Alaska doesn't seem to be there.

summer reading post 2

     In the book I have chosen, 'Looking for Alaska' by John Green, the characters have inner conflicts that make it a bit harder to distinguish what they actually desire. The main character, Pudge, thinks a lot about 'the great perhaps' and doesn't go a day without thinking about it. In his mind one thing is clear to me, he wants Alaska. Alaska the girl who has so many rambling issues in her head, is perfect in Pudge's eyes. Alaska is hard to figure out. She has so many thoughts at once it's hard to follow her. Alaska wants to please everyone and to be herself without any regrets, she wants peace and chaos, she wants to explore and to stay in the same place. Alaska wants everything and nothing at all. From what I can tell the structure of the book is broken into two parts, before and after. Before is when Pudge finds friends, feels like he belongs, all of the generally nice things. After is when everything seems to fall apart. So put from the book, "After. Nothing is ever the same." That is from the back of the book where they try to simplify the entire book into a few sentences, and I think that was very well put. The theme I see starting to show is that as soon as something good happens, something bad comes after it.

summer reading post 1

          I have chosen the book 'Looking for Alaska' by John Green. So far this book has been very thought provoking which is a good sign, for me at least, when reading a good novel.  The main character for this book is Miles Halter, also known as 'Pudge' not because he has a few extra pounds, but because he is so skinny. The book begins with him telling his parents that he would like to go to a boarding school, and not for the usual obvious reasons to get away from something, but to get into something. Pudge's life was boring and uneventful. He wanted to change that so he had his parents enroll him in a boarding school so that he could hopefully start the adventure also known as life. He was in search of 'the great perhaps'. Culver Creek boarding school was where it would all begin. Pudge makes friends like Chip also known as 'The colonel' and Alaska. At first sight Pudge is mesmerized by Alaska. I have a feeling that later on in the story she will be the main event in Pudge's head. And what I really want to know is, does he find the great perhaps? This book reminds me of 'Paper towns' also by John Green because of the way the book starts. It begins centered on one boy who feels his life is boring and then, BOOM, this mysterious girl takes him on a whirlwind adventure that he couldn't forget if he wanted too. I feel like the ending won't be the ending that we want, just like how 'paper towns' ended.

Put a Dime in the Jukebox

First things first, I would like to give a virtual high-five to anyone who got the song reference in the title. I am back to reading Rock Chicks by Alison Stieven-Taylor and I am still in love with this book. When you read this book you feel very empowered. It doesn't matter if you're a girl or a guy, it makes you feel like you are stronger than you think. A lot of these iconic women of rock 'n roll came from the same place as everybody else and carried their weight to the top. If that doesn't make you feel invincible, I have no idea what would.

 

I recently finished a chapter of the book which was about Stevie Nicks. Fleetwood Mac's best known band member is Stevie Nicks. Fleetwood Mac is very well known. You have most definitely heard of her. She is so original, and her voice is hauntingly beautiful. I was trying to think of someone she reminds me of, but that's the thing, she doesn't remind me of anybody but her. She is unlike any other, and she  worked her way to the top. "Ninety per cent of the people who went to Fleetwood Mac concerts wanted to see Stevie." (pg 124) She has this magnetism that couldn't be bought. She is an idol of mine because she did her own thing, and didn't care what other people thought of her.

 (Stevie Nicks on stage)

I have been reading 'A work in progress' by Connor Franta. This book is also by a youtuber, just like the last one but these books are very different. This book is more about the life lessons he wants to share with us and have us learn from. He states "As you get older, sometimes your goals will take you away from your closest friends." (pg 52) I love this book so far because he brings a new perspective on a small town kid rising to fame while still remembering where he came from. I remember meeting him at his book signing and it was like a dream. I never thought that I would ever get to meet him, let alone hug him and talk to him. He was just like he was since the beginning of his wild adventure to internet stardom. He was so thankful for everyone supporting him and that really reflects in his book. He is a wonderful writer and I really sugest picking up his book and reading it, even if you aren't completely aware of what he does because he puts his heart and soul into this book and you can really tell. 

I have been reading 'I hate my selfie' by Shane Dawson. This book is very different from the books that I usually read. I usually like to read fiction or realistic fiction but this book is about the writers life. It is sort of a an autobiography. And usually I wouldn't feel any interest in that except for the fact that the writer is someone that I have been watching for years. And I realize without any incite to what the writer is involved in that what I said would be a pretty creepy thing to say. But Shane Dawson is a youtuber. Yes it is a real profession and yes that is his full time job. And it may seem ridiculous  that some one could make a decent living by just making video of them self but it is a completely tangible idea for people with more knowledge about the youtube community.  It is like being a celebrity but still being able to go outside without some crazed fan trying to steal your shoes. I believe that in this day and age it is very possible to make a profession out of anything. If you think about it there are professional eaters, poker players. video game players, even people just famous for being pretty. I think that anything is really possible.

(I would like to put a quote in this but there are no quotes in this book that are school appropriate. So I would rather not)

        I really enjoy rock 'n roll. So does my dad. I think it is one of the only things we have in common. My dad periodically surprises me with a CD of a band he wants me to check out, which I always enjoy, but this time he got me a book. I absolutely love this book. No doubt in my mind. My dad bought me a book on the history of women who ruled the rock 'n roll world. I am currently reading  'Rock Chicks' by Alison Stieven-Taylor. This book is amazing because it is a mini biography for each woman mentioned in the book and how they influenced music. When writing about the artists she doesn't just stay to their impact in music, but also music's impact on the Artist.        " The Janis Joplin camp is split on to two factions. She's a misunderstood genius who broke down rock barriers for women, Or a vulgar drug-addicted exhibitionist who's excesses were greater than her talents" It is a book about not only the way they lived, and for a few died, but also a way to explain how they were as human beings.    

Theme Handout

Why Individual Self Expression Is Important

Olivia Popovich, Kayla Blumberg, Jenna Caimano, Andrew Hahn, Aaron Goetz

Bell 4

Timeline

• After meeting Clarisse, Montag starts to question his life and if what he’s doing, with burning the books is actually the right thing to do for society.
• During the situation with Ms. Blake, and her showing Montag all of the books she owned, and telling Montag her true feelings and thoughts on being able to have books, changed the way Montag  looked at himself and his actions.
• Meeting Faber and showing him a want to go see the books, and not turning him in. Obviously being a person that starts fires for a living for people that have books, it doesn’t seem like a usual thing to do to not start a fire for someone with books. This shows Montag’s change in character ever since realizing that books may actually be a key party to the way society works
• When Montag reads the poem, Dover Beach to Mrs. Phelps and Mrs. Bowles, he is trying to get them to see how important self expression is to individual people and to society.
• After burning down his house, Montag kills Beatty because he is willing to do anything to save the books.
• After the bombs hit the city, Montag starts remembering the book of Ecclesiastes,  Montag gets time to reflect on his life, and he thinks about everything he has done and all that had just happened to him, through the actions of him showing his true self.

Montag grows as a person in the book, and shows more self expression as it goes on.

Textual Evidence

• “Of course I’m happy.  What does she think?  I’m not? he asked the quiet rooms.” (Bradbury 8)
• “Then the old man grew even more courageous and said something else and that was a poem, too.  Faber held his hand over his left coat pocket and spoke these words man’s coat.  But he did not reach out.” (Bradbury 71)
• “He twitched the safety catch on the flame thrower.  . . . And then he was a shrieking blaze, a jumping, sprawling gibbering manikin, no longer human or known, all writhing lame on the lawn as Montag shot one continuous pulse of liquid fire on him.” (Bradbury 112-113)

Why Is this Theme Important to the story?

This theme is important to the story because without it nothing would’ve happened, Montag would never feel the same way towards books if he would have never showed his true feelings about how books can really change the way someone views society and life in general.

How does this theme connect to modern society today?

This theme connects to modern society today because in our country we are able to show who we are through the clothes we wear, our religion and many other things that we can turn to to express our own self expression, which shows up in Fahrenheit 451 multiple times. It’s very important to be aware of this because without it, everyone would be and act in the same manner.

     I finished the book 'Hate List' a few days ago. I found this book extremely interesting. I have never read a book so out of my element before and it really opened my eyes to all of the other genres I hadn't  been reading. I really enjoyed this book because it was about a harsh situation that is very realistic. I never thought that I would feel so interested about a sad topic. This book is about a girl who is a survivor of a school shooting, where the shooter was her boyfriend. Her life is unraveling and it sounds unbearable. It makes you think that even if you are having a bad day that you still have an overall good life and that you should think about the big picture. 

    

    You know those books that when you finish you don't even know what to do with yourself? This is without a doubt one of those books.

    

                                  (In the point of view of Mrs. Bowles)

      I had to get out of that house. I had to find a way to seem distraught at the idea of books being read rather than burned. After leaving the house I decided to take a night walk, making sure no one saw me of course. Being in the shadows is hard but it is the only way to keep what I do a secret. Montag, what an idiot! 

       "He's going to get us all killed, after everything we've worked for." I mutter under my breath. Montag, what a loud mouth! I knew I was right not letting him know about the company. The last copy of the bible? we would never let the number of copies of any book dwindle to one! Still if we taught him about all we know, he could be a very useful resource. Beatty said that even he didn't know about how many books Montag had taken. Having one source on the inside is very helpful, but two would take our operation to new heights! Beatty, at the beginning when we first found him taking books, we were astonished he wasn't already dead.  After training though, he turned out to be one of the best. Montag will be a huge piece of work, but he is very skilled in the art of book taking, which is basically the most important thing to the boss even if the skilled one is a complete numb-skull. 

        In the midst of arguing with myself, I find that my feet have taken me to the park. Just like always I see faber, sitting on the bench, enveloped in a book, him being the only one of us to have the audacity to read in public. Some say he's crazy some say he's brave. I sit on the cold metal bench, I find it unsettling as I look out on the park, empty and dark, it resembles our entire society, dark and hopeless. 

      "Hello Faber" I say.

      Without looking up from his book he says, "I know that we have to stay discreet, but since there is no one else here but you, me, and the stars, call me dad."  

            Right now I am reading "The Hate List" by Jennifer Brown. I like to read books about strange experiences or adventures but this book is a bit out of my comfort zone. I have never read anything like this before. This book is about the life of Valerie Leftman just before, during, and after a shooting at her school. It wouldn't anything like you would expect, because the school shooter was Nick, her boyfriend. Valerie and Nick were outsiders. They dressed, acted, and were treated different from everyone else along with their friends. 
            They were bullied by people in their school and that really took a toll on them. They hated those people. They talked about hurting them and made a list of everyone they hated, the hate list. To Valerie they list, the way they talked about  hurting them, it was all a joke, a way of letting their feelings out. But to Nick it was all real all to real. As he was shooting people that day, Valerie jumped in front of an almost victim and saved her life by taking the bullet in her thigh. Right before she jumped in front of the person she was screaming at him to stop. He just turned around and said "Don't you remember our plan?" As the shooting is investigated they find Nick and Valerie's conversations. So many people see her as a murderer. But a few see her as a hero. I am very intrigued to see how this story plays out.

Semester 1 Reflection

      I have read some very good books this semester thanks to the suggestions I see on the blogs I have commented on. I really enjoyed the required summer reading book I chose which was 'Kill Me Softly' by Sarah Cross. That book took classic fairly tales, even before they were childproofed by Disney, and modernized them. I thought it was a great story line because the author melded classic fairy tales with modern teenage lives. I loved that those two very opposite types of stories could be put together to make a very interesting plot line. Another book I read was 'Looking For Alaska' by John Green. I have loved every book by John green that I've read. This book had a very unique plot line because the resolution isn't the ending you hope for, but it makes you think about life and what you have waiting for you, and what you don't. This book takes you into someones mind and makes you feel exactly what the main character is feeling, and I think that it is extraordinary. 
     I believe that my blogging skills have improved from my first blog post to my most current one. I think my writing has evolved from just writing what the book is about, to writing how I think a character feels about a situation, or how I think the writer was hoping to grasp the reader in a certain way when writing their book. I see how a character develops throughout a story, how they act in the beginning compared to how they act in the end. My blog post's sentences flow together for a whole view on a specific topic. My first few blog posts were not the best and I think that my new posts are more intriguing, I think they pull readers in so that they want to read the end of the post, not that they have to. Every post I make I include a picture of the book's cover so that if the story wasn't that interesting to  the reader they might get attracted by the artwork on the cover. 
      I have a few goals for myself to improve my blogging in the second semester. My biggest goal is to have my posts on time, I had trouble with that this semester but I think I can improve on that drastically if I work on it. I have another goal which is that I include more quotes from books so that I can show why I feel a certain way on a topic or event. I think that I have been lacking on the quotes which I hope to make up for in the second half of the year. I would also like to work on spending more time on the visual aids that go with my posts. I always have a picture of my current book, but I would like for myself to search for videos or articles that pull the reader further into my post and feel more involved.

    I have read 'Deadly Little Secret' by  Laurie Faria Stolarz. I enjoyed this book because of the mystery. This book's summary includes that there is a romantic element to this book, and usually I don't read those types of books. I was intrigued by the title, and by the fact that there was scary type of feel to it. I will admit I probably would have enjoyed this book more if it had more mystery and less romance. When I was reading this book there were few times I was surprised by the way the plot would go. It was the usual forbidden love type of ordeal laced with some mystery and conflict. Overall it was a very well constructed book with a good plot line that I appreciated. I think the little things that this book has that makes it an individual really was a key factor for it to stand out to me.

   I have just finished reading the book 'I Am Malala' by Malala Yousafzai. It was a great book and very inspirational. She is a very accomplished woman already at the age of 17. She is taught by everyone around her to only aspire to be the perfect wife and mother. Only by her family and some close friends is she told to aspire to the perfect her. That means to strive for whatever ambitions she wanted, even if people try to shoot down her ideas. Later, she finds out that people would literally shoot her down. She has been an avid supporter of women's rights for a long time. Before she was noticed by the rest of the world, she had to voice her opinion, but in a way that she could protect herself from the Taliban. After she recovered from being shot, she came back stronger and more passionate than ever before. Also now with the rest of the world watching she could make an even bigger difference for her people, and women everywhere without proper rights. 

   Malala Yousafzai is now known as a staple for women's and children's rights. She still voices her opinion even after she was shot by the Taliban. She is a strong, inspiring woman. She, at 17, has won the Nobel Peace Prize. She is the youngest person to ever win it. In her speech she explains how the award isn't only for her, but for the women and children who didn't have a voice. This link is to her Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmqF9Y2Yq1U

I am currently reading 'If I stay' by Gayle Forman. I am reminded of 'The Fault in Our Stars' when I read this book. I feel like I have been let into someones life story when I read these books. I feel like I am in their head knowing what they think about things before you hear what they say about things definitely gives you insight. Hazel and Mia also have a lot of the same traits. They are both very grown up, knowing how to take in their surroundings. They were both forced into the situations they are in causing them to grow up faster than their peers. Hazel has lung and thyroid cancer, while Mia is in a coma having to make the decision to live or die. They are both strong, female protagonists. In each of their stories, Mia and Hazel find ways to come out on top, defeat their demons. The books also have similarities. The tone of each book is undeniably known by each reader right when they read the summary. The tone is realistic with ups and downs, just like life. In 'The Fault in Our Stars' Hazel's dose of the harsh real world, is having her life revolving around the fact that she has cancer. Hazel doesn't let the fact that she has cancer stop her from making her own adventures. She finds Augustus and they fall into their own real life daydream together. In 'If I Stay' Mia is in a coma fighting with herself, deciding if life is even what she wants anymore. She goes through her life, her happiest moments, and her saddest, to see what she really truly wants. Even after loosing her parents she remains strong, deciding her fate.