Week #15: Mockingjay

       This week I decided to re-read the third installment of the Hunger Games series in honor of the new movie that came out a few weeks ago: Mockingjay. I have to say that I really enjoyed re-reading it, especially that I was able to compare it to the film that recently came out, and think about which one told the story in the best way. The main similarity between the two is that they both have the same tone, which can only be described as dark, yet satisfyingly powerful.
       I cannot discuss the plot of this however, because there is no way of putting it that wouldn't spoil the two previous books. All I can say is that the Hunger Games series is a very interesting and unique way of displaying human nature, and I have to recommend it for everyone!
        

Week #14: The Hobbit (finally, the last blog about The Hobbit)

  For this week's book I continued to The Hobbit for my book group, and I enjoyed it just as much. There is something about the way Tolkien writes that makes this book much more fun to read than other books written in 1950s. The plot is quite simple, and set the tone for countless other adventure books. Bilbo Baggins is a simple and non-adventurous hobbit that lives in Hobbiton, where he lives an easy and wealthy life in is quaint Hobbit-hole. He then is whisked away on an unexpected journey with thirteen Dwarfs and one very powerful wizard. I am sure you have heard the more extensive details of the story, or you can look them up on your own.

   Though this book was written long ago, and has a writing style much different than books from todays world, it is still one of the most fun book experiences that I have ever had.

Week #13: The Hobbit (AGAIN)

  For this week's book I continued to The Hobbit for my book group, and I enjoyed it just as much. There is something about the way Tolkien writes that makes this book much more fun to read than other books written in 1950s. The plot is quite simple, and set the tone for countless other adventure books. Bilbo Baggins is a simple and non-adventurous hobbit that lives in Hobbiton, where he lives an easy and wealthy life in is quaint Hobbit-hole. He then is whisked away on an unexpected journey with thirteen Dwarfs and one very powerful wizard. I am sure you have heard the more extensive details of the story, or you can look them up on your own.

   Though this book was written long ago, and has a writing style much different than books from todays world, it is still one of the most fun book experiences that I have ever had.

Week #12: The Hobbit

    For this week's book I continued to The Hobbit for my book group, and I enjoyed it just as much. There is something about the way Tolkien writes that makes this book much more fun to read than other books written in 1950s. The plot is quite simple, and set the tone for countless other adventure books. Bilbo Baggins is a simple and non-adventurous hobbit that lives in Hobbiton, where he lives an easy and wealthy life in is quaint Hobbit-hole. He then is whisked away on an unexpected journey with thirteen Dwarfs and one very powerful wizard. I am sure you have heard the more extensive details of the story, or you can look them up on your own.

   Though this book was written long ago, and has a writing style much different than books from todays world, it is still one of the most fun book experiences that I have ever had.

Week #11: The Hobbit

   This week I read the first few chapters of the Hobbit for my book group. I have already read this book, but it is still just as interesting and exciting. There is something about the way Tolkien writes that makes this book much more fun to read than other books written in 1950s. The plot is quite simple, and set the tone for countless other adventure books. Bilbo Baggins is a simple and non-adventurous hobbit that lives in Hobbiton, where he lives an easy and wealthy live in is quaint Hobbit-hole.
   Though this book was written long ago, and has a writing style much different than books from todays world, it is still one of the most fun book experiences that I have ever had.

Week #10: Monster

     Title: Monster
     Author: Walter Dean Meyers
     Genre: Courtroom Drama

     This is a book about a teenage boy named Steve Harmon who was wrongfully accused of both robbery and murder, and he is facing twenty-five years of prison for it. The story follows his struggles, his family's struggles, and the struggles in the courtroom as him and his lawyer attempt to stop the injustice unfolding in front of them.
     This is definitely the most unique book I have read so far this year, mostly due to how the story is told. The book is told soulfully through diary entries and a movie script. Not only do I love movies, but also new and unconventional ways to read books, and the fact that this is told through a script made this very enjoyable and refreshing to read for me. The diary entries feel very real and convincing, furthering the harsh reality of the story. The characters (despite the nearly immovable barriers) feel very true and heartfelt, which is a stunning achievement judging that it is essentially a film without actors. The only weakness of this story telling is that it makes the book much faster, and I finished it in one day because of it. Overall this was a very good and very interesting story that everyone should check out.

Week #9: The Martian

        Book: The Martian
        Author: Andy Weir
        Genre: Science Fiction/Realistic

        I really enjoyed this book, because there were so many unique elements to it, and the entire experience was really a refreshing look at science fiction. It follows the story of Mark Watney, an astronaut who was part of one the first manned missions to Mars in the near future, who was studying the surface with others. An unexpected storm comes, and during the fast evacuation, he found himself rolling down a dune impaled with an antenna, and the ship filled with his colleagues ascending in the other direction. He was left behind on the red planet be himself with very limited resources, and faced with the hard yet simple task of surviving.
       
        As I said this book is very different from most science fiction we have become accustom to, because it points out and explains the details of all the technology and science Mark comes into sight with. This makes the story much more believable, because it seems as though the reader is reading a story from real life and nothing is made-up or fantastical. The writing style is good (not beautiful... much like the book) and the entire story is very well told. I had a great time reading this, and despite the scientific basis that the book has, I believe everyone could enjoy reading this.

        This is answering the blog question: My favorite character is Mark, because for the most part he is the lone character in the book

Week #8: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

          Title: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
            Author: Jonathan Safran Foer
            Genre: Realistic/Historic Fiction

        This is an extremely well written and overall beautiful book, that more people in the class should know about. It is about a young boy (pre-teen) named Oskar, who lives in New York City in 2001, and his dad works in the world trade center (see where I'm going with this?). His father was unfortunately at work when the tragic event on September 11, happened, and Oskar and his mother were left heartbroken without his dad. While going through his dad's possessions, he finds a mysterious that he believes will lead him to know more about his father. He then starts on a wonderful and mysterious adventure to find what is left of his father.
           This book doesn't have much mature content, other than the tragedy of a family dealing with the loss of a father. The writing style and tricks used by the author is what truly makes this book great, and that alone makes it worth it to read this. I highly recommend this to everyone in the class.