Summer Reading Assignment Post 3

     I think that the best part of this book was towards the middle before the major plot twist. The book is just starting to get fast paced and you can now really see some change in Miles' lifestyle.The plot twist in this book changes everything about it and leaves Miles with many unanswered questions specifically about his obsession with last words and what they mean. Some people may not like this change in the book but I really do because it ties a lot of things together like Miles and his obsession for last words.

     It is hard for me to pick a part of this book that is the best because I think the only true way to appreciate this story is to read the entire thing and look back on it. I almost think that the beginning of this book is meaningless without the ending to tie it all together. I would recommend this book to people because it is very deep and well written. The characters are believable and the story is also.

Summer Reading Assignment Post 4

     I originally picked this book from all the others on the list because I had heard about the author. I knew John Green is the author of The Fault In Our Stars which I had heard was a good book. The first thing that got my attention was the title of the book and after I read the summary on the back it sounded really interesting to me. I also have had recommendations to read this from some upperclassman in my school.

     I saw a lot of connections between myself and the students at Culver Creek, mostly because we are around the same age. I think the main character is similar to me in a lot of ways especially with his friends. After I met my current group of friends I came out of my shell just like Miles. He also goes through other things like relationships like every other teenager does. This is why I think it's relatable to a lot of people my age.

I think almost anybody would like this book because it is well written and believable. I would recommend this book mostly to teenagers and young adults because we can relate more to the problems that Miles has.

Summer Reading Assignment Post 2

     I really like all the characters in the book because they are believable and relatable. One of my favorite characters is The Colonel because he seems very wise and respectable and sometimes gives Miles advice on different things. I also like to see how Miles changes throughout the book because of his new friends and all of the things they've introduced him to like cigarettes and alcohol.

     I also really like Alaska's character. She is very complex and it is hard to figure out whats going on in her head sometimes. I also like her because she is unpredictable and you'll never know what she'll be thinking or doing. One day she might be in a good mood and happy and the next day she will be in a bad mood crying and screaming.

     Pudge has a lot of issues especially with Alaska since he really likes her even though she has a boyfriend. Even though pudge has issues he stays pretty consistent throughout the novel besides becoming more confident and trying new things.

     The biggest themes in this book are friendship and love. Pudge gets an all new group of friends when he transfers schools which is one of the biggest parts of this story and how his friends change him. The book is also a lot about his love for Alaska and the time he spends with her.

Summer Reading assignment Post 1

     I am reading Looking for Alaska for my assignment. This book is about a teenager named Miles "Pudge" Halter who transfers to the Culver Creek Boarding School. So far his life has been pretty boring and not much has ever happened in it. He meets many new friends while at Culver Creek, including: Chip "The Colonel" Martin, Takumi Hikohito, Lara Buterskaya and most importantly, Alaska Young. These people change Miles life in both positive and negative ways.

     As I get further into the story it becomes obvious that Miles likes Alaska. I predict that they will get together by the end of the novel or something like that because Miles obsesses over her for almost every page in the book. It would surprise me if this did not happen.

     I like this book because it's very unique and different than anything else I've read. I can't really compare it to any other book or movie I know of. I also like this book because I think it can be very relatable at times especially because I am also close to the age of most of the characters. I like the book a lot overall and the only issue is that it can be a little slow paced at times.

Summer Reading Assignment Post 4

     There were many different reasons why this book caught my attention over some of the others on the list. The main reason was because it just looked a little more interesting than the other choices and because I had already read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire which were the first two books in the series and I wanted to finish the series and know what happened. I thought this book would be especially interesting to read because instead of going back to the hunger games which was the plot of the other two books, in this one they would rebel against the capitol and finally end the tyranny President Snow has brought onto the districts. 

     I think there are many different people who would enjoy this book. Anyone who is a fan of books with a lot of action would enjoy this book because the second half of the book involves a lot of action with the war going on against the capitol. I think this book would also be good for fans of romance because Katniss is in love with both Peeta and Gale which causes some issues throughout the book and does have a lot to do with the plot. 

Summer Reading Assignment Post 3

     There are many different parts of the book that I would say “hooked” me into reading further and put me on the edge of my seat. Most of these parts in my opinion happen towards the end of the book. One of the parts that I really liked is their battle with the mutts in the tunnels beneath the Capitol. 

    

      “A mix of human and lizard and who knows what else. White, tight reptilian skin smeared with gore, clawed hands and feet, their faces a mess of conflicting features. Hissing, shrieking my name now, as their bodies contort in rage.” 

    

      “The smell of Snow’s roses mixed with the victims’ blood. Carried across the sewer. Cutting through even this foulness. Making my heart run wild, my skin turn to ice, my lungs unable to suck air. It’s as if Snow’s breathing right in my face, telling me it’s time to die.” 

     

     I really liked this part because the whole scene was very intense and there are not many others like it in the book. It is also a very important scene in the book because some characters die. I also liked this scene because it shows how evil the Capitol is by not only attacking Katniss physically but psychologically with the smell of the roses that President snow always wears which he knows Katniss hates. 

Summer Reading Assignment Post 2

     There are many different themes to Mockingjay. Some of the most important are love, power.  Love is especially important because Katniss has more than one person she loves and has almost lost one of them named Peeta because he was brainwashed by the Capitol to hate and fear her. Power is an important theme too because the whole book is about a struggle for power since Katniss is the leader of the rebels fighting against the Capitol. There are other themes in the book including warfare, courage, sacrifice, and manipulation. Courage, sacrifice and manipulation have been common themes throughout all three of the books in the series.

     

     The book Mockingjay is structured in an interesting way, it has 3 different parts in it, with smaller chapters within the each part. The three parts are: Part 1: The Ashes, Part 2: The Assault, and Part 3: The Assassin. Even though each part is a direct continuation of the previous one each one has its own little cliffhanger ending before starting the next part.           

     

     Some characters in this book are very dynamic and change a lot and others are not I have noticed. Katniss and Peeta have both changed a lot in the series but Peeta has changed the most in the past to books. He has changed from being in love with Katniss to wanting to kill her in the last two books. Prim has changed a lot from the first and second book because she used to act like a little girl and has become tough and independent.

Summer Reading Assignment Post 1

     The book I am reading is Mockingjay, the third book in The Hunger Games series. In the book so far we have seen Katniss, the main character of the book, struggle with her new life in district 13, after the bombings in her home, district 12. She has slowly begun to accept her role as the leader of the rebellion, the Mockingjay, against the capital, the tyrannical leaders of all of the districts. 
     
     The major characters of the book are Katniss, Gale, Finnick, and Peeta. Even though Peeta is a major character and does have a lot to do with the books story he does not appear much in the first part of the book because he is held prisoner in The Capitol and is rescued and taken to District 13 later in the book. There are also other characters like President Coin who is the leader of district 13, Haymitch, Prim, Katniss’ mother, Beetee, Cressida, and others who help Katniss lead the rebellion. There is also President Snow, who is the tyrannical leader of the districts. President Snow is the main antagonist of this book along with other capital officials and their army. The main conflict of this novel is with them and trying to take them down. There have been many battles already in districts 8 and 2 but none directly yet with the capitol which I’m sure will come soon.  

Final Blogging Assessment

     For my final blogging assessment I will be identifying different examples of syntax, diction, and voice in my blog posts. My blog that has the best voice is my first blog post for this trimester. It shows my voice with various examples of syntax and diction. One example of syntax within this blog post is my sentence structure. In the blog I say "She lives in North America, in the future, in a country called Panem." and this shows a sentence structure broken up by commas to add "in the future" into the sentence to include the time frame in which the book takes place. Another example of syntax I used within this blog post is sentence length. I use long sentences that could almost be considered run-on sentences that are broken up by commas.
     For diction I mainly used low or informal diction throughout the post and did not really use any elevated or formal diction in my writing. Throughout the post I noticed that there was mostly concrete diction but there are a few examples of abstract diction like "defied" in the writing. I don't think that there are any specific words that define my voice because I do not have a word that I specifically like to use in any of my writing. I don't think the syntax and diction was too elevated in this piece but it did enhance the writing a little.

Blog Post 6: Misery

     For this blog post I have chose to write about the book Misery by Stephen King. I am reading this for my Best sellers class, since right now I am in a group reading horror novels. I chose this book because I am familiar with Stephen Kings writing and I have seen the film version.
     I am only on page 15 of the book but I like the style of writing Stephen king uses. I also like the voice he uses when writes, especially when he is explaining the thoughts of the main character Paul. Stephen King often uses harsh words when he write and " Most of all she gave him a disturbing sense of solidity, as if she might not have any blood vessels or even internal organs; as if she might only be solid Annie Wilkes from side to side and top to bottom." is a good example of when he shows his voice in writing.
     Since I have seen the film version a couple of years ago I know the plot pretty well, but I am more interested in seeing the crazy Annie Wilkes described through the thoughts of the main character.

Blog post 5

     So far in my book The Kite Runner I am on page 80 and Amir's hazara, Hassan, has gone missing. It was after the Kite fighting tournemant when Amir won and Hassan ran after the blue kite. Amir was very happy he had won and was happy because his father would finally be proud of him. He is also worried about Hassan because he has not returned with the final defeated kite.
     Amir eventually goes looking for Hassan and with help from some strangers at the Bazaar he finds Hassan trapped in an alley. Their enemies Assef and his friends have trapped Hassan and want the kite. Hassan  did not give it up and Assef does horrible things to Hassan.
     While all this is happening Amir is watching and doesn't help. This shows that Amir is not a very good friend and is too scared to help a person that he has known his entire life. I think this also shows Hassan's character a lot also, it shows how loyal of a friend he is to Amir and shows that he will do anything for him. I do not know much of what happens after this but my guess is that they wont be as good of friends and I think Hassan knows that Amir was watching what happened in the alley. I made this prediction because there was some foreshadowing directly after they won the tournement which was, "I would never see his smiling face again for another 26 years."

Blog Post 4: The Kite Runner

     I have started another book for my reading class Best-Sellers and it is the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I am not very far into the book, I am on page 57. So far not much has happened but at the point I am at I am learning what a "Kite Runner" is. Every winter in Afghanistan the kids buy kites and fight with them and when the string is cut on one of the kites a team of kite runners is sent to chase it. I found it interesting that winter for them is like our summer break off from school
   
     I think this story is very well written and interesting. It shows what every day life is like in Afghanistan which is very different from life here. So far I would say that my favorite character is the main character Amir. He is different than most kids and you can tell he is a caring person by the way he treats Hassan, his servant. While most people do not treat people like Hassan as their equal, Amir treats him as if he were his own brother, and that is why I like Amir a lot in the story. This is also why I like Hassan because he stands up for Amir also. I want to read further because of the interesting things that have started towards the part that I am at, The monarchy in Afghanistan has been overthrown and I want to see what the rest of the book will be like.