Starting Gatsby

I just started The Great Gatsby. I know what you are thinking, but just because I am a freshman does not mean I can not read it. I have always thought that schools kind of ruin books for you. I feel so strongly about this that I even did a whole presentation on it for ECA. My plan is to read the book now so that I can actually enjoy it instead of taking notes and quizzes and skimming  the book.
I am only on page 11, but so far I really like the authors writing style. He does not ramble on, but he is also very descriptive. Right now in the Book he is still giving you some insight on the characters and time period. Since I am not that far, I cannot give a great summary of what itisaboutjust yet. But I will keep peddling through the Book and tell roughshod it is actually good or just "school" good!

Silver Linings Playbook Flashback

Now I know that this is not the book I am currently reading but I really wanted top blog about this. Plus, I just watched the movie…

            I read Silver Linings Playbook by Mathew Quick in Best Sellers last trimester. I absolutely LOVED it! It was so different from what I usually read. I am usually into fantasy, not realistic fiction. But, never the less, it was great, so read it!

            Over the weekend I watched the movie version of the book. You know the one; it has everyone’s favorite loud mouthed, bird whistling actress, Jennifer Lawrence. Now, I don’t usually read that much and the books I read are never movies. So, when I went to see The Hunger Games with my friends, forever ago, and they were all talking about what the book had that the movie didn’t. They were all freaking out for stupid reasons like, the cornucopia was supposed to be gold. Naturally, I thought they were just being picky and annoying like friends are. But when I saw Silver Linings Playbook, I finally felt their pain.

            Don’t get me wrong, the movie was great and it was hilarious. But it was so different from the book. I found myself picking out stupid things that bothered me, like the fact that they danced to the wrong song and Pat actually saw and talked to Nikki in the movie!

            I have to say, if you asked me to pick which one was better, I would have to say both. Though there were some major differences, they both were equally funny and unique. It also got me thinking, who would want to watch the exact same thing they read? Wouldn’t that just be like watching re-runs of a TV show?

            Here is the diner scene from the movie if you all want to have just a little taste of what the movie was like…

Hero's of Olympus Book Series

Now, I am sure that we all have heard of the Percy Jackson books. I am sure we have all thought about how cool it would be to be a child of the gods. To know how to fight, have special powers, and get treated with praise. But honestly, I don’t think that it is all it’s cracked up to be.

            I mean, I am just sitting there reading about how Percy and Annabeth are in the underworld and all the other demigods are fighting off a bunch of problems. I keep thinking this would be one of those cool video game scenarios, not real life. It would be fun to try it out and keep getting unlimited do-overs. Then again, I guess there is one character that got her own personal do-over, Hazel. She was, in a sense, brought back from the dead to help out on this quest. But I still would not wish that my life was like hers or any other of the demigods because they have to deal with some pretty hard stuff. For example, in the end of The Mark of Athena, Percy was faced with a really difficult decision. He could either let Annabeth fall to her doom or go with her and pray that he can get both of them out of the underworld.

            I guess what I am trying to say is that I feel bad for them. But, luckily, it is just a book. It is a really good book series that is like one of those commercial products, “fun to play with not to eat” or in this case, “fun to read it not to live it”

House of Hades beginning

I have just started The House of Hades by Rick Riordan. The previous book ended with Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase falling into Tartarus. Tartarus is the hell of the underworld. However, they are not dead while in there, so that just means they will have to suffer. But, I am not far enough into the book to know how Percy and Annabeth are doing. Last I heard of them, Annabeth had a broken leg and Percy a broken heart because he let something happen to Annabeth.

The mood of the book is very nervous and angry. Hazel is the narrator of the first chapter. She describes, “During the third attack, Hazel almost ate a boulder. She was peering into the fog, wondering how it could be so difficult to fly across one stupid mountain range, when the ship’s alarm bells sounded” (Riordan 1). The phrase “Hazel almost ate a boulder” indicates that she is on edge. She is nervous and angry. Also, I can infer that she is distracted because her friends are in Tartarus. The distraction can only make the journey harder because she is not focused. However, Hazel has a strong and confident personality. Therefore I predict she will find a way through the pain and push on.

Best Sellers post #12: Book Wish List

This is my book wish list (they are in no particular order)…
• House of Hades by Rick Riordan
• Enders Game by Orson Scott Card
• Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
• DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
• I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
• Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
• Looking for Alaska by John Green
• The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks
• Maximum Ride by James Patterson

Best Sellers post #11: Book Talk

Best Sellers post #4: Book 1 Reflection

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children was a good book. However, I thought that it moved slowly in the middle. The beginning and end were very exciting. But, in the middle when he was just visiting the island, in was a little boring. Though it was a little boring, it was still very descriptive. I also think that the pictures helped move the story along. They added the feeling of only a few more pages then I get to see a picture. They were a break from reading. I am looking forward to reading Hollow City, the second book in the series. So far I have heard good things about it.