May
16
After Ender’s Game
May 16, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Ender’s Game was a great book!!! I have decided that my “-ism” is going to be The Age of Ambiguity. Using the examples of good vs evil, friends and enemies, and Compassion and Ruthlessness. I feel that these examples will help me describe the relationship that Ender’s Game has with other “-ism’s” and how my new “-ism” reflects what the book really symbolizes. I loved the book. I haven’t truly enjoyed a book in a long time and it was nice to have a great read. i highly recommend it to anyone looking for a book that makes you think. the sci-fi aspect is interesting too.
May
15
Choice blog #3
May 15, 2012 | Leave a Comment
I have conflicting final thoughts on Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? I enjoyed the story, but I wasn’t always sure what was going on. I think there can be many interpretations of the meanings behind the conflicts. The way I saw it was many of the characters projecting their thoughts of the world and relationship onto different characters. George and Martha used Honey and Nick to play their little games creating interesting dynamics. One interpretation is that George and Martha are simply crazy and should not even be together. Looking closer though I think that they truly care about one another but have gotten so wrapped up in their pride defenses that they can’t back down from their games. I thought all of these complex dynamics were interesting to read but it was also hard to relate to.
May
15
Parents Visit
May 15, 2012 | Leave a Comment
May
15
Heaven is for Real #3
May 15, 2012 | Leave a Comment
After finishing this book in five days, I can say that I really enjoyed it. It was a fairly easy and fun read, but the story gave me a lot to think about. Although the actual reading time was over pretty quickly, I am still thinking about what Burpo was writing about, still trying to make a decision for myself about whether or not I believe his story. Either way, I would say that this book represents a lot of what modern American literature is about. I’ve found that contemporary American literature is comprised of books containing narratives or story-telling, social issues and controversy, that are emotion-provoking, and sometimes autobiographical. Heaven is for Real contains all of these elements, even though it is not written by a noted American author. I also believe that the fact that Todd Burpo was just an average guy is very representative of today’s America. Even though he isn’t a master of writing, he told an engaging story, that obviously stirred up some emotion and controversy among the American people.
May
15
Heaven is for Real #2
May 15, 2012 | Leave a Comment
As I am mid-way through this book, I am not sure whether I fully believe this story. I knew that the book was written by the father of the three-year-old who claims to have been to heaven, but I did not know that the author was a preacher. This fact makes me hesitate because now this book seems to be charged with bias. Of course a preacher will believe that his son is telling the truth about Jesus. He has no skepticism whatsoever and doesn’t seem to really question his son. I’ve also noticed that, because the book is written by a regular preacher from Nebraska, the skill is not all that high. Burpo’s writing is pretty basic, so while the story is very engaging, the writing itself is not too impressive. He uses a lot of dialogue and basic sentence structure. This could be because he’s not the most creative writer, or it could be because he wants to share what he thinks is an amazing story with everyone. It would make sense for him to simplify his writing so that virtually anybody could read this book, understand it, and appreciate his son’s tale.
May
15
Heaven is for Real
May 15, 2012 | Leave a Comment
The choice book that I chose to read is called Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo. This book is non-fiction, a genre that I like to read whenever I have the choice between it and a fictitious novel. I found this book on Oprah’s Book Club reading list, and of course I trust Oprah Winfrey’s judgement. After the book caught my interest on her website, I googled the title and found mixed reviews on it. Because it is allegedly a true story about visiting heaven, there is much controversy surrounding the book. Some say it is a miraculous story of faith while others claim that it is a hoax to make money. I figured the only way to find out which was true would be to read the book and develop an opinion of my own.
May
14
Final Choice Book Blog
May 14, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Wow, I really enjoyed that little book. Literally 99 pages and it was one of the most thought provoking and interesting books I’ve ever read. In my lifetime few books have really stuck me and this is one of them, The way Fox talks about his mistakes and triumphs and brings being one of Hollywood’s most famous actors at one time down to a personal level. Reading the book you would never know the scale of his sucess. I have my mother to thank she reccomended it, and i would like to do the same, anyone who reads this i strongly suggest reading this book.
May
14
Tina Fey blog #3
May 14, 2012 | Leave a Comment
The ending of the book was really sweet. She ended with talking about her daughter. It was funny because through out the book it mentioned her and I was wondering if she would ever talk about her. Then the last chapter was about her. But I really liked the book and if she had more I would defiantly read it. My favorite part of the book was when she put in hate mail she had received and then she pretended like she was going to comment on them with more hate. This part really made me laugh. I’ve never read a book like this and if I find another book similar I would pick it up and read it.
May
14
Tina Fey blog #2
May 14, 2012 | Leave a Comment
One thing that I really like about my book is how it is a autobiography but it is not all facts. The way she wrote it is not like reading a text book its about her life but its more of a story. I never really read autobiographies so this was a good change. I never really enjoy reading them but this is the first one that I have actually liked. Another cool thing she does in her writing is that she puts in some pages of things like some of the skits she’s written or a email from a fan. This really kept me interested and helped me understand who she is. She is hilarious. This was one of the funniest books I have ever read and it made me a Tina Fey fan.
May
13
Choice novel post #1
May 13, 2012 | Leave a Comment
A Dance with Dragons, my choice novel, runs in parallel with the prior installment in the series. In the last book, a dozen certain characters were followed as they made their way through Martin’s incredibly detailed world, sometimes crossing paths and plotting and occasionally dying. Other important characters were left out, and this book picks up their storylines where the one before the last one left them off, to run in parallel with the not-chronologically-prior-but-released-beforehand installment and eventually surpass it and bring back in the characters present in the previous book who had been cut out for the first two thirds. A total of 18 different viewpoints are presented. Quite confusing.
So far, Martin is certainly in no rush. Two very large conflicts seem to be brewing, but GRRM seems to get a kick out of building up expectations and excitement only to tear it all down in a very realistic and unromantic way. Currently, in the book, many noble suitors are travelling to win the hand of a queen, but I would not put it passed him to unapologetically kill them off in a way as undeserving as food poisoning or accidental drowning. Sometimes it feels almost like he’s mocking the kind of fantasy that’s full of noble and deserved deaths.