Final Blog Post of the Year

Hello everyone, it looks like this will officially be my final blog post of the year. Currently, I am still reading Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah and I am on page 118. Since I won't be able to write another blog post about this book I might as well give a review for it now.

Firefly Lane is amazing, a book that would definitely get a 10/10 rating for me, and is a really good book for girls in High School. Here are some reasons you should read the book:

1. Shows you the importance of having close friendships

2. Shows you the importance of following your dreams no matter how ridiculous they might be

3. Has excellent characterization

4. The plot is a balance between fast and slow pace

5. It is well-written

6. Doesn't have cliché characters

7. Makes you feel like you know the characters in real life and are living this story with them

8. Overall an awesome book anyways!

So if I were you, I would go and pick up Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah immediately. Anyways, I hope you all continue to read and blog, see you next year!

The "Ugly Duck" and The "Beautiful Swan": An unlikely friendship

     Hello everyone, it looks like this is my final blog post of the year. Today I will be blogging about characterization and good story telling found in the book I am currently reading. As of now I am on page 90 of "Firefly Lane"by Kristin Hannah.
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     Have you ever heard of the term "Ugly Duck" in a sentence, or maybe "Beautiful Swan"? Whether it has been used to actually describe a duck or swan, or used as a metaphorical term to stereotype someone, it is usually a stereotype. A stereotype that when mixed together would probably act like vinegar and baking soda when combined. What happens next? BOOM. You are left with debris everywhere, and a mess to clean up. Not fun.

     Yet, in the book "Firefly Lane" (a story about an unlikely friendship between two girls) explores the idea of these two stereotypes being friends. Though at first it might sound rediculous or super cheesy, Hannah writes these characters well enough that it makes you believe in their friendship and that despite their differences, they can be friends. This is truly heartwarming, especially for the way she characterizes the two girls; Kate and Tully.

     Allow me to show you some amazing characterization by this author;

• Tully
• "By eighth grade, she was one of the most popular girls in junior high, and it helped having all those friends. When she was busy enough, she didn't think about the woman who didn't want her. On rare days she still felt...not quite lonely...but something. Adrift, maybe. As if all the people she hung around with were place-holders." (Hannah, 14)

• Kate
• "The thought of going to school made her sick. Eighth grade blew chips as far as she was concerned; 1974 had turned out to be a totally sucky year, a social desert. Thank God there was only a month left of school. Not that summer promised to be any better.------ So now books were her only friends. She'd read Lord of the Rings so often she could recite whole scenes by memory.                                                                                                                                                      It was not a skill that aided one in becoming popular." (Hannah, 15)

     Now that I have served you a bit of characterzation of these two, do you think you could identify who fits which stereotype?

   But what makes the characterization so great is that it takes two girls from completely different lives and with different personalities and puts them together. Making them both friends for very personal reasons, and forming a bond that would seem unlikely to some. The book makes you feel like you know these characters and their friendship makes you reflect on your own as well as want to read on. But what makes it worth reading is that is believable while also hard to believe. And, that it also makes you realize how they fill up the emptiness in each others life. This makes the books story really enjoyable, and it is fun to get to know these characters as the slowly grow up.

     What we can take from this book, is that a book story can mean nothing without having good characters that interact in special ways. This author excels at doing that;

     " 'Are you okay? Really?'
     To Tully's complete horror, she started to cry.
     Kate stood there for a moment, staring at her from behind those dork-o-rama glasses. Then, without saying anything, she hugged Tully.
     Tully flinched at the contact; it was foreign and unexpected. She started to pull away, but found that she couldn't move. She couldn't remember the last time that someone had held her like this, and suddenly she was clinging to this weirdo girl, afraid to let go, afraid that without Kate, she'd float away like the S.S. Minnow and be lost at sea." (Hannah, 35)

In this way, the author wants us the characters to get even closer and in making this connection it makes it feel believable. But could it really happen? Well, what is the point in trying stereotype something and ask ourselves if a fictional relationship is believable when we can go and try to experience it for ourselves. Who knows, maybe you will find your next friendship to be a relationship like Tully and Kate's.

For those of you who might want another persons opinion here is a video review/reaction to "Firefly Lane", beware of spoilers!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EexoA_CfrI


    

Opening a book well is the best way to hook a reader (Blog post 15)

Hello everyone! How is your reading going? Did any of you pick up a new book this week? You see, last week I finished a great book by Hannah Tinti called "The Good Thief" and although it was pretty good I am glad to have started reading a new one. The book I have started this week is called "Firefly Lane" by Kristin Hannah.

Now let me say one thing before I begin; THIS BOOK IS ADDICTING.

Not only is it well written with a tasteful story and interesting characters, the author knows how to hook you right at the beginning of the book and make you hungry to read more.

Want proof? Here is some proof for you;

"She took the phone off its hook and left the bedroom, walking down the quiet hallway toward the deck. There, she stared out at the storm and gathered her courage. As she punched in the familiar numbers, she wondered what she would say to her once-best friend after all these silent months, how she would start. I've had a bad week... my life is falling apart... or simply: I need you. Across the black and turbulent Sound, the phone rang." (Hannah, 2)

If that doesn't pull you in or make you want to read more I don't know what will.

Even though I haven't read the whole book yet, I am so excited to read it and I am really enjoying it so far. Keep on reading!

Review of the Good Thief and What book to read next? (Blog 14)

     Hello everyone! Did anyone finish reading a book this week? Because I actually did! Yes!!!
I finished the Good Thief. So mainly, I finished it because I had to take it back to the Library. I'm guilty! But, it was actually really good.

     Although I will admit the beginning was a bit slower than it should have been, and some parts of the book could have been written better as well as some of the characters it was still a good book. It had a lot of suspense, some excellent story telling, and she wrote her two main characters Ren and Benjamin very well. Overall, I would give this book 4/5 stars. However, I am warning you right now that If you need to be sucked into the book right away in order to read it, then go choose something else. If you have this patience and determination, read this book.

     Hopefully you all are doing well with blogs and reading tons. Any Ideas on what book I should read next?

Progression (Blog 13)

          Hello everyone! Hopefully you all have made a lot of progress on your books this week. I too, have been reading a lot and last week when I made my goal to read 60 pages, I read my goal. I am extremely pleased with this.

         You see, right now I am reading The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti, and at first it was pretty good, until it hit such a slow and boring part of the book that just seemed to drag on and on. This made me even want to abandon the book and I don't abandon books that much ever. And I repeat, ever. But, I managed to stick with the book and get to this exciting part that actually makes me enjoy the book and want to read it. It comes with all sorts of twist and turns and was very well written.

          Overall I am so happy I stayed with this book so I feel like I should include a little update on what has been happening in my book so far. Because a lot has happened.

• Turns out Benjamin isn't really Ren's brother, he is just a man who wanted a kid to help him steal things
• Ren accepts this idea of stealing and does it willingly
• Tom has learned to accept Ren
• Ren has been starting to miss Brom and Ichy a lot as the book goes on
• On this above note, I think it is foreshadowing that something bad will happen to Brom or Ichy or someone close because of Tom or Benjamin and I predict this because of this quote that seems just a little suspicous;
• ""Yes," Ren said. As he said it, he knew it was true. He missed everything about the twins, from the way they made him laugh in chapel to their secret codes over dinner. He even missed the parts he'd always hated, like the way Brom would continue to punch him, even after he'd given up, and the way that Ichy liked to confess to things he hadn't done. "It's a damned shame to lose your fellows." Tom took another drink." (Tinti, 90)

          Overall the book has become a lot better and I'm glad I have stuck with it and cannot wait to read more. Have fun reading and blogging!

Decisions...Decisions (Blog 12)

Hello everybody! Do you all remember my blog from last week? The one where I was deciding whether I should continue with The Good Thief or not? Well, I have made my decision. I have decided to continue with the book and give it a second chance. After all, people (and books) usually deserve second chances. Am I right? So here Is why I chose to continue with it:

• I don't know what else to read
• I need to get some more reading in regardless
• It is actually a good book it is just a little slow at the moment
• I really like Ren's character and want to seem him become more developed

So now that I have told you all my reasons why, I am going to make sure I stick with this book, no matter how slow it gets. In addition, I am going to make a goal to read 60 pages this week to catch up on my reading. It might be hard, but I am willing to pull through to get so much reading and blogging in. Wish me luck, and keep on reading and blogging!

Slow Progress (Book Blog 11 on "The Good Thief")

Hello everyone! How is your blogging and reading going? Well for me it is going.....slow. Very, very, very slow. It's not that I don't like "The Good Thief". I actually like it, it is just very slow paced and not living up to my expectations.

So, let me explain.

You see, in the beginning the book had some very nice characterization and the author did an amazing job of opening up the story, but it doesn't seem like there are any problems in the book anymore and it is just so slow paced and it makes me not want to read. Normally, I would never consider this, but now I am. I am actually considering abandoning this book. So, I am writing this post so that you all can help me, and so that I can help myself.

So, here is my pro's and con's for abandoning the book:

Pros:

• Can read a different book and be more passionate and motivated to read it
• More blogging because of increased reading
• No complaining when I have to read

Cons:

• Lose time I have used to read this book
• Need to find a new book quickly
• I don't get to see what happens in the rest of the book

So what do you all think? Should I abandon this book, or hold it together and keep reading?

Book Blog 11 (Reflection on my last post, and new information regarding "The Good Thief")

                           Hello everyone! Have you read a lot this week? I still haven't got into the habit of reading so much again, but I plan to soon especially where this book has been going. You see, I thought a lot about my post from last week and decided to add a few things in this post and just talk about the book, as well as an interesting change in character. So let's get started:

                          1. Ren: Antagonist or Protagonist?
Since reading more of my book, "The Good Thief" I have discovered something big about the story. Ren could be the Protagonist or Antagonist, but I'm not sure which. Since reading more, I have discovered that Ren occasionally steals things from other boys at the orphanage and hides them. He also has apparently been whipped many times and held up in Father John's office (where the boys go to get punished) over 15 times. This makes me question what kind of character he is and whether he is still the protagonist at all. But, due to the unliklihood of authors writing their main character as antagonists I believe he is still the protagonist.

                         2. Is Ren the "Good Thief"?
Now like I said before, apparently Ren steals from other boys at the orphanage. And he also seems good at what he does. Yet, this makes me question what the title really means and i still don't think Ren is the thief the title claims. But, he could be considering his "knack" for stealing and the fact that he does it alot.

                         3. New character presents new problems?
After reading more of the book, a new character has presented himself. His name is Benjamin Nab and he claims that Ren is his long-lost younger brother. Did I mention that he also adopted Ren? Now considering that books always have multiple problems, and that the author seemed to make Ren's life seem perfect since he got adopted means that this new character may create a new problem for Ren.

                        Anyways, these are just my thoughts on the book and my last post. Keep on reading!!!




                         

Book Blog 10 (Starting "The Good Thief")

                      Hello everyone! How is your reading going? I hope it's going well.

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                      Anyways enough with the introductions, we have something to talk about. The other day, I went to the library hoping to pick up a copy of  "The Fault in Our Stars". But, with no copies available and no clue what to pick up, I aimlessly wandered around the library and came across this book. The Good Thief. The title really just drew me in, and I thought, "When is there an instance in which a thief could be good?" So i picked it up an began reading.
                      
                        So, just like the title has an interesting name, it also has an interesting protagonist, whom of which also happens to be the main character. But first, let's just think about this. Have you ever noticed how many books these days have a main character that is often pretty normal with some hard-to-notice, or mental/personality flaw? Well I have, and this main character does not have any of that. You see, the main character is Ren, a 10 year old boy, that is growing up in an orphanage known as "Saint Anthony's". Here, orphaned boys of all ages stay in hopes that someone will later adopt them, and be part of a family. It's something all the boys want. But now, back to Ren. Ren also has no memory of his family, and only knows they named him Ren. And that's all he knows. But you probably think, "He seems to be normal...nothing really sticks out about him." But, thats what I forgot to tell you. Ren is missing his left hand, he was born without it.

                      To me, this really sets Ren apart from any other main character I have read about. Never before have I read about a protagonist with some sort of deformity or physical flaw. Either this is really uncommon, or I just haven't read enough books. But, I thought this, just like the title was very interesting and it makes me want to read more.

                      Take note because this book does not take place in modern times, it takes place sometime far in the past in New England where the boys are only adopted if they look strong enough to help with farm work, and smart enough to learn and teach easily. Because Ren has this flaw, it will be a struggle that he may deal with the rest of his life. But, I am only on page 14, so I have yet to find out what happens in the book as I read on.

                      But, I also wonder why the book is called "The Good Thief". It is not about a thief, it is about a 10 year old kid living in an orphanage, hoping to get adopted and find his place in the world. But here is my prediction: I predict that sometime in the book Ren will get adopted by a man who is secretly a thief, but this thief uses his skills and risks his life to help people in need. Kind of like Robin Hood. But, it could also just be about a thief that is good at what he does and meets Ren. I suppose it could go either way. But, I make these predictions because on the front of the cover it shows a large figure (presumably a man), walking with a small boy (Aka Ren)  who appears to have no left hand.

                      So yes, I cannot wait to read into this book more because it has really great figurative language, an interesting character, and an interesting title that I have yet to figure out. Have fun blogging and I will see you all next week!

Book Blog 9 (First Blog Post of the 3rd Trimester Book Review)

                             Hello everyone! It look's like it is time to start blogging yet again, with the beginnings of a new trimester. Since I haven't read anything since the first trimester and need to blog about something, I am going to do a book review on one of my favorite books from the first trimester. So, the book I picked was House of Hades by Rick Riordian. So here is my book review:

                             Now, I love Rick Riordians work, especially his Percy Jackson series, so I have been keeping up with it. So when I heard he had a new book I gladly picked it up for a read. The book was amazing! The characterization was written so well, and the plot kept taking all these twists and turns you would never expect. Also, it was just amazing in general because of the secret messages it held within in it and the story was just  all around great to read.

                            You see, the Percy Jackson series (particularly speaking House of Hades) is a fantasy series written by Rick Riordian, but even if you don't like fantasy it can be great. Rick Riordian implements believable teenagers and then adds in conflicting situations that the characters must face. Did I also mention that these teens have unnatural capablilites? Well they do. It is what makes House of Hades and exciting and engaging read.

                            So if you want to pick up an exciting fantasy book, read House of Hades, I would give it 5/5 stars!