Finally

I can't believe that we are done blogging for the semester. I will continue to read but maybe not 150 pages a week. Sometimes that is a lot to read but I will definitely keep reading because I love to read. I do think that this class has changed me as a reader. In past years I never really read much because I either didn't like reading (I don't know why) or I didn't have the time. Now I make time for reading. When I had free time in the past, I would usually go watch t.v. but now I go lay down and read a good book. I like being able to go into a different world and being able to completely forget about my life for even just a half hour. In the beginning of this class I would only read Nicholas Sparks's books but now I have been reading Jodi Picoult books. I think I was getting sick of all the sad books Sparks writes so the librarian recommended some of Picoult's books. I really like both authors and I want to start reading Janet Evanovich's One for the Money series. I think there are 17 books out now and my mom said that they are really good. During the summer I will probably read 24/7. Since taking this class I can't seem to stop reading. In the beginning I only read because it was required but now I read because I want to. I really liked this class even though it was/is a lot of work. The vocab definitely will help me out on the SAT and the ACT. I will be taking those next semester so I am glad I had this first semester so I can learn all of the words.

Last Book Response

I found At First Sight at the Allen County Public Library! It's by Nicholas Sparks and I recently found out that this book is a sequel. Lucky for me, I have already read the first book, True Believer. My friend didn't know that is was a series and she read the second book first and is now reading the first book. She says that she still understands what is going on though. Oh well. I am only on page 23 so I don't know much about this book unless you count what I know about the first book. So far, in At First Sight Lexie and Jeremy are engaged and they are going to his parents house so Lexie can meet them. They have only known each other for about 6 weeks, I think, and Lexie is really worried that they will judge her. If I were his parents I would judge them. You just don't get engaged after knowing someone for 6 weeks. That's crazy. But....there's a secret. Lexie is pregnant. That changes everything then but they don't want to tell anybody quite yet. Wanna know why? Because they think people will judge them. On a different topic, I really like the cover of this book:

It's very peaceful and relaxing. If I was reading a book outside I would definitely read it on that swing because swings are fun. I love being outside and in nature so this cover really appeals to me.

This is the last reading response of the year. I am sad but happy at the same time. I am sad because I like getting my thoughts down on what I am reading. On the other hand, writing two of these each week equaling 600 words is a lot. Sometimes I am just too stressed out with other homework that I forget about this. Oh well, it's over now. I think that I will make another blog but make it so nobody else can read it. Then whenever I am stressed but don't want to talk about it, I can write it down here and feel much better. Adios!

Another Book Finished!

I finished Ella Enchanted! I got it from the Allen County Public Library and it's due tomorrow so I had to finish it today. I had 88 pages left and it only took me an hour and a half to read. That's really good, if you know me. I am the slowest reader ever! Ella is a really good book. It's a true fairytale! I love fairytales; their so cute. I have never read any of the princess, fairytale type books that are major movies now like Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella. Every girl wants to be like the girl in the movie because they always find their Prince Charming! Towards the end of Ella, Char commanded Ella to marry him but he didn't realize he was commanding her. He just said "Marry me, Ella." Since she is cursed she had to say yes but she recently talked to Lucinda and she said that she was truly sorry for giving her the curse. Because Lucinda said she was sorry, Ella could reverse the spell herself. She told Char that she would not marry him because if she did then her stepfamily would be related to the royal family and could destroy them if they wanted to. When she told him no, the spell was reversed so then she begged Char to ask her to marry her again. He did, of course, because he loved her and they married. Her stepfamily had nothing to do with them for as long as Ella wanted to, which was forever!  This was the cutest story ever! Every girls dream, for sure!
I hope that the public library has a Nicholas Sparks book that I haven't read yet because I am in need of a Nicholas Sparks book! There are only a few that I haven't read yet so I hope that they aren't checked out.

Currently

Books Read This Week:
Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
Ella Enchanted by Gail Levine

Pages Read This Week: 191
Pages Read This Semester: 1882

Favorite Sentences of the Week:
1. "When he saw the treat, he smiled and trotted to me, both hands extended." (Ella Enchanted)
 - This sentence is about a horse named Apple. It reminds me of a horse I used to ride named Clifford. He had to be put down about two weeks ago because he was sick and wasn't recovering well. He was a good horse and he loved treats.

2. "I turned my head and managed to kiss a wing as he flew to perch on a high shelf." (Ella Enchanted)
 - A parrot ordered Ella to kiss him but he kept flying away. For almost five minutes she was running around trying to kiss this bird and she looked ridiculous!

3. the green of trees and bushes;

the blue of lake water;

the red of her jacket

and open collar; the brown

of her pinned-up hair,

and her horse, deep

in the yellow of sunflowers.

 - This is from a poem called "Girl Riding a Horse in a Field of Sunflowers" by David Allen Evans. I really like how it is really descriptive and you can picture in your mind all of the different colors. To me, it's like the perfect definition of summer.

New Book.

Since I finished Sing You Home, I thought that I might need another book to read, right? So now I am reading Ella Enchanted. I know what your thinking. Isn't that a little childish? Well, yes it is but I have a good reason for reading it. You see, I have English 5th period so we have to do an independent reading assignment. My teacher gave us a list of books that we could read and Ella was one of them. But then I found out that our book had to be 250 pages or longer. Ella is only 232 so I had to find another book to read for English. I already started reading this book and I want to know how it ends so I am going to finish reading it for this class. Yes, I have seen the movie but that was a really long time ago and I don't remember how it ends. I only have about one hundred pages left so I will finish it in no time but I figured I would finish it before I get another book.

Ella Enchanted is about a young girl who has to obey every command that she is given. A fairy, Lucinda, gave her this charm when she was born. Her mother thought that it would be a great thing right? Actually no, she had to obey every command. If someone told her to jump up and down for 20 minutes she would do it. Even if someone told her that she had to kill someone, she would have to do it. It's a horrible spell and throughout the book, Ella trys to find Lucinda to erase the spell. So far things haven't gone the way she would like it to. I hope she finds her and the spell is removed. That would make her life a lot easier!

Good book!

I think I spent all day Friday reading this book, but I didn't finish it. I finished it yesterday. Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult is a different kind of book. Basically the whole book is about a court case. In the beginning it leads up to it so the actual court case doesn't happen until the middle of the book.When Max and Zoe were married they tried and tried to have a baby. They couldn't produce one so they used medical treatment to help them out. When they got divorced they still had three frozen embryos. They said that they totally forgot about them when they were deciding who gets what but I don't know if I believe them or not. When Zoe got remarried to Vanessa, obviously they couldn't have a baby the normal way and then Zoe remembered about the embryos. Well, Max didn't want the embryos, for himself, but he certainly did not want the baby to grow up in a household that had two mothers and no father. He said that's not what the Bible says. The Bible says that homosexuality is a sin. So from that point on, the court case is happening and if you want to know who wins, I guess you will have to read it for yourself. The ending is really good. The book keeps you wanting to know more, I guess. During the court case, each side keeps coming up with really good points and you really don't have a clue as to who is going to win until the very last couple of pages. I think the title is important to. Zoe is a musical therapist so I think that's why it has the word sing in it. I think the "you home" part of it is that Zoe is going to sing or bring the embryos home. To which family? Nobody knows...

Sing You Home

For starters, the paragraph on the inside cover of this book is completely different from what the book is actually about. Okay, it has something to do with the book but it mentions nothing about the main "theme". First, in the beginning of the book, Zoe is married to Max. Right now....Zoe is married to Vanessa. This is not mentioned at all on the inside cover. It goes very much in depth into the lesbian lifestyle, something that I am not interested in at all. Maybe, just maybe, if I knew this book would be like this, I might not have picked it up to read. Although I cannot relate to this book, in a big way like I had hoped to, I keep feeling the need to read it more and more. I am on page 246 and a couple of hours ago I was in the 100's. I usually don't read this much but I can't seem to put the book down. I can connect to when Zoe is talking about her job, a music therapist. She is currently meeting with a suicidal teenage girl named Lucy. She keeps saying that music is a way that she can release what she is feeling inside and not feel guilty about it. I know that when I am stressed out I can listen to music and feel much better. That is the only way that I can connect with this book. Maybe I will finish this book this weekend, I don't know.

New Book!

I finished The Shack last week so I found a new book for this week. It's called Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult. Since we have been doing book talks every Monday, Mr. Hill has asked us to say how we became acquaintances with the book. Because this is a new book I think you should know how I found this book. I started reading books from this author last year when Mrs. Kovach told me to read them. I found this book because it was on display in the library and it has the word sing in it. I love to sing and listen to music so I decided that this book would be good for me to read next. It also has it's own soundtrack with it, inside the book! I haven't listened to it yet but I am going to before I finish it. Supposedly it goes along with the chapters and you are supposed to listen to the song before you read the chapter that it corresponds to. I haven't done that but I probably should. So here I am now. Here is a picture of the cover in case you were wondering what it looks like if you wanted to read it:

So far it's really good, just like any other book I have mentioned before in my blog. It's about this girl named Zoe. Right off the bat, I have a connection to it. One of my cats, at my dad's house, is named Zoe. She is really stubborn and ornery so I wonder if Zoe, in the book, will be the same. Anyway, Zoe is a music therapist for mostly burn victims in the hospital. You wouldn't think of a job as being a music therapist but that's what she does. She sings and plays different instruments for people, hoping that they forget about what is happening in their life and just enjoy something different. It works for the most part and she loves what she does. I used to play the piano but I stopped because I didn't like practicing and I had too much homework. Right now at school I am in the beginning concert choir. I was in it last year too and I plan to be in it next year. Music is my life. It calms me down when I am stressed out. I think I will really be able to connect with this book.

Close-Reading Bingo

Weakness 5. "Full quotations" can't sit all by themselves like a quote island.

• "And love was why Brooks walked backwards everyday, guarding our vulnerable rear as we moved."  Source: http://thinking-anonymous.blogspot.com/

Weakness 1. Avoid "he says" quote introductions.

• In the excerpt from The Mezzanine  by Nicholson Baker, he writes with an elevated refinement that is both dignified and straight-forward.                                                                                                Source: http://morgan-happygolucky.blogspot.com/

Weakness 9. Don't say "this" without putting a noun or a noun phrase after it.

• This gives the impression of a fancy an intimidating lobby.                                      Source: http://skullandglossbones3.blogspot.com/

Weakness 6. "Avoid the verbs "use" and "shows."

• In the exerpt from Cather in the Rye, J.D. Salinger, utilizes a use of simple, but complex vocabulary. Source: http://barrellxc2012.blogspot.com/

My Favorite Response:

• In the excerpt from "The Catcher and the Rye," Salinger's noisy, comical banter highlights his childish gullibility. Although he is a teenager, he makes no effort to compose in impressive vocabulary. He describes his childhood with the word "lousy" and a general introduction as "stuff that bores me." On the subject of his parents, he says "they're touchy as hell." Salinger has no boundaries as to what can be said; he lets Holden say what he wants about everything in life. Writing with such a low, familiar diction emphasizes how some teenagers truly feel about their home life and their story.                                                                                                                                             Source: http://laughapalooza22.blogspot.com/

Practice Diction Analysis

In the excerpt from The Mezzanine, Nicholson Baker’s elevated and figurative diction express a sense of uneasy resignation. Baker describes the escalators the narrator takes up to his office, as “free-standing” and “without struts or piers to bear any intermediate weight.” This suggests that the day to come might be a little overwhelming and bleak. Sunlight is shining onto the handrails “formed by intersections of the lobby’s towering volumes of marble and glass.” The description of the building and the escalators creates a mood of apprehension for the readers.

Style Mapping

If you are wondering why I am doing this today and not Wednesday, it's because I was absent on Wednesday and Thursday. I started it in class Friday but I didn't get to finish it because I took my vocab test that I missed on Thursday. Anyway...here's my paragraph.

From reading the first page of The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, I could tell that the language is very low compared to most other books because I believe the narrator is an African American lady from the sixties. There is a little bit of common vulgarity to it as the she tells us how she has raised many children. There are multiple grammatical errors that make the language seem dull, and clattering. When reading it aloud, it seems choppy and not put together well but the story makes sense none the less. The passage from Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy also contains familiar words, used in every day language. There is a lot of figurative language though, almost every other sentence. It takes you a second to understand what is happening because of that. It uses descriptive words to describe what the night looks like. It creates a picture in the readers mind while using blunt language. The last excerpt is from Neil Gaiman's Stardust. There are many colloquial words but how they are arranged with other colloquial words makes it seem like an elevated and rich writing style. It kind of seems musical, in a sense, but not harsh at all. It is written very well, allowing you to picture what is being described. By reading the first page of these three novels the language is different yet similar, depending on how you look at it (from what axis).

Currently

Books I Read this Week:The Shack by William P. Young

Pages this Week: 78
Pages this Semester: 1405

Favorite Style Mapping Sentences:
1. They are not assuming or overly colloquial - they are merely middle-of-the-road words that get the point across. - Becca's Blog
2. Even though she uses a high language it has at the same time a harmonious and sweet sound to it. - Underwater
3. Her words are not harsh, but they are not musical by any means. - BookLover17

I really don't know why I chose these sentences. When I was reading different people's paragraphs, these sentences just stuck out to me. I like how they go straight to the point and you don't have to wonder what that person is trying to say. They say if for you!

Almost the weekend.

I didn't go to school today either. I still have a fever which sucks! I plan on coming in to school tomorrow unless I wake up with a fever again, which is what happened today. I finished The Shack today! I only had 18 pages left. It was really good and it had a twist at the end. I would recommend it to anybody that wants a good read for their next book. I think for this week I only read about 60 pages but that's only because I was sick. I still got 2 posts in but they don't nearly add up to 600 words. opps! haha. Oh, well.

Untitled

This week I haven't read that much. I have a fever right now and I don't feel good at all. Earlier today it was 102.6 but it has gone down to 100.5. Obviously I didn't go to school today. Instead I slept all day up until about an hour ago. So I don't think I will read 150 pages this week. I think I only have like 40 pages read. I thought I would finish The Shack this week but now I'm not so sure. I will finish this book next week, hopefully.

Quarterly

I am really glad I am taking this class. Usually by the end of a quarter I would have read maybe one book. I get so consumed with homework and other activities that I don't read even though I like to. I am on my 4th book, I believe, and I found out that the more I read, the more relaxed I feel. I am not getting stressed out as much as last year or the year before. At the beginning of the year I told myself that I wanted to try to read all of Nicholas Sparks' books but I have only read one so far. The others are by Jodi Picoult and the book I am currently reading is by William P. Young. This is the first book I have read by him and I enjoy his writing style. I might read more books by him in the future. I tend to find myself reading right before I go to bed. I tell myself that I am going to read at least 30 pages but then I get tired and fall asleep after 10 pages. I think for next quarter I will try to read right after school so I can calm down from all the activity from school and go into my own little world. By doing that I think I will read more than 150 words a week. Right now, I am reading just enough, 150 pages. My goal for next quarter is to read more than 150 pages. I really enjoy reading and it keeps me from stressing out a lot, which is exactly what I don't need.

The Shack

This is a really good book! I don't want to put it down every time I pick it up but I know that I have to to do my homework. It sucks! This book makes you think, a lot. That's for sure. It makes you question things you would have never questioned before. I don't know if I am allowed to right about this because it is a religious book so I will try not to say anything to deep or try not to make anyone believe in God, even though that's the best thing you could do! Mack is now in the shack with three other "people," God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. He was brought there so he could grow in his relationship with God because he wasn't in his life after Missy died because he blamed God. They help him understand why Missy had to be murdered and that it wasn't God's punishment towards him. It actually helps me understand the Bible and God more, like why he created evil and things like that. In the book it says that God did not create evil, we humans, did. Which I kind of knew but never really understood until I read that part in the book. I mean, it is still confusing and I will never fully understand it but it sure helps. If you're looking for a book that helps you grow in your relationship with God, then read this! It's amazing!

New Book!

I finished my book the same night that I said I only had 17 pages left. It was really good. I would recommend it to almost anybody if they enjoy books written by Jodi Picoult. The book I'm reading now is called The Shack by William P. Young. Here is a picture of it if you were wondering:

My church recommended that we read it a couple of years ago and my mom bought it and read it. I was going to read it but I got caught up with homework and other things so I didn't really read that much. Over the weekend I asked my mom what book I wanted to read next. I wanted to read Heaven is for Real, but it was checked out at the library. My mom told me to read this since we had it and I was like okay, why not? It is a religious book so if you're not religious you probably don't want to read this book or maybe even this post. At the beginning the dad and his three children go camping right before school starts for the year. It was supposed to be a good start to the school year but it didn't turn out that way. The family became good friends with two other families there and two of his kids wanted to go canoeing with the other family's kids. The youngest didn't or couldn't rather because she was a little too young. She was only six at the time. The canoe tipped over so the dad went to go help him. While he was gone, the youngest, Missy, was kidnapped. The police and everybody was looking for her for a couple of days and they found her red bloody dress and a shack and they assumed she was murdered. Now, a few years later, the dad, Mack, got a letter in the mail telling him to go back to the shack. At first he was really scared and he thought that if was Missy's killer but  the letter was signed "Papa." Only his family and people who really know them call God, Papa. So now he thinks that God is telling him to go to the shack so he can "explain" himself for the death of Missy. I think I am going to enjoy this book because it shows you that when times are tough, God is always there for you even if you don't think he is. He loves you!

Favorite Sentences of the Quarter!

1. "It was the kind of cold that made your eyelashes freeze the minute you walked outside and the inside of your nostrils feel like shattered glass." (The Tenth Circle)
2. "He stopped walking and picked up a couple of small seashells that caught his eye." (Message in a Bottle)
3. "When I was seven I got it in my head to dig to China." (My Sister's Keeper)

The first sentence I like because it is very descriptive. The second sentence reminds me of my summer vacation and makes me want to go back right now! I think the last sentence is every child's dream; to dig to China!

Currently

Book I Read This Week:
The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult

Pages This Week: 167
Pages This Semester: 1157

Sentences Of The Week:

1. "But when it looped in a half circle and turned upside down it could mean only on thing: It was dumping luck off its back - anyone's for the taking, if you happened to see where it landed." (The Tenth Circle)
     - This sentence is about a bird. I guess I never thought about birds letting go of their luck. It's a different sentence.

2. "Sometimes want we wish for actually comes true. And sometimes that's the very worst thing that can happen." (The Tenth Circle)
     - People wish for things daily but what they don't realize is that if it comes true it could be your worst nightmare.

3. "Her face was going to fall off?" (The Tenth Circle)
     - Trixie was told that she might have frostbite and she thought that her face was going to fall off, haha.

Almost Finished!

In the book I'm reading, The Tenth Circle, I feel like Trixie is the average teenage girl in this world. To me, many girls are just like her, trying to find her place in this world. She is trying to figure out who she is and why she does certain things. She ran away and went to Alaska because her dad grew up there and he told her that when people want to disappear they go there. *Side note: She keeps saying how cold it is there and that makes me think of winter and how much I hate it. She even dyed her hair from red to black so  no one would notice her. There is a K300 sled dog race in Alaska and Trixie said that she was someone she wasn't. She had to ride on a snowmobile with a guy her age named Willie and at first she was scared because of what happened to her in her past. It was going to take them hours to get to where they needed to be and the snowstorm got really bad so they had to sleep outside in the middle of nowhere. This may sound silly but I am proud of Trixie because she slept outside with a total stranger. Yes, she had no choice but she carried herself better than I thought she would. In order for them to get warmer, Willie suggested that they take off their clothes. Trixie actually did it and I think that when she woke up she was pleased with herself and Willie for not taking advantage of her. I think that in that moment she learned that she can trust men more now. That is a huge step from where she was. Trixie and Willie got to know each other better and they have kissed. Trixie said that that one kiss was better than even knowing who Jason was. I think that she is truly happy now and she should be. She has had a rough life and she deserves to be happy. I only have 17 pages left, I think, and I can't wait to see how it turns out!