Summer Reading Entry Four

   I chose I am the Messenger because i've heard of other books by Mark Zusak and he seems to consistently write good books. Also, the title alone sounded intriguing. The summary also seemed to portray the book in a very interesting way. Even though there wasn't much for me to connect with since I am only 14 and the main character. However I could relate/agree to the theme (see entry two). I would recommend this to people who think that they are a loser/failure. I would recommend this to them because Ed thought he was a loser but proved himself wrong by doing good deeds throughout the book. This shows that no matter how much of a loser you are, you can always turn things around. Overall, I would rate this book 4/5 stars because of its excellent detailing and mysterious plot that just kept me wanting more. I would also recommend this book to people who regret there past because another theme of this book is as follows: I'ts not about what you have/haven't done, it's about what you can do. Also, I would recommend this to both casual and advanced readers because this book is both entertaining and meaningful at the same time.

Summer Reading Entry Three

Excerpt:
   "How ridiculous am I?
    I was supposed to kill the man, and here I am worrying about his well-being. I feel guilty about everything I did to him, but on the other hand, I feel guilty about not killing him. After all, that was what I was sent there to do. I think the gun in my letter box made that perfectly clear.
    Maybe he made it to the highway and kept walking.
    Maybe he threw himself off the cliff" (103).
 
    This shows the intensity and seriousness of the messages Ed must deal. This line is also very intriguing. What did this man do to deserve to die? Who sent the gun? What happened that night? I picked this line because it shows how intense and eventful the book can be. If anything, this shows that the book is not boring. I also like how this information kind of leaves the reader hanging, wondering about what happened after Ed left. Basically, this is a good line to attract readers in my stellar opinion.

Summer Reading Entry Two

   The complexity of characters in my book is rather fantastic. There are four main characters with problems of there own while there are also several people that Edd helps out with problems of there own. In short, this book is a laundry basket full of conflict. Cards throughout this novel is a very important symbol; they structure the story's plot. One of the surfacing themes of I am the Messenger is no matter how much of a failure you think you are, you can always still accomplish something -- basically, it's not about what you have or haven't done yet, it's about what you can do. This theme complies with the story because no matter how much Edd fails (taxi driver, no degree, no love in his life, etc.), he still accomplishes things and impacts his town in a positive way. He does this through helping people. My book is structured in to sections of cards. Each part has a different card that has addresses on them. Generally, each message is delivered over the course of a few chapters within the part. If there were letters instead of cards I believe this book would be a lot more jumbled and less interesting.

Summer Reading Entry One

    The main character of my book, I am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak is Edd Kennedy. Edd Kennedy considers himself a failure because he did not go to college, has not done anything to change the world (He compares his achievements to historical giants such as Joan of Arc). Audrey is Edd's best friend, and he is secretly (maybe not-so-secretly) in love with her, but she doesn't love anyone because of her traumatizing experience with love as a child. Marv is also Edd's best friend. He is another taxi driver with a miserable car falling to pieces. He bought this car as a promise to keep searching for the girl he loved, who moved away a couple years ago without notice. The setting of the story seems rather depressive at times, because a lot of the places Edd goes to are slums and even his house is a rather broken down house, in fact, he calls it 'the shack'. Edd receives cards in the mail which have addresses on them. He must then deliver a message, whether it may be to harm someone or help someone. As of now, I do not yet know who is sending these cards. I predict that it has something to do with the bank robbery incident.

Why I Like Non-Fiction Better than Fiction

     Matt speaking here, and again, I apologize for the semi-random posts; I kinda finished my novel and now i'm trying to finish my ten posts. So lets get to it. I like non-fiction better than fiction. And assuming you're literate, you already knew this. Well, then again, if you were illiterate you wouldn't be reading this. Wow, already went off on a tangent. OK, so lets get to it for real this time. I like non-fiction more than fiction for multiple reasons. For one, non-fiction teaches me things that can be applied to my life, and it's not that fiction doesn't, fiction certainly teaches you things that can be applied to your life it's just that non-fiction teaches me more. And this could be an arguable point for both sides, except for the fact that I don't deeply analyze the meaning of fictional books and what the point/morale of the story is. Also, I find non-fiction more interesting. I would rather read articles about the latest scientific breakthroughs or how to compile my own scripts in VBS (programming stuff), or even something as simple as how cars work. Fiction is great, it just simply evoke an as-powerful effect on my life; reading the Harry Potter series isn't going to teach me how to fly with a broomstick. Another thing I would also consider is that I have a very realistic mind--not that I don't daydream, because I definitely daydream. It's just that I tend to over-calculate things and rely on logic a lot. I also like to point out flaws in movies and such that wouldn't be possible in real life, which usually get a good "shush" by my friends or family when i'm watching a movie. That being said, it's hard for me to 'visualize' the story and picture it in my head. But really, it's entirely up to you. Which do you prefer?

Three of my All-Time Favorite Books

    Basically, i'm running out of ideas for post here. So I thought I would do a quick inquiry of my favorite books/series and why.

3. Percy Jackson and the Olympians 

     This series was one of the first series I ever read, excluding bed time books like "The Original Peter Rabbit Books", a small books series my mom would read me and my sister when I was younger. This book really set my liking for fantasy off and eventually sci-fi. It was the first book that I actually got excited for/wanted to read. In fact, in either 5th or 4th grade, I can't quite remember, my math teacher actually asked me not to bring my book to class because I would read it too much! Nowadays, i'm sure my parents and (LA) teachers would be happy to be seeing me read a book on my own accord. Also, when I read the climax of the last book I got butterflies in my stomach. That's right. Butterflies. From a book. It had a great ending. Long story short--read this book. 

2. Harry Potter Literary Series

     If you don't know what the 'Literary Series' means, it's just a fancy word for the Harry Potter books. And I apologize for not having the most original books, but hey, if these books weren't good, then they wouldn't be popular. Now this series was a great series, one of the best children books out there. And for a scholastic book, it's unstoppable. I really connected with the characters could relate to some of the things Harry had to go through, even though his struggles were a bit more dramatic than mine. I also wish I could relate to his bad-ass wizard powers (sorry for using a bad word). This series was a great series and a very nice way to pass time too. Another thing I should mention is this book had a little bit of everything: romance, action, suspense, and a complicated story line. It was also very progressive and made every book better than the last. I've even considered re-reading this series; it was so good I was very nostalgic when I finished, as if I had just lost an old friend. If you're not going to read Percy Jackson, please, read this.

1. The Shack

     Ah, the #1 book. The Shack. This book, I mean, it was something. Out of all the books i've read, this one I connected to the most. Even though I have never lost a daughter to a kidnapper, I could just feel Mac's pain and this book touched me and really stirred my emotions. The Shack is amazingly crafted, an absolute home-run. Grand slam. Out of the park. No questions asked. Period. The Shack is phenomenal. I have never read such an emotionally touching book in my life. And I may have to warn you, it talks about God a lot, maybe not the God in Christianity with an old white beard down to his feet, but just God in general, the loving one described by most religions. In fact, in the book God takes form of an African Woman to break old English beliefs/perceptions of God, such as sexism and anti-homosexuality. And I don't want to start world war three, but I would like to believe in a modernized God, not one that condemns homosexuals (they're loving people you know). Anyways, I really recommend you read this book. It's a great book to try something new and stray away from scholastic children novels. 

Divergent Review

      So I finally finished Divergent. And i'm glad I read it. It's like The Hunger Games, just upgraded. I liked extra complexity. I like Divergent more than The Hunger Games for a lot of reasons. For one, I thought that The Hunger Games' plot had a tinge of cheesiness, whereas Divergent didn't have as much cheesiness. Also, I felt that Divergent was less predictable than the average book, something that books today lack. But this book was different, and could've had multiple endings. Most books you can tell how it's going to end or even how the plot is going to go just by reading the first couple chapters. Divergent also contained a decent amount of creativity, and no other book comes to mind when I think of Divergents Society, although there are a couple typical dystopian characteristics--basically, it had some unoriginal moments but whenever you're making a dystopian book it's hard to keep it completely un-cliche. Overall, I would have to give this book a 4.25/5 stars. I would definitely recommend this book for kids my age and even some adults, even if the writing isn't too complex. I believe this book is/should be a good casual read--the type that you read as your personal book, not the type you read and analyse as a class (i.e. Fahrenheit 451).