September
20
Blog #90 – What did you read this summer?
I’m huge on reading. I’m always working my way through a novel or non-fiction book of some kind. This summer I read 22 books, a little on the low side for me, but this was partially because the first month was taken up with five books I had to read for two of my Masters’ classes (one on great American texts and another one on the history of American women).
Here are a few books I read this summer:
- Days of Rage by Bryan Burroughs – this is a fascinating look at the revolutionary underground movement that staged hundreds if not thousands of bombings and dozens of bank robberies to support their revolutionary movement from 1970- 1984. This non-fiction book collects the stories of the Weathermen, Black Liberation Army (even more radical than the Black Panthers), the Symbionese Liberation Army, FALN (Puerto Rico’s independence movement), and other groups that planted bombs in the Capitol, the Pentagon, and in buildings all across the nation. What kinda shocked me in the present context we are living in with terrorism, and the seemingly passive attitudes towards these deluded radicals. Bombings and bomb threats were so common place that it didn’t seem to phase most Americans that this was going on (I compare it to the random mass shootings that occur so frequently in American society in the past few years). These bombers thought that they could begin a revolution in the United States and overthrow the current government for a socialist / Communist one and that the majority of Americans would follow their lead. These radicals weren’t hippies by any stretch of the imagination; they were, for the most part, white, middle-class college students who were fired up by the Civil Rights and anti-war movements and had hoped to make a change.
- Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins – this is being made into a movie coming out this fall, and it’s an intense thriller and whodunnit. I bought the book after I saw the trailer for the movie, and to me, this book reminds me of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. The main character, Rachel, in this book is an alcoholic divorcee who is struggling with how her life has fallen apart after her divorce and because of her drinking. During her daily commute on a train, the train slows down on this one part and next to it she sees this lovely couple who are sitting on their back porch enjoying breakfast or an after-work cocktail. Rachel imagines a fantasy life for them, and it all shatters when the woman in the house goes missing and her husband is the main suspect. Rachel thinks that she might have info that helps the investigation and goes to the police. The book is told from shifting viewpoints and is very riveting. Did not see the ending coming. https://youtu.be/KkoEE1i0CX8
- Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance – JD had grown up as an upwardly mobile hillbilly family in Ohio, out from Kentucky, but the past is hard to shake. Demons like parental conflict, addiction, bad decisions, and abuse follow him and his sister. His mother goes from boyfriend to boyfriend and addiction and rehab all over again. I identified too well with JD, having had an alcoholic father. I also realize how lucky I was that my mother never tried to replace my father by remarrying, though that must have been extremely difficult for her. JD still deals with his mom on heroin whereas my father had been sober for twenty plus years but emotionally unavailable. Good book.
What I would like you to do is share something of what you read this summer (or extend it into last year or the upcoming school year if you were too busy doing APUSH work this summer). Tell me in your own words what you read, the author, a summary of the book, and whether or not you’d recommend it and why.
During the summer I read a book called “The Call of The Wild” by Jack London, an American Author. The book is a very interesting one due to the fact that it is written through the eyes of a dog instead of the usual human perspective. The main character Buck was a dog that lived lavishly in California until one day he was dog-napped and sold off to be a work dog. He worked in Klondike for the crazed Gold Rush people. Although Buck was put into the unrecognizable northern wilderness, he persevered and became the top dog there. Personally, I do not recommend the book because it was a very boring book in my opinion. The story went by very slow and everything was very predictable.
This summer I had to choose a book written by an American author for my Honors English class. I chose the book Delirium by Lauren Oliver. I chose this book because it’s a dystopian world and I tend to gravitate towards books like that. The novel is taken place in the future, and in this futuristic-like world the feeling of love is considered to be a disease. They refer to love as “deliria”. When you turn 18-years-old, you’re cured from this disease. A life without love is a life safe life without pain… and who wouldn’t want that, right? You get an evaluation to match you with someone of the opposite gender, that you will therefore marry and have children with and spend the rest of your life with. Girls and boys are separated for the majority of their lives. Most people haven’t even touched or stood close to someone of the opposite gender, to make sure nobody falls in love with each other. The protagonist in this novel is a soon-to-be 18 year old named Lena. Lena is supposed to be cured very soon, and she’s so excited about it. The people in this dystopian world are taught from the second they’re born that anyone who loves someone else is disgusting, and terrifying. She’s never even said the world love out loud, and anyone who is diagnosed with deliria gets shunned from the community. Unexpectedly, Lena meets a slightly older boy named Alex, with whom she falls madly in love with. She doesn’t realize her feelings, but once she does they hit her with full force. Alex teaches her the amazing aspects of what love can be, and Lena, the stubborn girl who completely believes in the power of the cure, has her life flipped upside down before she knows it. I would definitely recommend this book. It teaches you the value of love and teaches you not to take love for granted. It touches you in an emotional way, and is mysterious. The ending of this book I would’ve never predicted, and you’ll find yourself caught off guard by the abrupt and emotional ending.
This summer, I read Solitude Creek by Jeffery Deaver. It starts out with a fire at a concert. After the investigation begins, they find out that the fire was never actually in the building and that the criminal is much more intelligent than most. The story revolves around the life of the protagonist, Katheryn Dance, as she balances her home life with her work life. She is thrown all around the state of California while looking for the criminal while being a divorced mother with a boyfriend that can’t look after her kids in the middle hours of the day. With many plot twists, this book certainly kept me on my toes and is one that I would definitely recommend. At first, there are a lot of characters to keep track of as they are all introduced very quickly, but they all play key roles so it is necessary. The antagonist is also an extremely interesting character. Right from when you first meet him, you are intrigued because his name is Antioch March. He has gone through a rough childhood and throughout the book, constantly talks about the Get. The Get is something that he made up in his mind that is basically the root of all his problems. When he is upset, he says the Get is unsatisfied, but there are only certain things you can do to satisfy it. In his case, the Get is only satisfied with death. Again, I would definitely recommend this book. It is a very interesting story that is hard to put down, with a crazy, unexpected ending.
I read Juvie by Steve Watkins, among other books, over the summer. It was a wholesome, book filled with sorrow, tough decisions and bravery. Sadie Windas is a junior in high school and loves to play basketball. She is on the right track to play college ball until she accidentally gets involved in a drug deal. She takes the fall for her sister, and has to spend time in juvenile detention. She learns life lessons during her time there, pushes through the hard times, and even does some good. This book has a twisted story, with loads of action and an unexpected ending. The main theme of this book was “One step back, two steps forward”. Even though Sadie went to jail, she kept doing good things while there and never stopped trying to make the world around her a better place. I would recommend this book because it teaches you to not make bad decisions, always go with your gut, and don’t give up the people you love for temporary things.
Over the summer I read the book Lord of The Flies by William Golding. The book was about kids who were on a plane when it suddenly crash-landed on a mysterious island. The crash left all the adults dead, but every kid was unharmed. The kids from the plane were not the only ones there though, there were other children who had been there way before them for some unknown reason. Without supervision the kids thought figured they could do whatever they want, they quickly understood that was not the case. I think this book is valuable to reader’s because it shows the important of good leadership in a group and how it can very negatively impact the group with a corrupt leader. The protagonist in the story, Ralph was the chief of the society of young boys trying to get back home and was forced into a sort of president role and made all of the big decisions. His group was doing well until the antagonist, Jack got frustrated with some of the decisions Ralph was making and broke off to form his own group. As things in Ralph’s group grew worse and more people stared to join with Jack, Ralph became lonely and had only one person by his side. Jack hosted many disturbing and cruel rituals during his time as chief and left some kids dead, including Ralph’s only real friend. Jack tried to take advantage of the lonely and vulnerable Ralph as well, but a military general arrived just in time to save Ralph’s life and transported all of the kids back home. I do recommend this book because I found it interesting how kids would govern themselves and their reasonings behind some of the decisions they made. Also I think this book alludes to some problems we face in the world right now and how the two chiefs (Ralph and Jack) are similar to the presidential candidates running right now. I think this book is funny, interesting and anyone should be able to read because it’s not that long either.
Khalil
This summer I read The Hunt For Red October by Tom Clancy about an American team led by CIA analyst Jack Ryan sent in to assist defecting submarine captain Marko Ramius on board the Soviet Navy’s most powerful sub while outrunning Soviet and KGB forces attempting to destroy the mutinous vessel and her crew. I truly enjoyed reading this novel for its suspense and action. The author does an excellent job of explaining how the circumstances of the Cold War affected the events that played out in the plot. In addition, Clancy’s writing technique gives readers a well thought-out and well-defined picture of every scene and each character’s emotions. I thought it was interesting how each character had an important role in determining how the plot turns out. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys action, suspense, or Cold War-era novels.
Brett
This summer I read a nonfiction novel called Seabiscuit: An American Legend written by Laura Hillenbrand. Seabiscuit was an all-American thoroughbred racehorse between 1935 and 1940, who had the attention of all of America. He was a good distraction from the Great Depression, and he had thousands of admirers, but he was not always famous. He was swept to the side by many people, not even interested in buying him at claim races, but a small group of people saw how amazing he was. All the people involved with the horse, including his trainer, jockeys and his owner saw his potential and didn’t miss the opportunity of being with the ‘Biscuit. Seabiscuit ran in 89 races, and had numerous nail biting races that were described so vividly it was better than watching a clip of the actual race. One of his races that had thousands sitting on the edge of their seats was his race against War Admiral (many horses had unique names like that). By the end of the book, I couldn’t peel my eyes off the page, I was reeling in suspense.
But even though it was exciting to me, I am not sure how thrilling it may be to others. I personally enjoy Laura Hillenbrand’s work, she also wrote Unbroken, another novel by her that I have also read and highly recommend. But Seabiscuit is a special story, it brings together people from all over, and it was amazing to see the progressive success of the horse throughout the book. In someone else’s opinion, the story might be boring, but as long as you appreciate her (Laura Hillenbrand’s) vivid writing style you are sure to enjoy it. You can also learn a lot about horses and racing terms over the course of the novel, which was a nice learning experience for me. I was disappointed that the book did not have much information about the global conflicts happening during the time period set in the novel. But I understand that the main focus was more on the horse than the global conflicts. In conclusion, I would recommend this book to people who want to go on a journey through a jockey’s life, a trainer’s life, and a horse’s life.
This summer I read Dark Places by Gillian Flynn because Flynn is my current favorite author. The novel is about a depressed, 32 year old woman whose mother, and two sisters were brutally murdered when she was seven years old. Libby Day, the protagonist guides the reader through all of her ups and downs (mostly downs) in her life. Like how she was passed relative to relative after her own brother was sentenced for her family’s murder. As Libby has grown she somewhat learned how to cope with her harsh reality by simply trying to suppress the memories of that fateful night. Because of the Day’s tragedy Libby has never had to work a day in her life, due to many donations that were sent to her late family’s foundation. But, because of the constant use of the cash she eventually ran short, causing her to do something she never in a million years would dream of. A man named Lyle Wirth who is willing to help with Libby’s financial woes, only if she helps him. Lyle is a member of a Kill Club that helps solve unsolved crimes and wrongful incarcerations, and he just so happens to be working on Libby’s brother Ben Day’s case. Libby only agrees because of the large price tag Lyle is willing to pay her for some of her family’s old belongings and notes. With joining the Kill Club Libby is forced to answer many crucial questions about her brother and what happened that night. She is finally forced to acknowledge and ask herself the burning question of the club. Whether or not her brother is guilty. The question she had always strategically managed to avoid answering ever since her brother was sentenced. However from this point on she begins to fear the end of this crazy journey she jumped onto. She doesn’t know what will happen at the end of this circuit and she doesn’t know if she will be able to mentally handle it. But, what Libby will discover at the end will forever change her life and the way she views her past. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries and suspenseful writing styles. The plot of this book is absolutely brilliant and it takes the sharpest twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages and wanting more when the novel finally ends.
Keys to the Kingdom: Books 1-5 by Garth Nix
This summer, I read 5 out of seven books from the Keys to the Kingdom series. I had previously read these books in the 8th grade but I never got to finish the last book. I saw the series in the library and tried to read the last book but didn’t remember anything so I decided to start from the beginning, which reminded me of why I loved them so much. The books are sort of set up as one really weird book that was separated into seven sections. In these fiction books, the main character Arthur Penhaligon is an adopted child whose parents are Emily Penhaligon, one of the best doctors in the world, and Bob Penhaligon, a former rock star in an award winning group called The Ratz. At the beginning of the 1st book, he had just transferred to a new school. He was in gym class doing run around the park when he had to stop because he started to have another really bad asthma attack due to him prolonging his medicine so he wouldn’t look like a wimp in front of his class. He went to lie down in the middle of a field and then his life changed. There was a bright flash of light and then these two men appeared out of nowhere arguing loudly though no one seemed to see them except Arthur. After the first man, named Sneezer, had convinced the second man, Mr. Monday, that what they were about to do was right, they approached Arthur and handed him a key and a book. Then Mr. Monday noticed a change in Sneezer, a previously loyal servant, and realized that he had been influenced by the Will (a document made by The Architect that stated the rules of the universe and could shape shift. I know, it’s weird). There was a huge fight and the whole time Arthur was very confused and half dead but as he felt the key he could feel himself re awaking and his lungs breathing better. The two men mysteriously vanish and Arthur eventually is admitted to the hospital where he has time to figure out what it was that he had been given. Later, he finds out that the key he’d received was one half of a major key, one of the keys to the kingdom. He later is assisted by the Will to help conquer Mr. Monday and acquire the other half of the key in the House, the center of the universe where time runs way faster than time on earth. At first, he is reluctant because didn’t want to have so much responsibility and become the rightful heir to all the keys but he later learns that the Mr. Monday put his family in danger and this was the only way he could help. He gains some new friends as the books go on and he learns that he has to acquire all seven keys and conquer all seven of the trustees that are withholding them. However, he is struggling with the fact that the more he uses the keys, which have powers, the less human he becomes and the less chance he has of returning to earth as a normal boy which is all he really wants at the end of the day. I would recommend these books to anyone who likes the sci-fi and fantasy type of books. These books were highly addictive and I just couldn’t stop reading them after I saw them in the library. Garth Nix also incorporates the seven sins into each book which is cool because each one of the trustees suffers from one of the sins and is portrayed very well as if the sin were living. Most importantly however, I would recommend these books because even though these books have a crazy plot, they talk about valuable things in life that we sometimes take for granted like our humanity and brings its readers face to face with our society’s problems but in a very unique way that makes you think and cherish your own circumstances.
A book that I read this summer was the novel The Help by Kathryn Stockett. This book was about a black maid named Aibileen and a white outsider named Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan. Aibileen had raised seventeen different white children in her lifetime and was currently working for a young white woman named Elizabeth Leefolt who happened to be a close friend of Skeeter’s. Skeeter was an outsider because she finished all four years of college without leaving to get married and didn’t have any children yet and even had a job of her own as a writer for the Jackson Journal. When Skeeter left Ole Miss and applied for a job at Harper and Row Publishing Company they told her they wanted her to write about something dangerous and a cause that she cared for. At first she simply wrote on illiteracy and unemployment but somehow she managed to find a cause that actually mattered to her; segregation and racism in Jackson, Mississippi. She was already asking Aibileen for help with the Ms.Myrna column in the Jackson Journal since she knew nothing about housekeeping so they already had somewhat of a relationship. She later asked to interview Aibileen and maybe some of her maid friends for insight on the irony of the fact that they raised these white children and then years later they become their bosses and no less cruel and racist than their mothers. Aibileen being aware of the danger in helping Skeeter politely declined at first but later decided to help her as well as a dozen other black women maids. After the book is published it causes much turmoil with many of the white women but also opportunity for the black women. I would recommend this book to everyone to read regardless of ethnicity because although there is many racist comments towards black people there’s also a showing of understanding and kindness between the different races. It also shows different current events that were occurring at this time, and although educational also humorous and very entertaining.
This summer I read about 15 books. I love to read and often times read the book twice before moving on to another book. My favorite book I read was the Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard which is like a mix between Hunger Games and the Selection series. The main character, Mare Barrow, is a lowly red blooded girl who has silver blood abilities. The Queen and King take her in and tries to cover up the color of her blood by forcing her into being “Mareena” a lost princess who is engaged to their second son. Along the way Mare falls in love with the crown prince, not her fiance, and joins a secret organization that is trying to start an uprising. I would highly recommend this series because the character development of main and secondary characters are very realistic and compelling along with an addictive plot. I also read Aristotle and Dante Discover the secrets of the Universe, which is about two Mexican boys and their teenage struggles and how they accept themselves and who they are. Currently I am reading an amazing book called I’ll Give You The Sun and so far I am in love with it. I have a long list of books I still have to read including The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch, Bone Gap, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe, and Simon VS the Homosapien Agenda.
Over the summer I read the book “Moneyball” by Michael Lewis. The main character of this book is Billy Beane, who is the general manager of the Oakland Athletics. Billy Beane’s assistant is Paul Depodesta, a computer genius who graduated from Harvard. At the time, the Oakland Athletics are one of the poorest teams in all of baseball, and they are always expected to do badly. However, due to the unconventional style of how Billy Beane runs the team, the Oakland Athletics always finish at the top of the standings. Billy Beane knows that he won’t be able to buy the best players, so he looks for bargains, or undervalued players. For example, Billy Beane picks up a pitcher who throws the ball underhand. This pitcher puts up really good numbers, but no one wants him because of how he throws, no one except Billy Beane. Billy uses Paul Depodesta to track every statistic in the league, and determine which ones are the most important. During the draft, Billy would select players that have been passed or frowned upon, and no one thought they would be good. Everyone would mock Billy Beane for his decisions, but they always turned out well in his favor. Billy Beane was the first general manager to use saber metrics, a term applied to the use of nontraditional statistics to measure the skill and value of baseball players. However, he was a role model for other general managers to follow his lead. I would highly recommend this book, especially if you like baseball, because it is very interesting, and it teaches a lot of valuable life lessons that can be used for later in life.
The book I read over the summer was Slaughter-House Five, by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Appropriately for what we are studying ,the inspiration for the book was Vonnegut’s time as a prisoner of war in Dresden, and was there during the bombing. The book is about an optometrist named Billy Pilgrim and his time as a soldier during World War II as a prisoner of war. However, it is also important to note that giving any form of summary (beyond what I have already given) would completely spoil the book and leave it meaningless and boring (as well as the fact that you would think that I am crazy). The book itself is extremely meaningful in that it holds a very strong social commentary against war. Considering that subject matter that is used to illustrate the horrors of war is depressing, the book does a good job at inserting random comedic relief, which just adds to the interest level of the book. The book also offers a look into philosophy as it inspects and interprets time and death, developing the idea that death is insignificant, and that time works just like looking at anything; you can look back in time to better times just like you can look back at someone calling your name. This leads to the idea that even if someone dies, you can look back and see them alive and well, so it is pointless to mourn over the dead, because no one ever truly dies. Also, the book endeavors into science fiction with the sub-plot about aliens (again, I’m being vague for the sense of not spoiling the book), and what happens with Billy Pilgrim involving them. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a good novel, but, keep in mind that it does contain various forms and levels of mature content.
Over the summer, a book I read was A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra. The book takes place during and revolves around the second Chechnya War, and how life is for the poor ethnically Chechens living there at the time. The story begins with seven-year-old Havaa’s father being taken away by the Feds. To save her life, her neighbor and friend, Akhmed, hides her and takes her to a run down hospital in the nearest city. At Hospital No. 6 the pair find Sonja, the hospitals head doctor. Not only is she the head doctor, but she is also the only doctor, with just one nurse to aid her. Sonja has been waiting for years for her sister Natasha, who has disappeared for the second time during the war. Sonja is not thrilled to receive Havaa and take care of her, as she emotionally numb from closing herself off from the reality of emotions after losing her sister again. Over the course of five days, a story that connects all three characters unravels, leaving the reader in awe of the complexity. Not only is the story artfully composed, the beautiful writing carries a great deal of emotion. I would recommend this book for a person interested in taking the time to take in everything that Marra presents you with, and to connect with the writing. I wouldn’t recommend this book to someone reading for the sake of plot, as the book focuses more disentangling the ties that the characters have, and it takes thinking to connect everything the book has to offer.
I read the book Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar children by Ransom Riggs this summer. This book is full of mystery and self discovery. It is the story of a 16 year old boy name Jacob Portman who lives in south Florida. The story begins with the mysterious death of his grandfather who Jacob had been very close to. His grandfather had told him stories about a magical island that he had grown up on. Needing to find answers as to who his grandfather truly was and what he went through, he ventures to the island. He learns about these children who are called “Peculiar”. These are children who are born with special abilities that most do not possess, like the ability to levitate, invisibility, and even to create fire. They are protected by their head mistress named
Miss Peregrine. The longer Jacob is on the Island the more he learns about these Peculiars. He learns that they may actually be in danger, and that Jacob is the only one who can protect them
I think this book is very specific, and that not everyone would enjoy it. At times the book is very dark, which some readers do not enjoy. There is also a love interest between the main character Jacob and a Peculiar named Emma. This book is full of magic in a very realistic fashion. I have never read a book like this, I found it to be very unique and included pictures that made the whole story much more real. I personally would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an action/mystery. I think it was amazing and that many others would enjoy it as well.
Over the summer I read the book Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey. The book is from the perspective of Abbey while he ventures throughout the Southwest desert. He vividly describes the landscapes that surround him, and poetically threads his anger towards the government and tourists who want to destroy his wilderness. The idealistic and radical book criticizes society and industrial tourism. Abbey challenges the reader to break free from the tedious routines of society, and to explore the wilderness. He also explains how the desert contrast from the mountains and sea. Abbey admires the vast desert, and explains that most mountains have been climbed, and the sea has been explored, but the desert is yet to be conquered. Desert Solitaire led more people to become wilderness enthusiasts and advocates, and it has convinced me to become both. This book displays the theme of passion and rebellion. When Abbey describes his sacred desert, the reader realizes the he would do about anything to protect it, and keep it the way it was, and always has been. Abbey also illustrates the message, if you disagree with society, challenge it. Don’t always just listen and accept what the government and society tells you. I would highly recommend this book to a passionate person, or if they have a general love for the wilderness. I think that someone not interested in use or preservation of the wilderness wouldn’t enjoy this book because the elongated descriptions of the desert can be tiresome to read.
Over the summer I read The Martian by Andy Weir. This novel, which is the basis for the movie by the same name that came out a couple of years ago, is about astronaut Mark Watney’s struggle to survive after being stranded on Mars in the year 2035. He is stranded during a severe dust storm that forced the six person crew to evacuated the mission after six days out of a scheduled thirty, when he was impaled by a communications antenna, destroying his life monitors, causing the crew to think him dead. After somehow surviving being stabbed in space, he must figure out a way to get back home with no manned space craft coming to Mars in years, no way to communicate with NASA or his crew, food running out, wear on the equipment and many other obstacles that occur, both mechanical and human error along the way. Using his skills as a Botanist and Mechanical Engineer, he will have to figure out a way to get home or be the first person to die on Mars. This novel is mostly from the interesting view of almost daily log entries that he wrote, though some parts are from NASA’s or the crew’s view. The author also did a great job including real science in this science fiction novel. Though there were a few error, such as the impossibility of such a strong storm on Mars, the author almost makes the story feel like it could actually happen. I would highly recommend this book to anybody, especially sci-fi readers. This book will keep intrigued the whole way through and make you not want to put the book down with the constant surprise challenges Mark has to face. Even if you are not a sci-fi reader, this is a good book because of the constant plot changes and the involvement of real science makes it like no other sci-fi, as it actually seems real, not fake which is why some people won’t read or watch science fiction.
Over the summer I read a lot of books but not as much as I hoped for, usually I would read about 2 or 3 books every week but this year I only read about one book every one or two weeks. The best book I read this summer is Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. I have read all the other series she’s written like the Mortal Instrument series and also the Infernal Devices. All the books are somehow related or relate to the past of different families of shadowhunters. This changes views between characters but this book follows the Carstairs and Blackthorn families. It’s set five years after the war between Sebastian, Clary, and all the other Shadowhunters. The main plot in the story is that there are a lot of mysterious killings that are happening. Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorn predict it is a mysterious demonic plot and try to figure out the mystery. But the shadowhunters cannot intefere because it involves Faerie. So they secretly try to figure out who dunnit and why they are doing it. What intrigues them the most is that the people who are being killed have the exact markings found on Emma Carstairs parents. The second mini plot follows the love story between Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorn. They cannot fall in love with each other because they are parabatai and it is against the shadowhunter’s codex to fall in love with your parabatai. Another mini plot is the return of Julian’s half brother , Mark, who was taken away after the war. He returns to help them with the mysterious killings and as a bargaining chip to help the Faerie. That’s all I can say without out spoiling anything. I would recommend this to people who have already read the Mortal Instrument Series because it’s harder to understand if you haven’t. Also this book is a dark mystery book, so if you like the who dunnit books then this is the book for you. But others might not like this book because it can be boring or just not fit your personal book type. Because this book is about mythical beings and creatures I think this book is read by fairy tale lovers or fantasy lovers.
This summer I read a book called Little Brother by Cory Doctorow for my honors English class. It is about a group of high school seniors, the main one being a guy named Marcus Yellow, and they are all very smart with computers. One day however, after Marcus and his friends sneak out of school, they end up getting caught up in a terrorist attack in California. They end up being tagged as potential suspects and get captured by the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and are interrogated until they are finally deemed innocent. When they return home however, the DHS has changed ways of life for the public, enforcing security in almost every way possible including cameras everywhere and constant internet monitoring. Everyone is also treated like a potential terrorist as well and members of the DHS are constantly roaming the streets. Although, Marcus ends up meeting up with his friends again and try to figure out a plan to try and stop the DHS from being so overprotective.
Over this past summer I had to read a book by an American author for Honors English 10. I chose to read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. The main character in this novel Christopher John Francis Boone who lives in Swindon, England. He is a fifteen-year-old boy with the autistic syndrome of Asperger’s. Christopher does not relate well to people because their faces move too quickly for him to understand and they also make fun of him. He is super picky and will not eat foods that are a certain color and also depends on his superstitions to whether he will have a good day or a bad one. On the other hand, Chris is a very gifted student in math and is preparing to take the A-Level test which will get him into University. He lives with his dad in a small home; his mom died of a heart attack years ago. One night, he is wandering around his neighborhood when he sees his neighbor’s dog, Wellington, dead in the street after being stabbed by a fork. Christopher is told by his father and the police to not investigate who killed the dog. Going against the rules he starts an investigations and journals his findings in a book (which is the actual novel you are reading). The owners of the dead dog, Mr. and Mrs. Shears, blame Christopher for killing the dog but that is really a cover story. Christopher uncovers then uncovers the whole truth and it is very surprising. I would recommend this book because it is written in Christopher’s point of view and it is cool to see how a person with Asperger’s thinks. I would also recommend this book because it very shocking and has an awesome/mysterious storyline it follows
This summer I decided to finally catch up on a book series that has been out for a very long time and had a tremendous amount of popularity. The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins follows the story of Katniss Everdeen as she is put into The Hunger Games. In this story, a government system has taken over America and divided it into districts. Each district is in charge of producing the Capital with certain goods that are then sent back out and distributed among the districts. This is a utopian style book where the government wants absolute control and perfection. So, every year they hold a Hunger Games tournament which features two kids from each district entering a battle arena and fighting to the death. The idea behind this is that this is what the people of the country owe the government in return for living there and having government services. So, Katniss and her friend/boyfriend Peeta must enter the games and fight until there’s only one standing. However, after a series of events involving threatening to commit suicide, they both are granted freedom from the games. This summer, I read book two of the three book series. Book two or Catching Fire features Katniss having to return to the games as a victor from the last years’ games. Katniss and Peeta both must go back into the games to fight again. However, this time there’s a secret operation to blow up the arena and save Katniss, Peeta, and the other competitors. All in all, I would highly recommend this book because the series is very captivating and interesting.
The book I read over the summer was The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Scarlet Letter takes place in colonial times when Puritan standards are the law of the land. This novel focuses on the guilt and sin of Hester Prynne. Hester is accused of adultery and sentenced to wear the red letter A on the front of her chest forever. While serving her time upon a scaffold for her sin, Hester catches the eye of her husband off in the distance. Though Hester is convicted, the one whom she committed it with, will not step forward for his sin. This novel then follows Hester through her struggles in her daily life with her child Pearl. But then the novel takes a turn and shows the lives of Roger Chillingworth and Arthur Dimmesdale. Chillingworth is man ravaged with jealousy and his motive is only for revenge. Dimmesdale is a Reverend suffering with self-punishment over guilt of a sin. I would definitely recommend this novel to people who are able to read more difficult pieces of literature. It also is a great read for the beginning of APUSH because it takes you into the Puritan time period. I loved reading this novel because of the dramatic writing Hawthorne uses but some people may find it boring or hard to understand. In all, I feel that this is another novel I can add to my collection of favorites.
This summer I read a book called Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen, my favorite author. This book is about a girl, Auden, whose parents are both college professors, very smart people. When she was young, her parents fought a lot at night when Auden was supposed to be asleep. But she never was, and from this she suffered serve insomnia. Her parents got a divorce and her father moved to a town called Colby where most of the story takes place. Auden’s parents were very strong on her doing well in school. She studied hard and did well her whole life, but she missed out on some fun things that people do as a kid. The summer before college, Auden visited her father, his wife, and their new baby in Colby. While there she meets someone who shares her insomnia and together they go on adventures to complete the things that she missed out on as a kid. This story is one of adventure and love. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good read. It has a good plot line and Sarah Dessen is a good writer.
Over the summer, I read White Fang by Jack London, an American novelist who hoped to become rich off of the Klondike Gold Rush. While he didn’t, he was inspired to place the setting of many of his books in Alaska. White Fang is considered to be the thematic mirror to another one of his books the Call of the Wild. The former being wildlife to domestication, and the latter being domestication to the wild. In the book, we follow a wolf-dog hybrid who was born into the wild. He exits this life when he finds a group of Indians who capture him and his mother. The Indians dub our protagonist White Fang, for his impulsive use of his teeth. He must now adjust to a life filled with humans. These humans are deities in comparison to him, in fact, they are referred to as gods throughout the book more often than men. White Fang will face torment from the cruelty of our nature. He will go insane from lack of compassion provided and dignity felt, until he find the patience and caring of one individual. I do recommend this book, especially if you are looking for an interesting perspective into the minds of animals. Despite being quite a prolific author (I also have read the Call of the Wild), Jack London is able to tell a tale that was able to surprise me, sadden me, and satisfy me the whole way through. His books are comparatively short reads, but packed with a story.
This summer I read the book Spoiled by Heather Cokes and Jessica Morgan. Molly, the main character, is a normal teenage girl until one day, her mother passes away due to cancer. Molly is then forced to pack up her bags in Indiana and move all the way across the country to California. There, Molly will move in with her father, Brick Berlin. Brick is a famous Hollywood movie star, and Molly is just now figuring out that he is her father. Brick also has another daughter living with him in California named Brooke. Brooke is the complete opposite of Molly and is not in favor of having Molly come live with them. Molly picks up on the Beverly Hills life style and finds herself being taken advantage of by many other characters in the book and is often misunderstood. Molly and Brooke spend most of the book fighting because they don’t like each other. But mainly, Brooke wont accept Molly because she doesn’t like the fact that she is now having to share everything in her life from her bedroom to her father with Molly. However, the turning point for the two sister is when they come together to defeat a common enemy. This enemy owns a magazine and is trying to get Molly to spill insides scoops about Brooke. What is intended to further destroy Brooke and Molly’s relationship actually makes it stronger. By the end of the book, Brooke and Molly enjoy each other and are happy they met each other and found out they are related. I really enjoyed Spoiled because it is about teenagers so I find myself relating to a lot of the content within the book. The book has a sequel called Messy. I have not read it yet, but I plan on doing so very soon.
One of the books I read this summer was Some Desperate Glory by Edwin Campion Vaughan. The book is the exact copy of a diary written by Edwin Vaughan, a British captain in World War I.Vaughan writes about most of his time in the British army, starting from his deployment into France and ending with his unit’s annihilation during the Passchendaele Offensive and the development of his alcoholism. In between these two, Vaughan struggles to not die while keeping his men in order. He has to solve petty disputes, manage night watches, go on scouting missions, manage supplies, and lead raids on German trenches. A lot of men end up under his command-some he becomes friends with, and others antagonize him. The reader never even learns the name of some-as practically everyone Vaughan ever met was slaughtered at Passchendaele. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to feel bad. The writing is very gripping and the appallingly high casualty rate brings down the tears.
Over the summer I read a book by an American author for my honors English class. The book I read was called “Ask The Passenger”, by A.S. King. It is a novel about a secretive, young girl named Astrid Jones who is trying to figure out more about herself by trying to escape society’s labels. Astrid lives in a small town meaning that things spread very quickly. For example, when she and her friends get caught in a gay bar, the rumors spread like fire. Let’s say coming home that night was a challenge when she had to talk to her parents. Lets also say that it was also worse going to school in the next few days. She got accused of dating her sister, and much more. She overall looks up to the sky to the passengers in the planes and wishes them luck and asks them questions she doesn’t know the answer to, to relieve the stress from her at home life and at school life.
I thought the book was overall okay, and I’m not sure if I would recommend it. The book can be confusing at times, and sometimes seems too basic and not much a different from lots of books these days. Maybe it’s because I prefer something more different and exciting. For example, Harry Potter is something I would rather read as it is more different and not so “normal” or “basic”. The way the author does describe things is well and everything is well written, but the type of book it is isn’t something I’m use to reading. If someone is into young adult fiction books like this than I would recommend it all the way.
This summer, I read The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. This book is about a search for a murderer and the Holy Grail. When Jacques Sauniere, the owner of the Louvre, is murdered, and the secret of the Holy Grail is in grave danger of being exposed. Sauniere’s granddaughter, Sophie, and a professor, Langdon, work together to follow the clues that Jacques has left behind in the Louvre through the paintings. Little did they know, there is another duo one step ahead of them. Sophie and Langdon have to go through series of events to protect the Holy Grail and themselves. The characters go through a series of challenges and test. When Sophie and Langdon put their heads together, it is amazing what they can come up with. I would recommend this book to anyone. It is a little bit of a lengthy read, but I had a hard putting it down. This book always keeps you on the edge of your seat.
This summer I read The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It’s a classic written in 1925 and takes place in the roaring 20s. The story is told from the perspective of a young man, Nick Carraway, who comes from an affluent family and is learning the business of bonds. He tells a story of the rich people of New York. The main characters include Nick’s cousin, Daisy, and her husband, Tom Buchanan. Another major character is Jay Gatsby, the extremely wealthy neighbor next door to Nick. Nick witnesses the drama unfold between these three and other, more minor characters like Tom’s mistress, Myrtle, and Daisy’s aristocratic friend, Jordan Baker. Daisy and Gatsby had a previous romance and Gatsby is still in love with her. He buys a house right across a bay from her and throws huge, extravagant parties every weekend with the hopes that she’ll show up to one. They reunite but in the end Daisy chooses her husband for his aristocracy and old-money family despite the love she has with Gatsby. It is considered unacceptable for her to see Gatsby but her husband, Tom blatantly has an affair with Myrtle, a poorer woman, also married. Tom uses her and her husband several times further showing a separation between classes. The book carries powerful messages about separation of class, gender roles in society, and the corruption of the American dream. The Great Gatsby still conveys powerful themes that are still relevant today. I would recommend reading this book if you like classics. It’s beautifully written, has many different aspects, and carries a powerful message.
This summer I read the book Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates This novel takes the form of an open letter from the author to his fifteen-year-old son that instructs him how to navigate his life in modern day America as a person of color. Through vivid flashbacks to his childhood in Philadelphia and his transformational time at Howard University, Coates introduces the reader – and his son – to his firsthand experiences of systematic racism and oppression. Coates tackled everything from the failing education system to police killings of unarmed black men. He explains that, under the current system, people of color are set up to fail the moment they are born. I decided to read this book because I had seen lots of praise for this book online and I was very interested in learning more about the state of race in America. I realized that my view of the country – a white male in a predominately white area – is not how the majority of the US lives their lives, and I wanted hear a different point of view. This book, while a little dry at times, was a very compelling and eye opening read that should be read by everyone. Personally, I felt myself disagreeing with many of Coates’ opinions, but I felt it was very important to take a look at the issue of race from a unique perspective. If you are interesting in learning more about race relations in the US, you should definitely pick up this book as soon as possible. Even if you aren’t particularly interested in this subject, I still think that most would find this book very relevant and thought provoking.
Over the summer, since I was at camp for 8 weeks, I didn’t have time to read much. However, I have read very good books in the past. One of my favorites is called Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. It follows the life of a young boy, Wade Watts, in a dystopia where the only safe place is an enormous virtual reality called the OASIS. When the creator of this, James Halliday, passed away, he released three ‘easter eggs’ throughout the OASIS. The prize was Halliday’s multi-billion dollar fortune and control of the OASIS. There were millions of universes, and very vague clues. No one could find the first egg for years, until Wade met his idol, Art3mis, and they take down the first boss together. This makes his longtime guy friend, Aech, jealous. Following the ups and downs in the relationships between Aech, Art3mis, and Wade is very interesting and makes for extremely dynamic characters. One organization, the IOI has thousands of workers trying to win the competition and change the OASIS for the worse. Finally, when the cofounder of the OASIS, Ogden Morrow, invites the finalists, (Aech, Art3mis, and Wade included), the three finally meet in person for the first time. Despite what Wade has thought for his entire life, Aech is an African American lesbian. This fact doesn’t change their close friendship and unforgettable memories. I would recommend this book because the constant pull to read more and the science fiction aspect of it make for a wonderful and quick read.
Over this summer I read a very interesting sports nonfiction book called “Where Nobody Knows Your Name” by John Feinstein. This book was very well written, and the format was like no other, there was no real plot to the book, just snippet stories. The book is about baseball and the minor leagues. It talks about players, umpires, and coaches trying to make their way up to the big leagues from the minors. The book showcases a few longer stories, where it talks about it for about five to ten pages, and then comes back to it later. The book really shows you how hard it is to make it to the major leagues and how much people sacrifice to do what the love The book really grabbed my attention right away, when it talked about umpires I really never understood how hard of a job it really is and how much they work to get where they are. The book is for sure a home run! For any baseball fan like me, this book is a must read and really changes your perspective on the business of professional baseball. Even if you don’t love baseball I still think this is a great read. It talks a lot about the business of baseball, so for people like me who would like to work in the sports industry when I am older this book was just right. I have read many other John Feinstein books in the past and he never fails to impress. He is an author of all sports books and I highly recommend reading them all, he is a fantastic writer and really knows how to catch a reader’s eye. Good book after good book do I read by him, and I can’t wait to dive into my next one.
Over the summer, I read a variety of books. I’m a huge reader, and I began the summer by rereading the Harry Potter series, which is always a classic. I also read plenty of stand-alone novels. One novel that I read was By The Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters. By The Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead follows the story of Daelyn Rice, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been bullied her whole life and tried to kill herself twice. Her failed attempts have left her with scars on her wrists, no voice, and more isolated than ever. It’s from this dark place that she finds the light…www.through-the-light.com, a website that assists with suicide. The countdown begins and she has 23 days to get her affairs in order—she is completely confident in her ability to do this, at least. However, she shouldn’t be so self-assured; the same day she makes her decision, she meets Santana, who throws a wrench in everything. He has a joy for life that she can’t imagine…and doesn’t want to. I would say that I moderately enjoyed this book—it wasn’t my favorite, but it wasn’t horrible. At times, I found the circumstances of the bullying a bit unrealistic. The main character describes events of violence and verbal abuse against her and reveals that no one has ever been nice to her in her life. Considering the character had transferred schools multiple times, it was strange how she was automatically singled out by everyone at every school she’d attended; she was bound to have met someone kind, somewhere. I would recommend this book to people who like whiny, teen-angsty narration.
Over the summer I read a book called the Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. In this book you follow a teenage Red blood named Mare Barrow. Red blood people are basically the slaves from the Silver bloods. Silvers have God-like powers. They can control element or humans. Reds do not have any power, physically and socially. The society that Mare lives in is all about power. Silvers are royalty and the Reds are the dirt they walk on. And when people walk all over your kind, those kind of people start to get angry. So the Silvers try keep and strong grip on the Reds so they do not rebel. But there is always someone who does not want to fall in line. Someone who will start something that will spread like wild fire. It packs more of a punch than people expect. When you are treated like nothing you want to become something. Mare Barrow is the definition for something. She went from unheard of and unseen to being loud and clear. When all eyes are watching it is easy to mess up. When all people want is power it becomes dangerous. It is like playing with fire. It is a dangerous game.
I personally loved this book. It is really hard for me to find books I like and this one is amazing. It left me on the edge of me seat all the time. I highly recommend this book to anyone that likes a dystopia kind of book. But on the other hand I feel like everyone should read it. It truly is an astounding book. I think it is one of my favorites.
This summer, I read the book that my favorite TV show is based of off. “A Game of Thrones” is a fantasy story written by author George R.R. Martin, that is exiting the entire way through. It is about different families, or houses in this case, that try to claim the Iron Throne, where the ruler of the seven kingdoms sits upon. It starts by introducing the fan favorite family, the Starks, who are the wardens of the North, or the protectors of the North. When the king, who happens to be friends with the father of the Starks, comes and visits in the North, the second youngest son gets into some trouble. He ends up getting pushed out of a ruined tower, and goes into a coma. The Starks now have to investigate who hurt their son, while the father of the Starks, Eddard Stark, becomes the hand of the king and has to travel south. Tension rises, mystery unfolds, and lots of trouble happens. Although this book series is great to get into, it is made for mature audiences, and therefore, I do not recommend it.
This summer I read a book called Little Brother by Cory Doctorow for my honors English class. It is about a group of high school seniors, the main one being a guy named Marcus Yellow, and they are all very smart with computers. One day however, after Marcus and his friends sneak out of school, they end up getting caught up in a terrorist attack in California. They end up being tagged as potential suspects and get captured by the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and are interrogated until they are finally deemed innocent. When they return home however, the DHS has changed ways of life for the public, enforcing security in almost every way possible including cameras everywhere and constant internet monitoring. Everyone is also treated like a potential terrorist as well and members of the DHS are constantly roaming the streets. Although, Marcus ends up meeting up with his friends again and try to figure out a plan to try and stop the DHS from being so overprotective. I recommend this book to anyone who is into a technology themed book with lots of action in it as well. I personally did not really like it because of all the technology in the book and having be to much based on computers. However, I did enjoy the first half of the book because it was very intense and had lots of action in it too.
This summer, I read a book called Friday Night Lights, by H.G. Bossing we. This nonfiction novel, follows the Permian High School football team on their journey to the Texas High School State Playoffs, and highlights many issues, including the almost unhealthy obsession of highschool football in Texas along the way. One of our main characters, Boobie Miles, is one of the best highschool half backs in Texas history… However in one day he goes from a future NFL superstar, to a injured wash up. After the first hit he took of his new season, his dreams were crushed like the tender cartilidge in his knee. After Boobie’s devastating injury, the team and the whole town of Odessa have to rally together to even have a shot at becoming champions. Personally, I was a huge fan of this book. You see how you can’t bank all of your hopes into one thing, like Boobie and the whole obsessive town of Odessa. The book can be really depressing at times, like when you see the lives of many of the town’s citizens. You also learn about the lives and I achievable dreams of the team’s other players. Although much of the story was sad, at the time, it really upset me that Boobie’s career was over from just one hit, and two weeks after I finished the book I received a season ending injury myself.This book is not only a spots book, but also a book that touches on many issues and has many emotional moments. I enjoyed this book a tremendous amount and I would highly recommend it to everybody.
Please disregard my last comment, it was unfinished
Over the summer I read a book called “I’ll Give You The Sun” by Jandy Nelson. I absolutely love it, and I’m in the middle of rereading it right now. The book is about two twins, Noah and Jude, who started off as inseparable, but something happened when they were younger, and now they barely talk. The book switches back and forth between the early years, narrated by Noah, and the later years, narrated by Jude. Each twin has only half of the story, and they have to reunite and put together their information to find the whole truth. In Noah’s perspective, he is falling in love with the new boy next door, while him and his sister are trying to get accepted into the prestigious art school near their house, called CSA. Noah is very clearly the more ‘gifted’ artist of the pair, and as a result his mother favors him over Jude, and Jude becomes resentful. During the later years, their mom has died in a tragic accident, and Jude has been accepted into CSA while Noah has not. The two stories intertwine and come together at the end to form the whole story of how their lives got turned so upside down. This book is one of my favorite books I’ve ever read, and I very highly recommend it. The plot is so unique and complicated, and the way the story is told via the two different timelines adds so much to the story. The narrative voices are arguably the best part, each character having their own different idiosyncrasies that are incorporated into the writing. Overall this book is amazing, and I absolutely recommend it.
Over the summer I had to read a book by an American author for my english class. I chose he book, Misery Bay by Steve Hamilton. This is a fiction book that is set in the upper peninsula of Michigan. An ex-cop, Alex Mcknight, is asked for a favor by a man who’s son had committed suicide a couple months back. He asked Alex to find out why and how his son hung himself. Alex accepted this assignment and got to work. As he is trying to figure out why he killed himself Alex gets into a corner and wants to give up. But his partner doesn’t let him. He keeps lifting him up and Alex continues his case. Alex finds out information that could help him figure out the reason for the death. There had been a couple suicides by children that he thought could be strung together. Alex visits all the families of these kids and eventually figures it out. This was a great book because it was set in Michigan. All of the places that were mentioned I was familiar with and if I wasn’t, I looked it up because I was interested in where it was. It was also a great book because it is suspenseful and you think you know what is going to happen but then Hamilton turns it around and something totally different happens. It also has a lot of detail and the way Hamilton wrote it was great. Overall it was a great book and I would recommend it.
The book that I read this summer was The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. This was a book about a futuristic dystopia. The story takes place in a country called Panem which is divided into 12 districts by natural resources. The main character is a 16 year old girl named Katniss Everdeen. She is from District 12, the mining district. The entire district is in poverty and is scraping for food. In the book there is an event called ”The Hunger Games”, this event is where every district elects two candidates randomly to brawl to the death with candidates from the other districts. Every year the families in the districts dread the day of the the draft. The draft this year would be much different than every other draft in the history of the Hunger Games. Katniss’ sister, Primerose, was young and innocent. She got selected to be in the games but Katniss bravely stepped up and took her spot in the games. The other candidate, a boy named Peeta, had always had a crush Katniss. Though Katniss had no feelings for him before she starts to develop a love for him throughout the experience of the games. She showed great strength and perseverance and despite all odds won the games. I would recommend this book to someone else. I would do this because it is a great combination of action and romance. It also teaches that you should never give and always try your hardest because you never know what can happen.
This summer I read a very short but interesting novel. The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway, is a short realistic fiction novel on the life of an old man and his life. He hasn’t fished in many days and needs to make a catch in order to survive. He heads out closer to the Gulf to try and make the catch of his life. This book gets really quickly to the main point. It doesn’t give man y details so there isn’t a single part where I got bored. Hemingway writes the book in a way that makes you feel as if you were part of the story. The book captures your mind and makes live the adventures and dramas of the Old man. Why did I decide to read this book? Well, a few years ago I went to Key West, where I visited Hemingway’s home. I visited his house, seeing the conditions he ived in and had to work in. After the house tour, me and my family went to the gift shop (I mean who doesn’t go to the gift shop!). As I was looking around I saw a book with a cover that intrigued me. It was The old man and the sea. As I was contemplating the book and reading the back, my parents told me it was a classic and that they read it when they were young. So I bought it. The book sat on my desk for two years, until one day, when I had nothing to do, I decided to start it, and finished it in three days. This book was a very nice and meaningful read that captured my mind.
Over the summer I read We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach. It is a book about four teens, Peter, Anita, Andy and Eliza. There is an asteroid coming towards the Earth and these four are deciding how to spend there last days on Earth. When news breaks that about the asteroid, their town starts to fall apart. There is no more order; even cops have given up on trying to stop criminals. Now, they must not only worry about the asteroid, but also about crazy people who are no longer afraid of consequences. This is a really good book about how fast the world can turn into a dystopia. This book is not only good, but also displays some very positive messages. It shows how you need to appreciate life well you have it, and I feel that that is a very important message for people around my age. I would recommend it to anyone around the high school age because the characters are very similar to people you would meet at your school.
Over the summer, I read a novel called Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. The novel taught me about how important it is to cherish your life and place the good over the bad. I also learned that through thick and thin, the people you love are there until the end. Through 478 emotional pages, the story documents the lives of two girls, Tully Hart and Kate Mularkey, as they grow from adolescents in the 1970s to adults in the early 2000s. At the start of the novel, Tully was growing up with her grandmother. Her real mother, who goes by the name of Cloud, abandoned her when she was four. All of a sudden, Tully’s mother showed up and took back her daughter. The two resided at Firefly Lane. Tully’s mom was a hippie and a druggie. She really did not know how to be a mother, making Tully feel isolated. On the other hand, Kate takes on her eighth grade year with very few friends. The girls she had previously adored abandoned her to do rebellious things that she did not stand for. She was often found thinking about how uncool she was and seemed to always be reading. Things changed when Tully moved across the street from her on Firefly Lane. As soon as she saw her, Kate was fascinated with how cool she seemed. She was perfect looking and her fashion sense was to die for. The two, both feeling alone in the world, met and became the best of friends. Everyone knew them as Tully-and-Kate. While they are the best of friends, they are certainly opposites. Tully is more of a bad girl and likes to live life on the edge. She has passion and strives to become a news anchor. She puts her career before anything. Kate is an angel who reads love stories and believes that family is more important than any job. Tully wants to prove to the world that she has potential, while Kate simply wants to fall in love and have a family. Despite their differences, the two are there for each other through thick and thin. While a number of fights broke about between the pair, they always manage to find a way back. I think that Kristin Hannah wanted to spread the message that true friends are there until the end. Everyone has someone who loves you. If it’s meant to be, it will be. The novel is shocking and heart-warming and will make you feel a connection to the characters. This book demonstrated that you are never really alone in this world. The novel will test your emotions, making you feel overly joyous one moment and then devastated the next. Realistic Fiction, Firefly Lane will make you connect with the characters and feel what they feel. I was hooked until the end. I strongly recommend this read.
Over the summer I read the book called Makes me Wanna Holler: a Young Black Man in America written by Nathan McCall. A young boy is living middle to low class family in the suburbs. He lives with his parents who are constantly moving to accommodate for his dads army career. This book is told in first person by, Nathan McCall, the author. The beginning of the book starts with Nathan introducing his family and friends when they see a white boy riding his bike down the street. Back in these times neighborhoods were still heavily segregated and blacks were looked down upon by whites. The kid rides by and Nathan and his friends beat the kid to his near death. Nathan does this because he, like most blacks in the south, despises whites. He hates whites so much due to the fact that although his father is a very hard working man, he is still required to bow down to whites like royalty. This anger slowly makes Nathan start to do illegal things to make money. Eventually Nathan ended up in jail and started working for the prison by using a printing press. After he gets out of college Nathan enters college and excels in his career even being featured in the Washington post. Nathan has a son, Monroe, with his teenage girlfriend but never has a long-lasting relationship. Nathan never really has a good relationship with his son and kind of abandons him with his mother. Later, Nathan marries a girl named Debbie and has two sons with her when he gets a call from Monroe who wants to move in. As Monroe matures Nathan fears that Monroe may be hanging with the wrong crowd and doesn’t want Monroe to make the same mistakes he did. Nathan hates the way that young black men act and says it makes him “wanna holler”.
Over the summer, I read a very popular and good book called The Maze Runner, by James Dashner. The book also became a movie in 2014, but read the book first as it is much better! The protagonist, named Thomas, waked up inside a box like elevator with no memory of who he is. The box opens up revealing a group of other boys around his age trapped in a massive square with very high stone walls. Thomas soon finds out that the massive square he and many other people are living in is called The Glade, and beyond those massive walls is a maze filled with frightening and deadly creatures. The only way out of the Glade is through the maze. Throughout the book Thomas and the other citizens of the Glade, known as Gladers, must work as a team trying to figure out who put them here, how to survive, and how to get out. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. The book is an adventure, and the author uses very descriptive words to make you feel as so you are there. You will also learn a lot about the characters in the book, and become attached to them in a way. Another plus side to reading this book, is that there are multiple books in the series, 3 books to be exact, then one book acting as a prologue of the series. So by starting off this book, you will have 3 other books to read as well, which is a very good series as well.
This summer I read i really different type of book , at least for me. It was the first of the S0S thrillers by E.C. Myers, called The Silence Of Six. While reading this suspenseful novel i was somewhat pushed into a world of computer hackers and hitmen, where if you knew too much you “silence” hence the title. The plot revolves around the main character named Max, he was a high school student, star soccer player, the boyfriend of one of the prettiest girls in school, and also the “MIA” hacker 503-error. Hacking used to be something he shared with his best friend Evan, but once he decided to quit due to the fact that he didn’t want to get to far into the darknet, him and Evan drifted apart. Evan was somewhat socially awkward and truly expressed himself through hacking and computers. In this thriller there is a presidential election coming up much like this year 2016 and the first presidential debate is being held at Granville High , which happens to be the place Max and Evan go to school. As the debate started answering questions from Americans on the social media site Panjea which is basically like twitter, facebook, and instagram combined , a hacker named STOP appeared on a screen wearing a mask, Max especially noticed this due to the fact that STOP was wearing Evans signature red hoodie and had the same figure as him. STOP was placed on the backdrop behind the candidates, he had a message for not only Granville students and the future President of the United States but also for all American People. “ What is the silence of six, and what are you going to do about it?” STOP had a voice changer masking his true identity, but soon after he delivered this message he slightly lifted up the mask muttered “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…..” . By this time Max knew it was evan by his unfiltered voice , Evan lifted the barrel to a gun into his mouth and shot himself for the whole world to see. This set the whole pace for the rest of the book, Max was dragged into helping his dead friend, who had left clues and people to help him. This required Max to go on the run considering he knew just a little bit too much and had the hitmen going after him, he also had the Feds after him with a charge of murder. I enjoyed reading this book it was excited to be apart of something new and that’s one more thing i learned about considering i know nothing about hacking. I highly recommend this book it will have the reader constantly on their toes.
Over the summer I read two good books revolving around World War 2. I love reading history books so if you have any good ones you could recommend to me I will read them. At the moment I was also reading The Girl On The Train like you read over the summer and it is a great book so far. My favorite book I read of the two and maybe one of my favorite books I’ve ever read was Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. This book was fantastic and had a good storyline, which I enjoyed. I read this book when I was in New York and finished it in two days. I read anytime I was free like on the subway, waiting in line, eating, hotel, etc. Anyways this book is about an Olympic runner named Louie Zamperini who competed in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. The story tells about Louie’s life as a runner who had natural talent on the track and later, an air force bombardier. Louie was going to be drafted into WWII so he chose instead to enter the Pacific war as a bombardier. His plane crashed in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on a mission and he was out on a small raft with two other people for weeks. They had to scavenge for food by trapping seagulls and eating them raw. He was eventually captured by the Japanese and placed into a POW camp. The story mainly focuses on his time at the POW camp and the hardships he faced. I would 100% percent recommend this book to a reader who is interested in World War II. I could be a good read even if you aren’t into WWII but if you like to learn and hear about the war it makes the book way better. Definitely would read this book again in the future, as it was one of my favorites.
Over the summer I read a book called kick by Walter Dean Myers. Kick is a sports novel about an all around good kid who gets into a little bit of trouble. After being assigned an officer to monitor him he try’s out for the school soccer team. After finding out he was quite good at soccer he played all the time, and always gave 100%. The officer notices that soccer was the only true thing keeping him from falling apart. When the stress on the soccer team became real many of his past issues came to haunt him. I would say it was a very intertaining sports novel, lots of action and mystery, but it doesn’t go too deep. Many of the questions we first find ourselves asking are really never clearly answered, for example, we never truly find out why Kevin found a wind of confidence to go out of his way to protect his friend. I would give this book a solid 7/10, and I do recommend it to be a quick and easy sports novel to pass some time, not too many cliff hangers and crazy mysteries that will make your brain hurt.
This summer I read “The Boys who Challenged Hitler” by Phillip Hoose. In this novel the main character (Knud) rounded up a group of his buddies to do what they can to stop the nazis. He lives in Poland and wants to make a difference, this is because he doesn’t like the way that his whole life went upside down after the invasion, including different lessons during school and the way his parents always seemed frightened. One way Knud protests is by stealing weapons. The plan is Knud distracts the soldier at an outpost by saying he is lost and than his buddies pocket the weapon and move on. As the story unfolds the gang moves onto heisting bigger and badder weapons eventually including a full auto machine gun! As the group collects to many weapons to store without their parents finding out they come to a debate. One side thinks that they should rebel using force and the others believe that it will get themselves and their families killed. What do they end up doing? How will they do it? Is it worth risking?
Over the summer I read the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. This dystopian fiction provides a look at a future where everybody is supposed to be the same and people aren’t supposed to challenge authority or ideas. In a world where standing out in society is practically illegal, the main character Guy Montag finds himself questioning the integrity of his job as a fireman. I know you must be thinking that Montag sounds like a tool, but his job is actually the opposite of a traditional fireman’s. Guy Montag and other firemen like him are instructed by the government to seek out and burn any books that are left in the world. In this society people aren’t allowed to read books, so instead they resort to watching excessive amounts of television in their television parlors or listening to the radio that they attach to their ears. Guy Montag begins to see the grim reality around him as the story goes on and starts to question things that aren’t supposed to be questioned such as the his job and why books are seen as so dangerous. Montag acts on his curiosity and is caught with books in his house, which gets him into huge trouble with the government. The book ends with Guy Montag escaping from the police and finding a society of intellectual men who live out in the wilderness. These men each have certain literary works memorized, so that when it is safe to do so, they can recreate the books from memory and start a society where books and free thought can once again be present. I would definitely recommend this book to any intelligent reader because it has a universal message that tells readers to never allow themselves to be censored and it also encourages individual thought.