Thursday, December 9, 2010

Junkyard Dogs - Craig Johnson

So, I am beginning to realize how much I have read since my last posts. Along with the other two books, I have started to finally read the 6th book in a series that I absolutely love. It is a modern western series set in Absaroka County Wyoming. I really find it interesting because I worked for a summer in that area and can relate to some parts of the stories. There is usually always some sort of murder or crime in each book that is resolved by the Sheriff and his entourage - including a deputy sheriff, dog, daughter and other small town characters.

After the Wreck - Joyce Carol Oates

I read this book while in my observations of Mrs. Gerber's class. It is a realistic fiction that the class was reading and I could not put it down. It is about a girl who gets in a wreck with her mom and her mom dies. Then the girl has to go to rehab and live with her aunt's family in another town. It is an amzing work of Young Adult Literature and I highly recommend it. I think that the students liked it also due to the interesting poetry like text.

The Secret History - Finished

This was a really good book! I read it for my English Department Book Club and had a really good time discussing it at our meeting. I think that it does play to a certain audience because you have to appreciate literature enough to make sense of many of the quotes that are used. However, I think more people would enjoy it than it seems, because it is very unpredictable and fairly twisted. There is murder, intrigue, incest, and all kinds of crazy things in it! I highly recommend that evryone at least start reading it, by then you will be hooked. It is a little over 500 pages, but well worth the time spent!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

The Secret History by Donna Tartt (so far)

This book is utterly amazing so far, in that I have to literally force myself to quit reading it each time. It is extremely long and I am around page 400 of 570. It is split into two halves (book 1 and book 2). The first half was very interesting and contained a lot of literary reference which, as an English major, I enjoy immensely! The second half is getting very interesting and the characters are traveling more quickly towards evil. The book is essentially Dionysian and there is much emphasis on the unbalance of the morality and true consciousness. I cannot give away too much, in case one decides to read this book, but there have been two murders thus far, and I predict more to come......

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Nora Roberts...bleh

So, Nora Roberts is one of those authors that I only read because my mom or grandma bought a book and lent it to me. She is an okay author, but some of her books are rather mind-numbing. The one I recently finished, Savor the Moment, is a romance about a cake decorator. It is interesting and a cute book, but so far from reality that it is entertaining. Anyhow, she meets a guy, but of course he is rich and she is from a poor family and has built up her business herself. SO obviously, she takes offense when he offers her money to buy groceries and she gets in a big argument that ends up with him proposing to her on the beach. it is one of the endings that make you go, Sweet but too idealistc!
Anyhow, I am now reading on The Secret History by Donna Tartt and it is basically AWESOME. It is about English majors in a private college, how fantastic~

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

So Many Books, So Little Time

So, right now I am currently reading three books. I hate when you start reading a book that is not THAT great and then you read another one because you can't find the one you started, and then someone gives you a really really really good book, so of course you have to start that one! LOL.
I started with Nora Robert's Savor the Moment, which is not the most intriguing but I am almost finished so I have to finish it now. The next one I started is called The Secret History by Donna Tartt. I started reading this one for a book club for the English majors, and it is super good. I am also rereading A day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Peck, for my senior project. Lots of good books. I will post again when I finish one!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Paper Towns by John Green

What an awesome author for young adults!! I was recommended this book by a teacher I am observing in ACHS, who teaches seniors. It is a young adult novel, but I would not give it to anyone below a junior, because of sexual content and discussion of suicide. However, if the student were mature enough to handle it, I think they would really get a lot out of the book. I have been running out of time to read lately, so I am only a hundred or so pages into it, but it is hard to put down. I keep it by my bed so I can work on it each night and each time I read a good 15 minutes past the time I want to go to sleep.
So far, this boy, Quentin has live beside this girl, Margo, his entire life. When they were really young the found a guy who had been shot while they were riding their bikes. It flashes forward to senior year of high school and they are no longer best friends. But one night, Margo comes to his window and takes him on an adventure all over town. The next day at school she is missing, She has left clues for Q to find her, but they are very difficult. So far, everyone either thinks she committed suicide or will be back soo. Q thinks it is suicide.
I cannot wait to read more, as I am very interested into what has happened to her!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Various Magazine Articles

So, I have been on a kick of reading magazines a lot. There seems to be a lot going on in the world that is extremely confusing, so I have been trying to keep up on my current events. I get Time magazine and even though there is usually only one good article per issue, the magazine was cheap to buy, so I got it. I read a recent article about how important bullying prevention is and how bullying is different today, than it was for previous generations. The article talked about how bullying before technology was different, because you had to catch your victim in order to torment them. Today, you simply just have to send a nasty facebook message, Tweet, or youtube video. The article was extremely prevalent due to the recent teen suicides, this past month. Another Time article I read was about the Baptist minister Phelps and whether his protests are supported by the first amendment. Personally, I believe he is allowed free speech, but at the same time is assaulting verbally the mourners at various funerals. His protests are very slanderous also, and he should be held accounatble for them. I am also reading on a book called Wanted, which is fairly mindless, but easy to read. It is a story about an Amish girl, who was wild during her rumspringa, and is now worried that her past will catch up with her. I am only on page 80 in that book so far. I would guess that I have read an hour and a half to two hours, between the articles and the book.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Hearts Afire/Restless Hearts by Marta Perry

Ok, so I know this sounds like a really corny romance book, but it is not all that bad. I aometimes like to read books that I can let my mind wander when I read. It is based in Dutch Pennsylvania and introduces the life of the Amish. Anyhow, it is two stories within one book and, yes, they are both love stories, but they are not too sappy. Overall, a good book, even if lacking a few elements of suspense and mystery. :) The two books combine were 430 pages. It probably took me around 5 hours total to read the two. I would write more but I am off to work and wanted to make sure to have this on here before you check tonight. I can add more later tonight when I get off work.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Bloodroot by Amy Greene

This is a really neat book. It is set in the Appalachian Mountains. The book starts off with two people telling the story in th 1970's, then the next part of the book is two people in 1990 telling the story. So far I am only on the second part of the book. It is mostly about a couple of families who lived in the mountains and how they grew up. The central character of the book is a lady named Myra. Some parts of the book could be difficult to understand for someone who is not strong in reading, because it is written in the dialect of the mountains. I am on page 130 and have read an hour and 45 minutes.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Lucy by Laurence Gonzales

This is a really interesting book. I came upon it by chance and surprised myself by actually enjoying it! I would say this book is science fiction, which is not usually a genre I turn to. It is about a girl who is born in the jungle to a scientist who created her as a hybrid human. She was created with the genes of an ape. Anyhow, her father is killed and another scientist adopts her w/o knowing what she is. They return to the U.S. and the scientist, Jenny, falls in love with the girl like it is her own daughter and realizes her genetic abnormality. Therefore, they decide to keep it a secret in order to avoid crazy scientist and publicity. That obviously does not work out and the resulting mayhem occurs. There is actually a happy ending to the story, so don't be discouraged. It was a good book, not the best, but entertaining enough that I finished it in two days! I am not sure exactly how long it took to read, but I would guess 4 hours or so.  I would give it a 7 out of 10....

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

First Reading Post

Joey Pigza Swallowed The Key, by Jack Gantos
     This was an assigned reading, but I really enjoyed it (I actually read it all at once!). It is a juvenile fiction but the content is suitable for adults, in fact, I think it would be good for more adults to read it. It is a story about a little boy in elementary school who has ADHD. The book is told from his point of view and I feel that it gives wonderful insight into the mind of a child with this type of disability. The book is a little sad in parts because you realize the boy is not getting the kind of help he needs and everyone blames him for the problems he has in school.
     I honestly can't believed that I enjoyed this book so much. I think that I had the impression that since it was juvenile fiction I was not going to enjoy it, but I was completely wrong! I would recommend this book to anyone who plans to spend time around kids, whether they want to teach or not. I read this book all at once, before I could fall asleep I had to finish it, and it took 1hr 40 minutes.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

First Attempt To Blog

Check...1....2....3.....Check.....
Just playing around with this, trying to figure it out. I am definitely not a 'tech' person, so this will be very interesting and educational for me! I have never 'blogged' before, but it sounds fun. : )