No Easy Day by "Mark Owen"

My history research project is over Al Qaeda and the death of Osama bin Laden. You're probably thinking: What exactly does this have to do with your reading blog?

WELL LET ME TELL YOU.

You see, I have a book called No Easy Day about the mission that killed Osama bin Laden.

Needless to say, I decided to read it, mostly because I wanted to, but partially so I could have a valid excuse to read when I should be doing my homework. ("This is my homework, Mom!")

Anyways, I have a couple of things to say about this book, the first being, WHY ARE THERE SO MANY ACRONYMS?

SEAL
CIA
DEVGRU
BUD/S
CQB
PT
SCUBA
JSOC
SAW
HAHO
OCD
EOT
GROM
AC
SOAR
EOD
HSAC
PKM
RPG
IED
RECCE
FOB
SHOT
SSE
EKIA
JOC
NATO
UBL
VIP
CPDD
NVG
IR
FRIES
QRF

And the list goes on.

I'll give you some time to take in the overwhelming amount of acronyms.

The next thing is something that I like. It was really easy to understand. No crazy big words, or crazy amount of characters. The author explains everything vary clearly and I never felt confused. It's also written in simple terms and you can tell the author did this purposefully so that the reader didn't feel in the dark about anything.

Anyways, you should try it out.

PLOT TWIST.

Rarely do I find myself gasping after reading a line in a book. But with Unremembered by Jessica Brody, gasping was a regular occurrence.

I don't think I ever even understood what a plot twist was until I read this book. Most books are just a little bit predictable, to the point where even if something unexpected occurs, it's not shocking. 

This plot twist was shocking. Like, gasping worthy.

So, what the heck is a plot twist? 

I think it's when an author leads you in one direction, and then suddenly takes a 180 degree turn and all the sudden you're facing a completely different direction and you are shocked.

In this book, Brody had me facing straight ahead. I just knew what was going to happen. 

But then, out of no where, one line changed everything.

I don't want to spoil the book, but I'll share this one line and explain how this line turned me 180 degrees.

"They are exactly the same. They are both written by my hand."

You probably just read that and you were like, "Yeah, great." BUT YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS MEANS.

(Spoiler Alert)

Quick Summary: Violet finds herself floating in the ocean, being the only survivor of a plane crash. She doesn't remember a thing from her past. She is placed with foster parents until her family claims her and her memory returns. But she keeps seeing this guy everywhere, and she feels like she knows him. Then she finds a note in the pocket of her clothes she was wearing on the plane. It says, "Trust him." She then writes out the words, "Trust him." in her own handwriting and...IT'S THE SAME HANDWRITING.

It probably doesn't sound that astonishing, but it was so astonishing. I had a mini heart attack.

Read this book. I want you to have a mini heart attack too.

Ender's Game and Late Nights Reading

I began reading Ender's Game by Orson Scott yesterday while biting into my afternoon apple and I was a little surprised. It's really good. Science Fiction isn't really my thing. I don't normally like to give summaries of books on here, but I just have to give you a little sneak peek:

Ender is a 6 year-old boy in a futuristic society, where aliens have invaded earth once and the humans won, but only because they had a great military leader. But that military leader has died now, and they need a new one just in case the aliens come back again. Current military leaders choose Ender and are determined to make him the best military leader of all time. 

Ender while being trained to be Earth's next leader in the 2013 movie.

I know, it sounds a little silly. Like, aliens? Really? But its fabulous. Its great. I can't even handle all its awesomeness, for the following reasons:

First, this author knows how to write. The plot advances perfectly and keeps the reader fully engaged. On Saturday night, I literally held my eyelids open at midnight because I just couldn't stop reading, even if I was half asleep. I've never been that intent on continuing to read past midnight before. I have a strict no-reading-past-midnight-no-matter-how-much-you-like-the-book rule. Turning the light off at 11:58 is a common occurence when reading a good book for me, but past midnight!?

I just couldn't stop.

And this kid is 6 years-old. I can count the number of books I've read with a main character this young on one hand. Actually one finger. (I've only one other book like that.) I think that's really interesting because most books are about people in an age that people remember being. The only thing I remember about being six is like making kool-aid popsicles and reading picture books sitting on my mom's lap.

 He demonstrates Ender's outstanding intelligence through depicting Ender's thought process in an advanced way. You almost forget that Ender is a six year-old. Orson Scott writes, "Then he settled down to the serious business of designing a security system on his own desk, since the safeguards built into the system were obviously inadequate." (52) I think he really demonstrates how intelligent Ender is even at six years-old, because he thinks that the system was "obviously inadequate." Scott's diction choice really creates a certain personality for Ender that demonstrates how unique he is, especially at Ender's young age.

I hope you consider giving Ender's Game a try, and I hope you end up holding your eyelids open at midnight so you can keep reading.

A little change in genres

Fiction is usually my genre. But recently I've been doing a little nonfiction reading with Quiet, The Tipping Point, and Forensics. Quiet and The Tipping Point are more persuasive pieces of writing, and Forensics was informative and more fact based.

I really enjoyed reading these books. Which sounds weird, because they don't have a climax or characters, but they do have something that fiction doesn't. 

The author is talking to YOU. And this is really cool because in fiction, the author is writing about another person, and the reader plays no part in the story. But in nonfiction, the author is specifically trying to persuade you, so they are deliberately trying to relate to you and make you understand.

In fiction, you are part of a third person party and aren't involved with the characters. The book doesn't call you to action or bring your attention to certain issues. Nonfiction is straight forward and is more interactive for the reader. It really pushes your thought process and causes some deep-thinking.

So I highly recommend taking a break from the fiction books we all love so dearly, and try something new: nonfiction. 

Allegiant.

So. I read Allegiant.

And we all know what happens at the end of Allegiant....

(Spoiler Alert)

TRIS DIES.

I'm sorry, I just need to beat up Veronica Roth right now.

Dear Miss Roth,

I'm sorry if I'm being rude, but um, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! Who do you think you are that you can just kill Tris. Tris is unbeatable, strong, courageous...immortal... and you just let her get shot? It wasn't even a very spectacular death! She just got shot. By some random flat, static character. And does anyone really remember what Tris died for? Shouldn't she have died taking a bullet for Tobias while fighting for their life together or something like that? No, Tris just dies because she doesn't want like a hundred people to die? That is not a good enough reason for of all people, TRIS, to die.

That's all.

Sincerely,

Erin Drake


Okay. So. Let's just talk about Allegiant for a little bit.

It was good.

But it definetly wasn't spectacular or amazing or even great.

Just good.

I must say, I am very disappointed.

First of all, I didn't like Tobia's voice. I felt like he sounded too much like Tris, and I wasn't able to deferentiate between the two. If an author has two perspectives in a novel, the voices should be totally different. I also really didn't like how information was shoved down my throat after Tris escaped from the city. The whole idea of GP's and GD's was cool, I just didn't like how it was thrown in my face.

And lastly, I did not like the ending.

All I wanted was a nice harry-potter-style epilouge of Tris and Tobias living in a perfectly normal world twenty years in the future with three kids. That's all I wanted! But I guess books can't really completely satisfy you unless you write it yourself.

Books vs. Movies

It seems like the credits for every movie these days include the phrase, "Based on the novel by...".

 And that's great. I really like it when books turn into movies. I think it gives you a whole new view of the book from the perspective of the director.

 But something about the image I have in my head and the image on screen just clash. Maybe it's the setting that doesn't quite seem right, or maybe the tone of voice a character has while delivering my favorite line that just makes me cringe a little.

Let me explain what I mean, taking Veronica Roth's Divergent as an example.

So there's this place called "The Pit". If you've read the book you know what I'm talking about. It's like the gym for the Dauntless, where they have fights and learn to throw knives and enjoy lots of other safe activities (sarcasm).

"The Pit"

Anyways, Roth didn't go into a ton of detail about what this place looked like, so it was up to me, the reader, to conjure up an image of it in my head. And I took a while thinking up this particular background, and it was sweet.

But I can't remember what it looked like.

And its because of that dang movie! As soon as I saw what "The Pit" looked like in the movie, the image I had in my head disappeared! I can't even tell you how disappointed I am about this.

The same thing happened in the Hunger Games. I had a vivid image of what Katniss looked like, and then the next time I read The Hunger Games, Jennifer Lawrence will replace my Katniss.

After discovering this, I've concluded that movies have deteriorated  my imagination. But of course I won't do anything about this, because we all love movies too much to stop watching them. That would be ridiculous.

First Impressions: The Husband's Secret

Based on a recommedation (thanks Ally) I began reading The Husband's Secret. *cue dramatic music*

The front flap is what first attracted me to this book. It reads, "Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that this letter contains his deepest, darkest secret - something with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive." *cue more dramatic music*

I think the cover and summary of a book are seriously important to my decision about whether or not I will read the book. I most definately judge a book by its cover (and front flap). The summary of a book should give just enough information to hook the reader, but not spoil anything. I think this summary is perfect because as the reader starts the book, they are waiting in agonizing suspense to see what this letter is about. Now, I'm on page 25, and I still haven't learned what's in the letter and I can't wait to go home and read to figure it out.

Characterization of Jane

Now having read a whopping sixty-eight pages of Jane Eyre, I feel like I need to discuss, well, Jane Eyre.

Jane is a very adeqqate and intelligent ten-year old orphan. She narrarates the story with a specific voice of innocence and wonder, while still revealing her intellectual and unique side as she desribes her day-to-day struggles as a peculiar child

“No sight so sad as that of a naughty child," he began, "especially a naughty little girl. Do you know where the wicked go after death?"

"They go to hell," was my ready and orthodox answer.

"And what is hell? Can you tell me that?"

"A pit full of fire."

"And should you like to fall into that pit, and to be burning there for ever?"

"No, sir."

"What must you do to avoid it?"

I deliberated a moment: my answer, when it did come was objectionable: "I must keep in good health and not die.”
 
I can only imagine the look of shock on this man's face and perhaps giggles from observers as Jane objects with, "I must keep in good health and not die."  I think this exerpt is very telling as to who Jane is. Intelligent, witty and mature even at such a young age. Throughout the story, Jane's voice tells more and more about her in between the lines. For example, Jane never says that she is intelligent, but through her language and references, I can infer that she is very intelligent.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

In an attempt to expand my reading horizons, I have decided to read a book that scares me very much. The very essence of boring, the puts-you-to-sleep-in-a-moment book:

Jane Eyre.

How do you even pronounce Eyre? Like air? Or maybe Ire? I will never know...

Anyways, recently I've been reading a heck of a lot of teen fiction, all of which are far below my reading level, and as much as I love reading in size 16 font, I need something a little more challenging. So I am taking upon myself a very daunting task, that is, of reading the one and only, Jane Eyre.

I just started it yesterday, while sitting on my bed, doing nothing particular, I just reached over and took it from my book shelf. I opened up to the first page, and nearly collapsed.

"A small breakfast-room adjoined the drawing-room. I slipped in there. It contained a book-case: I soon possessed myself of a volume, taking care that it should be one stored with pictures. I mounted into the window-seat: gathering up my feet, I sat cross-legged, like a Turk; and, having drawn the red moreen curtain nearly close, I was shrined in double retirement."

Oh my goodness...

This woman is obnoxious! Couldn't she have just easily have said, "I went to the corner and read a book with a curtain around me."? I don't even know what to think. I'm still only on page 2.

So here's my topic for today. Do authors really need this much description and does it really benefit the story?

After reading many reviews on Jane Eyre, I noticed one of the main reasons people loved this book, was that they felt like they were in the story, standing right next to Jane. Maybe when Jane describes the red moreen curtain and and the position of her legs as she reads her novel with pictures, the reader feels closer to Jane, and through this small passage, we learn just a little more about Jane and how she sees the world. For example, we know now that Jane pays close attention to detail, and that she enjoys reading, but also enjoys looking at pictures. We know Jane doesn't care very much what people think, because she sits in a very not lady-like manner and reads a book when others are in her company.

Though the next several days may be very painful for me, I hope Jane Eyre teaches me a little bit about attention to detail.

Why I Chose to Read Beauty's Daughter by Carolyn Meyer

I recently picked up Beauty's Daughter and decided to give it a try because of one of my favorite books, Nobody's Princess, is set in the same time period and involves the same characters. I also enjoyed the female protagonist and felt as though her struggles as a teenager were relatable even though it is set in a different time period. Reading the synopsis in the front flap, I felt the same mood present in Nobody's Princess. The following themes were present: rebellion against tradition, beauty, and history within a fictional story. I also found I enjoyed reading the prologue and felt the figurative language helped me to understand the text and give me ideas for my own writing. I found examples of the figurative even within the first several chapters, and it influences my decision greatly on whether to continue reading or not.

One line that stood out to me was: "She shrugged her splendid shoulders." I identified the alliteration and I think it brings a ring to the line and helps it to "flow" through the reader's head. It also illustrates a lot of the relationship between Hermione and her mother. This book is written in first person, so Hermione is talking. I think we can hear a bit of envy in the voice of Hermione, which helps us understand the character of Helen and also Hermione. The way the  author used the word shrugged, implies a casual conversation, but the word splendid, describes how Helen makes every movement seem graceful and full of beauty. The fact that Hermione said this, shows how she admires her mother, but through this quote, "There was some diagreement about whether she went willingly or if the prince abducted her. Knowing my mother, I would not be surprised if it was her idea...Its something she would do." We hear the resentment in Hermione's voice here, which helps us to hear a tone of first in my first quote presented. So, when Hermione talks about her mother's "splendid shoulders", she is not really admiring her, she is envying her. Hermione applies her displeasure toward her mother through compliements but with a nasty tone of voice.

Needless to say, I have really enjoyed reading the figurative language throughout this book, and find figurative language to influence the mood and allow the reader to completely comprehend what is going on; how the characters feel, how they feel about other characters, and the list goes on and on. This is what I found attracted me to this book.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Today I will be analyzing the first few paragraphs and last few paragraphs and how they relate to the plot and theme of a book. A line in the beginning of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" that I found to relate most to the theme reads, "The widow Douglas took me for her son, and allowed she would silvilize me.." And a line at the end reads, "Aunt Sally, she's going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can't stand it. I been there before." 

The theme of this book is Society has corrupted the term "civilize" to oppose moral values. Huckleberry Finn realizes this throughout the book and decides his own standards will oppose that of society because he believes what is deemed civilized is in fact, quite the opposite. In the beginning, widow Douglas has taken Huckleberry Finn as her son and civilizes him based on Society's standards and in the end, Aunt Sally plans on civilizing Huck but Huck mentions he has dealt with what Society calls civilized and what he calls civilized and has made up his mind as to what is right.  

Why I Chose to Read Dark Shore by Kevin Emerson

What orginally drew me to the Atlanteans series was the synopsis on the back which reads, "In the year 2086, Camp Eden promises summer “the way things used to be,” back before the oceans rose, the sun became a daily enemy, and modern civilization sank into chaos. Located inside the EdenWest BioDome, the camp is an oasis of pine trees, cool water, and rustic charm. But all at Camp Eden is not what it seems. No one will know this better than 15-year-old Owen Parker. A strange underwater vision, even stranger wounds on Owen’s neck, and a cryptic warning from the enchanting lifeguard Lilly hint at a mystery that will take Owen deep beneath Lake Eden and even deeper into the past. What he discovers could give him the chance to save the tattered planet. But first, Owen will have to escape Camp Eden alive…"

 I think the year 2086 caught my eye because I'm very interested in futuristic dystopian novels. Also I am attracted to book where the main character is discovering who they are throughout the book. In this novel, Owen Parker is dicovering that he is a Atlantean and has special powers. I enjoy also when there in a little romance ina novel, and this synopsis suggests that.

Chapter 26 of Divergent by Veronica Roth

I find the most important line in a chapter is often the last line in the chapter. Authors frequently foreshadow what will happen next and give the perspective of a character as it relates to what happened in that chapter specifically. On page 301, the last line of chapter 26 is "It will never happen again." Let me explain what has happened in this chapter to make this line important.

Tris is staying in the Abnegation headquarters. A simulation has arose and some people have been influenced to do things they wouldn't have done otherwise if they were not under the simulation. Specifically, Al (one of Tris's friends) has died. I believe this angers Tris to say that it will never happen again because she is angry that yet another person has died because of the simulations. This also foreshadows in the later chapters that she may attempt to stop this from happening again. It shows her anger and passion toward the Erudite, and perhaps motivation to thwart the next attack.

Veronica Roth

I am currently reading Insurgent by Veronica Roth and am so in love with the book, I couldn't help but be curious about the author. Roth has so far written three books, Divergent, Insurgent and Allegiant. These books are very popular and the most recent booke came out October 2013. Roth was born in New York to a painter and three siblings.Her grandparents were concentration camp survivors and I think this may have inspired some aspects of her books.

Roth is only 22 years old and has already written three very popular books, and sold to film rights to make a movie. She began writing while going to college in Northwestern University. She admits to having neglected her homework to write her book, Divergent. Divergent became an instant bestseller when Harper Teen printed 200,000 copies. I think it is very important and helpful if a reader knows about the author, it helps establish a relationship with the author throughout the book, to understand how they write and their circumstances to better understand the piece.

The Best Thing About My Book

I just recently started reading Here After by Kate Brian. I'm about half way through and so far I have really enjoyed it. The thing I like most about this book is the figurative language. I think figuarative language is so important in a book because it allows to reader to get a vivid image in their about what is going on and so they can understand the characters, setting, and plot of the book.

 Here's an example of imagery I found in my book that I think portrays a lot and helps the reader visualize. " The foyer was huge and silent, lit dimly in the morning sun. The floors were a dark, polished wood, and matching wainscoting reached halfway up the walls. The decor was impeccable but impersonal, the nap of a deep red Turkish rug was all swept in one direction, as if recently vacuumed. One perfect orchid in a gold vase sat atop a gleaming hall table. The walls were a warm, creamy white, bare of any photographs or portraits, aside from a landscape painting of Juniper Landind's town hall." (Brian 71-72) This has so much imagery and I definately think a picture was painted in the reader's head as they read that. I think in out writing, we can all include more detail about the setting, so the reader can imagine exactly what it going on and there is  no confusion.