Book Blog #9, Paper Things

Paper Things                                                                                              by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
Ari Hazzard left her adopted home with her brother, and has been dealing with poverty ever since. Gage, her brother, has taken care of her cares for her quite a lot, but he cannot provide a stable home. She jumps from shelter to shelter, always trying to stay on top of school, while having to deal with rough friendships. Her paper things are the only things that give her comfort as she is dealing with all of her emotions. She struggles with making friends and how she will tell them about her homelessness.

I would recommend this book to Maia, because even though it is not fantasy, there is still a lot of meaning behind it, and there are a lot of emotions in the book. I think she would enjoy thinking about the decisions in the book that Ari makes. Other than that, I think that most of the people in our class would enjoy this if they want a fast and easy read that will make them think. I would also recommend this to anyone who wants to think about homelessness in a different way.

TBR list
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
The Doldrums by Nichlolas Gannon
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

Book Blog #8, The Martian

The Martian                                                               by Andy Weir

Mark Watney's crew abandoned him on mars, after they thought he was dead. He starts to figure out solutions for food, and rescue. Every time that something could go wrong, it does. The tides are turned against Mark, but he wont give up. He starts to figure out how to live, and get things done. Against all odds, will he be able to survive until rescue?


In this book, there is some symbolism even though it is not super obvious. I think one of the first symbolistic parts is when the China National Space Administration give up the Taiyang Shen just to help mark. It is symbolistic because it shows the good side of people, the side that helps others. I think that there are a lot of parts in the book that have a similar meaning, because there are always people on earth that are trying to help him. For instance, the media is rallying for him and his cause, and most of the people in the world care about him.

There is quite a bit of profanity used in this book, but I liked it nonetheless.
TBR list

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

The Doldrums by Nicholas Gannon

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Book Blog #7, Flowers for Algernon, week 2

Flowers for Algernon                                                                                                     by Daniel Keyes
Charlie Gordon has always had a low I.Q. He has always wanted to just be normal. When he gets offered the chance to go through an experiment that could possibly raise his I.Q., he is eager to partake. His intelligence skyrockets, and he finds out that social life just gets more complicated. He has to deal with difficult friendships, and even harder realizations about life.

I would recommend this book for another book group, mainly because it makes you think about topics like how you judge people, and what the world would be like if everyone became super smart. For me, it made me think about how I treat others, and the social repercussions of your actions to others. I also think that this is a good book group book because there are a lot of sections where it is open for interpretation, and it is interesting to hear other peoples opinions. This book would also be good for individual reading because it will still make you think about most of the same things.

There is a fair amount of romance, and minor language.
TBR list
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time   by Mark Haddon
Water for Elephants   by Sara Gruen
The Night Circus   by Erin Morgenstern
Endgame: The Calling   by James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton
Fahrenheit 451   by Ray Bradbury

Book Blog #6, Flowers For Algernon, week 1

Flowers for Algernon                                                                                                     by Daniel Keyes
Charlie Gordon has always has had an unnaturally low I.Q. He has just learned to live with his life and his friends. When he gets offered an opportunity to under-go an operation that has the potential to make him into a genius, and more than double his I.Q., he is eager to accept. A mouse named Algernon has the same surgery, and they start to guess what is going to happen to Charlie, based off of Algernon's results. Charlie slowly starts to become smarter, and starts maturing both emotionally and academically. He starts having emotional relationships and has to figure them out. Follow him as he winds his way around the corners of the maze that is life.
For me, this is a great book. It has a really interesting storyline that has a realistic feeling to it, which makes the book more enjoyable. You also get pulled into Charlie's emotional life, and how he is growing emotionally. I found how his relationships with people change to be one of the most interesting parts because it makes you think about real relationships and how they would change, if someone suddenly became drastically smarter.

There is some romance, and minor language. Overall, it isn't bad.
TBR list
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
The Martian by Andy Weir
Endgame: The Calling by James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton
Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

Book Blog #5, Salt and Stone

Salt and Stone                                                                                                                By Victoria Scott


Tella has already endured the first two sections of the brimstone bleed. She has only come this far to save her brother, and she hopes that he will stay motivation enough for her too complete the final challenges. She can't tell if she and her companions are growing closer together, or farther apart. She is slowly running out of time and strength. Can she make it to the finish line?

For me, this was only a okay book, but close to a great book, because there were some really interesting details in it, but then it would start to get slower, which released some of the tension that was building. Although I did enjoy the book, and it kept me interested. The ending was okay, but it seemed like the author was running out of ideas on good endings. I enjoyed the first book, Fire and Flood, more than I did this one, but it was still good.

There is quite a bit of romance, but nothing else.


TBR
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Endgame: The Calling by James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton
The Martian by Andy Weir
Paper Things by Jennifer Jacobson

Book Blog #4, 1984

1984                                                                                                                 By George Orwell
Winston Smith grew up before the revolution, but lives after with no recollection of his past. He lives in the new world, but he doesn't agree with all of their policies and is curious about his past. The thought police can catch you no matter what, because they can monitor your thoughts. Children are willing to turn their own parents in to the thought police if they see suspicious behavior. Winston has thoughts against the lifestyle, but to think them could be life risking. Will he follow what he thinks is right?

"On each landing, opposite the lift shaft, the poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. Big Brother  Is Watching You, the caption beneath it read."
I like this line because it was at the beginning of the book and it helped me to understand what the book is about. it also really helped me to understand where they were living and what it was like. It helped me understand what their communities in general are like, and it also tells me about what they believe.
There is quite a bit of romance, and very minor language.

TBR list
Salt and Stone by Victoria Scott
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira
The night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Remember, Big Brother is always watching.

Book Blog #3, Fire and Flood

Fire and Flood                                                                                                               By Victoria Scott

Tella Holloway was forced by her parents to live in the middle of nowhere. According to her mom, the fresh air would be good for her brother. He has been sick with a curious illness for what seems like forever. One day, a small blue box appears on her bed. What the earpiece says could change her life forever. She is invited to join in a race for "the cure" to save her brother. She has to go through the jungle, desert, sea, and mountains, and she has to beat the other contenders. Her parents seem anxious to destroy the earpiece, but she will do anything to save her brother, no matter what.
I think the author did a really good job with the main character Tella. I think that because throughout the book you can really see how her comfort zone grows, and you can also see how she realizes that she can do more than she thought she could. I also like her as a character because you learn so much about how she used to live, and how different things affect her.

"I spent more time with my family in the last nine months here than I did in ten years living in Boston. And as it turns out, my people are pretty awesome."
To me this sentence shows character growth because it is her looking back before she leaves, and changing her perspective on the move from Boston. It also shows that she is realizing that she was taking her family for granted.
This book has a bit of romance.

TBR list
Fahrenheit 451 by ray Bradbury
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Salt and Stone by Victoria Scott