Book Blog #20, The Secret Life of Bees, week #2

The Secret Life of Bees                                                                                              by Sue Monk Kidd

Lily meets the out-going sisters, August, May, and June. Lily and Rosaleen instantly feel at home. She learns about religion and life styles she couldn't dream of. From beekeeping to praying, she starts to fit into the wacky lifestyle when a tragedy occurs. It affects everyone in the household. She always wonders about her past, and she ends learning more about it than she ever wanted to know. Her future has been filled with twists and turns, and she wonders how much change needs to take place before Lily can settle down into a normal routine again.


Book Group Assignment Paragraphs
I personally enjoyed this book a lot. I enjoyed how many emotions were conveyed through it, and how much I felt like I know the characters. The other thing that I really like about it is how realistic it is. There were very few parts of it that seemed unrealistic, which make it seem more believable and authentic. The time that the book is set in is portrayed very well, and it is accurate as far as I can tell. This improves the story for me because it makes it seem more realistic and enjoyable. I like that relationships between characters progress really well and realistically. This like I said above, helped the book feel more realistic to me, and made it seem like all of the characters were growing and changing. The style in which the book is written also helps to progress the book, because how people talk and think are written in a similar fashion. The author also put the right amount of thought and length into everything that happened, which paced the book really well.

Even though that all of the main protagonists are female, it is still a good book for boys to read because there is a lot of thought that goes on and interesting discussion topics no matter your gender. This makes it a good book group for anyone because there are so many interesting topics and controversial things in the book. It has a story and history that is important for people to know, because it is about the Civil Rights Act, which is important to learn about.


Warning!! There is a fair amount of profanity used in this book, although most of it makes sense in context, but it is a little excessive at some points. There is also some violence, but it did not hinder the story, but it was realistic.

TBR list
Seveneves   by Neal Stephenson
Side effects may vary   by Julie Murphy
Into thin air   by Jon Kraukauer
Leviathan Wakes   by James A. Corey
Farenheit 451   by Ray Bradbury

Book Blog #19, The Secret Life of Bees, week #1

The Secret Life of Bees                                       by Sue Monk Kidd
Lily Owens has never really known her past only the future. Her mother died when she was young, and she only remembers that it was partly her fault. Her dad, T-Ray has abused her and never acted like a true father. Rosaleen her nanny has been the only kind parental figure in her life for ages. Lily runs away with Rosaleen after she decides she has had enough. She is soon in a new place with only Rosaleen, a place she came to on a whim. She finds a picture of colored Mary, the same picture her mother had. She decides to find the beekeeper who produces the honey, who had to know her mother.


So far I have enjoyed this book quite a bit. One of the things that I really like is that from what I can tell, the author portrays the time really well, and it is detailed and accurate. One of the other parts I like is that it is a unique perspective on the civil rights act. I think that the authors writing style fits the book well. The book is written in the same way that the characters talk, which for me brings me into the story. The story isn't predictable, which I like. I am never expecting what happens next, and it always surprises me when something unexpected occurs. Overall, it is a good book and I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind a bit of foul language.


I would like to do a book group in the genres of Sci-Fi, or fantasy. I would like to do a book group in one of these genres because they are not as often discussed, and I would be interested in hearing other peoples opinions on them.


Warning: There is quite a bit of cussing in this book, but most of it is in context or it suits the character.


TBR list
The Stone Angel     by Margaret Laurence
In the Time of the Butterflies     by Julia Alvarez
Ape House     by Sara Gruen
At the Water's Edge     by Sara Gruen
Roses     by Leila Meacham
We are all Made of Molecules     by Susan Nielsen

My dog, Rhyming poem

Mel

The energetic ball chases across the floor,                                        A
she gives you love, more and more.                                                  A
As desperate as she may seem,                                                          B
her eyes will always start to gleam,                                                   B
as soon as you open the door.                                                            A

After you've been around for a while,                                                A
she slumps down into a great big pile.                                               A
She lies down on the rug,                                                                     B
and she lets you pet her and give her a hug.                                       B

She bolts up into the air,                                                                     X
gains traction on the floor,                                                                 A
lets out a loud bark,                                                                            X
at the stranger at the door.                                                                 A

As you start to rest,                                                                            A
you give her a treat.                                                                           X
She knows that you love her best,                                                     A
a fact that she can never detest.                                                         A

Book Blog #18, Water for Elephants

Water for Elephants                                                                                                           by Sara Gruen
With no money and no family or home, Jacob Jankowski jumps onto a freight train in the dead of night. He soon finds himself in the midst of a busy circus show, trying to find his way. They realize that he will be the shows veterinarian. The show is desperate for anything to get business up, and they buy a "useless" elephant. When Jacob discovers the elephant's talents, it quickly becomes a show stopper. He quickly falls in love with a performer, and his relationships get increasingly more difficult. It is told by a 93 year old Jacob as he recounts his circus days, and as you see where he is now.
I enjoyed this book a lot. The author did a phenomenal job of setting the scene, and I felt like I really knew a lot of the characters. It was a very fast read, and I never got bored. One of the other things that made this a good book was that there were things happening constantly, and that there were always new twists and turns in the plot. I think that the author also new what she was talking about, and it was very realistic. I also think that because it was so vivid it would actually progress the storyline instead of making it drag on and on. One thing I didn't enjoy were the factors of it that definitely made it young-adult literature. They could sometimes hinder the plot and make it harder to read for me. The movie is PG-13, and it is very obvious why to me because it is very much an adult book.

Warning: There is a lot of sex and romance in the book that is described. There are affairs and things like that. There is some amount of violence and gore but it is not terrible. Finally, there is a lot of extensive cursing, to a point where it can sometimes hinder the storyline.

I would like to start reading things that will challenge me more and to start reading more difficult things. I would also like to continue to branch out with the genres of the book I read. I want to start choosing books that are different from each other from week to week. I think that I aspire to get back into the habit of reading a lot more, because I do enjoy books a lot.



TBR list:
The Marvels   by Brian Selznick
The House of The Scorpion   by Nancy Farmer
Fangirl   by Rainbow Rowell
Postcards from no man's land   by Aidan Chambers
2001 a space odyssey   by Arthur C. Clarke

Book Blog #17, The Beast Within (Last book blog post of 2015!)

The Beast Within: A tale of Beauty's Prince                                                            by Serena Valentino

Prince Adam lived a good life. He had servants, money and a castle. Girls swooned over him and he could pick any bride he wanted. He met a young girl named Circe, and he fell in love. When he finds out she is a pig farmer's daughter, he instantly rejects her. Circe and her three sisters come back for revenge. They cast a curse to make sure he can never be human again, and the world will see the judgmental beast he is. The only way to break this curse is to have the kiss of his true love, given and received. The changes are small, but soon everything in his castle haunts him, and no one ventures there any longer. When all hope is lost, Belle arrives.

I enjoyed the book quite a lot, although at some points I would be quite confused. The story was written in segments that would jump around times in his memory. It was a rather fast read, and I rarely got bored with the book, although there was some repetitive ness to it. One thing that I didn't enjoy was that it put a creepy twist on the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast, and I will never think of the movie in the same way. It also changed some parts of the storyline which made it slightly more confusing if they go together.

The prompt I chose for this week is: How did the author create at least one strong character? Describe the character and what you liked about them.

I think that the author did a good job of developing the character of the beast. This is probably because he was the main character, and the book focused on his backstory. I think that one of the reasons that he was such a strong character was that you could feel his emotions strongly in different situations, and you could see how he reacted and thought about things quite clearly. I think another of the interesting things about The beast is that you could see the progression of the curse well and how he changed throughout it.

TBR list:
Water for Elephants   by Sara Gruen
The List   by Siobhan Vivian
Speak   by Laurie Halse-Anderson

Perfect   by Ellen Hopkins

Schizo   by Nic Sheff

Book Blog # 16, Love letters to the dead

Love Letters to the Dead                                                                                                 by Ava Dellaira

Laurel's life has changed quite a bit since her sister May's death. It all starts with the English assignment of writing a letter to  dead person. She writes to Kurt Cobain, May's favorite singer. Her mother moves away and lives the life that the family had always fantasized about. She now has to switch off between her aunt and her dad. She starts to write more and more letters about her new High school experience (She changed High Schools so people wouldn't know about May.) and her friends. She writes about memories of her sister. She slowly starts to except what happened to her sister and to live her new life.

Overall I enjoyed this book quite a bit and t has a good storyline. I like that each chapter the author writes about something different that happened to may, and that there isn't a ton of repetition. he storyline is carried really well throughout and I rarely felt confused about what was happening. I feel like I really know some of the characters and that the author did a good job of making every character have a unique personality.

The prompt I chose: would this be a good movie?

I think that it would be hard to turn into a movie because it is written in letters, and she talks about her thoughts a lot. It could be interesting to do a movie with flashbacks and scenes. It could also be interesting if there were visuals to put with the book and to see the personalities come to life. Overall, I would say that it could only be a movie if it was in a way that fits Ava's writing style.


Warning: There is some language in the book, ad there are sexual references. There is also minor smoking. It wasn't bad, but in parts of it it would get a little overwhelmingly weird.


TBR list

Water for Elephants   by Sara Gruen

Endgame: The Calling   by James Frey, and Nils Johnson Shelton
Speak   by Laurie Halse-Anderson
The List   by Siobhan Vivian
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the galaxy   by Douglas Adams
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time   by Mark Haddon



Book Blog #15, Going Postal, Week #2 (Last school post of 2015!)

Going Postal                                                                                                               By Terry Prattchett

Moist Von Lipwig (Yes, you heard me, Moist) has been a criminal all of his life, (What can he say, he has people skills. Why is it his fault if they mistake glass for diamonds?). When he is caught by the law, he is sentenced to hanging. So he died. But he lived? Apparently trapdoors really are everywhere. When he woke up he was offered two options by the head of Ankh-Morpork, lord Veterinari. A, become the postmaster, or B, go through a unknown door (A giant pit, basically death). He obviously accepts postmaster. When he shows up at the post office, he realizes that it is in a worst condition than he thought. There are letters shoved in every available crevice and hallway, and no letters have been delivered for years. He starts to deliver the mail, and he constantly finds out more things he has to deal with.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It's humor helps to move the storyline along, and it only gets minorly boring several times. It goes by fast, regardless of it's length.The way the book is written also suits the story and topic very well. I think most people in our class would enjoy this book and find it funny. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read a medium length funny book that will go by fast.

TBR list

The Graveyard Book   by Neil Gaiman

The Diary of Anne Frank   by Anne Frank

The elegant Universe   by Brian Greene

The Pact   by Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, Rameck Hunt, and Lisa Frazier Page

Perfect   by Ellen Hopkins

Schizo   by Nic Sheff

I would like to read some of the books that have been on my TBR list for a while like Water for Elephants and Love letters to the Dead over winter break. Pretty much any book that I had on my lists closer to the beginning of the year.

There is only minor cursing (Gabe could read it), and overall it seems pretty clean and like a book anyone in our class could enjoy.