Le Final

Man oh man! It's been a real good couple of weeks for my reading life and It's improved a lot! Had I never taken this class I would of missed out on a lot of good reading! I was introduced to the hunger games, World War Z, a number of Stephen King novels and so many more that I still plan on reading! This class has made me more open and has taught me to really not judge a book by its cover. You don't really know if you'll like a book until you're done reading it because sometimes those last 50 pages make all the difference. I'm really glad I was introduce to this class and it has helped me mature as a reader and as a writer. There is not a doubt in my mind that I will end up using these skills for the rest of my life.

Practice Diction Analysis. The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker

The diction in Nicholson Baker's The Mezzanine is controlled and refined yet it is also business like and precisely figurative. The scenery described is radiant and flowery place yet a bustling hubcap of many different people engrossed in their own business.

World War Z is a MUST for Zombie people

THIS BOOK IS SO FREAKING AMAZING well if you like anything zombie you'll find its amazing... The book is set in post zombie apocalypse era, well at least while its dwindling down. Its told by a reporter or reporters (it doesn't really say) and it interviews people who experienced or had to do with the events that happened from the beginning to the end of the war. And the detail is simply astonishing!  Max Brooks really did think of everything when he wrote this because everything that happens in this book seems like it could happen in real life! If you are a zombie enthusiast like me and have read  the zombie survival guide you can not afford to not read this book!!!

Dexter

So I started reading Dark Dreaming Dexter Which is a novel by Jeff Lindsay and I have to admit its a pretty good read. Well the only problem for me is that whenever I start reading something that has been made into a film I always get side tracked and watch the film first. Dexter is a 6 season show based on this 288 page book and its a really good TV series. I found it really hard to concentrate on the book when I was always watching the TV show instead... I'm finally finished with it though and if you liked the movie The Silence of the Lambs you'll like this book. It Explores the mind of someone who is deranged.

My Sentences of the month

"Some walks you have to take alone" - The Mocking Jay

"I can smell and excellent meal being prepared, but it doesn't block out the odors of mildew and rot" - Catching Flames


"No. He's not crazy. I wish he were. But he isn't"  -The mist







I would have to say that my favorite one of all the sentences so far is the first one from the mocking jay. This sentence just strikes me as very true. I like it.         

Paul Eluard: My Favorite poet so far

Paul Eluard

was  an amazing poet who wrote over seventy books in his life time. I like the poems he wrote after his wife left him (that might seem kinda strange) because they exude a sense of calmness and sorrow. Kind of like he accepted the fact.  

My Favorite Eluard poems:

Absence

A Single Smile

She Looks Into me

You Rise the Water Unfolds

Claims of the Day

Phyllis
[In this scene from Vincent van Gogh's Cafe Terrace at Night , his colorful and exciting use of setting, busy but pleasant mood, and inviting cozy buildings]
 portrays [a sense of playful benevolence and lighthearted liveliness.]
Noodles
This dance battle shows a magical setting, energetic choreography, vibrant attire, and upbeat sound that captivates the crowd and all who watch.
Lucky
Emerson's chubby cheeks, varying moods, and melodic giggles highlight the sincere, playful, and cheerful innocence of children.
Lake, Kyle
In this picture of lightning striking the Serengeti you are overwhelmed by it's explosive power, seductive presence, and docile setting which creates a sense of euphoria, fear, and loneliness.
As Told By Ginger
The music group Ok GO and dance group Pilobolus' smooth and elegant costumes along with the modern aspects of movement portray the lyrically pleasant mood of the collaboration in the music video.


My Favorite one is the one by Lake, Kyle. I Like it because I find his use of words good and I could see myself writing something Similar to this. 

The Greatest Freak out Ever Video Observation

4 Categories 

• Reaction
• Setting
• Actions
• Voice 

12 or More words to describe video

• Dark
• grotesque 
• strange
• unusual
• famous
• puzzled
• wild
• crooked
• Amusing
• Comical
• ridiculing 
• Whimsical
• shocking
• cynical
• Exaggerated

Claim

In this shocking yet comically amusing video we observe an unusually grotesque reaction to some news that set a strange wild boy into a mystifying tangent of caterwauling violently. 

My conclusion to the Hunger Games seris

The Hunger Games Is an enthralling series that has you on the edge of your seat till the very end. This is perhaps one of the best and well written book series I have ever read. Many people will argue that the end wasn't that good but I will argue against that. It wouldn't seem right to end it any other way. That's as much as I can say without revealing too much and giving out spoilers. However It would of been nice if Collins would of given more information about what happens at the end. Its a very good read and I would recommend this book series to people of all ages and backgrounds.
          Okay so this is kinda sad that I just now made this association but this futuristic/ post apocalyptic world that Katniss lives in reminds me a LOT of ancient Rome. The Games reminds me of the Colosseum and how gladiators were forced to fight to the death for the public entertainment. Also how at the big party/feast there is a room where people go to puke so they can eat more. This is something that was common in ancient Rome. I think maybe one of the underlying themes is that history tends to repeat itself. Humans make the same mistakes over and over again, we never learn.

currently....

I am currently reading The Skeleton Crew by Stephen king  and Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

Pages read this week: 120


Pages read this semester: 1733


Favorite sentences this week:

"Don't go out there, It's death out there" - The mist

"A tentacle came up over the far lip of concrete loading platform and grabbed norm by the calf" - The mist

"No. He's not crazy. I wish he were. But he isn't"  -The mist


My favorite one bye far is the last one. The reason I like it so much is because when I read it all that I could think about was that line in the movie. Its a really deep kinda moment and it for some reason stuck out to me a lot in the movie... and in the book. Maybe because the guy that says it was Ollie who is this short pudgy store clerk with glasses and he stands up for him even though the contenders are a lot bigger then he is. And the tone he says it in is just serious and honest and you cant help but be on his side.

Where I am so far in The Mocking Jay... The hunger Games Seris

Okay So I'm practically done with the last installment of the series... and so far.. I think its a good read! It started out painfully slow and not that good of a read but its grown on me. Sure there is a lot of emotional indecisive and all that boring stuff that comes with the territory but overall its pretty good. Up until the last couple of chapters there really wasn't much action and now I'm swimming in it. A lot of pretty cool things hapen and its enough to keep me going and reading. This is a really good series and a must read... Well I guess my next post will have my conclusion on the whole series.. Signing off...

I'm an awkward penguin

Okay so I can sometimes strongly identify with Awkward penguin... Here are some examples of what sometimes happens

Currently...

Currently reading: Mocking Jay
Books finished this week: Catching Fire

Pages Flipped this week: 385

Total Pages this semester: 839

Suzanne Collings ripped off George Lucas!!!!!!!! The Hunger Games seris.

       So I Finally Finnish  reading the second installment in the Hunger Games series, Catching Fire. It Starts out Kind of slow and not too much happens although there are some quizzical moments. The story moves right along though and just as you think you know what's going to happen, you don't. Twist after twist after turn there is no end of heart stopping moments in this book. It really is a good read. Just a one thing bugged/amused me.

             SUZANNE COLLINS RIPPED OFF GEORGE LUCAS?!?!?!?!?!?!? Yea I know that sounds preposterous right? Usually when you think of Star wars Katniss killing off some 14 year olds with a bow doesn't come to mind...  But there is a part in the book where (Spoiler alert kinda but not a big one) Gale says "I love you" to Katniss and she responds with "I Know". Does anyone remember a little movie called The Empire strikes back? In that movie at one point the heroine of the story says "I love you" to one of the main protagonists of the story and he returns her gesture with "I know". This is one of the most famous movie lines in history (at least in my eyes) so I doubt she didn't realize what she was doing. I guess Suzanne Collins is just a star wars fan... May the force be with you.

My Favorite Sentence this week...

"Some walks you have to take alone" - The Mocking Jay

The accuracy behind this sentence is why I like it so much. Its true, some things no matter how much support or friends or even family you have, sometimes you have to face things alone. Whether it be because you have to or because there is no other way... It's true. Although Human beings are social creatures we all face things that require us to face them alone. When we face those things alone, that's when we grow.

Favorite Sentences this week

"I begin to weary of this vastness, the endless of this place" -Catching Flames

"I can smell and excellent meal being prepared, but it doesn't block out the odors of mildew and rot" - Catching Flames

"I didn't know him but I always respected him" - Catching Flames


My favorite sentence of those three is the first one. Probably because Ive been in landscapes that resemble the one she is talking about. Open plains that extend for as far as the eye can see. You get a real hopelessness and you begin to feel that it goes on for forever and it'll never end. Its one of the worst feelings you can experience, to be trapped in a vast place that never seems to come to an end.

this week

I  finished reading: The Hunger Games
I'm Reading: Catching flames
Pages flipped :454

The Hunger games seris Part two

So this week I started reading Catching flames from the hunger games series and I'm currently only 80 pages in. I have to admit though so far its kind of boring. A lot of it have been just about emotions and all that kinda crap. It reminds me that this book was definitely written by a girl beacuse its really emotional lol. I'm kind of pre judging though because i'm still very early in the book. I have high hopes for this book and I hope I'm not let down.

Reaction to The Hunger Games

                     To start off let me tell you to go no further if you don't want any spoilers... I'm going to try not to spoil anything for people that haven't read this amazing book yet but what can I say it happens. This book is really pulling and once it has you in its grip it doesn't let go. I actually read 98% of this book on the same day throughout the day because of how into the story I was. Although it doesn't really pick up until about page 138, once it gets there you're pretty much hooked. But don't get me wrong the book is very interesting before that too. Its really neat to hear about their world, which is supposed to be in the future after the fall of North America. there are few privileged citizens and everyone else is basically in poverty. The Capitol, which is where are the privileged citizens live, is full of luxuries and has futuristic technologies while everywhere else people are starving and still rely on hunting for food and coal for heat... Kinda reminds me of something... hmmm.... Maybe First  world countries and third world countries?? Yea I think that's it.
                     The basic plot of this book is a Girl who lives with her mom and her sister volunteers to participate in the hunger games in order to take her sisters place. The Hunger games is basically a match to the death played in a gigantic outdoor arena full of obstacles. The games can take as much time as is needed for all the contestants except one to die. There are no rules. The Capitol chooses a teenage boy and girl between the ages of 12-18 from each of the 12 districts. Katniss which is the protagonist of the story, must fight in the hunger games to stay alive and make it back home to take care of her family since her father died long ago.
                      Overall this book is pretty amazing and is enthralling. I recommend it to anyone with spare time or who just loves a good read. I'm now making my way through the second installment of this book so expect a reviewish type thing on that soon!

My first post

 This whole blog thing is new to me and although I know what they are and how they work it still seems awkward. The idea of posting your thoughts and feelings online in one concentrated spot where people can come and go to read them seems so strange to me. Everyone formulates opinions and has thoughts over subject matter but few people actually know how to express it. I don't consider myself one of these people who can just type or write their feelings and make it seem natural or fun to read. I always have these random ideas and think wow I should write this down because its really smart or I think my opinion over a particular subject is pretty  well thought out and constructive, but I never end up sharing it with anyone. Maybe because even though I say to myself that it is a good idea in reality I know it might not be or I'm just afraid that someone has already said what I have to say or that someone else will be able to contradict my opinion and make me look foolish. I really don't know why I always end up holding back but I guess this Blog will be a way for me to give my thoughts and what I feel about the stuff I read. Thanks for taking the time to read my rambling.