Christmas Books

My parents have gone hog wild getting me books this Christmas.

The highlights of my books are:

Tris's Book by Tamora Pierce

The Will of the Empress by Tamora Pierce

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

The Magician by Michael Scott

The Mediator, Book One, Shadowland (I think) by Meg Cabot

Climbing the Stairs by someone with a long last name I don't remember

Piratica by someone else I don't remember

The Will of the Empress was my book of choice for most of the first car trip I took this week - the ten and half hour drive to Memphis. I also read the Magician then. On the way back (which took eleven and a half hours), I read The Lost Hero, Man in the Moon Marigolds, and finished At Home in Mitford. Both times, I got a massive headache from reading in the car, but it was worth it.

Man in the Moon Marigolds - Done!

I finished Man in the Moon Marigolds - finally. It took a long car ride, but it's done (I was procrastinating). I enjoyed the end a whole lot better than the beginning. The first act, I was really confused. Then I finished it and reread the first act, and it made so much more sense.

I think Tillie was completely sane, just a little eccentric, but I'm worried for her sister Ruth and Beatrice. Beatrice is really mean, really weird, and I think she may be an alcoholic. I think that Ruth picked up some of her mother's crazies. Her seizures could be a problem, too. Though, her seizures could be a way for her to get attention from her mother. I loved the ending, what Tillie said about the atom.

Somehow, it was easier to read on my bedroom floor than a highway in the middle of Illinois, but it was a lot more interesting compared to the view out my window.

Break Reading

It's unfortunate to say I haven't finished Man in the Moon Marigolds yet - I'm saving it for the twelve hour car ride to Memphis (and of course the twelve hours back). However, I did finish The Immortal Fire by Anne Ursu, the last in the Cronus Chronicles. It was very, very good. However, there's such a twist in the end that I can't tell much about it without revealing anything. I can say that it has to do with the Promethean Flame, the future of humanity, and can be interpreted two different ways (kind of like the Life of Pi).

I am reading At Home in Mitford (by Jan Karon) currently, and I still haven't finished Mariel of Redwall. At Home in Mitford is the first of a series about an Episcopalian priest named Father Tim. My mom and I were talking about it on Sunday (she's loaning me the book). Father Tim is a bachelor who lives in the church rectory, and manages to get himself in the middle of everything in the small town of Mitford.

Plays for Reading and Seeing

As of Act One, I'm enjoying the Marigolds play, even though it has one of the longest acronyms known to PATH students. TEOGROMITMM - The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man - In - the Moon Marigold. If you know longer acronyms, comment. I like Tillie best so far, but I also like Nanny. I really dislike Beatrice - I don't think she acts like a mother at all, and she whines too much. Ruth is a little confusing - is she crazy, or not? This is one of the first times I remember reading a play straight through, but I think I'll enjoy it. Can't say yet, though.

A play to see: A Christmas Carol, 24th year. It's in downtown Saugatuck, at the Saugatuck Woman's Club on the corner of Hoffman and Butler streets. This Sunday and next Sunday at 7 PM, next Friday at 8 PM, and next Saturday at 2PM and 8PM. I am not in it, but I know almost everyone in it thanks to my stepdad, who has played Scrooge every year. Really really awesome - $10 night tickets, $7 matinees. I'll be there tonight (second time this year) and next Sunday.

This Crazy Week

I have a complaint - only one person beside myself answered my poll. Sheesh, people! It's to the right of this in the window. It says POLL!

What I've been reading:

Mariel of Redwall by Brian Jacques. So far, I like it. Not to the point of obsessiveness (like with Harry Potter), but I like it. It's the fourth in the Redwall series, which is a series revolving around an abbey full of mice. Not just mice, either, but rats, badgers, wild cats, otters, voles, moles, and other woodland creatures. It's kind of like a cross between Watership Down and Warrior Cats, except with mice and rats. It's fantasy, but there isn't much magic. Also, each of the creatures has their own culture. Like the moles, who always speak broadly: "Zurr, oi loik it." By the way, that isn't a quote.

The Siren Song by Anne Ursu: another book series wondering if the Greek myths are real. Very different from the Percy Jackson series, but still funny. It's written in second person, so that's a bit of a shock. It takes a while to get into, but it's worth it.

Done with the Catcher

I finished the Catcher in the Rye yesterday, and it was an interesting ending. I was suspecting that it would end with Holden either being admitted to an insane asylum or leaving to find work elsewhere. Instead, it leaves with him back at home. I liked it, but it surprised me (which in this case, is a good thing). I told my cousins a little bit about, and they thought it sounded weird but interesting.

I also think that Holden isn't as 'bad', or troublesome, as he tries to make us think. He may just want the attention. I do really like his sister Phoebe, and how nice Holden is to her.

A note about my physical book of Catcher: I read some at 10 thousand feet in the air on a plane, and some in Carbondale, IL. My book is now a traveler! And I finished NaNoWriMo.

Catcher in the Rye the Second

I'm starting to like Holden a little more now that I'm used to him. He really does seem in love with Jane, but he also thinks like a stereotypical teenage boy (obsessed with girls). That makes it seem more real, I think, but it's not going to make my favorite books list if it continues the exact same way. I want to hear more about Holden's parents, especially his mom, because that could give some clue as to whether or not Holden is crazy.

I like it better than the Odyssey.

On the first page, it swears four times. If that's the average amount of swearing per page, the writing swears approximately 864 times. I was curious.

Poll

To the left of my blog posts is something called a poll. I'm changing it after I post this, so please respond to said poll!

It should be about there ---------------------

The Catcher in the Rye so far

So far, I don't like Holden. I don't like the way he treats the other guys in his dorm, the way he lies, or his dirty mouth. Holden doesn't like school - I think it's because of all the responsibility and teachers telling him what to do. I think Holden isn't dumb, just foul mouthed and occasionally irresponsible. I don't know if he's always telling the truth. After all, he made it clear that he's an excellent liar.

My first reaction to the Holden, and the book in general, was I can't believe I'm reading this for school. So far, off the top of my head, I can't think of a single book I've read that swears more. The plot is intriguing, but I can't decide whether or not to like Holden.

The Hunger Games and Dragonfly

I read two books that I remember this week: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Dragonfly by Julia Golding. I loved both of them.

Dragonfly was a lot about politics, but it takes place in a fantasy land that seems to be just after the dark ages, so that makes it awesome. Politics are always better when they're fantasy, at least to me. Basically, these two people (Tashi and Ram) are from countries that are almost exact opposites. They get engaged for political reasons, to form a treaty for a better chance at winning a war. But then they get captured. At the time, they're totally not in love and hate each other. Then suddenly they're on the same side. Check it out!

I also read The Hunger Games. I'm now on the second book, about the middle, and am loving it. I can't believe some of the things that happened. Plus, I convinced my dad to read it. I am on the edge of my seat (well, not really) to see how the second turns out.

One complaint: people put spoilers on their blogs. Why? Oh my word, why do you do this? Spoilers, for those of you who don't know, are major plot points that are given away when someone is either waiting/wanting to read the book, or is in the middle of said book. Or series. Put a spoiler warning, please. If someone spoils a book for me, I refuse to comment on their blog. (Like what happened when a bunch of people blogged about Mockinjay.) If I spoil something, please tell me.

Creepy Short Stories

I read To Build A Fire by Jack London yesterday, and it was odd. I enjoyed the writing and the descriptions, but it was definitely not something I would pick for myself. My favorite character was the dog. I liked the dog's instincts. It was kind of creepy, though. It had a lot to do with death, and the main character's death, and that was part of what made it creepy. I liked the Tell Tale Heart better.

I also enjoyed writing my story with an unreliable narrator. It was so much fun - the one downside being that it was starting to give me goosebumps. I enjoy writing stories with unreliable narrators.

Reading

MEAP testing has two purposes that I can see: driving students and teachers stir crazy, and giving bored students an opportunity to read. I read two books I loved: one was Scumble by Ingrid Law, the other was the first book in the Bar Code Trilogy by Suzanne Weyn, called the Bar Code Tattoo.

Scumble was about a boy named Ledger, who gets a savvy on his thirteenth birthday (like a magical power). He has the ability to make things explode. The unfortunate thing is that he can't control it. So, he spends a crazy summer with his family at their ranch in Wyoming. There's a whole bunch of other things going on, too, involving city politics, foreclosures, and enormous butterflies.

The Bar Code Tattoo is a strange concept. It takes place in 2025, and it deals with everyone in America getting a bar code tattooed to their wrist. Kayla refuses to get one, and gets into a bit of trouble, but she finds something scary out - the bar codes contain your entire genetic code. I'm now reading the second book.

The Most Dangerous Game

What a weird short story. General Zaroff needs to be locked in a mental asylum, preferably in the 1700's when they tortured crazy people. I don't know what to think of Rainsford. He's a little odd, but I like him better than Zaroff. I do think that General Zaroff is clinically insane.

I didn't know someone could be as obsessed with hunting as General Zaroff. I enjoyed the last line of the story - it was very ironic. The story itself was very suspenseful, and had foreshadowing. I enjoyed it.

But what happened to Whitney, the other person with Rainsford?

The Odyssey - Final Post?

I finished reading the Odyssey, and I liked the ending. Odysseus finally got home, and killed all the suitors. It's kind of sad for Odysseus, though, because the suitors are really mean to him at first. Also, Penelope doesn't believe it's really Odysseus. In her defense, she hasn't seen him in twenty years. Everything is now wrapped up in the Odyssey. Homer doesn't leave the reader wondering like some modern fiction writers.

Other Fun Reading

I finished a Judy Blume book that I was reading, which I liked, but didn't love. I had found it in a bookstore in Wisconsin. It's Summer Sisters.

More exciting, I read Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls. It was amazing. In it, there's an eleven year old boy (Sam) with leukemia for the third time. His chemotherapy wasn't doing anything, and the doctors thought he had a year to live. Maybe. It's a chronicle of his lists, questions, and his journal. His best friend with leukemia, Felix, also plays a big part. I don't want to give away the ending, but many of you can guess. I cried. Worth checking out, but warning, it's a tearjerker.

Even more exciting: I have been looking for the Companion Quartet by Julia Golding series for the past eighteen months. I finally found them, and am on the fourth (and final) book. It's fantasy, about a girl (named Connie) who finds out that she is the only universal in existence. It's really hard to explain, but she is a companion to all mythical creatures, while most other members of the Society have one companion species. I like Dr. Brock, who's a Dragon Companion, for example. Ultimately, there's an evil shapeshifter named Kullervo who wants to banish all humans except for companions, who plays as the antagonist.

The Odyssey

I liked the part where Odysseus was telling his story better, but at last he's back in Ithaca. Telemachus is alive and knows who his father is, and they're plotting together to get rid of the suitors. I think it's cruel how, when Odysseus was dressed as a beggar, Antinous decided to throw things at him.

I definitely liked last week's reading better.

The Lottery

I've read The Lottery by Shirley Jackson before, for English class last year. I sort of like The Lottery, and I definitely like it better than A Good Man is Hard to Find. My favorite character is Mr. Summers, just because he's always trying to lighten the mood. I think it's a really weird story, especially since the first time I read it it was in the midst of a unit on the Salem Witch Trials. Creepy.

It's kind of like another short story I like, All Summer in A Day by Ray Bradbury, which is worth checking out on the Internet.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

In PATH, we started watching O Brother, Where Art Thou? It's loosely based on The Odyssey. Loosely. But there are some comparisons, like the fact that the main character (Ulysses Everett McGill) shares a first name with Ulysses/Odysseus. In both the movie and the book, the men are trying to find something. Odysseus wants to go home, Everett wants to find treasure. Also, there's plenty of violence in the movie - and in the book. In one scene in the movie, there's a group of women singing while doing laundry in a river. This scene is sort of like the Sirens in the Odyssey. In the movie, the singers are tempting the men, just like the Sirens. The women eventually seduce or put the men to sleep, and when they wake up, Delmar is gone. In the spot where Delmar was is a "horny toad" (as Pete put it), who Pete thinks is Delmar. This is kind of like the scene in the Odyssey where Circe turns some of Odysseus' men into pigs. There are more comparisons, but you have to find those for yourself.

Read, Read, Read

I've been reading two fiction books the past week - Girl in Blue by Ann Rinaldi and Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham. Girl in Blue was pretty good. It was about a girl, named Sarah Louisa, who runs away from home to join the Union Army in the Civil War, which is mostly illegal, since she's female and sixteen. She gets caught, but then there's a wonderful twist that I totally didn't expect: she becomes a spy. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't the best thing this week. Shark Girl is a book written in poetry and letters. There's a special name for this that I don't remember. The girl is a artist and a surfer. One day, she goes out surfing, and is bitten by a shark. The shark let go, but the doctors had to amputate her right arm from the elbow down. Some person is filming their kids and catches it on tape, and the tape is all over the news. The story is her recovery. Amazing book!

The Odyssey: I'm starting to like this a lot more. I like how Odysseus is telling the story to King Alcinous, so the story is told in first person. Almost the whole time this week I was comparing the Odyssey to Percy Jackson and the Olympians (especially book two). I loved the Noman thing, though it was gorier than I imagined.

A Good Man is Hard to Find: I didn't really like this short story. I loved all the foreshadowing, but it wasn't my favorite plot line. I didn't like the fact everyone dies, and I didn't like the grandmother either. The foreshadowing was brilliant, though, with the grandmother talking about the Misfit all the time. I started to wonder if the grandmother had a little bit of the ability to see the future.

Reading for the Past Five Days

I have been reading an array of books lately.

Number One: Educating Esme by Esme Raji Codell. Awesome! Amazing! Really funny! It's the diary of a first year teacher in Chicago. It's a beautiful book, and the ending is my favorite part. It makes me want to be a teacher more than I already do. Esme is twenty four, with a class of thirty one students. The book starts with Esme attending a funeral, which is a great example of starting in media res. Esme does all manner of crazy things with her class - including roller skating and doing an Indian dance through the hallways. A book I think any reader would like, especially teachers and those who want to be teachers. Warning: it's in the teen section for a reason!

Number Two: Wise Child by Monica Furlong. Another good book - I haven't finished it yet, and I've never read it before. It's about a ten year old named Wise Child in the medieval ages, in Scotland. She's training to be a doran, which is a fancy word (in Gaelic) for a healer and practicer of magic. At the moment, Wise Child is learning about herbology from her mentor, Juniper.

Number Three: The Odyssey. I just finished reading book eight, and it leaves you on a cliffhanger. I think I'm going to like this part of the Odyssey much better than the Telemachy. I think that Homer describes everything way too much, but the story is really cool. I like the queen that Odysseus just met - I think her name is Arete. I also like Odysseus much better than Telemachus, because Odysseus seems more honorable and intelligent.

Did anyone else notice that the Telemachy is Telemachus' name with a y instead of a us, just like the Odyssey and Odysseus?

Enchantment... Again.

I am currently reading two books: one nonfiction, one fiction. The fiction book I've read before, and I love it. It's Enchantment by Orson Scott Card. It's also a romance, with plenty of fantasy. Before the male readers of my blog zone out, it's written mostly from the guy's point of view.

The main character is Ivan - or Vanya, or Itzak. He's a Russian Jew born in the 1970's. But, he moves to the US by the age of eleven. He's multilingual, and most of the book is written when Ivan is in his early twenties.

If I had to describe the book in three words, it would be romantic culture shock. It's like a modern day version of Sleeping Beauty, except this isn't for those under the age of ten. Ivan is the 'prince', who defeats a bear and kisses Katerina, 'Sleeping Beauty'. Though, Katerina is from 870 AD - and doesn't speak a written language. Poor Ivan has to marry her, and help her to save her kingdom from Baba Yaga.

I really like this book. It's in my top 50 or so. I got it for my birthday, but I read it for the first time two or three years ago. I've read it since then, but I got sick of the library copy, and asked for it for my birthday. It's an amazing book.

Be warned if you decide to read it: the first chapter will shock you. It's not really for the fainthearted - it can get gross.

First Thoughts on the Odyssey

I feel kind of bad for Odysseus (or Ulysses, depending on the translation). He's stuck on an island with someone who is constantly trying to get him to fall in love with her. Also, he didn't get to see his son grow up. But then, Telemachus is speaking to Athena (or Minerva) about finding his father. And in the midst of everything, Penelope, Odysseus' wife, is weeping over her lost husband.

It seems like it will be a good story, but confusing. I want to call Homer crazy, but from what I know of the plot line, the story looks intriguing, and I can't wait to read more.

Summer Reading

I read many books over the summer, but there are a few I remember the most. I couldn't narrow it down to just one best book of the summer, but here are three.

None of the books I chose were the traditional "beach reads" that I sometimes find pointless. One of the books I read was far from it: Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. I still do not know what to think of this book. It's shocking, but it's also romantic. Tess is a young adult in the beginning, and she manages to get herself into a big problem. Her mother wants to marry her off, but she goes to the manor of the D'urbervilles, a rich family she could be related to. She gets a job there that pays well, and makes friends with her male "cousin". Her cousin takes advantage of her, and she returns home immediately. She's pregnant. She undergoes about 200 pages of being a milkmaid, and meets Angel Clare, a man who she falls in love with. The plot continues to get more and more twisted. I liked the plot, but Tess was not my favorite character. It did make me think, and in the end, I liked the book on the whole (despite the 300 pages I was unsure about).

One of the other books I remember the most was a haunting book called Willow, by Julia Hoban. It's definitely not for the fainthearted, and I admit to crying multiple times while reading it. I thoroughly recommend it, though. It's about a girl, named Willow, who accidentally killed her parents. She falls into a strange state where she doesn't want to feel emotion. Her only escape is cutting. She meets a teenage boy named Guy, who wants to be her friend no matter how many times she says no. They fall in love. Willow tells Guy about cutting, and Guy tries to get her to stop. It's an amazing book, but I won't reveal the end. I think I will remember that book for the next twenty years. The story is so believable, and so real.

Christy by Catherine Marshall is a book that I have decided I'll read every summer. It's (once again) about a young woman - Christy. She hears a sermon at church on a missionary school in the Appalachian mountains that need school teachers. It's during the Prohibition. She goes to teach in the rural town of Cutter Gap, where the locals don't want her there - at first. She teaches a huge class in a one room schoolhouse, and faces a series of troubles. She falls in love with the minister, David, but the county doctor also wants to be closer to Christy. Strange things keep happening at the school: finding drunk pigs under the schoolhouse, books and maps ripped, and then there's the McAllan murder. Somehow, someway, it all connects to the illegal distillery. David and Christy get more serious in their relationship. Everything seems to be going well - but then, typhoid breaks out. Christy is an amazing book. If you're going to read it, though, be warned that it is religious (Christian).

These are three of the most memorable books from my summer. I wish I could share all of them, but then there would be about 50 books on this list.

Happy reading.