Friday, August 17, 2012

Summer Reading


Over the summer, you were asked to read at least two novels of your choice.

1) Briefly tell me what you read, including the titles and authors.
2) I want to know what you liked about the books, what you learned and, more importantly, what matters to you about the book's content? How does it resonate with you?
Please do not give me a summary; I care more about what you took away from the book.

*Make sure to adhere to proper conventions and proofread your response. If, for some reason, you did not read two novels, tell me about two novels you have read and answer the above.

25 comments:

  1. 1) The first thing I read was the old Willis place and the author of the book is Mary Hahn and the other book I read was What the night knows by Dean Koontz.
    2)What I liked about the books were the confusion/ mystery it was amazing and interactive.

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  3. Over the summer I read "Rot And Ruin" and its sequle "Dust and Decay" by: Johnathan Maberry. What I liked most about these books where the zombies, the suspense, the romance and all of the emotions.These book was the perfect mixture of all four of these things. As well as all of the things I listed, it was well a written book. Johnathan Maberry was amazingly descriptive with everything and didnt hold back with his discription even when it came to discribing the zombies and there rotting flesh. Some may find that disturbing, but I found it awsome. Along with the discrition he actually made you emotionaly attached with the characters. I can recall tearing up while reading this book because of the characters struggles. These books really where outstanding and made reading two books over the summer not feel like in assigment.

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  4. 1. I read `Room` by Emma Donoghue, and `Matched` by Allie Condie.
    2. `Room` - What I liked most about this book were the fact that I could see the world with a different point of view, I could realize some details that we don't pay attention, about who we are and about the way we live.
    ` Matched` - What I liked about this book were how the author could create an attractive story, that teached me to be more critic about the information the society gives to me. This book made me ask some questions about what comes to me from the TV, from the News, etc. Now I have a critic point of view about what comes to me.

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  5. 1) The first book I read was Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky, which is about a post- apocalyptic world where people have to live in the Metro train station because the surface is destroyed. The second book I read was The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks, which isn't a story but a real zombie survival guide.

    2) What I liked about Metro 2033 is that it everything that I would look for in a book, action, adventure, horror and many more. What matters about the book to is that we shouldn't blow up the world up with nukes. What I liked about The Zombie Survival Guide is that it could prepare with knowledge for a zombie infection, which is pretty important and that's what I took away from it.

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  6. 1) Over the summer I read to novels. One was Twilight by Stephenie Meyer And the other novel was Beastly By Alex Flinn.

    2) Twilight- What I enjoyed must about the novel, was that even though Edward was different from everyone else and was very unusual because he was a vampire, Bella still gave him a chance even when everyone else called him strange. This novel showed that if you truly love someone you would do or give up anything for that person no matter what others say or think. In this novel, I liked how much detail and thought she put into every moment. You really had no idea what was going to happen next. Mrs. Meyer made you feel like you could be a part of the story. She related very well to the life of a high school student and the complications.
    Beastly- In the novel Beastly, I enjoyed how it had very deep meaning. The novel made you realize that even though a person can look like a beast or can just not be very attractive that there is more to a person than their looks and money. What really counts in a person is there personality. You need to really get to know people and look past the looks and money to get to the real person inside. You need to learn to love someone for more than what the have and look beyond. This novel also taught you to never give up. No matter what you’re going through, you half to keep fighting until the very last second.

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  7. 1) Over the summer I read two books including, A Rather Lovely Inheritance by C.A. Belmond, and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares.

    2) The book A Rather Lovely Inheritance takes place all over many different countries in Europe. Over the course of reading this book, I learned about the history and art of many countries such as France, London and Italy. I really enjoyed how the information was presented, it was much more interesting than sitting in a classroom. Reading A Rather Lovely Inheritance helped me realize that different authors use different writing styles. From this book I have learned to expect the unexpected because things are not always as they seem in books.

    In The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants many of the girls faced problems that are very relatable to many girls. Reading about how the characters in the book handled their problems was interesting and helpful. It was also nice to see how they handled different situations and problem solved. I think in the future, reading this book will help me to see problems from from a different point of view.Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants has taught me that everyone has their own way of looking at things (point of view) and solving problems.

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  8. 1) I have read The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, Three Cups of Tee by Greg Mortenson, Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen.

    2) What I liked about The Outsiders was that it was not a weird and boring book it was interesting. I liked the setting of it and the story line of it. The book had a lot of meaning in it like don't let people decide want you are you decide what you want to be. The author used very good describing words and good use of grammar. I think that this books content is good in very different ways like information about the 80's. This book relates to me because i've done bad things before that i regret doing but you've got to learn from your mistakes.

    3)

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  9. 1) Over the summer I read the two books "City Of Bones" & "City of Ashes" written by Cassandra Clare! This series is a fantasy series with shadow hunters, demonds, fairies and other make believe characters. The books are based on a group of teenagers and all of their crazy adventures!
    2) What I liked about these two books is that there was a lot of action that took place and it was written about teenagers so I was really able to relate. I would have to say what I learned was that life isn't always what you think it is, and life is very short so you need to live it like tomorrow could be your last day. This book was really fun to read because it was basically set in a fantacy world and once you start reading you can't put it down. This book filled me with so many emotions such as fear, love and left me just wanting more. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

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  10. 1) Over the summer the two books that I choose to read were The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting and The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han. The Body Finder was about a girl named Violet that is able to hear dead objects and she called the sounds they make echos. The story describes her life with the echos, which to her are normal. She has a best friend Jay who is the only person, besides her family, that knows about her talent. With this talent Violet uncovers dead bodies of girls and figures out there is a cereal killer. The police use her to catch the cereal killer who ends up having a partner they did not know about. This ended the book with a great twist. The Summer I turned pretty was about a girl nicknamed Belly and her life at the summer house with her family friends. One Summer when Belly was fourteen her life started to turn upside down. She finds out Susanah, her friends mom, has cancer and this makes everyone on edge. The summer is full of drama and hard times.
    2) I liked the book The Body Finder because it possessed a lot of action and it was interesting. The plot switched up a lot which left me wanting to know more of what was to come. In this book I learned that best friends are always there for you no matter what. Violet and Jay had an amazing relationship. They went through their share of hardships but always came out stronger. This showed me friends like that should not be taken for granted. This books content mattered to me because of the way the author used the emotions to keep me interested. When Violet would discover the dead bodies the way Derting described it made me sad and frustrated that someone would even think of doing anything like that. The killers became repugnant in my eyes and I did not even want to think of what they were like. Another Way the emotions affected me was Violet and Jay’s friendship. If they were in a fight I always wanted them to make up quickly because they brought out the best in one and other. In The Summer I Turned Pretty I really liked all the drama because it kept me interested in what I was reading. From this book I learned that although there may come hardships in your life you can always come out of it and life will always work out. This books content matters to me because of the way Belly is easy to connect with. The author made it so she is just a normal teenage girl experiencing a lot of the same things that a lot of other girls are as well. This made the book have an effect on me because I could connect the text with my life and it made me attached to the book in a way.

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  12. Over the course of the summer I read the books, The Notebook and A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks. What I enjoyed most about these books were the life lessons, mix of emotions, and how it always kept you on your toes. I savored the fact that not only were these books for entertainment purposes, but also taught you valuable life lessons. Such as the usual, don’t judge people based on first impressions or looks. What made it interesting was the fact that it went deeper into these lessons and not merely just sugar coating them. Sparks explained that if you get to know someone you would’ve never even dreamed of talking to, they could be the total opposite of what they put themselves out as. There were many different emotions in this book from, the typical happy to the the feeling of abandonment. In most “romance” novels you can normally predict what’s going to happen next, but Sparks always kept you guessing he’d lead you to thinking a huge event was going to happen when really everything would fall through and nothing would happen or the exact opposite. I normally don’t enjoy reading, but these books really got me hooked and were very enjoyable making the assignment feel as though it was something I’d choose to do on my own.

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  14. During the course of the summer I read two novels by the name of “The Kite Runner” and “A Thousand Splendid Suns”, both by the author Khaled Hosseini.
    These two books were both truly remarkable, and told a story that was saddening, yet staggering.

    Taken place in Afghanistan, these two books unveiled the true story behind the ongoing invasions, conflicts and wars that have taken place in their land. The stories that occurred in these books depict and outline the real and unknown tragic events that the people of Afghanistan have suffered through and are still currently facing.  Living in a world of constant war, death, violence, and struggle for triumph and freedom is a complete stranger to many people in the world, especially to the the many Americans who have never seen war right before their eyes. America is a land with much freedom and optimism. This kind of living unfortunately is the opposite of that Afghani’s have been living for the past 33 years.

    To read about the struggle and hardships the people of Afghanistan have experienced in the past three decades is what really resonated with me throughout this book. For it was not reading about the invasions and changes in political control, but the personal stories from the people themselves. To read about their loved ones being killed in war, their lives turned upside down and changed forever, and those who saw the once prospering and thriving country they always knew change into something they never thought they would see was difficult to read about.  It was also difficult to put myself in the position of  those who had to abandon their country where they once lived, and come back and feel as if they were tourists. These books also show the lack of rights given to the citizens and especially the Afghani women who in some cases were grossly abused during the warThis to me was eye opening ,and after reading it I felt as if I discovered an unknown land of which hearing only stories from the surface about, but now had crawled deep into the premises and found the real truth. These two novels are the kinds of novels that will stay with me for years to come.

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  16. Twilight was the first book I read over the summer and the author is Stephanie Meyer. The second was Cut by Patricia McCormick.

    Twilight was a good book, because I liked the suspense and the not real creatures. Its about Bella moving to a small town away from her mother, I kind of know how that felt when my mother went to Alabama, but it was only for three days. I tock away from the book was that if you get to know someone then you may find a secret they are hiding.

    The second book I read over summer was Cut. Cut was about a girl named Callie and that she cuts herself. I did not know the book would be about that, but I did like how the author made the book interesting. What I learned was that if you speak with people then they get to know you and they may be able to help you with the problem.

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  17. 1) I read Lord of The Flies by William Golding and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Lord of the Flies(LOTF)is a book about a group of prep- school kids that get stranded on an island, and shows how an organized society can fall apart. The Hunger Games is about a dis-topian society and the struggle to overthrow the power in place.

    2) What I liked about LOTF is that it was adventures, and interesting to see the plot unfold. I learned that when one doesn't respect one another it can cause fighting, and in the book can lead to murder. The unrest in the book was caused by ego and bullying, this shows what can happen if you don't control your ego and treat others badly. The bullying and ego resonated with me because they are so relevant today and cause terrible things to happen.
    What I like about The Hunger Games is that it was also adventures and very suspenseful, and the book stayed interesting all the way through. I learned about when someone has to much power and oppresses the people under his rule there will be rebellions and unrest. I took this as a example not to follow if i'm ever in any position with power. It taught me to not abuse power.

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  18. 1) During the Summer I read two books. One of the books was Beastly by Alex Flinn. It was a romantic book about love and inner beauty. The second book was Unwind by Neal Shusterman. It was about surviving and the journey to survival.

    2) When I read the book Beastly, what I liked about it was how the book related to some things that are happening in the world like judgment and inequality. What I learned was how love was only skin deep and that it didn’t matter about how someone looked or how rich they were. Another thing I learned throughout reading this book to never lose hope even when life seems like it’s the worst, but everything happens for a reason and things will get better, and that life isn't about how you look or how others look but who they are and their personalities. What matters to me about the books content was the way the author wrote how Kyle felt and what he thought in a specific manner and how he wrote it with the specific details so that we could imagine the scene in our minds.

    While reading Unwind I liked how it was about these kids and teens who are meant to be or who are going to be unwound, fight for what they believe in and they try to survive by going through a journey with each other. What I learned from this book is that going through something is better with someone or many others than going through it by yourself. I also learned to always fight for what you want because in the end it will turn out successful if you’re really passionate about what you are fighting for. I loved the content of this book because it switched to a different person each time for three people but if another main character joins, they switch to them in the book and he shows their experience and what they are thinking. I also liked it because like beastly, you can predict what you think is going on in the book into your head because the details are so vivid. The last thing I liked about the content was how they always leave you hanging and in the end or the falling action everything comes together, it was like a puzzle. These were both some of my favorite books that I have ever read and I’m glad I read them.

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  19. Over the summer I read two books, "To Kill a Mocking bird" by Harper Lee and "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. I very much enjoyed both of the books for different reasons. "To Kill a Mockingbird" was a good story that kept me interested the whole time. The author used various types of writing, funny, suspenseful, dramatic, and very descriptive. These traits made the book so varied that it wasn't boring. The books content mattered because it was based in a trail when black ans whites were still prejudice. The time period was significant to history and the book. It taught me even more about how people would treat blacks back then. I think it applied to me in the sense of what people are capable of doing just to get there way.

    After reading "The Help" I extremely liked the different personalities throughout the book. The author made each character very distinct. Some were crazy, sensitive, rude, caring, obedient and shy. The book is also sad. The book matters informational wise because it was also in the hard time period of blacks being treated badly. Another thing that matters is courage. Lost of courage was displayed in this book, standing up for yourself and not putting up with other people treating you badly. This book connects to me because it teaches that courage can change your life and have a impact on others.

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  20. 1)Over the Summer I red “Out of my Mind” by Sharon M. Draper and the other book I read was “The A-List” by Zoey Dean.

    2)I liked Out of my mind because it was about mental children and I thought how fortunate I am and how I am healthy. This book really stuck out to me because it is amazing how children and adults go through so much when they are mentally disabled. I learned so much from how to act and treat a child or adult who has a disability. What really mattered to me about this book was you really underestimate how smart disabled people are, but the truth to the matter is they keep and retain so much but they have a hard time communicating. The second book the A-List was very twisted and interesting. This book stood out to me because it is about a girl who is highly intelligent and gets into a lot of different trouble. It talks about being smart and having straight A’s but not being on quote on quote the A list. I learned that you can be very smart but you never should judge a person because you never know where they come from or who they are.

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  21. 1) The two books I read over the summer are 'Peyton Manning' by Freedman, Lewis H and 'Tim Tebow through my eyes' by himself and help of Nathan Whitaker. Peyton Manning is a Biography about his years in the NFL and what he has achieved. 'Tim Tebow through my eyes' is an autobiography starting from the beginning of his lifetime.

    2)I took in a lot of information reading these two books. I read about how failure is going to happen every once and a while but to treat it well. Also how to work 110% in anything you do. Effort defiantly matters the most in succeeding. I really like the two books because I learned almost everything about that one person and I also realized how differed Manning was from Tebow but both really good guys. The book content resonates with me because I comprehended with the text more than enough. Manning and Tebow made me think about how I can always improve. I would not choose to read any other two books over the summer.

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  22. Over the summer I read “Flags of Our Fathers” by James Bradley and “Band of Brothers” by Stephen Ambrose. What pulled me into reading these books was the courage and bravery both Easy Company and the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Marine division possessed. What struck me the most in both of these books was the light each solider possessed in such horrible times. That out on the battlefield, the person to your right was only a kid, and the person to your left just gave their life for you. The unity and connection these men had, and still do today, is something that will never fail, never break, and will never be forgotten. I will never forget those who sacrificed their life to their county, and those who sacrificed everything to never come home.

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  23. 1) The two novels I read this summer were "Stargirl" and "Who Put That Hair in My Toothbrush" both by: Jerry Spinelli. Both are fiction novels. Spinelli is an unbelievable author at relating novels to the readers life.
    2) Who Put That Hair in My Toothbrush- I enjoyed this novel because it reminded me of my life. I could relate to this novel because it’s about a brother and a sister that are always fighting and parents that are caught in between. Just as it is shown in the book that even though my sister and I always have each other's back no matter what has happened in the past because we are family. This book showed me that just because one door closes doesn’t mean that another one isn’t open.
    Stargirl- I enjoyed this book because of Spinelli's great writing. He makes the reader feel like the main character because of his realistic writing. The main character Leo is to afraid of his peers to actually say and show how he is feeling. Which I can relate to in everyday things such as class. I don’t necessarily raise my hand even though I know the answer because I'm scared of what my classmates might say or think. This book has shown me that life for what you believe, not for how others do.

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  25. The first book I read was "Twilight Eclipse"and "Twilight Braking Dawn"both are by Stephenie Meyer there actually part of the same series and they are both are fiction novels.Stephenie Meyer is a unbelievable righter who just sinks you into her books, and makes you feel like you are living the charterers lives.Eclipse and Braking Dawn were both enjoyable books these novels were enjoyable because it reminded me of my life in different ways.i relate to these books because they are both about a strange family and I think my family is strange. we all have different talents just like the charterers in Stephenie Meyers books

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