Finding a home...and losing it slowly

        Greetings! Welcome back to my reading blog. This week, I will be discussing the book Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff. I read this magnificent young adult book once back in sixth grade; but a few days ago I decided to take a trip down memory lane and give it one more glance. I am not very far in the book, I believe I am on page 53. I don't want to write my own summary. I know I would end up spoiling the book somehow, so here is a link to an Amazon summary that doesn't ruin the plot: Pictures of Hollis Woods Summary .
        I love this book because I feel that I can really connect with it, it may be somewhat of a shallow connection, but it drew me to the book. Hollis, the main character, is a twelve year old girl that gets the impression from just about everyone that she doesn't belong. In chapter one, we as the audience can really see how Hollis could feel as if she doesn't belong when she thinks this, "Her voice trailed off, but I knew she had meant to say 'kids like you.'" (Giff 21) I feel as if when I am indulging in this book, that I am right there with Hollis. As a young adolescent girl, going through many changes, feeling as if you don't belong on top of everything else is terrible. I am very cognitive about this dreadful feeling because I experienced it first hand when I was in middle school. I eventually found my group of friends who accepted me as I was and were very appreciative of my company. Although, you'll have to read the book yourself to see how things end up for Hollis.
        If you aren't much of a book worm, Pictures of Hollis Woods was also made into a movie back in 2007, and I will embed a trailer below. I have an inquiry for you as you read my final blog post; If you don't like reading, why are you reading a blog post about reading? Just thing about that one for a while. I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog posts these past nine months, I surely did enjoy writing them. I wish you the best on your reading endeavors. Who knows, maybe I will start blogging again when my next high school journey begins in August. Until then, enjoy the warm summer months. Wear plenty of sunscreen. And most importantly; remember to read.

4/23/15

I recently started reading, and quickly finished, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold and I loved it. It is a great book with a great plot. It starts off just a little bit slow for my taste but once you get into it it's awesome. One of my favorite quotes from the book is, "Sometimes the dreams that come true are the dreams you never even knew you had." The book has a lot of symbolism and underlying meaning to it, which is the kind of book I really enjoy. The overall plot is very engaging and interesting. I won't spoil anything though. As many people know, the book was made into a movie, but I haven't seen it because I like reading the boom before seeing the motion picture. I borrowed my copy from one of my teachers, but if you want to order your own or read a quick summary, the Amazon link is below. Have a great week.

Amazon Link to The Lovely Bones

How to Survive Early Mornings

If you're like me, you hate waking up while it's still dark out with a burning passion. Luckily, I'm here to help you survive those terrible early mornings.
1) When you set your alarm, whether it be on a phone or clock, TURN OFF THE SNOOZE SETTING! If this wonderful setting created by the gods is turned on, you are bound to over sleep, so turn it off for your own good.
2) Get up at least an hour before you need to walk out the door. This will give you time to get woken up, eat something and maybe even have some leisure time to watch your favorite early morning Spongebob episode.
3) Eat breakfast. If you get up on time, this should be no problem. And, don't eat something full of carbs and sugar, that won't help you through the day. Eat something substantial like oatmeal with nuts or a smoothie.
4) Drink coffee. Coffee is nature's Red Bull, it will give you that quick jolt of early morning pep you need. If you aren't a coffee drinker, black English tea has about the same caffeine amount as coffee. A good brand is Yorkshire.
5) Drink a big glass of water before bed and as soon as you wake up. Think about it, you are asleep for at least 7 hours, that's 7 hours of no water for your body, so hydrate before going to sleep. When you get up, drink a big glass, too. It will help your organs function better and it will wake you up quicker.
6) Turn the electronics off at least an hour before going to bed. It is scientifically proven that using electronics before bed effects the quality of our sleep. So, turn it off or put in on Do Not Disturb, and read a good book.
I hope these tips help you to push through that gross, groggy feeling you get when you have to leave your best friend (A.K.A your bed.) and have the best day that you can.

Columnist Post #1

Hey everyone! We are beginning a new unit in my freshman English class called the columnist unit. Columns are those short but catchy and interesting stories in the paper or a magazine, and columnists are the people who write them. We really haven't learned too much yet, but we have had to take some notes on a few simple topics like rhetoric. For our homework this week we had to read a few assigned columns, my favorite out of them was What Will Kate Middleton's Dress Look Like? By Robin Givan. Now, obviously, the royal wedding was quite a while ago, 5 years to be exact, but I still find this column extremely interesting because I loved Kate Middleton's dress, and when I was a fourth grader, the suspense of knowing what a real princess dress was going to look like killed me. I wish I would've had this column to read 5 years ago. It wasn't just the subject of the column that caught y attention, it was the overall writing craft the author used. The syntax was very apparent and well thought out, which it should be in a column because they are so short. Another thing that caught my eye was the teeny tiny bit of underlying satire in the column. I thought that it was a great way to make the column a bit more interesting. Most columns do use satire, which is a quick witted type of humor, which sometimes isn't all that funny, it can also be used in a serious way to bring attention to social issues. Now, I know that this wasn't the most interesting post I've ever written, but I hope you enjoyed it any how. Have a great week everyone!

Fahrenheit 451 Theme Handout

In the wrong hands, technology can be dangerous.

Musa Khan,Aditya Vadlamani, Kevin Fedders, Zoe Grigsby, and Tyler Mattingley

Timeline:

• Montag uses kerosene to burn books
• Seashells causing Mildred drug overdose
• The Hound hunts down Montag
• Parlor walls brainwashing people
• Books can be misused because they provide people with power
• Atomic bomb obliterating people

Textual examples from the book:

Event-Kerosene is used as a punishment for possessing novels

Quote: “WIth the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world the blood pounded in his head,..” (Bradbury, 1)

Event-Parlor walls brainwash citizens and dehumanizes them

Quote: “‘ You heave them into the ‘parlor’ and turn the switch. It’s like washing clothes; stuff laundry in and slam the lid’” (Bradbury, 93)

Event-Atomic bomb obliterates city

Quote: “...the scream of the jets that would follow, would say, after the deed, disintegrate, leave no stone on another, perish. Die.” (Bradbury,151)

Theme Questions:

Why is this theme important?

This theme is important to our understanding of the story because technology plays a key role and the primary reason for the change in humanity and the evolution into a dystopia.

How does it connect to modern society?

It connects to modern society because there are many technologies that are very similar to those presented in the novel and are having a similar effect on our population today.

Fahrenheit 451 Book Review/Final Thoughts

Hello again everyone! I finished reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury about a week ago, so I am going to give you all a review on the book and what my final thoughts are. I'm going to try my absolute hardest to keep spoilers out of this post so that I don't ruin it for those of you that haven't read it. Overall, the book was very well written and the plot was intriguing, but I didn't care for it. Books that fall under the dystopian category don't really appeal to me, so this was a bit of a boring read. I asked around and found that my peers were split about half and half in regards to liking or disliking the 50 some year old classic. I am not saying that Ray Bradbury is a bad writer, because he isn't. He is one of the greatest writers of his time, I'm just saying that I don't particularly care for his writing style. I felt at some point the plot was a bit hard to follow, and I would find myself re-reading lines 2-3 times, which isn't a normality for me. I also found that some details in the book were repetitive, like Mildred's love for her television parlor walls. The unit in class wasn't as bad as my older peers had made it out to be, which was good, but it still wasn't the most fun unit I've ever done in English. It seems to me that the Fahrenheit unit has been extremely long, maybe it's just because of all the snow days our school has had. If you have read this book, comment and tell me what you thought of it. Have a great week and try to stay warm!

Fahrenheit 451 Narrative Response

This is written from the perspective of Ms. Bowles

...................................................................................................................................................................
     As I walked home from the Montag's house, the words Guy read kept pounding in my head. Over and over. I don't know why I reacted that way...it was such a pretty piece of poetry. Dover Beach I think it was called. I don't believe Mildred about Guy being able to bring a book home once a year, it doesn't add up. That piece just fit so well into the moment, Guy couldn't have just pulled it out of nowhere to scare us into not reading. I have to stop over thinking this. It was just a book. Just a silly...illegal book.
     Maybe I should report Guy? No, that would do nothing but upset poor, Millie. Oh, I know. I could call Captain Beatty and ask him if the once a year thing is true! Yes, that's what I'll do! As soon as I get home I will. Not too much further now. What should I say to such an authoritative man though?

     'Hello, Captain Beatty, this is Mrs. Bowles. I have a rather odd question for you.' Yes that's very good.
     Maybe I should just wait and go to the station in the morning instead...hmm. Would he have more respect towards me if I do? I think so. I'll just go in to the station tomorrow morning, maybe take something in for the firefighters. Donuts and coffee. That'd be nice. Oh, my mind's wandering again. I need to pick up the pace and get home.

~10 minutes later~

     Ahhhh, home sweet home with my 'family'. I'll leave the parlor walls on tonight while I sleep. That'll be nice. Let's see, I need to put on pajamas and brush my teeth now. Then straight to bed. Big day tomorrow!

~The Next Morning at the Fire Station~

     "Good morning, Mrs. Bowles. If you don't mind me asking, why are you here?" Captain Beatty 'greeted' me.
     "I'm here because I have a rather important question for you, and, I brought some donuts and coffee for you and the others." I smiled as I handed him the dozen box and the large thermos.
     "Ah, thanks. What's your question?" The captain asked as he chose a donut from the box,
     "I was wondering if you allow firemen to take a book home to their families one night once a year?" I questioned the firey man.
     "Absolutely not! That's positively absurd! Why would you of all people as a question like that?!" He was clearly a bit irritated.
     "Well, I was just wondering because of an odd experience I had at the Montag's last night, but I really shouldn't speak of it. I must be going. Have a nice day, Captain!" I waved as I quickly walked out of the station before he could ask me anymore questions. Just as the door was closing, I heard Beatty going into a fit of rage
   "MONTAG!!!" He screamed. And that's all I heard.