My Reading Wish List

My reading wish list includes-
-Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
-Million Little Mistakes by Heather McElhatton
-Tuesday's with Morrie by Mitch Albom
-Paper Towns by John Greene
-An Abundance of Kathrine's by John Greene
-Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Book #2 trailer

Final Exam

“Divergent” is loved series by a lot of people but for me it was awful. When I found for book four in best sellers we had to read a book with a hero and villain I admittedly thought of this book to read because for one we already had it home because my mom was tired of going to the book store to buy me school book and because two I heard it was better than “The Hunger Games” I should’ve known I was never going to finish this book because I usually hate any novels like this but I thought I’d give it a try and of course it’s an unfinished book that I’m never planning on finishing so I’ll give you my five reasons why I hated this book.

1.Try Hard I think many people would disagree with me on this and rebuttal this but I think that “The Hunger Games” is a much better book than “Divergent”. I think that with all the futuristic novels coming out that this one was the exact same as the others. I believe that they are all trying to become the next “Hunger Games” and I just can’t get into it. I think that “Divergent” is in the shadow of the “Hunger Games” and will probably most likely never come out

2.Boring beginning One of the hardest things to do is finish a book with an awful beginning. In the beginning of “Divergent” nothing pulled me into the book. I thought they writing was very bland. Bland writing is when I would normally shut the book but because I had to read this book I kept reading on hoping that maybe it would get a little better and to be honest it did get a lot better than it was.

3.Unfamiliar Words Maybe I couldn’t get into the book because of all the words I didn’t know how pronounce. For example Abnegation. Maybe it’s just me but I have no idea how to say that word or what it means maybe it means selfless because that’s what the faction is but I honestly have no idea and that really started to bug me. Not pronouncing names right while I’m reading a book getting me fired up. When you don’t know half the words in the book how are you going to understand any of it. When I don’t know the words I just start to skim the page instead of reading it.

  4.Tris and Four Tris and four love affair didn’t really grasp onto me that well. I wasn’t a big fan of four and I just think that the love is bland. Maybe because I didn’t see the movie I couldn’t picture them together but it think that the love triangle in “The Hunger Games” is far more interesting than the one in “Divergent” I see more emotions in Tris over Katniss though which I like a lot more because then it develop the character better.

5.Post-Apocalyptic For me post-apocalyptic books put me to sleep. I always wondered why I choose this book for book four because I CANNOT stand any types of book like this. Seriously though this is getting more drawn out the whole vampire stage and it’s quit obnoxious. Nothing n this book I can picture in my mind because I have no idea what they are talking about maybe it would help if I had a more creative mind and maybe then I would like it a little bit better.

In conclusion I thought of what I read from this book was awful and I would never start reading it again. This is the worse book of my life because it’s a try hard, the beginning makes you already want to stop reading it, unfamiliar sifi words kill me, Tris and Four relationship is not interesting at all and its post-apocalyptic. If you are life me and hate all books like this then it’s not for you stick to the Nicholas Sparks books.

Abby's Book Talk

5 Reasons Why Kardashian Konfidential Is the Worst Book Ever

5 Reasons why the Kardashian Konfidential is one of the worst books ever

 

Keeping Up with the Kardashians is one of my all-time favorite shows. I obsess over anything Kardashian, so when I heard they had a book, Kardashian Konfidential, I wanted to read it.  Let me tell you Kardashian Konfidential is one of the worst books I have ever read in my entire life, it’s even worse than all the books you have to read in school. Here’s why.

#1-There “k-tips” are awful

In the book they give life and advice and tips for example “how to wax yourself”. This is not the only tips they give but all of them are pointless. In “how to wax yourself” they suggest starting to get bikini waxes at age thirteen, but if you can’t get it done professionally you should do it yourself. Many people would agree with me that this is a little young but besides suggesting it so young they also had very bad tips. People don’t really need tips on how to wax or “how to be a celeb”.

#2-One third of the book is pictures and notes

The book has more pictures and pictures of notes than it does words. The amount of pictures in this book is unnecessary, every page has at least three. There is at least seventeen pages where it’s just a giant picture of Kim covering the entire page! They also show a lot of notes they wrote to each other but there so tiny and the hand writing is sloppy you can’t even read it. No one cares what Khloe wrote on Kourtney’s birthday card!

 

#3-It’s supposed to be a Kardashian tell all book but they go into very little detail

This supposedly “tell all” book rarely goes into detail. I was hoping to find out more things that I have never known about the Kardashian’s but it was all very broad. The way the described certain events where very boring and uninteresting. For example when they were going into detail about the OJ Simpson case. They made a statement saying “my mom was convinced OJ killed Nicole but our dad was on OJ side.” I wish they all would’ve stated what they thought about the OJ case and if they thought he killed her or not.

#4-They use their own slang

Throughout the entire book they use slang and abbreviations they made up. Some of it is amaze, doll, douchlord, and totes.  These words they use don’t seem to be annoying at first but as they use them throughout the book it gets so obnoxious! “So dolls, to sum it up: We’re going to share it all with you.” That got on my nerves more than people chewing with their mouths open.

#5-The sisters try to act humble

If I got a dollar for every time one of the sisters would talk about how there not spoiled I would be a millionaire. They mention it so much that it makes them sound arrogant. The chapter titles also make them sound spoiled for example Teen Queens and We’re Spoiled but not Spoiled Brats.

In conclusion this book is one of the worst books I have ever read because they pretend to be humble, use there own slang, doesn’t tell us all about there lives, has too many pictures, and dumb tips. I advise not to waste your time reading this book

Post #5

In my mind a book has to be 90% true to be considered non-fiction. I think that a non-fiction book has to have the main important events but added with detail to make them better. It cannot have huge events that are complete lies. I think that if an author has to add a little more to make it a better book its okay. For example in my personal narrative I Had to do for English I had the main parts of my story but added small details that didn’t happen but made my story great. I think half-truths are different then just adding detail. Half-truths could cross the line on if its okay or not. It really depends how the half-truth affects the story. I think that Frey did nothing wrong but maybe it shouldn't have been called a memoir because think if you bend the truth as much as he did it’s not really a memoir anymore. I don't think David Shields is right. I think we should label genres. Without labeling genres you wouldn't know if it’s real or not, and I think if  I'm reading a book I would want to know if it really happened or if it’s made up. 

 

Adapting Breakfast at Tiffany's-Post #4

Breakfast at Tiffany’s would be an easy book to adapt into a movie. The way to book is written has a lot of dialogue so the movie would also have to have a lot of dialogue. One essential scene they would need to keep is when Holly goes up the fire escape to Fred’s room. I think this book needs this scene because it shows the friendship that Holly and Fred have, and how it continues to grow throughout the book.

I have also seen the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the movie it tells you that “Fred’s” name is Paul while in the book he is just referred to as Fred. I think that in the movie they should have kept his name anonymous because for some reason I think it really added to the book. I think that it showed Holly’s personality.

Lastly they should have kept the scene at the party where Fred is talking to OJ. I think this is one of the bigger scenes in the book that should have been emphases more in the movie. For example when holly is in the shower and they are talking about her.

One scene that I would cut out of the book is at the beginning when Fred is in the bar talking to Joe Bell about Holly and retelling the story. This part in the book somewhat confused me at first and I feel like it was just not that important to add. A minor character I would take out of the book and the movie is Holly’s upstairs neighbor I.Y Yunioshi, I find him completely unnecessary throughout the book. Also in the movie they make him very annoying. 

Book 1 Project- Miles and Chip Speakers- Post #3

Underage drinking is when anyone under the minimum legal drinking age of 21 drinks alcohol. Teens and Young Adults don’t realize the serious effects of underage drinking. Some of the side effects from underage drinking is serious injuries, impaired judgment, increased risk of physical or sexual assault, brain development problems, and death. 5,000 people under age 21 die each from alcohol related events. Here at William Mason High School underage drinking at parties on the weekends has been spiraling out of control.

 Miles Halter’s and Chip Martin from the book Looking for Alaska by John Greene having been traveling around America to different schools to inform students on the dangers of drugs, drinking, and what is it like to lose someone close to you. We are lucky enough to have them come speak at our school on Friday, October 19.

In Looking for Alaska Miles Halters gets introduced to smoking and drinking at Culver Creek…both illegal if you are not of age. “I inhaled. Coughed. Wheezed. Gasped for breath. Coughed again. Considered vomiting…and threw the cigarette to the ground and stomped on it, convinced my Great Perhaps did not involve cigarettes.” Cigarettes are very addicting, you can instantly get addicted to them after smoking just one time, just like Miles did in the book. Smoking is a big part in this book and gives off the impression that it is okay to smoke when it really isn’t. Smoking can cause lung cancer and other serious diseases later in life. Smoking can also cause wrinkles, teeth rotting, and asthma. Alcohol was idolized in this book making readers think that everyone drinks in high school. Some teens choose to partake in drinking but many teens feel peer pressure to do it. Miles had been peer pressured by Chip. “but it’s Friday night, Pudge, and my girlfriend is a b***h. Want some?...I think I’ll pass.” Miles stood up in the end and decided not to drink even though Chip offered. Teens need to understand that it is okay to say no to drinking it won’t make you any less cooler to say no. Later Miles falls into peer pressure “I worried for a moment as I held the bottle by the neck, but I wanted to trust her, and so I did.” Everyone makes mistakes just like Miles did, but you should learn from it and never do it again. “Alaska started “Truth Or Dare,Pudge…Dare…Hook up with me” If Alaska was sober the chances of her making out with Miles would’ve been slim, because she had a boyfriend Jake that she really loved. Drinking caused her to make that poor decision with Miles. Later that night Alaska got a phone call, she came back in the room flipping out that she forgot and that she needed to leave campus right away. Miles and Chip helped distract the eagle while she drove off campus to somewhere unknown. Unfortunately Alaska never made it back to campus. “Her BAL was point twenty-four. That’s drunk certainly.” Alaska was in a terrible drunk driving accident and had passed, leaving Miles and Chip questions and blaming themselves for her accident.

  

Having Miles and Chip travel around America sharing their stories to different high school students about the dangers of drugs and alcohol and losing someone due to drugs and alcohol will broaden the audience. People who haven’t read the book will want to read it after they hear Miles and Chip talk about their experience. It will net the book attention in a positive way, informing kids on the negative effects of alcohol and how it can wait til they are of legal age. People who have read the book would stay connected because they would want to see and hear Miles and Chip in real life. Unlike most books and media Looking for Alaska shows the negative side of drugs and alcohol, it shows teens the realistic side of choosing to underage drink.

                                                                                                                                           

What is a Book? -Post #2

A book is a source of education. A book is a life lesson, it always teaches you something, I believe no matter what genre the book is you always learn something about, whether its a new word, fact, or it teaches you a life lesson. I always learn something new when reading a book even if the book is just for entertainment. I strongly agree with "Home Word Bound" by Nancy Jo Sales. I really like how Nancy says "the way it looks and feels, and even smells" To me it's more about that too. Everything she said I agreed with and would have said the exact same thing, I disagree with "Scribble" by Victor Lavalle and Tom Piazza interviews Tom Piazza. I don't think a Kindle, iPad, or phone is the same thing as a book. When I am reading a book, I want it to physically be there, I do not want to read it on a tablet...I think that would even give me a major headache! I like being able to feel the thickness of how much I have left or how much I have already read. I also hate how everything is becoming so much technology it's becoming to much. I think that there is something "magical" about about the book because no matter what you could never replace a book , they will always be around, it's more of how you would want to read it,

Why Do I Read?-Post #1

Why do I Read? There are many reasons to why I read, but the main reason is because I enjoy it. Not many people this age enjoy reading for fun but I do. Reading for me is something I like to do in my free time instead of watching tv or being on social media. I read because books keep my mind thinking. I also read because it's relaxing alone time away from people. I also read because sometimes it puts me to sleep. When I can't fall asleep at night I'll read a boring book and it knocks me right out. I also read because I have to for example school textbooks.