Deadline- The Finale post

The book I chose to read was deadline by Chris Crutcher. The book was about a boy going into senior year in high school. He is diagnosed with cancer and his life turned around. He tried to hid his cancer from everybody and live a normal life. This book was romantic, funny, and very intense. The book was also very easy to read because it felt like you were with Ben Wolf just having a conversation with him. Flaws in this whole reading assignment was how I managed my whole time, because I really rushed to finish the book and I should have started it sooner. This assignment was really nice because I got to pick the book I wanted to read, not a book I was forced to read. I felt like I had more freedom and could read at anytime not have assigned chapters each day. Throughout the book I noticed total character development in Ben life throughout high school and with him dealing with his cancer. I cant say anymore though!!!! you will just have to go read it. But this book was a very good book with lots of funny things that made me laugh out loud and by the end of the book I was tearing up. Overall the book was a very good read that was fast paced and a page turner.

Eleanor and Park

I absolutely loved the book Eleanor and Park, by Rainbow Rowell. This was because, the book pulled me in from start to finish. The book was funny, empathetic, and romantic. I had trouble stopping at any point in the book and just picking back up again because it was so good. I remember stopping at the part when Eleanor went over to Park’s house for the first time and he walked her home only to give her the biggest surprise of her life. I regretted it because I didn't want to stop reading. I always try to stop at the end of a chapter, but it didn't always seem to work in my favor. Picking back up again at that part also was something I regret I didn't start only because I wanted to take it in all at once.  Reading this book for pleasure made me focus in on the important ideas on Eleanor and Park, for example, how Park admitted his love but Eleanor didn't say anything back, better because I could understand it more reading by myself and on my own time without over analyzing and under-appreciating the book. Personally reading, I was able to track important events, keeping up with the reading, and make connections to other texts and life in general well. I also was able to track Eleanor and Park’s character development. Park started off embarrassed for Eleanor until he realizes how great she actually is. He loved Eleanor mostly because she was weird. He called her a work of art and said that she meant something. On the other hand, Eleanor, started off as friendless and alone, she doesn't remain that way for long. She was able to become friends with Park, and later on, closer. She always hided herself, however, like she’s leading a double life, so that Park wouldn't question her. Although she never does admit to him that she really does fully love him, she says it to herself hoping that it’s enough. Even though I did most things well, I need to work on identifying literary devices while I'm reading. I tend to look over them and pay no attention to them instead of putting them into context. Overall, I loved this book, and now I’m reading Rainbow Rowell’s other book, Fangirl, because her writing is so amazing.

Deadline Final Post

Deadline by Chris Crutcher was a really good book. It was outgoing, romantic, funny, ironic at times, and sad when the main character actually dies at the end. Most books and movies end up resolving the problem from the beginning of the book and end it happy. The way the book was written made me feel like I was talking to the narrator, Ben Wolf, a senior in high school who was diagnosed with cancer. This book was very different from books I have read in the past related to school because it included some inappropriate words and content, and had a different type of writing to it. One thing that I really struggled with was my time management. Two days before the book was do, I hadn't even started which was not smart on my part. The one thing I really appreciate about assigned reading books is that we have to read a certain amount of pages for the next day in class which made me read. With the freeness of the outside reading book, I was immature and didn't plan it out, but I did get it done. Another thing I noticed as I was reading is that I need to work on staying interested in the book. I could not seem to just read it, even though what I had already read had been good so far. As the book went on, I felt like I did notice character development in Ben. He went from being an immature senior that thought it was cool that he chose to not his life was ending soon, to actually being a mature graduate of high school. Even though he never ended up changing his mind about the life decision, it showed even more maturity that he decided to go with his original plan and stick with it. This showed what type of character he was becoming throughout the book. Another thing as I was reading that I need to work on is that I read a lot when I find the energy and interest to, but other than that, I cannot seem to just read it, even though it has been good so far. Overall, the book was an easy read and a very heart wrenching story.

Third Rail- Final Post

I enjoyed Third Rail very much. It was a humorous, entertaining, hooking mystery that had me wanting to flip the page constantly to find out what was going to happen. I think that the author did a very good job making the topic realistic because in these situations some authors make it too fake or too dramatic. But, in Third Rail the author did a very good job with including current events about the city of Boston and even pop culture. I may have even loved the book a little more than o would because it takes place in my favorite city, Boston. The book started off a little slow for me, but it progressively gained speed and grabbed my attention. I couldn't stop reading because the action slapped me in the face and told me to keep reading. I liked this project very much because I did not need to stress about a grade when I was reading. I could read at my own will and whenever I wanted. I didn't need to read on certain nights like an in class reading book would make me, but I could read when I had free time that I wanted to fill.

Blood on my Hands Reflection

For me the book, Blood on my Hands, it was very interesting. First off I love murders and mysteries, I find them for intriguing than a sappy love story. However this exact book was kind of short, meaning it didn't really have a big climax. Throughout the book it was just about her hiding from the police and trying to find who killed Katherine. But when she finally got caught it was a to rushed ending of the story. I felt like "What that's it?" or "Are you serious?". Don't get me wrong it was interesting to finally see who the killer was. You would have never thought.
Reading for pleasure I believe was a lot more fun and relaxed instead of having assigned reading. Mainly because I had a lot of time to take it all in and I could read at my own pace. Plus i got to pick the book I wanted to read, instead of reading the boring ones in class that have no meaning. Even more, reading for pleasure actually turned me on to reading a little more everyday.
When I am reading I am able to track character development. I am able to see who they are as a person and what their actions will be in a lot of different situations. While I am reading, after very chapter, especially in a mystery, I will stop and look at all the facts or evidence that might have been mentioned in that chapter. Doing this helps me put into perspective who the killer could possibly be, and who was involved. Although I did that, this book was good at keeping me on my toes, and had in for a plot twist when I found out who the real killer was.
What I need to work on, is keeping up on reading. I should be more organized on everyday of what I am reading and how many pages it should be. I like to think I have enough time to read it, that near the due date I have a lot to read. Its not that the book is boring its just my procrastinating, that I really need to work on.

Gone Girl- Final Post

Gone Girl 

Hailey Daniel

Throughout the story, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Gone Girl is one of my favorite books. Each chapter it switches point of view from Nick to Amy, getting both sides of the story and getting a taste of their personalities. There are cliff hangers at the end of every chapter which makes it almost impossible to put the book down. I was very surprised when I found out that Amy had faked her death in order to frame Nick. It made me completely change my view on the characters. In the beginning of the book I felt bad for Amy, which was her goal, but by part 2 of the book I realized that Nick is the innocent one in the situation. I loved this book because it wasn't predictable. There were many plot twists which kept it interesting. Sometimes I just wanted to skip a chapter to see how the character continues to react to a certain situation, it always kept you guessing. I most definitely would recommend everyone to read this book when they have the chance and I would love to read more books by Gillian Flynn. 

Final Post- Third Rail

I for the most part enjoyed my reading 'Third Rail' by Rory Flynn. It began slow but eventually it caught my interest. The main character is hard to relate to at first but if you give him some time you will learn to relate.  Reading for pleasure allowed me to read for fun and not have to worry about a grade. If I had a busy night I didn't have to read but if I was free I could relax and read. With the reading I did a good job keeping up with character development because I was very interested in the main character Harkness. I was able to really see a change in him and a development of his character. However, in the future I need to keep up with reading more. Last night before it was due I had to read about 50 pages. Next time I would have liked to not have to cram in fifty pages and give myself more time to enjoy the ending.

Four

After finishing FOUR, by Veronica Roth, I can say that I enjoyed the book. At first I was not interested because it was only talking about his decisions and the relationship between him and his father. But then as soon he started his new life with his new faction, the book got interesting and the action started. I kept flipping pages and I finished the book in three days. The reading for pleasure you can read on your own time and also you can choose the type of book you like, different from assigned books that are usually boring. In the personal reading I did well tracking the character development, and identifying theme. But I still have to keep working on keeping up with the reading, because I might have skipped  a few days before starting to read where I have left of during the first chapter.

Final Post- If I Stay

I am really content on my choice to read If I stay by Gayle Forman this semester. I really liked this book as a whole and love how author Gayle Forman chose to write it. The narrator is Mia, the main character, and the main point of the book is about how a family gets into a car crash on a snowy winters day, and the entire family dies besides the oldest sister, Mia. The essential question of the book is if Mia stays on earth or goes to heaven, but Forman tells many stories in this one book. She shows Mia's childhood life with her family, and her life when she meets her boyfriend Adam, whom was Mia's first love. Forman describes this in an interesting way; through a series of flashbacks. When Forman switches to present tense again, Mia is experiencing a literal "out of body experience". She can walk around the hospital where she is recovering and see how everyone is reacting while her literal body is in a hospital bed, unconscious. This is an interesting approach because it is still unknown what happens while a person is unconscious, whether they can hear you or not. Forman makes you feel like Mia is your own friend, and her experience moves you and makes you feel attached to her. In the end, you are rooting for Mia to make the right choice, and she finally does. The ending is bittersweet, and she stays on earth with Adam and her best friend and lets her family go to heaven because she knows that thats what they would have wanted. Overall, I am very glad I read this book and because I liked it so much I am well into the next one, Where She Went, also by Gayle Forman.

The last post...

It is sad but I am done with reading "In the Heart Of The Sea". It was a great book from start to finish. At first I was intrigued with the history of the art of whale hunting but as I kept reading it began to become more action packed and even scary at some parts. The thing I really liked in the book was the constant history references. The author intertwined history with the book extremely well. He was able to both keep an interesting story and teach me how the world was like way back in the days of whale hunting. Throughout the story you can see how whaling evolved from a couple of men looking for a monster to a multi-billion dollar whaling industry. This book is extremely dramatic and explores many different areas of the human mind. This could be seen by the authors and the main characters constant remarks explaining how the mind deteriorates without food, water, and entertainment, leading to insanity. I really enjoyed Nathaniel Philbricks writing style using a historical event and converting it into a intense story. I often caught my self telling the book not to do something, for example when they ate there dead friend. But if you were in that situation you would probably eat the friend as well. I think the author was aiming for the reader to be in the characters shoes and agree with the tough decisions they had to make. I loved having a semester reading book because it gave me something to do over the weekend or even during a class. It was also really fun making the trailer for the book. Although I loved having to read the semester book "In The Heart Of The Sea" I hated blogging so so so much because it is easy to forget and it is a journal entry online and I don't really have the fastest internet. Reading the book was a great way to finish 2014!

Team Building, Team Eating

As we near the end of the book the people begin to become more savage and desperate. For example a lot of men began to eat there dead friends. First they were team building working with each other, but now they are team eating. The book related this occurrence to the Medusa shipwreck which sounds very similar to the Essex crash. Which I love because like I said I am a history buff.

Why I picked IN THE HEART OF THE SEAAAE

I have chosen the book "In The Heart Of The Sea" for many reasons. To begin I am in love with history and action, in the heart of the sea combined the both to get the best of both worlds. Also I saw Nathaniel Phil brick talk about his book at the New Canaan library and it made me want to see it even more.

Glass Castle Final Post

Finishing the book, The Glass Castle, was the most rewarding part of reading a semester reading book. While not to say I prefer this process over reading with the class, the most obvious benefits made reading the book a special experience for me. I could not have picked a better  book for this experience, while Catcher in the Rye was also special to me, it was in a different way. Analyzing Catcher was easier in a way because there was room to infer about this time that Holden was telling us about, but in the Glass Castle, it's Jeanette Wall's job to tell this story as it happened, in the most descriptive way possible. That is the only way to get to know these real life people. But in a book like Catcher, it's not what Holden says always but how he says it and what he doesn't say. Also a main point of the Glass Castle is how the character ends up. Making the connection between their childhood and how they end up is important to reading the story. It truly says something about the Wall's childhood. Like how Maureen was given special treatment as a child as result of her beauty, it is her that chooses the dangerous path of drugs and lack of shelter. But her sister (Jeanette) find luxury and happiness even though she was forced to take care of herself. Although as a child I would much rather be Maureen, Jeanette really says something about the connection between independence and strength. It's not as if Jeanette has the better set of skills like how oldest sister, Lori, is exceptionally talented in art, but at a young age, Jeannette took it upon herself to take care of the family. The divide between Jeannette's childhood and adolescence is very clear once her mother leaves the family in her hands. It's the divide between believing in her family and handling it her own way. Even this strength is better than her mothers weakness. The personal connection I felt to Jeanette involved major respect, which I felt develop as I chose to read more about her, is something that a long term story offers solely. That connection is why this story appealed to me most.

GONE GIRL

After finishing Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn, I have to say I really enjoyed it. At first, I was extremely bored with the book but as it continued on to part to, the constant plot twists had me continuously flipping pages. It took me a long time to get through part one of the book, but once I hit part two, it was only a matter of a few days. The thing I loved the most in the book was the way Flynn conveyed the characters. She shows how the characters are with each other and dives deep into the crevasses of a failed marriage. Throughout the story you can really see how Nick and Amy manipulate each other, yet how they are unable to just walk away. This book is extremely dark and explores different branches of sanity and insanity. The main characters often border on going crazy and doing anything to prove a point. Although very frightening, it showed what a failed marriage could lead the partners to-- insanity. I loved her writing style where it was a diary entry of Nick and Amy giving their stories, while reading Amy's diary entries, you hate Nick, but while reading Nick's diary entry, you hate Amy. You watch the couple become unable to express any of their feelings to eachother as they fall apart, which ultimately leads to the situation. You go through a series of emotions before, during, and after Amy's disappearance. I loved having a semester reading book because it allowed us to enjoy reading a book over a long period of time and not rushing to finish it or analyzing every bit of it, although I enjoy having class discussions about the books we are reading, I also really enjoyed being able to develop my thoughts on the book without another influence. I thought it was a fun project to wrap the year up with and I overall thought it was an enjoyable project to work on.

"The Circle" Final Post

The points that the book made about the power of social media and the line between surveillance and invasion of privacy were interesting and I liked how each character symbolized Mae's decisions. However, I did not like Mae herself. Her character was shallow and repeatedly made poor decisions. Her entire being depended on what other people thought of her and at points in the story she just went too far in her distress. Reading for pleasure was really different than for an assignment. Instead of having to keep a journal of all my thoughts at each important moment, I could just go with the flow and remember what stuck out to me. I also did not really have to analyze every detail as I went along. With my personal reading, I think I did well in keeping track of character development. I could really tell a difference in Mae between the beginning of the story and the end, and of course how she behaved in between. In contrast, I think I could have done better identifying literary devices. I noticed the symbolism in Mae's choices and certain events throughout the story, however I did no see anything else. I think I should have looked harder for additional symbols. Ultimately, I think "The Circle" is a good book for people who are interested the technology and social media boom currently taking place and the effects it will have in the future.

Unbreak My Heart

This semester I really enjoyed the pleasure reading assignment. I liked it a lot, because it gave us a lot of freedom to read whatever and whenever we wanted and I liked being able to pick a book that seemed really interesting to me. I loved The Catcher in the Rye this fall, however, there have been several books in the past I didn’t like as much. In books in class we have to annotate and a lot of work comes along with the reading, which at times can be difficult and make it less enjoyable. When reading on my own, I feel like I can enjoy it more and just take it all in. I think I had great time management this semester with the personal reading. I had read 3 or 4 books this semester, and ended up just picking one of them for my project. I have been in the position before when my reading was finished until the last minute, and it isn’t a great place to be, because you are cramming in the end and it is just miserable. With the reading I also did well with making connections to my own life and seeing parallels in some of our feelings. In the story, Clementine had a sister about 4 years younger than her, as do I, and it was interesting for me to see what their relationship was like.  I think for the next semester I want to read a book that maybe isn’t something I would typically pick off the shelf, and try and read more of a variety of novels.

HEART OF THE SEA MORE LIKE HEAT

Thomas Nickerson has changed from a trusting person to a untrusting person because of taking a unproportanite risk which lead to the essex boat being taken down by a bull whale. In the beggining Thomas is a  Nantucket native waiting all of his life to hunt down a whale just like his father. Eager to hunt he would often times go down to the docks and trained with other people who have been at sea entrusting them with his future. This anxious additude would soon change, when he got a job as a cabins boy on the essex. After two months on the essex, the crew spotted there first whale, a bull sperm whale. Faumos for there furoisity towards other whales and ships, the crew knowing this still hunted the whale with there inexperenced crew. This lead to the bull whale getting mad and thrashing the boat untill it sank. After this thomas went through a major catalayse and did not trust the crew. This was later shown when thomas would not trust the other men with his food and water rations. This major catalse made thomas never trust another man again even with small things like food and water.

So far, the main character, Ben Wolf, is rude and a little smart ass-y. He complains to the doctor that he is 18 and therefore doesn't need to have a parent in the room during his doctors appointment. Because this was the day that the doctor announced he had cancer, Ben quickly regretted not having his parents there for such big news. He makes a stupid decision and explains to the doctor that he just wants him to forget about it. He feels as if it were his fait, as if life had planned for him to die young at an early age anyway, so why ruin the plans? It all made sense in his mind, but not in anyone elses. He was stupid. Later on in the story he becomes more sensitive to the situation and how people might react when they find out, so he decides to keep it a little secret inside his family, for his sake. Ben has been taken to Denver, Colorado by his Doc to meet Dr. Bachchan who will prove to him the importance of this kind of decision process. He disregards what he is told and doesn't want to be a cooling ember slowly but surely dying, he wants it to be a flash.

The catalyst for these crazy decisions is about insecurity I think. I don't know a lot about the character yet but maybe he doesn't have a lot of friends as it is and doesn't want this cancer situtation to affect him having even less friends.

FOUR

So far, the main character Tobias Easton from Four by Veronica Roth, have chosen his new faction now he is the first Abnegation - Dauntless transfer in more than a decade. His new faction is like a many armed creature, all walking together and wearing black clothing. In the fear landscape room, the new members enter a simulation in which they confront their worst fear. Tobias is the last one to enter the similation and he has only four fears and is one of the strongest members.

"The Circle" Progress

                 So far, the main character, Mae Holland, is still getting used to her new job at the Circle. When the story began, she was really happy to get the job because of how she felt so unfulfilled at her old one. She felt welcomed and excited to try everything that the company offered. For example, she was amazed as she toured the campus, appreciating and planning to use all she saw, including the cafeteria, health center, outdoor amphitheater, mad more. She gets settled into her job and does well; being praised by everyone around her as one of the best 'newbies' they ever had. However, as time goes on, more pressure is put on her to participate in the activities at the Circle even though she has family and job commitments. Her father has Multiple Sclerosis and at one point she has to rush home because he had a seizure. Other times, Mae just has to work and does not have time for social activities. Moreover, a week into working at the Circle, she had not yet set up her email so did not receive invites to anything, causing her to miss several events and thus creating issues with her colleagues. At the end of all this, she is called in by her boss to discuss why she has not been participating and a woman is rude to her for waiting to set up her social account. Because of these occurrences, Mae no longer feels completely at home in the Circle. She still makes friends and hangs out with them, but now she forces herself to go to events she would not otherwise go to and now feels overwhelmed with work, since she also has to train new recruits to the company.

Main Character Post: Gone Girl

In the book, Gone Girl there are two main charcters, Nick Dunne and Amy Elliot. The way Gillian Flynn descibes Nick Dunne's actions and the way he looks seems to come off in a sinester way. This makes Nick look like he would be guilty of murdering his wife, even though he did not. For example,  when Nick first finds out that Amy is missing the cops interview him to see what happened. Nick narrates, "'I waited to do something because, I mean, she's obviously not with a friend,' I said, pointing at the disarray in the living room." (34) The way Nick speaks to the cops gives him an attitude. Nick comes off as quick and snappy, like he wants to get this over with because he is afraid of reveling something. This does not help Nick's situation. Even when Nick is being interviewed to the public, he seems even more sinister than before. He says, "The news reports would show Nick Dunne, husband of the missing woman, standing metallicallly next to his father-in-law, arms crossed, eyes glazed, looking almost bored as Amy's parents wept... So there it came, out of nowhere, as Rand begged for his daughter's return: a killer smile." (64) Nick Dunne seems evil and threatening to the public. This changes the way people think of him, the public won't seem him as a kind, innocent upset man that just lost his wife, but as a sinister, evil, mischievous man who killed his wife.

Insurgent

            The understanding of the main character Trish so far is she is under some depression because she lost her family, and she just does not no why she is a divergent, she does not what is going on. When the story began Trish was a normal 16 year old girl who always thought dountless as one of her choices at the stand but her parents wanted her to be a doctor but she always wanted to be with the people that always ran. She thought if she was gonna join them she would have freedom. But now finding all of these things about her she relises she just does not want to get a head of her self. Trish in the end of this book she finds out she has others just like her and she is not alone there are divergents out there.

Blood on my Hands

              So far in Blood on my Hands , the main character, Callie has shown us her life in the past, that is now affecting her life as a whole.  Throughout the beginning of the book, Callie sdhares with us flashbacks of her being friends with a mean, self obbsessed girl, Katherine. Katherine was the type of girl, that no one actually like, but people hung around to be popular. Her friends were her minions. Everytime she hung around people, she made them so frustrated with her, by always winning at everythihng, and never letting anything go. Callie, was friends with Katherine once, but having Katherine always insult Callie's relationship with her boyfriend Slade didn't make it easy. Callie decided to not be friends with her anymore. The story takes a turn, when Callie finds Katherine dead, murdered, in the woods. Callie at this point has no idea what to think. One of Katherine's friends, Dakota, find Callie with Katherine, and scream, "You killed her!" Callie knows exactly what it looks like because she had picked up the knife Katherine was stabbed with. I have no idea why, but she did. This made it look like Callie was the killer. Now Callie is in hiding from the police. She has changed her whole appereance. She cut her hair, dyed it black, put in some piercings, and is now living in an old EMS building. Callie has no idea what to do. She is lost and alonme. The only person she can turn to is Salde, her Ex-boyfriend. She calls Slade nervous as ever. She has no idea what he'll think about her situation. Will he think Callie killed Katherine? Will he turn her in? The are the questions Callie has asked herself, before she made the call. Finally she calls him and he agrees to help her. All Salde really does is help calm Callie down. Will Callie turn herself in? Why is she hiding if she didn't kill Katherine? Callie needs to figure out a plan quick and figure out a solution for the whole situation.

Ben Wolf a senior, started off sounding kinda nerdy and really pumped for his senior years. Once he got the bad news about his cancer, he didn't really change as a person because I don't think it set in that he really was sick. He was in denial and didn't want anyone to no because he didn't want to make people sad and I don't think he was strong enough to tell anyone. I don't think anything. Very noticeable has changed about him, but internally I can't tell something defiantly changed. He seems to be the guy to keep things bottled up and when his feelings come out they blow up .

In past posts, I have mentioned the narrator in very high esteem. Her ability to retell the story without whining is amazing and creates an amazing book. But her tone not only carries objectiveness in the beginning  but innocence. The reason Wallace can tell the story so well is because that's howshe truly   saw her childhood. It's not like she was never scared, because she makes it clear they were many times, but she doesn't  think her childhood is so odd. In the beginning, she has so many abnormalities (to me at least) in her family that she doesn't consider weird. She doesn't find it weird her parents force her to throw her cat out the window, she doesn't find it weird they have to run from the "cops", and even starving for food is all part of the journey. But it's not like there is no character development, she slowly starts to see the fault in some of her life. She starts to lose this innocence when her dad loses her job and they are starving like never before. Like any book character would, she pushes back a bit. It's a little gesture but she is showing some responsibility for her and her siblings. She no longer can just sick in the back of the dark van for hours and just take it, she starts to ask questions and take initiative. She finds her own food at her friends house and steals from the school. But the important part is she realizes she shouldn't always have to do this. Another time where she takes on the adult role is when her father may or may not have tried pushing her mother out the window, in this situation, the mom is on the floor, screaming and crying (like a child would) an it's Jeanette that has to comfort her mother. It's her sad reality that she has to act like a grownup at only age seven. These turning points show her complexity and character development in the book.

As I have continued reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, the main character has begun to change due to events taken place. Nick Dunne was a happily married man who owned a bar in North Carthage, Missouri, and seemed to not have a care in the world. But once his wife had been pronounced missing, he has spun out of control. He drank hiself to sleep and practically didnt know what to do with himself. The only person that he really believed was there for him was his sister Go. In the beginning of the story, Nick talked about how much Amy meant to him. He claimed he could recognize the back of her head anywhere. But once she was gone, it was as tho Nick thought of all the bad that Amy did for his life. The stubborness, etc. which got him more angry with the situation. With all of the attention towards Nick that the case has brought, he became much more paranoid about his actions, but it was as if he couldnt control himself. "The news reports would show Nick Dunne, husband of the missing woman, standing metallically next to his father-in-law, arms crossed, eyes glazed, looking almost bored... So there it came, out of nowhere, as Rand begged for his daughter's return: a killer smile"(64). Nick has been in a state of shock ever since and its as if he is floating, unaware of what to do/what he himself is doing. The catalyst for this change in Nick's views on his wife and his unintentional actions is the "kidnapping" of his  wife, Amy.

If I stay- courtney coutts

We have a pretty good understanding of the main characters personality and thoughts about her family and life. She is a musician, specifically a celloist. She loves her parents, but sometimes cannot help but feel a little bit left out because of her differences to her family. Her parents are rock musicians, guitarists and singers, while Mia loves Behtoven. Despite the differences, her parents support her and she loves them back. Mia also has a special relationship with her brother. They are very close, and when Teddy was a baby, Mia was the only one who could calm him down. She has a positive outlook on life untill her world gets turned upsidedown by a series of tragic events.  On a snowday, Mia and her family get into a deadly car accident, which results in Mia being the only survivor. She now has to face the desiscion- does she stay on earth as an orphan, or does she choose to go to heaven with the rest of her family?
 
Before the car crash, Mia was constantly insecure because of her differences to her family. She felt like an outsider in her own home. The catalyst that changed her veiws was the car accident that she got into with her family. Now, after the catalyst of the car crash, she feels stupid for thiking that she was any outsider. She realized how much her family loves her throughout a series of flashbacks. She wants more then ever to go to Heaven, to give up, and to see her family again. Although this catalyst showed Mia how much she loved her family and how precious life was, she also realized how loved she was on earth, even when her family was dead. Her grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, cousins, her best friend Amy, and her boyfriend all loved her so much. Because of these new realizations of how much her freinds and extended family loves her, I hope that she will choose to stay on earth, and I hope she will discover that her Mom, Dad, and brother Teddy would have wanted her to stay on earth, and to be strong.

Character Change

    As the story has progressed we have seen a change in Harkness. In the beginning of the story he is portrayed as a layed back cop. He is coming off of a long week at work and is just going to the bar to get some drinks. His night becomes more and more layed back as he goes onto parties and an overall crazy night. However, when he wakes we meet a new Harkness, a worried one, he went out that night with his gun and ends up loosing it. Loosing his gun puts Harkness in a state of shock. He is worried on what he is going to do because his police sargent cannot find out that he lost it. Harkness begins to questions everyone in his life and even thinks the girl he spent the night with may have stole it from him. Harkness changes from being the layed back cop that has a good time to the worried cop that is blaming other people for his own issue. As he continues to look for his gun we see him become a more and more stressed character and we begin to find out all of the crazy things that he did the night he lost his gun. We begin to notice that it may be his fault the gun in gone and no one else. Harkness, Although once very layed back is now in a contant state of stress between his new promotion he got and getting fired because of the loss of his gun. Clearly, there has been a large change in Harkness from the start of the story.

Evan Maze Runner Post

Evan Levinsky
11/26/14
Ms. Weeks

So far in the Maze Runner, the main character, Thomas hasn't experienced that much.  He was in the dark room very confused at the beginning of the story wondering where he was.  However, later on he was more confused when he found out he was in an arena.  People were yelling many things at him and he couldn't figure out why.  Some catalysts for change was Thomas coming out of the dark room seeing this big open area with many people screaming things.  This must have been scary for him since he had no recollection of him being put into this situation.  Also, the only information Thomas had was dreams about a mysterious organization.  When he saw all the other boys with him in the dark room he was very nervous and changed from someone who was confused to scared.

If I stay -Grace Brown

In the book If I stay, The main character Mia, has changed deeply throughout the story so far. Mia is telling the story two years in the future. She starts off the story by introducing herself and her family. She tells us about her love for the chello, and how she was working towards getting into a musical college. She tells us small details about her boyfriend which we cannot tell if they are still together or not because that would give away the ending if she ends up living or not after the car crash. Once we hear about Mia's life we see it spiral in a completely different dirction when her family was hit by a truck, on their snow day. You can see how Mia's personality completely changes once the accident happens. This book so far has come off as very relatable, but it makes everything seem very different once she can see her physical body and realizes she is unconscious. Since this story is being told or written from the future Mia, it seems like she is 100% giving her opinion on the situation and her side of the story. Even though this isn't happening in the present you have evidence showing her go from super happy with her life, family, boyfriend and the instrument she found a passion for.  Once the car crash happens that all changes.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Maggie Defrancesco
11/26/14
Period 7 Weeks

At the beginning of the story, the reader came off with the impression that Amy Elliot is the definition of perfection. She is described by every as perfect, as if she can do no wrong. Nick describes her like he loves her more than anything in the world and thinks that she is the best woman any man could have. But as the story unravels and they both tell stories of their relationships, it is clear that there are many underlying problems with their relationship and Amy. Amy was a very independent, laid back woman before, but as Amy and Nicks relationship progresses, it becomes clear that Nick has forced her into changing into a nagging and controlling wife, something she had always promised herself that she would never be. Amy is changed by Nick and their relationship into the woman who she always claimed she would never become before her and Nick were married. She noted the changes she was going through, especially around the time that Nick lost his job and became a slob, which forced Amy to become the nagging wife she wished she'd never be, saying that Nick was forcing her to be this. As Amy was described as perfection in the beginning, and able to be like by anyone, it becomes clear that she is actually very manipulative and controlling after Nick lost his job, her and Nicks distance in their relationship forces Amy to become the person she has always vowed she would not become.

Four - By Veronica Roth: Update 2

Based on yesterday's reading of, Four by Veronica Roth, the character, Tobias Eaton, has now moved into his new faction of Dauntless.  But there, he is not known as Tobias Eaton, the son of the leader of Abnegation (his previous faction), he is known as Four, because he only has four fears.  With that, throughout training, he has proven himself to be one of the strongest initiates for his entire class.  Moreover, because he remarkably only has four fears, he is exceptionally strong, and brave.  As of now, training is still in progress, and he still has to prove himself to be Dauntless.

The main character is a teenage girl from HAwaii. At the beginning, she is very insecure about her looks, because she has a mother that's hawaian but a father that is white, she is made fun of for being an outsider, however she is able to push through this. The main catalyst so far is the power outage, while on a trtip to Oahu, something happens and Hawaii is cut off from the outside world. This forces her to be strong, to rely on herself and her father to get throiugh everything. BEcause she has epilepsy she is used to being seen as fragile, however now she must show those around her that she is in fact strong. mentally and physically.

        Unbreak My Heart

          So far in Unbreak My Heart, I have learned a lot about the main character Clementine, and the reasons for why she carries such guilt and pain around with her. Throughout the story, bit by bit, Clementine has been revealing the events that occurred during the school year, that have led her to be upset over the summer, and also without her best friend. Finally about 2/3 of the way through the book, we learned that Amanda, Clementine's best friend, believed that her boyfriend was cheating on her with Clem. Clem knows she never kissed him. She admitted they flirted, and desperately tried to explain her side to Amanda, but Amanda hated her within a second. Clementine went from having her greatest friend in the whole world by her side, to having absolutely no one by her side, and the whole school staring at her as she walked through the halls, puffy eyed. I think the reason that Clementine is so upset, is because she is such a true, down to earth, and honest person, and she knows that Amanda never deserved to have that happen to her. But lines are blurred because even though Clem had a crush on Ethan, she never did anything, and at points even tried to stop seeing him at all. Ethan said something to Amanda, the night she caught them coming home from a long, yet innocent, drive together, that Clementine didn't hear, but whatever he said made her out to be terrible and unforgivable. I feel sorry for Clem, because she really was innocent, but now she is second guessing herself, and really beating up on herself instead of being confident in herself and believing the truth.
           Now, Clementine has really opened herself up to this boy James, who is on the same summer boat travel route as her family, and really likes him. James is such a happy guy who always makes light of a tough situation, and brings a smile to everyones faces. He is exactly what she needs. She has been getting so close with him and since he was so honest to her about his parents separating, that she felt like she had to be open with him about what happened during the year, and why she had "sad eyes." James gave her this really disappointed look and Clementine broke inside. She already felt so guilty and like such a horrible person, and the one guy who's really made her again, couldn't treat her the same anymore. She was just getting over everything that happened, and starting to put it behind her, and now she's facing a setback. I am predicting that they are going to make up and he will forgive her and also trust her that she never actually did anything with Ethan, they just had crushes on each other.

Update on Semester Reading

At this point, some of you have finished several books while others have finished a few chapters.  It's time to step up the reading, as you will need to be finished reading your book on December 16th.  In light of that, we will be reading today and tomorrow and one day a week up until the Holiday Break in December.  Each week, you will also have a blog post to think about what is happening in your novel to help you prepare for the final assignment.  

This week’s question:  What understanding do you have of the main character so far?  Who is s/he when the story began?  What changes in character have occurred?  What have been the catalysts for these changes so far? 

Moving forward, your blog posts will be assessed using the following rubric:

95+	85+	75+	65+	55+
·       Insightful and perceptive response addresses the question ·       Examples and details from the text strongly support purpose ·       Language is highly effective and has an engaging tone ·       No errors are present in grammar, usage or mechanics	·       Completely addresses the question ·       Examples and details from the text fully support purpose ·       Language is effective and has an appropriate tone ·       Minor errors in SWE don’t distract the reader	·     Broad and generalized response to the question ·     Some examples and/or details may be used or may be superficially related to purpose ·     Language is inconsistent in its effectiveness ·     Errors are present and may obscure meaning	·     Vague response or oversimplified response to the question ·     Limited to no examples or details used  or are disconnected from purpose ·     Language is mostly ineffective ·     Errors obscure meaning	·     Response does not answer the question ·     No examples or details are used in response ·     Errors prevent the communication of ideas ·     Grammatical errors prohibit communication of ideas

Blood On My Hands

I am reading "Blood on my hands" by Todd Strasser. This story is about a young girl named Callie,who has been framed for murder of one of her classmates, and ex best friend, Katherine. Callie has no idea why she is being framed for the murder an is now in hiding and seeking help from her ex boyfriend Slade. So far this book is very mysterious and interesting. I am excited to read more... I really excited to find out who actually killed Katherine and why they are framing Callie. The book clearly has really good cliffhangers!