The Secret Life of Bees

Though just only starting to read The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd, it is so far one of the most captivating books I have read in a while. It all starts out in the year 1964 in Lily’s bedroom. 14 year old Lily is waiting for the colony of bees that have begun to live in the walls of her room to return. Lily, who lives alone with her father and nanny, Rosaleen, then thinks about her father, T. Ray. T. Ray is an abusive father who she believes does not deserve the title of daddy, so she calls him T. Ray. He is the type of father who is strict, uses cruel punishments, and does not show love or compassion to his kids. Next Lily switches over to talking about her mother who dies when Lily is only four. Lily describes her mother as smelling of cinnamon and the one who took care of her with genuine love. Because Lily was so young when her mother dies, the only memory she has of her was on the day of her death. Lily’s mom was packing up, putting her belongings in a suitcase, when T. Ray walks in. They begin to yell at each other and Lily’s mom pulls out a gun. Next thing Lily remembers is seeing the gun on the ground and picking it up. When she is older, people tell her that she was the one who pulled the trigger, the one who killed her mom, but it was all an accident.
Though sad to say, this is all I have read in the book due to the long, stressful process of moving into our family’s new house.

When analyzing this novel I keep looking back at one comment Lily remembers her mom saying the day she dies. “The closet floor vibrated whenever someone climbed the stairs below it, which is how I knew T. Ray was coming. Over my head I heard my mother, pulling things from the hangers, the swish of clothes, wire cling together. Hurry, she said” (6.) Why was Lilly’s mother leaving and why did she want to get away before T. Ray came? All of this is a mystery to me, but I made some assumptions. Maybe T. Ray was abusive to Lilly’s mother; maybe she was trying to leave with Lily to a safer place away from T. Ray. There was also one more subject Lilly described that I couldn’t help but wonder about. When T. Ray is woken up by Lilly wanting him to see the swarm of bees, T. Ray says, “’You wake me up again, Lily, and I’ll get out the Martha Whites, you hear me?’ Martha Whites were a form of punishment only T. Ray could have dreamed up. I shut my mouth instantly” (5.) I know harsh punishments and beatings were considered normal back in older times, but when saying only T. Ray could have thought up something as the Martha Whites, I can’t help wondering if T. Ray was too cruel on his child, and if that tied into Lily’s mom trying to leave him. I also can’t help wondering what the Martha Whites punishments were!

Reading this book, I’m glad my group members and I chose it. The Secret Life of Bees is a suspenseful, unique novel that I can’t wait to read more about. Though just starting it, I highly recommend for you to pick up a copy of this novel and read it!

The Bermudez Triangle

Keely Corrigan
Novel by Maureen Johnson
[Pages: 81/370]

Let's be honest: I am reading a chick flick. I will try to dignify that label by stressing the complexity of the situations within the novel-and the controversial and current topic that drives the... drama.

I would also like to say-upfront and honestly- that this novel is a controversy. It has been banned in some areas as it deals with sexuality- specifically the ever potent homosexuality. This novel is risky, but something I am willing to gamble with.

At first, I found the friendship trio that is the skeleton of the novel to be cliche. Nina, Avery, and Mel have been best friends since they had the emotional and physical capacity to make friends blah blah blah. A first glance left me thinking of the trio as overused, unoriginal and frankly boring; but when an affair between two of the three girls begins to unfold behind the other girl's back this story becomes utterly delicious. This plot has me caught in its web, I am thirsty for more.

Though the characters can be stereotypical (one is a driven, bossy, 'leader'; another is a free-spirit who refuses to let anyone or anything control her; the last being a classically and spellbindingly beautiful red head who instills blistering crushes unto any boy she meets) the author is able to create depth through the actions of the characters. The author has allowed the characters to develop their own depth rather than establish them as being profound. (A porfound chick flick, imagine that!) This is highly appreciated. A story is much more interesting with dynamic characters than with static ones, obviously. Johnson also gives the third girl a love interest, this seems both fair and logical. Not only does this third party add spice to the novel, it creates an better balance to the overall dynamic between the girls. The fact that the love interest is a tree hugging, bicycle riding, Birkenstock adorning stud from Oregon doesn't hurt either. To add even more spice the author created this relationship only to doom it to a 'long-distance-trying-to-make-it-work' sort.

My only complaint towards the novel would be the utter disregard for reality when dealing with homosexuality with her characters. By page 50 or so- and only one homosexual encounter- Johnson has already had one of her characters stamp a large, bold, red LESBIAN across her forehead. Really? Can someone truly define their sexuality after only one actual sexual/romantic encounter? This to me seems dreadfully unrealistic and disappointing. I feel that the author disregards that difficult realization as nothing more than a 'I-think-I'll-dye-my-hair-blue' decision.

I look forward to reading further and witnessing the drama unfurl between the girls.

"The Testament"- By John Grisham

Robert Xu, Honors English A1 Progression: Page 250

I originally wanted to be a part of Gary Gates's Grisham Group(ha-ha), but that fell-through due to the decision to read The Chamber, a book I had already read.

I was thrilled when I discovered online that there was a novel by John Grisham that I hadn't torn through yet. I immediately rushed to the library and claimed my book for the independent reading project. The Testament begins with billionaire Troy Phelan pondering about the division of his life earnings in his will. He comes to the conclusion that even 11 billion dollars in collective assets would not last very long in the hands of his deficit-spending children. This led him to the event that set the platform for the rest of the plot, he left all his money to an illegitimate child working as a missionary in Brazil. Troy Phelan's former right-hand man sent out Nate, a washed up corporate lawyer straight out of rehab to locate the missionary.

First off, I respect John Grisham for trying to move out of his comfort-zone of courtroom-dramas and small-town life in the cotton strip. The story flipped between the hunt for the missionary in the jungles of Brazil, and the catastrophic effect of Mr. Phelan's monumental will back in civilized society. What I personally disliked about The Testament was that it did not focus enough on the latter. While I love when authors try to move out of their comfort-zones, at the end of the day the reason that people buy John Grisham's books are his court-room dramas and vivid descriptions of small town life.

John Grisham had spent too much time writing about Nate's experiences in a developing country, that the novel lost its focus. I personally felt that he should have sticked to developing and centralizing his plot around the mess created by 11 billion dollars in contemporary society. To be fair, he did attempt to equally ration the amount of pages between the two plots, but I found myself debating whether to skip all the pages narrating Nate's day-to-day experiences with Native Americans and the Brazilian culture.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there is a large audience of people that love reading about different cultures, and lewis-and-clark big out-door adventures, but I'm not one of those people. I dislike having to reiterate this, but obviously long-term fans of John Grisham do not continue to purchase his books for his vivid descriptions of the jungle, but rather the vivid descriptions of the courthouse. On a purely literary level, Nate's experience traveling through Brazil was quite painful to read through. The dialogue, or at least lack of meaningful dialogue made Nate's adventure so far, excruciatingly tedious to read through. The book was very uneventful, and after the novel shifted gears into Nate's Brazilian expedition, I found myself more and more reluctant to sit down and continue reading the novel.

I might have sounded critical of John Grisham's novel in this post, but I will give credit where it is due. There are a few parts of the novel where you feel like resting your eyes for a few minutes, perhaps a few hours, but the court-room drama aspect, like always is impeccable. All and all I'm only on the 250th page of The Testament, and I sincerely hope John Grisham brings more of the writing style that fans have come to know and love.

The Glass Castle

To not have a legitimate home, to be raised on the move for the formative beginning of one's life, sounds utterly chaotic. To be constantly settling down in a town, then moving to the next, leaving behind friends and possessions, would be crazy enough to rattle anyone's idea of normal life. Furthermore, a three year old living this way? Yet, as author Jeannette Walls describes her childhood, I find certain aspects to be quite preferable to suburbia.

The novel begins with a story that seems to be set in the present. The very first line of the book is so saturated with irony, and it sets up the story perfectly; "I was sitting in a taxi, wondering of I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting through a Dumpster" (3). As the author worries she is too elegant, her own mother is wearing rags. Walls is well-to-do, and she doesn't want to be associated with the homeless woman on the street. She turns her head to avoid her mother's gaze.

After the bold introduction, the tense switches to the past. Jeannette Walls is three years old, unattended, cooking hot dogs over the stove, and she catches on fire. After a three week long stay at the hospital, her father comes, picks her up, and essentially "Dines n' Dashes" from the hospital. In this manner we are introduced to the authors father, Rex Walls, who plays possibly the largest role in her life. I have to work hard to limit what I write about to the first fifty pages, and keep myself from raving too much about the rest of the book (I'm almost to page 300).

I can see two possible ways to read and enjoy this book. The first: reading the novel like a story. If one were to keep a closed mind, they would be shocked by how different this family is. "A father who encourages his children to play with fire?! That's crazy!" This person would really enjoy the book, as the lifestyle of the Walls's is indeed very different. But the literary route I have chosen requires more depth of thought. I want to focus on the way this family thinks, and how the children are effected by living the nomadic life they were born into. In the first fifty pages alone, I can name five major life lessons learned by the author (by the age of three) that many people never learn.

I love this book. It will definitely be on my list to re-read whenever I am between books. The anecdotes are hilarious, and the matter-of-fact way that Walls writes makes them even better. I feel like I am reading the diary of an oddly literate three year old, because the author somehow remembers so many details of her childhood and how she felt at the time. The middle of the book grows less humorous, but the beginning just emulates the care-free way that she and her family lived, going wherever the wind blew them, then cutting ties and moving again. It is a seriously intriguing prospect.

The Hunger Games

This book is bloody, depressing, and has a fittingly somber tone. Other than that, I can't think of anymore ways to compliment it. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, is a book which follows the path of Katniss Everdeen in her dystopian world of Panem. Once modern day United States, the nation of Panem has no similarities with its former self except that it is run by a capitol city, deemed The Capitol. The Capitol bears a grudge against the (now twelve) surrounding districts that once striked a revolution to overthrow the government. As a punihsment, The Capitol now holds an annual event called the Hunger Games, where one boy and one girl from each district are placed in an arena in The Capitol and are forced to fight one another to the death. The perception of the games varies from district, while some believe the games to be a place to prove oneself, most districts understand it as a death sentence. This is what Katniss views it as when she is picked to represent the poorest district in the nation, district twelve, along with the boy tribute, Peeta Mellark. Unfortunately for Katniss, she keeps finding herself in debt to Peeta which does not bode well when a fight to the death is enforced. Just when Katniss feels that her odds of winning the games have hit rock bottom, Peeta Reveals his feelings for her which complicates her plans all throughout the games.

In the first book of this thrilling trilogy, find out how Katniss overcomes adversity and manages to stay alive against kids who have trained there entire life to win the games. Many real life tensions are implemented into this book, such as the rich vs. the poor, and love vs. humanity. It's nonstop action that you cannot miss, and things heat up in the end as the amount of tributes dwindle. Remember, only one person can win the games- will it be the baker, Peeta, or the small but saavy huntress, Katniss? Read The Hunger Games and discover the truth.

The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook

The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook is the ultimate example of just how horrible human beings can see. If Thomas Hobbes was looking for proof that human beings are inherently evil, he would simply need to open this book and read. Ben Mezrich may be telling a true story, but this tale is an almost unreal example of the constant greed, evil, jealousy, and fighting that humans are capable of. If this book is an example of true human nature, the world is doomed.

The first tidbit of bad human behavior occurs immediately in the first chapter. Right away Eduardo, a main character, is lying about his abilities to make himself more likely to get into a fraternity. The lying is one thing but changing who he is just to find acceptance among his peers seems like a negative example of human nature. Eduardo understands Social Darwinism and knows that only the strong can survive, so he makes himself strong even though it costs him his values. While this does not seem like a big deal, this little act sets the scene for later behavior in the story.

The further along the story gets, the crazier the behavior becomes. Soon after Eduardo's impressive lying, Mark Zuckerburg hacks into the computers of every fraternity and sorority in Harvard. This displays that human greed trumps all and that Mark was willing to let his own desires become more important than the privacy of others, the school rules, and even the law.

Later on Mark lies to the entrepreneurs that hire him and he tells them that he is incapable of making their website. A few days later he launches his own website that is almost identical to theirs. Mark is not above lying and stealing to get ahead in life, a tendency that shows the evil that humans have managed to achieve. Later on the entrepreneurs that had originally hired Mark decide to take legal action against him; they try to fight for justice. When they take their case to the president of Harvard they are completely ignored, showing that humans are willing to ignore injustice because it is easier than fighting injustice head on.

Once Thefacebook gains success Sean Parker wants to be part of it so he can get rich. Like parasites that attach themselves to stronger beings to survive, humans try to link themselves to success even if they had nothing to do with the success.

It may sound pessimistic to call humans greedy, evil, jealous creatures, but The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook has definitely not given any evidence to contrary views. Ben Mezrich has painted his cast of characters to be some of the most evil beings on the planet. The story may be dramatic, but maybe there seems to be some truth in Ben Mezrich's take on human nature.

Armor- John Steakley

On Wednesday I decided to finally start reading Armor by John Steakley for the independent reading project. The weekend was busy so I have only been able to read until page 60 of 430 but so far a lot has happened. So far it has been an interesting book. It has a really unique setting and story line that are unlike anything I have ever read before. The novel is more reminiscent of a futuristic videogame rather than a typical fictional sci-fi novel.

After reading a decent portion of the book, this book can only be classified as a "military science fiction" novel. I am usually not a fan of of fantasy novels, but so far I have been pleasantly surprised by the way the book doesn't have much of an introduction and just cuts to the chase so the reader can experience some "military science fiction" action. The story begins by introducing Felix, the main character. He is a young man who is a military trainee for a interplanetary army. The novel begins while he awaits his first "Drop" or deployment onto a planet to fight aliens. After only nine months of training to fight, he is finally ready to try on the suit in which the soldiers use to give themselves superhuman characteristics. The suit makes them virtually indestructible. It is made of a material called "plasteel", which is probably a combination of plastic and steel. It makes the soldiers very strong: they can pierce through a skeleton and metal with a single punch or kick. The suit can also make them run at a hundred kilometers per hour.

Felix is deployed in a strange planet with poisonous air and water. He and the rest of his blockade must fight thousands of nine-foot tall ants with rock hard exo-skeletons. Out of hundreds of scouts, he is one of only a couple of people to survive. He meets a woman named Forest who helps him find civilization again, and he meets up with three very experienced soldiers, Obel, Yin and Bolov. Then they will start a new tactic for their battle against the ants.
They will climb atop a mesa which can only be climbed by a narrow trail to prevent their army from being further destroyed.

So far the novel is quite interesting and is a good challenge for the reader. I look forward to finishing it up in the coming weeks.

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins; Part 1/3

Several weeks after the reading-blog project was assigned, my partner and I still couldn't find a book we could agree on reading. In a state of panic, we decided to look at the "Recommended Reading" list where Mrs. Huss' English classes discussed good books to read. At first, it seemed a little silly to choose a book from the list because we were picking it from other people's opinions.

But after reading several chapters, I figured that The Hunger Games was probably one of the most fascinating novels I've read in years. Now, I recommend that others should also look through the list that Mrs. Huss put lots of effort in making because it actually is quite a useful resource.

In an undated future, North America is destroyed in a cataclysm of natural disasters. Out of chaos, a nation known as Panem rose from the ruins. Separated into 13 districts, Panem was ran by an all-powerful and rich city, Capitol, located within the Rocky Mountains. Authoritarian in nature, the Capitol enforced strict rules and harsh regulations over the poorer districts, which resulted in a rebellion between the districts and the Capitol. Abruptly, the war ended with the Capitol's victory and the obliteration of District 13. To prevent the districts from ever rebelling again, the Capitol set up a ritualistic fight-to-the-death, known as the Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games are an annual event where one girl and boy aged 12-18 from each of the 12 districts are to kill each other in an arena while surviving through harsh environment. The last survivor of the event would be declared winner and their represented district would be given an abundance of food and supplies. The Capitol created the Hunger Games as a way to threaten the districts, giving a clear impression that the Capitol could easily do away with any of them just as they did to District 13. As a way to punish the districts even further, the Capitol mandates them to watch the games and celebrate it like a holiday.

In Panem's poorest district, a teenage girl named Katniss Everdeen lived in poverty while trying to support her family by hunting and gathering outside of District 12's borders. Although hunting was illegal, Katniss was able to evade the law because even law enforcers were desperately in need of the foods she collected. When Primrose, Katniss' sister, became 12 years old, she was mandated to participate in Reaping Day (which Katniss has already participated in for years). Reaping Day was the time of every year where each district was to draw the names of a boy and girl to participate in the deadly hunger games. Out of extremely small odds and chances, Prim was picked to become the district's "tribute" for the games. And out of protection and dismay, Katniss rushed in voluntarily replace Prim with herself.

Once Katniss was transported away on a train to the Capitol, she met Peeta, the boy tribute of the district. As Katniss was prepared for the Hunger Games, she noticed how bizarre it was that the Capitol citizens viewed the Hunger Games more-or-less as sensational entertainment. Katniss believed that Peeta is only attempting to act nice to her only so she would be weaker for his advantage in the games. But in a televised interview just before the beginning of the event, Peeta revealed that he had feelings of affection toward Katniss, leaving her in total disbelief and confusion.

To be continued... in Chapter 10, Part 2.

Suzanne Collins, known for writing the acclaimed The Underland Chronicles wrote the impressive first novel of the Hunger Games trilogy in a similar dark tone of oppression and death. Panem's Hunger Games resemble one of the darker parts of America's past, the Vietnam War drafts. I believe that she was mocking America's government through the "Capitol" in the her novel by having the Capitol be so unrealistically bizarre, but still make it seem so similar to Washington DC. She is extremely good at providing imagery to parts of the book where she intentionally wants to bring out the most, while still making it understandable for a broad range of young adults.

And although I haven't read through the entire novel yet, I'm determined to read the entire series (already bought the sequels, haha) and urge Honors English class students to do the same. The Hunger Games to me was not just a science-fiction novel, but a tool to help readers delve deeper into understanding human nature and understaning why people have made such questionable decisions in history. The interesting action-packed hooks of the novel are also tough enough to keep me stuck reading the book for long periods of time.

Read the book!

The Green Mile by Stephen King

Complaints to One Mr. Stephen King, Regarding The Green Mile
or rather
Tiny Little Annoyances

First off, I'd like to let you know that if The Green Mile is your favorite book, I don't intend to offend you when I say it's been slightly annoying me, mainly for one reason: Redundancy. Part of why I think this is because it's the second time I've read these pages (The first time was two or three weeks ago, I barely remembered any of it). However, several things could and should have gone without being repeated, and the description could have been shortened or used later in the book (Though I don't know this for certain, I'm only on page 13 of 536). Overall, I'm not saying I hate the book, just that the book could be a little more...
...interesting.

And don't get me wrong, I do find it interesting. In some places, it's interesting in ways that it shouldn't be. Within five pages of chapter two, the narrator has mentioned his urinary infection three times. At the same time, he is remembering when John Coffey, who can be assumed to be the main character, first enters the state penitentiary. Each time he says something about his urinary infection, it's always equal to him saying something like, "My urinary infection was aggravating". It doesn't appear to serve a purpose, and reminds me of the book How Not to Write a Novel by Howard Mittelmarx and Sandra Newman; The authors use an example that they title "The Gum on the Mantelpiece", in which they mislead the reader into thinking that a piece of already chewed gum will serve some purpose in the story, only to have all the characters leave the room and have one character simply clean the gum off the mantelpiece later. It completely distracts the reader from the storyline. Quite simply, the urinary tract infection and piece of gum don't need to be involved in the story, and pull away from it. People want to hear about urinary tract infections and insignificant pieces of gum as much as they want to hear a full plot summary of some TV show they don't plan on watching from the show's biggest, most obsessive fan, or most resentful, cocky critic.

King's redundancy in The Green Mile also appears when he is describing John Coffey's size. While it is important to know how large a character is, it makes one weary when they are told the exact size,"six feet, eight inches" (King 10, 13), of John Coffey twice within four pages. In between, King uses words such as "huge" (King 11), and "big" (King 12). Yes, the reader is aware that someone who is six feet and eight inches tall is pretty big and huge. Using one paragraph, or even one sentence to express his size would suffice for at least one chapter. In regards to description, so far the book has been only that. Granted, it is important to know the setting of the story. But King's use of setting drags it's feet along for an entire chapter, especially since his first couple sentences, "This happened in 1932, when the state penitentiary was still at Cold Mountain. And the electric chair was there, too, of course" (King 3), doesn't bring the reader to want to find out much, other than to find out what "this" is. At the end of the chapter, the only thing really pulled out from it is that sometimes murderers die at Cold Mountain by electric chair. It appears that the barely introduced conflict has disappeared in the fog of the setting and won't be back for a long time.

Frankly, a last annoyance from the story is that so far, the reader has not been told the narrators name. While King takes the time to introduce minor characters who are unlikely to resurface and quickly force five new major characters on the reader, four of them all within one sentence, he neglects to tell the reader the narrators name. It would have been easy to let one of the characters address the narrator by his name in dialogue, after all, it happens often in real life. But no, Stephen King won't let the reader know his name. He even takes one of the characters, Harry Terwilliger, and has him address the narrator as "boss"(King 12), where it would be the perfect opportunity to tell the reader just who, exactly, is speaking.

Despite all these little things that buzz around my face, I can swat them away because even though The Green Mile has it's flaws, King has given the narrator a riveting way of telling us what is going on and what has happened in the past at Cold Mountain. And I'd like to read what else he has to say. Even if I know too much about his urine, but not one of the simplest things about him, his name.
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12/24/2010

I guess this is sort of like a backup blog post; I’ve just had this thought in the back of my mind for a while (By the way, I’m still on the same page as before).

Every single time Stephen King describes the state penitentiary in The Green Mile, I never get anything out of it. I’m sure he has some image in his head like this:

I tried to make it accurate, but I couldn’t figure out how it looked even after reading it three times. Maybe I’m just a little dense. What I see when I read his description is this:

…What I’m trying to say is that if you’re reading this book for leisure, you may get a bit frustrated at Mr. King.

"A Time to Kill", by John Grisham

The first thing I hope you noticed about my post is the title of the book, “A Time to Kill”, by John Grisham. If you didn’t, I would hope it’s because you were too busy being amazed that I managed to blog my post (or is it post my blog?) a whole three days before the due date (for those of you who didn’t know that the due date is in three days, now is an appropriate time to be hysterical).

About the title: notice any similarities to any other books we’ve read this year? I thought it was suspiciously similar to “To Kill a Mockingbird”, by Harper Lee. I haven’t finished the book, so I cannot state what the symbolic meaning of my book is, but there are, actually, quite a few similarities between this book and Harper Lee’s masterpiece. To begin with, a defining element of the plot in “A Time to Kill” is the rape of a ten-year-old African American girl by two white men. In Lee’s book, it is the rape of a white woman by an African American man. Also, the setting in both books is a prejudiced southern town. The reason is, of course, to add emphasis to the rape crime.

However, there is no ‘hero’ character in “A Time to Kill”. Rather, the ‘Atticus’ part is played by criminal attorney Jake Brigance. He is not nearly as righteous as Atticus, and his reason for taking the case is for the publicity, not because he feels he must to have a clear conscience (the court case in the Grisham book is between the father of the rape victim and the state; the father murdered both rapists). Because of this, though, the character is easier to connect to. It is less difficult for me to relate to a less-perfect, more realistic character than the ideal, perfectly righteous Atticus. Simply put, the lawyer in “A Time to Kill”, while not in any way an antagonist, is much more like you’d imagine a lawyer to be.

“A Time to Kill” is told in third person (limited), so, even though Brigance is the main character, he is not always present during major events. This further helps the story develop, because, with the intricate, interwoven plots (activist groups for or against the defendant of the murder trial) the reader would not be able to follow the plot fully by only following Brigance. Interest is also added to the plot this way, because the reader knows about upcoming events before Brigance, allowing the reader to be nervously awaiting the occurrence of such events. These factors have led to my having to force myself to only read enough for one blog post at a time. So far, the plot is extremely believable and exciting.

Overall, through the first hundred and thirty-seven pages of “A Time to Kill”, by John Grisham, the book is shaping up to be an enjoyable pleasure read.

Thirteen Reasons Why

I bought Thirteen Reasons Why a couple weeks ago, and the day I opened the first page, I also read the last words Hannah recorded, and the final words Clay listened to. The reason I read the book in one day, was not to finish it and move on, but because I simply could not put it down. I found the novel's plot very intriguing and exciting and because the story happened within 24 hours, I could not put the book down until I found out how everyone was so intricately bound together.

I found the plot to be interesting not only because it was a sort of mystery, but also because of the way it was told. I liked how the author wrote what was on the tapes, and then inserted Clay's dialogue and memories between the lines. The author also held my attention by not making the answers obvious, but rather, waiting until the very final chapter to tie all of the characters and stories together.

Although getting voted "nicest ass in the freshman class" may not seen very significant, the author did a good job of making simple events pile up, and eventually show the gradual hatred Hannah began to feel. Furthermore, although Asher used simple language in the novel, no eloquent vocabulary was necessary to capture the emotions portrayed in the novel.

Brave New World

So far: page 95 out of (technically) 231

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a very strange and surreal view on how the future could look like in our world. The people of Earth haven't moved to other planets, discovered other life forms, or made hover crafts, but there is definitely technology improvements. They live in a time called A.F, or After Ford. Ford, for now, I do not know who he is. He is a god, of a sort, but he created the idea of the caste system they use.

Instead of having mother's birth us, we are made in machines. They literally take the egg from the female and sperm of another male and make thousands of children per day. Each egg is successful, but what class they will be in depends on their mother. They have the ability to deprive the embryo of oxygen and other nutrients, making either an Epsilon, Delta, Alpha, or Beta. In the embryo, they are given vaccines as we would be given as children. Some are given alcohol as well to see the effects it causes.

If that wasn't enough, mothers, fathers, and families are unheard of. The children are raised in facilities where they are trained by hypnopaedia, or unconscious learning, and allowed to run naked amongst each other. They are raised with the brains of a ten year old at the age of three, and develop much faster. Take a puppy, for example. It matures physically very rapidly, but not mentally. Humans develop moderately fast mentally, but not physically. Their goal is to be able to mature fast physically and emotionally at the same rate.

The only morale in Brave New World, is that of Ford, and what they are taught young. They have paragraphs of their class pounded into their brain, and do not care for anything else. Christianity, Islam, Judaism, none of these exist. They are, more so, a blight upon our history. The thought of a God horrifies them.

Erotic behavior is also highly encouraged for all ages. It is even the most common thing, and to not have a lover is shameful. They laugh at how we consider it to be immoral and wrong to wait until we are much older. It is an... interesting way of thinking, to say the least.

This book, however, doesn't have a plot so far. It is more so a description with some characters to help explain than it is a story. Though highly interesting, I'm curious to see if it ever will have a plot. It has high potential for one, but it is not necessary. I am eager to finish the next few hundred pages and see how the book unfurls.

"The Chamber" by Johnny Grisham

So far: page one.

One page isn't very much, but this book gets right to it. Already, John Grisham has thrown in some racial prejudice as he talks about the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi, yet in the page, the bulk of the prejudice isn't against African-Americans. Instead, I find it very interesting how the first character is Jewish lawyer, and this Jewish lawyer is in some major trouble. Specifically, Grisham is writing about a bomb plot and the three men involved in the bombing.

So, the first page is pretty abrupt; there is a lawyer, some violence, and already the slightest bit of suspense - just what I expected out of Grisham. While I wasn't surprised by his style of writing, I believe it is very good after one page and I look forward to the other 675 pages. On the topic of 675 pages, I believe an exciting, suspenseful style of writing is necessary when it comes to a book this long. If Grisham can take law, which is a potentially interesting topic, and make it an action packed and dramatic story, then I will be on the edge of my seat and each page will only get better and better. If not, then the excessive amount of paper will come in handy for a fire during this upcoming winter.

May this book be awesome even after the first page, and may Jewish lawyers have some peace.

Chris Beltrone (C-Bizzle)

How to Post Your Entries

Welcome to the blog!

Remember, when the first person is ready to post about a chosen book, click on NEW POST. Title the post with the title of your book. Write the first blog entry. That will be what everyone sees. After that first entry, every other entry about the same book will be posted under COMMENTS. In order to add a comment, whoever is posting must click on the actual post that is already there.

It is pretty easy folks. I look forward to reading your many insights.