Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
Read For: Leisure/completion of the series
Rating: 2.5
After the third novel in the Twilight series, I was not too excited about reading this fourth and final book. However, my constitution is such that, when I start a series, I must finish it. The first book was good, so I was excited to read the second book. The second book was not as great, but kind of ends on a cliff hanger so you have to read the third, plus you are hoping that Meyer will redeem herself. However, after the third book fails miserably you aren't too excited about reading the fourth bu you figure you might as well finish the series. That was my thinking, anyway.
Meyer lived up to her mediocre potential. The beginning and the ending were okay, but the middle 500 pages were BORing. Bella continued to be annoying, Edward continued to be the perfect woman-created man, and unfortunately my beloved Jacob took a turn for the worse and became a stupid fluff character. It was obvious that Meyer is biased towards Bella and Edward's relationship (which, I still have no idea why they are together besides how good her blood smells) so when she realized that Jacob was winning in the love triangle, she had to go and have something stupid happen to him in order to get him out of the way (and this happens early on, mind you) so that the rest of the book can be all about Edward and Bella blah blah blah. Meyer's writing is so predictable. Anytime a small sliver of a good plot begins to miraculously ooze from her storytelling, she immediately squashes it with annoying characters and ridiculous plot "twists." And this goes on for 500 pages? Don't waste your time.
*I will say this: I thought that the movie for Twilight was actually pretty good. It was well-adapted to the screen, the pace was quicker than in the book, Bella wasn't annoying, and the casting choices were fitting. Of course, I went in with extremely low expectations, so I wasn't hard to please. I just ask for Robert Pattinson (Edward) to not wear as much lipstick the next time around. It was incredibly distracting.
Rating: 2.5
After the third novel in the Twilight series, I was not too excited about reading this fourth and final book. However, my constitution is such that, when I start a series, I must finish it. The first book was good, so I was excited to read the second book. The second book was not as great, but kind of ends on a cliff hanger so you have to read the third, plus you are hoping that Meyer will redeem herself. However, after the third book fails miserably you aren't too excited about reading the fourth bu you figure you might as well finish the series. That was my thinking, anyway.
Meyer lived up to her mediocre potential. The beginning and the ending were okay, but the middle 500 pages were BORing. Bella continued to be annoying, Edward continued to be the perfect woman-created man, and unfortunately my beloved Jacob took a turn for the worse and became a stupid fluff character. It was obvious that Meyer is biased towards Bella and Edward's relationship (which, I still have no idea why they are together besides how good her blood smells) so when she realized that Jacob was winning in the love triangle, she had to go and have something stupid happen to him in order to get him out of the way (and this happens early on, mind you) so that the rest of the book can be all about Edward and Bella blah blah blah. Meyer's writing is so predictable. Anytime a small sliver of a good plot begins to miraculously ooze from her storytelling, she immediately squashes it with annoying characters and ridiculous plot "twists." And this goes on for 500 pages? Don't waste your time.
*I will say this: I thought that the movie for Twilight was actually pretty good. It was well-adapted to the screen, the pace was quicker than in the book, Bella wasn't annoying, and the casting choices were fitting. Of course, I went in with extremely low expectations, so I wasn't hard to please. I just ask for Robert Pattinson (Edward) to not wear as much lipstick the next time around. It was incredibly distracting.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Copper Sun by Sharon Draper
Read For: Leisure/recommended by my cooperating teacher
Rating: 3.5
Compared to Romiette and Julio, the only other Sharon Draper book that I have read, Copper Sun is Booker Prize material. Compared with other novels (actual Booker Prize winners, perhaps), Copper Sun falls extremely short. This book is a work of historicall fiction, following the life of Amari, and African girl who is captured and taken to America on the Middle Passage and then sold as a slave. In her new life she befriends Polly, and indentured servant working on the same plantation, and the two escape together.
Draper does a good job of portraying the life on a plantation in an age-appropriate way, as this book is geared towards middle school students. There is plenty of action as well as some romance, so I think that it could appeal to both male and female students. The writing is far better than Romiette and Julio and the story less contrived, so this is a pleasant read that I would recommend for middle schoolers.
Rating: 3.5
Compared to Romiette and Julio, the only other Sharon Draper book that I have read, Copper Sun is Booker Prize material. Compared with other novels (actual Booker Prize winners, perhaps), Copper Sun falls extremely short. This book is a work of historicall fiction, following the life of Amari, and African girl who is captured and taken to America on the Middle Passage and then sold as a slave. In her new life she befriends Polly, and indentured servant working on the same plantation, and the two escape together.
Draper does a good job of portraying the life on a plantation in an age-appropriate way, as this book is geared towards middle school students. There is plenty of action as well as some romance, so I think that it could appeal to both male and female students. The writing is far better than Romiette and Julio and the story less contrived, so this is a pleasant read that I would recommend for middle schoolers.
Friday, September 5, 2008
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Read For: Leisure
Rating: 3
It has been awhile since I read this and updated this blog (student teaching kept me busy), so i will try my best to remember my thoughts after reading My Sister's Keeper.
I had been wanting to read a Jodi Picoult novel for some time, because I knew that she was a popular author. When I found this book on sale at Borders for $3.99, I saw my chance! The basic premise of the book is that Anna was borne simply to keep her sister, who suffers from a particularly deadly strain of cancer, alive. For her entire life Anna has been donating tissue, blood, kidneys, you name it, to her sister. She has decided that she is sick of doing this and decides to sue her parents for the rights to her own body, effectively emancipating herself from her parents and also killing her sister. Each chapter in the story is told from a different character's point of view: Anna, her mom, her brother, her father, the lawyer representing Anna, the legal guardian appointed to advise Anna thoughout the process, etc.
Picoult's story is well crafted (although I have to say that Anna's mother was one of the most annoying characters I have ever read) and the writing decent, but nothing really stood out to me. Rather, I think that Picoult strays into mediocrity by being pretty much the same as other contemporary authors because a lot of the characters were stereotypical, the plot "twist" at the end was predictable, the references to sexual tension were casual. All in all it was a good read and I can now say that I have read a Jodi Picoult novel and understand her hold over the masses.
Rating: 3
It has been awhile since I read this and updated this blog (student teaching kept me busy), so i will try my best to remember my thoughts after reading My Sister's Keeper.
I had been wanting to read a Jodi Picoult novel for some time, because I knew that she was a popular author. When I found this book on sale at Borders for $3.99, I saw my chance! The basic premise of the book is that Anna was borne simply to keep her sister, who suffers from a particularly deadly strain of cancer, alive. For her entire life Anna has been donating tissue, blood, kidneys, you name it, to her sister. She has decided that she is sick of doing this and decides to sue her parents for the rights to her own body, effectively emancipating herself from her parents and also killing her sister. Each chapter in the story is told from a different character's point of view: Anna, her mom, her brother, her father, the lawyer representing Anna, the legal guardian appointed to advise Anna thoughout the process, etc.
Picoult's story is well crafted (although I have to say that Anna's mother was one of the most annoying characters I have ever read) and the writing decent, but nothing really stood out to me. Rather, I think that Picoult strays into mediocrity by being pretty much the same as other contemporary authors because a lot of the characters were stereotypical, the plot "twist" at the end was predictable, the references to sexual tension were casual. All in all it was a good read and I can now say that I have read a Jodi Picoult novel and understand her hold over the masses.
Sarny by Gary Paulsen
Read For: Student teaching
Rating: 4
Sarny is the sequel to Nightjohn. Again, Paulsen demonstrates his talent at writing a novel that is different from anything of the other books that he has written. Sarny is longer than Nightjohn and follows the path of Sarny (obviously) who is now an adult and able to read. When her children are taken away from her and sent to be slaves on another plantation, Sarny is determined to go after them. When the South is liberated, the plantation that Sarny lives on is liberated as well, and Sarny sees her chance to go after her children.
Paulsen writes many loveable characters in this book. Sarny is sweet and determined, Lucy is fun and thoughtful, Miss Laura is smart and elegant, and Bartlett is strong and stoic. They all work together to create a powerful commentary on Southern society at the time right after the Civil War.
One theme that I want to be sure to discuss with my students is the role of women. Miss Laura is a powerful woman in the South, and she takes Sarny under her wing and shows her how a woman can manipulate a man in order to get what she wants. There is a twist in the Miss Laura story, too, that I will be anxious to see what my students think of it.
Rating: 4
Sarny is the sequel to Nightjohn. Again, Paulsen demonstrates his talent at writing a novel that is different from anything of the other books that he has written. Sarny is longer than Nightjohn and follows the path of Sarny (obviously) who is now an adult and able to read. When her children are taken away from her and sent to be slaves on another plantation, Sarny is determined to go after them. When the South is liberated, the plantation that Sarny lives on is liberated as well, and Sarny sees her chance to go after her children.
Paulsen writes many loveable characters in this book. Sarny is sweet and determined, Lucy is fun and thoughtful, Miss Laura is smart and elegant, and Bartlett is strong and stoic. They all work together to create a powerful commentary on Southern society at the time right after the Civil War.
One theme that I want to be sure to discuss with my students is the role of women. Miss Laura is a powerful woman in the South, and she takes Sarny under her wing and shows her how a woman can manipulate a man in order to get what she wants. There is a twist in the Miss Laura story, too, that I will be anxious to see what my students think of it.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
Read for: Leisure/Quiet Time
Rating: 4
C.S. Lewis is the master of simple explanation. His way of presenting complex issues in a simple yet poignant and truthful manner is helpful in explainingto readers a religion that is very complicated. His language is thoughtful and precise, which I appreciated. Lewis sets out to explain Christianity--mere Christianity. None of the denominational differences or huge theological problems facing religion today. Rather, he tells readers what Christians believe and why they believe it.
"Ever since I became a Christian I have thought that the best, perhaps only, service I could do for my unbelieving neighbours was to explain and defend the belief that has been common to nearly all Christians at all times." (Preface, p. viii)
"I am not writing to expound something I could call 'my religion,' but to expound 'mere' Christianity, which is what it is and what it was long before I was born and whether I like it or not." (Preface, p. ix)
In my opinion, Lewis succeeds in his mission of explaining what he calls "mere Christianity." What makes his explanation so effective, I believe, is the fact that he writes from the perspective of someone who used to be an Atheist, but saw what Christianity had to offer and became a believer. Therefore he is able to explain why he came to hold his beliefs. Where Lewis falters in his mission of expounding on "mere Christianity" and strays into the land of convoluted theology is in Part 4, which addresses the doctrine of the Trinity. He of course explains the doctrine well, but it is a bit more than "mere," in my opinion. I would advise the reader who only wants the "mere" to simply stop reading after Part 3.
Rating: 4
C.S. Lewis is the master of simple explanation. His way of presenting complex issues in a simple yet poignant and truthful manner is helpful in explainingto readers a religion that is very complicated. His language is thoughtful and precise, which I appreciated. Lewis sets out to explain Christianity--mere Christianity. None of the denominational differences or huge theological problems facing religion today. Rather, he tells readers what Christians believe and why they believe it.
"Ever since I became a Christian I have thought that the best, perhaps only, service I could do for my unbelieving neighbours was to explain and defend the belief that has been common to nearly all Christians at all times." (Preface, p. viii)
"I am not writing to expound something I could call 'my religion,' but to expound 'mere' Christianity, which is what it is and what it was long before I was born and whether I like it or not." (Preface, p. ix)
In my opinion, Lewis succeeds in his mission of explaining what he calls "mere Christianity." What makes his explanation so effective, I believe, is the fact that he writes from the perspective of someone who used to be an Atheist, but saw what Christianity had to offer and became a believer. Therefore he is able to explain why he came to hold his beliefs. Where Lewis falters in his mission of expounding on "mere Christianity" and strays into the land of convoluted theology is in Part 4, which addresses the doctrine of the Trinity. He of course explains the doctrine well, but it is a bit more than "mere," in my opinion. I would advise the reader who only wants the "mere" to simply stop reading after Part 3.
Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen
Read for: Student teaching
Rating: 4
Gary Paulsen is such a diverse writer. Everything by him that I have read has been vastly different--different styles, story lines, characters, etc. Nightjohn is no exception. The story takes place during the height of slavery, right before the Civil War. Sarny, a slave on a southern plantation, is the narrator of the story. Nightjohn comes to the plantation and teaches Sarny how to read. Nightjohn's story is compelling: He escaped from slavery, but returned in order to teach other slaves how to read.
My cooperating teacher uses this story for two reasons: A) it coincides with the history teacher's unit on the Civil War, and B) she claims that it gets students talking about literacy and excited to be reading. I think that Nightjohn is the proof that a story can be written for young adults that is well written, has relateable characters, and can apply to the lives of young adults without being cliche or lacking in literary merit.
Rating: 4
Gary Paulsen is such a diverse writer. Everything by him that I have read has been vastly different--different styles, story lines, characters, etc. Nightjohn is no exception. The story takes place during the height of slavery, right before the Civil War. Sarny, a slave on a southern plantation, is the narrator of the story. Nightjohn comes to the plantation and teaches Sarny how to read. Nightjohn's story is compelling: He escaped from slavery, but returned in order to teach other slaves how to read.
My cooperating teacher uses this story for two reasons: A) it coincides with the history teacher's unit on the Civil War, and B) she claims that it gets students talking about literacy and excited to be reading. I think that Nightjohn is the proof that a story can be written for young adults that is well written, has relateable characters, and can apply to the lives of young adults without being cliche or lacking in literary merit.
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