I finished Hard Times. I won’t tell what happens, in case you want to read it for yourself, but I will say that it wasn’t exactly a clear-cut happy or sad ending. I will say that it is a very thought-provoking read, and well recommended for those who enjoy stories set in the Industrial Revolution. Style-wise, it reminded me vaguely of Beyond the Western Sea, a 2-volume story by Avi that was set around the same time period. However, Beyond the Western Sea was a story about an Irish brother and sister who had to emigrate to America. Hard Times - the entire book - was set in England. The two told different stories, but both of them had a common thread – they each explored different societal problems of the time period.

After finishing Hard Times, it was actually not that hard to transition to a completely different sort of book – Pearls of Lutra, the ninth book in the Redwall series. Pearls of Lutra is much cheerier and “fun” than Hard Times. It’s also one of the most exciting Redwall books I’ve ever read, perhaps the most exciting. I recall that I was also really excited about Mattimeo (another Redwall book) and The Mysterious Benedict Society (completely different from the Redwall series, by a different author). These three books may be the most exciting books I’ve ever read.

DRAGON QUEST

I am starting to read my new book called dragon quest. The author is Donita K. Paul and the main character is Kale. Kale is now being trained at the hall with her friend Dar, but when they got news that the Meech egg hatched and the dragon's name in Regidor.

Star trek the next generation starfreet academy worfs firstadventure

I really like book because like it I really like it but I really dont know

star wars X-wing rogue squadron

some pilots are talking to a alien pilot named Ooryl. Ooryl talks in third person it is cool

Still More on Hard Times

Now, I’m on Part 3 of Hard Times. Part 2 ended with Mr. James Harthouse saying how much he loves Louisa. They agree to meet again at some time, but Louisa just runs home to her father’s house and has a major breakdown. For some reason, Mrs. Sparsit was watching what went on between Louisa and Harthouse. She had succeeded in whatever it was she was trying to do – sabotage Louisa’s marriage or something like that, I’m not quite sure.

So anyway, Louisa is at her father’s house, recovering, when Mr. Bounderby brings this woman named Rachael (who loves Stephen Blackpool) to her. Mr. Bounderby had just put up posters accusing Stephen (Blackpool, not the Stephen who is almost done Dragonspell!) of robbing the bank all over town, but Rachael wants to vindicate him. So she told Mr. Bounderby her version of the story. However, Mr. Bounderby wants to validate the story, so he came to Louisa (who met Rachael earlier, in Part One). Louisa confirmed the story. Stephen is supposed to come back and prove his innocence (but he hasn’t showed up yet), and that’s where I’m at right now.

Well, I’m glad I read through Part 2, so that I know what’s going on. It’s getting interesting again – I want to know what happens next! I’m on Stephen’s side, believing him to be innocent. Nowhere in the story did it say that he robbed the bank. I don’t think the story left “room” for him to do so. And he’s an honest man, anyway. But, that leaves this question…

Who robbed the bank, anyway?

star wars x-wing rogue squadron

some empirel officers are chatting

Star trek starfleet academy Worfs first adventure

I like star trek. becuse when I read it it feals like I am in a difarent world. And I like to get away from the real world some times.

_MR.TUCKET_

My opinion of MR.TUCKET is pretty good and I can't wait to finish it so I can read the next the next book in the series I like it because it has all the quality's that a book should have.

DRAGON SPELL

I am almost done Dragon Spell. The author is Donita K Paul an the main character is Kale. The group made it to Ristos strong hold and there was a landslide when all of them were sleeping. So kale got split up from the group. She was trap in a cave that looked like a maze.

IT by Stephen King

I am now on page 401. The book is kind of interesting, I'm reading about the past of the main characters. IT is a little boring but King started incorporating peoples experiences with the monster. I think this book is okay but I'm not saying anyone should read it (IT). If one does read IT I recommend skipping the first 200 pages. (no Josiah I didn't) This book has not really hooked me like some books do. This book makes me feel kind of bored but then something exiting flares up and I continue to read it. (and IT) Hopefully people will start hunting the monster and there will be more action, excitement, and IT creature total mad awesomeness. (sorry I just thought that sounded funny so I put it in there)

_BRIAN'S RETURN_

my opinion of Brian's Return was that is was one of the best GARY PAULSEN books I've ever red. It had action and adventure in it and I think that every one should at leased read part of it.

More on Hard Times

I’m in Part 2 of Hard Times. It’s getting slightly confusing. Part 2 is set a year after Part 1. Now, Louisa Gradgrind, Thomas Gradgrind’s oldest daughter, is married to Mr. Bounderby. Young Tom Gradgrind, Louisa’s little brother, has financial issues or something (I’m not quite sure. I said the book’s getting slightly confusing, remember?). So, okay, what do Mrs. Sparsit (Mr. Bounderby’s old housekeeper) and this new guy, Mr. James Harthouse, want? Well, I’m not sure, but I think Mrs. Sparsit wants influence over Mr. Bounderby, and Mr. Harthouse wants influence over Louisa? The bank was robbed, and Stephen Blackpool (who was fired, and is also an outcast among his fellow Hands) was suspected? What? Mrs. Gradgrind, Louisa’s mother, just died?! Huh?

I’m just going to keep reading, in the hope that the mist clears later on, and the book gets interesting later on. I want to hear more about the Coketown factories and the Gradgrind model school, not about people using each other as pawns in a confusing game of sorts, like in a soap opera. (Not to say it’s bad writing or that I dislike Dickens’ works, but I’m just not into watching relational issues in people’s lives.)

_BRIAN'S RETURN_

So far Brian's Return is very interesting Brian has bought a lot of equipment and is spending the night in a cabin waiting for morning so he can start his journey back to the wilderness.

Star trek the next generation starfleet academy Worfs first adventure

I just started this book and I think it is good sofar. Why I like this book is becuse I like star trek. And I needed a new book.And I like action packed stuff. Much beter than Talking and mystorys.

DRAGON SPELL

I am near the end of Dragon spell. The author is Donita K. Paul and the main character is Kale. Kale and the other meet wizard fenwork and they went over the plan to get the meech egg back from risto. Wizard fenwork helped Leetu bend get better when she was in a coma.

star wars X-wing rogue squadron

the captain Aril nunb from XO squadron is being transferred to rogue squadron

_BRIAN'S RETURN_

I am reading another book by Gary Paulsen this book is called BRIAN'S RETURN it's the next book in the hatchet series Brian he is tyring to figure out were he wants to live in the wilderness or in a city.

Revenge of the Spellmans

In the book "Revenge Of The Spellmans" by Lisa Lutz the are certain parts that make me feel sneaky, hungry, motivated, sleepy, and scared. Isabel Spellman and her family have a Investigation program. Isabel has to sneak around to find out DIRT on other people. Thats someone why it makes me feel sneaky. When ever they are eating something, they elaborate and explain every detail about what they are eating. Like the icing on the yellow cake is 3 inches thick, and tastes like vanilla with sprinkles. Now if you tell me you don't get hungry after you have a description like that, then you are crazy. Anyways, I fell motivated when everyone if up and moving and doing things but feel down, sad and not motivated when they are sick or sleeping or something like that. The scary parts in this book are when she is snooping around and getting information/dirt about people and she gets caught. Anyway if you want to know more just ask or read the book. It is the third book in the series. You will not understand whats going on if you don't read the first and second. They are pretty good.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

For history, I had to read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, written by Fredrick Douglass himself. He was born into slavery, but later escaped and joined the Abolitionist movement. He wrote this in 1845, I think. It is an exposé of the cruelity of slavery. It shows how the slaveholders tried to degrade and brainwash their slaves so that all they knew was work, happy, work some more, life is okay. They wanted the slaves to either not know of freedom or not want freedom. And they didn’t want their slaves to read. In the words of one of Douglass’s masters, quoted in the book, “A n---er should know nothing but to obey his master – to do as he is told to do. Learning will spoil the best n---er in the world.” (The book used the actual “word,” in its complete spelling.)

While not on the level of IT (the book Hunter is reading), this book does contain some gory details. These details are presented here not to scare the reader, but to accurately portray the evils of slavery. I cannot stand any sort of cruelity, as in I get furious reading about it. This reminds me of when I studied the Holocaust in seventh grade. Of course, the Holocaust didn’t last as long as slavery, but the object there was to exterminate people, while slavery was really about cheap labor. But I digress. Both were great evils, scars on humanity’s face – scars that still have yet to heal.

_THE NIGHT THE WHITE DEER DIED_

The Night The White Deer Died is still boring but it has got a little bit more interesting.

Hard Times by Charles Dickens

I am now reading Hard Times by Charles Dickens, of A Christmas Carol fame.

This book is an attack on both the cruelity of the Victorian factories and the learning institutions that destroyed the creativity, imagination, and fancies of the people in favor of “Facts.” Dickens was working in a factory at age twelve, so he knew these industries inside out. He also felt compassion for the victims of these factories – he had been there, he knew what it was like.

So far, the figure pinning this story together (as far as I have read) is Mr. Thomas Gradgrind, who runs a model school and is a friend of Mr. Josiah Bounderby, a wealthy industrialist. There is one character, Cecilia Jupe, called “Sissy,” who was the daughter of a circus clown, who is being cared for by Mr. Gradgrind after her father ran away. You see, she was once a fanciful little girl, growing up in a circus, but Mr. Gradgrid strongly and actively discourages fancy. The book has also told of some of the life of Stephen Blackpool, a worker (Hand, as they are called) in a factory owned by Bounderby. He has a problem. His wife is this nasty drunken woman, and he wishes to be free of her to marry this other woman, but he cannot afford that.

_THE NIGHT THE WHITE DEER DIED_

The Night The White Deer Died is still really boring although it has got more interesting.

RED WALL

Here is one of the charter's that i like from RED WALL. Adopt Mortimer.
He is the leader of RED WALL and very sympathetic.

amistad

in the book Amistad the slaves captured the ship and find a island

DRAGON SPELL

I am in the very end of reading Dragon Spell the author is Donita K Paul. the main character is Kale. Kale and the others rescued lettu bends with the help of the little creatures called Kimens. When the gang was escaping from risto's castle Kale saw six dragons coming near them and riding one was wulder.

IT by Stephen King

IT is really interesting now. I'm now on page 371. Instead of just boring facts King is actually writing about some thing "scary". The way King explains detail is interesting too. He writes about lots of blood and gore in his books. In a regular book the author would just say " he shot the monster three times in the chest " whereas King will tell all the nice details. (I will not mention the exact details)

A Closing Thought on Principles and Practice of Electronic Music

I am finished the book now, and I can honestly say that I learned so much from it. What is interesting is that it began on a rather abstract, philiosophical note, and then it went into technical, preceidural material, and then it ended whith abstract philiosophy, around where it started.

If I were to update the book, I would write it in a similar fashion, but I would omit the parts referring to obsolete technology, relegating them to little paragraphs (at most) in Chapter 10 – A Brief History of Electronic Music. I would also cover current technologies, and I would have at least a whole chapter on digital sound synthesis, not just a section about it. And instead of discussing tape recorders, I might talk about how to do the same things with a computer program.

I can honestly say that I comprehended most of what was written. I was a bit confused on a couple of things, but overall, I got the general idea. I would only suggest this book to those who are interested in both electronics and music, as most other people would have a hard time staying awake while reading it. In other words, it is most definitely not what I would call a “general interest” sort of book, one that many different types of people are able to understand and enjoy. It is for those who are both technical and artistic.

After reading this book, I think that I now know enough to get started in electronic music. I already had some knowledge of electronic sound synthesis, but not that much. I had a background in music, and I don’t think I learned much about music theory from reading this – I didn’t need to! What I needed to know was how to generate sounds with electronics – and that is what I got.

Red wall

Here is a dicription of cluny. from Redwall cluny is evil and wantes to take over all of Redwall. and strong and a strong leader.

star wars X-WING rogue squadron

corran spots a tie bomber squadron and destroys them with proton torpedo's

IT by Stephen King

I'm now on page 329. Being on page 329 kind of confuzled me, I had not checked what page I was on for a while. Anyway IT is kinda of disgusting. ( disgusting as in ' eww the mean clown thingy just ate a person " ) Well at least IT has gotten interesting. Before it was just about peoples lives, but now there is actually something happening. I made a shocking discovery IT is 1087 pages long. So IT should take a while to finish. I thought it's interesting that Stephen King takes things that some people are afraid of, like a clown and turns it into something even more frightening. I think that is a really good idea for writing horror stories.

_THE NIGHT THE WIHTE DEER DIED_

My opinion of The Night The White Deer Died is really boring because there is no action and it just goes on and on but I'm not that far in to it so it could get exciting.

Principles and Practice of Electronic Music - Yet Another Thought

As I approach the last couple of chapters in this book and leave the technical, procedural material behind, I am left with ideas on how to actually get started. I’m glad I decided to read this book, because I’ve learned so much from it. Although it’s about 35 years old, many of the components used today are virtually the same in function now as they were then (with a few exceptions, especially the tape recorder). The next chapters are about form and notation, and the history of electronic music, so there aren’t going to be many procedures from now on. I’m relieved.

The Mighty

The Mighty is by Rodman Philbrick. It is a great story i think because of its loss, shame, and thoughtfulness. This is a great book in my opinion. It makes me feel like a lot of friendship and helpfulness is useful. If you want to know what it is about read it because I'm not going to tell you. Well one little detail. Characters names are Freak, and Maxwell. If you read the story you will find out why this book is called The Mighty!

Red wall

Here are some characteristics of one of my favorite characters in Red wall.
Constance bager. she is strong and fearless and obedient and nice.

book

in my side of the mountain a lot of photographers came and news reporter he meets his brothers and dad

IT by Stephen King

IT has finally got interesting. The parts I said were boring were when he ( Stephen King of course ) was telling about the people in the book. Anyway now I'm at more interesting parts. This book is really descriptive and I think Stephen King adds in to much detail, or as I would call it " Bad Detail ". I don't think I will drop this book because the story is good, but I think it's a waste of reading time reading about " Bad Details ". Well I dont find this book creepy anymore because the first time some one got eaten by the IT creature I for some reason had a very good image of the creature ( probably because of all the " Bad Details " ).

_BRIAN'S WINTER_

Brian is twelve years old he was flying to his dad when the pilot had a hart attack and the plane went crashed in the northern woods of Canada and he has been there for over 9 months and winter is coming and he is not prepared he doesn't have warm clothing or good shelter it doesn't look like he will survive.

Principles and Practice of Electronic Music - Still More Thoughts

I finally made it through the lists of procedures, but now I’m reading about tape recorders. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this book is old, and in some ways obsolete. Who uses tape recorders? Especially reel-to-reel tape recorders – the kind this book goes into detail about. I think it’s interesting from a historical perspective, but I don’t think it will be of great use to me today. Modern computer software could probably do everything the tape recorder ever could – and it could do it quicker and more efficiently. But, like I said, it’s interesting to read about these things from a book that was written back when they were in use.

I have found myself wishing there were more diagrams, so I could see what is going on. There are times where I get a bit lost, thinking; “huh?” If I ever write a text like this, I should probably include plenty of diagrams.

The next chapter is about getting started in electronic music. I want to get started and do these things for myself. I think I might need to get a working soldering iron (my last two won’t cut it), get some plans, and get going!

Of course, I should actually read that chapter first, so I have a better understanding of what to do. And before reading that chapter, I want to finish this chapter.

DRAGON SPELL

I am halfway done DRAGON SPELL. The author is Donita K. Paul and the main character is Kale. Kale and Dar are on there way to save Lettu bends on Celisse the dragon. Lettu bends is captured at Risto's castle.

Red wall by brian jaques

Red wall is one of the best books i have ever read becuse it is exiting.
and becuse I like made up stuf so i can get out of the reall world some times.

book

A news paper reporter came to do a store on the boy in the woods and the news paper person is going to come back to the cat skull to visit him in spring

_RANGERS APPRENTICE_

Horace is riding to the planes of Uthal to tell the king that Molgaraths bridge has been destroyed. Will and Evanlyn have been captured and are being held captive bye the Skandians who are planing to take them back to Skandia and sell them as slaves but Molgarath are makeing sure that the skandians don't get away.

IT by Stephen King

I'm actually thinking about dropping this book because it's so boring. I think I will keep reading IT for a little longer in case it gets better. If it continues to be boring I will drop in one second flat. Nothing has been happening in a while and pretty much it feels like my brain is rotting out of my head. Anyway this book started out really good but then got boring after the 4th chapter. I have read other Stephen King books and they were not so bad.

Homework - Description from Book

In response to our assignment, here is a quote from Mossflower, the second installment in the Redwall series by Brian Jacques.I read this book last year, but I think I can still remember the mental image I got from this description.

“Martin was astonshed by the size of Lord Cayvear’s domain. Bat Mountpit was vast and impressive, with chasms, tunnels, streams, caves, waterfalls, and underground lakes. Lord Cayvear pointed out his tribe. Those not searching for Gonff were farming great areas of edible roots, mushrooms, and subterranean plants, while others fished the lakes.”

This description gave me visions of a vast cave with waterfalls and elevated pathways, and complex cave systems branching off from it. At the floorof the cave, I envision there to be mushrooms and various plants. For some reason, I may have imagined them to be iridescent, although I don’t recall the book saying that they were. However, the book does say elsewhere that there was a hole at the top, and a slim shaft of light shone down through it.

The funny thing about books is that they can be interpreted different ways by different people. You probably got a different mental image from that quote than I did. In my opinion, what books do is tell you what to imagine in the scene, not how to imagine it.

Principles and Practice of Electronic Music - Another Thought

In the book, I am currently going through these lists of procedures. You are told which modules you need, which modules you have to connect, what controls you will be using, and a description of what you’re doing. It does get somewhat repetitive, in that some of the procedures are fairly similar. I think these lists are better “doing” material than “reading” material. I think they were written as “how-tos,” in which you read the list while actually doing these things. These lists will probably come in handy later if I actually want to use any of these modules.

I know the book moves out of lists later on, so I won’t abandon it. I’m just going to keep going – I want to know how to do these things.

A scene from Jaws

" The fish jumped up out of the water its Skin shimmering with water and gleaming in the sun. Hoopers dead body lay limply in the fishes mouth." These two sentences I can just picture in my mind so well.

_RANGERS APPRENTICE_

Will,Horace and Evelyn have destroyed the bridge but Will and Evelyn have been captured by molgerath and his wargals Horace has escaped and is going to tell the king.

Redwall

Redwall is one of the best books I have red so far and if you like tawlking animal fantesy I recamend it.

book

In my side of the mountain the end of the book is not as good as the beginning when he did not no what to do plus the details are not as good

IT by Stephen King

Okay IT is the first book that I have ever found remotely creepy, not scary just creepy. Anyway I'm on page 26. This book is interesting because I actually feel like I'm there not just reading about people who have really freaky messed up things going on in their life. I found this book when I was trying to reach a different Stephen King book up on the top shelf. I needed to take this one out first because they were wedged on the shelf so tight that I could not get it ( not the book IT ) out. So i took this one out and saw on the cover the word IT. I had heard from Alden that IT was really freaky ( I've only seen part of the movie ) So I decided I'd read this instead. I'm now really exited about reading the first book that creeps me out. YAY!!!

redwall character mathias

Mathias is very clumsy and young every single time I read redwall he is olmost always triping on his big sandels.

homework

Eragon was fifteen, less than a year from manhood. dark eye-brows rested above his intense brown eyes. His clothes were worn from work. A hunting knife with a bone handle was sheathed at his belt, and a buckskin tube protected his yew bow from the mist.

_I can see the fight_

Halt's second shot dropped the left-hand wargal. Will fired at the one on the right and he realized instantly that he had misjudged the wargal's speed.The arrow hissed through the space where the wargal had been a second before.

Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover

But we do, both literally and metaphorically. Sometimes it works out (usually in the literal sense), and sometimes it doesn't (in the metaphorical). I am reading You Don't Love Me Yet by Jonathan Lethem. I ran across it in the discounted book section at Bear Pond Books. The title sounded offbeat, non-conventional, and the cover (which I don't really remember right now) grabbed my attention. I started to read the beginning, which is my way of seeing if I want to read a book, and put it on my "to find at the library list." How's this for an opening sentence? "They met at the museum to end it." A book that begins with the end of a relationship has potential. Sort of like beginning with the "happily ever after."

Part of what's keeping me hooked, besides the jaded hipness of the main characters (for reading is escapism into our dream worlds, after all), is the vivid descriptions. "She caught scent of his coffee pot, dregs charring to a shrill odor." I like the use of an auditory adjective, shrill, for an olfactory sensation, odor. Especially because burned coffee is most often described as bitter. Or this one, describing a trendy rooftop bar: "The Armpit's rooftop was like a three-dimensional magazine Lucinda browsed with her whole body." I'm not even sure what it means exactly, but it gives me the feeling of being in the presence of cooler-than-thouness (the book is set in L.A.), being the only removed observer, and being overcome with stimulation, as if all around you are models who know and adore each other and are in tune with the latest styles and successes.

This is what good writing does for me. It both puts into words what I've been thinking or suspecting and also gives me a new way to consider the world.

josiah

Principles and Practice of Electronic Music - My Thoughts

I’m currently reading Principles and Practice of Electronic Music by Gilbert Trythall, which is a non-fiction technical book, so it would be a bit difficult to give a “plot summary” of it. (As far as I know, most of you would probably not want one anyway.) I find it interesting because it combines two of my favorite things – electronics and music. Like I said, it is technical in nature, so you end up learning all these musical, acoustical, and electronic terms. These terms are in bold on the outer side of the page, a bit like the Cornell note-taking system, for those of you familiar with it. There are parts that confuse me a bit at first, but it helps that there are illustrations, so I can sort of see what’s going on. I can tell from the way it is written that it is probably a textbook of sorts, not something most people would read for fun, unless they were interested in the topic presented, which I am.

The copyright date is 1973, so it’s quite dated in some respects. (For example, it discusses phonograph cartriges and magnetic reel-to-reel tape recorders – neither of which are commonly used anymore.) However, there are parts that are still relevant to today – for example, it discusses capacitors, resistors, inductors, and other components that are still in use. But I think it’s interesting to read about older technologies, even if they’re obsolete. It’s interesting to see how they worked.

Being mostly technical, it’s largely short on abstract, ethereal ideas. However, the foreword (by no less than Robert A. Moog, a well-known authority on the subject) and the introduction do go into more philiosophical territory regarding the subject of music and aesthetics. However, from Chapter 1 to the point I’m at as I write this, it’s mostly concrete rules governing acoustics and electronics. It’s a bit strange to see these abstract, philiosophical ideas in the same book as all these concrete rules and formulas.

book

In my side of the mountain the boy’s dad comes to see him and metes the teacher and they get along good and after they left he made snow shoes and a mouse gets in his storage tree

DRAGON SPELL

I am in the middle of Dragon Spell the author of Dragon Spell is Donita K. Paul. The main character is Kale. Kale's first dragon hatch his name was Gymn, Gymn power was healing. Kale's friend Lettu was captured. Right now Kale is trying to save a dragon who is trapped in a barn with guards firing poison arrows at the dragon.

Curse of the Spellmans

In the book Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz, the last part about 50 pages was about her having to go to jail. Isabel Spellman has a friend that she doesn’t know his fun name. She thinks he is lying to her because of all the research she has done on him. Mr. Brown (so he tells us) has a house right down the road from where the Spellmans live. She went over to his house for dinner and saw that a door was locked and he wouldn’t tell her why? She snuck in that night and had her cell phone on vibrate so if Mr. Brown had returned home Isabel’s sister could call her to get out. All she found was files and more files and stuff. The next day the police came over to the Spellmans and arrested Isabel because Mr. Brown left that window open and had a video camera facing around the room. They told her that she had the right to remain silent and so she did. She had spent the last 12 hours of her life in a jail cell. What the funniest way to spend twelve hours. If you want to know what happens next, stay cued in or read the book yourself. It’s called Curse of the Spellmans but this is the second book in the series. There are three books in this series. I think parts of it are very odd but others are hilarious. I hope you enjoy this book and my sayings about them.

_RANGERS APPRENTICE_book two

in _RANGERS APPRENTICE_ book two Will and his best friend Horace and Evelyen are spying on the Wargals lord Molgraths evil minions which are capturing celts to build a bridge to help the Wargals get out and attack the army from the rear. If they do that all hope to win will be lost but not if Will Horace and Evelyen have anything to say about it.

Redwall

Redwall is good I think that is very very good and it makes me very very hungry when I read it I think Redwall is very exiting I think it is the most exiting book I have read so far

Jaws

I'm now in page 204. The reporter, Harry just found out alot of dirt about the mayor, Vaughan. Vaughan owes around 1-2 million dollars to the mafia. The only way Vaughan can get the money is by opening the beaches so people will rent houses in Amity for the summer. So Brody opens the beaches when Hooper ( shark expert ) tells him the chances of a shark being there are 1 in 100. Brody is still cautious about opening the beaches though so he posts cops all over the beaches. Another reason Brody opened the beaches was because Vaughan had been a freind before all this had happened so Brody felt bad for him so he agreed to open the beaches. After the meeting a person from the mafia comes to Brodys house when Brody's still at work. The man picks up the youngest sons, Seans cat and kills it. He leaves a note Saying "Be Subtle". I think if I was Brody I would be pretty ticked. First he fights with Vaughan who was a freind before all this. Second his family is being targeted by the mafia. It sound like this book is going to get pretty interesting soon so I'll update it as soon as I can. :)

Jaws

I'm on page now on 184. Right now the mayor, Larry Vaughan and other important people ( unamed ) are trying to force Brody too open the beaches. Brodys' friend Harry Meadows is trying to find out why the larry is trying to force Brody to open the beaches. He found out that Larry is president of a company that is related to one of the five biggest mafia's in the city. That is as far as I've gotten. This book is finnaly getting interesting. Hopefully something really exiting will happen soon.

NO MORE PLOT SUMMARY!

When you write about what you're reading, I don't want to know what happens in your book. If I want to know what's happening, I'll read the book myself. In fact, if you think about it, you're doing the author a disservice by paraphrasing his or her writing. Novels are more than just a good story. I do want to know why you like the book, why I might like the book, what you notice about the book, what you don't like about it, or how it compares to other things you've read. That's just a start. In the second paragraph of the instructions for the literature blog are a number of suggestions:

"In your postings tell what you felt when you read a book and why. Tell what you noticed about how the author wrote. Tell why you think he or she wrote this way. Tell what you liked and didn’t and why. Tell how you read a book and why. Tell what a book said and meant to you. Tell what it reminded you of—what other books or experiences from your own life. Tell what surprised you. Ask questions or for help."

For your next posting, pick two of these commands and follow them. Also, if you have not yet, read the post "Responding as Writers." When you despair that you have nothing to say, answer the questions posed in this post.

josiah

Finding New Books

Something about the cold weather today made me think of Andrei Makine, a contemporary Russian author. He grew up in Soviet Russia and emigrated to France in the 1980s. He writes about his childhood in the Soviet Empire, about the shift from aristocratic Russia to the Soviet Empire, and about being an emigrant in the United States (bonus points for anyone who can explain the difference between an immigrant and an emigrant). Dreams of My Russian Summers is his most popular book, but Once Upon the River Love is my favorite. And the graveyard on Elmwood Avenue in Burlington always reminds me of The Crime of Olga Arbyelina, for some reason.

However, I didn't want the boring certainty of something I had already read. I wanted to discover a new story. How does one find a new book when one is in the mood for something specific? Several of you have mentioned friends or family members who can recommend books, based on what they know of your tastes. I tried that today; I asked the librarians at the Fletcher Free Library, in Burlington, if they could recommend somebody like Makine. I had to think hard for a second to really identify what it was about Makine's books that I enjoyed, but I was pleased by the results. The first recommendation was Paul Auster, whom we have read in class. A brilliant suggestion, except for the fact that I've read all the Auster in the library. However, I ended up with four authors, all new to me, and walked away with two new books.

Another tool is the website, gnooks.com. This website suggests authors related by writing style or thematic style. You type in an author you like, and the website creates a web of similar authors. An easy way to get some direction towards new books you might like. Sometimes it's successful, sometimes you end up with a dud, but it's a starting point.

Speaking of libraries, are you all patrons of your local libraries? The school library is quite impressive, but there are lovely libraries with other books all across Vermont. Fairfax, Fairfield, Georgia, St. Albans, and Waterville all have local libraries, so you don't have to fight over the one copy of Redwall.

josiah

Salamandastron-Some Thoughts

In Salamandastron, I’m getting to the exciting part – the climax! Last night, I had trouble putting it down. When I have trouble putting a book down, that means I’m really enjoying it. Does Thrugg succeed, or will everyone at Redwall die? Who will win Salamandastron – Urthstripe or Ferahgo? Do Samkim and Aurula ever get the sword of Martin the Warrior back? I won’t tell you what’s going on – I don’t want to give anything away – but I will tell you that those questions are being answered as I read. I want to know the answers!

Brian Jacques, the author, keeps switching between seemingly separate stories, so that you don’t tire of reading just one. He leaves one on a cliff-hanger and then switches to another, and as a result, there are multiple cliff-hangers at once. You want to keep reading to find out what happens next in one story, so you want to read until you get there. You end up reading part of one of the other stories and you get hooked on that one, so it goes on and on. (Is there a name for the technique of having multiple plotlines and switching between them?)

In the series, the characters are all animals. Mice, squirrels, hedgehogs, moles, otters, badgers, and shrews are always good, while rats, ferrets, weasels, stoats, and foxes are always evil. I actually care about every one of the species listed as “vermin,” and I think it’s a bit unfair never to let them have a chance to be the heroes. I mean, in most children’s stories, the wolves and foxes are bad guys but the mice and rabbits are good guys. This series pretty much sticks with the traditional good-evil roles stuck to those species. That is pretty much the one thing that bugs me about it. What would make things really exciting would be to have, say, a good fox or weasel, or even more unusual, an evil mouse or hedgehog.

Well, I’m into talking animal stories. At the moment, I’m making attempts at a series of my own – but in mine, species makes no difference in matters of good and evil.

Warroir cats

I have put up a link to there site for people. I think that they are the best books in the whole world because I like cats a lot.

The music of the dolphins!

The book music of the dolphins by Karen Hesse is a great book! I think that this book is good so far because she is trying to explain to people that she belongs to a family of dolphins. I think its a funny story because the people she is staying wiht will not believe her she is a dolphin too. She tries to tell people that grew up with dolphins since she was four years old. The people she is staying with are like doctors. They teach her how to read and learn as a human not as a dolphin. She can make dolphin noises and things like that. She also has an amazing voice! The doctor's give her music and a harmonica and she teaches herself to sing. She wishes everyday to go to the ocean so she can swim with the dolphins. If you want to learn more read the book "Music of the Dolphins". If you like dolphins I think that you might enjoy this book, becauseIi know for sure that i did.

Jaws

This book interests me because it explains regular life in high detail. It also explains what its like for these people of Amity. They are feeling scared and uncomfortable. Also I like how it has a good amount of terror. Although it has not mentioned "Jaws" in a while. I'm on page 159 and finally the dinner party is over. Right now the Mr. Brody is heading to work. He has had a terrible day so far. This book I believe is about to get really interesting.

book

In my side of the mountain is pretty boring right now because he is just chopping wood and trying to get ready for winter. But earlier it was good because a raccoon got in his food storage room

why I think Redwall is good

Why I like it is becuse I like the phraseing like I will have your skulls for scittls wich I think means I will kill you if you have any more problems I will kill you .

and I like animals fighting like huwmans in the mid evil time.

and sofar I rely rely like it sofar

Dragonspell

I am in the middle of dragon spell. The author of dragon spell is Donita K. Paul. The main character is kale. Along the way kale met Dar and Leetu Bends. Kale took a journey to vendela to find a person who can help her defeat this wizard who is trying to get Kale's dragon eggs. I like these kind of fantasy book because it is in the past and I like the animal dragons

Jaws

I'm now on page 143. The book is really boring right now because the only thing happening in it is a dinner party. I really hope the book gets better. In the dinner party the main, Martin Brody character is really uncomfortable because his wife old friends from school are there. I'll update this blog again soon hopefully.

book

In my side of the mountain the character met a teacher ho teched him haw to make clay pots and whistle. Than the main character makes a fire plays out of clay.

Salamandastron-Update

It turns out that Thrugg is not alone in his quest. His friend, the little dormouse Dumble, is coming with him, partially to avoid sickness, and partially because he and Thrugg are closen friends. Thrugg and Dumble have found a young falcon named Rocangus. Rocangus’ wing was broken by crows, who later attack the trio. Where I am right now, the crows are ready to fight, and the three are not expecting to win the battle.

Meanwhile, Ferahgo has sent Farran the Poisoner, a black fox, into Salamandastron. He was supposed to poison all the food and drink in the mountain, but he made it too strong. Someone died, and everyone else caught wind of the Poisoner’s scheme. They chased him and have him cornered. Now, Urthstripe is ready to duel him one-on-one.

Mara (a badger) and Pikkle (a hare) are two young ones who ran away from Salamandastron towards the beginning of the book. They were frustrated with all the rules there, and decided to run off with their newfound “friends” Klitch (a weasel, Ferahgo’s son) and Goffa (some random ferret from Ferahgo’s horde). It turns out that Klitch and Goffa were just tricking them, and they were captured by Ferahgo’s horde. A couple hares from Salamandastron helped them to escape, but then, they were captured by toads. They were thrown in a hole, to be eaten later. There are many shrews in the hole, members of the Guosssom – Guerrilla Union of South Stream Shrews of (did they mean in?) Mossflower. One of them is Nordo, son of Log-a-Log, their leader. Just when it looks like they’re done for, Log-a-Log and the Guosssom come and rescue them. Now, they are on a mission. You see, once, when Nordo was little, he was playing with the Blackstone – whoever holds the Blackstone is Log-a-Log by Guosssom law – and he lost it on an island in the middle of a huge lake. A white badger took it, so they’re sending Mara to get it back. However, in that lake lurks a monster known as the Deepcoiler…

Samkim the squirrel and Arula the mole are going after the sword of Martin the Warrior. It was taken earlier by two stoats, but both of them are dead now – one by Dryditch Fever, the other by decapitation. He was found by a search party from Ferahgo. He was a deserter, and Ferahgo wanted to make sure that no one escaped him. Now, a fox has the sword. Samkim and Aurula met a hedgehog, Spriggat, who is helping them track the fox and his party.

Redwall

wye I like Redwall I like animals and the book is about animals that behave like humans and talk and fight. and I like fiction and it is fiction.and I like it all.

RANGERS APPRENTICE

In Rangers Apprentice Will and Halt just found a wild bore which are very dangerous they are tracking it and they have sent someone to the baron and the battle master to get their men ready for a wild bore hunt.

dragonspell

I am reading dragonspell. It is about a girl named kale. The Authors name is Donita K. Paul. Kale is an apprentice of the hall where she will be trained for diffrent stuff. Then her journey came along when she met Dar and said to her that she can't come to the hall. along the way Kale found seven dragon eggs.

Jaws

Not much has happened in the book. They're has only been what I call " bad details". One of the only thing that's happened is the Brody family is throwing a dinner party. Also a new character named Matt Hooper has entered the book. Matt is a shark specialist, and is trying to help Brody with the shark problem. That's about it. I am on page 130.

Responding as Writers

The idea of writing for an audience may be unfamiliar for many of us; it certainly is a new consideration for me. I'm very comfortable writing for my own enjoyment or my own research. Writing to communicate my findings with another person raises frightening considerations. How do I know what my audience will connect with? What do they need from me in order to understand what I'm saying? How do I find the answers to these questions, especially if I don't know my audience personally?

Fear not! In class on Friday, after reading Paul Auster's "Why Write?" we identified some details that make writing interesting. First of all, he created context by giving details that fleshed out the story; thus we cared about the story (not just a "then I did this and then I did this" roller coaster).

I also noticed how many of us had a personal response to the story, mostly because we could identify with the emotions experienced by the main character. This emotion answers the question, "How do I relate to this story?" We have all felt disappointment. I imagine we have all idolized someone or something, especially at that young age. Maybe we don't know the first thing about baseball, but we know about wanting something and not getting it.

Thirdly, the piece very clearly answers the question, "So what?" By drawing the thread from the experience with Willie Mays to the devastation felt to carrying a pencil to using that pencil, Auster creates the story that this childhood experience caused him to become a writer.

This personal essay, I think, stands as a concise model of good writing. However, I encourage you to use it to deepen your reading. Because you all are reading books you enjoy (if you are not, stop now and get one you do enjoy), you are experiencing some connection, some hook. As you read, question that connection. How do I relate to this story? Why do I care? How has the author managed to keep me invested in the lives of people very distant from me? If you are reading Jaws, what makes the book different from newspaper accounts of shark attacks that happen all the time? If you are reading Redwall or any book that uses animal characters, how is it that you can understand what the animals are feeling?

I suspect that you will start to notice what it is you like about your favorite writing, you may appreciate the books more, and you will have more tools to improve your own writing.

Salamandastron

Salamandastron is the fifth installment in the Redwall series by Brian Jacques. As I write this, I am not even halfway through the book, but I know what it’s about. In this book, Lord Urthstripe the Strong, Badger Lord of Salamandastron, must defend his mountain fortress (Salamandastron) from an army of vermin led by Ferhago the Assassin, a cruel, blue-eyed weasel who smiles quite a bit. At the same time, Redwall Abbey is struck by an epidemic of Dryditch Fever! Apparently, there is only one cure for Dryditch Fever – the Flowers of Icetor, which grow on the northern mountains. It is up to Thrugg, the brave otter, to find them in time to cure everybody in the Abbey.
The Redwall books tell at least two stories that occur at the same time. That is one of the things I enjoy about the series. In fact, there’s one main thing I don’t like about the series. Virtually all the mice, squirrels, otters, badgers, and hedgehogs are good, while virtually all the ferrets, weasels, stoats, foxes, and rats are evil. I actually like all the species listed as “vermin,” especially foxes, and I think it’s a bit unfair to have them all be bad just because they’re what they are.

Jaws

The book im reading right now is called "Jaws". Its about a huge shark that lives in a town called Amity. The people of Amity keep getting eaten by the shark which makes life very hard for the people of Amity. Jaws has now eaten 6 people in the book. I am on page 113.

RANGERS APPRENTICE

The reason for me reading RANGERS APPRENTICE was because I got bored with Harry Potter and I saw rangers apprentice on the book shelf and it looked like a good book to read.when I first read this book it was like I was in the book with the characters every page was exciting .I thought author really did good with writing rangers apprentice.I liked everything about the way he wrote.Whats happening right now is Will the rangers apprentice getting his weapons he is extremely excited to try them out.I'm having so much fun.

Eragon

I think that the book eragon is a lot of fun to read. I like the style of writing a lot. I'm only on the page 70 but it's great.

dragonspell

I am starting to read dragon spell and the main character is kale. The book is about a girl who was going to the hall to be an apprentice. I think poeple who read fantasy books should read dragon spell.

The Redwall Series

Has anyone else heard of the Redwall series by Brian Jacques? I enjoy the series. I have noticed that every book in the series I have read so far has at least two plotlines going on at once. I personally don’t have too much trouble following the multiple plotlines, but I can see that it might be confusing to other people. Often, a bunch of characters will go on a quest of some sort, while the others stay back at Redwall and something happens there. It alternates between the story of the characters who are away and the story of the characters who are at home. Then, in the resolution of the book, the plotlines meet up again when the questers return home.

cats

Have any of you ever heard of the warrior cats books? They are my favorite books.

Life of Pi!

So, was Pi hallucinating? Or was Richard Parker real? Was there really a nasty cook? OOOHHH!!!!!

I have started reading a book called "this lullaby" by Sarah Dessen. This book is about a girl named Remy who has well had a boyfriend. He broke up with her and she was full out crying. Remy's mother is working on boyfriend number 5. This one is an actual marriage. There was a wedding reception that Remy had to go to against her will. She went outside to get some fresh air and saw someone she thought she liked. She was about to come show herself to him and then another girl that Remy hates butted in. That was her problem.

Response to Literature-The Bronze Bow

Daniel ran away from the village towards the end of Chapter Four, because no one there cared about fighting for freedom. He didn’t want to be stuck in the village taking care of his grandmother and sister, because this could hold him back from accomplishing his goal of defeating the Romans. He hoped that one day he could give them a better life after he defeated the Romans. He wanted to make it up to them for running away. The mountain was his home, which is why he felt homesick by the end of Chapter Three. Running away from problems does not solve them, because they eventually catch up with you. However, Daniel did plan on returning, not soon, but one day, and making it up to them, redeeming his actions somewhat.