The Hunger Games

I'll be the first to admit, it takes a lot to keep me interested in a book. I tried reading the book "Diary" and another book about the genocide in Rwanda during the 1990s. Unfortunately, neither one of them was able to hold my attention. Falling into the domino effect, I couldn't help myself but pick up the book "The Hunger Games".
     The book opens up with Katniss, a teenager living in district 12 of Panem. She later explains the Hunger Games, which is an annual competition played by citizens of Panem. There is a set of rules to these games however. Any adolescent that is aged 12 through 18 has their name thrown into a random draw; there are two participants per district, where there are 12 districts in Panem. The players must then fight for their death (literally) in a series of competitions. There can only be one winner.
     Katniss is drawn into the annual games, only by choice. As preparations for the games begin, she is showered with luxuries, such as food and clothing. She and her male tribute, who are from the same district, have a special connection that is ineffable and undeniable. The only problem is, however, there can only be one winner.
     When people say The Hunger Games is a phenomenal book, they are using an understatement. The author, Suzanne Collins, writes in a way that attracts and grabs onto the reader's attention, refusing to let go. The tone she creates makes the reader feel terrible for what the players have to endure, to the point where you want to give Katniss a hug and tell her she's going to be okay. And although I have an idea to the how the book will end, I'm at a point where I don't want to continue reading because I'm not ready to know the fate of the players, but putting the book down is impossible.

Reader Short List

Elementary love letters , we've all joked about them. In fact, a lot of us have probably either written one, or have been handed that wrinkled, folded piece of paper with the anticipated (or dreadful) boxes with the sentence "Check yes or no." And although I'm sure all of us wish this ended like a happy ever after, the first part of the note makes me think there might not be such a good possibility for that fairy tale.


We all have bad days, right? Those ones were we just feel like crawling into bed and hibernating for the next 3 weeks.... or for the next 3 months or so. The Reasons to Live Project is designed to let people submit their own story, whether it's about how they are struggling or how they plan on changing the world, and hopefully make an impact on someone. It's a great uplifting tumblr, but it also shows that even when you think you've had it rough, you're not the only one who's going through struggles.


Pictures are worth a thousand words. Pictures can tell the perfect story that we all wish we could take credit for. The website is pretty self explanatory. It's just an escape to browse popular internet images, which range from pictures of shoes to summer to nature (and everything in between.) It's a very entertaining website to look at when you have nothing to do. (Just a heads up... because this is a photo website, there are possibilities of racy pictures. On the side of the site, there are 'tags' to define your search, which I recommend.)

Stand-Out Blogging

Looking through everyone's blogs, these are the ones that stood out to me:

I think the catchiest Dead Poet Society analysis was http://rrr-nans.blogspot.com/:
The way this person described the mood of the room and the looks of the boys hit it right on the spot, as if it was the the walls itself was describing the atmosphere because well, walls aren't biased and if they could talk, they'd tell it exactly how it is.
The uniformed boys share the same blank, indifferent stares as they announce their cult-like response.  The feeling of unease in the almost insincere hall creates a desire for more than the hypnotic routine.

The most interesting blog to me is http://rushingrivers123.blogspot.com
First, I love the title and description of the blog page. In all honesty, when I first read the title (A Puppy's Point of View), I rolled my eyes and moved onto the next link. After getting through most links, I decided I should give the blog a chance, and I'm glad I did. I'm looking forward to see how this blog evolves.
The title of this blog is not literal; but more of a metaphor. I would compare myself to a puppy because I have never blogged in my life. It may take some screaming and yelling, but in the end of it all, I will be able to say I am a trained blogger.

Most Interesting Blog

Diary by Chuck Palahniuk

Your name is Peter Wilmot. And all you need to know is that you turned out to be one sorry sack of shit.
Her name is Misty Kleinman. In case she's not around when you read this, she was your wife. In case you're not just playing dumb - your poor wife, she was born Misty Marie Kleinman.

Well, within the first few pages within an introduction like this, I wasn't sure how this story would unravel. I mean, how could I not? As a person talking in third person, but calling you Peter and her Misty, what are you to do? Who are they, and why does the book sound so gloomy?

Misty is a 41 year old woman, who is living with her mother in law and her daughter, Tabbie. Her life is more like one you see in movies, where she doesn't make much of a living and drinks extensively to drown out reality. Her husband has attempted suicide, and is now in a coma in the hospital. To get out of the depression she has fallen into because of this attempted suicide, she begins to paint again which is the reason why she met Peter in the first place.

None of this makes sense, am I right? You're just as confused as I am. Overall so far in the book, it's not an easy book to read. Because the book is a diary, sometimes I find myself re-reading the same paragraph over and over again because topics can change so quickly. Also, the vocabulary is quite large and often times hard to comprehend (I mean, in the first few pages, Misty talked about nearly all the facial muscles that humans have... in their scientific name). So far, the book is more like solving a puzzle, rather than reading a book. Nothing seems to make sense right now, but hopefully things will start to make sense, before it ends up back on Mr. Hill's shelves...

Dead Poets Society

In the opening sequence of Peter Wier’s 1989 film Dead Poe’s Society, the soldier-like students and the frightened incoming schoolboys emphasizes the uneasy submission and apologetic morose feeling as though it whispers off the walls.  The parents' enthusiasm of sending their boy off to school is obvious and almost makes them blind to the nervous look on all the boy’s faces, and the repetition of the boy’s clothing and actions foreshadow the lack of care to the boys later in the movie. The bland colors of the church walls are fading away, making the building almost lifeless; the only bold colors that are shown are the ones on the flags saying things like honor and obedience, like the flags are warning the boys of the misery and frightening environment they think they're about to enter. Little do the boys know, their adventures have just begun.... 

Edward Hoppers "Nighthawk"

Elements:

• Style 
• Old-fashioned
• Shady
• Sophisticated
• Theme
• Chic
• Modest
• Relaxed
• Setting
• Lonely
• Quiet
• Empty 
• Color
• Shady
• Dark
• Low lighted

Analytical Argument:

     In Edward Hopper's Nighthawk, Hopper illustrates a quiet, low key restaurant which expresses a setting perfectly fit for encouraging soothingness and light-hearted intimacy. The setting is represented by an intense, shadowy atmosphere that revolves around the calm, chatty couple. With the relaxed faces of the couple, a romantic relaxation is felt when looking at the picture. Hopper's Nighthawk offers a pleasant, yet bold look at life during the peaceful times of the 1940s. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

"And in that moment, I swear we were infinite."

The Perks of Being a Wallflower. If you want a 'feel good' book to read, this is not one to consider. The book discusses suicide, drugs, sex, abortion, battery, child abuse and mental illness and stuffed in between these problems are narratives of mix tapes, dating, late night parties, smoking cigarettes, skipping class, dysfunctional families, and how difficult it is to find your place in the world, and realizing that once you find it, it doesn't matter where you stand. As overwhelming as this sounds, the author Stephen Chbosky writes in a way that is perfect for people to read.  

     Charlie, an emotional, shy teenage boy, is an incoming freshman at his school. He writes these anonymous letters that starts off with "Dear Friend," and ending with "Love Always, Charlie" (which he mentions to us in his first letter that is an alias, and every name he mentions is used with an alias to keep himself hidden.) His stories are told only through these letters, and he unravels his undying love for one of his best friends, his encounters of the "drugged up world", and typical high school parties. On top of being an average highschooler, he finds that his emotions come running to him out of nowhere whenever they feel like. Not to act like one of those dads who tells his son to 'man up' and 'crying is for sissys', throughout the book I did notice that I was asking myself, "Really Charlie, you're going to cry over that?" With this trait, he became a character that was a lot different than the normal teenage boy character that is found in most books. Charlie is fascinated with music and reading, and there are several references to popular reads, like Hamlet and To Kill A Mockingbird. He also talks about his favorite song, Asleep by The Smiths, and whenever he talks about something he truly enjoys (like the song), he doesn't just say the reason is because the song is good. (I put the song in the left sidebar; it is a youtube video, check it out!) Charlie looks at everthing with a positive view as he tries to make the best of life.

     Throughout reading, I developed my own concerns for Charlie and I couldn't help but love him. Although at times he acted like an emotional teenage girl, he was as innocent as a freshman in high school could be. His realizations are fascinating, really. He sincerely only wishes the best for everyone and he looks at life with a different perspective than most people do. My favorite quote from the book is this: "So I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them." I believe that everything happens for a reason, and this is Charlie's acceptance to the way life is, and I think that this is a good way for someone like me to take a good lesson on life. 

Autobiographical Reader

I can remember as far back to grade school, being excited to read The Magic Treehouse book series, and wanting to finish them as quickly as possible, only to get on to the next book in the collection. I was so proud of myself when I finished my first book in one whole day. I couldn't have been more excited to tell my Aunt Susie, a grade school teacher, about the books I read. During the holidays, my favorite part visiting my family was to be able to discuss the books with her; she was so smart and she knew of every book I talked about. We talked for what seemed like forever and by the time she left for home,  I was sitting on the couch, snuggled up in a blanket with my nose in a book. My favorite part of reading was (and still is) the way that the words on the page painted a picture in my mind, and I was in my own, perfect world. 

     I'm guilty. I haven't read much in the last couple high school years. And as much as I can blame it on how busy I am with my work and school, that really shouldn't be a reasonable excuse. I love to read, but I'm just not motivated enough to spend time in the library looking through the shelves for the one book that stands out at that moment. Now, this doesn't mean that I don't like to  read. I enjoy it a lot, actually. Going on road trips especially gives me quality time to read. If I find a book I enjoy, I'll read hours on end, which is what usually happens when I find interesting books. 

     Like mentioned earlier, my favorite part about reading is that as soon as you open the book, you're entered in a different world. Whether it's a world full of underwater sea creatures, or fire breathing dragons, or even on the 7th grade recess playground, you can make this world however you like. And, you can paint everyone's physical appearance and hear the sound of the character's voices, and no one can tell you that you're wrong. This is your own perfect world.