My Blog Reflection

By blogging this trimester, my writing has improved tremendously! As each week progressed, I feel like I became a better blogger. This can be seen throughout many of my blogs, but especially between my blogs titled, “The Lovely Bones: Book Recommendation” and, “Insurgent: Book Review”. The book recommendation about The Lovely Bones I wrote towards the beginning of the trimester, and you can tell. I have no textual evidence to support my claims, I don’t state what type of readers may enjoy reading the book, and when I stated “I think there could be improvements made”, I don’t give any specific examples of what the author could change.  In my book review of Insurgent, I use quotes to support my claims, I elaborated on major events (without any spoilers), and I explained which type of audience this book may appeal to. I said “I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed reading The Hunger Games. Insurgent contains a lot of action, mixed with a little romance”. It is as if the two blogs I am using for examples are night and day.

Overall, I really enjoyed blogging this trimester. I love reading good books, and being able to talk about them just made me more excited to keep reading. While I say I enjoyed blogging, I also enjoyed reading other students blogs and seeing what they had to say about the books that they were reading. One thing I struggled with through my blogging experience was trying to find two things that I could blog about each week. With all of my other homework, I didn’t have a ton of time to read outside of school, so I had trouble finding enough to blog about each week. I worked through this struggle by setting a goal for myself about how much time I should slot to read each day. Once I did this, I found I was moving along in my books quicker, and I was able to start new books. This really helped me find new things to blog about each week. One strength I had with blogging was when I set out to blog about a specific topic; I elaborated and could provide textual evidence. In most of my blogs towards the middle of the trimester and on, I did provide a lot of textual evidence. Unfortunately, I have not met my reading goal on good reads yet. My goal is set for 10 books, and I am almost half way there. I have completed a total of 4 books this trimester. I used goodreads.com in many ways. I followed some of my friends to get the latest on what they were reading. I downloaded the app to my phone, which I used to update the progress of my reading. I think I have improved as a reader over this trimester. By slotting out a certain amount of time each day to read, I found that I was able to read a book quicker. I also gained a better love of reading. I have a new respect for authors because it seems hard to be able to write a whole book and go through the process of getting it published. I really enjoyed blogging this trimester, and I am glad I was given the opportunity to become a better writer and reader!

The Glass Castle: Maureen's Birth

For weeks after the new addition to their family was born, she still didn't have a name. "The baby went without a name for weeks. Mom said she wanted to study it first, the way she would study the subject of a painting. We had a lot of arguments over what the name should be" (Walls 46). This new baby girl completes the Walls family. They have a total of four children, Lori, Jeannette, Brian, and Maureen. The little baby's name ended up being Lilly Ruth Maureen, but they would call the baby Maureen.

Jeannette was so excited to have a new baby sister. "Mom handed me the baby. I was going to turn six in a few months, and  Mom said I was mature enough to hold her the entire way home. The baby was pink and wrinkly but absolutely beautiful, with big blue eyes, soft wisps of blond hair, and the tiniest fingernails I had ever seen. She moved in confused, jerky motions, as if she couldn't understand why Mom's belly wasn't still around her. I promised her I'd always take care of her" (Walls 46). I like this quote because it shows how happy Jeannette is that Maureen was born. It also shows how important each sibling is. Since they were always on the move, they were all each others best friends. They relied on each other to take care of themselves, since their parents had a little role in raising them.

The Glass Castle: Theme

The theme of The Glass Castle so far, is that you don't need material items to be happy. Growing up Jeannette's family didn't own much, and what they did own, they were able to pack up at a moments notice and put into the car. "Dad came home in the middle of the night a few months later and roused all of us from bed. . . We had fifteen minutes to gather whatever we needed and pile into the car" (Walls 17). As this quote shows, the Walls family was always on the move and could fit almost everything they owned into the back of their car.

Despite the fact that they didn't own much, they were still able to find joy in the little things in life. Rex Walls (Jeannette's dad), decided that he wanted to find gold. So, he started building a tool called the Prospector. "Dad let Brian and me help him work on the Prospector. We'd go out behind the house, and I'd hold the nails while Dad hit them. Sometimes he let me start the nails, and then he would drive them in with one hard blow from the hammer" (Walls 23). This quote shows how excited Jeannette and Brian got when they got to help their Dad work on the Prospector. It was a big deal to them because they looked up to their dad. It made them happy to spend time with him when he wasn't drinking.

The Glass Castle: Characters

The characters personailites in The Glass Castle play a very important role in moving the story along. The kids are very influenced by their parents, which is why I wanted to decribe the parents personalities. There are many words to describe Jeannette's dad, Rex. He is short-tempered, believable, imaginative, brilliant, dishonest, and destructive, all at the same time. Rex does not have very many patience with his kids or wife. He is very belivable, dishonest, and brilliant because every time they move places, he is very quick to find a job. "Dad would get a job as an electrician or engineer in a gypsum or copper mine. Mom liked to say that dad could talk a blue streak, spinning tales of jobs he'd never had and college degrees he'd never earned. He could get about any job he wanted, he just didn't like keeping it for long" (Walls 19).

Jeannett's mom, Rose Mary, can be described as artistic, not very confident, and a truth teller. Rose Mary isn't very confident because she doesn't stick up for herself when Rex is bad-tempered. Rose Mary doesn't hide secrets from her kids. Her kids grew up not believing in Santa Claus because she told them is was a myth and there was no such thing. A quote to show that Rose Mary is artistic is, "In the meantime, Mom devoted herself to art. She spent all day working on oil paintings, watercolors, charcoal drawings, pen-and-ink sketches, clay and wire sculptures, silk screens, and wood blocks. She didn't have any particular style; some of her paintings were what she called primitive, some were impressionistic and abstract, some were realistic" (Walls 38).  With a creative mom, and a dad who has many personality traits, it's no wonder why their kids didn't have a normal childhood.

Allegiant: Summary

I'm so excited! Allegiant is finally out. It is the third book in the series Divergent by Veronica Roth. I can't wait to read it. Here is a summary of the book:
"The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent".

This book sounds really good to me, and I think it will be a great ending to the series!

 

The actors that play Tris and Tobias.
 



Veronica Roth

The Glass Castle: On Fire

I am officially on chapter 2! So far the book is living up to my expectations. In chapter 2, Jeanette describes a couple of her memories in great detail. One of her memories includes being on fire. "I was on fire. It's my earliest memory. I was three years old, and we were living in a trailer park in a southern Arizona town whose name I never knew. I was standing on a chair in front of the stove, wearing a pink dress my grandmother had bought for me. . . I was wearing the dress to cook hot dogs, watching them swell and bob in the boiling water. . . I felt a blaze of heat on my right side. I turned to see where it was coming from and realized my dress was on fire" (Walls 9). This quote shocked me. I couldn't believe she was just three years old and cooking by herself. I thought that after she was on fire, and had to go to the hospital, she would have been terrified of fire from then on. I thought wrong. It turns out that her experience with fire, only 'fueled her flame' to be fasinated with it. "Instead, I became fasinated with it. Dad also thought I should face down my enemy, and he showed me how to pass my finger through a candle flame. I did it over and over, slowing my finger with each pass, watching the way it seemed to cut the flame in half, testing to see how much my finger could endure without actually getting burned" (Walls 15). This quote tells us a lot about Jeanette's personality as a three year old. She was probably almost fearless. She was also a risk-taker, bave, and curious. I can't wait to keep reading!

The Glass Castle: Chapter 1 Summary

"A Woman On The Street" is the title for the first chapter in The Glass Castle. It perfectly sums up the whole chapter. In this chapter, we learn a lot about Jeannette, and her parents. Jeannette lives in New York, on Park Avenue, and is very successful. She was in a taxi, headed to a party, when she spotted her mom digging through a dumpster. "To the people walking by, she probably looked like any of the thousands of homeless people in New York City" (Walls 3). In this quote, we learn that Jeannette's parents are very poor, while Jeannette is living in a nice apartment on Park Avenue. "It had been months since I laid eyes on Mom, and when she looked up, I was overcome with panic that she'd see me and call out my name, and that someone on the way to the same party would spot us together and Mom would introduce herself and my secret would be out" (Walls 3). In this quote, we find out the Jeannette is embarrassed by her parents. Even though she hadn't seen her Mom in months, and she was just a few steps away, Jeannette didn't want to go say hi, in fear that someone would see them together. After Jeannette saw her mom, she didn't want to go to the party, so she asked the taxi driver to take her back home. In her apartment, she got to thinking about her parents. She often asked if there was anything that she could give them, and they always said they were fine. "After ducking down in the taxi so Mom wouldn't see me, I hated myself- hated my antiques, my clothes, and my apartment. I had to do something, so I called a friend of Mom's and left a message. It was our system of staying in touch" (Walls 4). Jeannette called to ask her Mom, if she could take her out for lunch. Jeannette asked her Mom what she should say if people asked about her. " 'Just tell the truth,' Mom said. 'That's simple enough.' "  (Walls 5). This is what her mom said in response. I liked when her Mom said to just tell the truth because it shows that her Mom is confident, and that she is not embarrassed by the way she lives. I also think this will show up again in the up-coming chapters.

The Glass Castle: Preview

I went to the library yesterday to find a new book to read. I came home with The Glass Castle. It looks like a really good book. It is a memoir written by Jeannette Walls. I haven't started reading it yet, but I will share the synopsis on the back. "The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette's brilliant and charismatic father captured his children's imagination, teching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn't want the responsibility of raising a family. The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another, and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered. The Glass Castle is truly astonishing- a memoir permeated by the intense love of a peculiar, but loyal, family. Jeannette Walls has a story to tell, and tells it brilliantly, without an ounce of self-pity".

This is a picture that is in the very beginning of the book. It is Jeannette's parents, Rose Mary and Rex Walls, on their wedding day.

This is a picture of the author, Jeannette Walls.


 

This video is an interview with Jeannette Walls.

Insurgent: Book Review

After reading Divergent (the first book in this series), I decided to read Insurgent. I am so glad that I read it. It is a very well written book with a lot of action in it. After the Erudite faction attacked the Abnegation faction, with help from the Dauntless, war broke out. Nowhere is safe. Tris Prior, time and time again, puts herself in the face of danger to protect her friends and those she loves. "I will not let Tobias go to Erudite when it happens again, when someone else dies. I will not" (Roth 314).

The faction system was created to prevent war, and that is exactly what it has done in the past. However, now as tensions are rising, war breaks out. There are five factions total.

Within each faction, their members are siding with other factions. Some Dauntless are siding with Erudite and some of the other Dauntless are siding with Abnegation. I loved every part in this book. It kept me on the edge of my seat, always wanting to find out what will happen next. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. It was a great book, and I don't see any places where improvements could be made.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed reading The Hunger Games. Insurgent contains a lot of action, mixed with a little romance.

Divergent: Chapter 10 Overview

One of my friends recommended the book Divergent to me, and so far it is good as they were portraying it to be. I have just finished reading chapter 10, so I thought I would give an overview of it. In the beginning of the chapter, Tris has a nightmare, about what occured yesterday. During the first round of fights, her friend Christina gave up. As punishment, she had to hang from a railing over a rushing river, for five minutes. "That night I dream that Christina hangs from the railing again, by her toes this time, and someone shouts that only someone who is Divergent can help her. So I run forward to pull her up, but someone shoves me over the edge, and I wake before I hit the rocks" (Roth 105). She wakes up from her dream, drentched in sweat. When she got back from the girls shower, Peter, spray- painted the word "stiff" on her matress and on the bed frame.

When Tris arrives at training, she glances up at the board to see who would be fighting today. Her name ws up there, and written next to it was Peter's name. She had to fight Peter. It's finally time for the fight to begin. One swing after the next, Peter is beating Tris up. "His arm twitches and pain stabs my jaw and spreads across my face, making my vision go black at the edges and my ears ring. I blink and lurch to the side as the room dips and sways. I don't remember his fist coming at me" (Roth 110).

 Tris went unconcious from the fight and woke up in the hospital. She had lost the fight to Peter. "The only thing worse than letting Peter put me in the hospital would be letting him put me there overnight" (Roth 117). Late at night, Tris snuck back to her dorm, because she didn't want to spend the night in the hospital.

Divergent: Analysis

 I have just started reading Divergent, written by Veronica Roth. So far, it is a fantastic book. A lot has happened so far to set the stage for the rest of the book. This book takes place in a futuristic world, where people live with other people like them. These groups are called Faction's. When you turn 16, you have to choose the faction, with whom you will spend your life. Beatrice, the protagonist in this book, is very indecisive, but she is confident in herself. "Then, with a gasp I can't contain, I shift my hand forward, and my blood sizzles on the coals. I am selfish. I am brave" (Roth 47). This quote shows directly that she is brave. However, indirectly, it shows how she is indecisive. She can't seem to choose between the Abnegation Faction or the Dauntless Faction. I infer that she will stay in the Abnegation Faction because that is the faction that her family is in, and its the one she grew up in.

The faction system was created to avoid war. Each faction believes in something that specifically caused disputes between people. " 'Working together, these five factions have lived in peace for many years, each contributing to a different sector of society. Abnegation has fulfilled our need for selfless leaders in government; Candor has provided us with trustworthy and sound leaders in law; Erudite has supplied us with intelligent teachers and researchers; Amity has given us understanding counselors and caretakers; and Dauntless provides us with protection from threats both within and without. But the reach of each faction is not limited to these areas. We give one another far more than can be adequately summarized. In our factions, we find meaning, we find purpose, we find life.' " (Roth 43). This quote shows the importance of factions in their society. It keeps things running smoothly. I predict that eventually there will be conflict between factions, and a war will break out. I can't wait to keep reading!

The Lovely Bones: Book Recommendation

 

The Lovely Bones, written by Alice Sebold, was an okay book. It wasn't as good as the synopsis led me to believe. This was a book about a young girl named Susie Salmon. Susie was fourteen when she was murdered one day on her way home from school. Susie has to adjust to her new life in heaven. Meanwhile, her family is in the midst of a sticky situation. They have the police working on their side to figure out who murdered Susie, and why.

Everyday, Susie watches her family on Earth. Each member in the Salmon family has a hard time living without Susie. I liked how the author brought the family back together towards the end of the book. She accomplishes this in a creative way. Although, the ending of the book was good, it wasn't great, and I think there could be improvements made. Overall, this was a book about hope, humor, suspense, and even joy.

 

 

I ranked The Lovely Bones 2 out of 5 stars.

The Lovely Bones: Characters

 I have recently finished reading The Lovely Bones. All in all, it was a really good book. However the book wouldn't be nearly as good if it weren't for the characters. Each character had an important role to play in this book. There were multiple complex characters, that developed over the course of the text. It was the whole Salmon family: Susie, Lindsey, Buckley, Jack, and Abigail.

 
Susie was the character that changed the most throughout the book. In the beginning of the book, she was a typical teenager. She attended school, had sibling drama, and even had a crush on Ray Singh. "He kissed me by my locker the day before we turned in our photos for the year book. When the yearbook came out at the end of the summer, I saw that under his picture he had answered the standard 'My heart belongs to' with 'Susie Salmon'. I guess he had plans. I remember that his lips were chapped" (Sebold 13). After Susie was killed, and went to heaven, she still missed her life on Earth. She spent most of her time watching her family, and Ray from heaven. She also was constantly wishing to still be alive. "I could not have what I wanted most: Mr. Harvey dead and me living. Heaven wasn't perfect. But I came to believe that if I watched closely, and desired, I might change the lives of those I loved on Earth" (Sebold 20). Susie was with her family in spirit, everyday. By the end of the book, Susie decided that it was time to let her family live their lives, and didn't keep as much of an eye on them. "I was done yearning for them, needing them to yearn for me. Though I still would. Though they still would. Always" (Sebold 318). As you can see, what was important to Susie at the beginning out the book, is different than what is important to her now. She used to be all caught up in the dramas of being a teenager, but now all she wishes for is to be with her family.

Buckley Salmon, and Lindsey Salmon are Susie's siblings. In the beginning of the book, they didn't know how to handle life without Susie there to support and guide them. "Of everyone in the family, it was Lindsey who had to deal with what Holly called the Walking Dead Syndrome- when other people see the dead person and don't see you. When people looked at Lindsey, even my father and mother, they saw me. Even Lindsey was not immune. She avoided mirrors. She now took showers in the dark" (Sebold 59). This quote shows how Lindsey was scared to look in the mirror since she would see Susie in the reflection. Buckley wasn't having an easier time with all of this either. "He wanted something neat, something that could explain death to a four- year- old. He placed his hand on the small of Buckley's back. 'Susie is dead,' he said now, unable to make it fit in the rules of any game. 'Do you know what that means?' Buckley reached over with his right hand and covered the shoe. He looked up to see if his answer was right" (Sebold 69). This is an important quote because it is the first time that Mr. Salmon knows that Buckley understands what was happening. Mr. Salmon and Buckley were playing Monopoly. Whenever Susie played Monopoly, she was the shoe. When Buckley covered the shoe with his hand, it was his way of saying that Susie was gone. After playing Monopoly that night. Buckley took the shoe back up to his room to keep as a part of Susie. By the end of the book, Lindsey and Buckley still think of Susie often, but they are still able to live their lives. "If I'm to be honest with you, I still sneak away to watch my family sometimes. I can't help it, and sometimes they still think of me. They can't help it" (Sebold 323).

Jack and Abigail Salmon are Susie's parents. They were a really tight-knit family until Susie's death. After Susie died, they had a hard time being in the same room together. "For three nights. . . [he didn't know] what to say. Before, they had never found themselves broken together. Usually, it was one needing the other but not both needing each other, and so there had been a way, by touching, to borrow from the stronger one's strength. And they had never understood, as they did now, what the word horror meant" (Sebold 20). In the middle of the book, Abigail Salmon left her family. She traveled across the United States, wanting to try and get rid of her problems. She missed major parts in Lindsey and Buckley's life. She wasn't there when Lindsey got engaged. However, towards the end of the book, Jack had a heart attack, and ended up in the hospital. She flew all the way home to make sure he was okay. Abigail was planning on going back to California, but she decided to stay. "My mother, for her part, was thinking moment by moment that she might be able to survive being at home again" (Sebold 316).

The Lovely Bones: Chapter 17

I am almost done reading The Lovely Bones. Susie's sister Lindsey is now twenty-one, and her boyfriend, Samuel, and her just graduated from college. Samuel and Lindsey were riding a motor cycle, heading home, when it started pouring rain. They got off the bike, led it to some underbrush to keep it dry. They left the bike while they ran deeper into the woods, looking for a dry spot. "And then, through the thick weeds and darkness both of them saw the broken window panes that ran along the top of an old Victorian house. . . They looked at each other, and my sister said what they were both thinking. 'It's dry!' "(Sebold 235).

They entered the house and found that nobody was home. Samuel insisted that they explore the house. Samuel loved all the craftsmanship and detail put into the house. Samuel declared that he wanted to own this house. He got down on one knee, and proposed to Lindsey. She was surprised and said yes. Samuel and Lindsey were about 10 miles from Lindsey's house, and since they both knew her dad was anxiously waiting for them, they ran home. Once inside the Salmons house, Lindsey and Samuel told her dad that they were engaged, and he was overjoyed! " 'I'd say,' he managed, standing up to shake Samuel's hand, 'that I couldn't wish for a better son-in-law.' " (Sebold 245). Watching from heaven, Susie was ecstatic. "But that moment I ran around my heaven like... a chicken with its head cut off! I was so happy I screamed over and over again. My sister! My Samuel! My dream!" (Sebold 241). Everyone in the family was excited for the both of them. I predict that there will be an amazing wedding for them.

Checkpoint #3: Reading Skills

I am over half way done reading The Lovely Bones. I have a couple of questions about what I have read so far. Did Mr. Harvey actually have a wife? In the beginning of the book it said that he had a wife, who died many years ago. "Mr. Harvey was a single man who, it was said, had meant to move in with his wife. She had died sometime before this" (Sebold 63). This quote makes it sound like Mr. Harvey had a wife, but I found another quote, that goes against this.
" 'What did he say about the tent?'
'That he built it for Leah, his wife.'
'I remember Mrs. Stead told Abigail his wife's name was Sophie,' my father said" (Sebold 65). This makes me question whether or not Mr. Harvey actually had a wife. I predict that Mr. Harvey just made up that he had a wife, to use as a cover story. I think he used the names of previous people he had killed, to use as his wife's name.

Another question I have is- Why won't the police investigate Mr. Harvey more, since Mr. Salmon is pretty sure Mr. Harvey killed his daughter? " 'I have something I need to say on behalf of the station and myself.'
'Yes.'
'We need you to stop making calls about George Harvey.'
'But. . .'
'I need you to stop. There is nothing, no matter how much we stretch it, to connect him to Susie's death. Howling dogs and bridal tents are not evidence.'
'I know he did it,' my father said.
'He's odd, I agree, but as far as we know he isn't a killer.' " (Sebold 133). This quote shows how the police are going to stop investigating Mr. Harvey since they don't have any evidence against him. I predict that the Salmon family, all on their own, will gather enough evidence to prove Mr. Harvey's guilt. The police will then arrest Mr. Harvey for killing multiple people and animals. "Sitting down, she braced her body with her arms and then kicked once, twice, three times with both feet until the window smashed- a muffled cracking" (Sebold 177). In this quote, Lindsey, Susie's younger sister, broke into Mr. Harvey's house, and found her first solid piece of evidence. This is the quote that helped me make the prediction.

While reading this book, the bond between Susie and Lindsey is very similar to the bond between Kate and Anna Fitzgerald, in My Sister's Keeper. Lindsey misses Susie a lot, and memories of the time they spent together, just come flooding back to her. "She couldn't stop the memories slamming into her. Every one had a brutal report. Buckley riding on my shoulders down the stairs. Our mother steadying me as Lindsey looked on, jealous that I could reach, with the silver star in my hands, the top of the Christmas tree. Me sliding down the banister and asking her to join. Both of us begging the comics off our father after dinner. All of us running after Holiday as he barked and barked. And the countless exhausted smiles awkwardly dressing out faces for photos at birthdays, and holidays, and after school. Two sisters dressed identically in velvet or plaid or Easter yellows" (Sebold 179). This quote shows just the beginning of how much Lindsey misses Susie. They shared a lot of good memories. The same is for Kate and Anna Fitzgerald in My Sister's Keeper. At the end of this book, Anna dies in a car accident, and Kate is flooded with memories of the times they shared together. Whether they were at the hospital for one of Kate's treatments for her leukemia, or at home, they spent the majority of their time together. "And then, as if we conjured her, the last picture was of Anna. It had been that long since we'd used the camera, plain and simple. She was on a beach towel, holding out one hand to the photographer, trying to get whoever it was to stop taking her picture. My mother and I sat at the kitchen table staring at Anna until the sun set, until we had memorized everything from the color of her ponytail holder to the pattern of fringe on her bikini. Until we couldn't be sure we were seeing her clearly anymore" (Picoult 423). This quote shows how much Kate misses Anna. In both of these books, the sisters have a strong bond.

I can personally connect to Lindsey in The Lovely Bones. Even though I don't know what it feels like for your sister to be murdered, I do know what it is like to have a sister who died. Just like Lindsey, I'm going through a grieving process, where memories will just start flooding back to me. Whether it is from a vacation, being in the hospital ,or just day to day life. I could look at a picture for a while, and remember every part of it. I also feel like my sister is watching over me, in a similar way that Susie watches over her family.

There is also a connection between The Lovely Bones and this article. I agree with this article when it says, "What happens to one impacts the others in some way. . .siblings share a genetic, familial bond that ties them emotionally and invites conscious and unconscious identification." I think this quote connects the book because Susie's death impacted Lindsey and their younger brother, Buckley.  After Susie died, their parents didn't pay as much attention to Lindsey and Buckley. They just sort of kept to themselves. This article overall connects to the book because they both present the topic of the loss of a sibling, and how it can be hard for the whole family.

The Lovely Bones: Overview

I am half way through The Lovely Bones now. I like this book, although it is a little slow moving at times. The protagonist's name is Susie Salmon. She was 14 when she was killed by her next door neighbor, Mr. Harvey. Susie was on her way home from school one afternoon, when she ran into her neighbor, Mr. Harvey. Mr. Harvey seemed friendly enough, so when he insisted on showing Susie his little clubhouse, she willingly followed. This little clubhouse he built was underground. Since Susie was so curious, the thought of escape never ocurred to her. " 'This is neato!' I said to Mr. Harvey. . . I hadn't used the word neato in pubic since elementary school" (Sebold 9). This quote shows how cool Susie thought this little clubhouse was, that Mr. Harvey made underground.

Susie was killed that night in the cornfield, in the hole that Mr. Harvey called his 'clubhouse'. Susie's parents called the police that night to report that Susie was missing. "In the hours I was murdered, as my mother made phone calls and my father began going door to door in the neighborhood looking for me, Mr. Harvey had collapsed the hole in the cornfield and carried away a sack filled with my body parts" (Sebold 49). A couple of days later, one of  their neighbors' dog's found Susie's elbow. This and a few other clues, indicated to the police working on the case, that Susie Salmon was dead. A few days later, a memorial service was held for her. "They walked into the cramped vestibule of our church. I wanted to snake up my father's back, circle his neck and whisper in his ear. But I was already there in his every pore and crevice" (Sebold 109). After the memorial service, Mr. Salmon becomes aware that Mr. Harvey could have murdered his daughter. How will Mr. Salmon prove to the police that Mr. Harvey is the murderer?

The Lovely Bones: Links and Displays

 I have just started reading The Lovely Bones, written by Alice Sebold. So far, it is a very good book. Susie Salmon, is the main character in the book. One night on her way home from school, she was stopped by her neighbor, Mr. Harvey. Mr. Harvey insisted on showing her a little hang- out place that he had built. Since they were neighbors, and Susie's parents had talked to Mr. Harvey before, she followed him. He had dug up a hole in the ground, that was the size of a little room. "It was awkward to get into, that much he admitted once we were both inside the hole. But I was so amazed by how he had made a chimney that would draw smoke out if he ever chose to build a fire that the awkwardness of getting in and out of the hole wasn't even on my mind. You could add to that that escape wasn't a concept I had any real experience with" (Sebold 9). 

Mr. Harvey showing Susie his "clubhouse"



 

When Susie entered the underground hole, Mr. Harvey talked to her for a while, and offered her a coke, and said he had built this as a neighborhood clubhouse. Out of no where, Mr. Harvey grabbed a knife, and killed Susie. That night, Mr. Salmon called the police to report that Susie was missing. "He gave the police my blood type, had to describe the lightness of my skin. They asked him if I had any identifying features" (Sebold 20). When Susie was killed, she went to heaven.


Susie in heaven


Almost everything she wished for she got, except to live again. Susie has a best friend, who also is her roommate, named Holly. Holly and Susie have an intake counselor named Franny. "We had been given, in our heavens, our simplest dreams" (Sebold 18). From Susie's heaven, she can see everything that is happening on Earth. She experiences the grief that her family has to go through, and the long process it takes for the police to find her killer.


Holly and Susie

The Lovely Bones: Movie Trailer

 

 

The Lovely Bones: Film vs. Book 

 

 

Book Reviews

This link leads to multiple reviews about The Lovely Bones. This website also includes a synopsis of the book, along with a couple of excerpts from the book.

 

 

 

The Lucky One: Overview

Now twenty- seven years old, and a retired marine, Logan Thibault sets out on the adventure of a life time. It all started on Logan's way back to his camp, from his morning run. He saw a photograph sticking out of the ground. He picked it up, thinking it could be important to somebody. Logan asked around the camp, and hung it up on a bulletin board. However, no one claimed it. Logan put it in his pocket, and it has been there ever since. The photograph is of a young female at a fair.

Logan's friend Victor keeps insisting it is a lucky charm. Ever since Logan put the picture in his pocket, he has been winning poker games and surviving deadly events. " 'Do you remember the firefight? The one where Jackson and the others died when the Humvee blew up...You saved my life.'
'No, I didn't. I just hauled you back.'
'Thibault, I followed you. When you jumped from the Humvee. I was going to stay, but when I saw you go, I knew I had no choice.'
'What are you talking ab-?'
'The picture,' Victor interrupted. 'I know you carry it with you. I followed your luck and it saved me.' " (Sparks 99)

After leaving the marines, Victor convinced Logan to search for the woman in the photograph. Logan, along with his dog, Zeus, walked all the way from Colorado to the small town of Hampton, North Carolina. Once Logan found Elizabeth, it wasn't smooth sailing from there. Logan applied for a job on Nana's (Elizabeth's grandmother) farm working in the dog kennel. Nana trains dogs for a living. She was in much need of Logan's help. Logan found a little house to live in. He also had to  continuously put up with Elizabeth's ex- husband Clayton. Clayton didn't approve of Logan dating Elizabeth and building a strong relationship with their son, Ben. Clayton's family name in town is very big, so he can pretty much get away with anything, even breaking into Logan's house. "The blanket was the first giveaway. There was a tiny ridge in the blanket, caused by someone who didn't know how to tuck in the covers military fashion- something few, if anyone, would have noticed. He noticed. The clothes in his drawers showed similar disturbances: a rumple here, a sleve folded the wrong way there. Not only had someone entered the home while he'd been at work, but he'd searched thoroughly... All right, so Clayton wanted to cover his tracks. But there was still more to this than met the eye. And it had to do with Elizabeth" (Sparks 253 & 254). Clayton likes to control Elizabeth's life, so when Logan came along, it caused some problems.

Towards the end of the book, Elizabeth finds out the full reason why Logan came to Hampton. At first she was shocked, and wanted nothing to do with him anymore. She believed he was a stalker and could not be trusted. "Though she heard him plainly, she couldn't comprehend the words. She waited for more, and the steady silence that followed, she realized she found them... chilling somehow. The hairs on her arms pricked, and she took another step back. 'Who are you?' she hissed. ' What do you want from me?' " (Sparks 334). This definately put a wrinkle in their relationship. Elizabeth and Logan worked through it though, and it made their relationship stronger.

At the very end of the book, a major event occured. Clayton was drunk and came over to Elizabeth's house. He suggested that they go out on a date, for old times sake. Elizabeth said no, then Clayton threatened to get full custody of Ben. Ben overheard this conversation and said he would not go to live with his dad. He charged outside into the rain, and ran up to his unstable treehouse. Logan, Clayton, and Elizabeth ran after him. When Logan, Clayton, and Ben were on the bridge, it collapsed and the three boys fell down into the river below. Logan grabbed hold of a stick and got out. Zeus, Logan's dog, grabbed hold of Ben, and together they swam towards shore. However, Clayton wasn't so lucky. He died in the river, that day. "But when all was said and done, Keith Clayton would be remembered by her with unequivocal gratitude. She could never forget how he'd carried her when she fell that day. Or in the end, he'd died trying to save their son. That counted for something. That counted for a lot, and despite his other failings, that would always be how she chose to remember him" (Sparks 384).

The Lucky One: Theme & Summary

The central message or theme that is present in The Lucky One is that everything happens for a reason. This theme develops throughout the course of the book because in the beginning of the book, Logan Thibault is in the marines. After he turned twenty-three, he deployed to Kuwait as a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Logan decided to join the military, since his dad had served with the marines for twenty-five years. His dad went into the marines as a private, then worked his way up to being a sergeant. Two years after leaving the marines, Logan's dad died of a heart attack, when Logan was fifteen.

There were many rumors spreading around the camp where Logan was stationed, about the next move. The only way that Logan could calm his nerves was to go for long runs. He preferred to run in the morning, when it was still cool outside. On the way back to his tent from one of his morning runs, he spotted a photograph, half buried in the dirt. "He brushed off the dust, clearing the image, and that was the first time he saw her. The blonde with the smile and the jade-colored mischievous eyes, wearing jeans and a T-shirt emblazoned with the words LUCKY LADY across the front. Behind her was a banner showing the words HAMPTON FAIRGROUNDS. A German shepherd, gray in the muzzle, stood by her side. In the crowd behind her were two young men, clustered near the ticket stand and a bit out of focus, wearing T-shirts with logos. Three evergreen trees rose in the distance, pointy ones that could grow almost anywhere. On the back of the photo were the handwritten words, 'Keep Safe! E.'" (Sparks 25). At first, Logan almost put the picture back down, but then he realized that someone must be missing this picture. When he returned to camp, he hung the photo on a message board near the entrance to the computer center, thinking that someone would see it and claim it. A few days later, he saw the photo still tacked to the board. He took it down and put it in his pocket.

It was that night, when Logan had his first win while playing poker. While Logan, and his friend Victor, were on their way back to their tent, Victor said he thought the picture was bringing him good luck. " 'You found that picture for a reason. No one claimed it for a reason. You took it today for a reason. Only you were meant to have it.' " (Sparks 27).Even from the beginning of the book, things are happening for a reason. This is all tying back to the central theme of this book.

Logan's luck continued after the night he won poker. He carried his lucky picture in his pocket, with him, everywhere he went. He survived many deadly battles, and beat the record for the number of bombs survived. "It was just that kind of place, and nearly everyone had heard the story of Tony Stevens, a marine from the Twenty-fourth MEU- Marine Expeditionary Unit- who'd survived nine bombs. One of the major newspapers had written an article about him entitled 'The Luckiest Marine.' His was a record no one wanted to break. [Logan] Thibault broke it. By the time he left Ramadi, he'd survived eleven explosions" (Sparks 97).When Logan left the marines, he went back to his home state, Colorado. It wasn't until Victor told Logan, that he owed something to the woman in the picture who saved his life, did Logan set off to find her. He walked all the way from Colorado to the small town Hampton, with his German shepherd, Zeus, in search of the woman in the picture. Logan's hard work eventually paid off, when he found her.

Elizabeth is a single mother of an eight-year-old son, Ben. Elizabeth and Ben live with her grandmother, on her farm. "Nana", as they call her owns a dog training business. She has a "Help Wanted" sign in the window, and Logan applies for the job. Elizabeth and Logan eventually fall in love, and face many challenging times. With every challenge they face, their relationship becomes stronger than ever.
 
Had Logan not gone for a run and found his lucky picture, he might not still be alive, or with the love of his life. Everything happens for a reason.

 

My Sister's Keeper

In My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Picoult suggests that when sisters face a challenge, their relationship becomes stronger than ever. This theme can be seen throughout the entire book. It first presents itself in the beginning of the book, when the reader finds out that Kate has a rare form of leukemia. Anna, Kate's younger sister, is always with her when she is in the hospital. Not only is Anna, Kate's donor, but she is also Kate's eyes and ears when she is in the hospital bed. Kate and Anna have a very strong relationship, which can be seen in this quote, "I crawl onto the bed, which is narrow, but still big enough for the both of us. I rest my head on her chest, so close to her central line that I can see the liquid dripping into her. Jesse is wrong- I didn't come to see Kate because it would make me feel better. I came because without her, it's hard to remember who I am" (Picoult 138).
 
The strong bond between sisters can also be seen between Julia and Izzy. Julia plays a role in the court case between Anna and her parents because Julia is Anna's guardian ad litem. Julia and Izzy are twins, who have many challenges of their own. The following quote shows how Julia and Izzy rely on each other and how they have a strong relationship. "Isobel is three minutes older than me, but I've always been the one who takes care of her. I'm her nuclear bomb: when there's something upsetting her, I go in and lay waste to it, whether that's one of our six older brothers teasing her or the evil Janet..." (Picoult 107).
 

 

 The article I chose is a perfect article for anyone who is interested in reading My Sister's Keeper. I agree with everything that is said in the article, except when it says that the book was written from too many points of view. I disagree because having the book written from multiple perspectives helped me, as the reader, to better comprehend what was happening in the book. This article sums up the major events in the book, without giving too many details away. If you are interested in reading My Sister's Keeper, make sure that you read the following link.

 

Book Review

 

 

 

My Sister's Movie Trailer 2009