Finally

Starting the class, I was already a pretty independent reader. I did depend on other people to recommend good challenging books. If I didn't have any recommendations, I would usually read Nicholas Sparks' books or something similar. During the week I wouldn't read much, but mostly save it as a Sunday activity curled up in bed. This semester I read books I normally would not have read. This class I think helped me go from simple young adult to more challenging adult books less awkwardly than I otherwise would have because I enjoy really unique books, but I also read a lot of really crappy books, I don't even know another way to say it. I never read with my phone with me because I get too distracted. I absolutely love talking to people about books and recommending books to other people. Besides changing what I read, I've also changed how much I read. Now I choose to read over watching tv or getting online. I'm looking forward to having more time to read now that band season is over. I'm also looking forward to exploring new genres of books that I wouldn't have been exposed to.

The Help

The chapters in this book are written from the perspective of either Skeeter, Aibileen, or Minnie. Aibileen and Minnie each write in the voice that they would have spoken in. Grammar is incorrect and accents are included, but it's actually much easier to follow and to read than I originally expected. I enjoy being able to hear their voices while reading. The southern accents included throughout the book remind me of my family and I've often caught myself laughing because they use some of the same sayings as my family.

I was reading this on my trip to Arizona and people on three of my four flights made comments about the book. Everyone had good things to say about it and I loved having something to talk about instead of awkwardly sitting next to a stranger.

The Help

This will be a post about The Help.

Curently

This week: 205
Last Week: 118

"But the bald spot in the back of her hair kind a throws things off."

"Today is a good day though. That girl just grins."

"She got this way a clearing her throat real delicate-like that get everybody's attention without they even knowing she made em do it."

The Help

Unfortunately, I saw this movie before reading the book. Usually I won't see a movie until I read the book, but my Dad offered and seeing a movie sounded nice. My dad read this book and said it was really good. I'm only a chapter in, but the style is actually really easy to follow. Mae Mobley has a caretaker named Aibileen and Mae Mobley's mom is Miss Leefolt.

House of Leaves

House of Leaves wasn't really a horror story like I expected. One person dies throughout the entire book and not much emphasis was really put on it. More than anything, relationships are explored. Karen and Navdison are in a long term relationship with two kids, but are not married. Johnny loves a woman named Thumper who doesn't feel the same way about him. Karen & Navy have a falling out when she moves the kids to New York to escape the house, but she faces her fears and returns to the house where Navy is lost within the hallway. Days go by and Karen even ventures into the hallway in hopes of finding him, with no luck. Near the end of the book, after all the haunting and adventures, all relationships are resolved. Because of this emphasis, I really think House of Leaves is more of a love story than a horror novel. Another reason I don't think it was really horrific was because all of the bad parts were broken up throughout the novel by smaller stories of Johnny and Lude's relationships.

Close-Reading Bingo

Disclaimer: I feel really bad for pointing out flaws so please don't be offended if I use yours.

1&2. "At first, the character introduces the reader to the point of the passage." --ariadna permelia
           Rule #3-- What is the point of the passage? 
           Rule #4--Don't include "the reader"

3. "The girl screams to her sister “I will kill if you touch this, Julie, and if you do I swear to go I will kill you, no mercy, no take-backs private property, this means you, Julie, you” which explains how the infuriated girl feels toward her sister." --emily 
          Rule #2-- Break it into two sentences or shorten the quotation.

4. "In Nicholson Baker's work The Mezzanine, he uses elegant and intricate diction to create a formal tone."--Maddie 
          Rule #6-- Avoid the verb "use"

Best Response: KG