Quarter 3 Blog

1.   Books I have read this quarter:

-      Slash

I rate Slash a 5. Overall, it was pretty easy to read, understand and follow his story.

-      Robin Hood

I rate Robin Hood an 8. It was written in old English and was more difficult than most books I have read.

-      Deep Drive

I rate Deep Drive a 5. Like Slash, it is an autobiography that I find pretty easy to read and understand.

2.    I have explored all four genre categories.

3.   I have learned that I am able to go outside my comfort/difficulty zone and read other books such as Robin Hood. Even though they are out of my difficulty zone, I do enjoy these kinds of books. I find myself somewhat of a “daring” reader, I have read a variety of genres so far and I don’t think I’m afraid to explore more books. When I choose a book, the first thing I do is to see if the book is of interest to me by reading the blurb on the back. Then I will read a couple pages to see if it is at my reading level. Finally, I will make my decision whether to read it or not.

4.   While reading, predictions, inferences and so on definitely come into play. I see myself guessing what is going to happen next or wondering why the author used this certain word.

5.   I try my best to find time so I can read as much as I can.

I believe I deserve an A- or B+ for independent reading. I have read 2 or more varied and challenging books. I do read at home and I bring my book every Friday.

6.   In a review of Deep Drive by Mike Lowell, the reviewer Rob Bradford praises the book for its honesty and how it is neither too high nor too low on Mike’s life. I definitely agree with Bradford, Lowell describes the ups and downs of his life including his battle with cancer and his struggles in his early baseball career. Despite this, the book is not too depressing. Lowell writes about his amazing baseball career and his life outside of baseball with his wife and kids. I really don’t disagree with this reviewer at all, but we might be bias reviewers because I am a Red Sox fan myself and Rob Bradford is the Red Sox radio announcer. Nevertheless, I find it a great book for all baseball fans.

Book Pitch

For One More Day

Mitch Albom

 

I came across this book because I really enjoyed Mitch Albom’s book: The Five People You Meet in Heaven. For One More Day is about Chick who gets to spend one more day with his deceased mother. Within that day, he goes through an adventure where he learns so much more about his life than he had ever known before. If you are a person who likes an easy-to-read, touching stories; then this is the book for you. I felt so good about this book because once I started to read it; I did not want to put it back down. It is just one of those books where you want to read to the end in one day.

http://mitchalbom.com/d/books/3873/one-more-day

I feel this picture represents the relationship with Chick and his mother when they are spending their last day together. They walk around together and talk about their past and Chick cannot love her mother more. During that day, Chick realizes that all throughout his life that he had been treating his mother poorly. He realizes all the things that his mother did for him, and all the things he did to hurt his mother.

After reading this book and seeing the relationship between Chick and his mother and what they have gone through, I realized how much parents sacrifice for their kids. I learned how as kids, you sometimes don’t appreciate your parents as much as you should because they really do so much to take care of you.

The World is Flat

The World is Flat

Thomas L. Friedman

Non-Fiction

This book is for the type of reader that likes informative, non-fiction books. This book doesn’t have a plot or any characters rather it’s about the author trying to sum up the history of the 21^st century. If you want a book with an elaborate story line this book is not for you. Throughout the book the author describes how the world has been changing through technological advances which bring us all together. The internet, the development of outsourcing and cell phones are just some of the things he talks about that have affected the world in a drastic way. Through all these advances we have been making the world has increasingly become smaller where everyone is united. Therefore, he believes the world is “flat”. In one of his examples of this “flattening” or uniting of the world, he talks about how companies are expanding throughout the world like an Indian call center helping out American customers with their products.

In a book review by the New York Times the book review calls Friedman’s metaphor of globalization to the flattening of the world ingenious. He also goes on to say the way this book was written makes it very accessible to read. I agree with both, writing in first person definitely helped me understand the book better. Friedman’s evidence for the flattening of the world was put into a fairly easy to read format. I gave this book a 7 because of how interesting I personally thought it was. It might not be the greatest book for others to read, but I enjoyed reading about his ideas (plus it was easier to read than I thought).

The Mercedes Coffin

The Mercedes Coffin

Faye Kellerman

Mystery

This book is for the determined reader. At first the book starts off slow, but the book picks up pace a little as the book goes on so determination pays off. This book is about the murders of Dr. Bennett Little and Primo Ekerling, separated apart by 15 years. When multi millionaire Genoa Greeves decides to open up the old case of Dr. Little, Detective Peter Decker is put on the case. Detective Decker suspects there might be a connection between these two murders. While investigating, Decker mostly finds dead ends but still finds some traces of evidence connecting the cases. With his wife Rina, his detective daughter Cindy and his partners Scott and Marge all help him solve this case.

In a book review of The Mercedes Coffin the reviewer is a fan of the series, but views this book as a disappointment and “a complete bore”. She went on to say that if she did not have to review the book she would have put it down after the first couple pages. I completely agree with the reviewer, where I also found this book very boring. It was a very slow moving book with barely any action. The conversations dragged on and it was not exciting at all. This book was not a page turner and after reading for a while I really did not care who did it anymore. I gave this book a 3 because of its lack of excitement and action, and the fact that it is an extremely slow moving book. This book will probably make you want to put it down after reading the first couple pages.

Quarter Blog

Quarterly Blog

1.      -   For One More Day, 2

           This book was not challenging at all. It was a very short book and very easy to read. I understood it very well; there weren’t many words I did not know.

-       Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, 4

           This book was also not very challenging. After reading the first 6                    books I was familiar with the Harry Potter books and the language and writing style. Even though it was long, I found it was easy to get through and read.

-       The Perfect Storm, 8

This book was pretty challenging for me. It had some vocabulary that I did not know (mostly fishing terms). The story was a little hard to follow and the author included a lot of fishing history and weather stories that I found irrelevant. If the author had not written about these things, it would have been a much easier book to read.

2.    I think I am the type of reader that prefers fiction over non-fiction. I find that non-fiction is generally more interesting and fun to read than true stories. This quarter I have stuck mostly with non-fiction with the exception of the Perfect Storm. Usually I try to stick to fiction and fantasy, but during the second quarter I plan to explore other book genres. I always make my book selections based on the blurb on the back cover. If it seems like an interesting book from the blurb then it is worth reading to me. I will read a few pages of the book to make sure the language is not too hard for me to read but if the book is at my reading level than I will pick it to read.

3.    When I am reading my independent reading book I find that I am making predictions and inferences about what is currently happening in the book. Sometimes when I am reading a book, I will realize whether a prediction I made earlier was correct or incorrect.

4.    I try my best to read every day for at least 20 minutes and I do choose my books very carefully.

5.    I would give myself a B+ for my independent reading grade. I have read 3 books this quarter, I usually read outside of school, I maintain my blog and I always have my book on Friday.

6.    In a review of this book, the reviewer states that the reader will be fascinated by the lessons in meteorology and detailed ethnography of modern fishermen. For me, this was boring and not fascinating at all. If you were a guy that is interested in weather and fishing and the ocean this book would be perfect for you. But if you are not, this book could be a little bit boring in some parts. The reviewer also says what makes this book so compelling is the human drama that plays out. I agree that the suspense makes this a very good book. It makes you want to figure out what is going to happen next.

7.    - I plan to explore the class library more often to make my book selections. This will help me find better books that I will be most likely   to enjoy.

-       I plan to read even more this quarter. I want to read every night for 20 minutes. I did not maintain this habit very well in the first quarter. This way I can stay on pace for independent reading.

-       I plan to become a more active reader by making connections and continuing to make predictions and inferences. This will help me better understand what I am reading.

       

The Perfect Storm

The Perfect Storm

Sebastian Junger

Non Fiction

This book is for the type of reader that likes an adventure story and one that enjoys history. This book is especially special because it is a true story. This book also talks a lot about the history of fishing and fishing accidents. This book is about a group of sailors who go out on a fishing trip, on the Andrea Gail, and they end up sinking and drowning in a terrible storm. These fishermen from Gloucerster, Massachusetts were never found. The story takes place during the 1991 Perfect Storm. The Perfect Storm was a severe storm that may have only happened once in a century. These fishermen most of whom do not wish to fish for a living, but have to for money, set out on a dangerous fishing journey into the storm. Most fishing boat captains are stubborn, not wanting to give up and turn around to go home. Albert Johnston, the captain of the Andrea Gail is no different.

In a review of this book, the reviewer states that the reader will be fascinated by the lessons in meteorology and detailed ethnography of modern fishermen. For me, this was boring and not fascinating at all. If you were a guy that is interested in weather and fishing and the ocean this book would be perfect for you. But if you are not, this book could be a little bit boring in some parts. The reviewer also says what makes this book so compelling is the human drama that plays out. I agree that the suspense makes this a very good book. It makes you want to figure out what is going to happen next. I give this book a 6 because at times the book read very slowly especially during the parts of the book where the author described the lifestyle of the fishermen and various weather patterns. Other than that, this was a decent book that would be a great book for someone that enjoyed reading about meteorology, fishing and adventure.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

J.K. Rowling

Fantasy

This book is for the type of reader that enjoys long, epic novels. The reader should be interested in a story line that includes fictitious things such as wizards and witches and magic. The Harry Potter series is about Harry Potter, a student at the magical school of Hogwarts, and his job is to save the wizard world from Voldemort. Along the way, Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione, go on a journey in an attempt to defeat Voldemort encountering many terrifying experiences along the way. Throughout the first six books of the series Harry learns more and more about Voldemort, who once tried to kill Harry when he was a baby. He discovers that Voldemort ‘s ultimate goal is to take over the wizard world and kill all the non-wizards. In the final book of the series, Harry prepares to face Voldemort and kill him once and for all. The only way Harry can do this is to do destroy horcruxes, objects that contain parts of Voldemort’s soul. Only then can Harry finally face Voldemort. With the help of his friends Harry works to extinguish the horcruxes and finish of Voldemort forever.

In a review of the book by the New York Times, the reviewer states that this book for the most part is a, “somber book that marks Harry’s final initiation into the complexities and sadnesses of adulthood”. I agree with the reviewer that Harry is growing up throughout the book and during this time he goes through many tough and depressing experiences. He puts himself through so many things just so he can in the end defeat Voldemort. The reviewer also says that getting to the finish line is not a seamless, and that the book is filled with many detours. I disagree that the book has many detours; I think most of the scenes in the book contribute to the ending in a nice way. I gave this book a rating of nine because when I read this book I did not want to put it down. It was very captivating and the story pulls you in where you always want to figure out what happens next.