Reading Wishlist

1. Remember Me -Romily Bernard
2. 52 Reasons to Hate My Father -Jessica Brody
3. 3:59- Gretchen McNeil
4. How My Summer Went Up in Flames - Jennifer Salvato Doktorski
5. Don't You Wish? -Roxanne St. Claire
6. The Wrap-Up List - Steven Arnston
7. The Blood of Olympus -Rick Riordan
8. Shrinking Violet- Danielle Joseph
9. Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List- Rachel Cohn & David Leviathan
10. #Scandal -Sarah Ockler

The book that I'm going to read for my book 5 is 52 Reasons to Hate My Father. I'm choosing this book because I've already started it and I want to finish it.
 

Book 4 Reflection: Confessions The Paris Mystery

Why Tandy Angel is the strongest and the weakest of the Angel children?

1- She's the strongest of the Angel children.

This is because she never panics when faced with a tough situation. Such as when her ten year old brother, Hugo goes missing she doesn't panic. She comes up with a plan on how to find him and in the end her plan works and she ends up finding him. "I was one second from a weepy public meltdown; then I saw a kid in a red All Saints lacrosse shirt rounding the confections counter. I jumped up, grabbed Hugo roughly by the arm, and angrily demanded, "Hugo! Are you all right? What's wrong with you? Where the hell were you?"

 

2- She's the weakest of the Angel children.
This is because her sister's "death" effected her the most out of all the Angel children. This probably because her and her sister are the only two girls. "Katherine had come back from the dead. We'd touched, cried, laughed, hugged, renewed all the loving feelings we'd had for each other. Now she was gone. I stood there on the street, completely devastated. It was not just like losing Katherine all over again, it was almost worse than if she'd never appeared."

3- She's the strongest of the Angel children.
After she finds out that her "boyfriend" is cheating on her. She doesn't cry in front of him when she finds out. The worst thing about it was that he was cheating on her with her best friend Claudia Portman, C.P. for short. "When I looked at her face, I almost had a heart attack. I swear, my heart locked up and my brain froze. With enormous, superhuman effort, I managed to say, "C.P.?" She said, "Tandy?" We both said, "What are you doing here?"  But my voice was louder, more shocked, more outraged. My best friend was in scanties in James's room. There was only one way to interpret that. "I'm back," I said. "I came to see James." "You should probably leave before this gets awkward," said Claudia Portman, my former best friend. "You shouldn't just drop in on people, you know." "Screw you," I spat at her. "What the hell are you doing with James?" "Geez Tandy. I've got to spell this out for you? I was writing to him, as a friend, and well we fell in love. Sorry." She didn't look sorry. She looked triumphant." "I turned away from them and walked down the stairs with some of my dignity intact. No tears. No tears at all. At least those two didn't see me cry."

4-She's the weakest of the Angel children.
This is because she is mentally unstable. She was sent to a mental hospital called Fern Haven when her parents found out that she ran off with the son of their rival. There she was treated and all her memories of him were wiped from her mind. And now that she remembers what happened she is emotionally insecure and she has flash backs about what happened. It doesn't help that her parents and sister are dead. "A dark thought occurred, darker than a black sucking hole in the universe. Have I ever left Fern Haven? Had I fantasized an entire year of school and my parent's deaths and Matthew's trial and all the crimes that had closed in around us in New York, cases that I had solved?
Did I make up going to Paris? Had I been tripping at Fern Haven for... the entire time? I heard a sound system, Dr. Someone being paged. I grabbed for the bed rails, ready to fight to the death. Any minute now, some stiffly smiling doctor or fakey-nice nurse was going to ask me if I was ready for my next treatment. I would yell "No no no!" and I would lash out with my fists. Straps would be tightened. A gag would go into my mouth. An IV line with knockout drugs would drip into me, and then-oh, God, the electric shock. I couldn't let them do that to me. Not again."

 

 

5-She's the strongest of the Angel children.
After her grandmother's house burns down she is put into interrogations. She doesn't let the cops get to her. She puts up with them and their questioning and their rude remarks. She also puts up with their false accusations. "Two days after the fire, only an hour after my release from the hospital, I was in the police interrogation room, where cops were accusing me of torching my grandmother's house. They had no evidence, of course, but they'd cooked up a variety of bogus motives for me, which, where I come from, is called a fishing expedition. They had one suspect, me. And they wanted to hook me, reel me in, and toss me into an ice locker-today."

So, is Tandy Angel the weakest or strongest of the Angel children? She has her strengths and weaknesses but her strengths overrule her weaknesses. Therefore although with her weaknesses, Tandy Angel is still the strongest of the Angel children.

Book 2 Trailer

Book Talk

Book 3 Listicle: Ashes to Ashes

After being bullied by Reeve in Middle school Mary takes her life. After taking her own life Mary's spirit is trapped on Jar Island until she frees her spirit. Flash forward to the future now in high school, Reeve is the star player on the football team, he's popular, and he's homecoming king.  Now Marry is a ghost and she has come back to haunt him. Mary believes the only way for her to be freed from Jar Island is if Reeve takes his own life. Instead of taking his life she ends up saving his life. The question that remains is: Is Mary a villain or a hero?

1-She's totally a villain.
She tries to kill Reeve multiple times in the book. She starts by trying to kill him in his dreams by penetrating his mind at night when he sleeps. "I visit Reeve night after night. I meet him in his dreams." Then she tries to drown him when he's in a pool alone.
When that doesn't work she gets him to try to kill himself because of what he did to her many years ago.

2-She's a hero.
She saves Reeve, Lillia, and Kat when the house bursts into flames. Without her they would've all died. Even though she was the one that caused the house to burst into flame to begin with. "They will die if I don't do something. They will die just like I did. For no good reason at all."

3- She's a villain.
She gets mad at Lillia for betraying her by dating Reeve. As revenge Mary tries to hurt Lillia and Reeve. She also tears apart Lillia's room when she's not home. In addition she also RSVP's Lillia to a gala she wasn't going to go to. "I flip on the light switch, and then I let out a scream. My room is completely trashed. Clothes are everywhere. My down pillows have been slashed open and feathers float through the air. The belly of my stuffed rabbit has been slashed too, and his beany insides spill out onto the carpet. My perfume bottle is shattered on the vanity table; glass is everywhere. My dollhouse is smashed. And there is Mary, sitting cross-legged on my floor in the middle of it all."

4- She's a hero.
She tries to drown Reeve in the pool but during his last few seconds between life and death she decides to let him go and live. Even though she did try to drown him and he was just seconds away from death she let him go and he was able to live because she decided to let him go free. "I couldn't do it. After all this time, after all he's done to me, I couldn't do it."

 

 

5- She's a villain

She goes and burns Kat's letter of recommendation before her source sends it to her. She does this because Kat works at the place that is trying to "preserve" the house where Mary lived before she took her own life. "To Whom It May Concern: I am writing to highly recommend acceptance of Katherine DeBrassio to Oberlin College. I have worked with Katherine for the last several months on a preservation project here on the island and am so impressed with the character... It goes on and on, full of praise, glowing praise, detailing what a hard and motivated  worker Katherine DeBrassio is. How she'd be as asset to any college. Ah. Yes. I get it. It makes me extra mad, knowing that she's helped the place that basically stole our family house. I pick the letter up between two fingers, blink, and the thing goes up in flames." 

In conclusion the obvious answer to the question of whether Mary is a hero or villain is she's a villain. Mary is a villain throughout the whole book. The only time she's truly a hero is when she saves Reeve, Lillia, and Kat from the fire. Throughout the whole book Mary is constantly trying to hurt everyone. So therefore she's a villain.

Fiction vs. Non-Fiction

I think for a book to be considered non-fiction it should be mostly true. I also think it depends on what type of work it is. Such as textbooks, encyclopedias, and other sources I think those should be completely true because they are resources. Memoirs on the other hand I think it's okay if some of the things within the story are changed, but only if they are small details. If big events are changed in a memoir I wouldn't really consider it a memoir anymore.

 I think half-truths that still make good stories are considered more of a fiction book based upon real life experiences the author has experienced. I think that stories such as Frey's are better off as fictional books based upon real life experiences and that they shouldn't be claimed as memoirs. I think people shouldn't twist the truth when writing memoirs because that defeats the purpose of writing a memoir because memoirs are based upon the truth.

I think there should be a line between fiction and non-fiction but there can be some exceptions for those books that fall in between. Such as the books that are half-truth where the fake part is fictional and the real part is non-fiction. I think it matters that there is a line between fiction and non-fiction, but not a very fine line as to where a book only falls under the category of being either fiction of non-fiction. I also think it's up to the reader to decide.

Adapting My Book

The book I'm reading for my book 2 is The Book Thief  by Markus Zusak. 

One challenges in making this book into a movie are the bomb attacks because they seem like they'd be kind of hard to film. Another challenge would be someone that looks younger than they really are to play Liesel because the book shows Liesel over the course of a couple of years.

 One scene that should definitely be included is the scene where Liesel beats up Ludwig Schmeikl for making fun of her. I think this scene should be included because it shows the turning point where Liesel really wants to learn to read.

 Another scene that I think should be included is the part where Liesel and Mr. Hubermann have their night lessons. I think this should be included because it shows the relationship forming between Liesel and her foster father.

One final scene that I think should be included is the part where Liesel and Rudy race to see who is faster. I think this scene should be included because it shows the beginning of their friendship. This also shows how their relationship grows throughout the book.

One scene that they might have to cut is the part where Rosa brutally beats Liesel because it seems really cruel and plus it's not a major detail in the book.

Another scene that they might cut is the scene where Hans and his son fight. I feel like their fight is kind of insignificant because you already know that Hans isn't a fan of the party.

Book 1 Project

For my book one I read The Confessions of a Murder Suspect by James Patterson . For my fan experience I chose to turn my book into a movie. For this movie I would pick certain scenes and quotes that should be included as well as a cast list.

Cast:

Tandy Angel: Kristen Stewart
Harry Angel: Nick Jonas
Hugo Angel: Jared Gilmore
Matthew Angel: Channing Tatum
Maud Angel: Angelina Jolie
Malcolm Angel: Robert Downey Jr.
Peter Angel: Wallace Shawn
Samantha Peck: Kelly Rutherford
Sergeant  Caputo: Robbie Coltrane
Detective Hayes: Josh Dallas
Philippe Montaigne: Matthew Settle
Tamara Gee: Jenna Dewan

 I think this cast fits the description the author gave pretty well. I did have some difficulties finding the perfect actor/actress for Samantha, Philippe, Tamara, and Detective Hayes because the author didn't describe the characters as vividly as the others.

Scenes: 

The crime scene
The part where Tandy searches through Samantha's office
When they find out about Malcolm and Tamara
When they find out about Samantha and Maud
When they discover the secret lab
The part when Tandy accuses Peter
The funeral
When they find out about Tamara's death
When they find the cameras
When they see the video of their parent's death
When Hugo breaks into their neighbor's apartment
Tandy's flashbacks/confessions
When Harry performs
When Matthew makes the remark about his parents getting taken out with the trash
When Harry says his parents died thinking he was useless
Every time Tandy gets a new clue/lead

These are the scenes that I think should definitely be in the movie because these are the most important parts of the book.

Quotes:

Matthew: "My parents were just carried out of the building in the service elevator," he shouted at the cops. "They were vile, but they didn't deserve to be taken out with the trash!"

 Caputo: "Sergeant Capricorn Caputo and Detective Ryan Hayes, NYPD. Please open the door."


Harry: "I'll tell you what's killing me, Tandy."
Tandy: "I'm listening"
Harry: "They never loved me."
Tandy: "Come on. They were different, that's all-"
Harry: "One day I was going to prove myself to them. I never had the chance to do it before they died. They died thinking I was useless."


I think this idea will work because people like seeing movies after they've read the book so if you make a movie people will want to read the book before they see the movie this will get more people to read this book. This will also keep readers connected because this book is the first of a series so if they read the first book they'll want to read the rest of the series and if the other books are also turned into movies this will also cause more people to want to read the books before the movies comes out such as the Hunger Games series or the Harry Potter series.



What is a book?

A book to me is a world. A world where you can feel and experience what the characters experience. Where you can join the adventure and feel the joy the terror and the pain. A book can take you to another world without leaving the comfort of your home. I agree with Joe Meno that a book is a place. I also agree with Tom Piazza when he says that you make the world of the book through your imagination. I believe a book's true value comes through the pages the satisfaction of turning the pages gives it more suspense when you're reading a really captivating novel. I can't stand reading a book on a device because it hurts my eyes after staring at it for long periods of time. I find that when you read a book on a device it loses it's true value of being a book. You miss out on the feeling of the pages between your finger tips and the scent of paper tickling your nose when you open the book for the first time. You also miss out on the feeling of flipping the last page of a book. Also when reading on a device you're more likely to get distracted by other things on the device. A book is such a wonderful thing. It holds information and it's the key to another world. A world that can only exist in your wildest dreams. What's incredible is how the author can make their world come to life just because of a book. When an author writes a book it's like receiving the key to their world and suddenly you see the world differently. The reader imagining what the author wanted them to see a whole new world and a different way of viewing the world.

Why Do I Read?

I read because it gives me a chance to escape reality and go on adventures without leaving the comfort of my bed. I like putting myself in the character's shoes and getting a chance to live in someone else's world and experience what they experience in their world. I also read for pleasure or when I'm bored because it lets me use my imagination to see, hear, touch, taste, and smell what the characters experience. I can also use my imagination to imagine what the characters look like how they think and how they react with other characters. I also like to read because it opens up my imagination to new ideas that I can use when I write.  Sometimes when I read before bed I will dream about my book and I'm one of the characters and I get to talk to the other characters and I get to experience the character's world and my actions can influence how the story goes. It's like I have the keys to another world right at my fingertips.