We Haven't Seen the Last of Bartimaeus (Yay!)

The Golem's Eye, Jonathan Stroud's thrilling sequel to The Amulet of Samarkand, can only mean one thing: we haven't seen the last of Bartimaeus.

I enjoyed this book from the start. Not only did it add new twists and interesting characters, but it did a fantastic job of supporting two separate plot lines. One plot starred Bartimaeus and Nathanial while the other starred Kitty Jones, a character briefly introduced in the first novel. The plot lines ran close together, periodically crossing with the characters from both interacting with each other. If Kitty (being part of the resistance) did something, often would it effect Nathaniel, and vice versa.

But of course we all know the best part of the book is Bartimaeus.

 

The biggest thing I noticed about The Golem's Eye was the brilliant characterization. Especially Nathaniel's. He's a dynamic character, as you might have guessed. But unlike most protagonists,  his dynamic character growth goes down hill. In the first book, Nathaniel had morals, knew right from wrong, wanted justice. Which is weird, as Bartimaeus pointed out, because that isn't how most other magicians are. However, in the second book, Nathaniel is crueler, power hungry, and has no morals, like the other magicians. After taking a job with Internal Affairs, he quickly changes for the worst. You start to see Nathaniel and John Mandrake(Nathaniel's magician name) as separate people. But before you know it, Nathaniel is gone. He makes bad choices that other magicians would make, taking any opportunity to seize power. He kidnapped Kitty's friend, and back stabbed Kitty when he promised he would let her go free. Throughout the book you witness his internal struggle between being Nathaniel and John Mandrake. At the end of the book (spoiler alert!) Bartimaeus is fed up with the new Nathaniel, and a bit disappointed in the young magician for acting like the others. Before being released, he says to Nathaniel:
" 'Yep.' I performed a formal salute. 'I bid the magician John Mandrake farewell. May he live long and never summon me again... By the way, notice something there?'
The magician paused with his arms raised and his incantation at the ready. 'What?'
'I didn't say 'Nathaniel'. That's because I see you more as a Mandrake now. The boy who was Nathaniel's fading, almost gone.'
'Good.' He said crisply. 'I'm glad you see sense at last.' He cleared his throat. 'So. Farewell, Bartimaeus.'
'Farewell.' He spoke. I went. I didn't have time to tell him he'd kind of missed the point."
 This quote is shows Bartimaeus explaining to Nathaniel that he had changed for the worse, that the old Nathaniel is gone, replaced by John Mandrake, a magician no crueler than any of the others. Its amazing indirect characterization sums up exactly who Nathaniel has become.

Now, I can't leave out Bartimaeus, who has always had some of the best characterization I've ever seen. You learn a lot about him in this book, how he actually can have a good side. And compaired to Nathaniel, he sometimes seems like the good guy lacking free will. After all, he's just taking orders. Here are some examples of his characterization:
" 'What can you know about it, demon?!' Kitty was white with rage. 'You're a monster! How dare you even imagine what I'm feeling!' She was so furious, she almost lashed out.
The boy tutted. 'Let me give you a friendly tip, He said. 'Now, you wouldn't want to be called 'female mudspawn', would you? Well, in a similar way, when addressing a spirit such as me, the word
demon is in all honesty a little demeaning to us both. The correct term is djinni, though you may add adjectives such as noble  and resplendent if you choose. Just a question of manners. It keeps things friendly between us.' "
I love this quote because it shows the careful characterization of Bartimaeus, explaining one of his pet-peeves (being called a demon) and how he can be a bit vain at times.

Overall, this book has some of the best characterization you'll find. I loved reading it, and hope some more people will pick the series up sometime.

Some of my favorite Bartimaeus quotes:

 

 

The Newest Addition to My Favorite Books List

Don't you just love it when you fall in love with a book only to find out that it's a trilogy? Well, duh, yeah, it said it was a trilogy on the cover. We've gotten past that feeling. But now imagine that you're in the middle of finishing this awesome trilogy, and find out that there's a FOURTH book. Mind blown. Boom.

Yes, of course, this happened to me.

Now, my previous post was doubtful that I'd continue reading the latest book I picked up. But thanks to an unfortunate week of standardized testing, I had ample time on my hands. Therefore, I pushed my was through The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud. By the time I had reached page sixty, I was convinced. This book is awesome. And to my luck, there is not only three books, but four.

It wasn't hard to start to like the series. I know I tend to be a bit hesitant when getting into knew books, but this one became a quick favorite. It wasn't necessarily the plot that led me to becoming a fan, but more so the characters and their development; particularly the star of the show, Bartimaeus.

 Throughout the book, Bartimaeus continually gives witty comments that make the story. Multiple times reading the book I burst out laughing, my friends giving me an odd look. For example, my favorite quote from Bartimaeus:

“That did it. I'd gone through a lot in the past few days. Everyone I met seemed to want a piece of me: djinn, magicians, humans...it made no difference. I'd been summoned, manhandled, shot at, captured, constricted, bossed about and generally taken for granted. And now, to cap it all, this bloke is joining in too, when all I'd been doing was quietly trying to kill him.”
― Jonathan Stroud, The Amulet of Samarkand    

The voice within the book, as you can see, is very strong as well. My favorite chapters were the ones with Bartimaeus narrating, partially for his wit and partially for the adventure. Because Bartimaeus is more of a sly, clever, villainous character, his chapters are full of action and escapes. He would do anything to kill his newest master, Nathaniel, another main character, especially when he has leverage. When Bartimaeus discovers Nathaniel's birth name(he can use it to deflect punishments and such and spread it to other demons so Nathaniel can't control them either) he says,

“I had a chance at him now. Things were a bit more even. He knew my name, I knew his. He had six years' experience, I had five thousand and ten. That was the kind of odds that you could do something with.”
― Jonathan Stroud, The Amulet of Samarkand

So in all, it's an interesting concept with interesting characters. It's neat how Magicians summon demons to do their dirty work, or just to wash the dishes and other chores. So, it's easy to see how this has quickly become on of my favorite books.

 

Check out Bartimaeus's website! Get info on the makings of the books, Jonathan Stroud's blog, and Bartimaeus's own blog(It's hilarious)!

 

http://www.bartimaeusbooks.com/index.html

 

Thoughts on starting the next book

I'm done being in between books, so, evidently, I've just started another. I'm only a few pages in, but that's still enough to determine whether or not this is going to be worth the read.

We're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but we all do it anyway. This book is called The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud. It's the first book in The Bartimaeus Trilogy. Its got a shiny cover with a smirking goblin-like creature holding a gold amulet, in case you were wondering. Obviously, it's a fantasy. I could tell from first glance it was going to be high fantasy, but had no idea about the plot.

It's about an eleven year old magician's apprentice who was humiliated by this awesome magician who's apparently ruthless and ambitious. The boy teaches himself spells way beyond his years because he seeks revenge. (Already feeling inclined to find out what this guy did to this poor kid.) So the eleven year old, Nathaniel, summons Bartimaeus, a five thousand year old djinni, to assist him.

I didn't really know what to expect. After reading the first few pages, I found out pretty quickly that the book takes a action-now-explain-magical-stuff-and-reasons-behind-everything-that-is-happening-that-would-be-really-helpful-to-know-later kind of approach. I couldn't decided whether to give up and call it a night after I went through pages having no idea what was going on or continue to read to find out why it feels like the author skipped the exposition and went to the beginning of climbing action immediately then back to exposition(read it and you'll know what I mean).

Overall, It seems a little intimidating at first; you're placed in a high-action situation with magic spells and little explanation as to what's going on. However, Once you read further, you start to see how the pieces fit together and everything becomes slightly less confusing. So I've decided to let curiosity get the best of me and continue to read the book. Hopefully things will be explained in the next chapter.

So Far Not Impressed

I decided to go out of my typical reading bubble and venture into some romance. I decided to read the bestselling book The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. This was a big step for me, given I typically read fantasy adventure books with magic and epic battle. I grew tired of normal fiction long ago, (Sorry Cami, but I have no idea why you love fluffy romance novels, I mean, where is the magic and epic journey?) and I never was one for romance. They weren't my thing.

But  just had to read The Fault In Our Stars. So many people read it and loved it, and there was a movie made about it, so why not? It's bound to be good.

That was an overstatement.

Now, 'm not hating on the book or anything, I'm not saying it's utterly terrible. I'm just saying I'm done reading it. I believe I'm on chapter four? I'm sure that's too soon to make a proper judgment, but I'm so far not impressed. I honestly do not know what makes this story so appealing to young adults like myself.

I like conflict, especially being a fan of action-packed fantasy novels, and , well, after reading the first couple chapters, I couldn't find any. I saw room for potential conflict, but that was as close as I got to being interested. Overall, the book had a slow start in my opinion. I had to force myself past the second chapter.

The dialogue was pretty good, I'll admit. But I can't see much of a plot developing. I know that problems do occur, given the spoilers explained by some of my friends, but in the second chapter it's just a date used for character development. I don't know about you, but some pretty nice character development happens during conflict. I know I'm probably being a bit nit-picky here, but I'm done reading. I want conflict.

There are some interesting ideas and new perspectives on life introduced, which I thought was cool. Don't get me wrong, the book isn't bad, I just don't think it has enough action. It's very slow paced in my opinion, and, in conclusion, wasn't exactly what I expected.

Wishng I Could Change the Ending (Spoilers! DUH)

Have you ever read an entire series just to have it end in a way that makes you flip back a few pages and say to yourself "Wait...that was it?" of course you have. Everyone has. We all find that really good series that just ends...not so good.

I have recently (recently meaning a few weeks ago because I swim competitively so getting around to these posts/finding a new book is like asking a cat to not jump up on the table...it won't work out) finished Abhorsen, the third book in the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix. I enjoyed reading the book. It wasn't the most fast-paced book but it was creative and thought out with a unique writing style. It was still a page turner, my favorite parts being when Lirael was traveling into Death. However, when I came to the end, the final battle against the Destroyer, I guess I just expected...more.

Leading up to the end, the book got progressively better. The events got more exciting, but they were all relatively low key. There wasn't a lot of suspense in my opinion. I was reading to find that big "wow" ending that is so action packed it blows my mind. Well, I got a sorta action packed ending that only got good towards the end when Sabriel returns. There wasn't a lot of fighting, even in Lirael's battle with Hedge. I guess when you battle one of the most powerful necromancers you leave with only a scratch on your arm.

Lirael didn't even kill Hedge, when he looked up at the sky while in death (the Dog tripped him and that made him look at the sky) it was his time, because he had been avoiding death for awhile, and he just died. No epic charter spells here. Just dead.

Nix did a good job on the end of the ending though, when they finally battled the destroyer and everyone had to come together, each person representing a bell. Lirael used a special sword to kill the Destroyer, doing so she knew she herself would die(she didn't share this with Sam and the others, though) and knew what must be done. However, while being engulfed with flame, about to meet her end, the Disreputable Dog jumps in, bites Liraels hands off the sword that they were fixed to, and takes her place as the sacrifice. This was the good action packed ending I was hoping for. People injured, my favorite character unfortunately died, all was good.

But it wasn't all good. I still craved more action, more of that sweet, sweet action. But there wasn't any. That was it. End. The multiple chapters leading up to it, with the destroyer present, that couldn't have been more action packed? The book waited until the last few pages to get really good?

So I find myself among tons of other readers who finish a series only to be unsatisfied. Like many readers, I'm wishing I could change the ending.

Columnist Project

I read 14 different articles written by a variety of columnists. I found some I liked, some I didn't like, and some that made me laugh out loud. While reading, I learned a lot about the perspective of each column and how the author makes his or her argument..

The column I liked the best was a column by Dave Barry called "The Mother of All Parties". It was a humorous piece about mothers going all out for their kid's birthday party. It said, "
Like many moms, my wife believes that a child's birthday party requires as much planning as a lunar landing -- more, actually, because you have to hire a clown." It uses funny lines like this to get the argument across. What I thought was funny was when it went into comparing a mom planned party against a dad planned party. It said, " It would be different if dads planned birthday parties. First off, the party would be about a month after the child's actual birthday, which is when Dad would remember it. Dad's party theme would be ``delivery pizza,'' which would also serve as the cake, the craft project and the party favor. The entertainment would be pulling Dad's finger. The kids would have just as much fun." I thought this was funny, knowing my dad, and how his idea of a birthday party is the most dirt cheap party ever.

I thought the article was funny and well written because you could relate to the situation. A lot of stuff was over exaggerated, adding to the humor. Overall a very good column.

Fahrenheit 451 Theme Handout

Fahrenheit 451 Theme Handout:

Theme: Engaging with difficult and uncomfortable thoughts and experiences is the only route to true happiness.

Group Members: Sammi St. Arnold, Brian Whitney, Hannah Lea, Stephanie Schoenlein, and Evan Haas Bell 3

Events

---

1. Clarisse asks Montag if he's happy.

2. Montag realizes he's unhappy, and threatens to start reading books.

3. Montag meets Faber and realizes the power of reading/ learning

4. The firemen went to Montag's house.

5. Montag burns Beatty.  

6. Montag meets Granger.

Quotes

---

1. "He was not happy.  He was not happy.  He said the words to himself. He recognized this as the true state of affairs.  He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run off across the lawn with the mask and there wa no way of going to knock on her door and ask for it back." (Bradbury 12).

2. " 'If there was no war, if there was peace in the world, I'd say fine, have fun! But, Montag, you mustn't go back to being just a fireman. All isn't well with the world.' " (Bradbury 104).

3. " 'We all made the right kind of mistakes, or else we wouldn't be here.' " (Bradbury 150).

How it Relates

---

1. This theme is important to our understanding of the story because the story is based on a society that believes in the opposite, that thoughts and uncomfortable experiences actually diminish a person’s overall happiness, and have rules against people creating their own thoughts and opinions.  

2. This connects to our society today because people are depressed and don’t realize that they have to deal with and engage in uncomfortable and difficult experiences is the only way to achieve true happiness.  It is important to study and be aware of this theme so that we can grow and be happy in our daily lives, dealing with the hardships in our modern world.  

 

Narrative Prompt

So for this week we are writing a narrative prompt that ties in the poem "Dover Beach" with the book "Fahrenheit 451". After listening to the reading of "Dover Beach" by Montag, Mrs. Phelps and Mrs. Bowels leave the house. I will be writing a continuation of the story after they leave.

Mrs. Bowels punched buttons on her phone as Mrs. Phelps stood watching.

"What are you doing?" Mrs. Phelps dried her damp eyes. She was still crying over the poem Mr. Montag had read. That awful, awful poem.

"I'm reporting him to the rest of the Firemen." Mrs. Bowels replied curtly as the ringer started playing.

Mrs. Phelps eased herself onto the couch. Mrs. Bowels' parlor walls were turned off, making the room dull and lifeless. She sniveled, wiping her eyes again. The poem was...was terrible. So sad. She didn't know why she was crying, though. It was so sad yet...so beautiful, like nothing she had ever heard before. The way the words were put together sounded like music. Sad, sometimes confusing music, but beautiful, beautiful music.

"Is...reporting Mr. Montag...necessary?" Mrs. Phelps spoke softly.

"Oh, but of course!" Mrs. Bowels assured. "He broke the law. You certainly know how important the law is. You aren't actually defending him, are you?"

"No, I- It's just, no, not defending him, not defending him. But Mildred is our friend, we would be burning her house down too." Mrs. Phelps bit her lip as jet cars zoomed above, their loud engines rumbling like thunder. She thought about the poem again. It was her, after all, who requested that Mr. Montag read some lines from the poetry. Now look at the mess everyone is in.

"I know Mildred is our friend, but she is also Mr. Montag's wife, so we have no choice. Once I get off hold I'm reporting them. For all we know, she could have read some books too. yes, she probably read the books, read all of them."

"But the books, the poetry wasn't so bad, was it? It was sad poetry, very sad, but not bad, don't you think?"

Mrs. Bowels almost dropped the phone. "Books not bad? The poetry isn't bad? It's all bad! sad poetry, sad books, I don't want any of it. Do I have to report you too? Did you read Mr. Montag's book too? Bad books, why is there even books? I should report you too."

Mrs. Phelps stood, glancing nervously at the blank parlor walls. "Oh no, please no. No, I hate books! You don't have to report me. I hate books, I didn't break the law. Books and poetry was sad, why, that poetry was awful!"

She was trembling, watching Mrs. Bowels slowly move the phone closer to her ear. The poem wasn't awful, It was beautiful! So beautiful and moving! It made her think about the war, the terrible war, ruining happiness. But she couldn't go to jail, she couldn't stand to see her house burned.

"That's what I thought." Mrs. Bowels huffed as she was taken off hold. She spoke to the man on the other end with a sour face. "Hello? I'd like to call in a report of someone reading a book..."

The Bells of the Abhorsen

Abhorsen is the third book in it's series by Garth Nix. It's a fantasy novel, and like all fantasy novels, Nix creates a magical world of his own.

Map of the Old Kingdom

 

 

However, the part that I found most interesting are the bells. The Abhorsen family uses the bells that are named after the seven bright shiners that established the old kingdom to amplify their powers. Each bell has specific powers. I thought this was a really cool idea for the series and I love it when they use the bells in action. The Abhorsens use the dangerous Free-Magic of a necromancer and the less dangerous magic of the Charter so the dead can't come back to life. Lirael in the third book describes the bells, saying, "The smallest was Ranna. Sleeper, some called it, its voice a sweet lullaby calling those who heard it into slumber. The second bell was Mosrael, the Waker.  Liral touched it ever so lightly, for Mosrael balanced Life with Death. Wielded properly, it would bring the Dead back into Life and send the wielder from Life into Death. Kibeth was the third bell, the Walker. It granted freedom of movement to the Dead, or it could be used to make them walk where the wielder chose. Yet it could also turn on a bell ringer and make her march, usually somewhere she would not wish to go. The fourth bell was called Dyrim, the Speaker. This was the most musical bell, according to The Book of the Dead, and one of the most difficult to use as well. Dyrim could return the power of speech to long-silent Dead. It could also reveal secrets, or even allow the reading of minds. It had darker powers, too, favorite by necromancers, for Dyrim could still a speaking tongue forever. Belgaer was the name of the fifth bell. The Thinker. Belgaer could mend the erosion of mind that often occurred in Death, resorting the thoughts and memories of the Dead. It could also erase those thoughts, in Life as well as in Death, and in necromancers' hands had been used to splinter the minds of enemies. Sometimes it splintered the minds of the necromancer, for the Belgaer liked the sound of its own voice and would try to steal the chance to sing of its own accord. The six bell Saraneth, also known as Binder. Saraneth was the favorite bell of all Abhorsens. Large and trustworthy, it was powerful and true. Saraneth was used to dominate and bind the Dead, to make them obey the wishes and directions of the wielder. Lirael was reluctant to touch the seventh bell, but she felt it would not be diplomatic to ignore the most powerful of all bells, though it was cold and frightening to her touch. Astarael, the Sorrowful. The bell that sent all who heard it into Death." (Abhorsen pg. 32-33). 

As you can see, Nix puts a lot of time into his ideas and developing them. The series is written well and that's why I like it. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading adventure or fantasy books.

For more information, click here

 

This Semester I've read a few books. Among them are Help for the Haunted, Under the Dome, Angel in the Country, and I'm currently reading The Universe versus Alex Woods. I tend to choose my books by whatever interests me at the time. When reading Angel in the Country I was interested in my family history. When I was reading Under the Dome I was interested to see how different it was from the book (and it turns out that the two are so different they might as well be two totally different stories.) and it sounded interesting and the 1000+ pages was a challenge I wanted to beat. When picking Help for the Haunted I was interested in ghosts at the time so the tital and story was very appealing for me.

Overall this semester I tried my best to get the blog posts in on time. I wasn't used to blogging at the beginning and wasn't quite sure what I should say. I was trying to make a good post but wasn't sure exactly what to put. Also, I am not the best with anything techy and actually had to have a friend come to my house and help me get things set up. As the semester continiued, I became more used to blogging and started to find my way around things a little bit. More importantly I became a bit more confident with my posts. I had a blast blogging all sorts of theories on who built the dome while reading Under the Dome and in the end the dome had nothing to do with anyone who I thought was behind it. Even further into the semester I became more confident with my posts and using my voice in them. I added pictures along with my links and started to enjoy blogging more.I also think some of my posts agree with the excellent blog example by "sometimes uses a variety of syntactical structures and effective diction".

In the next semester I plan to take bloging more seriously. I was just geting warmed up this semester and now that I've dipped my toe in the water I can jump in. I want to blog about more books and use more pictures and links. I also plan to update goodreads more and add widgets to my blog- I couldn't quite figure out that techy part as well. Now that I have become used to blogging I feel I can make better quality posts. I also really want to make them on time and keep up with my comments a lot better than what I did this semester. Overall I plan to make each post on time and with even better quality just like the example of a perfect blog post.

The Universe Versus Alex Woods

I'm reading the book The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence. The first thing I noticed right off the bat is that I love the beginning. It opens up with Alex getting pulled over by a cop for whatever reason-read a little more and you find out that he had a bunch of drugs with him and the ashes of Mr. Peterson. I like how it starts off with action and things are revealed along the way rather than building into the action of the plot slowly. When the cops ask him for the story, he mentions to the reader, "Cheif Inspector Hearse told me that he wanted a 'clear, concise and full explanation' of all the relevant circumstances that led to my being stopped at costums with one hundred and thirteen grams of marijuana and Mr. Peterson's remains; but that was a lost cause from the word go. Sometimes when people ask you for a full explanation, you know...well that's the last thing they want. Really, they want you to give them a paragraph that confirms what they already think they know." (pg. 15) I really like this part and how the author wrote it. What I like even more was that it goes to explain his past; the long story that the cops don't want to hear.

I really really like how it starts off with action, explains a little bit and uses some foreshadowing then goes into the past to explain what really happened. You get the exposition through the past, which is explained right after the cop scene. I think it's a different, creative way for an author to start a book.

Angel in the Country

I decided to venture out of my typical reading genres this week and read a biography. Now I know biographies are not the most exciting things to read, but pick the right one and you could end up viewing some pretty funny stories.

I read "Angel in the Country" By James Huelsman, my uncle, at my grandparents house one weekend trip. I've always been drawn towards geneology and I love uncovering stories of my relatives' past, so in a way this book is right up my alley. It's about Mary Pohl Huelsman, my great-grandma (my Grandma Schoenlein's mom) on my dad's side. It started talking about the early years in Mary's life and how she grew up on a german farm in Ohio. Mary died when I was around four and I only can remember a few details about visiting her so it was neat to see her story and get to know her better. 

I loved the funny stories-and there was a lot of them. I also got to see how life was like in the early twentieth century. I was sitting on the couch at my grandma's house when I read "If the girls were good that week, Henry would give each girl a penny to buy something. Invariably, each girl selected one stick of gum since each stick would cost a penny. The cashier would break open a pack of gum just so each girl could buy a stick." (Pg. 19) I turned to my grandma after reading this and told her about a stick of gum costing a penny. She explained how everything was cheaper back then. My dad added when he was a kid, he could buy a king size candy bar for twenty-fice cents and that they were much bigger then than what they are now. I couldn't beleive it. 

Chores back then were a lot different too. Today we can throw clothes in the wash and dirty dishes in the dishwasher. Back then, they didn't have that technology and had to do chores the hard way. In the book it says " When Mary was around five years old on a Monday wash day, she got her arm pinched in the crank wringer." It went into to sying how she walked backwards into it while her mother, Anna, was wringing out clothes. "She let out a loud cry and blood was dripping. Anna ran to get her medical Remedy for cuts and gashes, a bottle of Kentucky Bourbon...Esther grew curious. While Anna wasn't looking, she managed to satisfy her curiosity and took a 'swig' of Kentucky Bourbon...It tasted terrible." (pg.22) I couldn't help but laugh out loud at that part. But even though it might not be what we use today to clean out wounds, the alcohol will clear out the germs. Each week they also had to beat dust out of the rugs and place news papers under them-something I found odd. Anna also taught mary how to be a good steamstress.

There was also no electricity on their farm. When a salesman came out and talked to Henry about the benefits of electricity, Henry still didn't want it. He said how it was way to costly and "too involved." They had done without it for years and they could live without it in the future. The book says "Besides, farmers were expected to bear the cost of transmittion at as much as $2,000 per mile." (pg.26) Today I can't even begin to think what life would be like without electricity.

It explains in the book how the children except Erma attended Home School, a one room school house that taught all eight grades. It says how children used the outhouses in the far corners of the lot. The boy's and girl's outhouse were located at opposite ends. The main sorce of heating was a potbelly cast-iron stove that scorched the children sitting near the middle of the room where the stove was and left the ones on the outside to freeze to death. There was also no water fountains in the school like there is today. The water came from an outside pump served with a little tin cup hanging from the pump. Also, the older boys of farm families would miss daays to help out on the farm, really only coming in the winter when there was not as much work to be done. Back then, farming came before school. Today, school is top priority. 

Picture of a Potbelly Cast-Iron Stove

Today cars can cost a pretty penny and we take driver's ed in order to get a licence at sixteen plus. The book says " ...took the big step in 1918 and bought his first automobile. It was a 1918 Ford Model T. It cost around $500, came only in black, and offered few amenities." and "Henry bought it with the understanding that the car dealer would teach him how to drive it." (pg. 35)I was shocked that back then you either had to teach yourself how to drive or the car dealer would teach you. Either way, the class was not very effective. "Gaining confidence and feeling good about himself, Henry accelerated the car towards the barnyard, gradually increasing speed. Once in the barnyard, not realizing how fast he was going, he was unable to manuver the turn, lost control, and crashed directly into the doghouse which, in turn, rammed into the chicken coop."(pg.37) 

1918 Ford Model T

I was the most surprised when what we had been learning in 8th grade history came up in the book. "The 1920's was the period of Prohibition. The 18th Amendment to the Constitution proclaimed the making and selling of alcohol illegal, punishable with jailtime.Many people ignored the highly unpopular law and purchased liquor from 'bootleggers'." (pg.50) I had no idea about my family history with this event. My Great-Grandpa Schoenlein was actually a 'bootlegger' that would transport the alcohol. He never made any alcohol, but transporting it was considered just as bad. People had to do it back then becasue there was no jobs available and no way to get money. although he didn't do it often, I still think it's cool that he did it.

In conclusion, I recomend reading some historical biographies sometime. I know they might not be a story with an epic battle at the end or a fluffy romance story, but it's neat to see how far we have come over the years and learn about how things were done in the past.

Click here to learn more about life in 1918

I'm Down: Identity

I'm currently reading "I'm Down" by Mishna Wolff. It's a laugh-out-loud and moving memoir about Mishna's childhood and finding herself. I absolutely L-O-V-E this memoir. I feel as if I can really relate with Mishna on some issues throughout the story.

In the beginning, Mishna is obsessed with being accepted by everyone, especially her dad. Throughout the book, that obsession grows into her looking for her identity. She doesn't want to be stuck in the poor, broken, misunderstanding family she was born into. She wants to be successful like her friends' parents. Now in high school, Mishna decides she wants to go to a nice collage instead of a cheap one like her parents did and that she wants to make something out of her life instead of being a broke bum like her father. She's determined to get a scholarship to a nice school no matter how many obstacles her family throws in the way, especially her dad wanting to make her "down".

                                                                    Mishna Wolff today

Click here to learn more about "I'm Down"
Click here to read about finding YOUR identity

The article in the second link Describes why one needs to find his/her identity and why they might not have found it yet because of their society or culture. This relates to the book because Mishna is having trouble finding herself because her family (Dad and Stepmom) is holding her back.

Under the Dome: Wait... that's the end?! Warning: Spoilers! (Duh)

I finished the book Under the Dome and was honestly a little surprised/disapointed with the ending. Don't get me wrong, It's still a good ending, I just felt it wasn't as action-packed as it should have been, especially with every suspenceful and jaw dropping moment leading up to it.

To tie up all the theories I made throughout the book, each was in a way important. Big Jim wasn't behind the dome, but he was planning to totally take over Chester's Mill. Chef wasn't responcible for the dome, but he played a pretty big roll leading up to the ending. And the aliens, well, they were the ending.

Speaking of Chef, even though he wasn't responcible for the dome, he was responcible for the wipout of the town, finishing off everyone except the main characters, good and bad, who were not already dead. When Cheif Randolph and some officers went to take the remaining propane tanks from Chef's meth lab, Andy Sanders and Chef attacked shooting the teen cops and Cheif Randolph(this was planned to happen by Big Jim) and then let loose his secret weapon stashed in his garage. "Andy and Chef were driven sideways by the bullets, but before they were torn asunder, their joined hands pushed the white button marked OPEN" pg. 981 This lead to 10,000 gallons of propane exploding. "Then, four miles distant, a brilliant white spark flicks the hazy sky, like a stroke of lightning that goes up instead of down. A moment later, a titanic explosion hammers a hole straight through the center of the day. A red ball of fire blots out first the WCIK tower, then the trees behind it, and then the whole horizon as it spreads north and south."pg. 981 This is the description of the propane exploding. As a result of this, Most of the town folk were incinerated or killed in the mad rush at visitors day trying to escape their fate.

The exciting next few pages describe in detail what happens as fifteen minutes of horror spread out into what feels like ages. It was hard reading about all the deaths and the suffering of the survivors. Thick smoke filled tha air, slowly suffocating everyone under the dome. They would have all died if Julia hadn't thought up a last resort idea: to beg the alein children to let them go. I was thinking "wait...this is how this thing gets solved? Really?" I guess you would have to tie in the aleins somehow, but with everything leading up to the end being so exciting it was kind of a downer that Julia would just end up talking to the alein kids. It took some effort to convince them, and the conflict was nice during that part.Also, it was a hard treck to get to the little black box controlling the dome. However, once Julia miraculously convinced one of the leather head kids to free them, I felt the sweet sensation of "Finally! It's over!" I felt like I had been there those last couple chapters, which was to me a bit impressive since it's not a feeling you get in every book. Even though the ending wasn't as action-y as I had hoped, It was still detailed and overall good.

I reccomend young adults to read this amazing book, it is EXTREMELY different from the popular TV show and so descriptive it makes you feel as if you are trapped under the dome as well.

Under the Dome: Aliens?!

After reading a little further in Under the Dome more information has popped up about why the dome might be there. Before I mentioned Chef was behind the dome, and I still think he has something to do with it, but now the book suggests that aliens-yes, aliens- are behind the dome covering Chester's Mill.

We are introduced to the mysterious black box out in the orchard that may or may not be sending out radiation and may or may not be dangerous. When Barbie and Rusty touch the box, they both see these alien creatures laughing at them as if the townsfolk are ants under a magnifying glass. "Barbie saw them as soon as the shock passing up his arms faded. His first, strong impulse was to let go of the box, but he fought it and held on, looking at the creatures who were holding them prisoner. Holding them and torturing them for pleasure, if Rusty was right. Their faces-if they were faces- were all angles, but the angles were padded and seemed to change from moment to moment, as if the underlying reality had no fixed form." So I guess now the dome was created by aliens, according to the box. However, each character who came near the box had hallucinations that suggest Phil, the Chef, still has something to do with it, maybe. Joe had seen burning pumpkins, Norrie saw everything turned black, and the sun was gone and Bennie heard screaming. Rusty's girls mentioned stopping Halloween and stopping the Great Pumpkin. Seeing a pattern? Rusty saw the old dummy on the library's lawn wearing an old tee-shirt that said "Sweet home Alabama, play that dead man's song!" and the dummy was on fire. Jackie saw people burning and people screaming because they were on fire.

Coincidence? I think not. The Chef had mentioned Halloween and Halloween coming early. I still think he has something to do with this. At the end of the chapter, we are left with: "'Halloween is still five days away,' Claire said. Barbie said, 'I don't think so'".

What or who do you think is behind the dome? Comment and tell me!

Under the Dome: Theory Three or Something Weird is Going On

I'm now in the 600's (pages) in Under the Dome and let's just say things are getting pretty weird. I know I talked about Theory One: Big Jim is behind the dome, and Theory Two: Pink Stars; but now I feel there is someone else behind the dome. It almost sounds like Theory Two and this are connected.

I got the idea something else was going on shortly after making the Theory Two post. There are new characters we are introduced to, Aidan, a young boy, being one of them. Like the majority of the young kids we know of, Aidan experiences a seizure about, you guessed it, pink stars falling. Except, it wasn't just about pink stars falling. "'The pink stars are falling,' Aidan said. 'They make lines behind them. It's pretty. It's scary. Everyone is watching. No treats, only tricks. Hard to breathe. He calls himself the Chef. It's his fault. He's the one.'" (page 391) I was shocked to read "he calls himself the Chef" and "It's his fault." because we were recently introduced to a character named Phil who calls himself the Chef. And it was even more peculiar how it still related to pink stars falling. What's going on?

Let's look at Phil for a bit. Phil/Chef in the book runs the radio station in Chester's Mill, playing christian music. Although he's a meth addict, he seems nice enough(in a way because this guy is crazy, but I tend to find a good side in all characters) and is devoted to Christ. Except, he gets a little creepy with it. Note how in the seizures the kids mention something about Halloween, which is just around the corner now. "'Got your Halloween costume, kid?' Chef inquired. 'Yes...'(the kid was speaking) 'Who you gonna be?' 'Glinda,' the girl said faintly. 'although I guess I wont't be going to the party, after all. It's in Motton.' 'I'm coming as Jesus,' Chef said. He followed Ginny, a dirty ghost in decaying Converse Hi-Tops. Then he turned back. He was smiling. His eyes were empty. 'And I'm pissed.'" (page 673) Creepy, right? Chef is something else. After reading that, I looked back a few paragraphs at something that caught my attention before but I didn't really understand. But now I think I know what Chef was talking about. "'Christ is coming back on Halloween,' Chef said. 'Probably a few days earlier; I can't tell. It's already Halloween season, you know. Season of the (insert non-school appropriate word here) witch.' He handed Andy the pipe, then pointed with the hand holding the garage door opener. 'Do you see that? Up at the end of the gallery. Over the door to the storage side.' Andy looked up. 'What? That white lump? Looks like clay?' 'That's not clay,' Chef said. 'That's the body of Christ, Sanders.' 'What about those wires coming out of it?' 'Vessels with the Blood of Christ running through em.'" (page 672)I think that white lump with the wires is something that controls the dome. I could be wrong, especially since Joe McClatchy and his friends found something else that could be responsible for the dome, But it sounded peculiar with the wires running to It. Also, after Chef said he was going to be Jesus for Halloween, Chef said another interesting thing that could be dome related. "'All right,' Chef said. 'drive, but pass me that first.' he had given Andy the garage door opener for safekeeping. Andy handed it over. 'To the funeral parlor?' Chef looked at him as if he were mad. 'back to the radio station. That's where Christ will come first when he comes back.' 'On Halloween.'" (Page 673) This just sounds like foreshadowing, doesn't it? I strongly believe Chef has something to do with the dome. I don't exactly know how the seizures are part of it, but either this is Theory Three or something weird is going on.

Comment what or who you think is responsible for the dome!

Under the Dome- Theory two

Continuing to read the book, I found another possible theory that would explain why the dome is there, or at least help explain part of the mystery surrounding the dome. It's a little more out there and random, but I think it makes a little sense. Keep in mind that the book is horror with a little fantasy(the dome) so a number of things can be possible. There are a small group of kids so far who have had seizures. Mostly Janelle, but her sister Judy and a kid named Rory had one too. During Janelle's seizure, she mentioned how they had to stop Halloween, and mentioned the great pumpkin. Rory, a farmers boy, had a seizure and mentioned the exact same thing. I thought this was odd and directly related to the dome for some reason. I think the seizures give abstract hints about events. Janelle had a nightmare/seizure once; when her dad woke her she was mumbling about how there is a golden baseball and that it's a bad golden baseball. Of course her father told her not to worry, the baseball is good, not knowing what she was talking about. Then he remembered how they have this golden retriever, Audrey, who barks when Janelle has her seizures. The dad thought there was some sort of connection. However, in the next chapter, we learn that Big Jim has a golden baseball trophy. Coincidence? I think the dome is connected somehow. Either way, the event was strange and got me thinking. Judy had a seizure too and was talking about pink stars. "'She said 'The pink stars are falling. The pink stars are falling in lines.' then she said, 'It's so dark and everything smells bad.' Then she woke up and everything was fine.'"(Marta, the baby sitter, was describing to the mother what happened.) pg.389 I'll admit that I cheated on this theory a little; I had seen an episode of under the dome farther along than where I am in the book where pink stars are mentioned a lot. I do think that, as random as this is, these seizures go hand and hand with the dome-and pink stars.

Comment where you think the dome came from!

Under the Dome: Predictions

A little more than a third into the book, I've made a few predictions here and there about what's going to happen. The big Question is obviously where in the world did this giant dome come from? At first I thought that it was the government conducting a secret experiment while saying that the dome is "an act of terrorism" (I never thought it was terrorism from another country in the first place). However, now I have a hunch that Big Jim, the town's second selectman, has something to do with it.

Big Jim was a shifty character from the beginning, manipulating others in order to get what he wants. Even though he's the second selectman, he pretty much runs the show around the small town of Chester's Mill. I like to think of him as a little dictator. He keeps ordering the chief of police to hire more "cops" (Since a handful of the real cops were caught outside the dome Big Jim had him hire some brutal teenagers to help control the crowds)."More? We've got eighteen already, counting the part-timers and the new deputies." (Chief Randolph)pg. 352 Since Big Jim keeps requesting more cops, I believe he is trying to ensure his power by using force. The new teenage "cops" are brutal and break the law while on duty, and certainly do not care about the citizens' safety.

Also, something that caught my eye, is that when the U.S government was going to shoot a missile at the dome, Big Jim seemed as if he didn't want it to work. Of course, he played it cool, though. "Randolph looked at him curiously. 'Didn't you want it to work?'" Big Jim grimaced as his shoulder twinged. 'Of course, but I never thought it would...'"pg.352 It almost sounds as if Big Jim was thinking 'Sure, we'll try this to make you guys happy'.

Big Jim and his allies also stole a large amount of propane tanks from various places around the town. Now since the power was cut off, the only thing giving the town electricity is generators that most of the business have since the town's power company isn't the best.The generators that practically keep the town running run on propane. So if Big Jim stole a bunch of tanks, then perhaps he is planning to use them to stay in power when everyone else runs out of propane. To me, it sounds as if he expects the dome to stay for a long time. Think about it: If the town runs out of propane, there is no electricity. Big Jim would be the only one with a surplus supply. So in theory, he would control the town, rationing propane the the others while everyone is trapped under the dome.

Comment who you think is responsible for the dome!

Under the Dome: Characters and Conflict

I'm reading Under the Dome by Stephen King and one thing I noticed right off the bat is the large amount of characters and how each of them deal with the main conflict-and other smaller ones. Obviously, the main conflict in the novel is the mysterious, giant dome that seemed to have popped out of no where covering the town. The reader is introduced to the conflict within the first couple pages along with a handful of characters to remember. Each character is unique, which I love, and seems important in some way to the overall plot. The main characters seem to be Barbie (Dale Barbra), Julia, Big Jim and the rest of the selectmen, and Junior. During the time the dome came down, we learned about everyone who died from driving/crashing a plane into it, and any unfortunate farmer  who was on the town border(there was decapitations and such).

Like I said, each character deals with the main conflict in different ways. Big Jim manipulates people to keep control over the town with the dome still separating Chester's Mill from the rest of the world. Barbie, a fry cook and army veteran recently promoted to colonial because of the dome, genuinely has everyone's best interest at heart. Julia, a small town reporter, also has everyone's best interest and tries to keep the town informed about events happening regarding the dome. Junior, Big Jim's son, only cares about himself and that nobody finds out about his recent murders. Chief Randolph is loyal to Big Jim and pretty much does whatever he says- good or bad. Overall, the side characters want to get out of the dome and are mainly concerned for their own safety.

Help for the Haunted

I read the book "Help for the Haunted" by John Searles. The book overall was a decent read and I enjoyed it more as the book progressed.
 One thing that stood out to me was the character development. Sylvie Mason is a young girl who's parents help possessed people- and were murdered. In the beginning, Sylvie seems more shy and keeps to herself a lot due to her parents recent death. When Police investigators are ready to put a guy on trial that Sylvie said was the murderer, she says that she really wasn't sure if it was that guy after all, she just felt like the investigators were pressing for an answer so she gave them one. Now that her case is back at the beginning, the clock is ticking for her to find the real killer. As Sylvie tries to piece together that past and present, she learns to deal and love the small things about her reckless sister, who takes care of her. She also becomes braver, not doing anything her parents would have wanted her to. She peeks into the book that made her parents look like fakes, talks to her uncle that her parents never spoke of, and goes on to discover the truth. By the end of the book, she learns to have a better relationship with her sister, becomes braver, and isn't as miserable now that she knows her parents' killer.
Here is a link to further describe the book:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/review-of-help-for-the-haunted-by-john-searles/2013/09/22/1f953afc-1952-11e3-a628-7e6dde8f889d_story.html