12.29.08
I am feeling cheerful
I am really. My computer was being slow for so long, and now it is back to normal, so I am happy again. It is amazing how quickly I can be won over.
And I have done some investigating. I have discovered that I usually write only ONE post per week. (For those of you curious, the info came from the calendar on the sidebar. I am tremendously good at investigating.)
Unfortunately, due to the slowness of my computer, I have been on here for a frighteningly long time, and I should really get off the computer and do something else.
To get to the point, I officially declare that I shall write more than one post per week. I am announcing it on here, because the safest way to make sure I finish something is to declare it to the world.
I would say more, except the timer has just beeped. I can just hear it shouting for me to get off. So I shall, just to humor it.
Merissa
P.S. In case you are wondering, I am writing my new year’s resolution list right now. I probably will post the entirety of it by next week or so.
12.23.08
Trouble – Gary D. Schmidt
by Gary Schmidt
Henry Smith’s father says, If you build your house away from Trouble, Trouble will never find you.
But Trouble comes careening down the road one night in the form of a pickup truck that strikes Henry’s older brother, Franklin. In the truck is Chay Chouan, a young Cambodian from Franklin’s preparatory school. THe tragedy sparks racial tensions in the school – and in the town where Henry’s family has lived for generations
Caught between anger and grief, Henry does the only thing he feels he can: he sets off for Mt. Katahdin, which he and Franklin had planned to climb together. One July morning, he leaves for Maine with his best friend and the lovable stray, Black Dog, in tow. But when they encounter Chay Chouan on the road, fleeing demons of his own, Henry learns that turning a blind eye to Trouble only brings Trouble closer
- from the front flap
That is a very good summary. I tried to think up my own, but I couldn’t think of anything better than that one.
Pages: 297
My Review: This book was really, really, really good. All the characters were well developed, and the plot was brilliant. Really brilliant. My only complaint was that it went rather slowly. It took me a week to pick up the book after I’d read the first chapter, and I didn’t get hooked until the fourth. And even then, I could easily put it down.
There’s a lot of description and telling in this book. But it evens out, and I can’t help liking the tone very much. It’s hard to describe, but it lets Henry tell almost, with more revelation than if Henry had been narrating (first person should only tells you what the person narrating is aware of) and more feeling than many first person books.
12.18.08
Let it Snow – Maureen Johnson, John Green, Lauren Myracle
Let it Snow!
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Three related holiday stories by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle:
Beautiful presents wrapped in ribbons, and multicolored lights glittering in the night through the falling snow. A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you only see in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House throught four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks
-from the back
I adored this book. Yes, it was kind of predictable, but it was very sweet and romantic, and also, I am very excited for the holidays. (See the snow!) This was a lovely holiday book.
I felt like I could relate to all the characters – Jubilee, Tobin, Addie, and all their friends. All three stories are connected, and I thought that was so cool – the way they all had something to do with each other, but they had no idea that they did. And how everyone -yes, everyone – has their own stories. That was one of the coolest parts.
12.12.08
Recent Reads – December 2008
I’ve been reading a lot lately, and I just hate it when I read too much and cannot post on them. Therefore, today I shall post my recent reads with little reviews next to them.
by Jeanne Birdsall
A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy
I loved reading this book. It was so fun! It’s one of those old-fashioned, squeaky clean books full of humor and adventure (and trouble!)
by Robin McKinley
She’s just a beekeeper with a woodright; she shouldn’t be Chalice, second in command. But she is, and she has to deal.
It’s been so long since I read a Robin McKinley book for the first time – and it’s so nice. Her writing is so detailed and enjoyable. It could have been a short story, but it was written into a novel and it’s probably better that way.
by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
Josie has celebral palsy, which makes her different from everyone else. But she wants to just forget her difference and live.
This book was written in verse. I’ve wanted to read this for so long, and I’m delighted that I finally have. The verses were compelling, and sweet, just like Josie herself.
by Irene Hunt
Julie’s mother has died, so she, with her brother Chris, leaves her father to live with her stern, spinster aunt. She cannot at all imagine what will happen to her.
This is a very old book (I think it was published sometime when my parents were born) but it was so good I decided to include it anyway. The book was detailed, the characters very lovable, and the story charming.
12.08.08
Suite Scarlett – Maureen Johnson
by Maureen Johnson
A formerly-grand-but-now-failing hotel, the Hopewell. Four siblings. A mysterious and demanding guest (who’s also an actress), Mrs. Anderson. And add Scarlett, who is having the most astonishing summer in her life.
This book had humor, a sweet heroine, and a nice plot. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to live in a hotel, and the Hopewell – brilliant in its day, but now fading – was great fun.
(Visit Maureen Johnson’s awesome blog @: http://maureenjohnson.blogspot.com)
12.06.08
I love the new WordPress!
It’s just so cool. I had planned to post a book review here, but then I came, and the new dashboard was so awesome, I couldn’t do anything but post about it. (And I feel slightly sorry for anyone who doesn’t have a wordpress account, and can’t see the changes between the former version and the current 2.7 one. I suppose that means the former one was 2.6. Am I right?)
I would love to investigate more, but first I have to post this about how cool the new version is. Everything’s so connected. You can go anywhere from here (although I won’t just now, because then I’d lost this post, as I haven’t saved it yet.)
So now I shall publish this post on how I approve of WordPress 2.7, and go explore more stuff. How fun! I think that’s why my father says I’m still like a child sometimes, I love new things so much.
Merissa
