Final Blog post yay

                                     Yay, okay so this is the final blog post. I have definitely learned a lot from having to write a long response each week about the book I was currently reading. It got pretty annoying at times but doing a post definitely helped me think in deeper ways about my book.


                                   What did I learn about myself as a reader from creating and keeping up with my blog? Something that I learned about myself as a reader from creating and keeping up with my blog is that when writing my blog, I have thought deeper about my book. When writing my post, I noticed that I noticed new and more interesting things about my book than I had before. I ended up thinking about my books characters more deeply in the books that I had not written a blog post on. I learned that I really need to think more deeply about my books and that I usually read books for pleasure and that I don't really think much about details unless I am forced to in my E.L.A class. 


                                    In what ways did I benefit from the experience? I benefited from the experience of writing a blog post every week is because writing a blog post helped me look at details in my book rather than just ignore them and not think deeply about my book. I also benefited from having a blog for E.L.A because I got to see how other students view their books. It was also interesting to see somebody writing about the same book as me. I benefited from that because I got to view my books in different ways.


                                  Is writing online different than writing in a notebook? In what ways? Writing online is definitely very different than writing in a notebook. For example, when I get a really interesting idea, it's easier to write out everything I am thinking very quickly because I am typing. However, when actually writing out things, I worry about my handwriting and I can't really get out all my ideas when I am writing so slowly. However, when typing my blog post online, I usually get distracted. When writing my blog post, I notice that I have several other tabs with netflix and tumblr that are constantly distracting me. 


                                 In what ways can writing online be liberating? Limiting? I think that writing online is more limiting rather than liberating. When handing in an essay to my teacher, I know that she is probably the only person that is going to read it, so I would include more of my opinion in the response to my book. Writing online is limiting because I know that anybody can read it, so I am much more careful about what I write!


                                Do I think that teenagers abuse the freedom that being online gives you on sites like facebook? Do I think that people type things they would never say to a persons face? Sure. I think that people might insult another person online rather than in person because they don't have to worry about what people around them will think, say or what the other persons reaction is.  


                               In conclusion having a blog has been pretty annoying but definitely helpful. All work is annoying obviously, but I think writing a blog kept me very disciplined in my reading life. 

                                     Aside from "The Kite Runner" for my book club, I have also been reading "Honey, Baby, Sweetheart" written by Deb Caletti. This book is about a very quiet, shy, girl named Ruby mcQueen, who has always been known as the shy girl in her school. Ruby has several friends, but not too many. However, later in the book Ruby is noticed by Travis Becker, the best looking, wealthiest boy in town. Travis is completely different from the people Ruby usually hangs out with. He is incredibly confident, outgoing, and rides a motorcycle. Ruby is incredibly happy with her new relationship. Things with her mother and father, however, are definitely not the same. Ruby's father is never home and is always traveling, trying to get a singing career, leaving Ruby's mother alone all the time. Ruby's father's actions really upset her, and she is always trying to convince her mother to leave him. Ruby is constantly talking to her mom about her leaving her father because she is much better than him and he is clearly not giving any effort. In conclusion, Ruby is always telling her mom her father is not right for her. However, when problems begin to occur between Ruby and Travis and Travis is clearly not the guy she thought he was, Ruby does not follow the advice she gave to her mother, her own advice. Just like Ruby's father, Travis is not willing to give up the things he is doing wrong just to be with Ruby. What makes people give advice they do not follow? Isn't someone's advice their opinion on how to handle the situation? Why would they think differently when the situation applies to them?

                                   People give advice. A person's advice is their opinion and idea on how to handle a situation and what to do in a situation. However, people often do not apply their advice to their own situation. One reason I think this happens is because when giving advice to someone about something, the person giving the advice may not have been in the situation they are giving advice about, and may not understand that it is hard to always do the right thing. For example, when Ruby tells her mom to leave her father, but when Travis becomes bad, Ruby does not apply her advice to herself and stays with Travis. I think this is because Ruby did not have any experience with her mother's situation and did not know how hard it was to leave a loved one.

                              Another reason I think that people do not end up following their own advice is because their situation may not be as serious as the persons they are giving advice to. For example, someone's situation may be more serious/severe than another's and their advice can not apply to a more difficult situation.

                             In conclusion, people can be hypocritical towards their advice because they either have not been in the situation or their situation is more serious.

Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life.

                                     I just started reading "Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life" by Justine Picardie. This book is about the incredibly influential, legendary, trend-setting, Gabrielle Chanel, better known as Coco Chanel. This book talks about how the orphan from a poor-house in France became the most influential, most powerful, and most revolutionizing person in fashion. This book discusses Chanel's childhood, possible influences, her incredible home and jewels, her rise and fall in fashion, her love life, and her lies. Aside from her massive fame in fashion, Chanel was also known for telling different stories about her childhood, never allowing people to know what the truth was and whether or not she was lying.  Chanel's past was discovered through documents and records, but the entire truth could never be discovered, thanks to Chanel's many stories and lies. Claiming she lived in an upper-class home, Chanel actually grew up in a poor-house then lived in an orphanage. Why would anyone want to hide their past?

                                  A big problem Coco Chanel had, was that she never wanted to reveal her poverty-filled past. I think this was because Chanel had so quickly sky-rocketed to fame and she may have been worried her not very wealthy past would bring down her and her label. In the stories Chanel would tell about her life, she would talk about how her father was an upper-middle class traveling businessman who left her to live with her three aunts in a very elegant, large house. This was definitely not the case in her childhood. Chanel's boyfriends were all very wealthy and powerful men and she also may have felt the need to talk about her "wealthy" past in order to keep them, as explained in the book.

                                This is definitely a problem in our world now, not just Coco Chanel's. many lie about their past just to keep up an image of themselves that they have created, and are worried about their past destroying it. I have also read many books in which people try to destroy their past, worrying it will interfere with the person they have become, and the image of themselves that they have created for people.

                              In conclusion, many in the world try to hide their past worrying that it will interfere with who they have become. Coco Chanel for example, did her very best to hide her past from her lovers, clients, and collegues to keep up with the image she had created for herself.

Gossip Girl: Book 4, What I noticed about Blair Waldorf

                                I have just finished the fourth book of the "Gossip Girl" series written by Cecily

Von Ziegesar. This series is about beautiful, young, privileged, and scandelous teens living on the

Upper East Side. Blair Waldorf, Serena Van Der Woodsen, Nate Archibald, and Chuck Bass, have it

very easy with their easy access to trust funds, powerful last names, and money, and take it all for

granted. Blair Waldorf, the slim, Audrey Hepburn type girl, who dominates her exclusive Upper East

Side private school with her mean attitude and impeccable clothing. Serena Van Der Woodsen, the

previously wild, partying It-Girl of manhattan who returned from her boarding school with an entirely

new "good-girl" personality. Nate Archibald, the incredibly handsome, shy, boyfriend of Blair Waldorf

who doesn't care about anything but smoking, partying, and his best friends. Chuck Bass is Nate

Archibald's billionaire best friend who is more outgoing than Nate but loves to do the same things as

him. As happy, easy-going and carefree as all of these characters may seem, they are all a bit troubled

and not as happy as they seem.

                            Blair Waldorf, the incredibly mean, stylish, and wealthy best friend of Serena Van

Der Woodsen, always likes to have things her way. Blair gets angry every time something does not go

according to Blair's perfect "life plan", she tries to make it that way. She always likes knowing what is

going to happen in her life and knowing what to do. For example, when Nate asks Blair why she insists

on watching the same Audrey Hepburn films all the time, Blair replies "Because I like knowing what's

going to happen". This quote doesn't only apply to why Blair likes to watch the same movies over and

over again, it mostly applies to her life. She always likes knowing what will happen. Why? I think Blair

likes knowing what is going to happen in her life, because she will know what to do in every event.

Blair is always on top of things, being the best student, best dressed, best groomed, best everything, and

I think that she feels the need to always know how to handle things and be perfect. However, if her life

does not go according to her plans, she won't be able to be perfect.

                         Always wanting to know what will happen in life doesn't only apply to Blair Waldorf. I

think that can apply to anybody! Everyone (or almost everyone) wants to be their very best, and be as

close to perfect as possible. Knowing what will happen or having a plan for their lives can make a

person feel like they can't ever do anything wrong! It also gives a person a sense of security. For

example, in the book "Room" by Emma Donahugh, a little boy named Jack was raised by his mother in

an 11' by 11' room, never being allowed to see the outside world. When Jack and his mother are

released from the room and Jack finds out that there are other people and things in the world besides his

mother and the things he was provided for in room. Jack doesn't like not knowing everything and

everyone. Jack doesn't feel safe when there are so many undiscovered things in the world and he can't

discover all of them. I think that knowing everything can make someone feel safer and that nothing

wrong can happen to them.

                               In conclusion, as happy and perfect as Blair Waldorf seems, she is incredibly

worried all the time about being perfect. The idea of "falling out of line" doesn't exist to her and she

hates not knowing what will happen in life, and she hates it when things do not go according to her

perfect plan.

Room: Reoccurring things in "Room"

                                       I have just finished the incredibly intriguing, wonderful, and very original book, "Room", written by Emma Donoghue. It was about a five year old boy named Jack, living with his mother (whom he calls "Ma") in an 11' by 11' shed in a crazy kidnappers garden. Ma was kidnapped from her college campus when she was nineteen, had a child with her kidnapper and raised him in this room, letting him think that Room was the world, and that everything else was fake, or "outside" and not in the world. Jack was raised to believe that everyone on TV was fake, all the activities he saw on TV were fake, and the only "real" foods were the cheap, canned ones that Ma's kidnapper gives to them. None of these foods were very tasty, however they were the only foods Jack knew of. Jack's mother raised him very well. She made sure Jack could speak very well, write, read, draw, be athletic and be smart. Jack actually ended up being much smarter than the children he met when he finally left room!
                                         I noticed that in Room, there are several things that constantly reoccur. When Ma defends her parenting, and when Jack talks about things he doesn't know or was taught wrong.

                                       The first reoccurring thing I noticed was that Ma is constantly defending her parenting skills. She worked very hard to make Jack an educated kid on her own and wants people to be aware of that. For example, while Ma is being interviewed by a very obnoxious and pushy interviewer, she is questioned toward her parenting skills, and is told that Jack may have been taught wrong. Ma got incredibly defensive about this and insulted the interviewer.  Also, whenever Ma's mother asks her about how she raised Jack, Ma is defensive about her parenting and tells her mother she hasn't done anything wrong so far. I think Ma gets so defensive because she herself, is worried that she may have made Jack too confused about the real world, and wants others and herself to think that she is a perfect parent.

                                        The second reoccurring thing I noticed in Room was when Jack talks about things he doesn't know. Every time Jack experiences something new, he questions it. For example, Grandma says that he is having "too much fun" and needs to go to sleep. Then Jack says "I didn't know there was such a thing as too much fun". Also, when he buys the same book, and people tell him to get a different one, he says "I didn't know you're not supposed to buy the same books". These are very minor things that usually wouldn't catch the attention of the average person, but because Jack has missed out on so much of "real life" he questions these minor things.

                                    In conclusion, there are things in Room that constantly reoccur. When Ma is constantly defensive about her parenting skills, and how Jack is always questioning very minor things that he has missed out on.

                                    

                                   I am currently reading the book "Room" by Emma Donoghue. It's really interesting and unlike most of the books that I have read! It's really impossible to put down. It is about a boy named Jack and his mother (whom he calls Ma) who live in a room in the home of a crazy fifty-fiveish year old man (whom Jack calls Old Nick, because he comes in the night) who kidnapped his mother seven years ago. Jack and Ma are not allowed to leave that room. Jack thinks that anything outside of "Room" (he names everything, for example, TV, or Wardrobe), isn't real. He hasn't ever left his home and thinks that Room is all there is to the world.
                                  
                                Jack's mother has to figure out ways to somehow explain to Jack why there are so many different people and things that he has not seen. Ma has to make up an explanation because she can not tell him she was kidnapped and that he is being deprived of the outside world intentionally. So, she tells him anything he sees on the television is fake. Ma tells him that anything he sees outside their window is outer-space. If Jack sees a food on television that Ma and Jack can not have (they only have canned foods), Ma has to tell Jack that the food is not real. While reading the book, I notice Ma is always telling Jack things are not real, to prevent him from asking more questions. I view Ma's ways of parenting in very different ways. I think it is sometimes good, and sometimes has a negative affect on Jack.

                                    Ma's parenting skills can also have a good affect on Jack. If Jack finds out that there is so much more to the world than Room, he will desperately want to see it. This will really upset Jack, because it is impossible for him to escape the room because of Old Nick's high tech security locks. Jack gets incredibly upset and angry when his mom can not explain everything to him and can not answer all of his questions. Jack doesn't like not knowing things! If his mother told him about the outside world he would insist on going out and seeing everything and knowing everything, which would get him in a lot of trouble with Old Nick. In conclusion, Ma's parenting skills are pretty good, for now.

                                   Jack's mother's parenting skills can also have a very bad affect on Jack. As Jack mentions in his narraration, he loves living in Room. He knows everything that is in there and loves it. However, when Jack discovers the outside world, it will not seem normal to him. It could be nearly impossible for him to adjust, because he is so used to the life he has now. He will have to understand that there are billions of people he doesn't know, different places, different animals and many different things besides whatever is in room!

Bunheads: Sophia Flack

                          I have just finished this really good book called Bunheads, by Sophie Flack. It is about ballerinas, or ballet dancers in the corps de ballet. These girls are striving to become successful ballerinas and as of now, they are placed in group dances, and don't have their name in the playbill or anything. All of the dancers feel as though they are not pretty enough, skilled enough, precise enough, or skinny enough to be on top. Although they are all very close friends, they will all forget about friendship as soon as their choreographers announce that they will be picking a new dancer for a performance.
                          This book is told from the point of view of Hannah Ward. A hard working dancer who moved to New York City all alone when she was just fourteen years old. Hannah is working very hard to have a real spot in the play. However, several distractions come up. She meets Jacob, a laid-back and very caring and loving boy. She also starts considering college. Both of these "distractions"are considered very "wild" of a ballerina to focus on. Hannah starts thinking about how she does not want her life to only be about work, and dancing and dieting. With this book, I can make several text-to-text connections.
                        
                         The first book I can make a text-to-text connection with is the "Secrets of my Hollywood life" series, by Jen Calonita. This series is about a sixteen year old hollywood a-lister whose life is only about work. "Bunheads" and "Secrets of my Hollywood life" are very similar. For example, in both books, both main characters meet boys who are not as busy as they are and do not understand the pressure's of their girlfriends careers. In both of these main character's lives, having a boyfriend is considered a huge distraction and is not approved of by their families. Another way these books are similar is because both characters are faced with the challenge of thinking about college. Both girls want to get a full education and take time of work! Like Hannah, Kaitlin Burke doesn't want her whole life to be only about her career. They both want to take time off and live like the average college student!

                      The second book I can make a text-to-text connection with is "The Daughters" series. Hudson, one of the main characters of the series, is incredibly focused on her singing career. For example, like Hannah, both girls have problems with making plans with friends. Both Hannah's and Hudson's "out of work friends" are starting to turn on them because they are always to busy and are constantly bailing on their friends' plan. This is definitely a very tough thing for the characters to deal with. Do they want to be with their friends and enjoy their weekends? Or work on their careers?

                     The third book I can make a text-to-text connection with is the book "Coco Chanel: The Legend and Life". This book is about Coco Chanel's life. In a chapter which talks about Chanel's free time, the book mentions how Coco Chanel would deny that she needed friends and close relationships with other people. This is also something Hannah Ward faces. She tries to make herself and others around her believe that she doesn't want friends or boyfriends and only wants to dance and work on her career. Both people in these books try to push away the fact that they need friends and relationships because they only want to work.

                    In conclusion, I can make several text-to-text connections with this book. Like, Hannah Ward, characters in other books get distracted from their work, consider college, choose work over fun, and try to deny the fact that they need other people to make their life happy. Hannah Ward's career is a very stressful one, and she needs to make very difficult decisions.