Reading Wishlist

Books I want to read
1. The Fault in Our Stars
2. Water for Elephants
3. The Kite Runner
4. Better off Friends
5. Message in a Bottle
6. A Bend in the Road
7. The Lovely Bones
8. The Life Next Door
9. Its Kind of a Funny Story
10.Dash & Lily's Books of Dares

Book 3

                                                             Perks of Being a Wallflower
                                                                        Stephen Chbosky

Perks of Being a Wallflower is a great book about high school and what goes really goes on in different people’s lives. There are some things you don’t know about a person even if you hang out with them every day. This book makes me want to be friends with the people in the story. Charlie is a freshman who doesn’t really have a lot of friends at first and is shy. Charlie ends up meeting a group of kids to hang out with. Patrick and Sam are siblings; Charlie hangs out with them the most.  As you get more and more into the book, it makes you want to become friends with each character because they are so fun, different, and unique.  The book shows you what it’s like to be a misfit in high school and how when you think that you are the only one who doesn’t fit in, you really aren’t.  Every character in this book was different in some ways, but they all came together. The book will make you want to be in high school and will make you want to find new friends. There is an interesting twist at the end of the book, which was really sad and emotional. There is so much to anticipate in this book. The book is a quick read and you’ll really get into it. I really liked the quote “I am very interested and fascinated by how everyone loves each other, but no one really likes each other.” It make me want to laugh because it is true, but at the same time, it is sad how people really don’t get along and are not always there to be your friend, but rather, your enemy.

I think that everyone can relate to this story in some way or another.  The style of writing is a viewpoint through Charlie’s diary when you’re reading this book. One will feel every emotion possible as you go through the diary entries. Charlie is experiencing everyday life like everyone else. He as to put himself out there and make new friends and go to new places, just like most people have to do when starting high school. “You can't just sit there and put everyone's lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love. You just can't. You have to do things.” I like this quote a lot because it is true, you want to take care of everyone in your life and be there for everyone, but the truth is you have to go and do what you love the most with your life. This next quote I like because some kids in high school stay with one guy or girl for a long time and that is fine, but some of the situations aren’t always that good. When most of the time we do deserve to be treated better.  “We all deserve the love we think we deserve.”  But, by the end of high school, I have learned that you can do whatever you want to do if you really try because anything is possible. There are a lot of ups and downs in high school and in life, but you have to stay strong like every character in this book. “And in that moment, I swear we were infinite.”  I really enjoyed this story and I think that every high school student should take the time to read this book.

I would give this book an overall rating of 4 out of 5 because I like the way the book is written. It really makes you feel a part of the story.  It takes you on a journey through high school like no other. Everyone has their own story just like Charlie, Sam, and Patrick did. This book will make you think differently because you don’t always know the story behind someone. I have not seen the movie yet, but everyone I have talked to said the movie is just as good as the book. I think people should read the book first, because as with any book, it adds more to the movie.

#9 Character Reflection

 

My character is very likeable. He is kind of shy because he has gone through a lot in his life and I don’t think he really knew how to handle anything at first.  Charlie’s best friend committed suicide and now Charlie has just begun high school. He doesn’t have a lot of friends and wants to make new friends. He  ends up becoming friends with a group of kids that are really out going and crazy and kind of a misfit in there high school. The kids take him to parties and show him the other side of life that he hasn’t experience yet. I think Charlie is likeable for high school or college students because they can relate to just starting high school and being nervous and not knowing how to handle different situations in life. He’s also likeable to other people who have had to deal with a death or suicide in their life. You don’t know how to react to anything when things traumatic like these events happen. Charlie is learning is going through all different kinds of emotions during the book. You get to read and see Charlie grow as a person. Things he has to go through like every other kid. Being awkward at first in high school, not knowing how to talk to a guy or girl that you like, want to go to parties but not get into trouble these are all events most kids are dealing with in high school or college. Charlie becomes friends with many different people throughout the book.  Sometimes you think that you might not fit in somewhere but the truth is that no one really fits in anywhere. Charlie is an amazing character I would be friends with him anytime and anywhere. More people need to take the time and read a good book like this. The book so far is teaching me so much about life and people. Charlie put himself out there when he first started high school and I sometimes wish that I would have had done the same the same thing when I first started high school.  You really don’t know who you are or what you want to do with your life until you meet new people and experience new things in your life like Charlie is experiencing. All of his friends are brave and outgoing and aren’t afraid of anything or anyone. Charlie and his friends are the most likeable characters.

#6

 Readicide is becoming a problem in school. Students aren't becoming involved in our society. Kids are being more focused on their phone with social networking. Kids are used to using slag and like the drama happening in other kid’s lives and the drama on televisions. Kids don’t understand what is happening in our world today. We don't understand how lucky we are to have us much. We go to school and learn new stuff but, kids aren't connected to the real world. When kids are done with high school they have to go out into the real world and get jobs.

I don’t think that we should have genre fiction because you aren’t learning that much from those books. We have enough time on our own to read whatever type of book we want to read for fun. I believe that schools should make us read books that we would usually not read outside of school because that’s the reason we are in school, is to learn something new. We need to learn about the different types of writing though out pass. Old English and different poets, it’s something we need to read and understand. Those types of reading make us think more. We have to think more creative and try to understand the text.

 We should want kids to read books anyways because different books make us look and think about things differently. Every time you read something new you are learning something new too.

#8

How true does a book have to be to be considered nonfiction I think that the book should for the most part be very true. I think the only acceptations to lie in your book is for if you don’t want someone to the person that you are talking about or if it’s something that will affect someone else life in a negative way which they don’t want.

Half-truths are not ok in my opinion even if it’s still a good story. I say this because it’s like your story isn’t good enough unless you lie. Why lie about a story that didn’t really happen to you. If you are a good writer you can tell the story in a different way in which people will like and it will be the truth. It does matter that Frey or others memoirist bent the truth to their story because like Frey writes about a girl dying in his book and how he was part of it when he really wasn’t is wrong. Think about how people who knew this girl and were a part of her lost feel about the book. Memoirist should be honest. There is no good reason to lie.

I believe that David Shields is right for the most part. We do need to label something fiction or nonfiction. Sometimes I think I does matter a lot because it just makes it easier for people to a read a book that they know if it’s true or not. But sometime I think that we make such a big deal over whether it’s this genre or that genre. At the end of a book we should judge because someone put a lot of work into the book for the most part or I at least hope they did. I think that we should judge someone’s book because it’s wrong judge and we don’t like to be judge. Even though everyone judges everyone else.

#7 Extremely loud & incredibly close

Adapting your book

I believe that some specific challenges a filmmaker would have when adapting my book to the big screen would be that they would have to make the film about 9/11 and I sometimes think when you make a story about a modifying event in our history is hard for some people who knew or who someone in the event or was a part of the event. I think this book was very good but at the same time it was a little bit confusing until I got to the end of the book.

Three specific scenes that I would keep in the book would be how Oskar got was listening to the messages left on the phone when he came home from school. I believe that they should keep the part about when Oskar was skipping school to find out what the key he found in his dads closest opened too. I would also keep the part in the book when he finds out that his mom knew all along where he was going when he went out to find the person with the name Black on the keys envelope.

Two specific parts in the book that I would cut out in the adapting of the book would be in the begging how the funeral took place or I would change the way they did the funeral in the book because I didn’t really like that part. The second part in the book that I would cut out would be some of the houses that he went to in the book I just didn’t like. I think they should have made them more interesting.

I have seen part of the film a while ago and I thought it was alright. Also have heard from my friend, hat the book was much better than the movie. My friend told me that I shouldn’t go see the rest of the movie either.

Book 1 Project The Art of Racing in the Rain

The Art of Racing in the Rain is about a dog named Enzo. The story describes Enzo’s experience watching everything that happens in the life of his owner, Denny. Enzo is the main character in the book, and the narrator of the story.  Enzo sees how difficult Denny’s life becomes when his wife gets sick with cancer and he is fighting over the custody of his children with his wife’s family. Enzo and Denny always had a passion for race car racing.

 I have a proposal to make an indoor go kart racing track with a race car theme. The go- kart track would be called EN-ZONE. This name was selected because Enzo, the dog in the book, captures so many readers’ hearts just as the racing track will appeal to many people. Inside the go kart facility, there will be places where people can race go karts which are designed as race cars. There will be go karts dedicated to Enzo and also, karts devoted to Denny. Just think people can live through the experience of being a race car driver, while feeling the main character’s passion for racing, as seen in the book. Visitors will encounter the actual race as in hearing, “the racetrack is dry for the pace lap, and then after the green flag is waved, indicating the start of race…” (pg. 6). People will have so much fun racing and competing against each other.  There will be lots of excitement at our go kart park because people love rivalry and the opportunity to win! In the EN-ZONE, there will be race car flags and announcers. The go karts will line up like a NASCAR race and there will be the lights and a count down.  Also, there will be stands for the racer’s parents, friends, and fans that may just stop by to watch the go kart races.  People will become so excited and involved in going to EN-ZONE because racing is “about believing that one’s car is merely an extension of one’s body” (pg. 314). The point of EN-ZONE is to give the customer the full experience of being a race car driver and in believing that you can be everything.

When people are finished racing the go karts or get hungry, they can get refreshments from the restaurant, Racing in the Rain. The restaurant will have a variety of food including hamburgers, fries, pizza and much more which can be eaten in race car themed booths. The food will be delicious, family friendly, and affordable so everyone can have a good time. The servers will wear t-shirts with a dog in a race car driving in the rain to represent Enzo.

Once people enjoy their meal, they can stop by the EN-ZONE gift shop where customers can purchase merchandise that is customized with details in the book. For example, people can purchase t-shirts and key chains with pictures of Enzo or Denny’s race car jersey. The store will also have t-shirts with quotes from the book like “It is about believing that you are not you: you are everything. And everything is you” (pg. 314). The gift shop will sell the book, The Art of Racing in the Rain and there will be stuffed animals of Enzo and many other fun products that people will be attracted to purchase. People will want to buy unique t-shirts and memorabilia that relate to the book, The Art of Racing in the Rain.

Overall, I personally think people will enjoy the EN-ZONE because it is a new, family fun adventure where people can relax and be entertained. I think EN-ZONE will be a great investment and create an atmosphere of fun for many people. I feel like this would be a good idea because is something new and different. A lot of people who have not read the book can still enjoy the story line of The Art of Racing in the Rain, and once someone visits EN-ZONE, they may get interested in reading the book. Who knew that go kart racing may encourage reading. This could be a win-win situation for all involved. This idea will bring a new experience to all of the current fans, as well as create new future enthusiasts. 

    

What is a book?

A book is where you can go imagine a different world and there are no rules. A book makes you open to so many different thoughts and opportunities in the world. A book can take you away from reality for a short time and make things seem better. A book is whatever we want to make it. We get to choose what each character the book look and acts like in our head. Everything in our head makes us want to keep reading more and more each time. Anything is possible when reading and things get better and better each time you read or pick up a different book.  A book is there for you to take you away from your worries. It’s like a gift that someone gave you ,that you can create in your head to be whatever you want it to be.

                Some of the others writer’s opinions they say “You make a world” and I agree with them I believe every time you read a new book it’s a new world you make for yourself which I think is really important. I didn’t really agree with the writer LaValle of how a book is how someone “spent weeks or months or years or a lifetime bleeding on the page!” I sometime think that the author’s tent to right some similar books over and over and sometimes I think authors don’t always put a lot of time in to a book or you can at least see where the author was just writing to fill up pages. I do not think that a Kindle, Ipad, or phone is the same as a book. It upsets me that everything these days are based off of technology. I think that technology is a bad thing I think kids should read from books. Books have been around for a long time and I think they should stay. I think reading off a Kindle takes away from a book; you don’t keep the same feeling and touch when using a book. A book is just so much more important you can take notes better. The battery doesn’t die on you. Reading off a computer all day is bad for your eyes as well. Also you don’t have to worry about a book braking on you and Ipad and break any day if you drop it and then you won’t be able to read and they are expensive.

There is something “magical” about book just being able to fold and read it. I don’t really like the Ipad and kindle maybe because I don’t have technology like it, but I think that people get too caught up in the technology and just forget about everything else which I don’t like. People make it seem like they can’t live without an ipad. I know little kids who have Ipad’s an ipods which is fine but I think they aren’t going to grow up with having books in school.  Everything we do in the future is going to be online on some technology and I don’t think that it’s the best thing to do. I think we need to make people more interested in reading books because soon we are going to lose books and people aren’t going to want to read a book on their ipad over playing a game on their ipad. There are good and bad things to everything in life and we just have to make the best of things. So far I have really enjoyed reading this book. I love dogs and I think this book is great. I have learned so much about dogs and my dog. This book keeps me wondering about my dog and what's going to happen next in the book. 

Why do I read ?

Why do I read? I read because I love to read. When things are bad around you or you don’t feel like yourself you can always open book, and it’s like a little get away. Reading gives you an opportunity to learn more about yourself, and the decisions you make in your life. Reading makes you think outside of the box. Reading takes away all of your worries and all of my focus becomes on the book.  Reading makes you think and learn more than you imagine. Every time you pick up a new book to read it’s like going on a new adventure. I learn more about life when I am reading and I like reading because every book is different. Every character is different and interesting to learn about. Reading makes you look at life in different ways, but you can also enjoy other things to read like magazines and the newspaper. Without reading I don’t know what life would be like and I think sometimes we take advance of everything we have and can do. I believe that we are really luck to be able to read and learn every day because some people don’t have the opportunity to read and learn like we do.