Week 16/Break: Harry Potter

Over break I have read four books. The first for in the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling. Those books are Harry Potter & the Sorcerers Stone, Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban, and finally Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire. This is my first time reading this series and I don't know why I waited this long. I have really enjoyed this series and have read them a book a day so far. They are really entertaining and fun but fast reads. They are extremely easy. Overall they are really good. Its about a boy named Harry Potter who has magical powers he doesn't know about for eleven years until he goes to a school for wizards named Hogwarts. At Hogwarts he meets his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. He also meets enemies named Draco Malfoy and his best friends Crabbes and Goyle. Harry, Ron and Hermione go on great adventures to defeat different evils that lurk around every corner. These books are between 200-800ish pages. I suggest them for anyone.

I plan to try to finish the series before break ends.

Slice of Life: Eating Oranges

I grab it out of our fruit bowl. It is round and has an orange oily skin. I dig my short fingernail into the skin. I then pry back releasing a little piece of the orange segmented flesh. Methodically I start to peel it back for and more of it is revealed. Little bits of citrus mist sprays up catching my eyes. I finally pull off the last bit of the orange skin. I pull it in half and pull out all of the white stringy stuff in the middle. I then bite into it

Slice of Life #1: My 1st Fish Caught

           The shiny spinner dangles from the end of the fishing line. The spinner is orange on one side and silver on the other. It has three hooks curling back from the actually spinner.  "Kodiak Custom" is engraved on to the silver side. My tiny green and purple Scooby-Doo fishing pole rests in my tiny pudgy hands. I look behind me and our old tattered barn that is covered in green and white peeling paint stands upright for now.

          I  turn back to the little lake in front of me. I try to cast it the first time but when I bring it back and I feel it jolt when I try to yank it forward. I turn around to see it snagged in the bushes behind me. I pull it out of the bushes and try again this time more aware of the bushes behind me.

         It flies through the air and lands in the water with a plop. I start to reel it in already discouraged. It comes in empty. I cast it out again hoping for better luck. I start to pull it in again when I feel a little tug. I start to reel it in really hard. I now am for certain I caught one. I then start yelling "DAD! DAD! I caught a fish!". My dad comes over and helps my reel it in and get it out of the water. It was about a foot long Pike. It squirmed around. I was so excited and proud when the picture was taken. At four years old I had caught my very first fish.

Week 15: The Da Vinci Code

This week I read The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I thought this was an extremeley good and well written book. It is kinda of a mystery/murder story. In it there is a murder and two young individuals are put in charge of solving a huge mystery. They are sent on a quest that they only start to realize how big it is. There adventure is dangerous, mistakes are made and multiple killings are involved. This book is about 490 pages long. It is really good and very clever. I suggest this book for most people in our class.

Some of the books I plan to read over break are:
Golden Boy
Elanor and Park
Maze Runner
13 Reasons Why
and maybe The Client

Limercks

1. The hill is steep.
The well at the bottom is deep.
If you run down
You will end up with your face in the ground.
Then go home and eat a peep.

2. The ground is covered in snow.
That blows.
At least theres hot cocoa
and the TV is going loco.
I feel very low.

3. There once was a kid from logan.
He had a well known slogan.
It was, don't slam your head
against the bed.
It was golden.

Structural Engineering: Colossus of Rhodes

The pieces cover the city's streets.
Loose Rubble, Bronze Plating and Steel reinforcing bars.
Random scraps here and there.
Workers haul pieces to the site.
The beginning of a massive statue stands in front of them.
The bright sun reflecting of the bronze searing the eyes of on lookers.
Helios.
He stands tall and bold in the sky.
The roman god of the Sun.
Holding a light above his hand.
Standing tall and straight.
Workers blood, sweat and tears are put in to complete him.
The entrance and guardian to the bay and harbor.
He watches all.

Week 14: The 5th Wave

This week I read The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey. This book was about an alien invasion that comes in waves. The problem is though that the aliens are not showing up only death. EMP's, Disease, tidal waves, drones… They wave gone through four waves and the remaining survivors are expecting a fifth but do not what or when it is coming.  This book follows the survival and struggles of Cassie and sometimes go to her baby brother and a boy named Ben Parish. This was an extremely well written and 480 pages. I suggest it for anyone in this class. If I had to say the three books it's closest to I would say, the Hunger Games, Divergent and War of the Worlds. The Hunger Games because it's about a sixteen year old girls surviving against the odds. Divergent because its about everyone turning on each other and some weird mind control stuff. War of the Worlds because it's kind like unknown aliens invade earth and all that. Overall a good read.

Next week I will read The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.

Kobe

Kobe Bryant (Basketball Player for the Lakers)

May every ball you touch deflate.

May every hoop you shoot at move away.

May every shot you take be stuffed.

May every whine you make come back and haunt you.

May ever ref you piss off give you technicals.

May the fans forever boo you into submission.

May you always suck.

The Pact

I thought The Pact was a really amazing and inspiring story about three young men who made it through the struggles of gangs, Cocaine, addictions, influences, and the ghetto. They all had people who showed interest in helping them make a better life for themselves. They were extremely self motivated though even though they made some mistakes alone the way. It is a quick read but an extremely good story. It is my favorite non-fiction book I have ever read. Overall a very inspiring and amazing story.

Next week I will read The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey.

Free-verse Poetry: Water Polo

The whistle blows sharp and clear.
The ball drops in the water just feet in front of the sprinters who are surrounded with white water.
Arms fly and players swipe at the ball and each other.
The ball is launched back and lands in the hands of the ball handler.
Directing traffic they draw a foul by quickly turning then going under.
Everything happens in a blur.

I size up my opponent and memorize his number.
I swim straight by him and he loses me in traffic.
The ball is thrown in front of me and I snatch at it.
I come up for the shot but my opponent has now caught up with me and is trying to grab my suit.
I thrash out a leg and hear him wince.
He then comes down on top of plunging me under the surface.
I fight for air.

I come up fifteen seconds later to find I have been awarded a penalty shot.
Five meters from the goal I stare down the goalies dull green bloodshot eyes.
The fans quiet.
Coaches hold there breaths.
Players ready to launch forward at my first move.
I feel the grip of the ball on my fingertips.
It is balanced in my hand.
I breath in and out counting to three between each breath.
I feel in control.

One sharp tweet,
One sweeping movement,
One breath held,
One goal made.

The fans cheer,
The coaches cheer,
The players yell out,
I smile.

-JP

The Pact

In book groups I am in The Pact. Even though this is non fiction it is extremely good and supper intriguing and I would suggest it to any one who wants to hear and inspiring story. It isn't that long of a book either so it would be a good just regular book. 

This book is about three boys who grow up in the ghetto or Newark, NJ. Through out their childhood they grow accustomed to hearing gunshots and sirens at night and during the day watching people get beaten up. As they grow older two of them start getting and trouble and eventually are arrested for a few weeks. Thats when it hits them that they hated the life they are in and want to escape it. Thats when an opportunity for college comes along and they make a pact to become doctors. 

Extremely good book I think that everyone should read it. On a side note I have also been reading a series called Daniel X which is really good. If you have read Alex Rider (and if you haven't you should it's about a boy who works for Mi6 in Britain) it is sort of like that but with aliens and super powers and stuff. I suggest it for anyone who likes Alex Rider, Percy Jackson and anything else like that.   

Week 11: The Dangerous Days of Daniel X

This week I read The Dangerous Days of Daniel  X by James Patterson. This is the first book in this four book series. This book is about a teenage boy named Daniel who is an Alien Hunter with superpowers. He has no family, they were killed when he was young, but he can create people out of memory who can actually do things and are like real people. He can also turn himself into anything he wants. He has a task to hunt down the most dangerous aliens on earth and kill them. The lower down on the list the more and more dangerous these aliens get because they can counter his powers so he has to find other ways to beat/outsmart them. This was a really good book. This book is 272 pages and a very easy read but it is a lot of fun. I suggest for people who are just looking for a quick read one week.

Next week we start book groups so I'm reading The Pact.

Week #10: Allegiant

This week I read Allegiant by Veronica Roth. This was a really good book. It is really hard to describe the book because so much happens in it and if some one reads this review who is still on the first or second book I could give something big away on accident. I will just say this is a great book it was written really well. The only part I don't love is the ending. It is really well written and all but it's not want you want to happen. This book is 500+ pages. It goes by really quickly though. Overall this was a very good and very well written book.

Next week I will read Dangerous Days: Daniel X.

Week 9: See You at Harry's

This week I read See you at Harry's by Jo Knowles. Let me start by saying this book was extremely sad. I have never cried at a book before this one. It was extremely good but really sad. It's about a girl named Fern who feels lonely and feels like nobody notices her. She is just going into middle school which is attached to the high school where her brother goes. Her brother has some secrets which cause him trouble. Then she tries to get involved and finds out more about her brother than she expected. Then her life really starts to turn up side down. She goes through some rough times and has only her friends Ran and Cassie to support her. Then a life changing accident happens which she blames on herself. This book is sort of a drama, I don't really know what else to call it. It is 320 pages long. I really loved this book. I loved the way it was written and I just couldn't put it down. Overall a great book.

Next week I am going to read Speaker of the Dead by Orson Scott.

Week #8: House of Hades

This week I read House of Hades by Rick Riordan. This is the fourth book in the follow up series to Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The series is called Heroes of Olympus. Because it is a series I am not going to talk about the plot because if someone reads this who is planning on or is earlier in the series it might give some things away. Still let me just say great book and great series. It is 608 pages but it goes by really quickly. This series combines greek and roman mythology. I love these books because of the descriptions and once you start reading it you can't put it down. I would suggest not to start the series till they are all out (the last one comes out next fall) because it is a pain to have to wait a year at a time just to fly through a book in two days. This is an adventure/action/mythological genre. Overall I love these books and if he comes up with another series I will read it all through because I love his writing.

Next week I am going to read See You at Harry's.

Week #7: Ender's Game

This week I read Ender's Game by Orson Card. This is a really good bool in my opinion. It about a boy who is put  in control of a International Fleet to destroy aliens named the buggers. He is put through tons of training and is put into a simulator that helps train him to be the best pilot he could. It is a super easy read. It is only 352 pages. I really enjoyed the action in this book and the author kept on tricking me with the age of Ender. When he was 12 it seemed like he was actually 18 which was fun. I would put this in the fantastical/futuristic action genre. Lot of things that are not possible right now but maybe in a hundred years happened in this book. So right now it is all a fantasy to us but it becomes a possibility in the future. Overall this is a great book. Does anybody know if there is a sequel also because it is set up to have one and it says book number one but I can't find it?

Next week I am going to read House of Hades by Rick Riordan.

Week #6: Night Circus

This week I read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. This book is fantasy/mystery/action I guess. For a while the reader doesn't really have any idea what is going on. It is a really good book and it really makes you want to keep reading even though not everything is clear. This is a really simple and easy read it is just a little longer. It is 516 pages long. It starts with two young children who have mentors and are trained to be magicians. The magicians fates are then to battle to the death in an indirect way. For a while the competitors did not even know who each others names or who exactly they were playing in this "game" with. The arena is a circus that is only open at night, but this isn''t just any old regular circus. It has contortionists, magicians and based all on the theme of black and white.

My book next week is: Ender's Game  

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock: Week #4

This week I read Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick. To start off with I am going to say this was a really sad book. It showed how depressed this kid was. It is about a boy named Leonard Peacock and he is gay so he is always made fun of or been awkward around people. Finally he has had enough and decides he should kill himself. Before he kills himself though he has five missions. He has to deliver presents to four different people then kill his former best friend then himself. This book goes through flashbacks of his life and then it goes back to the present and him giving his four gifts. One to a neighbor, then another to one of his teachers, then another to a musician and finally to a girl. Once he finishes that he is going to take a gun and kill his former best friend and then himself. This is a really mature and sad but really good book. It explains the struggles and hardship this boy has been through. It deals with a lot of very tough and controversial topics. It is almost a drama/adventure book. If you feel like you are ready to take on a really tough hard book then you will love this book. It is a super easy/quick read. It is only 288 pages. I loved this book, it would definitely go on my top five favorite books ever. Overall great book really suggest it.

My book next week is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. 

To His Last Man: Book Week 3

To His Last Man by Jeff Sharra is the book I read this week. This is a historically based war novel, it is 642 pages and is a reasonably easy read even though at points is gets a little boring. This book is about WWI. It starts with switching off chapters between talking about a american ace and a german ace. Then the focus of the book shifts after a bit and goes to the rest of the American military coming into the war. It's main focus is then on General Pershing (the head general of the american amy), but it also shifts to men in the military and there different perspectives. This book was not my favorite of Jeff Sharra's. It got very dry at some points and boring. There are some great battles and descriptions still but it was a little too boring for me. I prefer a lot of action in books, so if anyone has and books they think I might like definitely leave it in the comments and I will check it out. I would suggest this book for anyone who just wants a lot of history but go into reading it knowing there is not as might action as one might expect from a war novel. The book I am reading next week is Forgive Me Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick.

Week 1 Book Insurgent

This week I read Insurgent by Veronica Roth. Insurgent is the sequel to the book Divergent. For a sequel I thought this was a really great book. It really intrigues you and gets you really sucked into it. It is extremely well written. It paints a picture in your mind as you read and it seems as if you are standing right there while the whole thing happens. I will warn you that at the end there is a huge cliff hanger so you might want to wait to read this series until the third book comes out then it is easy to blow through them all without having to wait. This book is in the action/adventure genre I would say. If you are a fan of the Hunger Games, as I am, then you will like this book most likely a lot more. This book is about a sixteen year old girl who finds herself in the middle of a mind control war. The only thing is she is one of the few who can't be mind controlled and therefore they are fighting the war over them. Some people want to kill them all, while others want to save them. The book is full of adventures, fighting, some spies, and a lot of guns. This is a easy read especially because it is a book you can't set down. Overall this is a great book that I strongly suggest.
My TBR List is:

• To His Last Man
• The Steel Wave
• No Less Than Victory
• The Final Storm
• Gone For Soldiers
• Fahrenheit 451
• See You At Harry's
• Elanor and Park
• The Client
• Night Circus
• Leonard Peacock

And next week I plan to read To His Last Man.

JP's Introduction

Hi my name is JP. As a reader I am a fan of any adventure, action or historically based novels. I also love topics ranging from mythology to war to survival. I much prefer fiction over non-ficition but there are some non-fiction books I am a big fan of. My top three favorite boos or series are probably Watership Down by Richard Adams, Black Ships Before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliff and a series of war novels by Jeff Sharra. Watership Down is my all time favorite book. It is a great action and adventure story about bunnies and getting through rough times. It is almost 500 pages but the read goes by really quickly. Black Ships Before Troy is a great book for anyone who loves mythology, war or just a good story. It is an action filled book with heroes, mischief and deception. Jeff Sharra is a great author who has written multiple war novel series. These books are chalk full of of strategies and history but it is written in a fun and intriguing way. One of my favorite series he has written is about WWII. It is a four book series. The first book is about Rommel, Montgomery and the North African campaign. The second one is about Bradley, Montgomery, D-day and Normandy. The third book is about The fall of Hitlers Eagle nest and working their way there. Then finally the last book is about the war in the Pacific and Pearl Harbor. Any one who is a fan of war novel I strongly suggest them. They are super well written and told from all perspectives of soldiers and officers on both sides. As you can see I am a huge fan of adventure action and history.