Shooter (review)

This book takes us inside the mind of the Marine Corps top ranked sniper, Jack Coughlin. It gives us a perspective of a war different from any other. It is the perspective of a killer and a hero. The book is narrated by Jack Coughlin; he talks about his experiences from the war in Mogadishu to the war in Iraq. He talks about his kills, and his extreme concentration just before a kill. He takes into his mind as he is killing the enemy one by one. He talks about logging his kills in a book, and lonely feelings in the cold dark rain with no sight whatsoever. I can’t even imagine how mentally strong you would have to be, to be a sniper. You would have to sit around all day waiting for action, and after it comes you have to be able to deal with the extreme images of war playing over in your head.

A part I really liked in the book was when he talked about when he was scoping an area for the enemy and saw an enemy sniper looking straight at him through his scope. Other than that this book wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be. The book is told by Jack Coughlin so there aren’t any special adjectives to spice up the action of the war. It gets kind of boring when he talks about all the little components of war. I was hoping there would be more action, and more descriptive words than there were. I didn’t really like this book because I don’t like reading, and it takes a lot of action to hold my attention. If you like history and war then you might like this book though I don’t recommend. If you like a lot of action like me then you probably won’t like this book.

Wicked (Book Review)

Wicked by Gregory Maguire was written in 1996 to contradict the oh-so-popular story, “The Wizard of Oz.” Pretty much everyone knows the story. But Maguire thinks of the potential behind the common ‘good versus evil’ storylines. How would the story look from the Wicked Witch of the West’s point of view? That right there was enough to grab my attention. I bought this book on one of my trips this year at the airport because I needed something to read on the plane ride back home and I knew that I would be going to see the Broadway musical when it came to Kansas City this spring.
It starts off with the birth of Elphaba, a.k.a. the Wicked Witch of the West, to a minister and his wife living in a little shack and after she has her emerald colored baby she becomes unfaithful. Then it skips to when Elphaba is older and going to school at Shiz and is roommates with Galinda, the Good Witch. The book follows her through her schooling and dealing with different problems in Oz and the Emerald City. The reader gets to witness how she breaks out of her shell, makes friends, finds love and rebels against that which she believes is wrong, like so many heroes in stories, but Elphaba doesn’t get recognized for what she does. It was really fun to see what might have been going on behind the storyline in this tale that we all know and love.
I really liked this book because it was funny and showed that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover because there could be something great underneath the wrapping. I was confused a lot by some of the stuff that he would talk about, like the difference between ‘animals’ and ‘Animals’ and some of the other issues that went on throughout the book. But the emotions Maguire conveyed, like shame, betrayal, jealousy, accomplishment, happiness, friendship and love, were completely recognizable because we all have felt them before. It was also pretty confusing with some of the words that he made up, but I guess that’s the whole point since it is a make believe place. But besides the confusion and the length of the book I would definitely recommend it to everyone.

21: Bringing Down the House (Book Review)

21: Bringing Down the House was wrote by Ben Mezrich. I chose this book because I saw the movie 21. The movie was wrote from the book. I really liked the movie because it showed the ups and down of gambling and a hint of how to card count. Also I picked this book because I like blackjack and someday when I turn twenty one I would like to go to Vegas and win a bunch.. I think it is interesting how people are smart enough to count card and they make enough to where they don't have to have a job. Also I wanted to read about card counting. Many times the book says its not illegal because you don't alter or change the game at all.

The book starts out when Kevin Lewis is chosen by two of his M.I.T. dropout friends (Martinez and Fisher) to take part in a card counting team. He is introduced to Micky Rosa, the soul of the team. Micky, Fisher and Martinez teach him to card count, the language, and the signs. Once they think he is ready they start him off as a spotter. A spotter is a guy who finds a hot deck and tells the BP (Big Player) when to come in. Kevin moves his way up to Big player very quickly. Now him and his teammates are living the great life in V.I.P. suites for free in Vegas each weekend. Soon enough they decide to expand and invite three more players. Things continue to go well until the team decides they don't need Micky Rosa's investment anymore because he was taking to much profit. They tell him they don't want him anymore and deep down he is mad but he doesn't show it. The team begins to play without him and they are doing better then ever until they start getting kicked out of every casino they walk into with in fifteen minutes. Someone from M.I.T. has ratted out the team and now they are in everybody's system as card counters. They try new casinos and still get busted. It never really tells who ratted on them but I have an idea but I will not spoil it for you!

I thought this book was amazing. In times it had so much suspense I couldn't even set it down. I'm really interested in card counting, it sounds like quite an adventure. Plus I like to gamble when I can, and am looking forward to the casinos when I hit of age. I like the way he described Vegas, it sounds like a very fun place to be. I can't imagine what it would be like to be a high roller and get V.I.P. suites and basically anything I want. On the downside I think it would be very scary to be kicked out of a casino. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes blackjack, Vegas, card counting, or just playing cards. This really is a great book.

Eragon (#4)

"'What are you doing here?' blurted Eragon.  Angela folded her hands in her lap.  'Well, why don't you sit on the floor and I'll tell you?  I'd offer you a chair, but I'm sitting on the only one.' Questions buzzed through Eragon's mind as he settled between two flasks of acrid bubbling green potions." (435)

I'm with Eragon one this one.   What is she doing in the Varden.  I just assumed that she was simply just the figure the author was using for foreshadowing, not an important character.  At least am assuming she is more important now because of her reappearance.  After Angela and Solembum were first introduce in Teriem, I figured they would never be heard of again.  Apparently I was mistaken because he they are now in the midst of every important thing happening right now.  This very odd and strangely interesting character now has a great influence on what is about to happen just by being there I can tell.  I am also suspecting that since she is a bit mysterious and always working with potions, she may have more power than just mixing things.  This story just keeps getting more interesting.

Impulse (review)

This is a different book than what I have been doing post for and that is because I didn’t finish reading my book in time and therefore I wouldn’t be able to provide an adequate summary. The book that I am posting a summary on I finished reading right before we started doing the independent reading so it’s still pretty fresh in my mind.
Author: Ellen Hopkins
Title: Impulse
Genre: Fiction – coming of age – for teens
Before I read the book Impulse I knew nothing about it, although I have read every other book by the author so I was very excited to see that she had another book out. I really like Ellen’s book so I was definitely looking forward to reading it. And in the end it fell short of nothing.
The summary:
One thing you should know about this book before I carry on: Instead of chapters the author uses people, every “chapter” is a different point of view from a different character. And the story shows how each character gets to know each other.
The story is about three teens coming together: Tony, Vanessa, and Conner. They are three totally different people living in three totally different worlds but they have one thing in common, and that is Aspen Springs psychiatric hospital for people who have attempted suicide.
Vanessa is a cutter. She lives with her grandma and her brother because her mom has issues and her dad is in the war. She ended up in aspen springs because she cut herself in the bathroom but this time she cut to deep and her brother found her in a blood stained bath tub.
Tony is a pill popper. He lives with his mom who prostitutes herself for money, and his dad ran away a long time ago. He’s suffered problems with all of his moms boyfriends and thinks that’s the reason why he suffers from sexual confusion. He’s basically had a really tough childhood and when his lost father says enough is enough he pays for his stay in Aspen Springs.
Conner grabbed the gun. Connor comes from a rich family and is always being compared to his older sister. Nothing he does is good enough for his parents and they get especially mad when they find out his has an obsession with older woman. The day his mom comes home and finds his Calvin cline shirt and his body covered in blood from a shot to the heart is when he finds himself on a trip to Aspen springs.
The story itself consist of them all meeting up in aspen springs and once they all hit a certain level At the hospital they can go on a camping trip and that’s when all the trouble starts and an up expected turn takes its worse for conner.
All in all I really liked this book; it was a very nice read. All of her books appear really thick because of her spacing, and she uses a lot of fragment sentences which I like. I would recommend this book for teens who are going through the same problems, if your having a hard time with life this is a good book to relate to.

Uglies (review)

Scott Westerfeld was born in Texas in 1963, and now splits his time between New York and Sydney, Australia. He has written many science fiction novels including his Midnighters trilogy, the Uglies trilogy, and another set of standalone novels set in contemporary New York. In this first installment of the Uglies trilogy, Westerfeld sets a standard for a series that’s sure to be exciting, intriguing, and addicting.
Tally Youngblood was born in a world where everyone past 16 is supermodel gorgeous. At your 16th birthday, you get an operation that gives you flawless skin, hair, teeth, and a perfect body. As can be expected, Tally is very excited to reach her 16th. All her friends are disappearing as they turn 16 before her and move to New Pretty Town. With just a couple months left until her birthday, she makes a new friend named Shay who doesn’t really want to get the operation. A couple nights before Tally’s birthday, Shay tells Tally that she is going to run away to the Smoke, a place where “uglies” go when they don’t want to get the operation, and invites Tally to come too. Tally refuses and has to watch one of her friends leave her forever. Now Tally’s ready to get the operation. But when she goes in, someone from the mysterious Special Circumstances tells her that she can’t get the operation until she goes to the Smoke and gives up the small community of rebels to the government of Tally’s city. Using coded instructions from Shay, Tally sets off into the wild by herself; ready and willing to betray her friend and a whole little city of uglies. However, when she gets there, she finds that these people aren’t just a bunch of wild uglies. They are people too who have families and know the secret about the operation. When Tally learns the secret, she decides where her real loyalties lie, but when she makes a gesture of allegiance to the Smoke, everything comes falling down around her. Now she has to decide what to do to save this place that she considers home and the people inside it. The shocking climax will have you on the tip of your seat, eager for the 2nd book in the series: Pretties.
This book has many aspects that every book should have: internal conflict, exciting chase scenes that keep the pages turning, a love story, and above all, a plot that really makes you think about right, wrong, loyalty, and priorities. I recommend this book to everyone over about 12, or for anybody who likes thought-provoking stories.

The Road (Book Review)

The Road is written by Cormac McCarthy, and is fiction that has an air of science fiction to it. The book is about a man and his son, who are living years later in a post-apocalyptic world and the setting is in the United States. Everything is destroyed, burned, and ravaged through. The main characters are a man and his son who are nameless and that’s how they are referred to throughout the book. They are left with nothing except for a cart of some food, supplies, and the clothes on their back. The man and the boy are trying to make their way towards the South, because the winter in the North is just too cold too handle without heat. There is barely any food left and even less people. Many have died of starvation, but most have died because of the tragic event that occurred. On their way South on the road (which is the highway), they encounter challenges, such as starvation, illness, and even cannibals. Every single day they are cautious about their surroundings and watchful for lawless groups that roam the road and attack, and sometimes eat, people, in able to steal whatever that person has left on them. The man and the boy were lucky enough to find some sort of foodstuff, which kept them alive. Their journey leads the man to question his beliefs and understandings, but most of all, it brings the man and his son closer together. Their love is the only thing helping them fight through their struggles. The end of this book is saddening and also a bit surprising.

This was a really great book. It is a frightening depiction of what life would be like if ever such an event like the one portrayed in the book happened. The author, McCarthy, has a unique style of writing that does take getting used to. One of his gifts is his way of describing and giving the reader every single little detail of the landscape around the main characters. His use of words creates vivid and alarming images that makes the reader feel as though they are standing right there and seeing those same surroundings. This book was a real page-turner and I enjoyed reading it.

I would recommend this book to mature people. The journey the man and his son are on is both stirring and chilling. Parts of it are gory and yet real. I chose this book because I heard that it was really good, filled with adventure, twisted action, and had beautiful and haunting words. When I finished this book, it had fulfilled all of its’ hype. McCarthy’s writing makes the reader pay close attention to the details and the meanings of the text, and leaves them wanting more.

Eragon (#3)

"Eragon reached for his power, but the robed man said in a sharp, dangerous voice, 'Stop! If you use magic, I'll kill your lovely friend here, who was so kind as to mention you're a Rider.  Don't think I know if you're drawing upon it.  You can't hide anything from me.' Eragon tried to speak, but the man snarled and press the dagger harder against Murtagh's throat.  'None of theat! If you say or do anything I don't tell you to he will die.  Now, everyone inside.' He backed into the tunnel, pulling Murtagh with him and keeping his eyes on Eragon." (377).

I know this do works for the good guys, but I can't stop thinking that something is wrong with him.  He just doesn't seem that trustworthy.  Especially after his physical description, action, and the fact that he is a twin with a brother that is exactly like him.  Later you find out he has some authority and power in the Varden and that worries me.  I can just tell right now that either they will both turn on the Varden later or cause serious problems for Eragon, if not both.  This is another example of the authors use of foreshadowing, I believe.  That still remains to be determined but I'm pretty sure my assumptions are correct. guess i will just have to wait and find out. 

Eragon Review

The strange thing about this book is I never really had the intention to read it. I picked it out just by chance. I ran through five other books on the list, but the library was out of all those books. Eragon caught my eye and I remembered my friends telling me it was a good book and that a movie was made about it. So I grabbed it and began reading.
The journey begins with fifteen-year-old Eragon hunting in the Spine, a dangerous forest that the town of Carvahall is afraid of. Right as he is about to capture a dear with an arrow to the chest, a flash of light explodes from where the dear stood. In that spot a mysterious blue stone appears. The stone later turns out to be a dragon egg and the female sapphire dragon is born. Eragon later names her Saphira and raises her in secret. Eragon is forced to flee his home in Carvahall after guardian Garrow his slain by the Ra’zac, a vicious and mysterious race. Eragon and the town story teller Brom set out to avenge Garrow’s death and begin their hunt for the Ra’zac. Along their journey, Eragon finds out Brom was also a dragon rider as he is now. Brom slowly begins training Eragon in the ways of swordsmanship and magic. In the town of Terim, Eragon meets an herbalist by the name of Angela, who foretells his dangerous and eventful future. When Eragon and Brom finally reach the secret location of the Ra’zac, they are captured during the night. A fellow exile by the name of Murtagh rescues Eragon and Saphira, but Brom is slain in the commotion. Heart stricken, Eragon sets out to find the secret group known as the Varden, who oppose the tyrannical rule of King Galbatorix. Along the way, Eragon is captured once again by a Shade. With the help of Murtagh and Saphira, they are able to escape the Shade’s grasp and save a severely wounded elf. With the dangerous empire following the four, they set out for the Varden in attempt to gain safety. This trip leads to battles and journey’s that none of them see coming. But I will just let you find those out for yourself.
In my opinion, Eragon was and excellent book. It was full of danger, adventure, and humor throughout the whole book. It was very well written with very elaborate and detailed descriptions. I enjoyed the story so much it forced me to read the second book in the series and shake in anticipation for the third and final book. This book appeals to a wide range of people beyond the typical medieval mythology reader. This is a great read for almost anyone.

Wise Guy ( Review )

Henry Hill was twelve when he first got introduced to the mafia, which happened by complete accident. He had no clue what his life would eventually lay out to be, but being a Wise Guy was all that mattered. Wise Guy is the events of Henry’s life told through Nicholas Pileggi’s interview with him, which took place in a remote location.

Henry and his family live in Brownsville-East New York; Henry’s parents were middle class people just trying to make due with the hard times of 1956. His father had always been raised on the morals of hard work, so at eleven he forced Henry to look for work. Luckily just across the street from where they lived was a cabstand ran by the Varios’. From the moment the Varios found out the Henry has half Sicilian they embraced him as their own son.

As of that moment Hill’s life would be flooded with arson, extortion, and murder. Seeming like the most sever of crimes to modern society, but to the mafia was nothing short of another day of work. This novel has kept me turning the pages till the final words. If you like graphic novels that put you in the scenes, then Wise Guy is defiantly something to read. Pileggi does a fantastic job bringing one man’s life into perspective for anyone who is willing to pick it up.

The mafia has always been a mystery to anyone not involved, but when Hill was pushed into the Witness Protection Program much of this hidden world was revealed. I encourage everyone to read this, to better understand a part of American history that is held by few, but affected millions.

Wait for Me Book Review

I was walking out of the library when I noticed Wait for Me. I had no intensions on reading another book until I saw the cover of this one. The booktitle along caught my eye. Before I read the book I had predicted that someone fell deathly ill and would die. While the person is dying they have a close bond with someone who is grieving the sickness. I was completely wrong! This book is a romance. I never took for romance books but this one was a good hapily ever after.

Mina is the perfect daughter. Bound for Harvard, president of the honor society, striaght A student, all while she works at her family dry cleaners and help cares for her hearing-impaired sister. On the outside, Mina does everything right. On the inside, Mina knows the truth. Her life is a lie. At the height of a wave, the summer before her senior year, Mina meets the one person who, she cannot lie. Ysreal, a young migrant who dreams of becoming a musician, comes to work at the dry cleaners and ask Mina the one question that scares her the most. What does she want?

If you are a romance fanatic then this is the book for you. Wait for Me captures the essence of love and lies. It teaches you cannot impersonate something your not and get what you want. I like the both because I could never put it down. I always wanted to go onto the next chapter. Wait for Me leaves you yearning for more, even when the book is complete.

Angels & Demons (Review)

Robert Langdon returns in this epic quest to thrill us with his advanced knowledge of history, as well as his specialty symbols, in Angels and Demons. As a professor at the renowned Harvard College, Langdon is well-known for being a fascinating character with his many faults. Along the way we meet Vittora Vetra, a brilliant physics, working for one of the world’s leading companies in technological advancement. She captivates you with her intellect and bravery against all odds. Personally, Dan Brown did a good job accurately laying out the setting of the book and where everything was geographically. He makes it so you can experience the sights first hand, like the Pantheon or The Sistine Chapel. You can really tell that the author did his research on everything from the tiniest little statue to the characters are doing their research using equipment. What drew me to read this book was most likely Brown’s way of making you feel like you are right there with Langdon, experiencing all these extraordinary things. Travelling the world, racing the clock solving sophisticated puzzles, and who knows will pop up next in the story.
Dreaming away atop the pyramids of Giza . . . that’s where our character brings us in at. Then, with a telephone ring, the state of Robert Langdon gets interrupted and flown to Switzerland and Rome, on a never-ending search, to stop one of the oldest secret brotherhoods from wrecking havoc on a world spread religion at its weakest time. Not only this but the one weapon that is going to be used to destroy the nerve center is about to go off on a time limit, with the individual countries’ leaders are all gathered at one spot. Plus it’s the most unstable material known to man . . . anti-matter.
For me, I really loved the history that the book included in it. For example, everything from scientific discoveries of the middle ages to little interesting tidbits from a few years ago. When an author can incorporate all these different concepts into one grander design, what amazing ability they have. Another book that had similar themes was The Historian, which also takes you on a suspenseful journey across Europe trying to battle “evils”, as it fascinates you with history all the while. Both the books have an amazing amount of information laden with details to make you immediately book a trip for the destination they’re describing. On the other hand, both books do not take lightly when it comes to describing gore or mutilation, but they don’t dwell on the topic for long so it’s not much of an issue. In Angels & Demons, a major theme that comes up is fear, weather it be eradicating it, or overcoming it. The characters are constantly battling time and trying to use all their resources to aid in their quest to overcome evil-doers. Brown conveys this very well through the thoughts of his characters and the overall story. The story appealed to me equally emotionally and logically. It had enough drama to leave you wanting more with a touch of moral dilemmas.

She's Come Undone Book Review

When I first started looking for a book to read, I didn’t know what I was looking for. I came across She’s Come Undone and all I knew about it was that it was about a 257 pound girl who ate a lot. I figured I would read it because I have family members who are obese and I could relate to how my relatives felt. I didn’t know much about the book, but it was rated very high. I was also interested in reading this book because it is on Oprah’s reading list. I am a huge fan of Oprah’s and this was a plus! So I started my reading…

She’s Come Undone is a story about a girl named Dolores. Throughout the book you see her live completely change. She started out being a happy girl living with her mother and father. Then her father moved out, her mom went to a mental hospital, and she was forced to live with her grandmother. She struggles throughout the book with being bullied, not liking school, getting raped, not being “wanted” by her family, obesity, not fitting in, and not having many friends. Her live is changed drastically once she is raped, and she can never get past the pain and the hurt. I haven’t read the whole book yet, but am super excited to see what will happen in the end!

I love this book. At first I was like, wow this book is really weird. I couldn’t decide whether I liked it or not. Finally, in about the 7th chapter or so, I really started to dig it. I mean, shes a girl just like me and we have had similar lives to an extent. I feel like the character speaks as it was myself speaking, which I adore! I love how the author uses figurative language. I never realized that authors used figurative language until this book. Wally Lamb uses hyperboles and metaphors galore! I love it, it really adds some flavor in his writing!

I think my favorite thing about this book is the fact how real I feel that it is. I feel like I am Dolores best friend experiencing her life with her. I think that every girl should read this book and see the struggles that young women have to deal with. I think it will make a difference in everyone’s lives and some will see “how good they really got it.”

The Devil in the Junior League (Book Review)

The book, The Devil in the Junior League, is a book I have never heard of. I have also never read anything from this author. I picked it up one day at Boarders because one it was cheap and two my sister is always talking about the Junior League. The author, Linda Francis Lee, is from Texas so the first thing you think of is hot weather and big hair. It turned out to be a pretty good book to read.

Fredericka Mercedes Hildebrand Ware is a social elite in Willow Creek, Texas. Frede, as what most people call her, was an exclusive member of the Junior League. She had a perfect life until one day her life started to unravel. Her husband, Gordon Ware, betrayed her- steals her money and runs off with another woman to unknown places. Since rich people like to keep their secrets, Frede would rather not let anyone know about this. To get her money back and take her husband down she must turn to her God awful neighbor, Howard Grout. He is a tasteless, gold-chain-wearing lawyer. But there is a price she must pay: she must get his also tacky wife, Nikki, into the Junior League. In the process of her life falling apart Frede meets a man who is totally opposite of her, but somehow the perfect man for her. At the end of the story there is a huge twist and makes the book a real page turner.

I like this book because the way that, Linda Francis Lee, the author writes is very unique. She writes exactly what you are thinking while reading- it’s like she is really talking or she is like on a reality TV show. I thought the book could have been better if the middle part of the book was more interesting. The beginning of the book was a good starter, but the end was the best because it sparked my attention in the book again because of the huge twist. I would have to give this book three and a half stars out of five and recommend it to mostly girls.

Catch-22 (book review)

I chose to read the novel Catch-22 for this project that we are doing. I chose this book because all of the summaries I read on it made it look interesting. This book is about an Airforce bombardier during the second half of World War II. The main characater, Yossarian is stationed on the island of Pianosa, near Italy in the Mediterrean Sea.

Yossarian's goal in life is just to stay alive. He lives in constant fear of death even though he knows that one day he is going to fail. Yossarian's life is defined by his unreasonable bureaucratic officers. These officers tell their men that they have to fly dangerous missions that have no purpose in them whatsoever. They do not care about the these men and are only sending them on these missions to gain personal recongintion. The superior officers make up absurd rules with catch-22s. Yossarian who spends most of his time trying to be excuesed from war, can't be diagnosed as insane because if he says he is too insane to fly this proves that he is sane and therefore must fly because only an insane person would fly those missions. The bureacratic officers have made it impossible for any soldier to get out of combat. One of Yossarian's best friends, Nately, is killed in the war and this pushes Yossarian over the edge. The next time he goes to Rome he deserts and wanders the streets. Whis wandering the streets he experiances many horrors of life including rape, diesease, and murder. He is eventually found and arrested by his officers. They leave him with two choices; he can be court martialed, or he can be honorably discharged if he agrees to the officers making his comrades fly 80 missions more missions which is a riduculous amount. To see which one Yossarian chooses you have to read the book to find out, it might suprise you which one he chooses.

I though this was a pretty good book. I did think it was a very unusual combination of humor and war but the author kept me reading because I couldn't wait to see what kind of hilarious scenario Yossarian would find himself in next. I would recommend this book to some who like Animal Farm and is interested in World War II.

Jarhead- Book Review

To tell the truth, Jarhead wasn’t even my first choice for a book to read. I was going to read The Match, but I could not find. Jarhead was kind of just lying on my desk so I picked it up and started reading. I’m actually happy about my choice. I didn’t know much about the story to begin with, only that it was about the First Gulf War and there was a movie made about it. That’s all I’ve got to say about that.
This book is based on the true story of scout/sniper marine Anthony Swofford. He tells his story of what it was like being in the marines, not just during the war but before and after the war. Swofford jumps from past to present to even after the war throughout the story. It often creates confusion, but it also gives helpful background information on new characters in the story. Swofford first starts out by talking about his time at a marine barracks at Twentynine Palms in Southern California. Swofford then throughout the rests of his story talks about the drugs, the alcohol, the women and the battle with depression that marines go through during war. The story is filled with action from bar fights, to war scenes, to suicidal threats and even marines threatening to kill one another.
Jarhead really was a fun book to read. It gave me a totally different perspective of what combat marines deal with during, before and after a war. It was definitely a great surprise, that I enjoyed this book. I’ve had the book for almost three years with no interest in reading it, but I’m glad I decided to. Many people would love this book, especially war history buffs. This is definitely a guy’s book. I can’t see many women wanting to read this, because of the graphic details it consists of.

Ellen Foster Book Review

Ellen Foster is an outstanding book. I choose Ellen Foster off of the reading book list. When I read the quick summary of the book, I knew immediately I had to read it. The book shows heart felt emotions of Ellen's pain. As a reader your able to understand the authors point of view. Ellen Foster focuses on real life situations. This book ranges in subjects from anger, death, racism, and friendship.
Ellen Foster is about an eleven year old girl who is looking for a new family and life. At the age of eleven she has had to endure the death of her mother, father, and grandmother. She has dealt with the abuse of her grandmother, father, and aunts. She grew a hatred for her family and decided to save every penny she owned to buy a new family. Even though thats some of the bad, there is some good. Ellen has a best friend named Starletta. Starletta is treated poorly because she is black, but Ellen sees her in a different light. They grow closer as friends and even keep in touch when Ellen moves. Ellen does accomplish finding a new mom but she went through a lot to get one.
If you enjoy a book with real insight on real life, this is the book for you. There are sad and happy times in the book. This book can make you anger from reading the treatment of this little girl. Ellen Foster also makes you teary eyed. Just as Ellen encounters differnet emotions you will to. You can place your self in her shoes and feel every emotion. This is a great book. Anyone who can watch all the Lifetime stories should read this book. I give it five out of five.

Catch Me If You Can (Final Review)

At a young age, I was always fascinated with how people get away with the crimes that they commit. I was interested in this book from the point in which the first movie trailor came out. While most people are suppose to read the book before they watch the movie, I feel as though watching the movie before helped me to understand the book better and also put a more clearer picture in my head. I truely was looking forward to reading this book after I first saw it in the library, and it turned out to fill my expectations and even go farther then them.
Frank W. Abagnale, alias Frank Williams, Robert Conrad, Frank Adams, and Robert Monjo, was one of the most daring con men, forgers, imposters, and escape artists in history. While his criminal career was not the longest he managaed to gain the trust of a whole airline and even get a uniform. He was also a fake surgeon, practiced law without a licence, and even portrayed himself as a sociology teacher. he had cashed over $2.5 million dollars in forged checks before he was twenty-one. The middle of the story conducts an intense chase between the law and him which find him trapped in a compromising situation.
I highly recommend this book to everyone who is interested in a good book. I recommend this book a little bit more towards the males because I don't think many women would find this book exciting. This was a very good book and kept me guessing. I was fascinated by the fact that this was a true story and helped make a lot more sense.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Book Review)

I chose this book because I had seen the movie. I didn’t really remember much about the movie, but I do remember that the movie was pretty good so I assumed that the book would be good also.
This book is about a man named McMurphy who is pleads insanity to escape from going to jail. The story is told through the viewpoint of another patient in the hospital named Chief Bromden. Everyone thinks the Chief Bromden is deaf so nobody cares what they are saying when he is around. The book progresses with McMurphy figuring out that the head Nurse has all of the patients terrorized, and she treats them like children. McMurphy decides to try and give these men their courage back by acting out against the nurse and showing them that she is not as powerful as she appears. He continues this behavior until he finds out that the big nurse decides when he is able to leave the asylum. He is then faced with a difficult decision. Should he keep on terrorizing the nurse because he has given the other patients hope and now they depend on him, or should he be selfish and obey the nurse because she could in theory keep him in there forever?
I liked this book a lot. The diction was simple and easy to read. The events between McMurphy and the head nurse made the book very fun to read. However, I didn’t like when the author told flashbacks about the narrator. These parts of the book were very dry and boring to read. With the exceptions of these parts the book was great. The ending has a twist that makes it awesome. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an easy read and enjoys fiction.

Mistaken Identity

The reason I picked this book is because I thought it sparked a connection with what I want to do in the future. In the future I want to get involved in law somehow and I knew this book would help me out with any questions I would have. Another reason I picked this book is because I love mystery stories and I just had a good feeling about this thriller. The thing that hooked me and made me keep reading this was that it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time and had me guessing until the very last page. All and all this was a way better book than I thought it would be, even though it was very long, it still was a strong piece of literature.
Over the course of this book I’ve learned a lot about law. It also showed me the importance of not giving up on something even though times get hard. Bennie is one of the hardest and successful lawyers around, and when she finds out her client claims to be her sister it just made the story get even more interesting. I liked the author’s use of imagery throughout the book because it painted vivid and good pictures’ in my head of what was going on throughout the story. Mistaken Identity definitely was a good name for the book because Bennie has to put pieces of the puzzle together to find out her clients true identity.
I really liked this book and would recommend this to anyone. I would recommend this to people mainly because it’s just a flat out good book. Also if you’re in to law, and mysteries then this book would definitely spark interest to you. From the time I opened it to the very last page I couldn’t put it down because I was excited to see what would happen next. If you have the same interest in reading material then I recommend going out and getting this book, you won’t be disappointed.

My book hoop Dreams is pretty much a given on why I chose it. I love basketball, esopecially documentary stories. These kids are just like any of us thats the thing that really gets me. I like the fact that there is some realism in the fact that in pretains to us. I hate reading i think you already know that, although the only thing that keeps me reading are stories like this, basketball documentaries.

The story starts off with two young teenagers just entering thier years in high school. The two boys William Gates and Arthur Agee begin to become rising phinoms. Thier lives are not the easiest in the world growing up in the hood and all. but they overcome all of the odds and stun the athletic world with thier skills. the two became stars, the story travels with them all throughout high school until they go on to the College level and the story lives on.

The people i would recommend this book to are deffinantly people who like basketball or any sports at that matter. the situations that the boys are put into are relivant to all of ours today. So if you are in the mood for one of the best documentaries that you have ever read than go fetch this book. On the other hand if you are like myself and would rather enjoy a nice movie which isnt so brain staking rent the movie at blockbuster.

IRONWEED (Book Review)

IRONWEED
By:William Kennedy

The reason that I chose Ironweed out of all of the books to read was because when I read the summary about it, I was interested in the fact that ghosts of his past haunts him. I am really interested in books about ghosts and spirits etc. But, as I started to read this book, it began to have more meaning to just that. It shows how people can have an amazing life one minute and screw it up with just one thing. Or, they can have one of the worst lives ever and it can turn awesome in one minute. I like how this book shows improvement in all of the characters who, in fact, are all bums. Some take on their old careers, some just get jobs, and some pass on to a better life.
Towards the beginning of Ironweed, you meet the main character, 58 year old, Francis Phelan who is a bum just like almost every other character in this book. He recently worked as a gravedigger in the cemetery where most of his family is buried, including his 13 day old baby son, Gerald which he accidentally dropped. Throughout the whole story, the ghosts of Francis’ past haunt him, but not really in a bad way. They just sort of follow him around where he can see them. These ghosts include the two people that Francis killed when he was younger.
In my opinion, this book was actually really interesting although it does get confusing at times. If you don’t pay close attention to the book, you will have to go back and see which character is which and if they are alive or dead. But, the way William Kennedy explains everything is so fascinating to me. He describes everything in so much detail and makes it fun to read. If you don’t like books that include sex, bums, death, ghosts, and alcohol, then this book is not for you. But, if you are interested in reading about things like that like I am, then I think this is the book for you!

Angels & Demons (review)

Angels & Demons

by Dan Brown

reviewed by Nyssa



Angels & Demons by Dan Brown is a thrilling adventure into centuries old rivalries and feuds between the ruling Catholic Church and a secret society. I had first origionally read the Davinci Code and wanted to see if that book was just a one time success of great writing or if Brown could really write a good thrilling story. When I found that Brown had written another story with Robert Langdon as the main character I was overjoyed, to me Langdon is an interesting and captivating character.

Angels & Demons deal with a long time fued that circles around the society of the Illuminati a group of scientists who were thought to be long dead until they steal a new discovery from a world renound science institute. Robert Langdon is a historical artifacts professor at Harvard and is called in when the leading scientists on this new discovery is found murdered in his apartment. It will take Langdon and a Vittoria ,who also worked on the project, to race around all of Romes famous ruins and monuments and even to the vatican to find this highly explosive liquid. They have only six hours to save the whole of the Vatican. The book includes many twists and murders that will keep you griped in your seat until you finish.

This book is a heart pounder that will lock anyone who enjoys thrillers, mysteries, or just really good fiction writing into a world of thrills, twists, and a little romance at the end. If you always wanted to know some of those secrets that people only eluded to but never said any thing out right this is the book for you. I have been glued to my seat in this book three times and it still holds something new for me to discover everytime.

From the Corner of His Eye (End)

From The Corner Of His Eye
By Dean Koontz

I chose this book because I have read other books by Dean Koontz and they always keep me on my toes. I have never been bored with his novels and I knew after reading the insert on the book that this would be a very interesting book. The first thing that got my attention was the cover and title, and that in itself made me pick it up.
From the Corner of His Eye is about a series of people's lives that are all intertwined in one way or another. At first, you don't realize what these people have in common but as the book goes on you realize they all have a connection. Most of it comes down to a boy named Bartholomew. He was born on a day of tragedy and horror. He has an enemy that he's never met who is insane and irrational. This man, Junior, knows that Barty is out there and he knows that he has a bad feeling about him but he doesn’t know who he is or where to find him. Junior also killed his wife, a nurse, and a cop with little reason. His acts of violence are terrifying and it's only a matter of time before he gets his hands on Bartholomew.
This book is definitely in my top ten. I was always waiting to turn the page to see what happened next. The emotions in the book really took me in and I felt like I was in the book experiencing exactly what the characters were experiencing. If you like reading about murders, suspense, and intense, thrilling action, then this book would put you in your place. You will have a very hard time putting it down until you realize what happens in the end.

Friday Night Lights Book Review

Friday Night Lights


H.G. Bissinger



Reviewed by Jake Porter




Friday Night Lights is about a town in Odessa, Texas that loves football. The footballl season is about to come up and everyone is getting ready for it. The whole town loves the football team and supporsts it in any way possible. The team faces some tough times though when their star player Boobie Miles gets a very bad injury. He was the best player in the whole city and maybe even the state. They based the whole seasson around him and when he went down they were devastated.

Once the season did start they has some tough games at the very beginning and lost some. The whole city expected them to go undefeated but when they lost some games they starting doubting Coach Gaines and his football ways. Then the Permian team found a new spark in second string running back Chris Comer. He started playing very well now and not acting scared on the field. He led the team to a very good season. Three teams in Permains class were tied with the same schedule and had to come down to a coin toss to see who would go to the playoffs.

When Permian and Coach Gaines won the coin toss, the whole town had faith again and was ready to see what would happen in the playoffs. The game before state, the biggest game of their lives they faced Dallas Carter, a bigger and better overall team than Permian. But no one cared abouot that they just wanted to win the game and go to state to achieve their dream. Once the game started they could tell it was going to be hard. Permian got up to a lead first and then lost it later on in the game. They ended up loosing the game and their season over.



Friday Night Lights ended up being a very good football book. It was the real way football is and wasnt fake like some boooks. I liked how all the players had their fun times, and their bad times like real players and teams do. The players in the book remind me of some of the players on our team and so it made it fun to read the book. I recommend reading it to anybody who likes football and good books.

Bleachers (Book Review)

Bleachers

By John Grisham

Reviewed by Vinnie Waller

This book was about a player that played football for a team in Messsina. He was the best football player to ever play there and he was probably going to go pro, but during college he was hurt on a cheap shot that ended his career. All his success was due to his high school coach that pushed all his players to be great. The coach made sure every one of his players were in shape, and the first thing they did in the summer was to run as many laps as they could around the track. If players didn't get over fifteen they were cut from the team. This was only one of many things the coach did, but ultimately this lead to him being fired. He was making kids run miracle miles and a kid passed out and died while runnig on the bleachers. The coach always blamed himself.

The story centered on all the players coming back to Messina and sitting in the bleachers telling stories about their coach and all their teams. They were sitting in the bleachers waiting for the coach to die. Finally he died and all the players cried and told more stories in the bleachers. One story was of a championship game in 1987. Messina was losing 31-0 at half, so the coach was pissed. Neely the main character said something and the coach slapped him, but Neely punched back and knocked the coach out. Neely broke his hand and couldn't pass in the second half. All the players told the coaches to not to come out or they would kill them. So the team came back and won without all their coaches.

When the coach died he had his funeral at the football field. He wanted three of his players to say eulogies, and one of the players was Neely. Neely told everyone that he loved his coach even if he hated him sometimes.

I chose this book because I thought it would have some action and tell a lot about football. It was way different then what I thought it would be. At times it was sometimes boring and hard to read. But all together it was a really good book with a good story. It was easy to relate to the book because I play football and have been through rough times like Neely. So, I wouldn't recommend this book to someone that loves action and can't read a book unless it is really good. I would recommend it for someone that really likes to read and likes football stories.

Friday Night Lights (Book Review)

Friday Night Lights

By H.G. Bissinger

Book Reviewed by: Richard Cowger


In the book Friday Night Lights their are many things that happen in these kids high school life's other than just playing football under the lights on Friday night. Odessa is in Texas which is already known to be a big football state. For Permian High school in Odessa, football is a way of life. Permian's tradition is to win and winning state is always the goal every year. But when their star pupil Bobbie Miles goes down with a knee injury the season seems to have been taken right away from coach Garry Gaines. The panthers seem to struggle without Bobbie until the second string running back Comer starts to shine, and helps carry Permian to a winning season along with all the other players. This book is a great sports story and should be read by all football fans everywhere, especially high school football players.

I choose this book because i am a football player and i figured i would be interested in the topic, Plus i have seen the movie and it was great and i wanted to follow it up with the book to see if the movie was accurate with the book. After reading the book i would have to say the movie was very close to the book. Universal Pictures did a good job making this amazing high school football story into a full-length-film. I also choose this book because i knew that i would be able to relate to a lot of things that would happen in this book. And after reading it i have been able to relate my life to a lot of things that these boys have gone through.

I ended up liking this book a lot and i recommend this book to any football player or just people that enjoy the game of football. It has every detail into what a high school football player goes through both on and off the field. So over all i recommend this book is is worth you time to read.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (review)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

By Douglas Adams

Reviewed by Kyle Buck

Have you ever wondered what it all means? Have you ever asked, what's the answer to life, the universe, and everything? If so, then you should pick up a copy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. While you might not like the answer, the book tries to give you a small, bite size answer to the ultimate question. More importantly, the book focuses on one unsuspecting Earth mans journey to find it.

I really liked this book for its humor. I don't recommend this book for everybody because not everyone would understand the book's humor. Much of the book's humor comes from ideas such as an infinite number of monkeys could type Hamlet or the questioning as to why many people are obsessed with money and technology. Enjoying the book also takes a person who can look at things from a different point of view.

If you are not quite so into the humor, you might find the science fiction aspect to be within your radar. The book starts with the main character, Arthur Dent, trying to keep his home from being demolished to make way for a bypass when Earth is destroyed for just the same purpose. Arthur is saved however by his friend Ford Perfect whom got stuck on Earth wall trying to collect data for an encyclopedia like book, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. They make it onto a ship which was stolen by the president of the universe and proceed to go on searching for a lost planet.

If you are looking for a good summer read, this book just might be for you. it is funny and intellectual but never over stays it's welcome. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is a short read, but if you liked it and can't stand cliff hangers, there are four more books in the series. There would be another book in the series, but Douglas Adams sadly died before he was able to finish it. May he rest in peace forty two inches under.

Catch-22 (post four)

"These three men who hated (Clevinger) spoke his language and wore his uniform, but saw their loveless faces set to immutably into cramped, mean lines of hostility and understood instantly that nowhere in the world, not in all the facists tanks, planes or submarines, not in the bunker behind the machine guns or motors behind the blowing flame throwers, not even the expert gunners of the crack Hermann Goering Antiaircraft division or among all the grisly connivers in all the beer halls in Munich and everywhere else, were there men who hated him more."

In this quote Clevinger is being put on trial by his superiors for something that he did not even do. Most of the people he knows do not like him. After everything is over, Lieutenant Scheissopf and two other men convict of this crime because they do not like him and sentence him to punishment duty. This quote is important because it makes the reader realize the irony in this story, all the people that Clevinger is trying to kill do not even know him and do not hate him, however the people who he lives with who are on his own team do hate him. I think by doing this the author made a very interesting point, because many soldiers who fight did so because they had to. Many characters in this novel do not understand why they are killing the enemy when they do not even know that individual who could just be in their position because they were forced to be in it. For all they know, if they met their enemy outside of the war they may become friends. Well this book is still very interesting and I can hardly put it down as I get near the end. 

Friday Night Lights (Response 4)

"During their six-year careers they had practiced and run it a thousand times. The players were aware of nothing, the frantic yells of the crown, the clock, the dwindling light, the gray sadness of it all. They were only aware that this was where the either went to State, or turned into hasbeens as quickly as the golden coach turned into a pumpkin. Right before coming to the line of scrimmage, McDougal turned to Bevers and said simply, "This is it"

This quote is pretty much talking about their whole season, and everything that they have worked for their whole football careers. If this one play didn't go their way the Permian football season would be over, and they wouldn't make it to State. Winning the State Championship, that's what every high school football player dreams about. Holding that trophy up and knowing that all the hard work has payed off and that you have reached your goal of being the best in the state. Permian had a tradition to follow, they had a long legacy to live up to, and if they didn't make it to state it would seem like a failure to them. In the end the play did not go Permian's way they lost that game and for those seniors most of their football careers were over.

Catch-22 (post three)

"Milo was paying no attention. "let me be your partner," he blurted out imploringly. 

Yossarian turned him down, even though he had no doubt that the truckloads of fruit that would be theirs to dispose of any way they saw fit once Yossarian had requistioned them from the mess hall with Doc Daneeka's letter. "

Milo is a new character the author has just introduced. He is a chef in the military who is new to Yossarian's location. Yossarian is showing him the roots of the camp and about all the characters that are stationed there. Yossarian says many things to him including to watch out for Corporal Snark, and how he poisined the sweet potatoes with G.I. soap early. Yossarian has a letter from Doc Daneeka saying that he has to get all the fruit he wants because of a liver problem. Yossarian is always looking for ways to cheat the system and this is just the latest on he has come up with.  He is trying to take advantage of the new guy and score as much fruit as him and any of his friends could ever want. This book is still very funny and the author is keeping me entertained by making the all kinds of hilarious situations Yossarian finds himself in, and I can't wait to read more. 

The Devil Wears Prada (review)

I chose The Devil Wears Prada becuase I saw the movie and liked it and I found out that it was a book so I decided to read it. This book is about a girl named Andrea who just got out of college and is starting her career in journalism. In order to get anywhere she finds a job that “a million girls would die for.” That job just so happens to be working for Miranda Priestly, the editor in chief of the top fashion magazine, Runway. Andrea becomes Mirandas personal assistant and she was told that if she stuck with it for a year that she would get a job at any newspaper or magazine that she wanted. This job stretched her to her limits. Miranda was an impossible boss to work for and asked Andrea to do the craziest things that you would never expect a human to be able to accomplish in the amount of time Miranda gave her. Through this job Andrea had to be extremely devoted and she did just that although she did not like it. In the end it almost cost her her friends and family so she did not finish her year with Miranda and ended up quiting. Although she did not finish her year with Miranda, she still thought she was the best assistant she has ever had.

In this book I love the style Lauren Weisberger, the author, uses throughout the book to make it a lot of fun to read. When I was reading the book it was almost like I was there because of the way she described and worded everything. Some parts were very funny and in other parts you could sense the tension and craziness that was happening at that very moment. She would make a word itallicised, bold, or in all caps to make it stand out and you would know exactly what was going on because of the way to word was written. I really loved how she used all different styles throughout the book so it was always interesting.

I loved this book and I would recommend that you read it. It was made into a movie but I believer that the book is better, books are always better than the movies. I think you will enjoy this book. It is very funny and well written, there is never a dull moment and you wont be able to put this book down. There is really not anything that I can think of that made this book lousy or “bad,” it was all around a great book and I think you will really enjoy it.

The Kite Runner (Summary)

I first heard about “The Kite Runner” from a guy friend of mine who, NEVER reads. He was so enthusiastic about this book that when I saw it on the list I just had to read it. This book is not at all what I expected. I was presently surprised, but to anyone out there wanting to read it, here is a warning. “The Kite Runner” is not at all the fairy-tale happy ending you might be looking for. Although don’t think that just because its not all rainbows and butterflies you wouldn’t be interested. It is a tremendously exciting, action packed and heartfelt. This book is straight forward, blunt and sometimes painfully true. I was shocked at some of his confessions.

I never expected this book to be a page turner but the further I got into it, the more I couldn’t put it down. It starts out kinda slow, starting at the end then flashing back in time. I like this kind of writing because at first you don’t expect or know what is happening and then you find out through all the background information and everything comes together.

Amir is really a character that I got attached to. You are taken on a journey with him through childhood all the way up to adulthood. He narrates the story extremely well with such great detail that you think you are right there with him. He is a character that you can relate personally because no matter what situation he is in, you have once had yourself in that similar situation.

I really enjoyed reading “The Kite Runner”. It kept my attention and was something different. It was nice to read something that didn’t end happily ever after like my normal books would be. Just when you think that everything will turn out right, the author Khaled Hosseini throws a curve ball. I’m very glad I picked up “The Kite Runner” I highly suggest it as a must read.