Baker H Block Class discussion

I have been reading Moby Dick. It is one of those texts that an English teacher is "supposed" to have read, but which I never encountered in high school or college. I thought that the text was going to be dry and overly philosophical but I have been pleasantly surprised at how comical the narration can be. There is a scene where Ishmael meets Queequeg for the first time in a tavern; they have to share a cot for their first night together, and it is laugh- out- loud funny. Melville's descriptive writing and use of imagery is masterful. He spends 6 pages just describing the allure water has on people.

I have been reading "The Five People you Meet in Heaven", a novel by Mitch Albom. (Kind of spoilers but not really) I find it interesting that the main character dies close to the beginning of the story, and then the rest of the story is told either while he is in heaven or in flashback to certain times in his life (it keeps going back to his birthdays and times he has served during the war). The main character, Eddie, seems pretty interesting, as when the story starts you see him as just an old man who helps run an amusement park, but as the story progresses you unravel his story, which includes details that even he didn't know prior to his entry into heaven.

I am reading a book called the Secret Woman by Victoria Holt. I have read some of her other books and found them interesting. The story revolves around a girl named Anna Brett, and she is scared of being a governess for the rest of her life. But, of course, a handsome blue eyed captain has to take her away. But the summary says that might not be such a good thing. His ships name is the Secret Woman, hence the title, but there's a reason for why ship has such a weird name, and whoever discovers the secret will be murdered. I like mystery books, so this interested me, even though I found the rest of the plot a little cliché.

Andrew wrote: "I have been reading Moby Dick. It is one of those texts that an English teacher is "supposed" to have read, but which I never encountered in high school or college. I thought that the text was goi..."

Uhhhh..... I am not sure that I find a 6 page rant on the "fascinating affects" of water interesting. I agree though, that it is quite descriptive.

I've chosen my first book to be The Book Theif by Markus Zusak. I think the most grabbing thing about the text so far is that the narrator of the story is "Death." How he views the world is very different from our own perceptions of it. It's interesting how he describes the emotions of a certain situations by use of colors, a sort of synthesis way of viewing the world. Also the time period that the Book Theif takes place in, World War II is a very dramatic and action packed time to live in which makes for a more eventful story.

I am reading "Paper Towns," by John Green. I was really into the being of the book when it started out with a suicide witnessed by the two main characters when they were kids, who then reunited as high school seniors to pull a prank. One of the two, "Margo," then runs away, and the other, Quentin, is trying to find her by looking for clues. The book is based on the idea of relationships people have with each other, and what people want from the relationships. Quentin is compelling because he cares so much for Margo even though they barely know each other. It's interesting to see how characters react to each others actions during such "normal" events.

I am reading the book Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. The book is told by multiple people. I like that because it makes you feel like the person in the book is talking to you. It gets a little confusing with all the different characters because it switches on and off from different ones. But you catch on depending on what their talking about. I've on,y been introduced to three characters and they are very interesting. The main character is a girl named Hanna, she's kind of devious. So far it's a really great book and I can't wait to read more! It's one of the few books I've been excited to read.

I am reading The River by Gary Paulsen. What grabs me is that this book is about wilderness survival which is something I enjoy. Nothing is puzzles me so far. I also think Brian (the main character) is a cool character because he is very smart because he has to survive in the wilderness. I think this is something I am actually going to enjoy as Brian lives in the woods and finds his way back home

I'm reading The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen. It's a book about running with a twist, the narrator is a girl and big track star who's lost her right leg in an accident. I'm in the middle of the book now and up to now she has been coping and dealing with this tragedy and slowly trying to adjust back to normal life... Without running. It's a pretty sad book, and as someone who loves to run I understand how devastated she is that she can no longer so the thing she is most passionate about. It really makes you appreciate what you body can do. Sometimes the main character, Jessica, can be a bit annoying and she has a lot of self pity. But she is also inspirational and by the middle of the book she seems to be gaining a lot of hope.

I have been reading Farenheight-451 and the writing style is completely different than any other text I have read, especially in the dialogue. It's an interesting concept and the characters are well developed. My favorite so far has been the high school girl, Clarisse. I have not formed any other opinions yet because the events so far are not particularly engaging.

I have been reading "Bliss" by Kathryn Littlewood. I really like how the book so far is very simple. The characters are a little confusing but the plot of the story so far is good. There are many characters already in the book but the author does a good job explaining each character throughout the story so far. I like books that are easier and simpler and I think this book is a good book for me.

I'm reading Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes, and so far it has been engaging. It is about how a rebellion is growing in a recently conquered kingdom where some of the royal family still remains in the shadows....

I have been reading "Fermat's Enigma" by Simon Singh. The book contains the history of number-theory from Pythagoras up to Andrew Wiles. In it, it tells of the tale of Fermat's last theorm and also sprinkles in an occasional riddle once and a while. One of my favorite parts of the text was a quote: "Sir, (a+b^n)/n = x, hence God exists..."

I am reading "Napoleon: From Tilsit to Waterloo". While most books tell the story of the Napoleonic Wars from the French perspective, this book tells it from the perspective of the Russians. I'm only around 100 pages into it, but so far it has a much more solemn mood than most related books. For example, while most books emphasize the effect of Russia's scorched earth tactics on the French army, this book tells the story of its devastating effect on the Russian people. At first I wasn't sure if a I would be interested by a nonfiction book, but so far it has turned out to be interesting.

I am reading the book "The Twelfth Angel" by Og Mandino. It is about a man named John who had the perfect life, with a successful business career, loving wife, and 7 year old son, but had it torn away when his son and wife were killed in an accident. He tries to shut off the world, and spends his days in solitude, in the hometown which he just returned to with his wife and son. Everyday, he thinks about committing suicide, until an old friend asks him to coach a little league team. A little boy named Timothy is a member of the team, and the the book talks about how he saves John's life through his incredible resilience, determination, and persistence. This book seems to be very emotional and speaks to some serious topics - terminal illness, depression, and suicide, but also the good things that can help one overcome these things.

I have been reading "The Blood of Olympus" by Rick Rioridan. I have read many of his books in the past including the Percy Jackson series and the Kane chronicles, and so fat this book is no different. I enjoy how the story is told from multiple characters' perspectives. There hasn't been anything too puzzling so far in thee book. Although it does have a segment about Ithaca and the suitors.

I have been reading the Hound of the Baskervilles. It is really intense book and it is a Sherlock holmes type of book. It is very misterious and in a way scary cuz of this big hound.

The book that I started last week was The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. I really enjoyed the book I liked the way that the book was written in the first person as journal entries, it helped me to understand the narrator better. The narrator is a very interesting character that had an interesting perspective on life. It was one of my favorite books that I have ever read and I felt like I could relate to Charlie (the narrator) and some of his views. I finished the book and have started Marley and Me, it is interesting so far and I like the narrator who talks in first person as well.

I have been reading Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman. Being an Orange is the New Black (the TV show) superfan and the 10th best in Orange is the New Black trivia in Massachusetts (no biggie), I was drawn to this book through the TV show that is based off of the story. Although the book is not exactly like the TV show, I still have enjoyed it immensely. The tagline of the show "Every sentence is a story", has clearly been emphasized throughout the book. It has been fascinating to read about Kerman's everyday life in prison, and the people that she encountered during her stay at FCI Danbury. Just like the tagline suggests, each individual inmate has their own story, and getting to read about where they have come from and what got them arrested has been really intriguing. I also read the article written by Kerman's husband, Larry Smith, that was published in the New York Times while she was in prison, entitled "A Life to Live, This Side of the Bars". It was very interesting to see the perspective of someone living with a loved one that was locked away. Being able to see his perspective of this situation helped me better understand his character. Overall, I am really enjoying making connections from the story to the TV show, and reading the book, because it is a good book.