John Lennon

I recommend you don't read this book because the following two reasons, even though its a very well written biography a lot of the material is already out there in other book about him or about The Beatles, so you have probably know or have heard some of the facts of this book. The second reason i would not read this book is thats when a famous person writes a biography the buyers would expect some secrets or personal stories to be reveled but this biography didn't revele anything we all don't know, so that was a little of a disappointment.

John Lennon

John Lennon: All I Want Is The Truth.

I recommend you read this book because of the following two reasons. The first reason I would have to say its a extremely easy book to read, its not long at all. This book it a Biography, it has plenty of pictures of The Beatles and John Lennon's life and its very well written. Even though there are many books about John Lennon by far this is the best because it has some elements that don't apear in other John's books. It not only talks about his artistic career, it also talks about the period we are all are going though right now "the teenage period." I like very much when he talks about his dangerous life style as a boy. But its not all joy in an artist life, he also talks very profoundly about him being psychological damaged.

Robbie's post

#1

Three of Diamonds.

I recommend you read this book for two reasons; one reason is that I loved the authors writing style and the suspense in the book keeps you into it. This book has lots of action, mystery, and lots of surprises. The Three of Diamonds is a very exciting novel to read because it deals with murders, crimes and other suspenseful actions. I definitely recommend that you read this book for another reason and that is that the whole book is divided into three different chapters in which one mystery is solved. This was a very exhilarating novel to read.

In a movie based on this book, I would choose the James Bond Theme music at the end of the book where they finally catch the criminal and the main character almost dies. I would choose this piece of music because I think it best fits this scene and it would go really well in a movie, also because it is a really exciting song and very suspenseful song, and a very suspenseful scene in the book it would fit right into a movie.

If I were to cast one or two major characters from my book in a movie, I would choose the following actors for these reasons: First, I would choose Jack Black to play the role of Tim Diamond, because Tim is a really funny character, usually in the movies where Jack Black is starred he plays the role of someone funny and I think he would suit this role perfectly. Also I would choose Johnny Depp to play Nick Diamond, because Nick is very dramatic and in lots of the movies that Johnny Depp is starred he plays a very dramatic role ex. Pirates of the Caribbean.

Ariyan's post: The Secret Life of Bees

The Secret life of Bees is written by Sue Monk Kidd it is the story of finding yourself and having the belief that there is always someone out their who loves you. The story is of a girl named Lily Owens, who lives in South Carolina in 1964. She runs away from here home to protect here housekeeper from being executed for not apologizing to white men in the town for being disrespectful to them. Lily fears that the men will kill Rosaleen for disobeying, so they leave. They follow the high way until they reach a small store and recognize a picture on a jar of honey that the girls mother once had. They try to find the maker and find a very nice lady named August and her sisters May and June and the story starts there. I really enjoyed the novel for three reasons it had great imagery you could really see the images in your head, it helped understand the racial tensions that were occurring at this time in United States. Another reason I like the novel was because of the style of writing it was very well written I never felt like it was a chore to read this book it was very fluent throw chapters. If this book were to be turned in to a movie I think that the scene where Lily is running away with Rosaleen and walking on the highway the song should be “Life is a Highway“ by Rascal Flatts. I think the song would suit this scene because it shows that life is like a highway and you have to live every moment of it and take the hills and struggles that come with it but you cant stop driving.

Every Second Counts

Recently, I read a book called ‘Every Second Counts,’ written by Lance Armstrong with Sally Jenkins. I recommend this book for the following two reasons: It gives readers the chance to look back to the past; and readers realize how important it is to be thankful to someone who they rely on. This book is a non-fiction written by a champion cyclist who overcame the cancer he had. He mentioned many places in the book that he learned a lot of significant things throughout his life after the cancer such as taking the risks, be thankful of given second chance and out of all, aiming for the best and faith in yourself. Once Armstrong faced the death right in front of him (or ‘pitched back’ according to Armstrong), he have decided to do the thing that he could do the best with all the effort putting together. Also, by reading this very inspiring book, we get to recognize the value of our closest people. How precious they are and how hard it is to imagine our lives without them. For Armstrong, I strongly believe that it would have been extremely hard for him to get over all that hard time without his families. He claimed that now the prominent reason for him to be alive is his ‘wife’ and ‘children.’ They were the motivation for him to be in fit, stay healthy and to be the champion. For those of people who want to be cheered and heart-warmed, it’s good to read this book because it’s one of an amazing book I’ve read so far.

There are two reasons why I don’t recommend this book to you. For one, if you are not interested in knowing other people’s lives do not read it. Basically, this whole book is a story about life of Lance Armstrong. It has nothing to do with humors and adventures. The cycling competition, his struggling with cancer…it contains lot of repetition too. It could get quite boring as you read. Secondly, I don’t recommend this book because it was fairly hard to follow. If you also enjoy all those writing techniques and styles of the author, this book is not to be recommended. During the reading, I did realize that the events are happening by the time order. However, there was not enough transition to understand that. So if the readers don’t catch it, it could be sort of confusing at time to time. I would say it might get a bit frustrating. It definitely shows that Armstrong is not a professional writer. (But a wonderful cyclist!)

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, written by Robert M. Pirsig, is a fantastic philosophical book that really forces the mind to open up to the mystery of science. The book is about a motorcycle trip that a boy and his father take during their summer vacation. The story describes in vivid detail the scenery of the trip as well as how much more fantastic it is made due to the trip being made by motorcycle, rather then in a car. Often while on the trip, the narrator, who is the main character of the book, goes into incredible detail about motorcycle maintenance, philosophically linking it to all aspects of life. This book was definitely one of the most difficult I have ever read: the narration forces you to re-read paragraphs and even whole pages to figure out exactly what Pirsig is talking about. I found that my mental idea of life was changed and my view on how life should be done was re-considered due to the opinions expressed in this exploration.

(1) I would recommend this book to a more seasoned reader, due to the language and ideas of the story being presented in a high level fashion. This book is a fantastic read for these two reasons: it gives an extremely mind-opening view of all kinds of subjects, anything from how people react to technology to the philosophical idea of how senses work. Another reason I would recommend this book would be the incredible amount of sensory description used in the book. You could feel the heat coming from the engine as the characters where traveling on the open highway, or the chill of the morning drilling into your bones. This book is one which will be easily read 2 or 3 times while still keeping the reader glued to the book.

(11)(question: What would you ask the author if you got a chance to) Seeing as the book is a philosophical autobiography, the main character is also the author. If I was fortunate enough to get to talk to Robert, I would like to ask him what other bike trips he has taken, and what links they share with his past. He has a very complex and interesting past history, and I think he might have more stories waiting to be told.

Enders Game by Orson Scott Card.

"Enders game" is a great fiction novel about a boy named Andrew Ender Wiggin (Ender) who is the third child in a family which was uncommon in his world (which is earth in the future). The only reason Ender was born was because neither his sister nor his brother were selected to go to the battle school so his parents were allowed to have a third child. Battle school was a place where kids would go to become a soldier. Earth was in great need of soldiers because of the buggers, an alien force that they thought was coming to attack like they did before. Of course Ender was selected for the school. There he and some others that were selected were each put into groups. Over time he was recognized for his unique intelligence and promoted to commander of a group where he lead his team to victory in the battle room (a zero gravity room where groups would fight and prepare for the buggers).

After a few years Ender is sent to commander school way ahead of schedule. After being worn down due to exhaustion in the school Ender wants to go home. During a simulation of a battle where the bugger space ships outnumber the human ships 1000 to 1, Ender decides to take a Molecular Disruption Device and use it on the planet earth which destroys a lot of the earth and the entire bugger fleet. He does this hoping that it will get him thrown out of military school. After the simulation ends Ender is told that it was not really a simulation but he was really leading the war and was now responsible for the destruction of some earth and of the entire bugger civilization. Then Ender goes into a comma. What happens next? You’ll have to read it to find out.

Question 1) I would recommend the book for two reasons.

A) It has a great story with lots of excitement. So if you do want to find out what happens after Ender comes out of the comma don’t just read the last few chapters, read the whole thing because it really is a good book.

B) I would also recommend it to people who aren’t very good readers like myself because it was easy to understand and follow the story and what happens. Also it is not a very long book.

Question 11) I would like to meet the author because I would like to ask him where he got his ideas for the novel, for example the buggers and the zero gravity room. I also wonder if he got any of the ideas from his life, for example did he go to military school and use some of that knowledge to write this novel.

By Nathan

"The Timewaster Letters"

The Timewaster Letters, by Robin Cooper, isn’t your typical non-fiction novel. In fact, it’s exactly what the title proclaims it to be: letters from a seemingly professional timewaster to various companies, clubs, and political parties. Whether Cooper is requesting a wax statue of himself from Madame Tussaud’s in London or sending rough sketches of a bed/shelf-unit design to IKEA, he’s doing it with his tongue firmly in his cheek.

1. I recommend you read this book for these two reasons:

Firstly, The Timewaster Letters is hilarious. The whole idea around it, and the fact that one man with too much time on his hands can send all these letters for who knows what reasons, is just so out-there and absurd that you can’t help but laugh at it. Who would try to enroll their daughter in the armed forces for “failing to make sufficiently ‘fluffy’ meringues”? Who would write a poem dedicated to the Aluminium Foil Container Manufacturers' Association? Answer to both of the above: Robin Cooper. Secondly, part of the comedy in this book comes from not just his letters, but from the responses to them as well. Some are along the lines of “sorry, but we are not what you are looking for”. Others dismiss his letters as silly, and ask that he “[does] not send any further correspondence (such as the British Colour Makers Association, in which Cooper claims to have invented a new colour called “greem” – that’s with an M at the end, not an N). There are even a few letters from Cooper that are never answered in the first place, probably because of how completely pointless they are. There’s clearly a fine line between “funny” and “ridiculous”, and Cooper manages to stay on that line without wavering to either side.

4. The opening or closing shot of a movie based on this book would look like this for these reasons:

Creating a movie based on this book would honestly be very tricky in my opinion, but it could be done. If I were to direct this, I would have it begin with the initial response to Cooper’s first letter. This first letter, where he writes to Windrush Mill Garden Catalogue about his Roman Empire-inspired scarecrows made from beef, is responded to politely, with a request to see photos or sketches of these scarecrows. We don’t know what the staff must have thought upon reading the letter at first, of course, but I think that seeing the obvious disbelief, confusion, and skepticism in them would result in an amusing start to a most likely amusing movie.

Boy: Tales of Childhood

One of the books that I chose to read this summer was Boy by Roald Dahl. This book is non-fiction and is an autobiography, covering Roald Dahl’s life, from birth until his early twenties. I’m not a huge fan of autobiographies, but I found Boy exceedingly enjoyable. I would recommend this book for two main reasons. The first is that while Dahl does not stray from the truth of his childhood, he adds a great deal of colour to the story through his excellent writing. Dahl creates a vivid picture of what is occurring and provides the reader with an excellent understanding of all the characters. Another reason is that Dahl does not ramble on about his life, but entertained the reader with short anecdotes. Also, this book was written in a – pardon the pun – a boyish manner. This adds to the stories as he writes with somewhat of a mischievous manner.

Every autobiography has the chance to be biased. Roald Dahl’s book, Boy is a perfect example of how he writes in a slightly bias way, but it is obvious and only to add to the humour. Because each of the anecdotes are written from the point of Dahl, he enhances the tale by pretending he was an innocent bystander, while ensuring the reader that he is simply presenting the case in the same style he would if he were still that age. Dahl did an excellent job of writing in this style, and with that much colour in his writing, created a truly engaging autobiography. Also, it seems that Roald Dahl had an exceptionally brutal childhood, so these facts alone are almost fantastical producing a piece of literature that is quite informative as well as being highly enjoyable.

"Marley and Me" by John Grogan

I recommend this book for many reasons, but the two main reasons I believe you should read it are: for one, it has the ability to capture you and make you feel the emotions and meaning within the story. “Marley and Me” is the story of John Grogan and his wife, Jenny, beginning their family with a crazy and lovable dog named Marley. The journey of this family is one that draws in the reader, from having uplifting to heart-wrenching moments. The second reason is that it is not a very complex book to read, which makes it an enjoyable, light read. Also, it is quite humorous and the writing is not, which makes it not just funny, but also fun to read.

I do not have many negative things to say about this book. However, I do have a couple reasons why it might not be right for everyone. First of all, to really like and appreciate this book, I believe, you must be open to having an emotional connection to the author and his piece of work/life. Secondly, and this is an obvious fact, if you are not a dog or animal person, this book might not be a perfect fit for you.

If I could rewrite the ending of “Marley and Me,” I would not take away any part of the book that is currently there. I would, however, continue add to the ending. “Marley and Me” ends with John (the author/protagonist) and his wife seeing an ad in the newspaper for a dog that they swear to be Marley’s reincarnation, and decide that they will go meet this dog. My ending would have them go meet the dog, Lucky, and agree that Lucky should become part of their family because of it’s similarity to Marley. However, after having Lucky live with them for a couple of months, they would realize that Lucky is a great companion, but is not a Marley; that Marley was and will always be a unique soul. I think this would add to the story by showing that great things, like Marley, come around in life but are not always a regular occurrence.

"In the Heat of the Night"

Q:1

There are many differences between the book and the movie, “In the Heat of the Night” by John Ball; some are minor differences whereas others are huge differences. For example some, some of the difference include the change of the character's names, jobs and characteristics. Another notable difference is the family tree relationship between the characters. For minor differences the novel states that the name of the town is called Wells, South Carolina, but the movie takes place in a town called Sparta, Mississippi. In the book a guy name Maestro Mantoli, who is a composer that plans to organize a music festival for the town of Wells was murdered in the middle, however in the movie, they call the victim, Philip Colbert--an engineer and industrialist who hopes to found a large factory in town. Second character that is different from the book is the victim’s closest friend, Mr. George Endicott, he was the first person who didn’t care about Virgil Tibbs, the main character being a black man, and he talked to Tibbs in the same way as he talks to the white people. In the book he was much kinder than in the movie, he didn’t question Tibbs about his investigation and he didn’t slap Tibbs in the face when he asked questions about the murder. In the novel Endicott even suggested Tibbs to the mayor of the town as the perfect person for the investigation. The other difference is that almost at the end of the book, Delores Purdy and her brother came to the police station because Delores said that she was pregnant and the person who was responsible is Sam wood, one of the police officer and that her brother wanted to sue him for raping his sister. Virgil Tibbs, a homicide expert who is trying to solve the case has the biggest and the most important differences between the movie and the book. His characteristic is totally different, in the book Tibbs would always think first before saying anything or he would say it quietly because he is scared that he might get beat up. Whenever Bill Gillespie, the chief of the police station yells at him, he just walks away quietly. This is different from the movie, in the movie Tibbs says what he wants to say, what he needs to say, and also ask what he needs to know for the murder case even if the people will get mad. During one of the scenes from the movie Gillespie asked him what they call him back in California, and he said back to him strongly that they call him Mr.Tibbs, which means that back there, they have respect for him. In my opinion, the changes in the movie fouled the original impact the author wanted his audience to have when they read the book.

Q:8

I can’t believe this. I guess it was a mistake to come back down south, but how could I refuse to visit Mama when she’s so sick? Doesn’t a man have a right to visit his dying mother? I guess I was stupid to think that wearing a nice suit and having money would give me some kind of protection. Maybe it’s just the opposite. These crackers have probably never seen an educated black man wearing a suit, carrying money and looking them straight in the eyes. That’s not the way we’re supposed to be. We’re supposed to bow our heads and avert our eyes and pretend to be all humble and ignorant. That’s what they like. But how can I do that? Hell, I’m the best homicide detective in the City of Pasadena, out of the best, anyway. I’m better educated than these white southern, and I probably make more money too. How many murderers have they put in prison, I wonder. I don’t think I could play the “good humble nigger” who “knows his place” even if my life depended on it. The problem is, maybe my life does depend on it. How am I going to get out of this? I guess the best thing to do is to play it along- wait for the right time and tell him who I am, and hope they will think twice before doing something stupid.

"Into Thin Air"

Over the past summer I read two books.  The second of these was, “Into Thin Air” written by Jon Krakauer.  "Into Thin Air" was as epic tale of an Everest disaster experienced by the author.  I liked this book but I can also see the other side of the argument.  The two reasons why I enjoyed this book were firstly, the author’s style and secondly, the plot.  I particularly enjoyed author’s style of describing the aspects of the novel.  For example his vivid descriptions of the settings made the disaster seem very real something difficult to do when writing this style of novel.  Another reason why I enjoyed reading “Into Thin Air” was the story itself.  Even without Krakauer’s excellent writing I would have found it hard to put down.  The plot has a number of twists and false climax’s even for a non-Fiction novel.  By those two reasons I would recommend this book but there are also two reasons why I would not recommend it.  Firstly whether you would enjoy it depends entirely whether you like this type of novel.  If I were not remotely interested in climbing then I would find this a difficult book to enjoy as the main theme is climbing related.  A second reason why I would possibly not recommend this book is how the author describes the events.  Although I enjoyed his very detailed explanation I could also understand how it could become tedious or boring.  Overall I would highly recommend this book to everyone mostly because I think the author Jon Krakauer is not biased at all.  The author uses a variety of sources and pieces the information together.  He understands that he cannot be everywhere at once and needs other views.  In summery I thought the book was very entertaining and I would recommend it to everyone. 

Touching The Void, by Joe Simpson.

The novel "Touching the Void," writen by Joe Simpson was about two climbers, Joe Simpson himself and Simmon Yates climbing the Peruvian Andes in around in the mid-80's and the story of how they got back. In the story, Joe Simpson breaks his leg. In an accident, Yates cuts the rope, causing Joe to descent into a crevasse. Yates assumed that Joe had died, but Joe had landed, not safely, but not dead. Then story then continues on with Yates trying to climb down. and Simpson determined to get back to the camp site, alive. This is a truly inspiring tale.

(Question 1) 1. There are a couple reasons That I enjoyed the book, and I'd like to discuss this. One of my reasons of really enjoying the book was that, it really kept me wanting to read, even in the begining where so much action happsn, with Joe breaking his leg and all, it really drew me in, and I believe that this will draw in many readers aswell. I also liked this book because of the style. At times, the storyw ould be form the perspective of Joe, and then some other times form the perspective of Yates. I loved how it was almost always in first person, so it's almost as if two people are telling there story at the same time.

(Question 2) 2. Although I have many reasons for liking this book, there are also many reasons for not liking it. One of those reasons is that, it was king of Biased, because if you think about it, two perspectives of the story are being told by one person. Thus the story would be slightly biased to Joe's point of view.

(Question 11) 3. I would really love to meat both the author and Simon Yates in person so I could as them what they where feeling at that momment, and what they felt before the accident. I would also like to know how it effects them today, and how it effected them when they climbed ever since.

Memoirs of a Geisha Blog

Over the summer I read “Memoirs of a Geisha” by Arthur Golden. I highly recommend that you read this book for two reasons. Although the book is fictional it is written as if a real person were telling the details of her life. The events that take place in the story are things that real women in China would have suffered through. This made it all the more enticing for me knowing that what I was reading was not just made up but that many aspects were based on real history. Another reason why I recommend this book is because of how Arthur made it sound as if a real Geisha were writing it. Everything from the language used to the details describing different settings makes it feel as if you are hearing from Sayuri herself.
If I were to cast one character from my book in a movie I would choose Mr. Tanaka. Mr. Tanaka is the reason why Chiyo became Sayuri and embarked on her journey of becoming a geisha. The two met in Chiyo’s home town of Yoroido when Mr. Tanaka helped Chiyo after she had fallen down. I would cast Mr. Tanaka because of his charming characteristics and his ability to take over situations and calm other characters. However, at times one may question his motives to being so kind to Chiyo in the beginning of the book. Is he really looking out for Chiyo’s best interests by sending her away from her hometown or is he hoping to make money and benefit himself. This mysetery is why I would cast Mr. Tanaka in a movie. He can be hard to read and one is never quite sure what to expect of him, ensuring an interesting and entertaining movie.
The opening shot of a movie based on this book would alternate between glimpses of Chiyo’s hometown, “Yoroido” and the district of “Gion”. It would show the many differences between these two places by highlighting the small town feel in Yoroido and the fast paced city life in Gion. By showing Chiyo’s hometown and childhood it would help viewers feel closer to Chiyo from the start so that they would empathize even more for her later in the book.

Totally Frank

Question 1.
I highly recommend the autobiography Totally Frank, by Frank Lampard to all soccer enthusiasts and anybody looking for a decent read. Totally Frank is intriguing to read because you get to see a perspective through the eyes of a soccer superstar. Numerous times I find myself watching a soccer match and wondering what is going through the players minds after a crucial moment during the game. Totally Frank descriptively explains Lampard’s thoughts during these events including making his debut for Chelsea against Newcastle United, or smashing in the equalizer in extra-time against Portugal at the quarterfinal stage of the Euro 2004. I would also recommend this book because it is highly entertaining and keeps the reader captivated throughout the entire story. For the most part, I prefer fiction to non-fiction because I generally find fictional stories much more exciting and entertaining, however, Totally Frank was a definite exception despite it being an autobiography. The book was incredibly interesting and compelling all the way from page 1 to 463. Frank Lampard’s use of humor and honesty makes the reader feel as if you are actually developing a friendship with him. This is most likely the reason for the autobiography’s engaging aspect.

Question 10.
Frank Lampard, the author of the autobiography Totally Frank, was certainly biased in his version of the facts included in the novel. Of course Lampard thought that England was going to win the world cup, and that Chelsea was by far the world’s finest soccer club, because he played for those two teams. This does not mean that Lampard was not honest, as he really did believe that the teams and players he played with were the best. It merely meant that Lampard’s opinion may not have been fact, as a lot of people will argue that Manchester United is superior to Chelsea, although if you ask me, I would definitely say Chelsea is better. Also, England has not won a world cup since 1966 however, Frank Lampard still believes them to be the greatest in the world.

"Journey of the Pink Dolphins"

The novel “The Journey of the Pink Dolphins”, written by Sy Montgomery, is entrancing story for many reasons, but the two that are most prominent are the story, and the style. For a lot of people, narrative, the story, plays a huge part in liking a book. If the plot is like a history or science book, the reader will undoubtedly fall asleep from boredom, or let the book lie on their shelf for years on end. However, this was not at all the problem for Journey because the book was so well written.
Journey of the Pink Dolphins is a semi-autobiography of Montgomery, but is mostly an account of her journey through the Amazon on her quest to follow the Pink Dolphins. A lot of the time an author might want to add anecdotes about how she, or he, felt about something, but this was not present. This enhances the book because it does not become dry and caught up in the anecdotes, allowing the story to unravel much more easily. Montgomery also had the ability to transport her audience to the Amazon, and with all the wildlife being so obscure that is a feat in of itself! However, Montgomery is a scientist, and being a scientist, she liked to add a lot of little extra facts. To be frank, a lot of extra facts. When she would be talking about the rainforest, she might go on for a page or more of just statistics. Don’t get me wrong, I like learning about the rainforest, but describe it with letters, not numbers. It is much more enjoyable that way. In fact in some parts, the beginning in particular, I could just imagine a blonde and a brunette, with their Peruvian guide in the back of their aluminum boat, powered by a 40 horsepower engine, floating through the water at dawn; the best time to see the Botos (pink dolphins).
Journey was not only stylistically pleasing but it also had an interesting story too. I love reading about exotic places, and I love reading about animals, so naturally this book was an instant fit. It was so incredible how much trouble she had, just finding the dolphins, simply because not very much is known about them, and so she had very little to go on to even find them. Montgomery had an adventure every time she walked outside her mosquito net in the morning, and it was hilarious and sometimes unbelievable, to imagine what she was going through! But at times this also made it hard for you to truly understand what kind of situation she was enduring; creating a distance from reader to author that was irritating at times. Overall, though, the book was very entertaining, I would recommend that nature enthusiasts read this book, though everyone can enjoy this unique book.

"I Have Lived A Thousand Years"

I recommend that you read the book “I Have Lived a Thousand Years”, by Livia Bitton-Jackson, for two reasons. The first is that it really educated me about World War II, and gave me an insider’s glimpse of what it must have been like to be a prisoner at the concentration camps at that time. The fact that she was a teenage girl at the time only intensified the feeling that I felt for her, as well as her family and friends. I had always had a general idea about World War II, but I have never been so exposed to a survivor’s story like this. This book really opened my eyes. The second reason I would recommend this book is that it is very well written. It is clear and concise, without any unneeded facts or information. The way that it was put together is also very pleasant to read.
Although in some non-fiction novels, the authors could be suspected of exaggerating facts and stories, and being biased in his/her version of the story, I do not think that this is the case of Livia Bitton-Jackson. One reason I believe this is because her story aligns itself with other survivor stories perfectly. Another is that “I have Lived a Thousand Years” is a well-known and highly respected book and I do not think that one like that would be suspected of any falsities. I also believe that a survivor of a concentration camp like Auschwitz would not need to exaggerated anything; the real facts are gruesome and cruel enough to interest any reader or publicist.

Engish 10M, Summer Reading Instructions

Summer Reading Blog Assignment

Dear English 1oM Students,

Please choose three of the questions below to answer in a fully articulated, 250-300 word polished blog post by Monday, Sept. 14th. Don't forget to start your post with the name of the novel (in quotation marks or italics) and the author's full name. If you are responding to questions #1 or #2, please respond differently than "it was good" or "it was bad"- give specifics (example: " I would not recommend this book to fellow classmates as the language was too difficult and the plot was hard to follow as the characters traveled in time continuously. Instead, I would recommend..."

After you have completed your post, the second part of the assignment is to respond to your classmate's posts. If you have read the book they are writing about, you can add your own ideas. Even if you haven't read the book they are writing about, you can still ask clarifying questions and add your thoughtful comments.

Please write your full name after each post, as these will be assessed following a rubric we will review in class on Friday, Sept. 11th.

As always, please either email or see me with questions.

Happy posting!

Ms M.

QUESTIONS:

Here are the questions for your response; choose 2.

1. I recommend you read this book for these two reasons:

2. I recommend you don't read this book for these two reasons:

3. If I were to cast one or two major characters from my book in a movie, I would choose the following actors for these reasons:

4. The opening or closing shot of a movie based on this book would look like this for these reasons:

5. In a movie based on this book, I would choose this piece(s) of music played this way for a particularly significant moment (explain) and why.

6. Write a short piece (300 words) in the style of this author and explain how your piece is similar.

7. Write your own alternate ending to the book and explain why.

8. Write a short dramatic monologue in the voice of the character in the novel, at a time when you wanted to hear their internal thoughts.

9. Pick up the story in the future and keep going; then explain the logic of your narrative.

10. If your book is non-fiction, explain whether you think the author is biased in his/her version of the facts described and why.

11. Other response to your own questions....your choice.