BSchultz19
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Posts posted by BSchultz19
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It's a bit strange, it's one of his less formulaic and it's far more driven by ideas and concepts than by a proper story. But that's the point of the whole thing, that we all see our own ideas of things, rather than what's really in front of us. I think it's miles ahead of Looking For Alaska, which I really wasn't keen on, but I think most people prefer Alaska, so you might be one of those. Either way, I think most people like Paper Towns to some extent.
Yeah I really liked Alaska, but I also liked Paper Towns. I like them all except for The Fault in our Stars, so I guess my opinion doesn't matter
I finished reading A Farewell to Arms and I'm now reading Uncle Tom's Cabin. I'm also still working my way through The Good Earth on kindle.
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Hmm. Looks like they are going to combine parts of A Feast of Crows and Dance with Dragons so all the characters are included, which I kind of expected them to do.
I'm trying to get back into this show and get caught up before the new season comes out.
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A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
Summary
In 1918 Ernest Hemingway went to war, to the 'war to end all wars'. He volunteered for ambulance service in Italy, was wounded and twice decorated. Out of his experiences came A Farewell to Arms. Hemingway's description of war is unforgettable. He recreates the fear, the comradeship, the courage of his young American volunteer and the men and women he meets in Italy with total conviction. But A Farewell to Armsis not only a novel of war. In it Hemingway has also created a love story of immense drama and uncompromising passion.
Opinions
I found it very interesting that a lot of the events in the story were based of real things that happened in Ernest Hemingway's life. I have read one or two other works by Hemingway, but this is my favorite so far. Not only did it have a great aspect of war and what it meant to those who experienced it first hand, but it was also an intense love story.
From the few Hemingway's that I've read I've always found it interesting how his writing is so simple, yet it is considered to be great and classic writing. I think this is a good lesson to young writers; the writing doesn't have to be elegant to paint a picture and help the reader understand. Often the short, terse sentences Hemingway used showed the intensity of the war and made it more real. Soldiers were angry and tired so they spoke in short sentences. Absolutely great writing.
As far as the story itself, it was interesting and had some different twists and turns all the way until the end. I found myself getting sucked into the lives of Lieutenant Henry and Catherine Barkley. That is what any great piece of writing does. I loved the characters, enjoyed the plot, and the writing was excellent.
Really liked this one.
Rating
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I can't wait til I can start taking literature classes- I am thinking of a minor. But alas! I am not rich and can not go to school forever
Yes, please update your thread on the new class. I am hoping to be taking the Short Story as a class next semester.I'm not in college yet, only high school. And I'm not majoring or minoring in anything close to literature or English, but I hope I can take some literature classes when I do go to college anyway.
I'm glad you're enjoying your class, BSchultz
! A literature class would so not be for me as I often miss hidden meanings behind things and don't enjoy dissecting a text too much, but I'm interested in hearing more of your experiences.I'm definitely learning a lot when it comes to that because I am the same way. I read so quickly that I miss a lot of the hidden stuff. I've noticed already that when I read I'm starting to think more as I read. So I think this will be good for me and my growth as a comprehensive reader.
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Wow, Gaia! You really have it all mapped out.
I hope it turns out to be a great weekend for reading.BSchultz, that sounds like fun! I think someone did that last read-a-thon. I thought about doing that with my Thursday Next books for the same reason. I still might. Hmm...good thing I have time to decide.
I'm hoping I pick up on some things I missed the first time. Especially foreshadowing of some sort now that I know the ending. It has been a long time since I've read the early books.
I hope you enjoy them! I re-read all the books for the read-a-thon, one per month / read-a-thon (though because of the size of the last three books and because I was also reading other books, I didn't finish those during the read-a-thon). They are quite suitable for it I think! I hope you have lots of fun
.Thanks DTR, I hope the same for all of us
. I also hope you can decide on your reads and that you enjoy what you end up reading .I agree. They are perfect for the read-a-thon. Relaxing, easy to read, and could read them for hours at a time. Also it would take awhile to run out of material
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I am taking an American Literature class in school this semester and I have really been enjoying it.
We mostly read short stories at this point in the class, but it is interesting to explore the literary aspects of some of the writing from authors that I have already read. It helps to make me a more well-rounded reader and think more when I read.
I'll probably post more about it if we read something that really blows me away. So far we have read a couple Mark Twain and I've never been a fan of him. We also read one Jack London and another Stephen Crane. I enjoyed the Stephen Crane story more than I enjoyed reading his book, The Red Badge of Courage.
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Yes, I read it a couple of times as a kid, I think it was one of the first books I read on my own. I was pretty young, but I always thought it was sad! My mom thinks it is a positive story lol Such different opinions.
I don't think you can make it through the American school system without reading this book at some point
I really enjoyed it as far as I can remember. That was years ago...
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I think that the next read-a-thon I'm going to try to get through re-reading the first two, possibly three Harry Potter books. Some easy reads to occupy my reading weekend
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I am so very sorry about this because I want you to like it
If it helps, I really am enjoying it!! It is just going really slow because I only have time to read maybe one chapter before bed. It's a really great story.
I've also started reading another book because I like having a real book at the same time if I'm reading a kindle book, so I'm reading A Farewell to Arms right now as well. I've gotten pretty far from just picking it up when I have extra time throughout the school day
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I've been looking into reading that series only because I heard that the movie was good and the plot interested me, but maybe its not worth my time. Too bad.
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I'm only like halfway through The Good Earth. I'm having such trouble finding time to read for pleasure
Hopefully things will slow down and I will get into the routine of school again and I'll have more time to read. So far I've been on the go a lot and struggling just to finish the work I have to finish.
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All 11 of her novels are amazing, I really like Pearl S Buck a lot! I can't decide who is my favorite author Buck or Hemingway
I just started Dracula in addition to The War of the Worlds on audio as Immersion Reading. The Dracula version is performed by Tim Curry as Van Helsing, Simon Vance as Jonathan Harker and Alan Cumming as Narrator. So far, I am still in a slump, but making some steady progress- if little at a time.
I've seen you and a couple others post about this. What exactly is immersion reading. I am a young padawan and know nothing
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Great review of The Humans sounds like a great book and if so many people love it I think I should give it a look-see.
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I want so badly to know the four words that Amy had in mind for the characters at the end, but now she's said she'll never reveal the words because she's afraid it's been too hyped up! I don't care if it's not some super-intelligent or witty thing...I just want to know!
YES! I am the same way. I don't care if I'm let down or if it isn't the most amazing writing ever, I just don't want this curiosity anymore. It's killing me
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My favorite book of all time! The whole trilogy is great. I hope you like it.
Thank you! I'm really liking it so far. It's a much different setting than most of the books I read, but that adds some nice change and the characters are great.
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Here are some threads that might be helpful, in case anyone's interested. I'm going to take a closer look at them myself. (These are all from BCF)
A question for non poetry lovers
I like the suggestion that Angury makes in the first link you posted. It was something like 101 poems to remember or something similar to that. I think that would be a good starting point since it has different poets and styles. A good starter to dip your toes in
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Great review! You know, I'm a huge James Bond cinema fan, but have never read any of the books. I'll have to check one out.
Yeah I was the same way. I really enjoy Daniel Craig as James Bond, but that might be because I am young and don't know any better
He is the one who plays Bond in Casino Royale. At least the only Casino Royale that isn't black and white. . .
I've seen this book, in Dutch, in the charity shop several times, though I haven't picked it up. I liked parts of the Bond films that I've seen (I think I've seen.. 4-6 of them?) but there were some things that grated on me. I've heard though that the books are completely different. I'm glad you enjoyed it though it's a shame it wasn't brilliant or anything.
Yeah there are some annoying parts to the books as well, but from the reviews I read on Goodreads, the other books are much better. This was Fleming's first Bond, so I can imagine that the character is more fleshed out in the rest of the books and plot lines might be better.
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I read The Giver last year. I also recommend it. The Giver is one of those books that make the "must read" in our lifetime list. The book, as you say, was definitely very thought provoking. It kinda reminds me of the saying......be careful of what you wish for.
This is a great way to describe it "be careful of what you wish for" it makes you think about how our idea of "perfect" might not be so perfect after all. I read it only three or four weeks ago and really enjoyed it. Would recommend it to anyone.
As for my reading, I decided to take a break from Life of Pi because I just couldn't get into it at the moment. So I started The Good Earth
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Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
Summary
In the first of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, 007 declares war on Le Chiffre, French communist and paymaster of the Soviet murder organization SMERSH.
The battle begins with a fifty-million-franc game of baccarat, gains momentum during Bond's fiery love affair with a sensuous lady spy, and reaches a chilling climax with fiendish torture at the hands of a master sadist. For incredible suspense, unexpected thrills, and extraordinary danger, nothing can beat James Bond in his inaugural adventure.
Opinions
I enjoyed the twists and turns in this book more than anything. I have seen the movie before, which I usually don't do if there is a book that was written before the movie, so it was interesting to know some of what happens but still be surprised at the different events in the book.
I can see myself reading more James Bond books in the future, but I didn't enjoy this book so much that I feel the need to read the rest right away.
I don't really have much else to say about the book, because I finished it a couple weeks ago and forgot everything that I was going to say about it
. I've read some reviews that say that Bond is incredibly sexist in this book, but I honestly didn't see that. That's also because I don't go searching for reasons to hate men, but that's a totally different topic that I won't get into. Also, this book was written in 1954, which doesn't make some of the things right, but it wasn't really frowned upon at that time. Always have to consider the time period that books are written in.
Rating
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As I just finished the first one, I clearly have yet to read them all, but apparently it's part of a quartet of books that are loosely related, telling different stories about different people in that general time period. There seems to be some reappearance of certain characters, but the protagonist and location for each are different.
Thank you. That helps to explain it. In the version I read, it had the first chapter of the next book and I was a little confused because the main character was completely different. If this is the case with all the books I would hope there was some sort of connection in the fourth book otherwise it would be very frustrating.
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I'm so sorry you were ill
. I'm glad you feel better now, I hope you can do some more reading next week!I hope you feel better soon
Thank you for the kind thoughts
I'm feeling much better now, but I'm still a little weak and tired from being sick for so long. Perfect conditions to curl up with a book -
I'm so glad you liked it! I was so embarrassed that I hadn't read it as it's required reading at so many schools here, so I bought a copy a couple of weeks ago for my Kindle. I hadn't realized until then that is was dystopian either, or that it was part of a series. I should be starting it before long.
I'm glad you're feeling better! It seems like there's such nasty stuff going around. I thought it would get better when I moved to the South, but apparently it just followed me down.
Yeah it was awful. 6 days of the stomach flu. Not fun at all. I'm just glad I'm feeling better now.
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How would you measure the 'trueness' of love?
Who are we to judge whether someone else's love is true or not? For example, I personally believe in arranged marriage, something I know isn't very popular in the Western culture. I believe that people in such relationships still love each other - other people would argue with me and say that isn't true love.
I think the only way that love is "true" is if the person feels it. So in the case of arranged marriages, if that is all the person has ever known and they view their spouse as a responsibility to love I believe that in their mind they truly love that person.
Love is abstract. There is no tangible evidence of love. Couples could show the physical signs of being in love without any real love in their hearts. It's all about what is on the inside.
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Paul Magrs - Exchange
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Age-range: Young-Adult
Format: Hardback
Pages: 295
Date read: 08-01-2015 <-> 09-01-2015
Synopsis (GoodReads):Following the death of his parents, 16-year-old Simon moves into his grandparents' claustrophobic bungalow, which quickly becomes a refuge from his bullying peers. United by their voracious appetite for books, Simon and his grandmother stumble across the Great Big Book Exchange — a bookshop with a difference. There they meet impulsive, gothic Kelly and her boss, Terrance — and the friendships forged in the Great Big Book Exchange result in startling and unsettling consequences for all of them.
My thoughts: I saw this book at the library and picked it up because of the spine and cover. Then I read the synopsis and it was about books and a book shop, so I wanted to read it.
This book was pretty good. I quite liked the characters and all the talk of books. Not many specific books are mentioned, but reading and books are big themes in the story. The characters are all pretty interesting and the book has quite a few unexpected plot twists.
The writing style didn't read as easily as some other Young-Adult books do, but I liked it.
Overall I quite enjoyed reading this book. If the synopsis appeals at all, I'd certainly recommend the book. I own two books by the author, they are on my TBR. They are I believe science-fiction books so quite different from this one, but I look forward to reading them.
Rating: (*****) (9/10)
This book looks so interesting!! Great review! Definitely going to buy or borrow this one.
Brandon Sanderson - Alcatraz 1: Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians
Genre: Fantasy
Age-range: Young-Adult
Format: Hardback
Pages: 226
Date read: 09-01-2015 <-> 10-01-2015
Synopsis (GoodReads): hero with an incredible talent...for breaking things. A life-or-death mission...to rescue a bag of sand. A fearsome threat from a powerful secret network...the evil Librarians.
Alcatraz Smedry doesn't seem destined for anything but disaster. On his 13th birthday he receives a bag of sand, which is quickly stolen by the cult of evil Librarians plotting to take over the world. The sand will give the Librarians the edge they need to achieve world domination. Alcatraz must stop them!...by infiltrating the local library, armed with nothing but eyeglasses and a talent for klutziness.
My thoughts: I saw this book at the library, as well as book 4 in the series (Alcatraz and the Shattered Lens) and because I've enjoyed other books by Brandon Sanderson, I decided to borrow them and give them a go.
This is a really great story. I really liked the characters, there's plenty of humour and the world the author has created is very, well, creative. There are plenty of good plot twists that I didn't see coming and the story is very suspenseful, I wanted to keep on reading to find out what would happen next.
One thing I really liked about this book is the fourth wall breaking stuff. The author of the book, Alcatraz, talks to the reader and this was very well done. I really enjoyed this. It's quite unique, you don't see that in a lot of books (not that I'd want it in all my books) and I found it very entertaining.
I would love to read the other books in the series. I could only find book 4 (and 1) at the library, but maybe they also have the other books (that would make sense), though they could be loaned out.
The book also mentions books in the story, though obviously slightly twisted as "Evil Librarians"..
Overall I quite enjoyed this book. It's a great beginning to a new series, though it does have an ending. Not all questions are answered but a lot of them are. I'm going to try and read book 4, though I don't know if that's doable or not if I haven't read books 2 and 3. I'd definitely love to read all of them, some time.
Rating: (*****) (10/10)
Once again, great review and you have succeeded in making me want to read this book along with other books in the same series. Thank you for reading such great books. It gives me some new suggestions without even suggesting them
Holly Smale - Geek Girl 3: Picture Perfect
Genre: Chick-lit
Age-range: Young-Adult
Format: Paperback
Pages: 408
Date read:14-01-2015 <-> 15-01-2015
ISBN: 9780007489480
Synopsis: (no synopsis because it's book three in a series)
My thoughts: I really liked books 1 and 2 in this series, so I pre-ordered book 3 in paperback (my preferred format) last year. A few days ago the book arrived in the post box. I was really looking forward to reading it so after reading some books due at the library I read this book.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It continues the story of Harriet (though if you haven't read the other two books, this one is still readable on its own, though of course best to read them in order). Harriet is a geek, and I love all the little geeky facts she thinks about and talks about. She is such a great character. The other characters in the book are good too. We see some characters from the previous books, which were all really nice to read about again. There are also some new characters, and I enjoyed reading about them too (this makes it sound as if there's lots of characters, there are some but not that many).
The book is pretty funny too, in the same way the other two books were funny. Most of the book takes place in New York (book 1 took place in the UK and book 2 largely in Tokyo). It was great to see a bit of a different take on New York, compared to what you usually read about in books. I don't want to say too much, because I don't want to spoil it, but I enjoyed this.
A few plot twists were slightly predictable but there were a lot of surprising ones too. I really enjoyed the writing style, as well. Overall then I quite enjoyed reading this book, and I look forward to read the next one once it's out (in paperback)!
Rating: (*****) (10/10)
I've never heard of this series, but I'm very intrigued. I love geeky characters, so this is right up my alley.
Schultz Reading 2015
in Past Book Logs
Posted
I highly recommend giving it a try!
Thank you! And yes, it is
I have read The Sun Also Rises but that and The Old Man and the Sea are the only two other than A Farewell to Arms that I have read. I have a whole book of his short stories that I think used to belong to my dad, so I might read a few of those