Blog Reflection

My growth over the trimester as a reader and writer has improved so but not a whole lot, from my blogging experience. Although to someone else it may look like I have greatly improved, as they are look at my writing and reading skills in a different mindset than me. But over the course of this trimester there is definitely a difference, which has made my understanding of Hon. English increase with the skills I have learned from blogging.

My writing from blogging has only gotten better through out the trimester. I have learned different techniques to add to my writing. Also what I can add to my writing to help enhance whatever I am writing. I am also able to pull text together and show why it helps the understanding of whatever someone/ I might be reading. I was also able to gain the knowledge of how to blog about certain topics in the books that I might be currently reading to help my understanding of what is going on in the text, while putting it in words. For an example of how I am doing right now for my writing is a portion of a post from a while back but it shows my writing skills, “ With Emmaline's life you could compare it to every one or even just myself that people are constantly coming, going, and staying but there are always bumps in the road that make a big or small course change. But you could also say those trips along the bumpy road during this book could make her journey even better or worse. Lastly, she has to over come her fears and ask her father questions such as why didn't you keep your promise, why didn’t you respond like your earlier email, etc.” (The Moon and More), this shows how I pulled ideas from the text and analyzed it with writing craft, text–world.

As I just said my reading has improved from blogging because I am able to take a topic to write about for my book and put it in better understanding for others and me. With this blogging experience I was also able to look at other peer’s blogs for support on how to become a better reader and writer. This is because by looking at someone else’s blog you are able to gain their knowledge on how to write something better and another way to explain a specific topic or piece of text. Also with any information I pull to put in my blog I am also thinking what will logically work, from what I have read so far and deciphered from it.

 My writing and reading skills has also improved from blogging as I am spending more time dedicated to reading my book and writing more in depth. By being more in depth I am able to pull different techniques used by the authors such as the text to world, text, self connections which allows the reader to be partially included in way into the text. With the writing I am able to blog and reflect on what I am to pull from the text and to later improve my blog post from earlier blog posts on my blog. Also by constantly blogging I am able to stay focused on what’s going on in the book and reflect on what I have read. So what I have stated I can see that I have actually improved more than what I had originally thought in the beginning of my growth upon reading and writing skills from blogging.

The Moon and More; Book Recommendation

The day has come and I have finally finished the book and it is my last post on it. So it probably won't take you as long to read it especially if you have a entire day to just sit and read. Once you start reading like any of her other books it becomes harder and harder to put it down. If you've read my other posts on The Moon and More you can get some insight of some details I might not have in this post.
   This book was amazing I really liked it as it has great detail. Although there was a lot more suspense in this book than in any of Sarah Dessen's other books. Emmaline is a character that you can fully 100% say is round and dynamic by the end of the book.

      I'd recommend this book to any Sarah Dessen book lover this is her most recent but in my oppinion maybe not yours but her 2nd best book. Her first would be Truth about Forever.

    The book included fantastic figurative language. It included metaphors, similes, personification, etc. So if you would like more detail on what happens make sure you read the book.

The Note Book; Characters

     The main characters the book are Ally and Noah.  So far I have learned that it is set in the 1940's. The two characters are long lost lovers as Ally's parents seperated them because of the social class.

      Noah so far is a very caring man, that is strong with a great work ethic, and lonely. The other main character Ally is a pampered, kind, caring, and slightly confused.

    

      I'm not too far in yet and they have just    started tell the story, after introducing the main characters history. After Ally left the summer Noah and her were together. I will post more on how they evolve when I get read more of the book.

The Note Book

     I have only just started The Note Book. But from the first chapter I am going to make a few predictions and questions I have conveyed so far.

      I predict so far that the characters are in a nursing home. In this nursing home the main character had a journal he is reading. I'm guessing that this character is reading the journal to a person that doesn't know them.

       I wonder though who the character is reading to. Also what is the journal about? I wasn't able to pull very many question by just reading the first chapter. This first chapter mainly just laid out the setting and the mood. The mood of this book is brought on as sad suprisingly. That's all I have gathered so far an hopefully I will have more so to share on.

Analysis of the Moon and More

 I am almost at the end of my book now. I can't wait to finish it, and if you have read my other blogs you can see that I have been reading probably alot longer than I typically read a 400-500 page book. But I'm going to predict that the main character Emmaline will eventually break up with Theo before either one of them leaves at the end of the summer. But  upon the stand point of their relationship right now it seems that it is a little bit maybe really stressful for Emmaline as she wants to tell Theo that she has done things that are really exciting to him but she has been around Colby her entire life. This only makes it harder as she knows he wasn't a typical teenager when he was younger because his parents were so strict especially about eduacation. So with that said I have to predidict the Emmaline is going to blow and it is going to be soon. Although I truly don't understand why her father avoids Emmaline's questions upon why he ignored her e-mail after he had told her he couldn't pay the tuition for her to go to the University of Colombia. So why he is avoid her questions? His adversion is almost like a plaque outbreak being avoided by the public, or in Incarceron where the father avoid to answer Claudia's question if Finn is the prince or not.

The Moon and More; Theme and Summary

           As you can tell I am still reading the same book but it is good not saying it's boring. I have currently just finished with chapter 14 I have to say was extremely interesting. There were alot of events that occured during this chapter. The setting of the chapter was in CapeFrost at a Panasian restaurant. Where Emmaline has dinner with her two good friends and Theo. At this dinner it gets akward as Theo pushes Emmalines friends out oftheir  comfort zone. Making them feel uncomfortable. After their dinner they run into Clyde with a flat tire with some mysterious things in his vehicle. This only leads to to a higher build up to the already akward situation. For example "We all just sat there for a second the awkwardness like another person at the table. What a disaster, I thought. Beside us, the tourists were laughing, having a blast. Of course." ... "Theo said, finally," the thing is, I, um, didn't really get to do the dinner-dance, prom thing in highschool. Like, at all. I know all this fanfare was kind of stupid, with the cake and sparklers, the big reveal..." (pg 291). This little snid bit from the chapter show how it's not completely awkward but they feel bad for him and yet again it is another thing Theo never did and wants to do it now. Although Emmaline and her friends have done practically every thing in town that Theo thinks is so extravegant and new but truly it is the same boring thing to locals. With that statement you can see that all things are seen differently by all kinds of people and relating to the awkward situation they are in you can see that it might not seem that way to someone else, and it can sometimes be hard to accept the person/personality. That is also how it has gone so far throughout the course of the text with Emmaline's friends trying to adjust to Theo as he feel everything is cool and exciting to him but not to them. Those changes affect each event and how the turn out throughout the course of the text and so far it's not so good for her friends or family in hidden and not so hidden ways.

The Moon and More; Update

I haven't got much progress still sadly it's one of those books where it's not extremely long but takes forever to read. So far Emmaline has broken up with her long time boyfriend and on the same day kissed another guy (Theo) which in her view will only last the summer then when they go seperate ways it will not last. Also Margo is a annoy as ever with her systems she keeps adding to the family company to her eyes will make it more profitable. Final detail I will leave you with today is Emmalines friendship with her best friend which has become strained even though they won't admit it. It is the annoyance in her friends eyes I believe of Emmaline's  boyfriend who asked her to the summer bash that Emmaline goes with her every year. That concludes of what has happened so far in my reading, I will hopefully post soon on a recommendation to the book and a post on a new book!

The Moon and More; Characters #3

     This is an extension to the post of the other characters. Today I am going to give you details on two other characters in my book, Margo and Theo. Margo is one character that is present and you have a visual of her personality but she is not a main character. Theo on the other hand is a character that is slowly revealing as he gets more involved in Emmaline's life.
  
  Theo is an interesting character that at first you may think that he is pushy but you know that there is something hidden with in that you have to dive in and get to know them. For example " 'Oh, no ordering off the For the Americanos section!' Theo said. 'That's against table rules!'(pg. 288).This shows how he isn't use to people not doing something right or fast enough. That leads me into why I chose this photo for Theo because you know there is something on the cover you see but its in plain sight and there is something to uncovered. So the book cover It shows that the book might be scary, but it might not be scary(its scary) and you have to read into it to uncover the what it is about, and like Theo you have to uncover his true personality bit by bit. Also Theo is not as Emmaline expected as he grew up with rich parents going to bording school and very serious about school. When ever the topic of education comes up he dives head first plunging into a discussion that he prolongs past its ending point.With this little bit of information I have gathered on him I can already tell he is not what he seems and more.     

     Margo has a very nosy personality. What I mean by nosy is that she is always trying to get involved in everyone lives which she has no buisness in. And because of this Emmaline and Margo fight all the time, I have come to know that they bicker at each other a lot mainly about the buisness and Margo's new systems she has added.  For example in their daily Friday meetings, " 'If you start talking about khaki pants and denim shirts,' I warned her,' I am walking right out of here.'  'Emaline,' she shot back, 'I am tired of you always trying to bully me out of making needed changes. as my employee--' " (pg. 165). You could also say she very proud and stubborn as she is one of few in their family that has gotten a good degree so she brags all the time. There isn't much I can say about her though because she isn't mentioned a whole lot in the book so far. Also I chose this picture because the shadow symbolizes how she is always there and you may not realize it but as a shadow you may not see it but its there.

 

Check Point #3: Analysis

     I have been reading the same book for a week or 2 now and I keep refering back to an earlier chapter, chapter 2. I do this so often because it helps explain some of her issues with her father and their relationship together.
     In this chapter Emmaline actually finally for the first time e-mails her father. Which is all started when she was in 5th grade, 10 yrs old, and she had a project on her family tree. This communication started with a letter then it went to emails where they talked about school and her classes. These discussions as she grew closer to applying to a college turned to her applications and what school she would apply to and that he would pay for every thing.
  "A week later, the first book arrived. Test Best: Preparing for the S.A.T., I think it was called, although in the months following he sent so many more it was hard to keep them all straight. Books about taking tests, writing powerful essays, making your application stand out, ..." pg.35 (The Moon and More).
  This was how her months proceeded after the dinner she had when her father and his family came down to visit Emmaline. But all of this information made her mother nervous with her past knowledge that Emmaline's father wasn't very good at keeping promises. She says "It was a big promise, though, coming from someone who did not exactly have the best track record. This was somethining my mom, in particular, could not ignore." ... "But money and promises were real. as was the disappointment I'd feel if he wasn't able to deliver. 'I just don't want you to get your hopes up,..." pg. 36 (The Moon and More)
   She is backed by this when she eventually gets a response from Columbia that she got in but when e-mailing her fater she gets a response a while later "I am so sorry to have to tell you this, but due to unforseen circumstances, i will not e able to supplement you tuition to Columbia." pg. 38 (The Moon and More). So she is left with a full ride to East U her parents most favorable choice.
  This chapter in the book makes her and her fathers relationship go sour so she is very uncomfortable when ever she talks to him now when they later meet for dinner.
   


 

The Moon and More; Characters #2

In this post I am building onto last weeks post about Enmaline. As in the past week I have developed more understanding and knowledge of the characters.

   Luke, is Emmalines boyfriend as they have been dating for 3 years. Luke is the type of person who  is very outgoing and doesn't realize what has happened until later and tries to go back and fix it. Although the problems keep reoccurring like moon phases. I say this because the moon always gets more and more visible then it reverses and does the opposite, as the moon never has if any at all changes in how the order of thing happens.

Theo, a guest at the sand dollar rental vacation home catches Emmaline's eye. Theo as a character is very persistent, over worked and, naive. As a predictive intern for a strict documentary director he strives to do his best never accepting failur which also reminds me of a clock aa it never stops/gives up till it's time is up. 

Incarceron; Book Review

Incarceron, by Catherine Fisher is an action filled fictional story based around a cube world that no one knows how big it is. In that cube are billions of prisoners that struggle to survive in a poor lifestyle. As Claudia attempts to help Finn to escape from the cubed world. Throughout the process of Finn escape there are many hurdles that make the trip seem impossible and never ending. Although you'll have to read it in order to see if Finn escapes or not.

  To give you some insight on the book incase your thinking of reading it here is my view point on it. It is very suspenseful, you won't want to put the book down. Action filled with confrontations, solutions, uncovered long unknown truths, etc. With great amounts of juicy description it will make anyone enjoy it even if it isn't your genre.

The Moon and More; character

  In the Moon and More, Emmaline is the main character and for this post I'm going to just focus on her. With little detail on the other characters in my I book I am not able to go into detail about them. 

 Emmaline, overall so far is a round and dynamic character. A high school graduate with a boyfriend which she has grown more and more untrustworthy of over the course of the summer. She's become very frustrated and uncertain of somethings and somewhat closer to her family which in the beginning she had been more frustrated with in my view point. Her realization that things don't always turn out how you would want becomes supported by events that occur  throughout her progress of her changing personality. This personality change has slowly gone from careful and trusting to not so careful and unsure of promises and the truth. Emmaline's interaction with other characters varies upon who it is but mainly it is kind, caring, and happy but when talking with family members it sometimes becomes tense and frustrating. Overall in the my knowledge of Emmaline so far she is a kind, generous, caring, and sometimes easily annoyed.

Keeping the Moon

    In this book I was intrigued by the different but very similar topic that the author took. In The Moon and More, Colie the daughter of Kiki Sparks the famous woman weight lose instructer/influencer. Although the view of the book from Colie as she stay with her aunt in Colby, North Carolina. But at the same time her mother is in Europe. Even skinny colie still sees herself as the fat girl that gets picked on in school all the time and is embarassed about it. Over the course of the story she get rid of many security blankets, overcomes her fear of others bullying her, and has a small romance. But the most major thing of all is that she becomes more comfortable in her own skin and with her personality querks, hair, weight, etc. She couldn't of done all of this with out the help of. Morgan, Isabel, Norman, and her aunt Mira. But the main thing in Sarah Dessen's book is that you can do anything you just have to believe in yourself.

    I didn't reveal much about the book but if you enjoy a bit of romance but not to much but enjoy when personality discomfort is revealed and is taken away with no security blankets to cover up with. To get a better idea about Sarah Dessen's books click the link. Overall this book is quite suspenseful and gives you a wide range of different views on life and different topics/subjects.


   

                                         

The Moon and More

      In The Moon and More, Emmaline is all over the place in the beginning of the book as the author jumps from topic to topic giving you a basic over view such as her conflict between her biological father and how he doesn't follow through with some things, her job at a vacation rental, that is her family's business, her boyfriend Luke, and finally her best friend that is a guy Morris that struggles to keep a job. So one of the bi questions I have is that she even able to keep up with all this drama or is it going to break her.
   
    With Emmaline's life you could compare it to every one or even just myself that people are constantly coming, going, and staying but there are always bumps in the road that make a big or small course change. But you could also say those trips along the bumpy road during this book could make her journey even better or worse. Lastly, she has to over come her fears and ask her father questions such as why didn't you keep your promise, why didntnyou respond like your earlier email, etc.
      Finally, from all this detail on the beginning of the book I am able to predict that there will be many hiccups along the journey with Emmaline throughout the book as it progresses on.

In my summer reading book "Ready Player One" Wade is the most complex character. I say this because he was one person out of thousand of people living in a dump but in the end is this famous person know as Parzival in an online gaming world. Over the course of the text Wade undergoes traumatic events ranging from depression and walking the line of death, he loses everything but gains so much from it and then gains back things and treasures them. While in the beginning he was a shy, and bullied teenager in the end he is an admired gaming adult that has succeeded in an extremely challenging contest.@

Also attached is a link that describes what the book is and the author its self. It tells of links to music, movies, games, etc. and how it is planned to be formed into a movie. The article goes into depth on specific things included in the book such as famous games ex. Pac man. This article about the 1980's culture in "Ready Player One" shows the key points but doesn't spoil the entire book.