Hi friends! I am very sorry for the late post. I participated in the Dewey's 24 hour read-a-thon this weekend and I just ran out of time. All right enough with the excuses. I have decided to start a series called Quote-Worthy Quotes. Many books have such wonderful and insightful quotes in them that I feel need to get some recognition. Each post I will pick a book and discuss some of the best lines from it. I am open to taking book recommendations as well. This week I am going to be discussing quotes from The 5th Wave by Rick Yancy. I hope you enjoy!
“Some things you can never leave behind. They don't belong to the past. They belong to you.”
This quote explained something that I had been unable to put into words before. People will often tell you not to reminisce on bad memories and a popular Disney film says "the past is in the past", but it is not always that simple. Sometimes things affect us in a way that is not so easily forgotten or fixed. You cannot always put things behind you, but you can learn and become stronger because of them.
“That's what you do when the curtain is falling--you give the line that the audience wants to hear.”
When I first read this quote, I fell in love with the way it is written. The use of metaphors and symbolism is incredible throughout the entire book, but it is especially poignant in this line. It speaks the ultimate truth; we frequently lie to people for what we believe is their own good. If you are lying with good intentions, does it excuse the fact that you're lying? That is up to us to decide for ourselves.
“Sarcasm doesn't appear to work on him. If that's true, I'm in trouble: It's my normal mode of communication.”
This line made me laugh out loud and I felt the need to include it. The odds are that if you are an avid internet user, you too speak the language of sarcasm. It was cool to see that despite all of the horrible things that were going on, Cassie still maintained qualities of a regular teenager.
And finally, I will leave you with the most kick-butt line in the whole novel.
“What doesn't kill us sharpens us. Hardens us. Schools us. You're beating plowshares into swords, Vosch. You are remaking us. We are the clay, and you are Michelangelo. And we will be your masterpiece.”
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Saturday, April 19, 2014
The Zombie Apocalypse Book Tag!
Earth is in chaos. Zombies are everywhere and only you and your zombie slaying team can save the human race. Who will your team members be? It's time to find out.
There is a set of ten questions that you will answer using five books. You will use each book for two of the questions (the first book for questions one and two, the second book for questions three and four, and so on). First, pick five of your favorite books off your shelves, write their names on pieces of paper, and place the names in a container. Then, select a name out of your container. Take that book and open to a random page. The first name you see is who will be your answer for the first question. Flip to a different page and the first name you see will be your answer for the second question. To clarify, you must see an actual character name. If the protagonist refers to themselves as "I" it does not count. Also, you can only use a character once. Finally, repeat the process until you have answered all ten questions. I will be putting my results down below.
Books I Chose (in the order I pulled them):
Divergent by Veronica Roth
City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
Questions:
Who is the first person to die?
Will
Who is the person you trip to get away from the zombies?
Four
Who is the first person to turn into a zombie?
Alec
Who is the person that trips YOU to get away from the zombies?
Simon
Who is the idiot of the team?
Haymich
Who is the “brains” of the team?
Finnick
Who is the team’s medic?
Nick
Who is the weapons expert?
Wren
Who is the brawler?
Tessa
Who is the Team Captain?
Gideon
Analysis:
1. Ironic isn't it
2. I think while trying to trip him I would just end up tripping myself
3. Does he still obtain his shadowhunter abilities? Because if so we are screwed
4. I feel betrayed Simon!!!! I thought you were cooler than that!!!!
5. I could see that
6. Finally something good has happened to the team!!!
7. We are going to die
8. See number seven
9. Not terrible but I was hoping for Jem or Will. Can we use her clockwork angel?
10. Very pleased with this and hopefully he can lead us to victory!
I encourage you to try this yourself! Have fun zombie hunting!
There is a set of ten questions that you will answer using five books. You will use each book for two of the questions (the first book for questions one and two, the second book for questions three and four, and so on). First, pick five of your favorite books off your shelves, write their names on pieces of paper, and place the names in a container. Then, select a name out of your container. Take that book and open to a random page. The first name you see is who will be your answer for the first question. Flip to a different page and the first name you see will be your answer for the second question. To clarify, you must see an actual character name. If the protagonist refers to themselves as "I" it does not count. Also, you can only use a character once. Finally, repeat the process until you have answered all ten questions. I will be putting my results down below.
Books I Chose (in the order I pulled them):
Divergent by Veronica Roth
City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
Questions:
Who is the first person to die?
Will
Who is the person you trip to get away from the zombies?
Four
Who is the first person to turn into a zombie?
Alec
Who is the person that trips YOU to get away from the zombies?
Simon
Who is the idiot of the team?
Haymich
Who is the “brains” of the team?
Finnick
Who is the team’s medic?
Nick
Who is the weapons expert?
Wren
Who is the brawler?
Tessa
Who is the Team Captain?
Gideon
Analysis:
1. Ironic isn't it
2. I think while trying to trip him I would just end up tripping myself
3. Does he still obtain his shadowhunter abilities? Because if so we are screwed
4. I feel betrayed Simon!!!! I thought you were cooler than that!!!!
5. I could see that
6. Finally something good has happened to the team!!!
7. We are going to die
8. See number seven
9. Not terrible but I was hoping for Jem or Will. Can we use her clockwork angel?
10. Very pleased with this and hopefully he can lead us to victory!
I encourage you to try this yourself! Have fun zombie hunting!
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Character Analysis: Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Charlie has easily become one of my favorite characters of all time. I found that our personalities were very similar which made him easy to relate to and he was just a wonderful character in general. Despite the tragic things that have happened in his life, he always sees the best in people and does not have a mean bone in his body. However, his devotion to pleasing other people causes him to not worry about himself. It is almost painful to watch him suffer because he is just so genuinely nice. Charlie made my heart wrench and evoked emotions out of me that I did not know I possessed.
We can all agree that Charlie is just a sweetheart. He manages to maintain such an innocence about him despite his past and he just forced me to love him. There is not a thing he does in the novel that could make you dislike him. He is a shy, socially awkward freshman who loves reading and if that isn't enough, he only strives to make people happy. I mean come on. We are also forced to somewhat pity him. His best friend committed suicide and he has to keep going. Life goes on. Charlie's pure goodness is inspirational and really says a lot about his character.
And then we have his love for Sam. He loves her for who she is and does not care about her past. Even when he is dating Mary Elizabeth he is doing it because he thinks that is what Sam wants. It was heartbreaking watching Sam treat him as more of a younger brother than someone she could be interested in romantically. Things work out in the end though, and our little fangirl hearts are fulfilled.
He also loves Patrick very much. He beat up Brad's groupies when they were attacking Patrick and threatened to blind them if they ever did it again. That took some guts and was very out of character for Charlie. He also let Patrick kiss him because he thought it was making Patrick feel better about his break up with Brad. Charlie selflessly protects him and devotes himself to making sure Patrick is happy.
Charlie's capacity for love is amazing and inspiring. If we all loved as much as he does, the world could be a very different place. I believe we all have some Charlie within ourselves, sometimes we just have to search for it. I hope one day I can be half as wonderful as he is. Charlie does and will always have a special place in my heart.
We can all agree that Charlie is just a sweetheart. He manages to maintain such an innocence about him despite his past and he just forced me to love him. There is not a thing he does in the novel that could make you dislike him. He is a shy, socially awkward freshman who loves reading and if that isn't enough, he only strives to make people happy. I mean come on. We are also forced to somewhat pity him. His best friend committed suicide and he has to keep going. Life goes on. Charlie's pure goodness is inspirational and really says a lot about his character.
And then we have his love for Sam. He loves her for who she is and does not care about her past. Even when he is dating Mary Elizabeth he is doing it because he thinks that is what Sam wants. It was heartbreaking watching Sam treat him as more of a younger brother than someone she could be interested in romantically. Things work out in the end though, and our little fangirl hearts are fulfilled.
He also loves Patrick very much. He beat up Brad's groupies when they were attacking Patrick and threatened to blind them if they ever did it again. That took some guts and was very out of character for Charlie. He also let Patrick kiss him because he thought it was making Patrick feel better about his break up with Brad. Charlie selflessly protects him and devotes himself to making sure Patrick is happy.
Charlie's capacity for love is amazing and inspiring. If we all loved as much as he does, the world could be a very different place. I believe we all have some Charlie within ourselves, sometimes we just have to search for it. I hope one day I can be half as wonderful as he is. Charlie does and will always have a special place in my heart.
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Paper Towns Book Review
John Green strikes again. Every time I read his work I find myself getting lost in the story and Paper Towns was no exception. It follows the story of Quentin, a high school senior who has been intrigued by his neighbor, Margo, since they were kids. Through the years Margo became part of the "popular" clique whereas Quentin became friends with the band geeks. Although they went completely different paths Quentin's wonder for Margo never faltered, so when she shows up in the middle of the night asking for his help, it's a no-brainer. This is the beginning of a whirlwind adventure that will leave Quentin changed forever.
All right, if you have not read the book and do not want to be spoiled, now is the time to go. What are you still doing here? Go read the book! I only kid of course, I would be lying if I said I hadn't read spoilers before. Thus, I leave this here for all of your spoiler enjoyment. Now back to the book.
I am very fond of this story. I think it is an interesting plot idea that was well executed. Quentin had a good arc and overall was a round character as well as Margo. Despite the suspenseful idea of Margo possibly being dead, it was also quite humorous and had me laughing out loud. I was actually not planning to like this book as much as I did so I am pleasantly surprised.
One of my favorite parts of this novel is Quentin and Margo finding the dead body of Robert Joyner. It was such a shocking way to open a book and I had never read anything like it before. I appreciated how that came into play later within Quentin's thoughts and in Margo's black notebook. It was a unique and edgy way to give them a connection to each other.
I also enjoyed that we are left wondering at the end of the novel. We don't know if Quentin and Margo keep in touch or reunite in the future. It reminds me of those old choose your own adventure games. There are multiple ways you could perceive their relationship to work out and it is left up to you to decide. If he had ended it decisively, I don't think it would have as much of an impact.
As much as I loved this book there were some aspects I was not a fan of. I found the search for Margo to be dragged out longer than it needed to be. I feel like it could have been done just as effectively in less chapters. I also wish Radar was not so flat. He could have used a little more character development. Overall, I respect Green's decisions and I cannot really complain because it is a wonderful novel that I thoroughly devoured.
In conclusion, this book captured the essence of being a teenager. From having an infatuating crush, to being bullied, to just wanting to belong, he covers it all. It was captivating with relatable characters and topics that made it easy to get into to. I am giving Paper Towns 4.5 out of 5 stars. Thank you John Green for once again making me feel the feels.
Rebecca
All right, if you have not read the book and do not want to be spoiled, now is the time to go. What are you still doing here? Go read the book! I only kid of course, I would be lying if I said I hadn't read spoilers before. Thus, I leave this here for all of your spoiler enjoyment. Now back to the book.
I am very fond of this story. I think it is an interesting plot idea that was well executed. Quentin had a good arc and overall was a round character as well as Margo. Despite the suspenseful idea of Margo possibly being dead, it was also quite humorous and had me laughing out loud. I was actually not planning to like this book as much as I did so I am pleasantly surprised.
One of my favorite parts of this novel is Quentin and Margo finding the dead body of Robert Joyner. It was such a shocking way to open a book and I had never read anything like it before. I appreciated how that came into play later within Quentin's thoughts and in Margo's black notebook. It was a unique and edgy way to give them a connection to each other.
I also enjoyed that we are left wondering at the end of the novel. We don't know if Quentin and Margo keep in touch or reunite in the future. It reminds me of those old choose your own adventure games. There are multiple ways you could perceive their relationship to work out and it is left up to you to decide. If he had ended it decisively, I don't think it would have as much of an impact.
As much as I loved this book there were some aspects I was not a fan of. I found the search for Margo to be dragged out longer than it needed to be. I feel like it could have been done just as effectively in less chapters. I also wish Radar was not so flat. He could have used a little more character development. Overall, I respect Green's decisions and I cannot really complain because it is a wonderful novel that I thoroughly devoured.
In conclusion, this book captured the essence of being a teenager. From having an infatuating crush, to being bullied, to just wanting to belong, he covers it all. It was captivating with relatable characters and topics that made it easy to get into to. I am giving Paper Towns 4.5 out of 5 stars. Thank you John Green for once again making me feel the feels.
Rebecca
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Introduction
Hello there! I have decided that I should introduce myself. My name is Rebecca and I live in Southern California although I would much rather live in a fictional universe. I have a passion for reading fiction of which my favorite genres are science fiction and contemporary. Besides reading I am also quite the band geek and enjoy music almost as much as I enjoy books. I hope someday to make a difference in the world. I am not sure how yet but I will get there eventually. My goal for this blog is just to have fun and write about books. I will try and have an eclectic mix of posts so that it's not the same thing every time. I would like to do book reviews, important quote discussions, author discussions, and more! Stay tuned!
Rebecca
Rebecca
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