Did you ever read a book when you were younger and it's still stuck with you? That's how I am with my favorite book, "A Corner of the Universe" by Ann M. Martin. It will always be on my list of books to read again! It takes place in the 1950's and is a really neat family story! You will love it even though it does have a bittersweet ending...
Another one of my all time favorite books is "The Giver" by Lois Lowry. It is a very genuine book, and you have to have a certain mind state to read it. I guess I was a gifted 4th grader, I recall one of my student teachers asking me how in the world I was reading that, and that is was required for one of her college classes, & half the class didn't understand it. The book in general is hard to wrap your mind around, it is so unimaginable. I bet you cannot picture seeing your entire life without color, and having gray as the norm. It is a really good book in the end, and I have the rest of the the series on my to read list. I realize I have failed to give a clear definition of the book, but it is so complex Lois Lowry is a very talented writer! I encourage you to attempt to read it and if you fail the first time, to TRY AGAIN. It is one of the best books ever.
Another one of my favorite books is "Because of Winn-Dixie". I could've recited that entire book for you in elementary school. I've probably read it at least 30 times if not more. It is such a sweet story about a girl and her dog. It just touched me how much she wants to know about her momma, since she ran away, and how she feels the same about Winn-Dixie. I was really sad when they changed our Winn-Dixie in town to E.W. James. It was like taking away a piece of my childhood. If you have never read the book it is a mandatory to read, like right now. I don't care how old you are.
Those are just a few of my favorite books, if you have some spare time and want a comfy book or a challenge book it is totally worth taking the time to read these. I hope that if you do read them and that you enjoy them too! Please leave a comment if you do! All in All, I had a great summer and I feel like such an older person now than I was at the beginning of the summer, not just physically but mentally. After a trip to California, Kentucky Lake, Florida, Paducah, Manhattan (The Brooklyn Nine), The future (Fahrenheit 451), and to a genius' little girls mind (Out of my mind), I would say I've most definitely gotten my traveling in! I hope everyone has had an amazing summer and that they learned a lot. Here's to a new school year!
Thursday, August 16, 2012
The One and Only Ray Bradbury!
If you read my last post you should know that this post is going to be about one of my new favorite Science Fiction authors, Ray Bradbury! Reading biography after biography on him, I feel that he is worthy of his own post. Not just because of all his successful writings, but because of his interesting life and success without proper education. It really is another example of setting goals and achieving them, no matter your circumstances!
Reading more about Ray Bradbury has been very (VERY) interesting! I found this quote from him at http://www.raybradbury.com/bio.html
Reading more about Ray Bradbury has been very (VERY) interesting! I found this quote from him at http://www.raybradbury.com/bio.html
| On the occasion of his 80th birthday in August 2000, Bradbury said, "The great
fun in my life has been getting up every morning and rushing to the typewriter
because some new idea has hit me. The feeling I have every day is very much the
same as it was when I was twelve. In any event, here I am, eighty years old,
feeling no different, full of a great sense of joy, and glad for the long life
that has been allowed me. I have good plans for the next ten or twenty years,
and I hope you'll come along." I love how Bradbury says he feels the same way as when he was 12 and came up with a new idea, that is so cool! I want to be able to tell people that when I get older and chose a career. You should do something you love so that it doesn't feel like work, but is enjoyable! Mr.Bradbury surely never expected to win all the awards he has, he was just doing what he loved and hoping others enjoyed his writing as much as he did! Not many people can say that! He even has a Grammy, most people would find it so hard to believe that he never even attend college. Don't get me wrong you should go to college, but doesn't it seem like the most successful people always end up being the males who never went to college or dropped out? Anyways, Ray Bradbury always typed on his typewriter, and by the end of his lifetime he had written 30 books and over 600 short stories! That is just astonishing! Below is a picture of Ray Bradbury!  So go out, try and reach your goals! Don't let your circumstances stop you, don't let others stop you. Take Bradbury as your example, and go out and do what you love! If you want more info on Ray Bradbury I've listed some links below! (: http://www.raybradbury.com/bio.html http://www.raybradbury.com/ |
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Fahrenheit 451
Picture a world, were fire fighters did not put out fires, but rather started them. Where books are illegal and have to be completely burned to ashes, twice. Where people didn't socialize, and you could be arrested for being a pedestrian. Where cars drove over 100 Mph on the highway, as the speed limit. I bet you can't see yourself in a world like that, but after reading "Fahrenheit 451" I Can. Ray Bradbury is a very interesting writer with a lot of unimaginable works of science fiction. He did an awesome job of putting me into the book and I loved it.
This book really made me question society today and how it will be in the future! Considering that this book was released in 1951 and published in 1953 and they didn't even have computers! I am amazed at how much Bradbury knew and was able to guess about society in the now not so far off future! If you think about it they didn't even have computers back then! They didn't even have cell phones until 1983! I am so curious about the life of Ray Bradbury, that I will add some information now and maybe even make my next post about him!
Some fun facts about Ray Bradbury! He never went to college, he started out of high school working at libraries and selling newspaper all over LA. He started his full time writing career in 1843. Notice that after only 10 years as a highly successful writer Bradbury had already written his "masterpiece" that we will still read today. Another fact which i stumbled upon, was how long he lived. Ray Bradbury lived to be 91, having just recently passed away on June 5th, 2012. I don't want to give away everything about Mr. Ray Bradbury so stay updated for more blast from the past! (:
I am very glad I chose this book to read, and I must admit, it was quite out of my comfort zone. I really don't enjoy reading Science-Fiction, so it is very atypical for me to even think about reading it, and in this case it's very extraordinary that i actually read it and fell in love with the book. I heard it was one of those books where you either love it or hate it, and I can see how that goes! I do recommend you give this book a shot!
This book really made me question society today and how it will be in the future! Considering that this book was released in 1951 and published in 1953 and they didn't even have computers! I am amazed at how much Bradbury knew and was able to guess about society in the now not so far off future! If you think about it they didn't even have computers back then! They didn't even have cell phones until 1983! I am so curious about the life of Ray Bradbury, that I will add some information now and maybe even make my next post about him!
Some fun facts about Ray Bradbury! He never went to college, he started out of high school working at libraries and selling newspaper all over LA. He started his full time writing career in 1843. Notice that after only 10 years as a highly successful writer Bradbury had already written his "masterpiece" that we will still read today. Another fact which i stumbled upon, was how long he lived. Ray Bradbury lived to be 91, having just recently passed away on June 5th, 2012. I don't want to give away everything about Mr. Ray Bradbury so stay updated for more blast from the past! (:
I am very glad I chose this book to read, and I must admit, it was quite out of my comfort zone. I really don't enjoy reading Science-Fiction, so it is very atypical for me to even think about reading it, and in this case it's very extraordinary that i actually read it and fell in love with the book. I heard it was one of those books where you either love it or hate it, and I can see how that goes! I do recommend you give this book a shot!
Monday, August 6, 2012
Lots of Learning!
Hey Guys! I am currently poolside at my hotel in Anaheim, CA!! I just finished reading the Brooklyn Nine on the plane. I took a trip to Brooklyn and California all at the same time! I really enjoyed the Brooklyn Nine, not just for the baseball in it, but for bringing family values and history more to my attention. It truly is a great read and very informative.
I did have a few questions about some parts of the book and the history of Brooklyn. In the first "inning" of this book the author wrote about a fire that burned almost all of Manhattan. I wanted to know if this fire was real and where it actually started! The results on my research have brought me to the conclusion that this fire was indeed real! I found this true on multiple websites but this one put it the best, "Some distinct circumstances set it apart from the prior, more destructive blaze. It occurred before the crack of dawn on Saturday, July 19, 1845, on the third floor of an "oil store" on New Street -- only a couple blocks from where the Great Fire of 1835 had started. Normal summertime temperatures, sunlight creeping onto the horizon, and an influx of people going about their early morning business likely might have ensured that the blaze would have been swiftly contained. Unfortunately, a warehouse owned by the merchants Crocker & Warren, just a block away at 38 Broad Street, was filled with a new shipment of saltpetre, used for the manufacture of gunpowder. Fire wafted in through an opening in one of the store's open iron shutters, and the result was a series of cannon-like bursts of smoke and fire, almost like a volcano, smashing into buildings across the street. It culminated in a terrible, final explosion, completely engulfing the block. The explosion was heard as far away as Sandy Hook, New Jersey." I find it to be very coincidental that the fire started at almost the same place, 10 years later. Also, that the fire started close to the a warehouse storing gunpowder! I cant imagine how the by-standers reacted!
Another interesting fact I learned was about women during the war. I made this discovery in the sixth "inning" of this book, which takes place in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1945. This was the year that the United States, beat Europe in World War 2! Since all the the males were gone at war, and America still had a love for baseball, the women played baseball! I thought it was similar to our modern day version of Softball but little did I know I was way off. The women played full out hard-core baseball just like the the guys did! The only exception they made to the rules was the uniforms! Since back then it was considered wrong for a girl to wear pants, the girls all played baseball in skirts! Can you even begin to imagine how hard that would be?! It has given me a new appreciation of being allowed to wear pants and that I don't have to be forced into wearing a skirt or dress. Below is a picture of The Grand Rapids Chicks, the team that the character in this book supposedly played for.
I hope you can find some time to read The Brooklyn Nine by Alan Gratz because it is wonderful! I really liked reading this book which is amazing considering that I do not like to read! I hope this post let you learn some and if you would like more information I have posted a few links below. Remember to stay thankful, and keep reading! (:
http://theboweryboys.blogspot.com/2009/03/explosion-of-1845-downtown-new-york-in.html
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Grand_Rapids_Chicks
I did have a few questions about some parts of the book and the history of Brooklyn. In the first "inning" of this book the author wrote about a fire that burned almost all of Manhattan. I wanted to know if this fire was real and where it actually started! The results on my research have brought me to the conclusion that this fire was indeed real! I found this true on multiple websites but this one put it the best, "Some distinct circumstances set it apart from the prior, more destructive blaze. It occurred before the crack of dawn on Saturday, July 19, 1845, on the third floor of an "oil store" on New Street -- only a couple blocks from where the Great Fire of 1835 had started. Normal summertime temperatures, sunlight creeping onto the horizon, and an influx of people going about their early morning business likely might have ensured that the blaze would have been swiftly contained. Unfortunately, a warehouse owned by the merchants Crocker & Warren, just a block away at 38 Broad Street, was filled with a new shipment of saltpetre, used for the manufacture of gunpowder. Fire wafted in through an opening in one of the store's open iron shutters, and the result was a series of cannon-like bursts of smoke and fire, almost like a volcano, smashing into buildings across the street. It culminated in a terrible, final explosion, completely engulfing the block. The explosion was heard as far away as Sandy Hook, New Jersey." I find it to be very coincidental that the fire started at almost the same place, 10 years later. Also, that the fire started close to the a warehouse storing gunpowder! I cant imagine how the by-standers reacted!
Another interesting fact I learned was about women during the war. I made this discovery in the sixth "inning" of this book, which takes place in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1945. This was the year that the United States, beat Europe in World War 2! Since all the the males were gone at war, and America still had a love for baseball, the women played baseball! I thought it was similar to our modern day version of Softball but little did I know I was way off. The women played full out hard-core baseball just like the the guys did! The only exception they made to the rules was the uniforms! Since back then it was considered wrong for a girl to wear pants, the girls all played baseball in skirts! Can you even begin to imagine how hard that would be?! It has given me a new appreciation of being allowed to wear pants and that I don't have to be forced into wearing a skirt or dress. Below is a picture of The Grand Rapids Chicks, the team that the character in this book supposedly played for.
I hope you can find some time to read The Brooklyn Nine by Alan Gratz because it is wonderful! I really liked reading this book which is amazing considering that I do not like to read! I hope this post let you learn some and if you would like more information I have posted a few links below. Remember to stay thankful, and keep reading! (:
http://theboweryboys.blogspot.com/2009/03/explosion-of-1845-downtown-new-york-in.html
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Grand_Rapids_Chicks
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