Wonder

this was a great book. It follows the story of August, a disfigured boy in 5th grade. it has a good story line, good characters, and overall, just a really solid book. I especially liked how they explored the different perspectives of characters, and how different people react to this situation.
Check it out if you haven't already.

limmerics

There once was a man named Jack
Who practiced voodoo in a shack
he started to pray
but was taken away
by two government men wearing black

There once was a child from Logan
Who thought the school needed a slogan
But to him, it was crime
if it didn't quite rhyme,
and so that was all that he wrote.

Fis philosophy

The fish of course is free of the effects that hungry briefcases and charts force upon the rest. Life is full, the memory is full of unexplainable scenery that is totally natural and unadvertised to. Who knows if that is all something as pure as a fish is? and each one that we suppress, each aborted thought does mean something. The fish, of course, throws nothing out, for it has no compass induced by society to tell it what to keep. So sad. So happy. So nothing. For what if life is simply life, and things that happen are just things that happen? The fish of course is content seeing things this way, there is no reason for things to mean anything, he has no problem with this. No need to supply and mach things that happen with emotions. The fish, of course, does not do this because it is profound to do so, more just because it is the way it is. Seeing things the way they are is of course impossible, but why illusion yourself unnecessarily? The fish of course only sees what it sees. it has no illusions of ambition. So sad. So happy. So nothing. For with what do we need ambitions? why can't we all learn something from the uncomplicated content nature that can only could be exuded by the fish, of course?

irish curse poem

May your intestines burst with tapeworms, and your teeth be pulled right out. each time you start to speak a word, you should be filled with doubt. And may the blood within your vains become too much to hold, so as you try to scream in pain, your tongue swells up tenfold. And let all the attention that you so desperately seek, finally be yours to keep, you stupid, shallow freak.

Poem

The golden field of blowing grass.

I can remember a long, long expanse stretching out as far as the eye can see, out into the distance.

I stand atop a 

tall and thin

hill, with a small

cement platform on

 top. the platform

 has a green

metal bench on it,

to the left of me.

The bench is made up

of green strips of 

metal that are curved

to create the shape of a seat. Near where the hill 

begins to even out, there is a red bush. the bush is red because 

of its leaves and stems, which are really more burgundy. the bush is thorny as well,

but not in a way that would cause pain, because the thorns are large, and somewhat dull. 

The sun is seeping behind the suburbs that lie past the hills, each picturesque home just as clean and crisp as the next. How is it that I can remember this exact scene with such accuracy, but have no recollection or explanation of where or when it happened?

Tangerine

I have mixed feelings about this book. For one thing, it does do a good job setting an interesting place for the characters to interact in. The town of Tangerine feels amazing. And speaking of, there are some good characters, too. Paul's friends, like Victor, and Gino are good characters. I also like how Paul actually has to build his friendships from something. Its not like he just waltzed on in, and boom, he's popular. his friends don't even start out liking him at all, and knowing Paul, yah, that's pretty apt, but i'll get to that in a sec. So Good setting, good writing style, some good characters, what don't I like? Well, there's one problem with the book, and sadly, it's a pretty big one. paul, the main character just isn't likable. he's preachy, he's mopey, it's shown that he's intelligent, but it's really inconsistent. It didn't ruin the book for me, bout still, I think it should be addressed. Overall, Tangerine is a good read. Hopefully, you can take what I say into consideration, and see if this seems up your ally.

Shiver

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

This book seemed like a pretty unapologetic cash-in on the werewolf craze a few years back. The story centers around Grace, a teenage girl who isn't scared of all of the wolves that plague the woods around her house, just because she was once dragged into the woods by them and they didn't even eat her that much. smart girl. There's also a guy named Sam who is a werewolf but every year turns human or something... the whole thing was really convoluted and the magic involved was never really explained. the story line is pretty forgettable, to be honest. at the end of the day, there's nothing that is really that bad about it, its just really forgettable. I would probably not recommend this book to anyone.

Funny Business

Funny Business by John Schiezka and various authors

This is an anthology of short stories by many authors, most of with are fictional, but a few are autobiographical. They all share the same general theme of growing up in middle school. Some of these stories are great, some are not. this was a mixed bag for me. I would recommend this book to anyone who is willing to skim through whatever parts of this tome you enjoy.

5/10

Short story anthology

Swamp Thing

The Swamp Thing
By Alan Moore

This book was extremely disturbing and hard to follow. the plot switched a lot, and characters simply came and went without explanation. The book plays with some cool themes at times, but ultimately doesn't go anywhere with them. To be fair, the art was downright awesome, and there's a lot of creativity, but there's not much to tie it together and little explanation. The dialogue is hit or miss, and the author who is apparently very popular for his other works is seemingly vacant for this volume. Not much else to be said, exept that again the artwork is really good, and he was obviously having a lot of fun with it. This book is best enjoyed without words or not at all.

2/5
sci-fi

Persepolis

Persepolis

Marjane Satrapi

This book accomplishes what it sets out to do. It tells a complete and impressive story of an in tire childhood. Events flow logically together. My favorite thing about the book was how it captured the inconsistency and flaws of the child's train of thought. I also loved the artistic style used in the pictures and the use of black shapes.

7/10

The Game of Sunken Places

The Game of sunken Places
By M.T. Anderson
Fantasy
This book was a mixed bag for me. the two leads, Brian and gregory were interesting enough, and they were different enough that they added some contrast. Their personalities bounced off each other in a fun way. The other characters were interestingly themed, and all felt like they belonged in the same world, but their personalities didn't offer much, and they weren't ever given much time to introduce themselves. The storyline was at its best at the beginning, when everything seemed mysterious and sinister. I think that it tried to be too many things at once when the game came into full swing.

Animal Farm

Animal Farm
By George Orwell
Fiction
Review:
This book was a very interesting read. it's a bit slow at the beginning, but as you read on, you will find that the story is that of not so much literal meaning as (surprisingly enough) a metaphor for communism. with quirky humor and surreal undertones, this is an unbeatably "smart" book.
My next book will be "The Game Of Sunken Places" by M.T. Andersson.

Paper Towns

Paper Towns
By John Green
young adults
280 pages

Q is in high school with his friends Ben and Radar, as well as an extraordinary girl named Margo Roth Spiegelmen. One night, Margo crawls into Q's bedroom, and invites him in a crazy whirlwind tour around the city. the next day, Margo is gone. Q and his friends must embark on a quest across the country and find Margo's carefully placed clues to find her.

I have heard that many readers of this story enjoyed it most for its story line. I agree that the story of the book was good, but for me, it was the characters that really made this book engageing. The character of Margo in particular was extremely clever and entertaining. in contrast, the main character of Q was somewhat undefined, i could never quite tell if he was the the nerd, the party animal, or just an aimless middle ground. I think it was impressive and ambitious to have a character like Margo introduced, but then absent for much of the book. the clues scattered through out the book are well thought out and clever. The part one scene at night was fast paced and exiting, but the rythem of the book seemed to drop for the rest of the story.


Three stars

going to read Animal Farm next week.

TBR List

These are some books on my to be read list right now:

Okay For Now by Gary Schmidt

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Ender's Game by Scott Card

Please recommend more to me, if you can.

Outliers, by Malcom Gladwell

This book was very good. As I said before, I really like books that make you think, and this one totally fits the bill. It is an inquisitive, thoughtful entertaining guide to success is a must read for anyone interested in what it takes to be a genius. This book is nonfiction, with i generally don't enjoy much, but this was a definite exception. I personally found the chapter about the world's smartest man amazingly entertaining. This book in general is about the world's most successful people, and how they got there in the first place. It's a refreshing alternative to the generic rags to riches story.

These are some books on my to be read list right now:

Okay For Now by Gary Schmidt

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Ender's Game by Scott Card

Please recommend more to me, if you can.

Hello. I'm Elliott. I like drawing, sculpting, painting, and writing. 

My three favorite books (in no particular order) are as follows. "The Chronicles of Harris Burdick" by various authors, because it takes some of my favorite modern writers, such as Lemony Snicket, and John Sciezska and creates an amazing collection of short stories. "See You at Harry"s, by Jo Knoles. this book was very sad and meaningful, and it taught me not to take my family for granted."Fahrenheit 451," by Ray Bradbury is another book with a lot of deep meaning, although sometimes more subtle. It can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Even though each of these books are very different from each other, they in my opinion are all quite mentally provocative. If you like books that "make you think," then all three of these might appeal to you.

-Elliott