Month: February 2018

Leave a comment Posted on Books, Misc. Articles

The Fun of Re-Reading a Book!

 

Recently, I have began to read Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, a book that I read about two years ago, and it reminds of the fun of reading a book you have already read again!

Of course, you can’t just read any book over again, it usually has to be compelling in the first place. Additionally, for me, it’s hard to read again if the book delves into deep and poignant topics, because usually the book gets it’s message across perfectly the first time around. Fantasy and Sci-Fi novels that are more of a fun ride book to re-read that won’t depress you in the process.

It is enjoyable to get reintroduced to the deep world-building established in certain books. Also, books with plot twist are another enjoyable read because it’s fun to track down the little hints the author sprinkled throughout the book that hinted to the plot twist.

The first book in a beloved series is also a great re-read, because it’s so interesting to see how the stories the character has gone through changed said character by comparing the character’s personality in the first book to the last book. It’s like watching the first season of your favorite TV show so you can remember how it all began.

For example, I have re-read the whole Harry Potter series several times and each time it’s a different experience because I am able to spot the little plot twist hints and catch details that I had missed in the past. Harry Potter himself and the supporting characters around him also greatly change and it’s fascinating to see how they have done so.

In conclusion, If you don’t have a book waiting to be read on your shelf, re-read one of your former favorites. It’s absorbing to see how the characters have changed, how the plot twists were foreshadowed, how many details you missed in your first read, and how time has changed YOUR perspective about the events going on in the book.

So, if you have some time on your hands, re-read a book that you read a while ago and see how it goes. You’ll probably like it!

What’s your favorite book to re-read?

Leave a comment Posted on Book Reviews, Misc. Articles

Want a Great Club to Join, Do Battle of the Books!

Battle of the Books is club at Dominion High School and many other schools in the county that read 10 books and then have a competition with trivia facts about the books in March. However, we also do mock-battle meetings and hopefully pizza parties with team bonding. Here are all the books that we read in the 2018-2017 season:

Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley

Sixteen year-old Solomon is agoraphobic, therefore he hasn’t left his house in 3 year, 2 months, and 1 day, to be exact. Lisa is an aspiring psychologist who wants to ‘cure’ Simon so that she can win a Scholarship and enter the second-best psychology program in the U.S.

My Rating: 8.5/10

All American Boys by Brendan Kiely and Jason Reynolds

After Rashad is beaten brutally by a policeman because he thought that Rashad stole something—even though he clearly didn’t—a whole town must decide whose side they are on and whose truth they believe. The story is told from the perspective of Rashad and Quinn. Quinn is a family friend of Paul, the policeman who brutally beat up his classmate, Rashad. Both Rashad and Quinn must decide what to do about his horrible situation and see if they can make a change.

My Rating: 10/10

The Girl with all the Gifts by Mike Carey

In this seriously dystopian novel, Melanie is a prisoner in an underground facility where other little children eat, sleep and go to school. Guns are constantly trained on them, and Melanie knows that something is up, but she’s not sure what. The book follows Melanie and her teacher’s, Miss. Justineau, perspectives and the mystery behind it all is slowly unraveled.

My Rating 6.5/10

Gunpowder Girls by Tanya Anderson

This nonfiction story informs you about the many horrible tragedies that befell women working in arsenals during the Civil War. It highlights the dangerous working conditions that were present and how the mass deaths during the Civil War took place on and off the battlefield.

My Rating: 7/10

March: Book One by John Lewis, Nate Powell and Andrew Aydin

March: Book One is a nonfiction comic book that follows John Lewis, the book author, a civil rights activist, and a current day U.S. Congressman, on his journey during the Civil Rights movement. It focuses on his childhood and the segregation that he faced everyday. It also highlights him meeting Martin Luther King Jr. and organizing the nonviolent lunch counter sit-ins.

My Rating: 9/10

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt

In this inspiring yet tear-jerking book, we see the story of Jacob, a young troubled kid who grew up in an abusive childhood and desperately wants to meet his daughter, Jupiter. Jacob’s quest to reunite with his daughter is shown through the eyes of Jack, his foster brother, who grows to form a brotherly bond with Jacob.

My Rating: 10/10

Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman

In this historical fiction novel, the rise of Hitler in Germany is shown up close and personal, but with a twist. Gretchen, our protagonist, is like a niece to Hitler because her father sacrificed his life to save Hitler’s. However, Gretchen falls in love with a Jewish journalist by the name of Daniel Cohen and beings to questions everything she has ever known about Hitler and the Nazi Party.

My Rating: 8.5/10

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

In this fantasy/dystopian novel, Mare Barrow lives in a world where people with silver blood, who have superhuman abilities, rule over those with red blood. After Mare, a red blood, discovers and exposes that she has superhuman abilities in front of lots of prominent silvers in the King’s Court, she becomes a fake silver set to marry the prince. However, when Mare gets involved with rebellion and corruption, it all spirals out control.

My Rating: 8.5/10

Spare Parts by Joshua Davis

Technically called Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dream, that title alone pretty much tells you everything that you need to know about his nonfiction book. It follows four undocumented high schoolers from Mexico in Arizona who create a underwater robot to enter in a robot contest, in which colleges like MIT will be competing it. It chronicles their struggles with racism and immigration, along with financial issues and education. It is eye-opening today because it focuses on the issues frequently in today’s media on a personal level.

My Rating: 9/10

What Can’t Wait by Ashley Hope Perez

This realistic fiction novel chronicles Marissa, a bright Latina high schooler, and her dream to go to college. Her home life is a mess due to her fighting with her father, who just wants to always stay at hope and support her family. However, Marissa’s dream is to leave home and go to college.

Rating: 8.5/10

Those are the 10 Battle Books this season. if you are interested please comment below!

1 Comment Posted on Book Reviews

Book Review: The Dazzling Heights

The Dazzling Heights is the second book in Katherine McGee’s Thousandth Floor series. Therefore, in this review, there will be spoilers for the Thousandth Floor.

Following The Thousandth Floor’s steps, the book starts with a death scene and promises you that a character, probably one that you will grow to care for, will be dead by the end of this book. It follows a similar casts of characters (besides the one that died in the last book) and adds Calliope, a mysterious character with the background of a criminal.

In a far away future, a couple of kids are just trying to keep their secrets hidden, even though those secrets includes murder, an illegal supercomputer, romance with your sibling, and past criminal activities.

After the horrible events of the last book that the characters must recover from, it still provides fresh twists and turns, the forming of new relationships, and further world-building.

Never before has a book made me root for—and maybe even like—a character that I totally despised in the last book. Leda from the last book was horrible and I hated her, but I ended up rooting for her—even though she has done terrible things, which is pretty impressive writing on McGee’s part.

One of the areas where this book excels in is character development. Leda becomes a LOT more likable character. Rylin becomes a stronger character by no longer only being relevant as a love interest and actually doing fun and interesting things on her own. Watt and Leda’s relationships has some major changes—changes that are amusing to read about.

However, Avery’s character becomes slightly annoying and her relationship with Atlas is obnoxious and a little gross to read about. Calliope’s character seems like she is going to amount to something, but in the end she only slightly affects Avery’s relationship with Atlas. Her former cons are absorbing to read about, so I hope that she does more in the third book in the series, The Towering Sky.

Additionally, the book is an enthralling roller coaster ride that is a great guilty pleasure book. It’s a great book to read on the beach!

Rating: 7.5/10