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9/3/2014

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19 Comments

Edward Cipullo

9/8/2014 10:32:58 pm

Less Than Words can Say -- Richard Mitchell

In this expertly written piece, grammarian Richard Mitchell exposes to us the sorry state of our English language and the American education system. And those responsible for mangling it aren’t teenagers (whose slang Mitchell regards as ‘poetic); they are bureaucrats, college professors and politicians. This book will shine a new light on the structure of language, and how without an understanding of it one may not even be able to think logically. Richard Mitchell’s clear prose demonstrates this. His beautifully clever analogies, as well as consistently sophisticated humor makes the book enjoyable, though dense.

adam

12/1/2014 03:56:49 am

First of all, I would fully recommend this book because that is really worth to read. The book A Thousand Splendid Suns describes the entire life of a woman who grew up in Afghanistan. Mariam is a girl who was born into a wrong place. After her mother had committed suicide a lot of awful things happened to her, but she just did nothing to stop it. She just surrenders to the bullying and suffering physically and mentally. But Mariam fights against her husband eventually. This book is worth reading. It is full of surprises because it exposes the culture of Afghanistan and phenomenon in the society. Ethan, G Block

Nadjae Edmondson

9/10/2014 05:15:43 am

"Beautiful" by Amy Reed

I chose this book because its like a road map to a dark but unrealistic underworld of young teens drifting from one unsavory experience to another, and also because like me it tells about teens struggling with self-identity and peer acceptance, when in a heartbeat they follow the 'wrong road'.

This book is about a thirteen year old girl by the name of Cassandra, or "Cassie" for short. Her family moves from a tiny town in Washington to a suburb in Seattle. Cassie has always been the shy type, and almost unnoticed, but as she starts going to school her good looks and willingness to conform are a passport used to be accepted by her schools powerful clique, led by Alex, a frightening 7th grader who adopts Cassie's as her new best friend. Cassie feels the need to change her whole life. She no longer wants to be the invisible girl no one ever notices. From then on everything changes. Everything happens so fast as Cassie's new existence both thrills and terrifies her. She is swept into a world of illicit parties, she looses her virginity , starts smoking and embraces the numbness she feels from the drugs and floats through it all.

At this point Cassie is now labelled as "beautiful". She ignores the dangers of her fast - paced life, but she can't stop it for she is trapped in a "cage" with violence and abuse, and no one, not even the person she thought she could trust can help her now.

Allegra Bradley 2016

9/13/2014 02:43:47 am

East by Edith Pattou

East is a lovely story about growing up and taking matter’s into one’s own hands. It is based on a Norwegian Folktale titled East of the Sun and West of the Moon, and while it does stay fairly true to the original, it also shines as its own story. The writing is fairly simple for most of the story, but there are beautiful, vivid moments as well. The pacing is nice, especially once the real journey starts and the book jumps from location to location, giving a sense that the goal is always coming closer. While not a very complex story, it’s worth giving it a shot. Allegra 2016, Westbrook B Block

Ethan 2016

9/13/2014 05:26:43 am

Stephen King's "It"

It tells the story of seven children being terrorized by an eponymous being, which takes the shape of each child's worst fear. Set in a fictional small town in Maine known as Derry in both the late 50's and the mid 80's, the story cleverly utilizes two timelines that follow the characters as children and young adults. The being, which the characters thought they had killed off for good as children, returns to terrorize them again as adults and they must learn to destroy It for good.
While painfully long, the King puts the two timelines to good use and tells the story in an alternating fashion, showing the parallel progress through the two plots as the characters discover and fight It. This book is aimed at older readers, and specifically patient readers, as the plot takes a long time to begin rolling forward. Though it is a difficult book to read, the suspense and excitement of the plot is worth the wait through the slow beginnings.

Justin Lee

9/14/2014 03:40:40 am

"The Big Miss" by Hank Haney

In "The Big Miss", swing coach Hank Haney reflects on his six-year tenure as the coach of one of the most dynamic athletes in all of sports, Tiger Woods. He discusses Tiger’s mysterious aloofness, his work ethic, and what makes him different from other athletes in the world. As a golfer myself, and an avid Tiger Woods fan since I was young, I found this book extremely insightful and interesting to read. It’s remarkable to get a behind-the-scenes look at Tiger Woods and his personality, and to see what makes him great. It isn’t the most engaging book but you will find it to be very rewarding and have a deeper understanding of an all time great. The book is well organized and is a smooth, easy read, helping us get a nice insider view. I would recommend this to all golfers and golf fans, as well as sports fans. Outside of that, it won’t be appealing to those who don’t care at all.

Lilly 2016

9/14/2014 04:53:39 am

Donna Tart’s The Goldfinch follows the life of a modern-day New Yorker who learns pain and loss and whose life drags him all over the world. He loses his mother (his best friend and only true family) in a tragic event that causes a small, precious, and priceless painting to practically fall in his lap. We see Theo Decker grow from middle school to adulthood in an array of unstable homes, all the while finding sanctuary in his stolen painting. This is an absolutely gorgeous, unpredictable tale with powerfully developed characters, that is ideal for someone who appreciates poetic descriptions and has extreme stamina. It’s depressive and existential points can wear the reader out, but The Goldfinch’s wit, suspense, and beauty is unmatched.

Zach '16

9/14/2014 09:36:11 am

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré

In one of the most classic and distinctive spy novels of all time, Alec Leamas is a washed up intelligence agent who is sent on one final mission - behind enemy lines in East Germany. His goal is to find and kill Mundt, a powerful East German officer, by manipulating Fiedler, an ambitious and rebellious subordinate of Mundt, but he soon finds that there is much more to his mission than what he has been told. Taking place in Cold War Europe, this story is gripping and fascinating, with a complex plot, dialogue full of deception, and plenty of espionage. I recommend this book for all readers, as it is interesting, realistic, captivating, and a true landmark in the genre.

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Joyland by Steven King

Heartbroken and directionless, college student Devin Jones on a whim goes to work at Joyland Amusement Park for the summer of 1973, and after making close friends and having good times, he decides to stay for the whole school year. A fortune teller's predictions, a reserved woman and her son, and an unresolved murder mystery lead Devin to adventures and secrets which he could never have foreseen. This story kept me on the edge of my seat, and its fast paced style made it hard to put down. I recommend this accessible book as a quick read for anyone.

Jeremy 2016

9/14/2014 02:03:29 pm

Valhalla rising
Valhalla rising By Clive Cussler is a perfect book for a rainy weekend. The Book is Full of action as the Main character Dirk Pitt fights to save his friends and America from impending doom. While Pitt continues forward a new saga is uncovered, bringing the past to center stage. This book is similar to many action adventure type books with it’s own unique twist of integrated History and cunning. The only shortcomings I found in this book came at the beginning. For me the first few chapters where dreary and really go under appreciated until the very end of the book. I strongly urge you to stick it out, soon you will find it hard to let the book out of your hands.

Jeremy 2016

9/14/2014 02:04:42 pm

Point Blank
Point Blank is a carefully crafted tale of two stories woven into one book, making it action packed without painfully unimportant plot points butting in. In the book two married F.B.I. agents find themselves all too close to a pair of psychotic killers, while the question remains, why them. That is not where the questions end as one of the other F.B.I. team members finds herself in trouble all her own. I would highly recommend Point Blank, especially if you like other mystery books with a flare for action. If you enjoy watching T.V. shows like criminal minds or other crime shows then this book would be a great read for you. Unlike hour like crime shows this book provokes more thought and I constantly found myself theorizing about what would happen next. Although some parts of the book seem unnecessary and a little dry all in all this is a great and reasonably short read.

Carrie Tucker 2016

9/14/2014 02:21:13 pm

The Love Affairs Of Nathaniel P.
Adelle Waldman
The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. is a sophisticated novel striving to answer many women’s questions about why a man never got back in touch with her. The main character, Nate, shares stories about his past girlfriend’s in the story, where things fell off track, and his new girlfriend Hannah who he considers “smart and nice”. It is a good interpretation (as far as I can tell) of a man’s thoughts, from a female writer. Although it was intriguing, relatable, and very realistic, I found the book to be a bit dry. The story didn’t change my outlook on life, or make me re-evaluate any certain decisions, as other books I read this summer have have. I would recommend this book probably to an older reader, who could relate to a story like this, and enjoyed intellectual humor

Marina 2016

9/14/2014 08:43:07 pm

The Woman with the Bouquet by Eric Emmanuel Schmidt

"The Woman with the Bouquet", by Eric Emmanuel Schmidt is a fulfilling book to read. It is a compilation of short stories, one more beautiful and touching than the last. Like "Stories of Eva Luna" by Isabel Allende, the stories are all subtly connected thematically. However, as each story differs in plot, readers with varying preferences can easily immerse themselves in the mystery, romance or comedy. Marina 2016, Westbrook G Block

Gabriel Fuziy, 2016

12/1/2014 04:02:29 am

Good books require stories that have a certain depth, and that’s exactly what this book gives to the reader. The problem about it is the amount of unnecessary explanations and conversations, which make the story boring. It made me rush to the end, I got so bored during the middle that, no matter what happened, I couldn’t get interested anymore.
Even though with the story being tedious, the book is not focused on the role. The author wants to make people think about the way Pala (the Island) works, so we are able to create our own thoughts. The previous book, The Brave New World, is much better. It has a more interesting story line and the characters make more sense. Gabriel, G Block

Kaoruko Hama

12/1/2014 04:04:10 am

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

I would recommend you to read “Stargirl” because I think this story tells you about the importance of being honest. Especially, many teenagers are looking for their own styles in society, and struggling to become adults. This story is about a boy who meets a unique girl in high school. He becomes fall into love with her, and learn what makes him love her. I think this book also makes you to reflect your behavior to other people.

Shufen Zhou 2017

1/29/2015 12:39:50 am

The Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

High-school student Clay Jensen returns home one day to find a package waiting for him. Inside nestle seven cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, a classmate. Hannah's instructions are clear: Clay is to listen to the tapes to find out how he fits into the puzzle of her death, then he is to mail them to the next person on a list of 13 names. There are 13 reasons why Hannah killed herself, and Clay is one of them. The theme of this story is to understand that you could be hurting a person without knowing it. The story take place at Rosie's diner High School. I like this book because this book taught me something important in life. I will like to recommend this book to teenage because in this book it taught you something important in life.

Baihui Chen 2016

11/11/2015 06:23:45 pm

Between The Shades Of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Lina Vikas is taken from her home along with her mother and brother Jonas by a group of Soviet officers. On the train, they meet other people who are also on the list to be arrested. They are forced to work in a labor camp and they suffer a though time. However, they stick together and help each other. During the journey to Siberia, Lina keeps looking for information and news to find her father who are put in prison and draws to record their life at that time. Andruis, who is more or less the boyfriend of Lina, helps Lina's family by supporting them food and clothes. Lina and Andruis accompany with and encourage each other when they feel tired and nearly hopeless. From my perspective, Lina is a courageous, upright and intelligent person. What makes me keep reading the whole book is the optimistic attitude of Lina and her mother. They give each other birthday gifts and celebrate Christmas Day even though they don't have delicious food or fancy decoration. I would like to recommend this book to all teenagers because we can learn to be courageous and optimistic when we meet adversities in life.

Sabrina Zhou

11/12/2015 05:13:45 am

Sabrina Zhou F Block
Monsoon Summer
Mitali Perkins
India
Published on October 18th 2004

Jazz is the main character in “Monsoon Summer” by Mitali Perkins. She is a fifteen-year old that is half Indian from her mother’s side and half American from her father’s side. She has to go to India to support her mother’s efforts to volunteer at the orphanage where she came from. This wasn’t how Jazz saw herself spending her summer; she planned to work alongside her best friend, and crush Steve Morales at their business Berkeley Memories booth. When she gets to India, she meets Danita, the Gardener’s help during their time in India. Jazz and Danita bond in many ways and become as close as sisters. When Danita is in need of help, Jazz is the only one who can help her but Jazz is tentative about helping people because of past experiences. Doing things that few people in the world would do. After her eye opening trip to India, Jazz is more more open to helping people.

Sabrina Zhou 2019

Eleanor Bennett 2019

11/12/2015 12:07:45 pm

My book is The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, in it Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson solve crimes in 19 century England. Dr. John Watson writes the stories down and tells them in a naritive form. Sherlock Holmes is the great detective and can read people very well. He can know a lot about you in just a couple minutes. He is a very intelligent man and knows a lot of random facts. Dr. John Watson is more of the guy who goes out, undercover and finds out info. This book is a older book that was written in the early 19th century. There are a lot of great mysteries in this book and they are written very well but they can also be kinda hard to understand but if you get past the language then it is a great book.

Sofie Jelden

11/16/2015 09:31:43 am

A Long Way From Home: A Memoir by Saroo Brierley

The main character is a boy named Saroo, who is lost from his home in India. Saroo one day gets lost on a train at a very young age. When he is unable to find his way home he is adopted by an Australian family and moves to Australia. 25 years later, Saroo finds his little village in India and visits, see what happens when Saroo meets his birth mother by reading A Long Way From Home. This book is very upsetting but also an amazing piece of literature. This memoir takes place in India and in Australia. I liked this book because it showed me a whole new perspective on India. The author drew me into his story because he was able to make his emotions present in this book. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy reading in general, although I didn't think I would like a memoir I really enjoyed reading it and think that you will too.

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