Reading Wishlist

Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo

 

 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

 

 

Insurgent and Allegiant by Veronica Roth

 

 

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

 

 

Harry Potter Series

 

 

 

Book Talk

Book Three Review

Eleanor And Park

By Rainbow Rowell

Everyone has his or her own guilty pleasure. Be it excessive television watching, awkward shower singing, compulsive junk-food eating, we’ve all got them.

Mine? The unlikely, but ever so tasty, combination of Wendy’s savory French-fries double dipped in a rich, chocolate frosty.

If you have never indulged in the fries-frosty duo, you might be questioning my tasting pallet as the two foods stem from entirely different categories. According to the all-powerful “food pyramid” that you might recall learning about back in health class, French fries would fall somewhere in the carbohydrates category (maybe even the "fats" category) while a frosty would probably land far off in the dairy category.
 

Although they both can be placed under the generic umbrella term “food”, each belongs to its own individual category, making the scrumptious combination ever more fascinating.

Much like the implausible chemistry found between French fries and a chocolate frosty, Rainbow Rowell’s first young-adult fiction novel, Eleanor and Park, features the convergence of two very diverse people and the unlikely chemistry that the two find in one another.

The first of these people is Park Sheridan.

Half-Korean and a fan of comic books and good music, Park comes from what most would deem a “normal background”. He fits in at school, has multiple friends, and has decently good looks which, according to Eleanor, consisted of "magical eyes" (113). Aside from the occasional bickering and arguing between Park and his father, the Sheridan’s home life is akin to that of your average family of four; while Park’s mother stays home running her home based- or rather, garage based- hair salon, his father works elsewhere, bringing in the bulk of the pay for the family.

Eleanor’s family, on the other hand, is another story.

With her father having left when she was just a little girl, Eleanor Douglas lives with her mother (who is too emotionally unstable to care for herself, let alone a houseful of children), her abusive stepfather, Richie, and her multitude of siblings. While Richie does have a job, he neglects to share his money, leaving Eleanor and her siblings with little to nothing to get by on. Food is scare as well as space and Eleanor’s wardrobe consists of nothing but zipper-less jeans, torn up jackets, and worn out men’s shirts supplied by the local Goodwill.

With attire such as this, it’s no surprise that kids at school are unaccepting of Eleanor on her first day. They make fun of not only her mangy clothing but her plump body and voluminous red hair as well, assigning her pet names like “Big Red” (55), "Raghead" (23), and “Bozo” (8) almost instantaneously.

From the moment she steps onto the bus, students avoid Eleanor as if she is some sort of plague. They place books, backpacks, jackets, whatever they can get their hands on in the seat next to them to ensure that Eleanor is unable to infect them with her disease. They holler dirty names and shoot wicked glares at her, and in the back of the bus Eleanor can see the boys “licking their chops” (8) as she scurries down the aisle- and not in a good way.

But just as Eleanor is about to lose all hope, Park steps in to save the day. Be it in a somewhat irate, vindictive manner, Park “scoot[s] towards the window” (9), allowing Eleanor to occupy the seat next to him. Though she is hesitant at first, she graciously takes the seat being sure to leave at least “six inches of space” (9) between the two.

While this gesture may appear to be nothing more than an act of generosity, it is, in reality, much more than that.

It is in this moment that Park decides to defy what others deem the “social norm”.

It is in this moment that Eleanor decides to admit that maybe she does need a little help from a friend.

It is in this moment that Park decides to stand up for someone other than himself.

It is in this moment that Eleanor becomes more than just the big, awkward new girl that no one likes.

It is in this moment that Eleanor and Park spark the flame to what might possibly be one of the greatest relationships in all of literary history.

The love that Eleanor and Park come to have for one another teaches readers not only what it means to love someone but also what it means to be there for someone, what it means to take a walk in someone else’s shoes, what it means to not care what others may or may not think about you, and, most importantly, what is means to have hope.

What it means to have hope even when everyone at school terrorizes and pokes fun at you, when your abusive step father is a drunk who cares only about himself, when you feel as if there is nowhere for you to go.

Eleanor and Park is a story about love, yes, but it is also so, so much more. 

 

Blog 9: Likability

How likable is the narrator of your book?

For the genre book selection I chose to read Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell which is actually told by not one but two narrators. The book is structured so that within each chapter there are many individual sections which switch between the perspective of either Eleanor or Park. In essence, the story embodies the love journey of these two very different characters and the numerous “bumps in the road” that they face along the way. In my opinion, I think that both Eleanor and Park are likeable narrators. I don’t know if I would necessarily deem them as my favorite narrators, but they get the job done. Eleanor is what some might call “the new girl on the block”. She has just moved back in with her broken family and her main goals are to lay low, keep to herself, and stay out of everyone’s business. Being the new girl, however, Eleanor has a hard time sticking to her original plans. Not only is she the new girl in town but she also happens to have an extremely quirky, somewhat odd appearance. The combination of her wild, red hair, her homeless-man-attire, and her slightly large body is enough to draw the attention of nearly everyone in the school, and not in a good way. The kids at school call her “big red” and make fun of her in every way they see fit. They play harsh pranks like stealing her clothes and decorating her locker with feminine products. And to top it off, no one lets her sit with them on the bus regardless of if their seat is open or not. No one except for Park- that is. Though he is reluctant at first, Park, being the kind-hearted person that he is, caves and tells Eleanor she can sit with him by cursing at her in almost a yelling manner. But no worries, after they realize that they share a love for comics and music, their relationship begins to blossom and the two fall madly in love. What’s strange, though, is that Park, unlike Eleanor, not only comes from a typical, picture perfect family with money, food, clothes, etc., but he also is decently attractive whereas Eleanor is quite the opposite. I guess it makes sense though, after all, opposites do attract. Although their love story is somewhat stereotypical, the combination of their unlikely acquaintance, their devotion to one another, and their unique personalities leads them to be quite likeable narrators.  

Blog 8: Non-Fiction?

How true does a book have to be in your mind to be considered non-fiction? Why?

In my opinion, if an author or publishing company is going to classify a book as non-fiction, then the book needs to live up to that standard. In other words, it needs to be true, it needs to be honest, it needs to be “not-fake”. A non-fiction book by definition is a book that deals with “facts and events” rather than “imaginative narration” (dictionary.com). By this definition, non-fiction books should tell the truth, the whole truth, and avoid adding miscellaneous details and events simply to make the book more intriguing. If the author cannot refrain from adding the extra garbage, then they should not place their book in the non-fiction category. Instead, the author should identify the book as what it is, fiction, and leave a note saying that the story is “based on a true story” rather than saying that it IS a true story.

In the end, I feel like an author should be honest and straight forward with their readers and believe in their writing enough to not have to classify their story as a genre that is it not simply so that it will be published. If a book is not good enough to be fiction on its own, then perhaps it just should not be a book at all. To sell yourself short and lie to an entire audience simply to have your book published, in my mind, is just wrong and should never be an option, regardless of whether it is a last resort or not.

As my mom always says, honesty is the best policy.  

Blog 7: Book 2 project

Blog 6: Readicide

Are you good with swapping out Of Mice and Men for Twilight, for example? Or Macbeth for Hunger Games?

While I may not necessarily be the biggest fan of Macbeth or Hamlet, other books taught in English classes like Of Mice and Men and Catcher in the Rye were books that I will treasure forever as they not only proved to be engaging, interesting books but they also taught me numerous lessons about literature and life in general. If schools were to trade these books in for more 21^st century type books like Twilight and The Hunger Games, I think that a lot would be lost in a sense that students will no longer grasp hold of the same life knowledge learned through these classic stories. I suppose The Hunger Games may serve to teach lessons about endurance and faith, but only on the surface whereas the lessons about companionship, betrayal, self-worth, etc. that are taught through the classic stories go deep into the heart and soul of the novel and require understanding of language, style and literary elements. These are the kind of books that further our ability to understand the world around us and prepare us for the trials and tribulations that come throughout life. They have some element of moral and/ or virtue that make the stories worth reading. These classic stories also have some realistic qualities to them as the experiences and challenges faced by Holden Caulfield relate to numerous people on many different levels. The Hunger Games and Twilight, on the other hand, are stories set in completely unrealistic societies where the characters face unrealistic situations that cannot be applied to modern day life- that is unless you plan on fighting people to the death or transforming into a blood sucking vampire (which is highly unlikely). All in all, when it comes to sticking with the classics or trading in for the recent stuff, I say stick with the classics. They serve far more purpose in preparing students for life than Katniss Everdeen and Edward Cullen ever will.

Blog 4: Book Number One Overview

I believe I mentioned this in a previous post but just as a reminder, I read Veronica Roth's Divergent for my first book and after completing it, I have to say that I am extremely satisfied with my decision. Not only was the book full of adventure and plot twists, but the characters and overall story line was very well developed and the writing itself was above average. I also was a fan of the budding relationship between Tris and Tobias and could not stop reading in anticipation of what might happen next. I highly recommend this book and I plan on continuing the series, hopefully reading both the second and the third book. I also am looking forward to the movie which won't be coming out for a while but seems to be promising thus far from the quality of the actors chosen to play the characters and the short snippets of information that come out regarding the film. In general, I am really happy with this book and my decision to read it and I can't wait to see what happens next as the series continues.

Blog 5: Adapting My Book

The book that I am reading is Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick. In general, the book seems like it would be pretty easy to transform into a movie in that the overall story line is fairly basic. The story itself is realistic as it recounts the life of Pat Peoples, who has spent the past four years in a mental instutions, and his journey in gaining his life back and finding peace with his situation. Being such a realistic story, recreating it through film, in my mind, would not be very challenging. There are some scenes, however, that could be somewhat difficult to remake in that they encompass numerous aspects that are sometimes better understood through writing than through acting. I also think that it would be difficult to keep the same format as the book which is journal entries. The book tells Pat's story through his own writing about his day to day life. It would be hard to do this in a film in that there are so many days to account for and while some days are essential to the plot, others are probably not as necessary and would not make as much sense in a film version.

One of the days that I see as important to the story is the day that Pat first came home from the mental institution. This scene sets the basis of the story by providing information about not only Pat and his current state but also about his family and the way they view him. In this scene the audience is able to grasp the understanding that Pat is very unstable due to the "apart time" he is having from his wife Nikki. Though the audience does not know much about that situation, they do know that whatever happened between Nikki and Pat was significant enough to send Pat to a mental institution and cause him to be extremely emotionally unstable and constantly anxious. The audience also sees that while Pat's mother and brother are very welcoming upon his returning, his father, on the other hand, is not at all happy to see his son and instead keeps to himself, not even speaking to Pat. This would need to be incorporated in the film because it lays out all the major details needed in order to understand the rest of the story.

Another scene that is crutial to the story is the scene where Pat and his father start interacting. As previously described, Pat's father is somewhat ashamed of his son and of the fact that he was in a mental institution so when he finally starts reaching out to Pat, it becomes a major moment in the story. Throughout the story, the only time the audience sees any interaction betwen Pat and his father is during Eagles football games as that is one passion that they share. Even then, however, communication is minimal and returns to non existent as soon as the game comes to a finish. At one point, however, Pat's father starts leaving the sports section of the newspaper under the basement door for Pat everyday. While this may seem small and insignificant, this moment changes Pat in that it gives him a glimmer of hope that his relationship with his father can be restored. I think this scene would need to be kept in the story because the story is all about Pat and his relationships with numerous people and the relationship he has with his father is one of the most important relationships in the story.

Lastly, I think that the scene where Pat gets into a fight at the Eagles football game tailgate is important to the story. This scene is very extensive in that a lot goes on. While it starts off normal with Pat socializing with his brother's freinds, things start to go astray when a man enters wearing a Giant's jersey. A fight breaks out and when the man starts going after Pat's brother, Pat steps in to defend his family member. Pat ends up knocking the man cold in front of not only a huge audience but also in front of the man's son. This causes Pat to have an emotional breakdown because he is guilty for what he has done and he is worried that Nikki will be dissapointed in his actions. It is important though because it shows how much Pat cares about his family and proves that he would do anything to help them, even if it means upsetting Nikki.

Two things that I think would need to be cut are some of the days where not much happens as well as the whole journal/ diary entry format. As I mentioned before the story is told through Pat's journal entries, however, many of the entries are somewhat insignificant to the overall story line. I think that in creating the film the director would need to go through and cut many of the days where all that happens are minor events such as Pat going on a run with Tiffany or watching a game with his brother. I also think that it would be difficult to keep the diary entry format because while in book form it is enteratining and engaging, in a film that is only two hours it would be hard to keep the audience hooked if every three or four minutes the story was jumping to a new day. I think that instead the director should combine multiple diary entires into just a few days and that way the story line would be easier to follow.