- What if that child was a girl (because we need a female chosen one) who wasn't white (because all heros in the world aren't all white people, like these books suggest)
- What if every time dark magic was used by Voldemort or a Death Eater, she felt pain (like Harry), except all over her body (like Crucio), and every time Avada Kedavra was used, she either nearly goes unconscious, or does
- What if she was in Slytherin, and that's why they never heard of her, until the day in Defense Against the Dark arts when Moody (obviously not actually him) uses the unforgivable curses, and she felt pain, but everyone thought she was making fun of Harry, so the Gryffindors hate her, but Slytherins love her
- What if, she was in the graveyard in The Goblet of Fire, and everyone thought she was with Voldermort, but she wasn't (duh), and then the Ministry used that against Harry in The Order of the Pheonix
- What if she was more powerful than Voldermort, and therefore the best witch in the world, and totally saved Harry in the graveyard, by keeping the Death Eaters at bay while he got the Triwizard cup (mix it up a bit), and then apparated onto Hogwarts ground (only possible for her), making the Ministry suspicious (rightfully so)
- What if, after all the good people realized how good she was, they trusted her, and she became best friends with Fred and George (even though that would be difficult)
- What if Tonks, Snape, and Lupin were her parental figures and when they all died, she was okay with...(below)
- What if she became a horcrux and they had to kill her as well in the Deathly Hallows
- What if... (I'm bound to think of more things for The Order of the Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince, The Deathly Hallows, and really all the books, but I'm too tired now. Hey, maybe I'll think of it tonight!)
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Weird Things Happen During Your Sleep (1.1)
Okay, so I was thinking on this whole Voldermort with a child thing...
How To Binge Read
1. Find a book, or book series, that you really want to read (ex. Harry Potter)
2. Either be able to handle distractions, or don't, and find the appropriate place
2.1. Find someplace, anywhere, that you can sit, lie down, or stand, or other if you can find another one...
2.2. Have acess to water
3. Open the book
4. Look at the words
5. READ
6. READ
7. READ
8. Watch the movie (if there is one, like Harry Potter)
2. Either be able to handle distractions, or don't, and find the appropriate place
2.1. Find someplace, anywhere, that you can sit, lie down, or stand, or other if you can find another one...
2.2. Have acess to water
3. Open the book
4. Look at the words
5. READ
6. READ
7. READ
8. Watch the movie (if there is one, like Harry Potter)
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis
A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis
Grace Mae is already familiar with madness when family secrets and the bulge in her belly send her to an insane asylum—but it is in the darkness that she finds a new lease on life. When a visiting doctor interested in criminal psychology recognizes Grace's brilliant mind beneath her rage, he recruits her as his assistant. Continuing to operate under the cloak of madness at crime scenes allows her to gather clues from bystanders who believe her less than human. Now comfortable in an ethical asylum, Grace finds friends—and hope. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who will bring her shaky sanity and the demons in her past dangerously close to the surface.
Positives:
1. Reminded me of Sherlock Holmes
2. Asylums are cool
3. Very well spaced out information about what happened to Grace
4. Difficult topic handled with grace (I'm so funny, I know)
5. Dr. Thornhollow (I think I have a crush on him)
6. Victorian era
7. THAT COVER and THAT TITLE
8. Thornhollow has a heart
9. The way the story begins, woah.
Negative:
1. I didn't understand a certain character death,.. (you'll see)
Grace Mae is already familiar with madness when family secrets and the bulge in her belly send her to an insane asylum—but it is in the darkness that she finds a new lease on life. When a visiting doctor interested in criminal psychology recognizes Grace's brilliant mind beneath her rage, he recruits her as his assistant. Continuing to operate under the cloak of madness at crime scenes allows her to gather clues from bystanders who believe her less than human. Now comfortable in an ethical asylum, Grace finds friends—and hope. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who will bring her shaky sanity and the demons in her past dangerously close to the surface.
Positives:
1. Reminded me of Sherlock Holmes
2. Asylums are cool
3. Very well spaced out information about what happened to Grace
4. Difficult topic handled with grace (I'm so funny, I know)
5. Dr. Thornhollow (I think I have a crush on him)
6. Victorian era
7. THAT COVER and THAT TITLE
8. Thornhollow has a heart
9. The way the story begins, woah.
Negative:
1. I didn't understand a certain character death,.. (you'll see)
Monday, August 17, 2015
Intersetllar Key Parts (For Me) Movie Review
Interstellar, directed by Christopher Nolan
Screenplay:
It's a very long movie, but it needs to be that way. You spend the first 40 minutes of the movie on Earth, but those 40 minutes need to be there in order for it all to make sense. Overall, it's a good one, but very long.
Sountrack:
Perfect for the movie
Acting:
Anne Hathaway. What else should I say.
Film and Sound Editing:
*nods head*
Directing:
*nods head*
Diversity:
This one pisses me off so much. There is no reason the two main characters have to be white. I noticed this at one very specific scene, the tessaract scene. During the two times I've watched it, at that exact moment, I realize how stupid it is that they aren't diverse characters. If that had been different, I think this movie could have been so much better.
Overall:
I really liked this movie, although a little long, it was worth watching. Before I had watched it, I didn't really want to see it, but my brother really wanted us to, so I did, and really liked it (although he didn't.) I would recommend it.
Screenplay:
It's a very long movie, but it needs to be that way. You spend the first 40 minutes of the movie on Earth, but those 40 minutes need to be there in order for it all to make sense. Overall, it's a good one, but very long.
Sountrack:
Perfect for the movie
Acting:
Anne Hathaway. What else should I say.
Film and Sound Editing:
*nods head*
Directing:
*nods head*
Diversity:
This one pisses me off so much. There is no reason the two main characters have to be white. I noticed this at one very specific scene, the tessaract scene. During the two times I've watched it, at that exact moment, I realize how stupid it is that they aren't diverse characters. If that had been different, I think this movie could have been so much better.
Overall:
I really liked this movie, although a little long, it was worth watching. Before I had watched it, I didn't really want to see it, but my brother really wanted us to, so I did, and really liked it (although he didn't.) I would recommend it.
Sunday, August 16, 2015
10 Reasons Why I Love The Pigman by Paul Zindel
The Pigman by Paul Zindel (I didn't know this until a few seconds ago, but he won the Pulitzer Prize!!!)
In The Pigman, what begins as a teenage prank soon becomes a timeless examination of grief, acceptance, and the transformative power of friendship. High-school sophomores John and Lorraine had no idea what they were starting when they made a prank phone call to a stranger named Angelo Pignati. Virtually overnight, they befriended the old man. But now Mr. Pignati is dead. And for John and Lorraine, the only way to find peace is to write down their friend's story—the true story of the Pigman.
I read this book for the Book-Tube-A-Thon don't let go of a book challenge. I had been wanting to read it, because I saw it as a YA Classic, and it was perfect for this, because my super old edition was only 159 pages.
1. YA Classic (in my mind)
2. For when it was published, a lot of the stuff in this book would be considered controversial
3. The Zoo
4. Characters are just so great and complex
5. Dressing in Mr. Pignati's and his wife's clothes
6. Dual POV
7. Pretending to be for a charity..
8. How they know to meet up with each other
9. Short but powerful
10. When he comes home from the hospital, that whole part of the book made me upset. The friends are so annoying.
I could come up with so many more reasons why this book is great, but I'm in a hurry, so these are the ones that I thought of off the top of my head. Please read this book, it's so good and begging to be picked up.
In The Pigman, what begins as a teenage prank soon becomes a timeless examination of grief, acceptance, and the transformative power of friendship. High-school sophomores John and Lorraine had no idea what they were starting when they made a prank phone call to a stranger named Angelo Pignati. Virtually overnight, they befriended the old man. But now Mr. Pignati is dead. And for John and Lorraine, the only way to find peace is to write down their friend's story—the true story of the Pigman.
I read this book for the Book-Tube-A-Thon don't let go of a book challenge. I had been wanting to read it, because I saw it as a YA Classic, and it was perfect for this, because my super old edition was only 159 pages.
1. YA Classic (in my mind)
2. For when it was published, a lot of the stuff in this book would be considered controversial
3. The Zoo
4. Characters are just so great and complex
5. Dressing in Mr. Pignati's and his wife's clothes
6. Dual POV
7. Pretending to be for a charity..
8. How they know to meet up with each other
9. Short but powerful
10. When he comes home from the hospital, that whole part of the book made me upset. The friends are so annoying.
I could come up with so many more reasons why this book is great, but I'm in a hurry, so these are the ones that I thought of off the top of my head. Please read this book, it's so good and begging to be picked up.
Saturday, August 15, 2015
13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
You can’t stop the future.
You can’t rewind the past.
The only way to learn the secret . . . is to press play.
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why.
Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah's pain, and as he follows Hannah’s recorded words throughout his town, what he discovers changes his life forever. (via Amazon)
Positives:
1. Suicide is an important topic that needs to be discussed
2. Tapes are a very interesting way to have the story be told
3. Very powerful emotions towards the end (I did not cry)
4. Map's are helpful
5. Characters
6. How everything fits together
Negatives:
1. Up until Clay's tape, I felt that the emotion was being told rather than shown
2. Occasionally, I would completely space out pages, and then have to re-read them. This may be due to how I was reading it, but if it wasn't, this is a warning.
3. I was disappointing how Clay fit into it all, for me
4. It wasn't my favorite book that dealt with the topic of suicide, and I felt like it romanticized it just a little. I am an idiot about this, though, so if you think it was perfect, it was perfect. I do love My Heart and Other Black Holes so much more though (it's very different, enough not to be compared, but whatever). This is on the same lines as The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand is for me.
You can’t stop the future.
You can’t rewind the past.
The only way to learn the secret . . . is to press play.
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why.
Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah's pain, and as he follows Hannah’s recorded words throughout his town, what he discovers changes his life forever. (via Amazon)
Positives:
1. Suicide is an important topic that needs to be discussed
2. Tapes are a very interesting way to have the story be told
3. Very powerful emotions towards the end (I did not cry)
4. Map's are helpful
5. Characters
6. How everything fits together
Negatives:
1. Up until Clay's tape, I felt that the emotion was being told rather than shown
2. Occasionally, I would completely space out pages, and then have to re-read them. This may be due to how I was reading it, but if it wasn't, this is a warning.
3. I was disappointing how Clay fit into it all, for me
4. It wasn't my favorite book that dealt with the topic of suicide, and I felt like it romanticized it just a little. I am an idiot about this, though, so if you think it was perfect, it was perfect. I do love My Heart and Other Black Holes so much more though (it's very different, enough not to be compared, but whatever). This is on the same lines as The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand is for me.
Friday, August 14, 2015
Childhood Favorites: Books
Technically, this is still my childhood, but I'm going to pretend like I'm an adult and call a few years ago my childhood.
I really liked books for most of Elementary School, although I didn't read that many books, but in sixth grade I barely read anything, so books are still kind of blossoming back to me. This is just a quick note, and probably doesn't matter to anyone else.
The Evolution of Calupurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly- this may be the book I've read the most. I read it at least once in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade, but I know I've read it more than three times. I connected so much with the main character, because the first time I read it, I was hating piano lessons (which I did choose to take, but none the less), really was getting into science, especially botany (expect both my parents encouraged me, and this wasn't when women were only allowed to do housework), and felt a lot of the same things she felt. I just really enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it.
I remember the first time I read it thinking it was a huge book. It's 338 pages. Children's minds...
The sqeuel The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate came out in July, and it's blue!
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai- I read this for Readers Choice at my school, and it honestly affected me so much when I was that age. When I started Readers Choice, I though the Unwanteds would be my favorite thing, but I ended up hating that and falling in love with this. It's written in verse, and it's so beautiful. I really should re-read it.
This also grappled with a more difficult topic than I was used to. Earlier that year I had read The Hunger Games, and I really enjoyed it, so I was expecting this book to be okay, but not amazing, because it wasn't action packed. Except, it was, just not in the way I thought it would be.
Also, it won the National Book Award, so it's pretty amazing.
I originally read this as a library book, but got a hardcover for free at a book exchange!
I haven't yet, but really want to read her next book Listen, Slowly.
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (pen name)- these is some of the few middle grade books that I kept when I got rid of a bunch, and I am very happy that I did. I read most of them in the summer between 4th and 5th grade, and I remember writing (essentially) fanfiction about it, and being so devoted to all of the characters and being so pissed off that they didn't catch him again! My favorite is The Austere Academy.
Also, the movie adaptation sucked, so I am crossing my fingers that Netflix does a better job (the teaser trailer was epic!!!) Although, after I watched the movie I had a huge crush on Liam Aiken for such a long time.
13 books! I can't believe I read that many.
39 Clues (various authors)- this is one of those things where I look back and am very disappointing in myself for liking them as much as I did. I rarely read books (I did more in 4th grade), but I reread all of the original series, and was literally non-stop talking about them.
I recently gave away all my copies, and honestly don't feel too bad about it.
Also, how many books are there going to be? I couldn't get through the first couple in the spin-off series. I just couldn't do it.
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett, illustrated by Brett Helquist- I'm not totally sure, but I think I listened to an audio book of this in 2nd grade when both my brother and I were sick, and I don't really remember much from that time, but then I think I read it on my own in 4th grade, and then the last two books in 5th grade. I love the illustrations in it (flipping though it I'm seeing them, and how huge the font is). This book was so intriguing to me, because at the time I was super into myserties (I think), and this was right there for me. I also remember loving all the thoughts, and I don't remember many specifics, but I know I loved it.
WHY ISN'T IT A MOVIE!!!
I really liked books for most of Elementary School, although I didn't read that many books, but in sixth grade I barely read anything, so books are still kind of blossoming back to me. This is just a quick note, and probably doesn't matter to anyone else.
The Evolution of Calupurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly- this may be the book I've read the most. I read it at least once in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade, but I know I've read it more than three times. I connected so much with the main character, because the first time I read it, I was hating piano lessons (which I did choose to take, but none the less), really was getting into science, especially botany (expect both my parents encouraged me, and this wasn't when women were only allowed to do housework), and felt a lot of the same things she felt. I just really enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it.
I remember the first time I read it thinking it was a huge book. It's 338 pages. Children's minds...
The sqeuel The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate came out in July, and it's blue!
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai- I read this for Readers Choice at my school, and it honestly affected me so much when I was that age. When I started Readers Choice, I though the Unwanteds would be my favorite thing, but I ended up hating that and falling in love with this. It's written in verse, and it's so beautiful. I really should re-read it.
This also grappled with a more difficult topic than I was used to. Earlier that year I had read The Hunger Games, and I really enjoyed it, so I was expecting this book to be okay, but not amazing, because it wasn't action packed. Except, it was, just not in the way I thought it would be.
Also, it won the National Book Award, so it's pretty amazing.
I originally read this as a library book, but got a hardcover for free at a book exchange!
I haven't yet, but really want to read her next book Listen, Slowly.
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (pen name)- these is some of the few middle grade books that I kept when I got rid of a bunch, and I am very happy that I did. I read most of them in the summer between 4th and 5th grade, and I remember writing (essentially) fanfiction about it, and being so devoted to all of the characters and being so pissed off that they didn't catch him again! My favorite is The Austere Academy.
Also, the movie adaptation sucked, so I am crossing my fingers that Netflix does a better job (the teaser trailer was epic!!!) Although, after I watched the movie I had a huge crush on Liam Aiken for such a long time.
13 books! I can't believe I read that many.39 Clues (various authors)- this is one of those things where I look back and am very disappointing in myself for liking them as much as I did. I rarely read books (I did more in 4th grade), but I reread all of the original series, and was literally non-stop talking about them.
I recently gave away all my copies, and honestly don't feel too bad about it.
Also, how many books are there going to be? I couldn't get through the first couple in the spin-off series. I just couldn't do it.
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett, illustrated by Brett Helquist- I'm not totally sure, but I think I listened to an audio book of this in 2nd grade when both my brother and I were sick, and I don't really remember much from that time, but then I think I read it on my own in 4th grade, and then the last two books in 5th grade. I love the illustrations in it (flipping though it I'm seeing them, and how huge the font is). This book was so intriguing to me, because at the time I was super into myserties (I think), and this was right there for me. I also remember loving all the thoughts, and I don't remember many specifics, but I know I loved it.
WHY ISN'T IT A MOVIE!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)