Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs Entry #1

Running with Scissors, by Augusten Burroughs, is a memoir book. It is a true story about a boy named Augusten Burroughs, whose mother gave him away, so that he can be raised by her psychiatrist. He was very odd and strange. At the age of twelve, he was living in a dilapidated Victorian, which is a quiet house. Throughout the time, the doctor/psychiatrist, Mr. Finch, showed disturbing feeling towards Augusten. There, he didn't go to school and lived without rules. For example, the Christmas tree stayed there until the summer. Basically, this story is telling how a boy struggled to survive in extraordinary circumstances.

The story starts out with Augusten's parents arguing every single day. So, their parents went for counseling with Mr. Finch. Since, his parents were fighting more often, they eventually got divorced. So, his mother went to Mr. Finch to discuss her emotions and how she should act around Augusten. Throughout, the time, he met Hope, Mr. Finch's daughter. They had a few conversations and all. Then, they visited Mr. Finch's house. So, far the book is great.

My reaction to the main character:

I really feel bad that Augusten ( the author and the main character) who went through this childhood where his parents argued, divorced, and how he never really had friends because his mother pulled him away from all of it. I suggest anyone who likes memoirs to read this good book because it will tell how a boy with no one around him faced life.

Glass by Ellen Hopkins The end (pg 400-680) Entry #3

This week, I finished reading Ellen Hopkins's book, Glass. This book is written well in telling the story of this girl Bree. This book is a sequel to Crank. All her life, Bree was really Kristen. The name changed because she could not recognize herself anymore. Before, Kristen used to be this straight A student, who loved her family, and had a shy personality. But, after her visit with her dad, she met new people and started making unhealthy choices. She started following drugs. Later on, she had a baby named Hunter. She lived with her mother the whole time. After a while, her mother realized that Kristen is acting different. She never eats, and never sleeps or anything. She found out she was on drugs. She told Kristen to change, but she would not. Her mother took care of Hunter because Bree never did. Then, her mother disowned her and . She didn't even let Bree take Hunter. So, she had to live on her own. While on her own, she meets up with Trey( her friend). When Trey went to college, she went to Trey's cousins house, Brad. Throughout, that time, she depended on drugs more in her life. She had money problems, which made her steal from her mother's own house. She stole a huge load of checks. In the last part of the story, she and Trey both went to jail. Bree realized she wasted her life, and finally decides to change her behavior.

Reading Progress:
Personally, I enjoyed this book. I have read it everyday. It had a good, true story behind it. But, it was way to long, and started getting a little boring. This book was not a struggle for me to read. It was fairly easy. I chose to read this because I already read the first book and I wanted to finish her story. Both books are by Ellen Hopkins.

Recommendations:
I recommend anyone to read this book. But particularly, people who like poetry and fiction. This is a story based on someones life. I know that when you start reading this book, you wont stop reading. The point of Hopkins's writing this book is to tell that the "monster" does affect people's life and those around them. This story is based on the author's daughter's life. I know that you find as much enjoyment in the book like I did.

Glass by Ellen Hopkins Entry #2

Glass has been an excellent book to read so far. The story is getting better and better each time. Also, Bree's actions are hurting herself and Hunter (her baby) more and more. So far in the book, her family is celebrating her birthday and is having a baptism for Hunter. Her father and his girlfriend, Linda, flew home to visit them. But, Bree's mother does not really like her father that much. In the story, she has some secretive encounters with her dad that she does not have with any one else from the book. After that, she meets Brendon again. The way she encounters him, is very interesting. She tries to ignore him as much as possible and tries not to make direct contact with him.

I thought one of the important things that happened so far is that she is telling her dad things about herself that her mother or anyone else in her family doesn't know about. Her dad tells her "Can you spare some" "I have a little I can share," I admit. "But only about half a gram." "If I give you some cash, can you score some more?" "I'll try. But just so you know, this was the first time I've done any since Hunter was born." The conversation that Bree has with her dad reveals that she trusts her dad more than anyone else. She can talk to him about her needs, which in this case is drugs. This is a little ironic because her mother is the one who is trying to protect Bree and keep her safe. She is trying to get into Bree's life, but Bree is just leaving her out of it, which is why can't talk to her mother about anything. Overall, the book is very interesting and entertaining. I hope to read more and give more information about the book in the next blog.

Glass by Ellen Hopkins (The beginning)

Glass is a sequel to Crank by Ellen Hopkins. These books are narrating the life of Bree/Kristen. So far in Glass, it tells Bree's continued tricky life in Nevada with her mother and family. Bree just had a baby named Hunter. She is surrounded by the same people and substances in her life like Crank. She has the choice to either follow the path where she uses the "crank" or to save her family especially Hunter. In the last scenario, she tries to give herself a break and decides to visit Robyn, her former friend. There she did some drugs to cool herself down. Also, she met Trey, this guy who she finds interesting. When she came home, she lied to her mother telling her she went to a college fair instead. Although, her mothers buys it, she is only hurting herself and Hunter. She has the responsibility, now as a mother, to take care of her child.

In the book, it shows herself listening to Bree's thoughts and then he other half of herself listening to Kristen's thoughts. For example, "The small part, the Kristina part, keeps whispering what a fool the other, Bree part, is. "Not only were you stupid to sneak back to the monster,"she mumbles, "but ten to one you're going to get caught. Mom and Scott will know. " "The Bree part just stares contentedly at the ceiling..." This quote reveals the difficulty she has to go through, either she listens to Bree or to Kristen opinions. I know for a fact, that she will be mentally damaged, if she keeps on doing this drug and having double thoughts.

I really enjoy reading this book. The beginning of it, is very entertaining to read. It really does make the authors point come across. I will recommend anyone who likes poetic books and works of fiction to read it. Since, this book is based on a true story, I understand how the character's are feeling a bit better. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I do.

To buy Glass by Ellen Hopkins:
http://www.amazon.com/Glass-Ellen-Hopkins/dp/1416940901

A book review:
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/Glass.html

Other books by Ellen Hopkins:
- Crank
-Burned
-Impulse

Blog Reviews and Goals

Review of my past blogs:
Looking back at my past blogs, I see good and bad in my blog writing. There is a common focus in all my blogs. In the first couple of them, I provided a short summary to make the reader understand what is going on. Also, I answered a bunch of questions from this sheet that tells some suggestions for writing a blog. I tried to include my opinions in my writing. In my blogs, I noticed that I write my reading progress, tell the difficulty of the book, a suggestions for who should read the book. Also, I tell my likes and dislikes of that particular book, my favorite quote, and my reactions to the characters. Lastly, I noticed that for each blog, I state the internal or external problem going on with the character. Overall, I think the blogging experience is very beneficial because each week it helps me write my thoughts and opinions about the book. Also, it helps me connect with the book in a better way.

My goal for the second quarter:
After writing the blogs for the first quarter, there are several things I want to improve. For the blogs, I tend to write about the same story plot repeatedly because I feel that no one will look at the past week's blog and understand it. So, I repeat things over. But, for the next quarter, I will try to generalize my ideas. Another thing, I will improve is to get further involved in the book. I could do this my reading more per week and giving more details about it to make my blogs more interesting and exciting. Also, I should give more opinions with examples from the text to make it is more clear and detailed. If I accomplish these goals, my blogs will give more interest to people.

Crank by Ellen Hopkins Entry #3

The book Crank is entertaining. It tells so much about the character Kristina and her transformation from Kristina to Bree. In the book, the inner thoughts of Kristina's perspective and Bree's perspective is heard. So far in the book, Kristina came back home to her mother's house and leaves Adam behind. Throughout the way, Adam send letters to her explaining how life is going on and everything. Later on, she meets these two boys named Brendon and Chase. She gets into a relationship between these two people. She tries to see who she favors more. But, she gets guided into the wrong direction. On one of the pages, she started cursing with her mother. This is very strange coming from Kristina. Now, she starts using "crank" more often. Bree is literary killing herself with this monster. One thing, she tries doing is making "some decisions: like appreciating family more, focusing on school and hunting for Kristina" (327). She stays on top of her schoolwork, family and focuses on her goals for the first week. Later on, she starts changing back to her bad habits. Usually in day to day life, peer pressure is a factor that changes people's focus or direction. This is clearly evident in Kristina/Bree's life. Since others around her like Adam and Brendon started doing things, she started following. Now, she is "struggling through hell for her mind, her soul, and her life".

The book is getting interesting and in-depth. It gives internal thoughts and how Bree copes with her family, her "new friends" (Chase, Brenden, and Adam) and her schoolwork. I hope that Bree follows the right path. She should take away this "monster" from her life to find peace. This book is very informative and entertaining. It is helpful for people to read this book, if they deal with these problems. Since, this story is based on a true story, it gave me a more interest to read it. Also, if others read this book, they will enjoy it and understand life in a better way and the value of it.

An excerpt of Crank:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://jacketsandcovers.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/crank1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://jacketsandcovers.wordpress.com/2009/02/10/crank/&usg=__tW8b3LRF76aLwPhc5_XIfpGGxTc=&h=600&w=420&sz=114&hl=en&start=1&sig2=u3wzg8wSaOaeTxCmaQOiuQ&tbnid=0kBlv7PZAMIF5M:&tbnh=135&tbnw=95&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcrank%2Bby%2Bellen%2Bhopkins%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den&ei=cT7qSv-DOJG9lAey65yABQ

Crank by Ellen Hopkins Entry #2

Crank is an amazing book to read. It is different from most stories, because it is written in poetic forms. So, far Kristina Snow, the main character, is visiting her father. While she visits him, she meets this boy named Adam. He is also called Buddy. When, Kristina goes and meets him, she changes and becomes a new person, with a new personality and character. She is referred to as Bree. Buddy introduces her to the monster, "crank". Throughout her visit, she transforms into this new person who falls for the needs of drugs. She can't control herself. Now, she comes back home to her mother from her visit. When she talks to her siblings and her mother about her visit, she tries to avoid talking about Adam and her addiction to things.

Reaction:
My reaction to Bree's character is very shocking. A couple of pages before, Adam put a tattoo on Bree of a heart. Also, he said this relation is not going to work and that they should move on. I feel bad that Bree got this addiction to crank because of Adam. She is ruining her life and those around her. Also, now she has an infection from this tattoo too. Whenever, she is talking to her sister about her visit, she is not being honest. Instead, she is trying to cover up the truth. She is being a bad role-model toward her sister. Adam brought her to this point where there is no turning back to this normal life. She is already in the deep whole.


Writing Style and Structure:
The book's structure is in poetry. There are no chapters in this book. Each page tells a new idea or parts of the story. What I find appealing is that whatever the page is about, the words in that page are written in the form to connect with the text. For example, one of the pages talked about church and God, so the words were written in the form of a cross. Another example, is when it talked about Adam and Bree's relation. So, the words were in the form of a heart. I find that technique very clever and brilliant.


Reading Progress:
Since this book is very interesting, I have been reading it every day. Crank is not considered a hard reading level. It is very easy to understand what is happening in the book. I have read other books by Ellen Hopkins. This novel, is both a non-fiction and poetic book. So, whoever likes these two genres, will definitely enjoy this read.

Crank by Ellen Hopkins Entry #1

Crank by Ellen Hopkins is a poetic and non-fictional book. The story is written through poetic terms to tell the true story of a girl named Kristina Georgia Snow. Kristina is the perfect daughter. She is a gifted high school junior, who is quiet and never gets in trouble. When she started visiting her father, there is a physical change that happens. It is that Kristina disappears and Bree takes her place. Bree has the total opposite character as Kristina. She is fearless. Later on, through a boy, Bree meets the monster, crank. This turn in her life is a struggle through her mind, soul, and life.

Writing Style and Structure:

I really like the author's writing style. Ellen Hopkins writes in poetic form to tell a story. This way is different from usual novels. But, this way is easy to understand and gives each page a deeper meaning. The first page tells us the whole point of the story. It said "Life was good before I met the monster. After, life was great. At least for a little while" (pg 1). It talks about the crank as someone dangerous and scary. Basically, the whole book revolves around this quote. That quote also has a deeper meaning behind it and it will provide more information.

I chose to read this book because the story plot was very interesting and that a couple of people said it was a good book. Also, I have read Burned by Ellen Hopkins. If you are interested in Non-fiction and poetic books, this is a book for you.

Other books by Ellen Hopkins:

- Burned

Some links:

To buy the book Crank by Ellen Hopkins:

http://www.amazon.com/Crank-Ellen-Hopkins/dp/0689865198

A synopsis and review of the book:

http://www.powells.com/biblio?isbn=0689865198

19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult Entry #4

19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult has been a good book so far. But, right now the book is giving me less interest in reading it. I enjoy the book very much, but the topics of court and denial gives me a little less interest in reading it. Overall, it has a good story plot. One of the quotes that sparked me the most was "Peter Houghton was just arraigned on ten counts of first-degree murder and nineteen counts of attempted first-degree murder, and various accompanying charges involving illegal possession of explosives and firearms in this recent tragedy". I thought this quote was so important and over-powering. This high school boy did so much damage, that no one can even imagine. Everyone, is afraid of him an his family. His did not only kill people, he also stole weapons from his own father.

Questions:

I was thinking why the book was called 19 Minutes? But, I realized that it had to do with the fact of timing to safe lives and also that Peter, the shooter, attempted nineteen counts first-degree murder. It takes only nineteen minutes to save many people from losing their life around you.

Reading Progress:

I hope to read much more and to update the information about the court case in the next blog. This book shows how "actions are louder than words". It is a book that everyone will enjoy, but it does have a difficult reading level.

19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult: Entry #3

19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult has a lot of messages, that everyone can learn. It talks about a main character, Peter, and how the story of the shooting comes and how people react to this situation in different ways. Another main character in this novel, is Josie Cormier. Josie was injured a little in this shooting. In the begining, Peter's plan was for Josie not to get hurt. But, Josie's mother is a judge. Her names is Ale Cormier. One difficult thing that Josie mother has to do is balance her motherhood life with her court life. So, Alex has to go to court and fight for this case. She is the prosecuter's defendent. How could Alex fight for this crime in court, when her daughter was injured in that same crime? I believe, this a difficult situation in Alex's part. She has to choose one side, either her family or her job. This decision is very hard for one to accomplish because one can not turn down their job too.

My reading progress so far is okay. This book is getting very difficult for me to read. It takes me a long time to read it. Overall, I really enjoy 19 Minutes and I hope you will too.

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Here are some link:

To buy the book, 19 Minutes

https://http://www.amazon.com/Nineteen-Minutes-Novel-Jodi-Picoult/dp/0743496728

19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult Entry #2

So far, 19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult has been both a challenging and rewarding book. It talks about this flashback about Peter, the shooter, and his parents. The parents of Peter are wondering what they did wrong as parental figures or supervisors to cause their child to become so violent. The book is telling about the investigation with the police. the police is searching through all their property for evidence. One important point is that Peter's father, Lewis, is a hunter and owns several rifles. When Lewis checked back on those guns, he realized that some were missing. I think that Peter might have stolen some to use for the shooting. The rifles symbolize death, loss of friendship and distrust.

Favorite Quote:

One of my favorite quotes said in the book was "Well, these young men pull away from others. they tend to be loners. they talk about hurting themselves, or others. They can't function in school, or are subjected to discipline there. they lack a connection with someone- anyone- who might make them feel important". I think this quote is important because it shows what made Peter to do this crime.

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I made a connection with this book to the world and media. This story is very similar to Columbine. The book also mentioned a little about the story.

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So far, I like reading this book. Probably, one thing that I dislike is that it gives a lot of court information. At times, it tends to be a bit boring or too hard to understand.

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult Entry #1 (The Beginning: Pages 1-100)

After reading Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, I realized that I have never read anything so interesting before. Nineteen Minutes tells the story of a school shooting at Sterling High School in New Hampshire. New Hampshire is a town where nothing really big happens because it is very quiet place. But one day, there was a shooting which changed the lives of everyone living there. Peter Houghton, a seventeen-year old shooter, was accused of doing the shooting. He had killed so many people that day. But, he decided not to kill Josie Cormier. Josie can not recall anything, that day. One tragic thing that happened to her is that her best friend, Matt, died. It is very sad to hear the stories of those who were at loss in Sterling High. What I enjoyed most about this book is how good it is about providing information. It is really suspenseful in giving the facts.

I really like this book so far because it is very interesting and that it is not a very common story that everyone will hear. So far, I really liked some of the writing structures like flashback. The book provided flashback of the story when Josie and Peter were friends and how their relationship changed. Also, it showed what Peter did in his early life and who influenced him before the shooting happened.

My Reading Process:
I have been reading this book towards the end of summer. I could say that this book was difficult for me to read and had difficulty with some sections of the book. I chose this book because last year, in one of my classes, a classmate recommended that this book is based on true, sad story. I have happened to read another one of Jodi Picoult books called My Sister's Keeper. It was a good fictional book.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes contemporary fiction and who likes suspense. This would be a good book for you!!!

Some links:

To buy Nineteen Minutes:
http://www.amazon.com/Nineteen-Minutes-Novel-Jodi-Picoult/dp/0743496728

An excerpt of Nineteen Minutes and a conversation with Jodi Picoult:
https://http//www.jodipicoult.com/nineteen-minutes.html

Other books by Jodi Picoult:
- My Sister's Keeper (which I have read before)
- The Pact

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

After reading Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson, it shows how people's character and behavior transforms/changes throughout their life because of their actions. This books, tells the story of a high school freshman boy named Tyler Miller, and how he faces problems with his family, his reputation, and himself. He went from doing a high school prank into losing himself. But, throughout the book, he had his best friend and his sister and others to guide and to protect him.

I really liked this book because it is very easy to read and to comprehend. Also, anyone who is in high school could relate to this book. It explains how sometimes caring too much about one's reputation causes problems, which is seen though the character of Tyler. Probably, one thing that bothered me would be the writing structure in this book. The book had no chapters, but only these numbers to tell what the characters did the next days. It would have been better, if there were some chapters. But besides that, I thought the book was at times a little too easy for me.

I thought the ending was okay, but I think it could have been better. First, of all it was way too short. But, it should of included more of Tyler spending some time with his family and for them to solve their problems.

My Reading Process:
I have been reading this book during the summer as one of my summer reading books. There were no sections that was a struggle for me, because everyone could follow up on this book. I decided to read this book, because some of my frends have recommended this book as a good "read" and the book's plot sounded good. I have read one other book by Laurie Halse Anderson called Speak. It is very similar to this book. Both books talk about the characters going through high school issues and overcoming their problems.

As said again, I believe anyone could really enjoy this story. It is a young adult fiction story and it is not a very hard book, so you could understand everything that is happening.

An excerpt from Twisted:

http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/0670061018-excerpt.asp

To buy Twisted:

https://www.amazon.com/Twisted-Laurie-Halse-Anderson/dp/0670061018

Other books by Laurie Halse Anderson:

- Speak (which I have read before)

- Catalyst