I chose to read An Abundance of Katherines because I had heard it was a pretty good book and I already had it available at my house. No need to go buy or a rent a novel when I already own one that is on the list. The attractiveness to this novel came about because my mom and brother had both suggested this book to me. I had no idea what it was about but it sounded interesting. As I went through this book, I was always thinking about connections because once a reader connects to a novel, it makes it easier to understand. However, I never found a strong connection with this book. Normally I can connect to book but not this one for some reason.
I would recommend this book to people who like adventures because Colin goes a long way away from home to do some crazy things. It is a very strange and interesting book but I however did not like it. It was hard to follow and boring at times.
I would give this book a three and a half out of five stars because it was interesting for most of the book but was at times very slow and boring. This was overall a nice read.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Entry Three: An Abundance of Katherines
A quality excerpt that contains and displays the concept of "hooking" potential readers comes on page 40. It says,"You don't need a girlfriend, Colin. You need a robot who says nothing but 'I love you.' And it felt like being stoned and sticked from the inside, a fluttering and then a sharp pain in his lower rib cage, and then he felt for the first time that a piece of his gut had been wrenched out of him.
She tried to get out as quickly and painlessly as possible, but after she begged curfew, he began to cry. She held his head against her collarbone. And even though he felt pitiful and ridiculous, he didn't want it to end, because he knew the absence of her would hurt more than any breakup ever could.
But she left anyway, and he was alone in his room, searching out anagrams for mymissingpiece in a vain attempt to fall asleep" (Green 40).
My rationale for saying that this piece from An Abundance of Katherines could hook potential readers is because readers normally get connected to the main characters throughout the book, therefore, you would want to find out what happens with Colin after this breakup. Readers can clearly tell that his girlfriend means a lot to him and it will be interesting to witness how Colin deals with this mini-crisis.
She tried to get out as quickly and painlessly as possible, but after she begged curfew, he began to cry. She held his head against her collarbone. And even though he felt pitiful and ridiculous, he didn't want it to end, because he knew the absence of her would hurt more than any breakup ever could.
But she left anyway, and he was alone in his room, searching out anagrams for mymissingpiece in a vain attempt to fall asleep" (Green 40).
My rationale for saying that this piece from An Abundance of Katherines could hook potential readers is because readers normally get connected to the main characters throughout the book, therefore, you would want to find out what happens with Colin after this breakup. Readers can clearly tell that his girlfriend means a lot to him and it will be interesting to witness how Colin deals with this mini-crisis.
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Entry Two: An Abundance of Katherines
Character Complexity:
Colin Singleton: What Colin wants is to be a genius, not just a washed up, has been prodigy.
Hassan Harbish: Hassan is real easy going and goes with the flow and loves helping people.
Lindsey Lee Wells: Lindsey loves her life in Gutshot, Tennessee and wants to live there for the rest of her life until TOC (the other colin) cheats on her.
Themes:
The main theme that has appeared in the book is Recognition. Readers find out that Colin wants recognition and to be a well-known genius. Lindsey also wants some lasting presence as well. The third part of the book contributing to recognition is the gravestone of Archduke Franz Ferdinand because I have now realized that the grave is actually Lindsey's grandfather. He wanted to be remembered so he requested for that name to be on his gravestone.
Structure:
One element of structure in An Abundance of Katherines is that it is written in third-person. This is different because most of John Green's books are written in the first-person. Another element of structure is the use of footnotes. He uses footnotes throughout the book to explain things to the reader. The third and final structure is the great use of dialogue. John Green uses a lot of dialogue in this novel.
Colin Singleton: What Colin wants is to be a genius, not just a washed up, has been prodigy.
Hassan Harbish: Hassan is real easy going and goes with the flow and loves helping people.
Lindsey Lee Wells: Lindsey loves her life in Gutshot, Tennessee and wants to live there for the rest of her life until TOC (the other colin) cheats on her.
Themes:
The main theme that has appeared in the book is Recognition. Readers find out that Colin wants recognition and to be a well-known genius. Lindsey also wants some lasting presence as well. The third part of the book contributing to recognition is the gravestone of Archduke Franz Ferdinand because I have now realized that the grave is actually Lindsey's grandfather. He wanted to be remembered so he requested for that name to be on his gravestone.
Structure:
One element of structure in An Abundance of Katherines is that it is written in third-person. This is different because most of John Green's books are written in the first-person. Another element of structure is the use of footnotes. He uses footnotes throughout the book to explain things to the reader. The third and final structure is the great use of dialogue. John Green uses a lot of dialogue in this novel.
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Entry One: An Abundance of Katherines
Characters:
Colin Singleton: Colin is the main character in this novel. A rather strange trait of his is that he has dated 19 girls named Katherine. Another problem for Colin is that he needs to be praised and recognized.
Hassan Harbish: Hassan is Colin's best friend. He is smart but lazy. He helps Colin with any problems that occur. Hassan triggers the trip to Gutshot, Tennessee
Lindsey Lee Wells: Hassan and Colin meet Lindsey in Gutshot. She has many sides and changes depending on the audience she is speaking to. She is dating a jock named Colin that Hassan renames TOC (the other colin) to differentiate between the two.
Setting:
The setting of An Abundance of Katherines is Gutshot, Tennessee. The most important part of the setting is that in this town is the tourist attraction called The Last Resting Place of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. This grave sight is what brought Colin and Hassan to the town of Gutshot, Tennessee. In this town, the boys meet Lindsey and her mother Hollis. Hollis owns the main factory in Gutshot, where the town profits most from because of the production going on there.
Conflict:
I am unsure of the conflict of this novel.
My prediction is that Colin Singleton will date Lindsey and something will happen to or with the grave.
Question: How much does Colin dating Katherines come into the story?
Connections: I have no connections to this book yet.
Colin Singleton: Colin is the main character in this novel. A rather strange trait of his is that he has dated 19 girls named Katherine. Another problem for Colin is that he needs to be praised and recognized.
Hassan Harbish: Hassan is Colin's best friend. He is smart but lazy. He helps Colin with any problems that occur. Hassan triggers the trip to Gutshot, Tennessee
Lindsey Lee Wells: Hassan and Colin meet Lindsey in Gutshot. She has many sides and changes depending on the audience she is speaking to. She is dating a jock named Colin that Hassan renames TOC (the other colin) to differentiate between the two.
Setting:
The setting of An Abundance of Katherines is Gutshot, Tennessee. The most important part of the setting is that in this town is the tourist attraction called The Last Resting Place of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. This grave sight is what brought Colin and Hassan to the town of Gutshot, Tennessee. In this town, the boys meet Lindsey and her mother Hollis. Hollis owns the main factory in Gutshot, where the town profits most from because of the production going on there.
Conflict:
I am unsure of the conflict of this novel.
My prediction is that Colin Singleton will date Lindsey and something will happen to or with the grave.
Question: How much does Colin dating Katherines come into the story?
Connections: I have no connections to this book yet.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Discussion of 9th Grade Blogging
This 2013-2014 school year, I had English second and third trimester. Something new that was introduced to me was blogging. We blogged once a week in the computer lab and each blog was about the novel that we were reading at that time. After my experience with blogging, overall, I enjoyed it for the most part. However, I did not enjoy the weekly basis that we had to post on. It was frustrating especially if you could not find time to read that week.
I felt like my blog is very quality for multiple reasons. In my blog post, "Setting of Shattering Glass", I used a quote or textual evidence to contribute to the quality of the post. All of my posts were at least two paragraphs and I added widgets on the side of my blog. Also, I added pictures in five of my ten blog posts this trimester. My blog is somewhat adequate but I still have things to work on over the summer that I can apply to my future blogs.
I felt like my blog is very quality for multiple reasons. In my blog post, "Setting of Shattering Glass", I used a quote or textual evidence to contribute to the quality of the post. All of my posts were at least two paragraphs and I added widgets on the side of my blog. Also, I added pictures in five of my ten blog posts this trimester. My blog is somewhat adequate but I still have things to work on over the summer that I can apply to my future blogs.
The Fat Boy Chronicles
A book that I have been thinking about picking up and reading is The Fat Boy Chronicles by Diane Lang, Thomas H. Inge, and Michael Buchanon. This book received a 3.9 out of five on Goodreads( https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6542580-the-fat-boy-chronicles ). I have also heard from multiple sources that it is a very enjoyable book to read. The meaning behind the book is explained on Goodreads, "... reveals to readers the emotionally painful world obese teens experience in the face of a thin-obsessed society."
The personal connection I have to this book is that the book is about a student that once attended William Mason High School, which is where I go to school. The book can also relate to many people because of the topic of bullying. Kathie Bryant, who rated the book five out of five stars, in the comment section of Goodreads states it perfectly, "Anyone can relate to this book. Those who are bullied, find hope. Those who are bullies, find forgiveness." I might have to research this book more in depth and decide if I want to read it or not.
The personal connection I have to this book is that the book is about a student that once attended William Mason High School, which is where I go to school. The book can also relate to many people because of the topic of bullying. Kathie Bryant, who rated the book five out of five stars, in the comment section of Goodreads states it perfectly, "Anyone can relate to this book. Those who are bullied, find hope. Those who are bullies, find forgiveness." I might have to research this book more in depth and decide if I want to read it or not.
Monday, May 26, 2014
Review and Summary of Shattering Glass
Summary:
At the beginning of the book, Simon Glass is the biggest dweeb at B'Vale High School in Texas. And by the end of Shattering Glass, he's not even alive. This all starts because four jocks decide to make Simon Glass Mr. Popular of the senior class. What they didn't know before this transformation was that Simon had a mean, devious side to him that none of them could even imagine. And just like the back of the book says, "And when Simon uncovers a dangerous secret, events darken. The result is disquieting, bone-chilling...and brutal." You'll have to read the book to uncover all the details.
Review:
My thoughts on Shattering Glass is that it was an enjoyable book to read and I liked it. Gail Giles' writing style is very unique and she includes elevated diction which both contributed to liking of the book. My rating for it would be an eight out of ten because most of the book was good but at times it was hard to follow and confusing also. The type of reader that would enjoy this novel by Gail Giles would someone who enjoys reading about mystery and relatable plots. Overall, it was a great read and I recommend it to all.
At the beginning of the book, Simon Glass is the biggest dweeb at B'Vale High School in Texas. And by the end of Shattering Glass, he's not even alive. This all starts because four jocks decide to make Simon Glass Mr. Popular of the senior class. What they didn't know before this transformation was that Simon had a mean, devious side to him that none of them could even imagine. And just like the back of the book says, "And when Simon uncovers a dangerous secret, events darken. The result is disquieting, bone-chilling...and brutal." You'll have to read the book to uncover all the details.
Review:
My thoughts on Shattering Glass is that it was an enjoyable book to read and I liked it. Gail Giles' writing style is very unique and she includes elevated diction which both contributed to liking of the book. My rating for it would be an eight out of ten because most of the book was good but at times it was hard to follow and confusing also. The type of reader that would enjoy this novel by Gail Giles would someone who enjoys reading about mystery and relatable plots. Overall, it was a great read and I recommend it to all.
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