I just finished my old favorite book The Lightning Theif by Rick Riordan. Honestly it is as good as I remeber. So much better than his new series that he has been writing. I kind of forgot about how he actually writes. I'm so used to his newer books and how he plays off the characters there that I forgot how attached I used to be to his characters. Its true that they aren't the most well writen books ever and they definitely aren't advanced enough for a 9th grader but for me that really doesn't matter. Sure I like to challenge myself with what I read but sometimes you need a break from the big words and confusing storylines. Sometimes you just need to find your Lightning Thief. If you haven't read the Percy Jackson books then shame on you and your a disgrace to your whole family. I'm kidding of course but these books have been out since I was in 5th grade maybe even earlier I can't really remember. You could probably afford to pick it up and go through it in a week tops. Its truly not a hard book to read, its very fun, warm and all around energetic. The characters are all well defined and relatable and theres no dumb needless dialogue. I guess you could say this is like my "guilty pleasure" series but I am not ashamed of it. Rather I'm actually pretty proud of my situation with this series.

After reading wonder one of the best books I've read in a while I decided to read an old favorite, The Lightning Thief. It was at one point one of my favorite books that I had read. I have since read many books that are truly amazing do if you were to ask me now what my favorite book is I wouldn't be able to tell you. Anyway I haven't truly started the book but I do know what happens and you think that this would ruin it for me. Not really. To be honest there are some surprises in the book that I already knew about which ruins the anticipation for me but I'm still excited to see how the character reacts. It's like I'm not reading the book for me but so that the character can find out what's happening. For me the story has already been told but for the character I s just beginning,

I recently started and finished the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio in a period of 12 hours. Yes it is that amazing. Here is my review of it on goodreads:

                                   This book. THIS FREAKING AMAZING WONDEFUL BOOK!!!! I can't get over this book right now. The amzing story. The amazing writing. The amazing... well, everything. Everything about this book is truly utterly amazing. Stories like these make me re-evaluate my own life. Honestly I view myself as a pretty decent human being but after reading this book I realize how many times I didn't quite make it there. I never did anything as bad as what happend to August in this book but there have been times that I haven't been a star human. This book absolutely needs to be required reading material for middle schoolers just so they know how not to act. I'm pretty sure that if I had read this book before high school there would be a lot of different things in my life. But enough about me. R.J. Palacio introduces August, I funny average middle school (even though fifth grade isn't really middle school) student who just wants to fit in. Unfortunately for him that is completely impossible because he has an unfortunate face abnormality that isn't completely specifeid in the book but I can draw a pretty good picture of it. The book follows August as he treis to be accepted by everyone in the school. Which most of the kids there don't seem to mind it that much... except Julien. Now a lot of you people out there probably absolutely hate Julien. Well I can tell you that is niave and you are wrong. If you want to blame anyone for what happens to August blame his mother. His mother is the most awful human being that probably has never existed. I mean in the beginning of the book I also hated Julien. By the middle of the book I hated a lot more people than Julien but I'm not going to get into that. But by the end of the book I only hated his mother and maybe his father. I mean they are the epitome of snobby rich New Yorkers. God they are just awful. Anyway, although he can never fit in he can truly be accepted and loved by the people around him, but the question is does he? If I haven't yet convinced you that this book is amazing know this: I started this at 5:00 p.m. March 25th and finished it at 3:00 a.m. March 26th. I didn't even stop to use the bathroom.

In a word, a slice of perspective

By: Mary Schmich

            While reading the column In a word a, slice of perspective the author, Mary Schmich, wants us to feel both sympathetic and deppressed. I know this because she uses phrases such as "Corpses rot in the mud." and," ...the death count rises as inexorably as the moon." This shows the depressed side of the pieces by bringn up situations most people would not want to hear about that are revolting/ depressing. This piece alsom makes us sympathetic because she brings up her younger sister who" is mentally disabled, who on an average day literally trembles with medicine..." This makes us sympathetic of her daughter who most likely cannot do anything on her own and will be stuck that way her whole life.

             The author wants us to remeber how no matter how little we have someone, somewhere out there has less. I know this is true because she says in the last paragraph" There's always somebody with more... [but] a lot of us have potato chips to spare." This shows how there is always someone with more than you but also you will always have extra for someone else. She doesn't want anyone to take there portion for granted and keep living the way we can.The people who let the person who has more than them to define themselves is always the mosre depressed.

            The purpose of the column is to show how good you have it compared to the others. The authore quotes her mentally handicapped sister who said " Compared to them... I have a lot." This shows that even if a person in her position realizes that she has a lot then you must be able to also. You have to realize that you have a lot more than many people. She wants us to stop asking for more and more and be happy with what we are given.

             The author uses diction throughout her column to further the goal of the piece by repeating the word portion throughout the piece. Although it seems most of the time she is using it negatively, when she describes it she uses words such as fortune and fate, which seem positive. So truly when she uses this word really she is trying to point out that the little these people have can actually be seen as a lot. 

            The column relates to real life in many ways. It shows that we should be wary of what we complain because most likely someon out there doesnt have anything like it. It shows that people like Kanye West or Justin Beiber could contribute to society much more if they donated to charity or other rather than give us their crappy music and gossip. Although you life at some points might seem tough there are people out there who have gone through worse and you can make it through it

I did end up finishing The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan and this is my personnel review on goodreads:
"It was pretty good. Its classic Riordan with the funny dialogue and deep characer developement. For me though there is just to much in this series. You've got the whole Leo being able to produce fire, then Frank can turn into diffeerent animals, then Hazel's whole alive dead alive thing and her "magical gems,then Nico's whole situation which is cool and everything but I feel like he came up with the idea halfway through the series,Reyna's whole giving strength thingy, and finally ANOTHER FREAKING LOVE TRIANGLE between Reyna, Jason and Piper. GOD DANGIT theres to many of them. Always with the freaking love triangles ughhhhhh. I'm not even goning to get into it because I get to worked up. Anyways all of those things listed are just kinda to much. I would have gone without them personally, there just so wierd and needless. Overall the dialogue between the characters are mostlyy good. There are a couple areas where I might have cringed a little (I'm looking at you "water boy" blehh) but most of it was fine. There were some ooey gooey parts that did seem to seep out of the twilight series and dribbled into this book but I guess that is for all you hopeless romantics.There are two parts that I loved and need more of, Reyna and Nico and Piper and Annabeth. Reyna and Nico just seem to click, I mean they work weel together and they're just two amazingly strong characters that need more time in the spotlight. I would kill for a spin-off series based around them. Piper and Annabeth are like the best friends that most girls wish they had. They just seem to get each other ya' know. There is a little goopey dialogue in there I could do without but it kinda fits. So to wrap it all up, I would suggest this to people looking for an easy read to blow through till there next book but if you are looking for a series that will keep you on your toes till the very end look somewhere else."

Dover Beach Extension

For a very long time she stood on the porch. No movement. No noise. Only deep thoughts  no decisions. A very large amount of times she almost waltzed right back in there. Ready to give that incompetent fool a piece of her mind. But she did not. She only stood there, waiting for someone to make a decision that she could not. Maybe if she waited long enough her husband, Mr. Phelps, could come and find her so she could talk about her family again and return to happiness.

He could actually die out there.

This was not the first time that thought had risen but it was the first time it actually meant something. Did she truly love him. Or did she just want to have someone to talk about tv with. She'd never worried about him before. Maybe she could just tell Mrs. Bowles about her family. But she only sees Mrs. Bowles when she goes over to Mildred's.Maybe she could talk to Mildred about it. No, she can't risk seeing Guy about it.

Guy, Guy, who does he think he is. Telling me how to feel. Well I'd better go in there and give him a piece of my mind.

She didn't. Instead she stood there silently, again. If she doesn't hurry and make up her mind she will miss the next family gathereing.

And this is supposed to be a good one. What is it going to be about, I just can't remember. Does it truly matter at this point.

Then she remembered. The army base had a telephone. What was that number. Come on think, Think. 

OH  I remember it. Ok now I truly must make up my mind. Stand here like a bumbling idiot or call my husband. My beautiful, wonderful husband.

Just like that she lept off the porch and strode to her car.

Thank you Guy. I have a call to make.

         Since I finished The Book Theif I have started The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan. I already know what you are thinking, Oh thats such a kids book, Why don't you go back to middle school, and to be honest you are 100% right. It is a book written for kids most likely 4 reading levels below me and it has some pretty crappy lines in it. So I have to ask myself, why am  I reading this childrens book. So I have two anwsers that I have worked up for that question:
 1. They are extremely good storyline, the characters are a bit flat and the surprise unpredictable twists are completely predictable but honest to go it has a great storyline.
 2. I started with his books when I was in about 6th grade and I am definitely not stopping now.
          So yes there is no reason for me to read this but I truly enjoy Rick's gripping storyline and amazing adventours. He finds a way to make the most imbecilic ideas completely plausible and believable. I feel that if he just works on his character developement and maybe matures up a little bit, he could be a greaat young adult writer (even though he technically is I am sorry but there is a difference between 6th grade young adult and high school young adult).
         So far the book has been a little bit of a disapointment, cruddy lines and no character developement at all but most likely by the next time I am writing this blog I will have finished this book and I can tell you all about it but until then Happy reading.