Review on Winston's Blog Post, "Eldest"

http://readingbooks2479.blogspot.com/2013/02/eldest.html

     I read Winston's blog post "Eldest" about how the book relates to real life. I feel like this is very true based on his post, about how people sometimes need to do things that they are not necessarily comfortable with doing, for the sake of themselves and/or other. I agree with this statement, because if everyone were to stay in their comfort zone, then nothing would get done. No change generally means no progress.

     I have not read this book, though the post that Winston has written has made me think that it might be a good book for me to read. It reminds me of a lot of fantasy games and movies that I've seen and played, and I can find common threads between this and fantasy books that I have read, such as the Lord of the Rings series and the Hobbit. I can connect the book to my life because I've had to step out of my comfort zone in certain things, especially academics, with the spelling bee.

     I haven't read any other posts by Winston, but this post stood out among the others because it showed a full understanding of the book, and explained very well, with good thoughts on how it ties into the real world. I feel like the post is engaging because though it is rather long, it kept me hooked for the duration of the blog post. It was almost like a story in and of itself!

First Blood by David Morrell

I recently read the book "First Blood" by David Morrell. It is about an ex-military man named John Rambo, who kills a police officer. The entire book is about the chase that ensues due to this. The second main character is a sheriff named Will Teasle who is the person who chases Rambo, and the only person who survives the initial chase. I can relate to Rambo because I've felt closed in (he originally killed the police officer because the jail cell he was supposed to go into reminded him of torture chambers in Congo) and done things that I wasn't sure why I did. I can relate to Teasle because I've wanted revenge before and not known what I was getting myself into (John Rambo, though Teasle doesn't know this until the middle of the book, was actually a Green Beret, who won the Medal of Honor, the best medal in the army).

Middle School, the Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson

I recently read the book "Middle School, the Worst Years of My Life" by James Patterson. It is about a boy named Rafe who starts 6th grade with no friends, a nosy sister, and a mean stepfather. He gets through the year with his imaginary friend Leo, who makes up a game where Rafe tries to break every single rule in the school rule book. Many people influence Rafe throughout the book, namely Leo and Rafe's mother. Some things preventing Rafe from reaching a resolution are that though he's trying to get by, even with tutoring from a classmate he still fails classes. Many of the conflicts are internal, but there are also some external problems. A few of these are the school bully named Miller, Rafe's English teacher named Ms. Donatello, and Rafe's stepfather, who he calls Bear.

Spanking Shakespeare by Jake Wizner

I recently read the book "Spanking Shakespeare" by Jake Wizner. It is about a senior in high school, Shakespeare Shapiro, and his struggles. The protagonist is influenced by almost everyone in the book. Some influences are good, while others are bad. For instance, Danny, a student at his school, gets Shakespeare to do drugs for the first time in his life, and he goes home high and his parents get angry, so it does not go his way. One character relationship that developed throughout the book is the relationship between Shakespeare and Charlotte. At first, Shakespeare doesn't ever talk to Charlotte, but then they slowly become friends, and in the end they are dating. The internal conflicts in this book are  that Shakespeare always cuts himself down, and the external conflicts stem from this inner hatred towards himself.

Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff

I recently read the book "Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have" by Allen Zadoff. It is about a 307 pound sophomore named Andrew Zansky. He falls in love with a girl named April at a wedding that his mother set up, who turns out to come to his school for sophomore year. During the first day, the bully that Andrew has been bullied by since middle school bullies him, but Andrew is saved by O. Douglas, the football star. O. is very nice to Andrew, and helps him join the football team. Andrew gets in after trying out in practice as center and feels good about himself for the first time in a long time. But things go wrong when he discovers that O. and the entire team were using him to win a game. The author wants me to feel bad for Andrew, but also understand the side of the team. I think that the author wants me to choose a side on my own.

For Us, The Living by Robert Heinlein

I have recently been reading a book called "For Us, The Living" by Robert Heinlein. It is about a man named Perry Nelson from the year 1939 who died from his car being driven off of a cliff, and wakes up in the year 2086. He nearly dies from frostbite until a woman named Diana finds him and brings him into her home. Her and her friends proceed to explain the ways of the world in 2086 and all history from 1939 to then of relevance to him. I think that this book is interesting because Robert Heinlein made a lot of assumptions which aren't true. It's cool to see what people thought the 21st century would be like in the early 1900's.

National Geographic: The World's Largest Trees

     I read an article in National Geographic magazine called "The World's Largest Trees". It was about scientists discovering more about the old sequoia trees. The biggest one they've found is one that they named "The President" 90 years ago, and we still call it that today. It has a dead spire on its top that was struck by lightning, and a canopy that holds nearly 2 billion leaves. It has 4 large branches, each the size of a tree themselves. Though sequoias are not the largest trees in height, they make up for it in trunk width. They are also extremely old. The reason that it has survived for so long is it has simply outlived its competitors. The scientists are trying to get me to know that this tree has been studied for an extremely long time, and they have learned a lot about it.
     The scientists have done a lot of work to learn about these trees, and this is because they want to conserve them. They are telling us about this tree because they want us to become interested in things about the tree. The scientists want us to feel interested in the tree, so that no one will try to get rid of it. If people understand the tree, they will not look to use the wood for fuel or furnishings. At least that's what National Geographic wants people to feel.
     I believe that National Geographic has the right idea on this topic, but I think they could make the idea a bit more blatant. They basically just give information about the tree. I only noticed the idea because of the loaded words spruced throughout the article, but for someone who hasn't learned about that sort of thing, it might be hard to notice.