Literature Extravaganza

Recently I began reading Liquid Rules: The Delightful and Dangerous Substances That Flow Through Our Lives by Mark Miodownik, a material scientist, and so far I am liking it. This book is non-fiction that discusses liquid substances. Throughout the book, the author dives deeper into the liquids he comes in contact with on a London to San Francisco airplane flight. He explains how liquids work and talks about interesting natural occurrences. I have always found non-fictional books less appealing as there are often no characters to get attached to, no captivating story lines. I find them harder to get into. However, I find Liquid Rules to be very interesting and I have gotten hooked. One thing that I like about this book is the style in which it is written. Miodownik has an amazing voice and gives excellent examples. Even as someone who knows very little about material sciences, I was able to understand what was being said and find it interesting. One passage th...

I recently read the book "The Messenger" by Lois Lowry. This book is the third installment in the  "The Giver" series. The book is about an adolescent boy named Matty, who lives in a dystopian future society called "Village". In this village people are always kind and friendly to one another, and they don't hold back any secrets; almost the perfect ideal society. They let in refugees from other places where violence,theft , and lies are all part of the life there. However, things are starting to change. People start trading away parts of themselves in order to gain something they desire to the Trademaster. Because of this, people are becoming mean and greedy. They want to close off the always-open borders of Village, and not let anyone else in. Matty and his mentor, Seer, seek to find out how to stop this and get rid of this plague of unkindness spreading through the city. Personally, I found this book really exciting, unique, and fun, and I th...

            Near the end of this summer I finished Looking for Alaska by John Green. Looking for Alaska is a fictional book written in the view of Miles “Pudge” Halter who is a rising junior at Culver Creek Boarding School. It takes place in modern day Alabama where Miles spends his first year after moving from Florida. Initially Pudge is not enthusiastic about going but he finds himself enjoying it more than expected. At his new school he finds new friends and goes on many trips with them. Although he has fun with his friends, near the end, one of Pudge’s closest friends Alaska, dies in a car accident.             Pudge’s two closest friends are Alaska and “The Colonel.” To me they both have unique characteristics, but I think Alaska has more depth in her emotions overall. The trait that struck me the most about Alaska was her unique behavior. She always either had strong emotions or said somethin...

I have never enjoyed reading nonfiction much until I came across a couple of books that really interested me. Out of those books, What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures, really stood out to me. I had picked it off the shelf thinking it was a book about dogs, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. It is instead a collection of stories written by Malcolm Gladwell for The New Yorker that show readers the world through new lenses.  The stories in this book are about seemingly dull topics, such as hairspray, plagiarism, and kitchen gadgets. However, upon closer inspection, readers realize the anecdotes are actually about the power of a good slogan, how copyright tramples creativity, and the strategies of a good advertiser. They are ones that make you think, that cause you see something in a completely new light.  What the Dog Saw is split into three sections. The first part, “Obsessives, Pioneers, and Other Varieties of Minor Genius,” describes people who are very good at ...

In my previous blog, I discussed Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes. After finishing the excellent read, I started another fantasy novel which was recommended to me by Mariam Vaid, Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. Published in 2016, this book is the first in the Witchlands series. Truthwitch is a story about the adventures of two young girls who are best friends, Safiya and Iseult. The two live in a world full of magic, and their country is currently going through a time of high tensions and bordering on war. As I read the book, many components of the book stand out to me, but my favorite aspect of this book is the way it portrays the concept of magic. Many books, movies, and television shows include magic in their fictional worlds. Sabrina, The Teenage Witch follows a girl who can make things appear from the tip of her finger. She can create potions to make magic happen. Her family members are witches and wizards as well, and they perform magic in the same manner. A similar concept...

        I am Zlatan: My Story On and Off the Field by David Lagercrantz is the autobiography of the great soccer player, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It tells an inspirational rags to riches story. Zlatan was a little immigrant kid in Sweden with not much money and many family problems using soccer to cope with his problems.   Now he is a very rich soccer superstar, making money in the big leagues of soccer  . This book is inspirational, entertaining, and funny, and because of those things, I think that this is a good book.         One of the reasons I think this book is good is because of its entertaining aspect. The book talks about specific stories rather than summarizing over a certain amount of time, which I find to be a lot more interesting. He will skip over a long period of time, in which not much happens, so he can talk more about funny encounters with friends, managers and other players. Zlatan also adds a lot of personality to the boo...

Under a Painted Sky  was written in 2015 by Stacy Lee. It is a moving tale set in 1849 that tells the story of a Chinese American girl named Samantha. With her father, she runs a dry goods store in Missouri and dreams of someday moving to New York to become a professional violinist. However, her vision is crushed after a tragic accident leaves her without family and in great danger. Samantha manages to escape to the Oregon Trail with a runaway slave named Annamae. Disguised as two young men headed for the California gold rush, the two girls face the unknown, but manage to find unexpected allies along the way.  Under a Painted Sky  is a tale about loss, perseverance, and the power of friendship. I found it to be a beautiful, moving story that had an engaging plot, interesting characters, and an excellent moral. Stacy Lee does a great job of getting readers to sympathize with her characters, which leads to greater investment in the story. She provide...