Showing posts with label School Book Sunday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label School Book Sunday. Show all posts

Sunday, January 9, 2011

School Books Sundays (7)

School Books Sundays is a way I spotlight books I read for school.
This week's featured book is...
Of Mice and Men by J. Steinbeck
Age Warning: I suggest over the age of 13, I first read it in 8th grade.
Genre: Tragedy
Provided By: My School

My Review:
So I first read Of Mice and Men as a shortened version in 8th grade. And now that I've reread it I've seen somethings I missed then. But things that haven't changed is that I hate Curly and I see that George does what he does to protect Lennie. A thing I missed when I was in 8th grade is how great of  a character Lennie really is. Even though he has his mental problems he still is a character that you feel sympathy for even after the ending. Since it's so short I don't really have much else to say. So I suggest if you haven't read this short book, that you should do so soon. It's heart breaking and really shows the past times through its pages. 


Sunday, January 2, 2011

School Books Sundays (6)

School Books Sundays is a way spotlight books I read for school.
Today's Feature is...
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Genre: Tragedy/Romance
Provided By: Me

My Review:
After reading Jane Eyre for my research paper last year, I decided to take a chance on her sister Emily's book Wuthering Heights. Well I'm happy I did, and it turns out that I really love reading the Bronte sister's works. Even though at points I got confused I enjoyed reading Wuthering Heights and found in the end that I like certain characters over others (like young Catherine). And in ways I also see why Heathcliff is adored by many and also see that his character is one of flaws and crazy love. I can now because of reading it for my summer homework see why many love this book. And I suggest if you haven't read Wuthering Heights that you should.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

School Books Sundays (5)

School Books Sundays is a way I spotlight books I read for school.
This weeks feature is...
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Age Warning: Its an Advanced Read
Genre: Historical Romance
Provided By: Me
My Review:
Compared to the recent movie (the one with Keira Knightly, the one I love to watch over and over). The movie has nothing on the book, especially since it's missing certain people (like Darcy's cousin). But I love the characters in Pride and Prejudice and even though I read it for school, I enjoyed reading this much loved classic. And I especially loved reading about Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship and Elizabeth's sisters too. Plus in some ways I can connect with Elizabeth, and can see her as me in some ways. But in the end I wish Austen had written a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. Just so we would know what happened to the rest of the sisters and to Elizabeth and Darcy's relationship after Pride and Prejudice ended.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

School Books Sundays (4)

School Books Sundays is a way I spotlight books I read for school.


Today's Feature is...


Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Age Warning: Well there's death...
Genre: Tragedy
Provided By: Myself

My Review:
Hamlet by Shakespeare is a classic and well it's a classic for a reason. Between the death, drama and once again death, I see why its one of Shakespeare's greatest plays. The only thing I have negative to say about it was the homework that I had to do (the sorrow of summer homework). But now after reading it I understand what everyone is talking about. I enjoyed reading about the prince that everyone thinks is crazy but isn't really. He's just seeing his father's ghost (which is kinda crazy anyway). But in the end I enjoyed reading Hamlet at least now I can say that I've read one of Shakespeare's greatest works.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

School Book Sunday (3)


School Books Sunday is where I review a book that I've read in school or for school. This post is very infrequent due to the amount of books we do read in school.

BTW This is way way over due. Since I've been out of school for almost 3 weeks now.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Book Cover
(Okay I can't really find a synopsis for this book, and since well I don't have it on me anymore you'll get the meaning in my review.)





MY REVIEW:
Alright out of all the books I read this year at school I would say The Great Gatsby was one of the few I enjoyed. Taking place in the 1920s, Gatsby a man of new found wealth is trying to find his old beau Daisy Buchanan, and steal her back from her husband. Narrated by Daisy's cousin Nick, a friend to Gatsby's till the end, Nick see's the truth in the situation. He leads the reader through the book in truth, and tells what happens. The Great Gatsby is intriguing till the end, mystery, romance, and life during the prohibition are easily withdrawn from this book. And F. Scott Fitzgerald does a wonderful job with his characters and I really believe that the ending should have been different, just because of my hate for Tom and Daisy. But I'm not going to go ranting on that. So, yes I enjoyed this school book because of the one factor romance (I'm a romance junkie so shoot me), while a lot of my classmates disliked it because of the characters.



What do you think of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald?

Sunday, February 21, 2010

School Book Sunday (2)

This is just a special review that I make into a feature once I've finished a book I've been reading for school.


Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte



SYNOPSIS:
(From bn.com)
Orphaned at an early age, Jane Eyre leads a lonely life until she finds work as a governess at Thornfield Hall, where she meets the mysterious Mr. Rochester and sees a ghostly woman who roams the halls by night. This is a story of passionate love, travail and final triumph. The relationship between the heroine and Mr. Rochester is only one episode, albeit the most important, in a detailed fictional autobiography in which the author transmuted her own experience into high art. In this work the plucky heroine is outwardly of plain appearance, but possesses an indomitable spirit, a sharp wit and great courage. She is forced to battle against the exigencies of a cruel guardian, a harsh employer and a rigid social order which circumscribes her life and position.
MY REVIEW:
Okay so this was my first time ready a book by any of the Bronte sisters (I can't get the accented e so don't yell at me). And I really enjoyed Jane Eyre. I had/ have to read this book for my research paper for my English class (and I picked the longest book by the way). One of the many reasons I picked this book is because I actually owned it and just hadn't picked it up. It's another case of it's been sitting on the shelf and I just don't want to read it, because it sounds boring books. But Jane Eyre wasn't boring. Okay the beginning was with her aunt and her telling her background story but once she went to the school the story started to move it got better. But of coarse Charlotte had to kill the one person I liked in the beginning, but oh well.

Jane was an interesting character, as a women in society she was looked down upon for her being an "orphan", even though she had rich relatives. While also she was suppressed by the men in her life.  (AKA my papers topic: Suppression of Jane and the Reflection of Victorian Society or something like that at this stage I'm beginning to forget stuff from stress so yes, It might not be that topic.) I for some reason liked Mr. Rochester, in away your supposed to see him as the bad guy but I just couldn't bring myself to hate him. Rochester is just a guy that had something bad happen to him and then just tried to go on with his life with out getting ride of the hate he held. I really liked, Adele, the girl and Rochester's daughter that Jane ends up being a governess for. Adele was interesting to me for a couple of reasons, but for one bring French into the story, while also keeping Jane entertained with her antics.

There was one thing I didn't like about the book, and that was the ending. Ms. Bronte summed the book up fine, its just I felt I needed more. I don't know what more I need but I just needed some more. I actually enjoyed this book, while I know some others hated. I liked the mystery romance and deception (as it says on my copy of the book) that the book entailed.

By the way, my research paper is a criticism of a book, Jane Eyre for me, so I chose Historical and Feminism criticism. I'm going to do a mash of the too. So please wish me luck. Also this paper is due in March so ya more stress!!!!!! Sorry I'm stressed out as it is right now.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

School Books Sundays (1)



Okay so the idea around this some what meme or every couple of month post, is for me to review a book that I have been reading for school. There really is no rules just review the book like you would a normal one so ya. If you want to also feature this as something on your blog could you comment a link, if popular enough I'll get a Mr. Linky.


The Crucible by Arthur Miller
The Crucible (Penguin Classics Series) by Arthur Miller: Book Cover


SYNOPSIS:
The story focuses upon a young farmer, his wife, and a young servant-girl who maliciously causes the wife's arrest for witchcraft. The farmer brings the girl to court to admit the lie- and it is here that the monstrous course of bigotry and deceit is terrifying depicted. The farmer, instead of saving his wife, finds himself also accused of witchcraft and ultimately condemned with a host of others.


MY REVIEW:
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is really an interesting play if you look at it. Miller captured a hysteria that was happening in the 1950's with the McArthur Communist scare perfectly in comparison to the Witch Trial scare in the late 1600s. With the Crucible there was one character I hated which was Abigail Williams, in my mind she was too possessive. As I used in one of the English questions: "She acts like a little girl in a shop wanting that Barbie doll her mom won't let her get." She just was how you you say it a brat that was trying to get a place she wanted. (Okay I should probably stop this Abigail rant.)


Out of all the school books I've read The Crucible and Doctor Zhivago were the only two I could stand to read (I mean Doctor Zhivago actually had a very lovely romance plot.... Sorry darn school system if I love romance books! Get some more!). The Crucible,  not including all those questions I had to do with quote support, wasn't that bad. I actually liked it. Now if only the school system would let us read more modern plays I would be happy with my English class. So all in all I would give The Crucible a 3 on the music note scale. This is because compared to some of the other school books/plays I've read I could actually get through this one pretty easily, and I enjoyed it.


(P.S. I'm not dissing Shakespeare, because I also love his works!)

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Classic Books


Here's a list of the novels reviewed through School Books Sundays, or classical novels I read for fun. Reviews are listed with the date reviewed and by their authors' last name.
C
D
E
G
H
I
J
K
L
N
O
P
Q
R
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z