The Shadow of the Wind

          The Shadow of the Wind was written by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, a hispanic novelist. I had high expectations when I began reading, because Stephen King had written a review, also because mystery has always enthralled me. I thought the idea of this cemetery of forgotten books, was very cool, and a nice thing to imagine. I also really liked how the book was conclusive in all ways, and how the beginning was a mirror of the ending. I really like books, and movies that loop around, because it makes you continue to think even after you have finished. It makes you wonder if Julian's kids way off someday will also do this.


          However there were some major things that I did not like about it. I thought the book was way too long. I feel like a lot of the descriptions were unnecessary, to the point of the author almost just rambling.  
I would rate this book a 7.5, because it was a book that made you need to know what happens next, but the amount of time it took to tell you was a little much. I would probably not recommend this book to a classmate, mainly because of how drawn out it was (I think 350 pages could have done it, because I was not as interested in some of the subplots).  But if I were to recommend it, it would be easier because it can appeal to a wide variety, from mystery fans, to romance (I thought it was super cute how Daniel and Beatriz got married!).


      My favorite part of the book was when we first see the library of forgotten books. "Every book, every volume you see here has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. (p5)" I thought it was really cool how they said like the book had been waiting there for Daniel, and ultimately that book shaped and changed his entire life. After reading this book (as corny as it sounds) I actually do view libraries differently. When I was about halfway through the book I was in the car and passed a second hand book shop, and I made my family stop there. This book really glorifies storytelling, and helped reopen me back up to reading for pleasure. 

Adoration of Jenna Fox

                For my biology class we were assigned this book. When I first heard we had to read a book for biology, I thought that would be very boring and time consuming, but when I began reading The Adoration of Jenna Fox, I loved it. Science fiction has always been my favorite genre of book, and this book was no exception. Mary E. Pearson does a really good job of making you wonder and guess at the ending. I also really liked how she told us the full ending, because I do not like to be left hanging in books. 


              This book really made me think, and the world she created with BioGel seemed so real when I was reading it. I like how realistic the book can be, and it seems like this could happen in the future. This book actually reminded me a lot of Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons, because the science world he created, also felt so real. This book made me question and wonder about a lot of the ethical issues presented. One of these that came to mind was at what point does a person become a robot, and do they still have rights? I think this is a scary question, but it is really fascinating. 


               Before I read this book, I never would have considered somebody with ninety percent artificial materials a real person, I’d consider them a robot who doesn’t deserve rights. After I read The Adoration of Jenna Fox and saw that she was just like everybody else, it made me think a lot. She is just like everybody else her age, just without the same memory. She has emotions and she should have rights. This book exceeded my expectations by a landslide and, I would definitely suggest this book to my friends, even those who are not in biology. Anybody who likes science fiction will love The Adoration of Jenna Fox.

Angels and Demons

       I have now decided to read Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. I went into this book with very high expectations, because I always hear people rave about Dan Brown. Even though I started with such high expectations, I was still blown away. This book is (I hope I don’t jinx it) what I am thinking to be my favorite book I have ever read.

            However I’m only on page 200. Dan Brown does a really good job of making his story seem realistic. Also the plot line is fascinating, and exciting. I know it isn’t real, but when I read the book, it makes it all seem so logical. Here is an excerpt from the book, that shows how realistic it seems,

His ancestors had formed a small but deadly army to defend themselves. The army has become famous across the land as protectors-skilled executioners who wandered the countryside slaughtering any enemy they could find. They were renowned not only for their brutal killings, but also for celebrating their slayings by plunging themselves into drug-induced stupors. Their drug of choice was a potent intoxicant they called hashish.

                  As their notoriety spread, these lethal men became known by a single word-Hassassin-literally “the followers of hashish.” The name Hassassin, became synonymous with death in almost every language on earth. The word was still used today, even in modern English… but like the craft of killing the word has evolved.

                  It was now pronounced assassin.

           Can you see what I mean? All of that seems so logical, and it makes you question reality. Or at least for me it does. I really love science, and to have it in this way in a book makes me very pleased, they also deal with other things like the idea of antimatter. The book helps you stay hooked because every chapter switches from story to story. It will go to the main characters story, and then it will switch to the hassasin, or the Cardinal Mortati.

           The story revolves around a death of one scientist, who was killed, then branded with an ancient symbol, a lost symbol for the oldest satanic cult. This that leads to shocking realizations about what he was working on, and why they killed him. Once all is on the table, Landon, a Harvard professor who gets pulled into the crime, has to go to Vatican City, and convince the people not to go foreword with the conclave, the electing of a new pope. The people have a hard time understanding that in six hours, the entire Vatican City will be destroyed, by just one drop of antimatter.

     If you are into Science fiction, mysteries, or a good read, you would love this book, and I strongly recommend it. 

Review of The Lovely Bones

I really enjoyed The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. It started out with an amazing hook, and kept me on my toes until the bitter end.  The first thing Alice Sebold explains to you is how the main character, Susie Salmon is killed. The rest of the book is the aftermath, and how it affects her family. This book stood out from other murder mystery books because the mystery wasn’t who killed her (like Criminal Minds), or how she was killed (like CSI).

 However the book seemed unrealistic at parts. Like how long they kept Susie’s death from her little brother, because even after a few months when he would ask “where is Susie?” he would forget about it within minutes. I find this unrealistic for two reasons. First if in a family with three kids, one went “missing” for two months, you would think a little boy would start to pick up that something is very wrong. Also from my knowledge with little boys, they are very persistent, and when they ask you something or want something, they do not let it just slip away.

 I found it very fascinating how the book portrayed heaven. In Susie’s heaven, she could do whatever she wanted, and she had a mentor, and a friend too. She could look down on heaven, and watch her family, and most of the time nobody could even tell she was there. Except for a girl named Ruth, who is a girl that barely knew Susie when she was alive, but she became obsessed with her after her death. Ruth often dreams about Susie, and upon accepting her lesbianism, Ruth starts to love Susie. Ruth teams up with Ray, Susie’s old crush.

I felt that Alice Seybold accurately showed how people would react to the killing. People looked at her sister like she was Susie, and the police got tired of searching. Although it is sad this is the reality of tragic events, as is the separation of Alice’s parents. We watch as the mother has an affair with the police officer. Overall I would give the book 3.5 stars out of five.

-Spoiler alert-

I really did not like the ending of this book. I’m glad Mr. Harvey dies, however I would have liked it to be a more satisfying ending. In the book Susie thinks so hard, that an icicle falls and kills Mr. Harvey. Honestly who des of an icicle? It was creative, but not what I wanted. I would have liked it better for the dad, who the whole time was after Mr. Harvey, to get his revenge. 

Serial killers

This is the Unabomber (top left), his cabin that he lived in (right) and the police sketch (bottom left). 

               A serial killer is by definition a person who kills more then three people, over a long period of time. In the book The Lovely Bones the antagonist, Mr. Harvey, kills many people through out his life. He is considered a serial killer. It is hard for me to believe that a person could want to kill another person, or a child. Normally a serial killer has a certain type of victim that they prefer, for physical or mental reasons. Also the perpetrator commonly has a troubled childhood with abuse, abandonment, and mental problems. Generally most serial killers are men, and women serial killers are very rare, but not unheard of. 


                 One of the most infamous serial killers was Ted Kaczynski, more commonly known as the Unabomber. He terrorized the nation from 1978-1995. That is a span of almost 20 years. He killed three people and injured 23, by sending bombs to various locations, and airlines. Before ending his killing streak, he contacted many news paper places and told them to publish his manifesto (which talked about abusing technology) , in return he would stop killing. A newspaper published it, and Ted Kaczynski's brother recognized that this had to be him. After a year of searching, they found him hiding in his cabin in Oregon. He was on the FBI's top wanted list for a few years. Even though the Unabomber was caught, not all serial killers are. 


                 The Zodiac killer is known to have killed at least five people in the span of 1968-1969. He had no type, and killed a taxi driver, and couples. It is unknown why he killed these people, or who he is but there are theories. One of the reasons that some serial killers kill, is for the attention. The Zodiac killer reached out to the media (like the Unabomber) and said if they did not do what he asked, he would kill an entire school bus of kids (gives me the chills, what a horrible man). He also called them after every attack, and sent coded messages. 


          I actually have watched the documentary on the Zodiac killer, and I really recommend it, if shows like CSI interest you, and you are not easily scared. However I do advise that you watch it during the daytime, as it is rated R, and it can be very scary at parts. Here is the preview for the Zodiac Killer movie:

reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_killer#cite_note-1
http://www.iill.net/unabomber
http://www.allserialkillers.com/zodiac_killer.htm

Alice Sebold (author of The Lovely Bones)

          Alice Sebold is the author of the book I am currently reading, as well she is the author of two other books. She was born in 1963. That means she is now only forty-seven years old. She went to the Syracuse University where one day she had a life changing experience. While she was walking through an off campus park one day, she was raped. She reported this to the police and they told her some interesting information. A young woman had once been murdered in that same place that she was raped. She got her bachelors degree in Syracuse, but went on to the University of Houston for her graduates’ degree. Unfortunately she did not end up continuing with her studies, and dropped out of Houston. She started doing drugs, and they followed her for two years. She knew she wanted to be a writer and so she bounced from college to college, until returning to Syracuse for her degree. She at first tried writing poetry before she turned to book writing. Her first book was called Lucky and was an account of her rape. She called it Lucky because the police said she was lucky to be alive. 


     Her second, and most famous book of hers is The Lovely Bones. This story is about a girl who is raped and murdered, just four years younger in age then Alice was when she was attacked. Her final book is The Almost Moon. This book has a lot more violence as the opening sentence to the book is "When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily." Alice has won many awards such as the American Booksellers Association's book of the year in 2003. This award was given to her because of her novel The Lovely Bones. I find it remarkable that she was able to overcome the horrible event of being raped, and turn it into something positive. A book to show people that it is very real, and to help spread the awareness of children at risk. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Sebold)

My Start of the Lovely Bones

       Back in July me and two friends were having our first annual redhead party. We biked to the store and bought some typical party things, like pizza and water balloons (being the middle of summer, the water balloons were necessary). After we had finished swimming and  eating pizza we decided to rent a movie. We chose 'The Lovely Bones' because we had heard it was a good thrill. It started out pretty freaky and I got pretty hooked. However we decided to turn it off before the ending, because we were all too tired. I am glad that we never finished, because it would have ruined the book for me.

Here is the movie trailer

       When my sister first suggested I read the lovely bones in December I thought "no way, that book is way to scary for me" but after hearing her rave about it I  decided I would give it a chance. After months of trying to find time, a perfect opportunity arose. In January I enrolled in a "Read for the Fun of it" class. That class is also why I am making this blog. I have only just begun reading this great novel.

       In the beginning it starts with the hooking two first sentences "My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973." Immediately I had tons of thoughts running through my head. "How was she killed? Who killed her? Why? She is so young." My questions were quickly answered within the first 20 pages.

       Alice Sebold does a really magnificent job in her writing style. Even thought she is writing about a horrific event (like Susie's rape and murder) she still does it in a classy, not gruesome way. The book describes how he lured her into his death trap, and all the horrific events that followed. The next part is the aftermath of her disappearance and a description of her heaven. This book gives me chills with the dramatic irony. The whole time they are searching for her, and her murderer, the reader knows who he is. I so far more then once have wanted so badly to speak to the characters and tell them to check out Mr. Harvey!

       Although I have only just begun this book adventure, I can not wait to read on.