Blog Post #4 (THIRD QUARTER OF NOVEL)

1.  Always title your blog post with the PAGE # (this will help others avoid reading spoilers).

2.  You will have 4 blogs- each blog will be about a quarter of the book- this second blog should be from the THIRD QUARTER of the book.

3.  Blogs will have 2 parts- Part 1:  passage from the book  Part 2:  analysis of the passage.

4.  Don't forget to comment/interact with your peer's posts!

5.  You CANNOT choose the same passage as someone else- the first one to post claims it!

For your third blog, I'm giving you FREE REIGN.  You may post about ANYTHING.  Just make sure you pull a passage and then comment/analyze/question that passage.  Happy Spring Break!

--
Ms. Melin

https://sites.google.com/site/mselmer114/

Blog Post #3

1.  Always title your blog post with the PAGE # (this will help others avoid reading spoilers).

2.  You will have 4 blogs- each blog will be about a quarter of the book- this second blog should be from the SECOND QUARTER of the book.

3.  Blogs will have 2 parts- Part 1:  passage from the book  Part 2:  analysis of the passage.

4.  Don't forget to comment/interact with your peer's posts!

5.  You CANNOT choose the same passage as someone else- the first one to post claims it!

For your second blog, I would like you to analyze the author's use of figurative language (metaphor, simile, personification).  Some writers are extremely figurative  .  As you read the second quarter of your novel look for the BEST example of figurative language the author uses.  

In part one, write out the example of figurative language (include the surrounding text so that we can have the context of your example).  If your author uses NO figurative language in their writing- instead find a passage where the author could have used figurative language   Include the passage where the figurative language COULD have been.

In part two, explain why the figurative language was so effective.  Think about the feelings it creates in the reader, the picture it shows, or the idea it represents.  You also want to think about the figurative language IN CONTEXT.  How does the figurative language work within the scope of the story?  IF your author has no figurative language, explain how you would have incorporated it into the text OR talk about why his style works literally instead of figuratively.

--
Ms. Melin

https://sites.google.com/site/mselmer114/

White hat/Black hat Page Fifteen

"You need a white hat or a black hat book?"
"Hats?" said Will.
"Well Jim-" they perambulated, Dad running his fingers along the book spines. "He wears the black ten-gallon hats and reads books to fit. Middle name's Moriarty, right Jim? Any day now, he'll move up from Fu Manchu to Machiavelli here- medium-sized dark-fedora. Or over along to Dr. Faustus- extra large black stetson. That leaves white-hat boys to you, Will. Here's Gandhi. Next door is St. Thomas. And on the next level, well...Buddha."

This is by far my favorite part of the book so far. I know I've talked about it before but now, more in depth sort of.  What Charles Halloway means by white hats is people who tend to lean more towards the factual, peaceful, moderately exciting books and stories. (There's nothing wrong with this despite how it might sound when I try to put it into words). Black hat means people who are prone to adventure and attracted by the mystical, dangerous, and sometimes slightly mad aspects of stories. True, he describes them as specifically types of books but you can really widen it to people you know or narrow it to characters in books. I can safely say that this book is a black hat book that I am very much enjoying as of now.

I only mention breifly stuff from Chapter 3

I am a bit ashamed of myself. I forgot to set boundaries on myself while reading this and have kind of inadvertently... read the entire book. I'M SORRY! I will continue to blog as if I was still on the first quarter, though.

So, as for the author's style, I have realized that it is similar to the kind he uses in Fahrenheit 451. It seems very deep and thoughtful as well as descriptive. He seems to get into the characters' minds and makes them have thoughts that you wouldn't expect out of them. Thoughts and secrets. This is especially there in the character Charles Halloway in chapter 3. I think he proves to be my favorite character, next to the black hat wearing Jim, evil extraordinaire Mr. Dark, the menagerie of freaks... but I'm getting ahead of myself.

I also think the whole white hat/ black hat thing is fantastic. I didn't really get it at first, but then Faith explained it to me (Why am I even referring to you in the third person? You're the only other person on this blog!) and I totally get it. While I'm reading other books now (and, yes, I finished this one while reading other books) I thought about whether they wear a black hat or white and the size. I am happy to say I wear my own black hat proudly!

Overall, I like this book and can't wait for you to finish so I can talk about the better parts.

Just some comments on the story so far.

1) I just have to talk about the "White hat" and "Black hat" thing going on here. I love this so much! To be completely honest, I've been comparing characters in other books or movies and trying to figure out if they wear black hats, white hats or if their somewhere in between.
2) The part about the theater was a bit...odd.
3) I also want to know how the lighting salesman is involved in the story. I mean really involved. Right now, he just sort of floats across the line of being there and not. He shows up every couple of chapters and does something and you gather facts about him but you still don't know who he really is.

Let me know your comments!
~Faith

Blog Post #2 (First Quarter of Novel)

Blog Quick Facts:

1.  Always title your blog post with the PAGE # (this will help others avoid reading spoilers).

2.  You will have 4 blogs- each blog will be about a quarter of the book- this first blog should be from the FIRST QUARTER.

3.  Blogs will have 2 parts- Part 1:  passage from the book  Part 2:  analysis of the passage.

4.  Don't forget to comment/interact with your peer's posts!

5.  You CANNOT choose the same passage as someone else- the first one to post claims it!

For your first blog, find a passage that capture the author's STYLE of writing.  If your author is descriptive with beautiful language, find a passage from the first quarter that shows that!  For your analysis, explain the author's style using examples from the passage.  (The passage and analysis should each be at least 1 paragraph- your whole blog post should be at least 2 paragraphs).

This right here? Yeah it's Faith's blog post.

     Hi people reading this book too! I'm Faith, I'm 14 and love reading/writing, swimming, and music. I'm terrible when it comes to picking favorites but I can safely say that Confessions of a Murder Suspect by James Patterson is up on my long list of favorites (really, its more like a 100-or-something way tie). It's narration is unique and mysterious in the sense that you never know if the narrator is the criminal or just a girl missing her parents. She admits that everything she says in the story could be a lie and she's really the murderer.
      Emily, I already know you're way ahead of me in the book by day 2 so coming up with a time goal is going to be difficult. I have a long bus ride so I could try to read extra during it. When we read, we should e-mail each other where we are so we can keep up the same general pace.
   
 So, yeah! I'm really liking the book so far and looking forward to reading it with you guys!

~Faith

My Intro Thingy!

Hello, peoples! I am Emily S. of Mrs. Melin's second period. You probably know me, but maybe not. I love to read and read annoyingly fast, so don't worry about me not doing my homework. I am not exactly sure what to say on this introduction, so... Onto the next paragraph!

Like I said before, I love to read and have way too many favorite books. One of them is Inkheart, because of the descriptions and fantastic figurative language that seems effortless (and I absolutely love Dustfinger, one of the characters). It also is about books and storytelling, and how the words on the page can come to life if you try hard enough. That book has been made into a movie, and the actor who plays Mo (the main character) is so perfect for the role it's scary. I also love The Book Thief, which is about a German girl in the Holocaust and is narrated by none other than Death himself! It is rich in figurative language and makes odd comparisons seem commonplace and normal. It is, to this date, the only book that was so sad at the end, it made me cry not once, but TWICE! Those who know me know that that is a grand feat indeed. I highly recommend both.

As for a reading schedule, you can pretty much do whatever as I will be done with this book in a week regardless. I read really, really fast, so you can expect me to fulfill whatever reading goals you feel like making. Afterwards, it would be cool if we stayed as a book club and read something else together, but let's cross that bridge when we get to it, shall we?

Happy blogging everyone! Ray Bradbury is an awesome author and I hope this book is as good as the last I've read by him. Bye!

First Blog Posts (Introductions)

Today you will begin your digital discussions with your peers.  Blogging is EASY.  It really is just like posting and commenting on any other social media website.  The first thing I must do is go over again my expectations on any digital forum.  First, I can see EVERYTHING you post.  Please be responsible and respectful with your posts.  You should not have ANY text slang.  This is not a place for LOL or OMG but rather for meaningful discussion on your novel.  

That being said, I would like your first post to be more of an introduction.  In your first paragraph, introduce yourself, tell your group members something you don't think they'd know about you.  Finally, explain your all time FAVORITE book and why you enjoyed it so much.  

In your second paragraph, pitch out a suggested timeline.  Remember our goal is to finish these books 4 weeks from yesterday.  As a group, figure out how much reading is reasonable.  If your group decides they need more time, I'll take that into consideration.  If your group finishes early, you can always choose another book as a group (I have some great book sets left to pick from).  If someone in your group has already pitched a timeline that you think will work you can just agree with them!  

Finally (this may end up as homework for some of you) engage with your group mates.  I'm not requiring 1 or 2 or 3 comments but respond to their posts.  Maybe they have a similar interest or like a book that you liked.  To make these book blogs work, you must not only post, but discuss!  This will get easier once you get into the novels themselves!

Happy Blogging!