Cry, the Beloved Country

I recently finished Cry, the Beloved Country for school.  This was one of the best books I have ever read.  The book is set in South Africa and is about the journey of two old men.  I can't tell you what they are searching for because that would ruin the book for some of you.  Alan Paton was an acitvist for change, not an author.  He wrote the book to bring about a change in society, one for both the whites and the natives.  One of the main themes in the novel is fear.  One of the quotes from the books that I really like is about fear.  It talks about the "fear of bondage, and the bondage of fear".  I love this quote and love that even though this book was written in 1948, it still applies to our society today.  Fear is an epidemic people are afraid to change, afraid to care, afraid to love one another.  Some are in the bondage of fear, while others live in the fear of bondage.  What I love about this book is that Paton doesn't  just leave it at that, he offers a way to overcome our fear he tells readers that in order to overcome the fear in their lives a stronger emotion is needed.  Love is needed to overcome fear.
I would reccomend this book to everyone.  It is such a great book and I learned so much from it.  If you read it I would love to hear what you think.
"It is only as one grows up that one learns that there are other things here than sun and gold and oranges.  It is only then that one learns of the hates and fears of our country.  It is only then that one's love grows deep and passionate, as a man may love a woman who is true, false, cold, loving, cruel and afraid."
                  ~Alan Paton, Cry, the Beloved Country

A.P. LIterature Reading List

So here are the books that I have to read for one of my English classes:
Term 1
Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neal Hurston
Cry the Beloved Country, Alan Paton
Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller (play)

Term 2
Crime and Punishment, Fydor Dostoyevsty
A Dolls House, Henrik Ibsen (play)

Term 3
Hamlet, William Shakespeare (play)
Tess of the D'Ubervilles, Thomas Hardy

Term 4
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Tom Stoppard (play)
Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad

Right now I am reading Cry the Beloved Country.  I will post when we start reading the next novel.

Nooks/Kindles vs. Paper Books

One of my readers asked how I felt about nooks and kindles.  I personally didn't like the idea of an electronic book at first.  I love the way the pages of a paper book feel between your fingers, the smell of a brand new book and the smell of an old one.  I just love everything about books.  When my brother first got a nook he tried to convince me how cool it was and for awhile I didn't want to listen to him.  Then my friend who was a senior last year said that their English class rented kindles to put all the books they were reading on.  I then saw the usefulness of a nook or a kindle.  You can take as many books as you would like anywhere you go.  Next year in my English class we read a lot of different books, we also get to use a kindle to put them all on.  This eliminates having to carry a lot of books and make your backpack even heavier.
I personally have a nook that I am going to use for school next year, for me it won't replace paper books but I find it useful for traveling and other situations where a paper book might not be as convenient.  That is my personal opinion but, I would love to hear what you think about nooks and kindles too.

The Poisonwood Bible

The Poisonwood Bible was a really great book. I was required to read it for an English class I am taking next year, but it was the best book I have ever been required to read.  The Poisonwood Bible is about a Baptist minister and his family and their lives while on a mission in the Belgiam Congo.  The book is told in the point of view of the four children, Rachal, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May, it changes each chapter but is suprisingly not confusing.  This gives the story an interesting twist becuase each part is told by a different daughter.  The book goes through the trials and hardships of a family living in Africa.  I don't want to give away too much because it was a really great book.  I would reccomend that everyone read it because it was really interesting and fun to read.  It was a fairly long book but I would reccomend it to everyone.

I Am Number Four

I Am Number Four was one of the best books I have read this year.  This book was so interesting, I couln't put it down and I finished it in one day. I Am Number Four combines other worldly objects with humans in a really great and eventful plot.  The author does a great job in developing the characters personalities and other qualities. 

I Am Number Four is about a boy from another world.  His planet has been destroyed by another alien race seeking out natural resources.  When the world is being destroyed 9 kids  and their protectors escape to earth to live and develop powers called legacies.  The main character of the book is John, he is number four.  I Am Number Four is the story of John and his protector Henri as they run from the Mogadorians (the aliens who took over their home planet and are now trying to find and kill them on earth).  The plot contains just the right amount of action, and contains unreal yet believable stunts.  At the end of the book you are introduced to a new character.  Number Six. The end was left open for the sequel that is coming soon Power of Six.  The title could mean that the book is about two different things.  It is either about Number Six or the power of the remaining six children.  I guess we will just have to wait and see.

I also watched the movie after finishing the book.  The movie was really good by itself but not nearly as good as the book.  If you want to read the book, it moves a lot slower than the movie does (probably because they didn't want a five hour movie) but it is really good.  I reccomend either watching the movie and then reading the book or reading the book but not watching the movie for a while after you are finished. Overall both the movie and the book were really good.  I would reccomend this book to everyone.

Pathfinder

Title: Pathfinder

Author: Orson Scott Card

Pathfinder was a really great book.  It was a longer book but was still a fairly quick read.  Pathfinder is about a young boy named Rigg.  Rigg has the strange ability to see the paths of where people and animals have been in any time period.  Rigg lives with his father in the woods on a planet called Garden.  Rigg and his father are hunters, they use Riggs ability to find the paths that animals use the most and set their traps.  While they are walking through the forest Riggs father teaches him about everything.  It is during one of these lessons that Riggs adventure begins.  Rigg has been given the impossible task to find his father, the only person Rigg knows who does not have a path.  Rigg must find his father without using his gift.  When Rigg finally finds him, his father is pinned under a tree dying. When Rigg tries to get closer his father tells him to stay where he is and listen to his instructions.  He tells Rigg to take the furs they gathered to the city and trade them for money, then he tells him to find his sister who is in Aressa Sessamo, the capital city of their wallfold. 

Rigg obeys his father and leaves.  On his way to the city he sees a young boy who is about to fall of a cliff.  While Rigg is trying to save him, one of the paths in front of him suddenly solidify into a real person.  This makes him unable to save the young boy.  After this event his journey really begins.  Rigg is accused of murdering the boy but with the help of  one of his fathers friends he escapes.  On his journey Rigg meets many new people and has many interesting adventures but eventually makes it to his destination, only to find out that him and his sister must leave. 

This book was really interesting and I would recommend it to everyone.  It was full of action and extremely interesting.  I really loved how it had another story at the beginning of each chapter. I am not going to tell you what that story was about so if you want to find out read the book.

Compound

Title: Compound

Author: S A Bodeen

                This book was a quick, easy read because it's one of those books you just can't put down.  The book starts by telling the story of Eli's life and how he and his family come to live in the compound.  The compound was built by Eli's father in case of a nuclear war.  Eli and the rest of his family, except for his twin brother Eddy and his Grandmother, have lived in the compound for six years.  Eli is now 15 and is realizing that the supply of food that his father had so carefully planned was running out.  Along with the low food supply Eli also finds out that his father might be lying to them about the nuclear attack, along with many other things.  After having a lot of adventures inside the compound, Eli finds out the true reason his father brought them to the compound and tries to escape. 

                This book was a very compelling read.  Bodeen's writing and character development played an important role in the development of the story.  The whole book was really great and the ending left me hopeful for a sequel.  I greatly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to everyone.

Welcome

Hello and welcome to my blog.  I love to read and my plan is to review the books that I read on this blog.  I hope this will help all you readers out there to find some great books to read too.  So come back and check often.