Happy 12 day! As you may have noticed from the title, today is the 12th day of the 12th month of the 2012th year. 12/12/12. Also, at that this posted, it was 12:12 on that day. But this is not any day in which the numbers are all the same. This is the LAST TIME that it will happen until 2101. That is a very long time. So celebrate it! Happy 12 day!
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Looking Glass Wars
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
This is a retelling of Alice in Wonderland, and I think retellings (apparently 'retellings' is not a word. Then what is the plural of retelling! retellingi?) are amazing. So read it.
The first book chronicles how the evil Redd takes over Wonderland, and how Alyss of Wonderland and Hatter Madigan adventure through London, ultimately making their way back to Wonderland to free it from the evil clutches of Redd Heart. I haven't read it in a while, so I can't quite remember how it happens, but there are cats that fight hats, and chesspieces. That I can assure you of. Especially the cat bit. In fact, there is but one cat, named: Cat. And there are a few giant caterpillars. It's a weird book. But a good one.
It has sequels, and I will review them eventually.
This is a retelling of Alice in Wonderland, and I think retellings (apparently 'retellings' is not a word. Then what is the plural of retelling! retellingi?) are amazing. So read it.
The first book chronicles how the evil Redd takes over Wonderland, and how Alyss of Wonderland and Hatter Madigan adventure through London, ultimately making their way back to Wonderland to free it from the evil clutches of Redd Heart. I haven't read it in a while, so I can't quite remember how it happens, but there are cats that fight hats, and chesspieces. That I can assure you of. Especially the cat bit. In fact, there is but one cat, named: Cat. And there are a few giant caterpillars. It's a weird book. But a good one.
It has sequels, and I will review them eventually.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
The Alchemyst
The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
I'm a little nervous about writing this, because it was the first book I ever reviewed. I wrote it for the school newspaper, which failed miserably. Instead of the official-looking news-packed bundle of paper we thought would make us all lots of money, we ended up with two badly printed pieces of paper that were handed out to the whole class ten minutes before school ended for the year. Ah well, we tried.
But back to the book. This is a good book. In fact, it is one of my favorites, along with the rest of the books on my expansive collection of shelves. However, it is one of the only series's (series? seriess's? Who knows.) that I have read more than twice. The only other two that I can think of are the Septimus Heap series (Very good, will be reviewed soon), and the Chronicles of Narnia. Narnia I read over and over because it's amazing, and the other two because I keep forgetting what happens. Which is why I have to get around to actually writing the review before I forget what happens.
This book is about two twins, Sophie and Josh Newman, who work across the street from each other. Sophie works for Perry Fleming in a tea shop, and Josh works for Nick Fleming in a book shop. Due to the occurrence of a "gas leak" the bookshop explodes, and everyone has "hallucinations" of "magic" and "mud people" walking across the "street" to the "bookshop" which "exploded." Oh no. I can't stop it, I'm about to go on a completely unrelated tangent and I will have to retype the entire review again. And now I'm discussing getting sidetracked. Anyways, the things that I was reminded of are A: a really funny bit from one of Dave Barry's book, can't remember which one, and B: this all sounds like Matrix doesn't it? Anyways, the "magic" and the "mud men" were all real.
And they have a big battle of magic and explosions and cool stuff, and then the evil guys (identified by black clothing) steal a book and run away, and manage to kidnap Perry too. After the battle Nick Fleming reveals that he is actually Nicholas Flamel, who (and you would know this if you read the front of the book) is both immortal, and has secrets. And he's an Alchemyst. Little does he know, that is not how you spell Alchemist! However, there is already a book called The Alchemist, so to avoid being sued by an auther with a computer, the immortal magician and alchmyst who has been defending the earth for over a hundred years needs to change the name of his entire occupation.
Also, the book that was stolen is the only thing keeping Nicholas and Perrenelle alive, and it has the key to destroying human life. And it is in the hands of EVIL. <insert dramatic music here>
All in all, it's a good book. The action is...um...ahh... actioney. It seems realistic. Well, as realistic as a magical duel can be. And the characters seem like real people with feelings, not bodies to imbue with magical powers so you can get good action scenes.
Reading that last paragraph again, there is one thing that has me thinking: what on earth does the phrase "all in all mean"?
Thank you Google, now I know that it originated in the 19th century and means "when everything is considered". Thanks to advertising I also know that if you want to lose weight you should never eat banana's that are infested with flies (why would eat those anyways?) and that there is a shirt in existence that is just one big picture of a cure dog face. Isn't the modern world wonderful?
I'm a little nervous about writing this, because it was the first book I ever reviewed. I wrote it for the school newspaper, which failed miserably. Instead of the official-looking news-packed bundle of paper we thought would make us all lots of money, we ended up with two badly printed pieces of paper that were handed out to the whole class ten minutes before school ended for the year. Ah well, we tried.
But back to the book. This is a good book. In fact, it is one of my favorites, along with the rest of the books on my expansive collection of shelves. However, it is one of the only series's (series? seriess's? Who knows.) that I have read more than twice. The only other two that I can think of are the Septimus Heap series (Very good, will be reviewed soon), and the Chronicles of Narnia. Narnia I read over and over because it's amazing, and the other two because I keep forgetting what happens. Which is why I have to get around to actually writing the review before I forget what happens.
This book is about two twins, Sophie and Josh Newman, who work across the street from each other. Sophie works for Perry Fleming in a tea shop, and Josh works for Nick Fleming in a book shop. Due to the occurrence of a "gas leak" the bookshop explodes, and everyone has "hallucinations" of "magic" and "mud people" walking across the "street" to the "bookshop" which "exploded." Oh no. I can't stop it, I'm about to go on a completely unrelated tangent and I will have to retype the entire review again. And now I'm discussing getting sidetracked. Anyways, the things that I was reminded of are A: a really funny bit from one of Dave Barry's book, can't remember which one, and B: this all sounds like Matrix doesn't it? Anyways, the "magic" and the "mud men" were all real.
And they have a big battle of magic and explosions and cool stuff, and then the evil guys (identified by black clothing) steal a book and run away, and manage to kidnap Perry too. After the battle Nick Fleming reveals that he is actually Nicholas Flamel, who (and you would know this if you read the front of the book) is both immortal, and has secrets. And he's an Alchemyst. Little does he know, that is not how you spell Alchemist! However, there is already a book called The Alchemist, so to avoid being sued by an auther with a computer, the immortal magician and alchmyst who has been defending the earth for over a hundred years needs to change the name of his entire occupation.
Also, the book that was stolen is the only thing keeping Nicholas and Perrenelle alive, and it has the key to destroying human life. And it is in the hands of EVIL. <insert dramatic music here>
All in all, it's a good book. The action is...um...ahh... actioney. It seems realistic. Well, as realistic as a magical duel can be. And the characters seem like real people with feelings, not bodies to imbue with magical powers so you can get good action scenes.
Reading that last paragraph again, there is one thing that has me thinking: what on earth does the phrase "all in all mean"?
Thank you Google, now I know that it originated in the 19th century and means "when everything is considered". Thanks to advertising I also know that if you want to lose weight you should never eat banana's that are infested with flies (why would eat those anyways?) and that there is a shirt in existence that is just one big picture of a cure dog face. Isn't the modern world wonderful?
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Insurgent
Insurgent by Veronica Roth
This is the sequel to Divergent, another wonderful book.
This book is set shortly after Divergent, so if you haven't read it yet, you should probably wait to read this post.
As the war with Erudite gets more and more intense, the remaining Dauntless realize that they need allies. Amity proves to be useless in war for obvious reasons, Candor is only good for interrogating people, and Abnegation is pretty much dead. This leaves the Dauntless with only one choice: the Factionles. (Dramatic music). But the Dauntless keep getting killed, and Triss is locked in a struggle with her own feelings, leaving her almost useless. The Erudite have almost perfected the Simulations Serum to work on Divergent, and betrayal strangely doesn't occur to anyone. And history repeats itself with...
Another twist ending! Reminds me of a book called Maze Runner. Maybe I should review that, it was a good book. Or maybe you should just read it. And read Divergent, and Insurgent. I wonder what the next book will be called. My uncle had a few ideas: Detergent and Very Urgent. Any other words that rhyme with "insurgent" should go straight to the comments section.
This is the sequel to Divergent, another wonderful book.
This book is set shortly after Divergent, so if you haven't read it yet, you should probably wait to read this post.
As the war with Erudite gets more and more intense, the remaining Dauntless realize that they need allies. Amity proves to be useless in war for obvious reasons, Candor is only good for interrogating people, and Abnegation is pretty much dead. This leaves the Dauntless with only one choice: the Factionles. (Dramatic music). But the Dauntless keep getting killed, and Triss is locked in a struggle with her own feelings, leaving her almost useless. The Erudite have almost perfected the Simulations Serum to work on Divergent, and betrayal strangely doesn't occur to anyone. And history repeats itself with...
Another twist ending! Reminds me of a book called Maze Runner. Maybe I should review that, it was a good book. Or maybe you should just read it. And read Divergent, and Insurgent. I wonder what the next book will be called. My uncle had a few ideas: Detergent and Very Urgent. Any other words that rhyme with "insurgent" should go straight to the comments section.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Xenocide
Xenocide by Orson Scott Card
This is the sequel to Speaker for the Dead, which in turn is the sequel to Ender's Game, and the prequel to Children of the Mind.
This book is about religions and feelings and emotions and self sacrifice and philosophy and ethics and the like, which makes it very hard to review because writing about feelings is hard.
Anyways, the book is set on two planets, Lusitania and Path. Lusitania is home to a small colony of humans and the only existing buggers and piggies (two alien species) in the universe, and a deadly virus that may or may not be intelligent called the Descolada. The Descolada is essential to life for the piggies, but requires constant work to keep it from killing all the humans. Path is a religious world that worships gods and their messengers, the wise godspoken. To solve the problem of the Descolada, the Starways Congress launches a fleet to annihilate the Descolada and the world of it's origin. This is bad.
The fate of the only two known sentient life forms in the galaxy rests on the shoulders of Jane, a hyper intelligent computer system. She can save the world by sacrificing herself, and that provides a very interesting plot. You should read the book. It is awesome.
This is the sequel to Speaker for the Dead, which in turn is the sequel to Ender's Game, and the prequel to Children of the Mind.
This book is about religions and feelings and emotions and self sacrifice and philosophy and ethics and the like, which makes it very hard to review because writing about feelings is hard.
Anyways, the book is set on two planets, Lusitania and Path. Lusitania is home to a small colony of humans and the only existing buggers and piggies (two alien species) in the universe, and a deadly virus that may or may not be intelligent called the Descolada. The Descolada is essential to life for the piggies, but requires constant work to keep it from killing all the humans. Path is a religious world that worships gods and their messengers, the wise godspoken. To solve the problem of the Descolada, the Starways Congress launches a fleet to annihilate the Descolada and the world of it's origin. This is bad.
The fate of the only two known sentient life forms in the galaxy rests on the shoulders of Jane, a hyper intelligent computer system. She can save the world by sacrificing herself, and that provides a very interesting plot. You should read the book. It is awesome.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Science Fair
Science Fair by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
No, I'm not desperate for help with my science fair project that will count for 40% of my science grade, I'll freak out about that this summer. Ideas appreciated.
This is a book that combines the wonderful story telling skills of Ridley Pearson, who wrote another book that was awesome but I can't quite remember what, and the funny touch of Dave Barry, who writes funny things. This book is about a school. In this school is a lot of people, but in specific three of them. And a frog. And with this frog will be involved in a science fair experiment. And within this science fair (grand prize: $5,000) there is a chance that the U.S. government will collapse. And there is a Robot Owl of Death. But not in the science fair experiment. Or the government. And the book is funny. And you will read it, or be hunted down by the Robot Laser Owl of Death. Oh, and one final thing:
Beware the might of Krpsht.
I would just like to say that the spelling suggestions for the word Krpsht are Sharpshoot, Grapeshot, and Krypton.
Makes me wonder, does the word grapeshot mean grapes that are hot, a single grape that has been shot, or a pairing of the rare grapesh and an ot (abbreviation for otter).
No, I'm not desperate for help with my science fair project that will count for 40% of my science grade, I'll freak out about that this summer. Ideas appreciated.
This is a book that combines the wonderful story telling skills of Ridley Pearson, who wrote another book that was awesome but I can't quite remember what, and the funny touch of Dave Barry, who writes funny things. This book is about a school. In this school is a lot of people, but in specific three of them. And a frog. And with this frog will be involved in a science fair experiment. And within this science fair (grand prize: $5,000) there is a chance that the U.S. government will collapse. And there is a Robot Owl of Death. But not in the science fair experiment. Or the government. And the book is funny. And you will read it, or be hunted down by the Robot Laser Owl of Death. Oh, and one final thing:
Beware the might of Krpsht.
I would just like to say that the spelling suggestions for the word Krpsht are Sharpshoot, Grapeshot, and Krypton.
Makes me wonder, does the word grapeshot mean grapes that are hot, a single grape that has been shot, or a pairing of the rare grapesh and an ot (abbreviation for otter).
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Khan Academy
This isn't a book, but a really cool website for learning things. Khan Academy is an online repository (my stupid computer says "online" isn't a word) of knowledge in the form of videos. It has videos on math, from addition to calculus and statistics and trigonometry, (which I have discovered is fun and not that hard), all ranges of science, lots of things I don't understand on finance and economy, and even a bit about humanities and civics and the like. Also, if you make an account, you can earn badges for doing things like getting a streak of 5000 trig problems right in a row (almost there!(no, I'm not)).
Note: I am not being paid to say this, but I should be :)
So if you have some spare time, check that out.
Note: I am not being paid to say this, but I should be :)
So if you have some spare time, check that out.
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
This is a most hilarious book. It is set on Earth, and follows the adventures of one Arthur Dent, who likes tea but is relatively unremarkable. He learns that his house is going to be demolished to make space for a highway, and he isn't happy about it. So he lays in front of the bulldozer. All morning. Until his friend, Ford Prefect comes to show him something, somewhere else. However, Arthur reasons that he can't, because he has to keep the people from destroying his house. Eventually, Ford convinces the destruction team that they don't actually need Arthur to lie in the mud, and he can go do something while they lie in the mud. So they go of the get a drink, and Ford informs Arthur that the Earth is about to explode. Then it does. The end.
No, actually, they hitch a ride on the Vogon ship that blew up the planet. Then they are expelled out of an airlock. Then they died.
No, actually, something else happens involving penguins. But I won't tell you, because then you won't read it. So read the book. But I'll tell you that it involves an improbability drive. And a two headed three armed alien.
No, actually, they hitch a ride on the Vogon ship that blew up the planet. Then they are expelled out of an airlock. Then they died.
No, actually, something else happens involving penguins. But I won't tell you, because then you won't read it. So read the book. But I'll tell you that it involves an improbability drive. And a two headed three armed alien.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Philisophical Questions
One of my friends randomly forced a piece of paper containing a bunch of questions titled "Philosophy Questions" and walked away. So now I'm gonna answer them, and you can reply with your answer, and then we'll get into a big debate, and our brains will be smarter. So here are a few from the list of 40 that I have:
4. Should you let little things bother you?
In general, no. If something is really bothering you, then you should find out why, and then the problem will solved and everyone will be happy.
5.Is it your duty to give to charity?
Not really, I don't think you have a duty to help anyone, unless you have promised to. From an evolutionary standpoint (ya know, the survival of the species one.) it could go either way. If you did give to charity, then you would increase the chance of others survival, which would rebound in the long term to help you, but it could potentially endanger your survival in the short term.
7.Should you ever tell a lie?
Yes. Sometimes a lie makes everything go smoother and everyone happier. As long as the end result is the same as if you told the truth, but better, whether that means faster of happier or less sad, lies are sometimes good, when used carefully.
10.Do we control technology or does it control us?
Interesting. In a literal sense, of course we control tech, after all, we're the ones pushing buttons and pulling levers. But in a philosophical sense, well, I don't know. Please comment.
13. Can you doubt that you exist?
Well of course, look at Matrix. That entire movie was about our nonexistence. But I think that even though we can tell ourselves that we don't think we exist, our brain is wired to believe that we do, and that we must be preserved, because if it wasn't, we would all die.
14.Does a tree make a sound if it falls in a forest with no one around?
The only way I can answer this is YES of course it does! Sound is a vibration of air, and air vibrates whether our ear is there to pick it up or not.
18. Can you lie to yourself?
Yes, look at my answer for number 13. You lie to yourself that you believe that you don't exist, but deep down you believe that you do. Or maybe we all lie to ourselves that we do exist, but deep deep down we know of our nonexistence.
20.Can computers think?
Computers use algorithms to figure out what to do. These algorithms can be very simple, or extremely complex and learn that with these parameters present, this method fails miserably. What are our minds but the most complicated algorithm in existence?
22.Does anything ever happen by chance?
Well, my first instinct is that no, if you know all the information and how it goes together, which is literally impossible, you can predict things. But, when you have a spinner with a 50% chance of landing on blue and a 50% chance of landing on red, can you know which it will land on? Maybe.
24.Are numbers and people equally real?
No. People are something, numbers are imaginary things that we have thought up in our heads to express an amount of something.
28.Do you have free will?
Do you have free will, I love this one. I like the point argued in a wonderful book by Orson Scott Card, Xenocide, which I will review, that all actions are determined by past actions, which are influenced by more past actions, and we are really just playing out a set chain of events that cannot change, and that free will is only a figment of our imagination to keep us playing out this story of the universe. This idea should have a name, such as "The Fate Theorem".
32. Should you always listen to the opinions of others?
Yes, because others are smart, but you shouldn't necessarily act on them.
33. Should you criticize people and their opinions?
If you didn't, how would they know you disagree?
35. Is it always easy to tell what causes things to happen?
Why do humans think? I think the answer is a resounding NO.
39.Can something logical ever not make sense?
This brings to mind and episode of Doctor Who (It's a show about aliens ans time travel, not doctors with no faces) in which they are investigating a grave that is missing a body. The ground on top wasn't disturbed, the sides of the grave were wooden, and only the bottom remained. Logically, the ground, or something in it, eats people. But does that make sense? No. Actually, it was an ancient race of subterranean lizard people called Sillurians, or homo reptilia. Yes, I memorize the Latin names of aliens.
4. Should you let little things bother you?
In general, no. If something is really bothering you, then you should find out why, and then the problem will solved and everyone will be happy.
5.Is it your duty to give to charity?
Not really, I don't think you have a duty to help anyone, unless you have promised to. From an evolutionary standpoint (ya know, the survival of the species one.) it could go either way. If you did give to charity, then you would increase the chance of others survival, which would rebound in the long term to help you, but it could potentially endanger your survival in the short term.
7.Should you ever tell a lie?
Yes. Sometimes a lie makes everything go smoother and everyone happier. As long as the end result is the same as if you told the truth, but better, whether that means faster of happier or less sad, lies are sometimes good, when used carefully.
10.Do we control technology or does it control us?
Interesting. In a literal sense, of course we control tech, after all, we're the ones pushing buttons and pulling levers. But in a philosophical sense, well, I don't know. Please comment.
13. Can you doubt that you exist?
Well of course, look at Matrix. That entire movie was about our nonexistence. But I think that even though we can tell ourselves that we don't think we exist, our brain is wired to believe that we do, and that we must be preserved, because if it wasn't, we would all die.
14.Does a tree make a sound if it falls in a forest with no one around?
The only way I can answer this is YES of course it does! Sound is a vibration of air, and air vibrates whether our ear is there to pick it up or not.
18. Can you lie to yourself?
Yes, look at my answer for number 13. You lie to yourself that you believe that you don't exist, but deep down you believe that you do. Or maybe we all lie to ourselves that we do exist, but deep deep down we know of our nonexistence.
20.Can computers think?
Computers use algorithms to figure out what to do. These algorithms can be very simple, or extremely complex and learn that with these parameters present, this method fails miserably. What are our minds but the most complicated algorithm in existence?
22.Does anything ever happen by chance?
Well, my first instinct is that no, if you know all the information and how it goes together, which is literally impossible, you can predict things. But, when you have a spinner with a 50% chance of landing on blue and a 50% chance of landing on red, can you know which it will land on? Maybe.
24.Are numbers and people equally real?
No. People are something, numbers are imaginary things that we have thought up in our heads to express an amount of something.
28.Do you have free will?
Do you have free will, I love this one. I like the point argued in a wonderful book by Orson Scott Card, Xenocide, which I will review, that all actions are determined by past actions, which are influenced by more past actions, and we are really just playing out a set chain of events that cannot change, and that free will is only a figment of our imagination to keep us playing out this story of the universe. This idea should have a name, such as "The Fate Theorem".
32. Should you always listen to the opinions of others?
Yes, because others are smart, but you shouldn't necessarily act on them.
33. Should you criticize people and their opinions?
If you didn't, how would they know you disagree?
35. Is it always easy to tell what causes things to happen?
Why do humans think? I think the answer is a resounding NO.
39.Can something logical ever not make sense?
This brings to mind and episode of Doctor Who (It's a show about aliens ans time travel, not doctors with no faces) in which they are investigating a grave that is missing a body. The ground on top wasn't disturbed, the sides of the grave were wooden, and only the bottom remained. Logically, the ground, or something in it, eats people. But does that make sense? No. Actually, it was an ancient race of subterranean lizard people called Sillurians, or homo reptilia. Yes, I memorize the Latin names of aliens.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Alphabet Juice
Alphabet Juice by Roy Blount Jr.
First of all, you need to know that this not any ordinary book. Nor is it a turbo book with movies built into it, just by the way, if you were wondering. It is more of a dictionary thingamajig. Hey, the computer recognizes thingamajig, but not thingamajigy. Weird. The book is composed of seemingly random words and phrases, in alphabetical order, of course. For example, the H section begins with has been, hater, headlinese, heebie-jeebies, etc. Each word has a description of where it came from, how sonicky it is, weird things about it, and some other random stuff. One of my favorite entries goes as follows:
Well, never mind. I cant find the quote. I looked through most of the book and it wasn't there. :( But it went something about a book, which was in quotes, and the book quoted a person quoting a newspaper, quoting a phrase, quoting somebody. Much quoting. Tell me if you find said words.
Overall, this is lots of fun and laughs for an older audience.
First of all, you need to know that this not any ordinary book. Nor is it a turbo book with movies built into it, just by the way, if you were wondering. It is more of a dictionary thingamajig. Hey, the computer recognizes thingamajig, but not thingamajigy. Weird. The book is composed of seemingly random words and phrases, in alphabetical order, of course. For example, the H section begins with has been, hater, headlinese, heebie-jeebies, etc. Each word has a description of where it came from, how sonicky it is, weird things about it, and some other random stuff. One of my favorite entries goes as follows:
Well, never mind. I cant find the quote. I looked through most of the book and it wasn't there. :( But it went something about a book, which was in quotes, and the book quoted a person quoting a newspaper, quoting a phrase, quoting somebody. Much quoting. Tell me if you find said words.
Overall, this is lots of fun and laughs for an older audience.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Rangers Apprentice
Rangers Apprentice by John Flanagan
The Rangers Apprentice is set in medieval times, and follows the life of a young orphan named Will. He has always wanted to be a warrior, who he somehow knows was a great warrior, despite having never met either of his parents. However, on the day when orphans are chosen for a job, he is deemed to weak to be a warrior. The baron of his feif, whose job it is to choose a job for orphans, is given a letter from Halt, a Ranger (more on Rangers later). Desperate to know the contents of the letter, and fearing that he will be sentenced to life as a farmhand, he sneaks into the barons chambers at night. Now I would just like to say, this is no easy task. The barons chambers aren't a little building in the middle of nowhere. Were talking about a huge, heavily guarded, stone tower 50 feet in the air. At night. So anyways, he sneaks into the tower and gets caught by Halt. Will is very afraid, because Rangers are thought to use witchcraft and stuff. Turns out, the letter says that he will be sentenced to life as a Ranger. If you think that thats a spoiler, look at the title of the book. Rangers Apprentice.
But what is a Ranger?
A Ranger is a master of everything. Master hunters, excellent archers, negotiators, spies, strategists, you name it. And they have cool horses that can speak in their mind. And they like coffee. A lot.
Amazing book, riveting action, I recommend it to everyone.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
The Hunger Games Movie
The Hunger Games Movie directed by Gary Ross
I am going to assume that you have already read the hunger games or at least my review of it, so I wont get into storyline and things.
My friends had been telling me that it was going to be a really bad movie, and so when I went to see it, I was braced for a bad movie. But my friends, as usual, were wrong. It was a good movie. It followed the plot very well, and when it wavered from the book, the changes were minor and actually helped the story, instead of making it feel tampered with.
I dont have much else to say, except for five stars and go see it.
WAIT. I do have something else to say. Regarding violence and age level and stuff: of course it was violent, it was a violent book, and there are some frightening parts, but nothing actually disgusting or horrific. Now I'm done.
I am going to assume that you have already read the hunger games or at least my review of it, so I wont get into storyline and things.
My friends had been telling me that it was going to be a really bad movie, and so when I went to see it, I was braced for a bad movie. But my friends, as usual, were wrong. It was a good movie. It followed the plot very well, and when it wavered from the book, the changes were minor and actually helped the story, instead of making it feel tampered with.
I dont have much else to say, except for five stars and go see it.
WAIT. I do have something else to say. Regarding violence and age level and stuff: of course it was violent, it was a violent book, and there are some frightening parts, but nothing actually disgusting or horrific. Now I'm done.
Monday, April 2, 2012
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games by Suzzane Collins
If you haven't heard of this book, no offense, but you really aren't connected to society. That's how popular these books are. (very popular)
So anyways, here's what actually happens in the book. A girl named Katniss, (a type of plant formally called sagittaria, (also called arrowhead(this name makes sense because she is an amazing archer (hence arrowhead) and a good forager (hence he bit about being a plant)))(I think I am setting some record for number of parentheses all stuck together (but when i tried to google it all that popped up was some thing about tuples (???)))(Here ends the origin of Katniss's name in (parentheses))). Kaniss lives in district 12, who mine coal (this is set in future North America) for the capitol. And then, through some ritual that will be explained once you read the book, she is selected to go compete with 23 other children (she's like 16, by the way) in a battle to the death. :) That's about it. Except, of course, the fact that she meets an awesome little monkey girl named Rue, who d*#*@^. Sorry just realized that I was about to spoil the book. She also gets chased by fireballs. And if you don't really like action, she might fall in love on the side or something.
This is an amazing book. Just ask anyone walking down the street with their Hunger Games shirt on wearing a mockingjay pin. Oh and if you haven't read the book yet, if you happen to be at a social meeting and someone says "may the odds be ever in your favor", laugh a lot or something because that's a line from the Hunger Games.
Just looking back on this review, I realize it's not my best work. I feel sorry for those of you who have nothing to do but read my blog. Maybe you should read a book. Perhaps even a book that you are reading about. However, It's not going to get better until spring break ends, because I'm in FLORIDA! So I don't care, 'cause I'm on a beach! :) And I don't have my computer, so I have to use one whose t-key sucks. In my opinion.
Also, there's a Hunger Games movie, which I'll review later.
If you haven't heard of this book, no offense, but you really aren't connected to society. That's how popular these books are. (very popular)
So anyways, here's what actually happens in the book. A girl named Katniss, (a type of plant formally called sagittaria, (also called arrowhead(this name makes sense because she is an amazing archer (hence arrowhead) and a good forager (hence he bit about being a plant)))(I think I am setting some record for number of parentheses all stuck together (but when i tried to google it all that popped up was some thing about tuples (???)))(Here ends the origin of Katniss's name in (parentheses))). Kaniss lives in district 12, who mine coal (this is set in future North America) for the capitol. And then, through some ritual that will be explained once you read the book, she is selected to go compete with 23 other children (she's like 16, by the way) in a battle to the death. :) That's about it. Except, of course, the fact that she meets an awesome little monkey girl named Rue, who d*#*@^. Sorry just realized that I was about to spoil the book. She also gets chased by fireballs. And if you don't really like action, she might fall in love on the side or something.
This is an amazing book. Just ask anyone walking down the street with their Hunger Games shirt on wearing a mockingjay pin. Oh and if you haven't read the book yet, if you happen to be at a social meeting and someone says "may the odds be ever in your favor", laugh a lot or something because that's a line from the Hunger Games.
Just looking back on this review, I realize it's not my best work. I feel sorry for those of you who have nothing to do but read my blog. Maybe you should read a book. Perhaps even a book that you are reading about. However, It's not going to get better until spring break ends, because I'm in FLORIDA! So I don't care, 'cause I'm on a beach! :) And I don't have my computer, so I have to use one whose t-key sucks. In my opinion.
Also, there's a Hunger Games movie, which I'll review later.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
PI DAY!
HAPPY PI DAY!!
For those of you who don't know, pi is a number that goes on forever. It starts with 3.
1415926538... The digits commonly associated with pi day are 3.14. the date is 3/14/12. Ignore the 12. But small super-nerds in my class (me included) are celebrating pi second! So I will post this post during pi minute for you, because the auto poster thing isn't that precise. (pi minute is 1:59, and pi second is 1:59:26). So, have a very
HAPPY PI DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, and if you want to know more about pi, here are the first bazillion digits: Lots o' Numbers
For those of you who don't know, pi is a number that goes on forever. It starts with 3.
1415926538... The digits commonly associated with pi day are 3.14. the date is 3/14/12. Ignore the 12. But small super-nerds in my class (me included) are celebrating pi second! So I will post this post during pi minute for you, because the auto poster thing isn't that precise. (pi minute is 1:59, and pi second is 1:59:26). So, have a very
HAPPY PI DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, and if you want to know more about pi, here are the first bazillion digits: Lots o' Numbers
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Slathbog's Gold
Slathbog's Gold by M.L. Forman
I'm sick today, so I'm using the time that is usually filled up with being bored to death in math with working on my blog.
Slathbog's Gold is a pretty good book, and the first novel written by Mr. Forman. It is about this guy named Alex, who is like me in that he is bored with some of his life (probably math) and wants to do something interesting. So he goes to the bookstore, where he sees a sign that says ADVENTURERS WANTED and that interests him. At first he looks away, and then he goes to look at it one more time, and it magically changes colors (I think) and now says ADVENTURERS WANTED: APPLY WITHIN. So Alex goes in and tries to ask the bookstore keeper about the apparently magical sign outside. I say tries, because he fails miserably. The bookstore keeper, Mr. Clutter, pretty much signs a form for Alex. He could be evil, and just signed away Alex's soul, but he didn't, which is a pity, because that would make a very interesting book. he only got signed on to an Adventure, of which he knows nothing of, and is magically teleported through the back door with a dwarf and an elf, into a place called Telouse, where he buys a magic bag, a sword, and all the gear in the world. The magic bag allows you to hold lots of treasure and supplies and stuff weightlessly. I need one of those for my math book. The sword just happens to be an ancient magical sword, and the armorer said that he could also use a staff, which means he is a wizard, which means that he is ridiculously over powered. Oh, and the quest that they are on is to kill a dragons, named Slathbog, hence the title.
Some stuff I don't like
First of all, everyone can read everyone's emotions like a book, which is a little unreal
Secondly, everyone is super respectful, which is also a little unreal.
Third, people on a quest that needs to be finished do not go party all summer in the elven lands! They do their quest!
And finally, something that gets more problematic in later books in this series, is that Alex can literally destroy anything! I mean, even Eragon, great dragon rider and stuff, gets bested in sword duels, has at least four people that he is afraid of, and he gets reprimanded by dragons! It seems more real if your hero/heroine has some problems!
I'm sick today, so I'm using the time that is usually filled up with being bored to death in math with working on my blog.
Slathbog's Gold is a pretty good book, and the first novel written by Mr. Forman. It is about this guy named Alex, who is like me in that he is bored with some of his life (probably math) and wants to do something interesting. So he goes to the bookstore, where he sees a sign that says ADVENTURERS WANTED and that interests him. At first he looks away, and then he goes to look at it one more time, and it magically changes colors (I think) and now says ADVENTURERS WANTED: APPLY WITHIN. So Alex goes in and tries to ask the bookstore keeper about the apparently magical sign outside. I say tries, because he fails miserably. The bookstore keeper, Mr. Clutter, pretty much signs a form for Alex. He could be evil, and just signed away Alex's soul, but he didn't, which is a pity, because that would make a very interesting book. he only got signed on to an Adventure, of which he knows nothing of, and is magically teleported through the back door with a dwarf and an elf, into a place called Telouse, where he buys a magic bag, a sword, and all the gear in the world. The magic bag allows you to hold lots of treasure and supplies and stuff weightlessly. I need one of those for my math book. The sword just happens to be an ancient magical sword, and the armorer said that he could also use a staff, which means he is a wizard, which means that he is ridiculously over powered. Oh, and the quest that they are on is to kill a dragons, named Slathbog, hence the title.
Some stuff I don't like
First of all, everyone can read everyone's emotions like a book, which is a little unreal
Secondly, everyone is super respectful, which is also a little unreal.
Third, people on a quest that needs to be finished do not go party all summer in the elven lands! They do their quest!
And finally, something that gets more problematic in later books in this series, is that Alex can literally destroy anything! I mean, even Eragon, great dragon rider and stuff, gets bested in sword duels, has at least four people that he is afraid of, and he gets reprimanded by dragons! It seems more real if your hero/heroine has some problems!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Apparently, this is a classic, one of those books you are told that you have to read by the time you start getting a job and having no time to read and stuff, but when you finish them you start to wonder why these things became so famous, because they are really not that great, and it had a lot of repetition and metaphor and all that good stuff. Now I have nothing against metaphors, they are perfectly fine. But olden metaphors either make no sense, or they go on for so long that you forget what they are metaphoring. For example, do you really need an entire page to say what the wind is like? Really? So as you can see, I am still me, and I still require at least a paragraph to actually start writing anything about the book I intent to write about in the first place. For example (sorry, I get sidetracked easily. Like that one time...), This entire blog was supposed to be about books, but at least one fourth of it is about something else entirely. But anyways, this time for real...
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
This one is a classic (see above). It starts, and this is a little confusing, with some (two) school boys walking along on what they think is an deserted island, after there school plane crashed because it's World War Two and 50% of all planes crash, not including the ones that just crash into the end of the runway, and the ones that just explode when they engine starts. This is clear to the 19whenever-it-was (maybe 1960?) reader, because planes full of schoolboys were constantly crashing into islands (?!) at the time.
So anyways, they find a conch shell, which they blow into, and all the little schoolboys come running. They form something that seems vaguely like a supposed democracy, that is actually a dual-warring dictatorship (a dictatorship run by two dictators who are subtly battling for power), with a touch of hippocracy, because that is just a word spelled wrong that sounds good in this situation, not because there were any hippos, political or otherwise. Basically the whole story is just the two popular kids, one of them that is moderately intelligent, and one who is moderately strong, fighting for dominance, and the only person who has any brains at all, you guessed it, the unpopular nerd (GO NERDS!!!) attempting to stop them all from dying. I think something sorts of dramatic happens at the end, but I was reading this kind of late at night, so I was half asleep. So I cant spoil it for you.
Apparently, this is a classic, one of those books you are told that you have to read by the time you start getting a job and having no time to read and stuff, but when you finish them you start to wonder why these things became so famous, because they are really not that great, and it had a lot of repetition and metaphor and all that good stuff. Now I have nothing against metaphors, they are perfectly fine. But olden metaphors either make no sense, or they go on for so long that you forget what they are metaphoring. For example, do you really need an entire page to say what the wind is like? Really? So as you can see, I am still me, and I still require at least a paragraph to actually start writing anything about the book I intent to write about in the first place. For example (sorry, I get sidetracked easily. Like that one time...), This entire blog was supposed to be about books, but at least one fourth of it is about something else entirely. But anyways, this time for real...
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
This one is a classic (see above). It starts, and this is a little confusing, with some (two) school boys walking along on what they think is an deserted island, after there school plane crashed because it's World War Two and 50% of all planes crash, not including the ones that just crash into the end of the runway, and the ones that just explode when they engine starts. This is clear to the 19whenever-it-was (maybe 1960?) reader, because planes full of schoolboys were constantly crashing into islands (?!) at the time.
So anyways, they find a conch shell, which they blow into, and all the little schoolboys come running. They form something that seems vaguely like a supposed democracy, that is actually a dual-warring dictatorship (a dictatorship run by two dictators who are subtly battling for power), with a touch of hippocracy, because that is just a word spelled wrong that sounds good in this situation, not because there were any hippos, political or otherwise. Basically the whole story is just the two popular kids, one of them that is moderately intelligent, and one who is moderately strong, fighting for dominance, and the only person who has any brains at all, you guessed it, the unpopular nerd (GO NERDS!!!) attempting to stop them all from dying. I think something sorts of dramatic happens at the end, but I was reading this kind of late at night, so I was half asleep. So I cant spoil it for you.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Leviathan
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
But on to the book. It takes place in the age of Steampunk, which you should google if you've never heard of it, and I would google it for you, but the google at the coffee shop I'm working in is broken. So do it yourself. The two main characters, Alek of Austria-Hungary, and Deryn, a girl who is pretending to be a boy so as to get into the British Army of Britain. Europe is divided onto two factions, the Darwinists and the Clankers. The Darwinists cross-breed animals, such as flying whales (more on that later), and the Clankers make big machines, like the Stormwalker, which is really just a giant tank on legs. The story starts with Alek being kidnapped by his fencing instructor, who tells him that his parents (the important people of somewhere) were assassinated, which, in the course of a few weeks plunges all of Europe into war.Then, on Deryn's side of Europe, she is being tested into the British Air Service, which means that she must fly a Huxley, one of the earlier and harder to control fabricated beasties, way up in the sky, where she gets blown arounf in a storm and rescued by the Leviathan, the biggest airships in the world, and she is whisked of into an exciting adventure through the skies blah blah blah. And Alek goes on an exciting and dangerouse mission blah blah blah. But it's still a good book.
But on to the book. It takes place in the age of Steampunk, which you should google if you've never heard of it, and I would google it for you, but the google at the coffee shop I'm working in is broken. So do it yourself. The two main characters, Alek of Austria-Hungary, and Deryn, a girl who is pretending to be a boy so as to get into the British Army of Britain. Europe is divided onto two factions, the Darwinists and the Clankers. The Darwinists cross-breed animals, such as flying whales (more on that later), and the Clankers make big machines, like the Stormwalker, which is really just a giant tank on legs. The story starts with Alek being kidnapped by his fencing instructor, who tells him that his parents (the important people of somewhere) were assassinated, which, in the course of a few weeks plunges all of Europe into war.Then, on Deryn's side of Europe, she is being tested into the British Air Service, which means that she must fly a Huxley, one of the earlier and harder to control fabricated beasties, way up in the sky, where she gets blown arounf in a storm and rescued by the Leviathan, the biggest airships in the world, and she is whisked of into an exciting adventure through the skies blah blah blah. And Alek goes on an exciting and dangerouse mission blah blah blah. But it's still a good book.
Divergent
Divergent by Veronica Roth
This book is amazing. Absolutely wonderful. A bit of mature content, but not much.
The book is set in a future Chicago, where the city is divided into five factions, each of which focuses on a specific trait. The factions are as follows: Abnegation, the selfless, Dauntless, the, well, dauntless, Erudite, the smart, Amity, the peaceful, and Candor, the honest.
The main character is named Beatrice, who is Abnegation, on the day she takes the test to find what faction she is best suited for. and she finds that she finds out that she can be either Abnegation, Candor, or Dauntless, which means she is Divergent, which apparently is very dangerous. She chooses:
Warning: the following may be considered a spoiler, so you might not want to read it, but maybe you do, and maybe this messege should end. Well, maybe not, but it will, Goodbye.
Dauntless. I forgot to mention that the Dauntless get around on trains that don't stop, ever. So the first test is to get on and off the train, and the second test is to jump of a building into a hole with a net at the bottom that nobody ever told you about. Then there is a grueling initiation thingamajig, and then there is a major plot twist that is
More warnings!! The following is a major spoiler that just about tells you everything that happens so yeah.
Somehow, which you would know if you had read the book, everyone is brainwashed and goes to war with Abnegation. And this is kind of a random plot change, but it works nicely. READ THE BOOK!!!!
This book is amazing. Absolutely wonderful. A bit of mature content, but not much.
The book is set in a future Chicago, where the city is divided into five factions, each of which focuses on a specific trait. The factions are as follows: Abnegation, the selfless, Dauntless, the, well, dauntless, Erudite, the smart, Amity, the peaceful, and Candor, the honest.
The main character is named Beatrice, who is Abnegation, on the day she takes the test to find what faction she is best suited for. and she finds that she finds out that she can be either Abnegation, Candor, or Dauntless, which means she is Divergent, which apparently is very dangerous. She chooses:
Warning: the following may be considered a spoiler, so you might not want to read it, but maybe you do, and maybe this messege should end. Well, maybe not, but it will, Goodbye.
Dauntless. I forgot to mention that the Dauntless get around on trains that don't stop, ever. So the first test is to get on and off the train, and the second test is to jump of a building into a hole with a net at the bottom that nobody ever told you about. Then there is a grueling initiation thingamajig, and then there is a major plot twist that is
More warnings!! The following is a major spoiler that just about tells you everything that happens so yeah.
Somehow, which you would know if you had read the book, everyone is brainwashed and goes to war with Abnegation. And this is kind of a random plot change, but it works nicely. READ THE BOOK!!!!
Monday, February 6, 2012
On the Subject of FunDip...
Yes, you read that right, FunDip. And yes, I'm actually going to right a longish post on FunDip that will be funny, scientific, and captivating. I believe that it can be done. I may be wrong.
I have discovered two fundamental rules of FunDip. They are as follows:
Rule One: Never, I repeat NEVER, put FunDip in a small cup and attempt to lick it out of the cup, followed by a sudden exhalation of air (or any gas) from your nose. This will cause the FunDip to fly up into your face, rendering you blind unless you have sufficient eye protection. You may think that breathing into the cup would force the FunDip down, but FunDip defies the law that atleast one part of any object must be remotely natural, so it may as well defy gravity.
Rule Two: Never, I repeat NEVER, I repeat my repetition NEVER, mix FunDip with water.You may assume that mixing red FunDip with water would make a red sugar water. But FunDip doesn't act according to natural rules. It becomes a murky brown substance, that when drank causes the drinker to gag violently, and when mixed just the right way, to die a horrible death. NEVER do this!!
I have thaught of some other things, namely:
FunDip is not at all natural. In fact, the only way that I can think of to make FunDip is to take some artificial dirt made of plastic substitute, encased in a glass dome to keep out all air, and anyone who enters the dome must wear protective garb to keep their naturalness out, and the must plant fake plastic substitute sugarcane seeds, followed by constructing artificial steel sugarcane, harvesting the artificialness to soak with sugar, and then remove the sugar and add this mix of chemicals that they call "Blue 1." This clearly is a poison that didn't work quite right, or an alien extract. I have to go with the latter.
I have discovered two fundamental rules of FunDip. They are as follows:
Rule One: Never, I repeat NEVER, put FunDip in a small cup and attempt to lick it out of the cup, followed by a sudden exhalation of air (or any gas) from your nose. This will cause the FunDip to fly up into your face, rendering you blind unless you have sufficient eye protection. You may think that breathing into the cup would force the FunDip down, but FunDip defies the law that atleast one part of any object must be remotely natural, so it may as well defy gravity.
Rule Two: Never, I repeat NEVER, I repeat my repetition NEVER, mix FunDip with water.You may assume that mixing red FunDip with water would make a red sugar water. But FunDip doesn't act according to natural rules. It becomes a murky brown substance, that when drank causes the drinker to gag violently, and when mixed just the right way, to die a horrible death. NEVER do this!!
I have thaught of some other things, namely:
FunDip is not at all natural. In fact, the only way that I can think of to make FunDip is to take some artificial dirt made of plastic substitute, encased in a glass dome to keep out all air, and anyone who enters the dome must wear protective garb to keep their naturalness out, and the must plant fake plastic substitute sugarcane seeds, followed by constructing artificial steel sugarcane, harvesting the artificialness to soak with sugar, and then remove the sugar and add this mix of chemicals that they call "Blue 1." This clearly is a poison that didn't work quite right, or an alien extract. I have to go with the latter.
So I did some research, and I found this quote:
In May of 2007 our son had a package of Lik-M-Aid (also known as Fun
Dip) by Wonka....Within a couple of hours his entire mouth was ringed by an acid burn.
People are getting ACID BURNS from FUNDIP. Clearly this an alien attempt to slowly poison our planet. Yep, I can make a pretty good conspiracy theory, can't I?
According to the Urban Dictionary, FunDip is:
A disgusting American candy popular with hyperactive six year olds. Sugar, citric acid, and food coloring reduced to a powder and served with a candy "stick" to lick the powder off of.
So yes, it IS possible to post a long article with at least two quotes from good sources, a conspiracy theory, two viable laws of the universe, about FUNDIP!!! Yes, it is possible. My work for today is done.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Fahrenheit 451
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
This book was written about 50 years ago, so it is in a different style of writing than more modern books, which makes it a bit of a harder read, but still a good one.
This book is in the future, but it is the future from 50 years ago, so it doesn't have aliens and lasers or anything. No new inventions, but people think a different way. Knowledge isn't worth anything, and TV screens cover all four walls in the room, and pointless facts are screamed endlessly into peoples face. The book goes something like this:
It is about a guy named Guy Montag, but he is referred to as Montag most of the time. He is a fireman, who's job is starting fires. He burns illegal books (all books) and the houses they are found in. One day, he meets a girl who makes him rethink his life, and he starts to rebel, which gets him into a lot of trouble. I really can't think of what else happens, because most of it is about how Montag is thinking, which is really hard to sum up into a summary.
It has a little bit of an abrupt ending, but the last ten or few pages give a sense of ending, so although it has an abrupt ending, you knew it was coming and were ready for it. So I think it works well.
This book was written about 50 years ago, so it is in a different style of writing than more modern books, which makes it a bit of a harder read, but still a good one.
This book is in the future, but it is the future from 50 years ago, so it doesn't have aliens and lasers or anything. No new inventions, but people think a different way. Knowledge isn't worth anything, and TV screens cover all four walls in the room, and pointless facts are screamed endlessly into peoples face. The book goes something like this:
It is about a guy named Guy Montag, but he is referred to as Montag most of the time. He is a fireman, who's job is starting fires. He burns illegal books (all books) and the houses they are found in. One day, he meets a girl who makes him rethink his life, and he starts to rebel, which gets him into a lot of trouble. I really can't think of what else happens, because most of it is about how Montag is thinking, which is really hard to sum up into a summary.
It has a little bit of an abrupt ending, but the last ten or few pages give a sense of ending, so although it has an abrupt ending, you knew it was coming and were ready for it. So I think it works well.
This Idea That I Had...
So I had this idea (never a good thing) about books, which is surprising, as this is a blog about books and I'm therefore not supposed to use it for writing about books, but I had an idea while doing my science homework (just finished, thankfully) about books.
I also just looked back at the last paragraph and realized that it could have been said like this: "I had an idea about books." But that would have been boring.
So the idea is that once an author finished writing a book that he/she liked and everyone liked liked, he/she would go through it and identify points of dramatic and important plot changes and decisions. Then he/she would decide them some other way, and rewrite the book. For example, in a book, you have:
Point of Interest (PoI) A, PoI b, PoI c, etc. Then PoI A would change, making PoI B and so on different, and the resulting book would be called "Book XYZ* (real title) PoI A, Choice 2" because it is still the same book (Book XYZ) but with PoI A altered to Choice 2, because the original would be choice 1. But eventually, you would have PoIs within these choices, so it would be something immensely complicated, something like "Book XYZ, PoI A, Choice 2, PoI A.a, Choice 5, etc." And all the titles would be in little tiny lettering so that it would all fit on a book cover.
Maybe it needs a little bit of refining. But so do all brilliant ideas. But maybe...
Maybe some author came up with this when the constitution was being written, and the constitutional people kept getting notes from this guy saying things like "The Constitution, PoI A, Choice 3, Certain Death to America." If I was writing the constitution:
A. I would ignore these crazy letters, because unless I had thought of it, which I might have, they would make no sense.
B: I would invent computers and abolish itchy wig things that look stupid and occasionally mutate into evil beasts.
But I'm not writing the constitution, which is probably a good thing.
This post has got out of hand, hasn't it? It's like like those wigs, mutating into ravenous beasts of random writing and thought.
*After I had posted this, I looked up Book XYZ, and there is an xyz book store, and a book called the ABC's of XYZ. So what do ya know, it is a real title!
I also just looked back at the last paragraph and realized that it could have been said like this: "I had an idea about books." But that would have been boring.
So the idea is that once an author finished writing a book that he/she liked and everyone liked liked, he/she would go through it and identify points of dramatic and important plot changes and decisions. Then he/she would decide them some other way, and rewrite the book. For example, in a book, you have:
Point of Interest (PoI) A, PoI b, PoI c, etc. Then PoI A would change, making PoI B and so on different, and the resulting book would be called "Book XYZ* (real title) PoI A, Choice 2" because it is still the same book (Book XYZ) but with PoI A altered to Choice 2, because the original would be choice 1. But eventually, you would have PoIs within these choices, so it would be something immensely complicated, something like "Book XYZ, PoI A, Choice 2, PoI A.a, Choice 5, etc." And all the titles would be in little tiny lettering so that it would all fit on a book cover.
Maybe it needs a little bit of refining. But so do all brilliant ideas. But maybe...
Maybe some author came up with this when the constitution was being written, and the constitutional people kept getting notes from this guy saying things like "The Constitution, PoI A, Choice 3, Certain Death to America." If I was writing the constitution:
A. I would ignore these crazy letters, because unless I had thought of it, which I might have, they would make no sense.
B: I would invent computers and abolish itchy wig things that look stupid and occasionally mutate into evil beasts.
But I'm not writing the constitution, which is probably a good thing.
This post has got out of hand, hasn't it? It's like like those wigs, mutating into ravenous beasts of random writing and thought.
*After I had posted this, I looked up Book XYZ, and there is an xyz book store, and a book called the ABC's of XYZ. So what do ya know, it is a real title!
Arthas, Rise of the Lich King
Arthas, Rise of the Lich King by Christie Golden
This is a very good book. It starts with a prologue that really doesn't make much sense, but the rest of the book is great. The main character is Arthas, Prince of Lorderon, and his adventures with Uther, his palladin trainer, against the orcs, and Jaina, his girlfriend. Arthas is sent to investigate a plague, which has horrible consequences, instantly killing all who contract it and turning them into mindless undead. He finds a runeblade called Frostmourne frozen in the arctic wastes of Northrend. Frostmourne, inhabited by the Lick King, is both a powerful weapon, and an unstoppable corrupting force.And any Warcraft player knows the rest...
And if you don't know, then pick up the book. It's very interesting.
This is a very good book. It starts with a prologue that really doesn't make much sense, but the rest of the book is great. The main character is Arthas, Prince of Lorderon, and his adventures with Uther, his palladin trainer, against the orcs, and Jaina, his girlfriend. Arthas is sent to investigate a plague, which has horrible consequences, instantly killing all who contract it and turning them into mindless undead. He finds a runeblade called Frostmourne frozen in the arctic wastes of Northrend. Frostmourne, inhabited by the Lick King, is both a powerful weapon, and an unstoppable corrupting force.And any Warcraft player knows the rest...
And if you don't know, then pick up the book. It's very interesting.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Warcraft Novels
This post isn't about a book, or some new big thing one the blog, it is to define a new genre label tag thing that I am going to be posting some things under. As you may have guessed, this genre is Warcraft Novels. If you are wondering what makes books under this category speciail, read on. The definition of a Warcraft Novel is any book based on Blizzards fantastic game series, Warcaft. If you have never heard of Warcraft, read the whole post, if you have heard of it, skip the next paragraph.
Just What Is Warcraft?
Warcraft is a big computer game that is very fun. I really can't give you much about Warcraft, or the second and third etc. ones, because I play the sequel, World of Warcraft (WoW).WoW is amazing, it is an MMORPG, which, for you non-gamers out there, stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. Simply put, a game in which lots of people (a few million) are playing and interacting on one world, and that you control a character who runs around doing stuff. Think of it as a online fantasy book that you get to play a part in, along with millions of other people, battling all sorts of enemies, from docile boars, to kobolds, to vile cultists, demons, undead, and dragons! You simply have to choose a race and class, and venture out for glory and honor. But enough about that, if you want to know more, go to The Site at Which You Will Know More About WoW At!
What are WoW Novels Like?
Now, you may think that WoW is one of those games that just goes and tells you to go kill stuff for no apparent reason. You would be gravely mistaken. WoW has an immense storyline, many historical figures (Deathwing, Archimonde, Thrall, and Uther the Lightbringer, just to name a few) and things. The books expand on these stories and histories. They are really quite interesting, and all the characters have emotions and stuff, not mindless video game characters who blast thing with fireballs. The plot is quite exciting, and they read just like your average fantasy book. Nobody I know that doesn't play the game has tried the game, but I think anyone would like them. But if you do play, then these books are a must read. You will be questing later and say to yourself, "Hey, I read about that guy!" Or you'll be reading and you will have these moments were you realize that you've actually walked to the exact same spot on your pally or whatever class you play. It feels awesome.
Well, thats all for now. I'll post about one of these books tomorrow, but I gotta go do something now.
EDIT-- Looking back on this post, I realize that I am wrong, WoW is one of those games that tells you to go kill stuff for no reason. I was sort of obsessed with it. Sorry.
Just What Is Warcraft?
Warcraft is a big computer game that is very fun. I really can't give you much about Warcraft, or the second and third etc. ones, because I play the sequel, World of Warcraft (WoW).WoW is amazing, it is an MMORPG, which, for you non-gamers out there, stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. Simply put, a game in which lots of people (a few million) are playing and interacting on one world, and that you control a character who runs around doing stuff. Think of it as a online fantasy book that you get to play a part in, along with millions of other people, battling all sorts of enemies, from docile boars, to kobolds, to vile cultists, demons, undead, and dragons! You simply have to choose a race and class, and venture out for glory and honor. But enough about that, if you want to know more, go to The Site at Which You Will Know More About WoW At!
What are WoW Novels Like?
Now, you may think that WoW is one of those games that just goes and tells you to go kill stuff for no apparent reason. You would be gravely mistaken. WoW has an immense storyline, many historical figures (Deathwing, Archimonde, Thrall, and Uther the Lightbringer, just to name a few) and things. The books expand on these stories and histories. They are really quite interesting, and all the characters have emotions and stuff, not mindless video game characters who blast thing with fireballs. The plot is quite exciting, and they read just like your average fantasy book. Nobody I know that doesn't play the game has tried the game, but I think anyone would like them. But if you do play, then these books are a must read. You will be questing later and say to yourself, "Hey, I read about that guy!" Or you'll be reading and you will have these moments were you realize that you've actually walked to the exact same spot on your pally or whatever class you play. It feels awesome.
Well, thats all for now. I'll post about one of these books tomorrow, but I gotta go do something now.
EDIT-- Looking back on this post, I realize that I am wrong, WoW is one of those games that tells you to go kill stuff for no reason. I was sort of obsessed with it. Sorry.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Across the Universe
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
I'm not quite sure what genre this book is in. It seems to be science fiction, but its about a mystery, not a space battle. But it isn't quite a mystery exactly. So I'm calling it both. Also, because I haven't added the age thing, I would like to say that this has some mature content included. So beware.
The book starts when Amy is getting cryogenically frozen so that she can go with her parents to a world called Centurai-Earth, as apposed to Sol-Earth. But just as she is being frozen, she hears that there is another year before the ship will launch. A year that she could have stayed with her friends. And she is mad.
Then the book is from this guy named Elder on the ship. He was born on the ship along with all the feeders and the shippers and Eldest. He finds the cryo lab where everyone is frozen, and finds Amy. Somehow, Amy gets unfrozen. And then the adventures begin.
I really cant tell you much more, because the first bit of the book is about finding the things that are mysterious, and the second part is about solving the mysteries. So I really can't tell you about it. But it's a good book, I can tell you that.
And if you liked the book, there's a new one called A Million Suns
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SPOILERS BELOW SPOILERS BELOW SPOILERS BELLOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eldest is drugging the water supply to erase all emotions, and the "crazy" people are just resistant to it.
The ship is actually more than 100 years behind.
All the old people on the fourth floor are being killed.
Eldest is also adding hormones to the water during the Season
All the babies are being genetically modified to be smarter or have specific traits.
The Eldests are all clones of each other.
Gregor the Overlander
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
Pages: 311
This is a wonderful book. It is another one of my favorite books, and I recommend it to everyone. It's not a extremely long book, but it packs a ton of action and emotion.
It starts of as kind of a cliche, a boy goes into a world parallel to his own, etc. etc. These kinds of books are great, but the one thing that really annoys me is when the person who goes into the other world is completely unable to do anything useful, just wants to get home no matter how much the other world/nation/people need your help, but still expect them to worship you as their savior. Even though you have done nothing. This book isn't like that.
One day, Gregor is taking the laundry to the laundry room in his apartment with his baby sister, Boots, who, being a baby, manages to find her way into the smallest possible space that she isn't supposed to be in (sort of like cats). So she gets into the grate behind the laundry machine, and Gregor goes to get her. She falls down the tube pipe thing. He follows her. They fall forever. And then they land in a big cave. And then...
These gigantic cockroaches come and look at them. Gregor is scared out of his mind, while Boots goes up to touch the "beeg bugs." This is followed by an awesome adventure to slay the rat king Gorger and save the world, which is called Underland. Oh, and when I say rat king, I mean giant rat king. And giant bats, and giant spiders, and all kinds of fun things.
The story and the adventure in this book is great, but my favorite part is probably the characters. Gregor actually cares about the fate of the Underland, and of the people who live there, and Boots adds an element of humor to the whole story. I mean really, who cant resist a two year old who is always, always happy and cheerful?
Even with Boots happiness, Suzzane Collins still manages to make the book very intense and a little bit sad, which adds a sense of reality. There are four more books in this series, and they just get better and better.
Pages: 311
This is a wonderful book. It is another one of my favorite books, and I recommend it to everyone. It's not a extremely long book, but it packs a ton of action and emotion.
It starts of as kind of a cliche, a boy goes into a world parallel to his own, etc. etc. These kinds of books are great, but the one thing that really annoys me is when the person who goes into the other world is completely unable to do anything useful, just wants to get home no matter how much the other world/nation/people need your help, but still expect them to worship you as their savior. Even though you have done nothing. This book isn't like that.
One day, Gregor is taking the laundry to the laundry room in his apartment with his baby sister, Boots, who, being a baby, manages to find her way into the smallest possible space that she isn't supposed to be in (sort of like cats). So she gets into the grate behind the laundry machine, and Gregor goes to get her. She falls down the tube pipe thing. He follows her. They fall forever. And then they land in a big cave. And then...
These gigantic cockroaches come and look at them. Gregor is scared out of his mind, while Boots goes up to touch the "beeg bugs." This is followed by an awesome adventure to slay the rat king Gorger and save the world, which is called Underland. Oh, and when I say rat king, I mean giant rat king. And giant bats, and giant spiders, and all kinds of fun things.
The story and the adventure in this book is great, but my favorite part is probably the characters. Gregor actually cares about the fate of the Underland, and of the people who live there, and Boots adds an element of humor to the whole story. I mean really, who cant resist a two year old who is always, always happy and cheerful?
Even with Boots happiness, Suzzane Collins still manages to make the book very intense and a little bit sad, which adds a sense of reality. There are four more books in this series, and they just get better and better.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
If You Can Read Harry Potter...
Some people may be wondering if they or their child or their friend or someone can read a book that I review. In my opinion, there are two way you can be to young to read a book:
1) The books deal with more mature topics that will make sense later in life. or...
2) The book can be to challenging to read.
I will address the first topic by adding age labels to reviews, and the second topic, in my opinion, cant be classified by age. So I have devised a small benchmark type thing. If you can read Harry Potter, you can read almost any book written in the English language. Unless the book has weird English, like Shakespeare or something. Thou art speakingeth incomprehensiblyeth etceth. Or if its an old book, which are written in a completely different style from modern books and are tricky to read. But in general, if you have read Harry Potter, you can read this.
1) The books deal with more mature topics that will make sense later in life. or...
2) The book can be to challenging to read.
I will address the first topic by adding age labels to reviews, and the second topic, in my opinion, cant be classified by age. So I have devised a small benchmark type thing. If you can read Harry Potter, you can read almost any book written in the English language. Unless the book has weird English, like Shakespeare or something. Thou art speakingeth incomprehensiblyeth etceth. Or if its an old book, which are written in a completely different style from modern books and are tricky to read. But in general, if you have read Harry Potter, you can read this.
Speaker for the Dead
Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
This is the second book in the Ender Quartet, after Enders Game although you don't need to read Enders Game. There is a bit before the actual book that is long and somewhat boring. Basically what it says is that Orson Scott Card originally had Enders Game as a short story, and Speaker for the Dead was to be the first book. But to make the book make sense, he had to put a long and somewhat boring chapter at the start. He then decided to put it at the back of Enders Game. But to make that make sense, Enders Game had to get longer and evolved into what it is today.
But back to the book. It begins 3,000 years after Enders Game, but thanks to the theory of relative space travel (that traveling near the speed of light, time works differently. For example, a voyage of two weeks in the space ship is equal to 22 years outside the space ship) Ender is still alive. All the bugger worlds and a few other ones have been colonized, and Ender the Xenocide is officially the most horrible person in all of history. Nobody knows that Ender was the Speaker for the Dead who wrote the Hive Queen and the Hegamon, no one knows that the original Speaker and Ender were still alive. Also, there is a super-ansible-computer thing named Jane.
Most of the story takes a place on a Christian colony on a planet inhabited by piggies, the pig like third sentient beings in the known universe (humans, buggers, and piggies). And they speak Portuguese, so knowing that language is a big plus to reading this book.
Oh, and there's a third book called Xenocide.
SPOILERS BELOW WARNING SPOILERS BELOW
The piggies have been spying on the humans and know that technology exists, but not how it works.
The descolada virus is vital to the survival of the planet. Read the book to see why.
The piggies were honoring Pipo and Libo when they got killed.
The Hive Queen gets a home and thrives and all that good stuff.
This is the second book in the Ender Quartet, after Enders Game although you don't need to read Enders Game. There is a bit before the actual book that is long and somewhat boring. Basically what it says is that Orson Scott Card originally had Enders Game as a short story, and Speaker for the Dead was to be the first book. But to make the book make sense, he had to put a long and somewhat boring chapter at the start. He then decided to put it at the back of Enders Game. But to make that make sense, Enders Game had to get longer and evolved into what it is today.
But back to the book. It begins 3,000 years after Enders Game, but thanks to the theory of relative space travel (that traveling near the speed of light, time works differently. For example, a voyage of two weeks in the space ship is equal to 22 years outside the space ship) Ender is still alive. All the bugger worlds and a few other ones have been colonized, and Ender the Xenocide is officially the most horrible person in all of history. Nobody knows that Ender was the Speaker for the Dead who wrote the Hive Queen and the Hegamon, no one knows that the original Speaker and Ender were still alive. Also, there is a super-ansible-computer thing named Jane.
Most of the story takes a place on a Christian colony on a planet inhabited by piggies, the pig like third sentient beings in the known universe (humans, buggers, and piggies). And they speak Portuguese, so knowing that language is a big plus to reading this book.
Oh, and there's a third book called Xenocide.
SPOILERS BELOW WARNING SPOILERS BELOW
The piggies have been spying on the humans and know that technology exists, but not how it works.
The descolada virus is vital to the survival of the planet. Read the book to see why.
The piggies were honoring Pipo and Libo when they got killed.
The Hive Queen gets a home and thrives and all that good stuff.
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