October 24- Post #2

Tell me about what you see as the advantages/disadvantages of blogging. Please feel free to include things you liked and disliked about this project, and how it could be improved for next time!

Week of October 20-24

This week your blog post will consist of a book review of one of the books you have read so far this school year. Your book review must contain the following components: a brief summary of what the book is about (including important characters, setting details, and plot information), and whether you would recommend the book and why.

Example:

The book The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett takes place in the twelfth century in England, and follows different sets of characters through their trials as laborers, laymen, nobility, and clergy. The book focuses on Tom Builder, a mason, and his plight to build a cathedral, while finding enough steady work to take care of his family. He is helped in more than one way by Prior Phillip, a monk and leader of the Kingsbridge Priory, who is a down-to-earth man of God who takes the teachings very seriously. In his own quest to serve his maker, Phillip is set back by greedy bishops, earls, and kings who only have their selfish interests in their sight.

I would definitely recommend this book for a few reasons. First of all, the story is very character driven, and the reader really has a chance to get into the minds and lives of the characters that Follett writes about. The second reason I would recommend this book is because it gives a lot of good historically accurate information about twelfth century England and how people lived at that time. It is an interesting piece for those who like historical fiction. The last reason I would recommend this book is because the book is actually an easy read (despite being 1000 pages) and once you're into it, it is practically impossible to set it down. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and hope you do too!

Week of October 13-17

This week your blog post will consist of three quotations from your book and your own interpretation of their significance. As you read this week, record some passages that really grab your attention, and think about their greater significance to the book or the world. On Friday, you will choose three to publish on your blog.

Example:

Quote #1:
On page 151 of the Anonymous book Go Ask Alice the author writes, " I'm so boxed in I don't know what to do. Jan Sidled up to meas as I was walking down the ramp and whispered, "You better tell your little tail-wagging sister not to accept candy from strangers or even from friends, especially your friends."" This quote is important because the author has gotten into so much trouble because of her drug use, and now that she is trying to get out, her drug "buddies" are threatening to hook her sister unknowingly. It seems that no matter what she does, the narrator is in over her head and doesn't know how to reverse the poor decisions she has made in the past.

Quote #2:

Quote #3:

Week of October 6-10

Your blog post will be something that you would like to change about the book. Think about characters, setting, and plot when making your decision.

Your post must address the following points in a well-written paragraph:
What you would change in the book
Why you want to change that aspect
Specific details about what you would change
Why you think the change would make the book better


Example:

One thing I would change about the book “The Pillars of the Earth” is how one of the main characters, Tom Builder, dies. In the book, Tom is trampled by the horse of the vicious Earl William Hamleigh, as his army raids the small town of Kingsbridge and sets the houses and market on fire. Tom Builder’s death seems abrupt and out of place in the novel, and seems to disrupt the flow of the author’s writing. If I could change how Tom Builder dies, I would have him die by accident, at the hand of his son and fellow builder, Alfred. All his life, Tom has favored his son and overlooked his bullying and short temper. Once he became a builder, Alfred became meaner and more conceited. Having Tom die indirectly because of a mistake by Alfred would be the ultimate punishment for being so lax with his son, and would be a strong message about his role as a parent in the story.

Project Suggestions

After our blog project, we will be doing a different project with our independent reading books. What book projects have you done in the past that you have enjoyed? What would be a good way to show me what you have read? Comment to this post and leave your suggestions!

Weekly Focus for September 29- October 3

Your blog post will be a connection to the book.
You may write about a text-to-self, text-to-text, or text-to-world connection.

• Text-to-Self- A connection between the book and something personal to you
  
  


• Text-to-Text- A connection between the book you’re reading now, and another book, movie, T.V. show or song
  
  


• Text-to-World- A connection between the book and something that has happened in the world (past or present issue)
  

Example:

When Aliena tries his hardest to earn an honest living by becoming a wool merchant in the book "The Pillars of the Earth," this reminded me of how the main character in "One Thousand White Women" was trying to make a living for herself but to no avail. In "The Pillars of the Earth," Aliena tries to make an honest living by doing hard work as a wool merchant to support her brother as a Knight. It is very hard for Aliena because she is a woman working in a world dominated by men, and they constantly try to cheat her and disrespect her. This reminds me of another book I read, "One Thousand White Women," where the main character was trying to make a living for herself but the men that surround her use her poor position in the world to their advantage and exploit her for their own advances. This connection helps me understand that women were not always respected the way they are now, and that many times men were able to rule and do as they please whether it was fair or not. It's important to understand the social climate of the time, and this connection was helpful.

Weekly Post for September 22-25

Your blog post will be your choice this week.
Your post must have at least one of the following:
*A positive or negative review of the book
*Your thoughts on the characters of the book and how they have changed since the last time you wrote about them
*How you were able to connect to this book (either personally, to the world, or another text)
*A suggestion for how to change something in the book