Reading Reflection #7

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom
A Corner of The Universe by Ann M. Martin
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson


In the past few weeks, I have finished two books and I'm so close to finishing the last one. All three books have been pretty easy reads. They have gone quick, but that can also be because a book is so good.

The first book I finished was Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom. This was a quick read because it is written in very small sections so usually there's a different section every second or third page. This style of writing is good for me and maybe other people would feel the same. It's good because you're not rushed into finishing a long chapter in a class or anything. You can keep reading section after section whenever you have a minute in your day. I definitely feel it's harder to fit reading into my day when there's long chapters because I feel the need to stop at a solid point. Overall, this book was alright. It relates a bit to my life and someone I had a close bond with so that makes it memorable. It's kind of repetitive, not in the way that it says the same thing over and over, but in a way that it's sort of the same concept throughout the whole book. He's slowly dying and you know he's going to die and Mitch keeps learning lessons from him. There's no twist or event that really catches your attention. I'd give this book a 3/5.

The next book I chose was A Corner of The Universe by Ann M. Martin. This was also a fast read, but not because of small sections. I found it interesting and you never knew what was going to happen in the end. It wasn't the best book I've read, and I probably wouldn't recommend it, but it does have a focus on disabilities and that's something I appreciate. It has a drastic ending of the guy with disabilities committing suicide and I think that makes it have a big impact on the reader. I don't know much about disabilities and I think a lot of people don't learn much about it. In my opinion there's more of a blind eye than actually supporting and learning about it and it's a shame. Overall, this book was okay. I'm glad I could read it, but I don't think it's quality writing. I'd give it a 3/5.

The last book I chose to read was Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson. This book also has quick sections, which made me read it in just one weekend! I'm not quite finished so I'm not sure what kind of ending it has, but overall I've really liked the book. Since it is a teenager talking you can relate to what they're feeling more and understand what they're going through. I like when characters don't have it all. This kid has it tough with grades, girls, and especially family. His family definitely isn't perfect and I think characters need to have flaws so that everyone reading can relate. Somehow, someway, I think everyone can feel something that this kid, Tyler, in the book is feeling throughout the novel. Another reason why I like it is because it is modern. There's no whipping in the school for being bad or dates with a girl to a drive-in movie. There's community service, parties, and grounding. There's drugs, alcohol, and smoking. The more modern it is the easier it's going to be for us teenage readers to relate, so Anderson's style and setting of this book were spot on if teenagers were her audience. Overall, I would recommend this book to people if you want an easy read. I would give it a 4/5.

Reading all three of these books gave me a better perspective of length, style, and setting of novels. I can't wait to read more!

Personal Addition #17

I just remembered going to a zoo in the states where they had these giant tortoises. I forgot what they were called and I don't remember much about them, except that they were extraordinary.

They are called Galapagos tortoises. They can live up to 177 years! And that is only the age recorded. Who knows how many of them are out there that have lived past 200 or more years. It is the fifth longest living animal in the world as of now. All I remember from these animals is that they are huge! I think of a tortoise and I imagine a little turtle like a house pet or something. This is at least up to my knee or thigh. It is very slow and looks its age! I saw them when I was younger, probably around 10 so back then I probably could've hopped on it and rode it it was so big! They really are amazing animals and I think everyone should pet on in their lifetime!
http://news.discovery.com/animals/top-10-longest-living-animals.html

Personal Addition #16

Right now, there's so much talk of the future. I'm in the position where I have to make a very big decision. It's really the decision of a lifetime. I have to decide what I want to do for a living. At the moment, I know that I want to do something health related. I've always wanted to do something in that topic, so I think that's for sure. Everyone always asks you what you want to be so young and I have no clue. Does anyone really know what they're going to do at this point?

One of my choices is to become a dietitian. A dietitian is exactly what it sounds like; an expert on diet and nutrition. You could work as a private practice and start your own business, you could work in a hospital to help patients or recovery, or you could work in research and education which would be government. It seems like a good job and if you get tired of working at one place in your lifetime, you could switch to research or hospital or whatever you want.
http://www.collegeofdietitians.ab.ca/Public.aspx

Recently, I've been tossing the idea around of being a chiropractor. It would take a lot of work, but you could go anywhere in the world and do it. It has a high salary once you're established. I think it would be hard to start your own practice/business and grow from it. I like being under someone else and have guidelines, however being your own boss has its advantages like hours you work, vacation, etc. so when/if I have children, I can still be around to support them and raise them properly.
http://steveshealthanswers.com/natural-health/how-do-you-find-the-perfect-chiropractor

There are many options within health that I'm considering, if you have any input let me know!

Personal Addition #15

The picture above is the Big Whiteshell Lake. This is where my cottage is. Believe it or not, my family of four shares it with two aunts, two uncles, two cousins, and my grandparents. That is what makes it so comfy and loving. It's one of my favorite places because I have so many memories there. We play lots of outdoor sports together, hike, swim, adventure, do puzzles, play cards, and many more things. I think they built a huge cottage on this island in the past few years. Think about having to go to your cottage by boat and back every time. You would have to transport everything by boat. It seems strange, but if you were retired and spent a lot of time there or even decided to live there, it would be absolutely wonderful. If you've never explored the wilderness, I suggest you do. It may seem boring trudging through pokey twigs and possibly poison ivy, but it's a great memory and makes you forget everything back home. If you get the chance to visit the Big Whiteshell Lake any time in your life, I suggest you take it!

http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~burchil/mantario/trip_to.html

Personal Addition #14

The picture above is G.G. Gelati. It is a little place on Corydon that sells gelati. I highly recommend this place! A small is a huge portion for me and you get to choose two flavors. There are 42 to choose from, so good luck choosing just two if you go! There are unique flavors, unlike most places, such as cookie dough, m&m, snickers, passion fruit, pear, chocolate banana, pistachio, blueberry and many more! You can choose from gelati or sorbet, or mix one of each! It looks like it's an 80's ice cream parlor and that makes it so cute. If I were to recommend a gelati place in Winnipeg, it would be G.G.'s! Give it a try!
http://berleez.blogspot.ca/2009/06/g-g-gelati-for-first-time.html

Personal Addition #13

"All I ever really want to know is how other people are making it through life-where do they put their body, hour by hour, and how do they cope inside of it."
— Miranda July

I like this quote because I can relate to it. I think right now in my life and as I'm starting to grow up, I'm more interested in other peoples' lives. It's easy to get interested in what other people are doing when you are in a school setting because there are thousands of kids around you. Everyone has different religions, morals, beliefs, things they like to do. With technology it's becoming easier and easier to know where people stand and what they're up to. Of course, it's also easy to compare yourself or use this information to look at where you stand. There is a positive and negative side to this. The negative side is if people are going out more than you or buying more things than you or getting better jobs and grades. It's easier than ever to bring yourself down because of how other peoples' social networking looks. People can display their lives in such a showcase but it might not actually be that great...The positive side to this technology is that you can see how other people are doing and if someone has a great idea or sparks inspiration, you can use this to further yourself. Everyone wants to know what someone else is up to in their life. It's intriguing, and you have to realize that it can affect you positively or negatively depending on who you are.

Newspaper Blackout Poetry

 

  The picture above is my project called Newspaper Blackout. There are three poems which are all about love. Basically, you take any newspaper article and pick out certain words to form a sentence which forms a poem. This form of poetry was created by Austin Kleon!

This is my first poem:

It is called Doubt and Uncertainty. The poem says: As each day passes, he questions leaving.

This is my second poem:

It is called Hopeful. It is kind of hard to read, so it says:

It was a long awaited four years, but despite that we will move forward.

This is my last poem (split into two to fit it in):

It is called Unbalanced because it talks about fighting and waiting in a relationship.

The poem says: He complained of the reliability of her. They argue for new communication but await the outcome of it.

Overall, this was a fun project to do, and I'd love to have the opportunity to do it again.