Summer is coming to a close which means my reading binge is ending too. So I've decided to need to report on some of the books I've read over the summer months. (I promise not to spoil anything) Harry Potter and the Cursed ChildI grew up with Harry Potter. When I think back on middle and high school, I think of anxiously waiting for the next Harry Potter book to come out and then binge reading for 2 days to finish. Then I'd reread the books until the next one was published, and so the cycle would continue. So seeing that Harry Potter was my childhood, I was both excited and nervous for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to come out. After reading it, my overall opinion is that I liked it. I thought it had a good story and brought in a new interesting generation of characters. It was interesting to see Harry and his friends in an adult world and see how their children handled some of the difficulties of being Hogwarts students. Since it was written in script format, it was an easy and fast read, so I didn't feel like I had to dedicate loads of time to this book. There were, however, some aspects of the script that I did not enjoy. First, I could totally tell that JK Rowling did not write it. Her voice was missing, and it caused the characters to be much more one dimensional. Hermione and Ron seemed especially off to me. Also, there were moments in the script that I felt left big holes. A couple of times I thought I had skipped a page, but it turned out I hadn't. Maybe it would seem more put together if I actually saw the play (which I of course would love to, but it probably wont happen for a very, very long time), but from what I experienced there seem to be disjointed parts and too-quick fixes. In the end, I'd recommend this book to Harry Potter fans looking to find an interesting version of Harry's future. You probably shouldn't go into this book with too high of expectations, but I do hope you still enjoy it. Ready Player OneMy husband and I were looking for a good audio book to help us through a long road trip, and a friend recommended Ready Player One. This is such an interesting concept for a book. Basically the book is about this multimillionaire video game/Internet Oasis creator who dies, but before he dies he leaves a irresistible invitation. He invites the world to search through his virtual reality for clues that will lead to his massive fortune and ownership of his company. Since this man was obsessed with all things from the 80s, all the clues and challenges are centered on 80s pop culture. Wade, a teenaged boy, rises up to the challenge and meets some interesting characters along the way. Adults will enjoy this book because of its countless 80s references. Teens will connect with it because of the video gaming focus and young characters. It was a very fun book to listen to. And it's also currently being made into a movie. *Warning: this book does contain a little bit of foul language. Fablehaven
So, what did I think about the book? I liked it :) I can't lie, Seth (the little brother) kind of drove me nuts. His defiance and outrageous disrespect for the rules are definitely what propelled the plot, but they also seemed so juvenile. But other than that, I liked how the magic was naturally introduced. It was like the author was trying to not only convince the children in the book that it was normal that fairies could be flying around, but he also wanted to convince me as a reader that I should believe it. And it worked. I fell into the story and had a hard time putting it down. Fahrenheit 451I LOVE this book. If you are one of my students this upcoming year, this will be the first book we delve into, and hopefully I will be able to share my obsession for this book with you. If you are not one of my students or you're a parent or you've just never had the pleasure of reading this amazing collection of beautifully created imagery and figurative language, you have to do yourself a favor and read it. Like NOW! This was one of the first books that opened my eyes to how much literature can play with your sense. Somehow, Bradbury's play with words helped me not only see the story but also feel it, smell it, and taste it. It's amazing. Montag lives in a world where firemen start fires, they don't put them out. The fear of fires has dissipated since houses became fireproof, but now society has adopted new fears: the fear of individual thought and the terrible, awesome power of the written word. No, firemen are no longer needed to stop the fires. Instead, they are called to come burn books whenever they are found to prevent the spread of unwanted ideas and philosophies. Montag sees no problem with this, until he meets his strange neighbor who comes spouting odd ideas and opens his mind to the possibility of something more. I think one of the reasons I like this book is because it seems to offer a true telling of what could happen if we let our lives be controlled by mindless technology and an overpowering government. The emptiness portrayed in this book actually scares me, and it seems like a relevant warning to society today. Anyway, read it and come to your own conclusion. I want more reading time!!!So those were some of the "fun" books I read over the summer. I read a lot more than just those 4 or 5 books, but they were mostly teaching books and informational articles to help me prepare for the upcoming school year.
What are some of your favorite books that I need to add to my ever-growing to-read list? If only I had more time!!!!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Want to support our classroom?Check out our class Donor's Choose projects and Amazon wish list. What is Mrs. Macey reading?Archives
May 2018
Categories |