Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Summer Reading Reflection

Over the summer, you were asked to read at least two novels of your choice.
1) Briefly tell me what you read, including the titles and authors.
2) I want to know what you liked about the books, what you learned and, more importantly, what matters to you about the book's content.

*Make sure to adhere to proper conventions and proofread your response. If, for some reason, you did not read two novels, tell me about two novels you have read and answer the above. This blog post must be completed by 2:30p.m. on Friday, August 28th, 2009.

35 comments:

squintcrwoley said...
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Danielle Z said...

Over the summer i read lots of books but the main ones that i really enjoyed was "The Pact" by Jodi Picoult and "Keeping Faith" by Jodi Picoult. Jodi Picoult has become one of my favorite authors because her books are about real life situations that could happen to anyone. The way she writes her books you can tell she puts a lot into them because they have so much facts that you would only know after lots of research. "The Pact" and "Keeping Faith" were both books that i couldnt put down till i found out how it ended. Her characters that she creates in each books makes it feel real and that i can connect with them too. Each one of her books have made me learn new things and experience different situations. They put you into a whole different world so i am glad i got a chance to discover her and her books.

moniqueR said...
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Anna2013 said...

Over the summer, i read Homeless Bird. This book encourages me to be thankful for the society I live in and how blessed I am. I also read All Creatures Great and Small. It is a very interesting book written by James Heriott. He was a British veterinarian and the book explains his daily work. it is the first book of a long series and I am very excited to finish the series in the near future.

Alex Y said...

Over the summer I read The Secret Life of Bees and The Notebook by Sue Monk Kidd and Nicholas Sparks. I liked these books because they made me realize how hard life was in the past but also It made me think about how books can be so realistic. My favorite out of the two was The Notebook because I like romance books more than others. This book was a good love story that keeps you hooked into it until you are done with the whole book. The Secret Life of Bees held a lot of facts about bees that were really interesting and I wouldn't have ever known without reading that book.

english 9
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AmandaA said...

1) This summer we were asked to read two novels, I read the novel For One More Day by Mitch Albom. I also read Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer.

2) I enjoy Mitch Albom's novel's because they give great life lessson's and good words of wisdom. These books are easy to read becaause you can connect on many levels to this book and the characters in it. I also enjoy Stephanie Meyer's books because they are very interesting to read and keep you interested. once you have started these books its impossible to stop reading. The content of For One More Day is fabulous and a true story. And the content of Breaking Dawn is ineresting and full of surprises.

moniqueR said...

Over the summer i read The Giver.

LexieC said...

This Summer the best book i read was Angels and Demons. I found this book so interesting. It was so cool because it refers to real paintings that are all over the world. It is a kind of mystery adventure book to save these cardinals lives. This book is the second book in a series of three. I am currently reading The DaVinci Code which is the first the first book in the series but I can not put it down. These books are just amazing.the author Dan Brown is such a dedicated author he puts so much into his books. These books are also interesting because they happen in the time period in a matter of 24 to 36 hours. There is so much information in these books they are so fun to read. These books have really inspired me to be more faithful in Christ. these books are so interesting they are hard to put down.

Ellen B said...

This summer I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling, and Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. I liked reading both of these books because they made the impossible seem possible. They contained fantasy factors like magic and vampires. They have definitely made me question the impossible now. They were both very entertaining to read, and kept me interested throughout the entire story.

AbbyJH said...

Over the summer I read The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares and Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. The Sisterhood books are the best books I have ever read. They are about real life situations and and real life friends. When I am reading them I always feel connected to the characters and I sometimes wish that I could actually be on of their friends. Also Breaking Dawn was an awesome book. It was around 700 pages, that is the longest book I have ever read!! Breaking Dawn is full of action, family, and romance,it is a perfect combination. I could hardly put the book down when I was reading it. The way Stephenie Meyer writes I feel like I am really there and I can picture everything I am reading about. The books I read over the summer were amazing!! I would highly recommend them both.

Autumn S said...

The 2 books that i read over the summer was Breaking Dawn and Sister Hood of the Traivleing Pants. I love the book Breaking Dawn. It was about vampires and it was about how anyone can love people or anything. I just love that kind of books. I got into that kind of book by one of the people that I use to hang out with at my middle school. The other book that I read was so boring. I couldn't get the whole book finished by the end of the summer. It was so boring

Molly L said...

the books i read were eye opening and really good about painting a picture in my head. the first book i read was night by Eli w. this book is about a younger fellow who is caught and taken to a Nazi concentration camp. there he he is seperated from his mom and sister. they are taken to either the showers or the creamatories right away. Although Eli and his father survived past the first experience, tyhe next is ahead. they are now forced to work in the camp, hards labor, very little ammounts of food, small living spaces, danger and death at every corner, and harsh nazis. why would someone do this?
the second book i read was the giver. this was a great book. in a society where people are forced to be normal, where no one looks alike, and where you are assigned to a family. a young boy stands out, and so does a baby named Gabe. will they survive or die along the way to be something other than normal?

alexy said...

this summer was a great time for reading. I read so many books. I decided to read genres that I had never read before. I started with the movie inspiring novels by Thomas Harris. I started with Hannibal Rising, although that was the last published book of the sequence I read it first. I thought by reading it I would realize what made Hannibal Lector who he was in his older years. I learned a lot about my self as I read these books. While I was reading Red Dragon I realized I like blood and gore way more than I thought I could stand. I remember my mom asking me in disgust why in the world I was reading such books. I had really no answer for her. Why was I reading these books? Towards the end of the summer I found my answer. Hannibal Lector is a very complex character and Anthony Hopkins played him very well in the movies. I wanted to improve my writing and by reading about complex characters I can improve in too subjects, drama and writing. Thanks to the library I could read these books.

Kristen said...

This summer I read the books On my Own and I do!. Both books really encouraged me with all the things that are going on in my life. The books helped by reminding me that even in the hard times to have faith and and to keep in mind that it will all be OK, even if it does not seem like it at the moment.
The book On my Own was a interesting book to read because of how
"Kaitlyn" goes to college and how she lives on her own. There were times where she did'nt think that she could get through all of her classes, and all the pressures, but she never gave up, and got through everying and ended up loving it.

AbbyH said...

The two books that I read over the summer were "My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult and "Riders of the Purple Sage" by Zane Grey. I liked how Jodi wrote her book, making it sound real and actually imaginable. When I read My Sister's Keeper I didn't think that I would actually like it at all, but when I read the first section I wanted to found out more. Surprisingly I was able to connect with the book. The book by Zane Grey was okay, I didn't like it as much as Jodi's. ""Riders of the Purple Sage" did not really interest me because I was not able to make a connection with the book like I did with the other book. What I learned from "My Sister's Keeper" is that Jodi had written this book as if it were based on a true story. From "Riders of the Purple Sage" Zane Grey wrote the book based on what it was like in Utah in the early time. These two books can put you into a new world.

Caitlin N said...

Over the summer i read two books called, Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Myers and The Exorcist by William Blatty, they were both interesting books but turned out not at all to be what i expected. Breaking Dawn was a turn in the series that showed how much Bella cares for her child and is willing to sacrifice her own life to product her baby girls life. Bella isn't the only vampire willing to do so though, Edward (the dad), the rest of the Cullen's family, and many more vampires stand up to the highest vampires in the world to save her. It showed me that i don't like to only read scary, and gory books, I can also read romantic, suspensful books.
The Exorcist was the total opposite of what i anticipated it to be, i was actually bored reading it. Every time i read it a found my self waking up from a deep comfortable sleep. I don't know for sure if it was because of the fact that some words i didn't not understand completely but it was not that scary. There were parts I absolutely though the scariness was going to pick up but it didn't. Anyway, it was a disappointing book that i will most likely read again in the future to make sure that i can comprehend all the vocabulary. In reading both the books i learned that you can't judge a book with out reading it yourself.

Ellen B said...

Sorry, I forgot to change my display name earlier. Here's my full blog:

This summer I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling, and Twilight by Stephanie Meyer.I liked reading both of these books because they made the impossible seem possible. They contained fantasy factors like magic and vampires. They have definitely made me question the impossible now. Reading these books has taught me to never lose hope in what you believe in. They were both very entertaining to read, and kept me interested throughout the entire story. I think both authors are incredible at what they do, and I am looking forward to completing the rest of the Twilight series.

aprilA said...

Over the summer i read New Moon from the Twilight saga and its about Bella and this guy Edward who's really a vampire and Jacbo and he's really a wolf and Eward and Jacbo hate eachother and both fight for her love. I like this book because you never know what is go to happen next, so you have to keep reading.

LindsayS said...

Over the summer we were asked to read two books. The novels i chose were Eclipse and Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer. Both of these were some of the best books i have ever read, and made me really want to read this summer.

LindsayS said...

Out of the two books, i enjoyed Eclipse the best. This had a romance in it and excitment; both which i like. Stephanie Meyers really seemed to work hard in these books because once you pick one up you just cannot set it down. The books keep you guessing and i am very glad i read both of these fantastic books!

~Nouhad E. said...

I did not know what the Arapahoe summer reading list was but i did read two books over the summer. They are called The Secret Life ob Bees by Sue Monk Kidd and Twilight By Stephenie Meyer.

I liked The Secret Life of Bees because it talks about a girl named Lily, her father and their housekeeper Rosaleen. Lily's mother died and she has to live with her father who is cruel to her. Lily goes to town with Rosaleen one day and Rosaleen gets sent to jail and it is up to Lily to free her, and so the adventure begins.

Twilight was a great book. It is sbout a girl named Bella who comes to visit her dad in Forks because her parents are divorced. She goes to high school and she meets a guy named Edward. She does not know that he is not a human. She finds out that he and his whole family (The Cullens) are vampires. This story is a romance and the author uses a lot of discriptive words so that the reader can imagine the characters. Do not carp about the beginning because i agree the beginning is kind of boring but it gets better and adventurous.

~Nouhad E. said...

I did not know what the Arapahoe summer reading list was but i did read two books over the summer. They are called The Secret Life ob Bees by Sue Monk Kidd and Twilight By Stephenie Meyer.

I liked The Secret Life of Bees because it talks about a girl named Lily, her father and their housekeeper Rosaleen. Lily's mother died and she has to live with her father who is cruel to her. Lily goes to town with Rosaleen one day and Rosaleen gets sent to jail and it is up to Lily to free her, and so the adventure begins.

Twilight was a great book. It is sbout a girl named Bella who comes to visit her dad in Forks because her parents are divorced. She goes to high school and she meets a guy named Edward. She does not know that he is not a human. She finds out that he and his whole family (The Cullens) are vampires. This story is a romance and the author uses a lot of discriptive words so that the reader can imagine the characters. Do not carp about the beginning because i agree the beginning is kind of boring but it gets better and adventurous.

Hope173 said...

Over the summer I read three books, My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult, The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks, and P.S. I Loathe You which is in the Clique Series by Lisi Harrison. I unfortunately saw the movie before I read My Sisters Keeper, which completely changed my view of the book. It was really hard to read the book after seeing the movie because it was completely different then the movie, and I loved the movie! The second book I read was The Notebook which I also saw the movie before I read the book, but loved the book! The movie is my favorite movie, and the book is definitely one of my favorite books now! Nicholas Sparks is such a great author, he makes his books so personable. I love reading his fine pieces of literature. Finally, the third book I read over the summer was fun and easy. P.S. I Loathe You is part of a series I got into about a year ago, the series is called the Clique Series. The Clique series is a series about 4 girls who "rule the school", but go through their ups and downs, fights, and many boy troubles. Its definately a middle school book for girls.
My favorite book out of the three that I read was definately The Notebook! I love the love story connection between the two main characters, Noah and Aly, both in the book and in the movie they are fantastic! The way Nicholas Sparks puts every sentence into vibrant detail makes the book extremely hard to put down!

Clare B. said...

This summer i read Beastly and My Sister's Keeper. I couldn't put them down after the first sentence I couldn't put it down.

Erin K said...

Over the summer I read Just Listen by Sarah Dessen and Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. Both books I read this summer had a lesson of how you treat people can truely affect them. I really liked how these books gave me a new perspective of what others may feel and be dealing with in life and you don't really ever know. The books I read really have to be something i can't put down or else i won't really read it/finish it.

Hannah F said...

Over the summer I read a ton of books over the summer, but I really liked My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult and Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson. I really enjoyed My Sister's Keeper because it was so emotional and deep. It was easy to connect with the characters even though I had nothing in common with them. Every turn of the page was a surprise and it was really addicting. While I was reading it I found myself crying or laughing. She is an amazing author who really does show the reader instead of telling them. The other book I really enjoyed was Sundays at Tiffany's. This book was also incredibly emotional. I had no idea James Patterson wrote romance books, I've heard of some of his other books, but none like this. Another reason I really enjoyed this book is because he used a writing style I wasn't really used to, so it kept me guessing about what was going on, and that's what kept me hooked. After reading these books I look at the different writing styles and facts or things that must have been looked up, in the thing s I'm reading.

Carly I said...

this summer i had red a few books, and the on that stuck with me the most was A Mango Shaped Space. this book was about a young girl with a learning disability that effects her whole life. this book says even if people have disabilities, it makes them no different than anyone else. This was a pretty sad book but i encourage people to read it.

Carly I said...
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Alana W said...

no idea what the the reading list was, but i did read a lot this summer. I re-read the twilight series,i read the sweep series.
i think i liked these books because ive always enjoyed reading fiction that has aspects that could actually happen to anyone in real life (things like going to school and meeting...interesting people)

Chloe D said...

1) During the summer I read a ton of books. Two of my favorites was, Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer, and Don't Judge A Girl By Her Cover by Ally Carter.

2) The things that I liked in both the books were how adventurous, intriguing, and brave the main characters were. In my opinion, Bella is supper brave to do what she does in Breaking Dawn. Also in Don’t Judge A Girl By Her Cover she is a spy, so she does some pretty amazing things. One thing I learned from Breaking Dawn is some “vampire” history. I also learned from Don’t Judge A Girl By Her Cover, that if you’re a spy you always have to be looking for bad guys, because they’re everywhere. I really loved reading about the romance in the books. I also loved to read about the drama the characters were dealing with. I thought it was very interesting.

Claudia D said...

Over the summer I read a few books, but my favorite was My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. It was a moving novel about a family of five struggling to cope with their daughters leukemia. The character building and surprise ending in this book made it suspenseful and interesting to read.
Jodi Picoult has easily become one of my favorite authors. She is a very talented writer, and has great ideas to write about.

Emily R. said...

I read the books "Soul Sufer" and "Forever". They were both really good books but i liked "Forever" the best.It was a love story about seniors in high school meeting."Soul surfer" was very good too. it was more sad and intense that "Forever".

Emily R. said...

Sorry i dont remember the authors names. But they are very good writers.

Rae.A said...

This Summer when we were given the summer reading list we had to choose two books, and the books i chose were not on the summer reading list. The first one i read was Kiki Strike and The Shadow City. This book is about a group of girls who are called the irregulars, their mission to protect an underground city and its secrets, hidden under the pipes and subway stations of new york it stays secret to the world above but well know to its cities dwellers who creep and crawl through the alleys and streets. This city of mysteries is called The shadow city. What i liked most about this book, is that its always surprising what happens next, and what kind of activities Kiki Strike is gonna get into. At every turn a new secret its amazing how it keeps my interest and making me want more, to come back and read.
The other book i read was How to Kill A Mocking Bird this book to me was eye opening on life and how racist people were and still can be against people who are different. But also at the same time how people can be so loving and even though everyone might not like you for doing the right thing, its what you believe and your doing the right thing.

squintcrwoley said...

Over the summer I read two books that I really enjoyed; those two books were The Island of the Blue Dolphins and The Uglies. My favorite book was The Island of the Blue Dolphins because it opened my eyes and showed me a different way of living. When I read the books I could tell that the authors put a lot of time into writing these because both the books were detailed and beyond normal words. Both the authors made everything so real and instead of just telling you a story they showed it to you.
English 9
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