Hole in My Life

Prompt: Read on...
Pages: Start to 116

At first, I wanted to choose one of those "describe the similarities between the author and you" or "what traits do you see in the protagonist that you find in yourself?", but then I thought a bit harder.  I mean, this is my last formal entry of seventh grade.  A bittersweet curtain to the saga of my literature blog.  After this pondering was nearing an end, I decided to give this one-last-go, if you will.  Just the novel and my over-opinionated opinion.  So that's why I'd like to simply reflect and make a few connections.

Hole in My Life, Jack Gantos' memoir is a harrowing tale, however, one filled with humour and self deprecating remarks.  The kind of novel I love the most.  Gantos is also the type of writer I admire the most.  One with a serious but playful voice.  Did I mention I met him?  Because I don't remember doing so...  Well anyway, he had the coolest aura to him, sophisticated but relaxed, while observant; constantly perceiving. A child at heart with the presence of an adult. He's the kind of person you are just in awe of, I sure was when he freakin' came up and talked to me!  Now I'm getting carried away, but if you have any questions about my experience feel free to comment and ask!  Great, now this blog has turned into the type Isabella was miserably describing earlier - awkward with way too many exclamation points.

Proceeding to write about the actual novel at hand, Hole in My Life might turn you away on the grounds that it is a memoir, but please believe me when I tell you it is so much more than that.  You can go through the same pain and frankly, embarrassment as Jack Gantos while reading.  So far, I've gotten lost throughout his journey along the water whilst he's been cheated into steering a boat loaded with drugs.  Well, not exactly cheated.  He wasn't told the exact truth and he needed to money to write.  Of course, even without those shady facts, it was still a questionable decision. Although, what else is life about?  His first-hand accounts of the conversations that went down on this boat were hilarious and gruesome at the same time.  I can't wait for his hopefully poignant or thrilling conclusion, as I fear I do not have one for you, dear reader.  It's been a pleasure writing to you!

Hole in My Life signed to my mother :D

40 Book Challenge - Update and Reflection

Books read: 34/40 *not including 350+ paged books, because then I would already have a little over 45 books read)

My reflections aren't typically the subject of my writing, but to do my accomplishment of 34 books (and counting) justice, I'd like to note this year's "40 Book Challenge".  A seemingly daunting task, and most likely one that would scare away a narrow-minded individual.  I was cautious at the beginning too, as I'm sure many of my classmates were; however, we all knew this would at least be beneficial.  Some said they didn't want to rush through their novels, which was a noble state-of-mind.  However, I can never refuse a good challenge, especially of the literary nature.  

So there I was, at the very beginning of seventh grade.  By then, my mind wasn't dwelling on the sheer number of books to read, but of what books could I read.  I'd heard we could count 350+ paged books as two or even more, but that was a total cop-out in my conscience.  I believe I started with Feed a sci-fi novel, and at the time, my go-to genre.  Now I have read a great and terrible variety of volumes, and even found possibly my favorite book of all-time.  Before the Challenge, I was struggling with an inner battle, filled with sleepless nights and lost friends.  This was the battle of what my favorite book was.  You were warned in the beginning of my blog (another beneficiary) that I take my novels seriously...  The Picture of Dorian Gray has gently influenced its way into my soul.  Back to the beginning, although its almost the end.  I started out slowly. building up my stamina if you will.  Soon, I was reading a book a day, or on a rainy day, multiple.  

I could go on forever about all of the magnificent novels I have read this past school-year, but I'd absolutely, utterly hate to be long-winded.  So check out my past blogs for my feelings on the numerous novels I've read, and my sarcasm. 

Death Cloud

Prompt:  Describe the mood of what you are reading.
Pages read: Wherever I left off last week-End (I took more time to read more and form an opinion)

Mood has been something I've been paying a lot of attention to recently.  I assume it is directly related to the symbolism project in which we were assigned to draw an object or scene which fully represents you.  This made me analyze myself a bit, and I dread being long-winded here but mood was a major factor in the drawing.  In music there is major and minor, and that's sufficient however, the same guidelines do not afflict human nature.  There are so many other moods to convey and feel.  Death Cloud exemplifies just a few of these emotions and tones throughout it's 300+ pages.

There is not a doubt that mystery and its parallels such as gloom, darkness, and curiousness all are the predominant moods in Death Cloud.  This assumption is obvious, but reading through this novel takes you along the ride, making the mystery vivid and legitimate. The gruesome nature of the way many have been dying adds the codependent darkness to the mystery, and gives the novel depth.  Curiousness is not formally classified as an emotion, it is more of a sensation relative to human nature.  If you are blessed enough to know about Sherlock Holmes and his adventures, you undoubtedly know of his inquisition and deductions.  Andrew Lane conveys this exquisitely through the duration of Death Cloud  and brings you along for the mystery, you feel as though you are Matty Arnatt, Sherlock's partner in crime.  You ask questions that Sherlock hasn't and you begin to wonder and become curious about the subject at hand.  Thus being the murders from the cloud of death.

Another prominent intuition this novel brings about is confusion.  Many would put "curiousness" and "confusion" in the same category, and while that may be just, it is not logical. And we all know how Sherlock requires logic over feeling.  Maybe I have failed to mention this, but this adaptation follows the young detective in his teenage years, which for everyone, even brilliant minds like his, ensues confusion.  Sherlock is unable to process his feelings for his tutor's pretty, badass daughter.  He is having a difficult time getting adults to listen to him and cannot understand why.  Holmes, whilst in the process of solving these brutal murders, is confused about morals and rules of society.  All of these are situations everyone finds themselves in, and thus confusion is a mood of the novel that strongly relates to its theme.

Week of 28/4/14: Death Cloud

Prompt: Pretend you are famous reporter on TV. Write a story about what you’ve read for the evening news.
Pages read: Start to 103

If we pretend that there was modern news back in the 1860's this blog should unreservedly make sense.

*Ahem* "Breaking news!  Two have been found dead in the town of Farnham.  Reports we have received notified us that both victims were described with bearing red boils on their face and arms and both had no previous major ailments. We haven't seen anything like this since the Plague...  Farnham doctors have issued a warning to all inhabitants of the town, and all are advised to bathe regularly and avoid contamination from colleagues and neighbours.  From recent reports, symptoms include dizzying and incoherence, although this has not been proven.  Whatever affected the two civilians seemingly came up out of nowhere, and nothing has transpired about how this can be directly prevented.  We have two townspeople here today to talk to us about what Farnham is going through...."

"Sir, may we speak to you for a minute about the recent plague affecting your city?"

"Sure.  Ya know we all ain't seen anything like this in our lives... Frankly, all we can do is try and protect our wives and children, but this damned thing better not take anymore of my workers.  Charles was a good man, always an earnest worker.  I don't know why this plague has gotta be in Farnham, almost like it was planned... I swear if anything malicious is going on here and it's human, I'll be the first to put him to death.  I don't believe it's a plague, it's a ploy by someone who's thinks he's clever and obviously deranged-"

"Yes, yes, thank you for your time..."

*Man huffs but returns to loading cargo into cart.*

"Excuse me miss, but do you happen to know anything more about these mysterious deaths?"

"Oh... No, no, I'd prefer not to talk of it..  We're all scared enough, why get everyone worked up over some virus affecting the unhygienic..."

*Two teenage boys run up behind the shaken woman, the shirtless, long-haired boy speaks first*

"I know, I know, there was a cloud, a death cloud!"

*His dark-haired, tall friend interrupts, and they both desperately try to inform the newscaster of their discovery.  This continues for awhile.*

"Yellow powder on the scene of the death- I inspected it myself.  I made a few deductions, one of which is-"

"The cloud just crawled out of the open window, it climbed the walls, it disappeared!

"This is not the plague.  More likely, they events are poisonings.  The question is, who did this..."

"Let 'em talk, he's real bright, oh listen miss!"

"I examined the footsteps around the body, they were erratic in the moments before he fell, but previously straight and normal.  Yellow powder lay on the grass.  If my friend Matty's theory is true, Farnham is in great danger."

"Cloud of death, I tell ya!"

*The newscaster frantically interrupts, and behind the boys a large, burly man grabs their shoulders.*

"Sherlock!  What the hell are you doing?"

"Well folks, that's all we have time for today....!"