I have recently finished reading this book called Tribute, by an author named Nora Roberts. It was possibly the best book I have read so far and would definitely out rule the others as my favourite. Hopefully there is a review from me still to come..
Below are three of the latest book reviews I have writen for English class. I hope to keep putting on more reviews so I can recommend (or sort of recommend) books I think are fantasic to people who love reading like me. =)
Rose by Any Other Name is about an 18 year old girl called Rose who goes on a road trip to see her dying grandmother. But her mother tags along and Rose’s secret memories from last summer are dug up and revealed which changes everything.
I thought Rose by Any Other Name was a good book. This was because it is different which was interesting and unexpected at the same time. Not only does it have the normal life problems in it there are also some more intense and mature parts of the plot that almost shocked me. Not as much in the sense of inappropriate but more scandalous. But I found this a slightly positive thing as it really hooked me into the book because it came out of the blue.
I disliked the character of Rose’s best friend’s father. This is because Zoe’s father Ray firstly came across as a very nice man but was clearly leading Rose on from the moment he meet her. He used his charm and things he had in common with Rose to convince her to fall for him. In the end I found him to be quite scheming as he used Rose and she was left completely confused, heartbroken and friendless.
The character of Rose changed by the end of the story, this was important because at the start of the story she came across as a bitter person. This was because there were things from her past that she wanted to keep well away from all her family members as it was in her best interests. This was a problem she had which she overcame towards the end of the book. Rose opened up to her mother and changed from a hatred filled person to a nice, caring young lady who started to look at the more positive things in her life ahead of her instead of running from the negatives.
A very sad and tense part of the book was when Rose meets up with her ex-best friend Zoe again. This was a tense read because I found it hard to know whether things would be calm but edgy and sensitive or extremely intense between them. I found it very sad when they meet up again because Zoe is in hospital and Rose knows nothing of her condition at the present time apart from the fact that her cancer had come back. Rose becomes confused, sad and distraught as she doesn’t even know if Zoe has much time left to live. I liked this part of the book as it was the start to a bit of closure on their unsettled problems.
Despite the fact that there were a few things in this story that I didn’t like I stand by my opinion. This is because these are the things that made the book as good as it was, with its unexpected twists and plot ideas that hook the reader. The only negative thing about this book was the fact that it didn’t end well. It seemed like the author ran out of ideas and I think there could have been more effort into the conclusion. I say this because there were so many unanswered questions I wanted to find out about the relationships between Rose and other people. I think that a sequel to this book would be a cool idea. Overall Rose by Any Other Name was a good book and I would give it a 7/10.
Murder in aisle 9 is about a girl called Nelia who works at as a bored check-out girl in a supermarket. While working her shifts she becomes curious of an old couple who always come in at the same times for the same things. She suspects that the old woman’s husband is having an affair behind her back and Nelia decides to investigate it. But as she finds more and more things out about the couple she doesn’t realise that she has brought on false knowledge that will lead her to serious trouble.
I think this was an alright book because I feel that the author, Jim Schembri could have put a bit more effort or creative ideas into it. This is because the story line only really picked up for me in the last few chapters. I think that it would have caught the reader better if it became interesting quicker. I feel this way because it seemed like the story dragged on a lot at the start, going on about her life and her problems, not really getting into the finer details of the murder mystery.
I disliked the character Nelia because she came over as a bit protective and controlling. An example of this is when her boyfriend is talking with one of their other female friends at a party they are all attending. Nelia jumps in and overreacts about the situation causing upsets and confusion all around. She also makes a big deal about opinions her boyfriend has that she disagrees with. This seems like he is almost forced to change his thoughts to it suit Nelia. I also didn’t like her that much because she was a bit careless. Not in the sense of being careful of breaking things or similar but in the sense of her thoughts. She didn’t think about things thoroughly and always concluded something without looking at the alternative. She was also rather nosey because she didn’t leave other people’s problems to themselves.
But the character of Nelia changed by the end of the story. She learnt a lesson that she probably would have valued. It would have taught her to never jump to conclusions again without proper evidence and to keep her nose out of other people’s business. This was important because Nelia would know to stick to herself so to not upset other people’s feelings and lay back so she is not paranoid all of the time. This book definitely made me think about these things and how important they are. It teaches to respect other people and to take time to think about and work out your own problems.
I still think there are some positive things about this book. For example the end does have a twist to it, a strange but interesting twist. This is because you think it will end the same unoriginal way most other fiction murder mysteries will but it has its own unique ending that almost surprises the reader. Overall I would give Murder in Aisle 9 a 4/10 because I think the whole book could have been a bit more unique not just the ending.
Elsewhere is about a 15 year old girl called Liz. She is sadly killed in a hit and run accident and finds herself in a place called Elsewhere. Elsewhere is similar to what some people call heaven. Everything is surprisingly like earth apart from losing contact with the people she loves and weird things such as getting younger not older.
The title of this story is very important because it is the name of the place where people in the book go when they die. It is a very unusual name so it attracts attention. After reading the title I found that I really wanted to read this book because it sounded interesting and different and I was very curious as to what it meant. I think that the title is very sensible. Because some people may not believe in heaven but that you do go somewhere else when you die. I also think this because it encourages the imagination of the reader to think outside the square.
An exciting part of the book was when Liz finally ages backwards to a baby while in Elsewhere. She gets put in the river with all the other babies to be taken back to earth and be reborn into a new person and family. It is a very tense part that made me happy and sad about what would happen to Liz. I was nervous as to how it would end and who would become her new parents. I also think this was a good part of the story because it is very different and it made me think more about things linked to the story line.
I liked the character of Liz’s little brother, Alvy. When Liz tries to communicate with Alvy, who is back on earth, he understands what’s going on despite being very young. Even when his parents say he is being silly he still handles the pressure well. Alvy is only mentioned a few times in the story but he still makes an impact on his family’s lives. For example when Liz is in Elsewhere she finally remembers about a sweater she brought her dad that is hidden in her room. She is desperate to speak to Alvy about it. After a few confusing conversations Alvy understands and finds the sweater. This causes misunderstandings within the family but it helps Liz make peace with herself, family and friends. I think he was a very important part of this story and an important character.
Gabrielle Zevin has done a great job in creating a very different story about a young girl realising she should value life as simple as it may be. Although I thought the story line to this book had some strange things to it I still enjoyed reading it as it was a change to the normal books I read. I would give this book an 8/10 and recommend it to any girl who is looking to read something different with a bit of interesting fiction.
I was looking at Megan and Hayley’s blogs and saw these kind of posts. Thanks guys!
These are going to be realistic and achievable goals and/or wants for myself. (If I set my mind to it of course!)
1. Get married and have children.
Yeah, that’s a common one but I think that if you are happy, it’s awesome to share that with someone close to you.
2. Live in another country for a year or so.
I think that it would be great to get out of New Zealand and settle in another country for a while. Change is good.
3. Visit as many places in New Zealand as possible.
I said above that it would be good to get out of New Zealand. Yeah, it would but I also love this country and want to see a lot more of it, especially down south island way! =)
4. Visit a fascinating country such as Egypt.
I would love to study the pyramids and tombs up close! That would be a very cool thing to do. Ever since I went to a Te Papa Exhibition a couple of years ago, Egypt and it’s cool history has always been in the back of my mind!
5. Swim in the dead sea.
Yep! That’s right! I’ve been told that because of the salt content that you cannot sink and you can do random things like read a book while floating! Since I love books, I’m going to try it!
6. Finish school completely and get a bachelor of law degree.
I want to finish school entirely in order to have a good education! I think having knowledge of the law would be good seeing as I want to be an environmental or human rights lawyer!
7. Do something really great for the environment and maybe even go vegetarian for a little while.
I think that people should value the place we live in way more then shown these days. I may sound like a total hippy right now but it’s true. I’m not totally into the whole ‘tree hugger’ thing but sometimes I feel like people don’t appreciate our earth, you know, I think it’s ok to chop a tree down for a proper reason but you should be planting one in it’s place straight away and make sure it is going to grow big and strong! I don’t know if I’d have the determination to go vegetarian forever but I do think a bit of consideration for animals even for a little while would be a good attempt. Hey, I don’t necessarily love meat either so I could pull it off maybe!
8. Do something completely and randomly extreme!
Bungee jump! Sky dive! Almost everyone has these kind of goals and good on them I think it sounds fun!
9. Read a lot of great novels and maybe even write my own!
I love to sit down and read a good novel. I’m very opinionated so I love seeing what different books are like and if I should recommend them to my friends. One of my personal favourites right now would be ‘Talking To Adam’ by Sarah Ell. Writing my own book that everyone would like would be cool too!
10. Do something really great for animals!
I really like animals. I’m going to have lots of pets when I’m older, especially dogs. I love dogs. Being a volunteer for the SPCA would be a great start!
Known as the King of pop, Micheal Jackson the talented singer has recently passed away. Micheal Jackson became famous in the group The Jackson Five (him and four of his siblings) in 1968 as a 9-10 year old. They recorded songs such as ‘I want you back’ and ‘ABC’. He then went solo in 1971 while still a part of the group and recorded his own songs like ‘Billie Jean’ and ‘Bad’. Seventh of nine siblings Micheal Jackson’s album ‘Thriller’ still remains the worlds best selling album of all time.
I personally think that he was very talented and it is sad to see his life come to such and end as he was about to preform 50 sold-out concerts. He collapsed in his home on the 25th of June 2009 following his death. Although I personally didn’t like the choices he made in his life and the things he was accused of were very wrong things I still think that his music was awesome. My favourite of his songs would have to be ‘Black or White’ released in November 1991. I like it simply because it’s catchy and it goes against racism.
At the moment I’m on my first year of college. It is pretty cool and I think I’m doing well. I like my teachers they are all good people to learn from. I’m learning quite a bit at the moment especially in science and maths. I absolutely love my English class! My teacher is awesome and the work is easy enough for me and I’m getting good marks. My option is Environmental studies. It’s cool my teachers cool too and really smart when it comes to the environment and biology side of things! My least favourite subject is probably social studies although we are doing a cool unit on the interaction of the Europeans and Aboriginies in the early days so it has been fun lately. So overall it’s going good and I’m enjoying myself.
Hello to everyone. After a lot of consideration I have decided to come back to my blog and occasionally write to it if I have time. =) I am sorry to all the people who have commented on my blog and I have not replied. I was originally going to stop coming on to my blog but I’ve changed my mind.
