Book 4 Project: Final Exam

For my book 4 project, I chose to do a Listicle showing why The Fault in our Stars is or is not as good as it was hyped-up to be. I have found 4 reasons why The Fault in our Stars did not deserve the attention it got.

Reason 1: Some Characters Aren’t Completely Developed

            If you ever read the book, you will come across some characters that don’t seem completely developed. One of these characters is Hazel’s dad, Mr. Lancaster. In almost every book you read where a characters’ parents are involved, they will play a major role somehow. This could be by comforting them when they are sad, or just being there, involving themselves in their life. But in this book, Mr. Lancaster is barely mentioned. He just kind of exists. Nothing special happens between Hazel and her dad, and they really only share two to three real “moments” together. To name some other characters, Kaitlyn, Patrick, and Lidewij all lack development. Sure, they may not seem very important, but I think they are, because they not only effect Hazel’s life, but also can help her through her own problems, which they do. So if certain characters were developed a little more, I think the book would be a little better.

Reason 2: There is no Action

            For a book to be truly amazing, it should have a great plot line, (which is easy to follow as well as interesting) good, well-developed characters, and some intense scenes of action. This book has only one of those in my opinion. Not only are certain characters not fully developed, there lacks an element of action. Rarely (if ever) does Hazel move any faster than a walking pace, and there are barely any truly memorable events. I think the author may have thought it would be okay to replace action with emotion. If this was his goal, then he passed with flying colors. However, this creates less excitement, and more depression after reading his book. Sure, Hazel’s cancer is exciting to read about, and Peter Van Houten’s rude outrage was exciting. But it’s the wrong kind of excitement; it targets emotions, making you angry, or proud, or various other emotions. But nothing makes you say “Woah. That was intense.” Instead it makes you say “Wow, he’s a horrible man.” This book needs more of the first kind of excitement. Then it would be truly amazing.

Reason 3: There Was a Lack of Formality within the Text

            In order for a book to feel like a book, there has to be some elements of formality within it. Books that are constantly written like this blog (low diction, and written as if I was saying it) may seem good for some people, but I don’t like it. For me, the book needs intense moments where a teenager isn’t the narrator. Things like elevated diction should be used often, or at least more than it is now. That makes it feel like a book. For me, a book has to feel like it’s being read to you by someone who has to use proper grammar. Like when you are a kid, and your parents read to you. You feel like they pronounce every word correctly, and everything on the page is perfectly verbalized. That feeling is destroyed when Hazel narrates the book. She makes it sound like a kid reading to another kid. Slang words are used, and not all words seem to make much sense. It doesn’t create the majestic feeling you should get when reading. At least not for me.

            These are only my thoughts. I’m sure many people will disagree with me on the points I made, but I feel this book could be better in many ways. It is a good book as is. I will admit that much. But it could be so much better. Instead of just appealing to young teens who like romance, it could appeal to everyone if it added some action, or developed its characters more, or just sounded more formal. With those small changes, this book could be great.

Post 8: My Reading Wishlist

Zachary's books

Monsters of Men

by Patrick Ness

The Ask and the Answer

by Patrick Ness

The New World

by Patrick Ness

Carrie

by Stephen King

Under the Dome

by Stephen King

Post 7: Book Talk Presentation

Post 6: Book 3 Listicle

4 Reasons You Should Know Something is up from the Beginning
Note: Many spoilers are stated, so if you plan on reading this book in the future, I suggest you don't continue. Consider yourself warned.

            Shutter Island is a mystery thriller novel by Dennis Lehane about a hospital for the criminally insane set in the 1950s. U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his partner Chuck Aule have been assigned to Shutter Island to try and find out how Rachel Solando had escaped, and where she has gone. However, nothing seems to be quite right on the island, leaving many questions from the very beginning.

Reason 1: Teddy is throwing up in the very first scene
              "Teddy started the trip down on his knees in front of the toilet, heaving into the bowl as the ferry's engine chugged and clacked and Teddy's nasal passages filled with the oily smells of gasoline and the late-summer sea." (Lehane 11) At first, this event seems completely irrelevant to the story. He gets sea sick. So what? However, we don't find out until the very end what is really going on here. Teddy was drugged, and the drugs are making him sick. It didn't seem it when you first read it, but this is a very fishy situation.

Reason 2: Teddy meets his new partner on the ship to Shutter Island
              Not only have the two marshals never met before, they never had a mission briefing, they met just before they reach their destination, and Chuck was just transferred to Massachusetts from Seattle, knowing little about Teddy. This also seemed a little fishy, but I didn't need to know the ending to know this was fishy. No two marshals just meet before their mission destination. It just doesn't happen.

Reason 3: Their guns are taken from them
              This may not play a major role in the plot line of the book, but it made me think twice about the jail and what it is doing. If you were a U.S. marshal, I would think you would be allowed to take your gun anywhere you choose. But McPherson insisted they hand them over. "Chuck looked at Teddy. Teddy shook his head." (Lehane 29) Even though it affected them hardly any at all, I still found it to be slightly fishy.

Reason 4: McPherson talks about experimentation
              He may not state it directly, but McPherson talks about experimenting on patients. He says, "In a less enlightened age, a patient like Gryce would have been put to death. But here they can study him, define a pathology, maybe isolate the abnormality in his brain that caused him to disengage so completely from acceptable patterns of behavior." (Lehane 34-35) When he says this, readers think he is talking about precise measurements, and behavioral exams to figure out why the patients acted the way they did. However, we later learn exactly what they are doing to these patients, and how horrible it is. So this is another instance where it doesn't seem fishy at the time, but when we learn about it later, it all makes sense.


This is a story that has many twists and turns, and most of the time, you don’t even know when they happen until after the fact. It is an amazing, fast-paced, action-filled book with many things that will keep you guessing right up until the end. Many things happen that don’t make sense at first, but once they are explained, you will love Lehane for his wickedness in crafting the deceptions. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves mystery, action, or people who just want a fast-paced read.

Post 5: How much truth should there be in memoirs?

      In my opinion, in order for a book to be non-fiction, it needs to be close to 90% true. Non-fiction is something that is not made up, so it shouldn't have many made up elements in it. However, say one part of your book seems dull, and needs to more "meat" in it, then an author should be allowed to embellish the story a little, just to make it more interesting and gripping. For instance, in James Frey's novel, A Million Little Pieces, he says he was put in jail for three months, when in real life, he was only in jail for a couple of hours. This would be okay, because the end result of being in jail is the same. By saying three months, it made his life sound more interesting, and more gripping to an audience. But with this said, there should still be lines between fiction and non-fiction. If someone wants to read non-fiction, then they should be able to read something that is real, and not made up. and if someone wants to read something that's fictional, then they should be able to read something that is made up, and no real. "Obliterating the lines between fiction and non-fiction" would not necessarily be the best decision, in my opinion. It would just cause too much controversy over whether or not something is fake or real. But that's all that it is: my opinion. But to me, non-fiction should stay mostly true, and fiction should stay mostly fake. 

Book 2 Project: Adapting The Book Thief

    If The Book Thief were to become an adaptation, I would make it into a film production. This would be the best choice because it doesn't seem to have enough cliff hangers to be made into a weekly TV show, and it has few parts that can be made into a song, if any at all. It would work best as a film. 

     Once it becomes a film, there are many things to keep in mind so that it can be a good film. One of those important decisions is to make sure to keep all of the details in the most action packed parts of the book. This is so that the important, action parts of the book are preserved and can be visualized by the audience easier. This will also make the film more exciting, and for people that haven't read the book yet, will make them want to read the book. 

     However, the less exciting parts of the book will need to be removed, especially if they do nothing to improve the plot line. Parts such as Liesel's life, day to day, or what her papa is doing each night. Those parts can be removed because not only are they boring, they give no advancement to the plot, causing it to drag and have irrelevant information.

     A few scenes that must be preserved are when Liesel first finds The Gravedigger's Handbook and when her brother dies. Also, the scenes where she is in her midnight class should be kept. Those are some of the most important scenes because they set up most of the events that follow, especially since they are towards the beginning of the book. Many other scenes should be kept as well, but these are some of the most important.

     One of the other major decisions that should be made are about the soundtrack. In certain parts of the book, such as Liesel's brother's death, or when she gets into a fight with Ludwig Schmeikl, the music should have a sadder, or darker tone. It wouldn't be appropriate to have happy, joyful music when someone dies or is injured. But other parts, such as when Max wakes up from his coma, the music should have a happier tone, showing the emotions of the characters.
     Those are some of the decisions that I would make if I were to adapt the book thief. It would have to be done correctly, otherwise no one would want to see it. Proper decisions lead to good movies, and The Book Thief would be a good movie.

Book 1 project: Fan Experience

                It’s always on the news: someone has disappeared or been kidnapped. The family is now looking all over for them, putting up posters, and asking for tips. Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be that person that was kidnapped? Have you ever thought about what would happen to you if you were taken off the street? This scenario is described in Room by Emma Donoghue. A young woman was taken off the street when she was only nineteen. She was then put in a small, eleven by eleven foot shed in the backyard of a man who is called Old Nick. With this model, you can now read AND interact with the book, all in the comfort of your own home. You can open the door *beep beep* and let Old Nick in, you can move Ma around Room, and even play with Jack, her five year old son who lives in Room with her.

                When you take the roof off of This Room, you will open up a whole world full of twists and turns, funny moments, and the occasional sad moment. With this 3D replica of Room, you

will always know what is happening in Room, or you can make up your own story line, using Toothbrush to brush Jack’s teeth, or open Wardrobe and close Jack in for the night. You can push Rug away and find Track, and have Ma and Jack race each other, or you can fill Bathtub with water and give Ma and Jack a bath. All of this, and more is included in this wonderful model, creating good times, showing bad times, and just those moments when nothing is happening at all. With This Room, you will never be bored reading the book again. You can follow along with the book, or move things around and make your own story, with its own twists and turns, or ups and downs. The adventures with This Room are virtually endless, making this model a wonderful tool of creativity and endless possibilities. No matter who you are, what age, or what gender, you will love This Room, making the book interactive, as well as intriguing. Fun for everyone hides in This Room.

                This Room is inspired by the Room in the book, Room. It includes everything that was in Room, including Table, Rug, TV, Wardrobe, Bed, Skylight, Bunny Ears, and, of course, Jack and Ma, and much, much more. You can take the roof off of room, just as Jack turns five. “Today I’m five. I was four last night going to sleep in Wardrobe, but when I wake up in Bed in the dark I’m changed to five, abracadabra.” But that is only the beginning. Once he turns five, then the true adventure begins. This is where you can make the book truly come to life. Make the daily lives of Jack and Ma come to life, starting with his present for his birthday. “She pulls something out from under her pillow, I think it was hiding all night invisibly.” Just like Ma, you can pull something out from under her pillow, and give it to Jack, letting him unwrap it, and look at it for the first time; hang it on the inside of Wardrobe, so he can look at it every night. Then continue throughout their day, with eating breakfast; “I count one hundred cereal and waterfall the milk that’s nearly the same white as the bowls, no splashing, we thank Baby Jesus.” After that, you can help them water Plant, and watch TV, and play all sorts of games, like Parrot, or Track. Then you can help them read, use the toilet, take a nap; anything they do, you can help them. Or you can play with them, changing their schedule a bit. But the choice is yours. How will you let them spend their time? Will they watch TV, or take naps? It’s all up to you. However, one thing is for sure: everyone will love This Room, and reading this book will never get old.