https://padlet.com/justgeniebear/reading_blog_for_brook_english A requirement that has been placed upon me by my English 2 teacher. en-us 2018-09-04 15:46:53 UTC 2019-01-14 03:49:57 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Templeball.png justgeniebear https://padlet.com/justgeniebear/reading_blog_for_brook_english/wish/277622528 9-4-18       page-261
Summary of what has happened so far~   
Scythe is set in a world where natural death is uncommon due to the fact that humanity has developed technology to beat death. Overpopulation is a threat to humanity and the population itself so the Thunderhead, technology that has taken place of politicians, had made an organization called the Scythedom to administer death or what they call gleaning. 
   Different Scythes have different methods of gleaning from painful massacres to singular deaths that are virtually quick and painless. 
 Through this story we follow teenagers, Rowan and Citra, as they develop for the horrid fate of becoming Scythes. In the beginning of their journey, they were assigned to Scythe Faraday who did something untold and took on two apprentices. When the Vernal Conclave made its dreadful arrival, the independent governing body of Scythedom, makes the last minute decision to have one of Scythe's Faraday apprentices to be gleaned by the other when one of them receive their ring and be officially apart of the Scythedom. In efforts to prevent this from happening Scythe Faraday committed suicide. Due to the rules that the Scythes live by he isn't allowed to be revived. Sadly, his attempt to save them from their ill-fated future falls to deaf ears when Rowan and Citra are divided to different Scythes to continue their apprenticeship. Both going to well-known Scythes with different views on gleaning. Rowan goes to Scythe Goddard who is well known for his mass gleanings while Citra goes to the famed Scythe Curie who is known for her gleanings of well known individuals. 
 Both train with different states of mind to meet their ultimate demise of either entering the Scythedom or experience the task they have been trained to do. 
Determined, Rowan is willing to do throw his chances at living and being a scythe so Citra can live. In efforts in not making himself noticeable to Scythe Goddard or anyone else he purposely holds himself back. 
My thoughts~
From what I've read I predict that both Citra and Rowan will find some way to escape the fate that has been set out for them. I also predict that because of their different training, their friendship will falter and destroy the relationship they have but not the feelings that they possess for each other.  If my first prediction is true than Citra and Rowan will be deeply involved with Neal Shusterman's next book in the duology ,Thunderhead.  I do hope by the time I finish Thunderhead, that the release of the third book in the series, The toll, has already taken place.  
As of tonight, I am hoping to be in the three hundreds before class tomorrow.  ]]> 2018-09-04 15:54:03 UTC https://padlet.com/justgeniebear/reading_blog_for_brook_english/wish/277622528 justgeniebear https://padlet.com/justgeniebear/reading_blog_for_brook_english/wish/278724267 9-6-18    finished book
My thoughts~
Although the ending to Scythe has left me shocked and craving the second book in the duology, soon to be trilogy, I will not reveal any spoilers pertaining to the book for obvious reasons. I will reveal one slight comment of displeasure I found within the book. Scythes take the names from important figures in the mortal age such as, Nelson Mandela and Marie Curie. I feel that these figures should not represent the Scythes because of what they stood for and what they didn't. Most important figures of our past detested death and anything to do with hurting another human being and it is the Scythes job to take that person's life in any painful or painless way they choose. From my point of view, it is unjust that the author and characters in the book showed no objection to the tarnishment of these names that we hold in such high esteem today. Yet, I do acknowledge the fact that the author showed that no one from the immortality age regarded or really cared about what happened in the age that we live in. They take everything for granted and not acknowledge about how far the human race had come with our limited lifespans of 100 years or less.  Unlike their own which could last until they have been decided to be gleaned.
Scythe by Neal Shusterman brought me pure satisfaction about what a YA novel should and could be. As much as I loved the story, I do pray and hope that no one tries to damage my view of the book by making an ill conceived version of the book into a movie. 
The next book I will be starting and reviewing is Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin. From the length of this book I should only have to be posting one padlet about the book. Though it is a short book, I do think and hope I find as much enjoyment as I did from Scythe. ]]> 2018-09-07 04:56:31 UTC https://padlet.com/justgeniebear/reading_blog_for_brook_english/wish/278724267 justgeniebear https://padlet.com/justgeniebear/reading_blog_for_brook_english/wish/279098749 9-7-18     finished book
Summary~
At the ripe age of 15, Elizabeth Hall dies from a hit and run. Instead of heading to any divine force we choose to believe in, she heads to Elsewhere, where people age backwards from the age they died. Liz determined to stay with the life she once had rejects all Elsewhere has to offer until she gets caught going to the forbidden place in Elsewhere. There she meets her partner in crime and future lover, Owen Welles. Through confusion and drama she depends on those around her to navigate the next 15 years of her backwards life. 
My thoughts~ 
Elsewhere was a pleasant book that was easy to read in under a day. It was a short 278 book with a complicated yet basic enough story line to keep up with and still be interested in it. 
The author, Gabrielle Zevin, creates a realistic yet thought provoking version of what could happen after we die. She also brushes on topics that we all think of and worry about if and when we die at an age that's considered too young to die. She shows that both life and death could both hold limitless possibilities that could only happen if we aren't afraid to leap. ]]> 2018-09-08 18:13:44 UTC https://padlet.com/justgeniebear/reading_blog_for_brook_english/wish/279098749 justgeniebear https://padlet.com/justgeniebear/reading_blog_for_brook_english/wish/297844433 *WARNING HIGHLY UNCOMFORTABLE TO READ*
10-28-18   finished book 
Summary~ 
   Errands are always a hassle to deal with but in Soviet Russia its a matter of life and death. 
 Two misfits Lev and Kolya break the law and are given the choice to either get a dozen eggs in the middle of the siege of Leningrad or die. Logically choosing to survive, they trek from a starving city over run with cannibals and black markets that contain everything except eggs to the countryside that trigger happy Germans have a hold of. 
   Constantly within an inch of death, Lev and Kolya depend on each other to attempt to complete the errand from . 
My thoughts~ 
   During the school's banned book campaign David Benioff's historical fiction novel, City of Thieves, caught my attention. 
   Having his book overflown with sexual jokes and innuendos  made the heartbreaking time period more enjoyable to process.  Especially with the hilarious theme that made his novel hard to out down. 
 The author, David Benioff, transforms a negative view of a well known massacre to a semi-positive one by taking the view point of two horny teenage boys in a life or death situation. With this view point, Benioff shows that even in the catastrophic moments in life its always better to look on the brighter side. ]]> 2018-10-29 01:37:16 UTC https://padlet.com/justgeniebear/reading_blog_for_brook_english/wish/297844433 justgeniebear https://padlet.com/justgeniebear/reading_blog_for_brook_english/wish/298666176 10-30-18   finished book 
Summary~
    Life always has it ups and downs but for Evan Panos it seems to be in a constant downward spiral. 
   Relationships for him always meant secrets were involved. For his friends it was the secret that his mother has continuously abused and took advantage of him in fear he wouldn't be the perfect son. Plus the fact that he's gay.
For his family it was also that he was gay but his passions too.  
Instead of keeping it all bottled up inside of him, Evan recorded everything from what happened that day to drawings that expressed who he actually was. 
Until a certain boy from camp and his long time crush came and unraveled every intricate secret and lie right in from of him. 
My thoughts~
   "The dangerous art of blending in" took me by surprise. It held a deep emotional theme with implicit insights of what it is like to live your life in continuous fear. 
   As well as it being Angelo Surmelis's debut  gives a greater depth to his heartfelt novel. The way Surmelis revealed Evan's conflicts and relationships that held obvious signs of constant abuse at home caused me to study my current relationships with others to hopefully reveal if I, myself, had been ignoring those same signs. 
Thankfully, all it revealed is that I need to care and listen more to those around me and not revealing signs of abuse.  
"The art of blending in," is a book that will bring you to tears and has been proved impossible to put down especially since it held my greatest fears. ]]> 2018-10-30 17:54:40 UTC https://padlet.com/justgeniebear/reading_blog_for_brook_english/wish/298666176 justgeniebear https://padlet.com/justgeniebear/reading_blog_for_brook_english/wish/303105176 11-11-18    pg. 297
Summary of what has happened so far ~
   The Sandcastle Empire is in a reality where an organization called the Wolfpack has taken over the world and everything it has to offer.
   Eden and others around her have heard of a rumored island that is supposedly neutral territory. An island that goes by the name of Sanctuary.
 Desperate to escape the clutches of the Wolfpack, Eden escapes their controlled territory with three other girls. All grateful to be out of the land that haunted their thoughts, they stumble across the famed Sanctuary island to only discover that the sanctuary they all craved is actually a 🤬 that none of them could ever dream up. 
 When a girl from their group disappears and mysterious group of boys appear their vision of a life without the Wolfpack slowly goes down the drain. 
   They took their dreams and freedom, who says the Wolfpack can't take their sanity as well. 
My thoughts~
 Kayla Olson has created a lengthy novel that contains the idea of the world being in a controlled state. A state that the countries in our reality constantly fight over. 
   The idea everyone has tried to prevent over the course of written history. The idea that millions have sacrificed their lives for. 
To be reading about an aftermath that we could only wish for. About how a secret organization only enslaved most of humanity instead of a slaughtering most of it. To have a 🤬 described be your greatest hope for humanity that succumbs to an oligarchic or autocratic system is concerning. 
 I feel that I live in a world where we are constantly on the brink of having the lives as  we know it come crashing down on us. To have to know that our family and friends aren't with us. The thought honestly scares me. Its frightening to know that all of my fate goes to a person that if he says the wrong thing or does something that angers another country that I could be dead. That the reality I have come so fond of could be erased with a couple of actions. To know that I have a loud mouth president speaking for me and all eyes are on him. All eyes and ears criticizing everything he says. Every pact that our previous presidents have made to be destroyed because of his beliefs, not his country's. Not mine. 
I fear that the life depicted in The Sandcastle Empire could be mine with a couple of actions and words that only one person meant.  ]]> 2018-11-12 04:18:08 UTC https://padlet.com/justgeniebear/reading_blog_for_brook_english/wish/303105176 justgeniebear https://padlet.com/justgeniebear/reading_blog_for_brook_english/wish/305775577 11-18-18   finished book
My thoughts~
 The Sandcastle empire has left me in deep thought of what life would be like under an oligarchic rule. I'm not wondering on how oppressive it would be but on how much I would yearn for freedom. To have the life I have right now back.
 That if I could survive in that type of environment. With long work hours and barely any edible food. With constant supervision. With the knowledge that one screw up meant a punishment that would make me wish for death. 
   It made me realize that there are parts of the world that contains this reality. That history contains this reality. Where we spread so thin that we transitioned into the most inhumane parts of ourselves to survive. 
 Some embrace their "wild" side by committing heinous crimes. By killing others for a morsel of food or using them for food. While others would just 🤬 their loved ones so they wouldn't have to go through the pain of starving to death and living in constant fear. If I had to choose between the two, I would rather take the people I love out of this world than killing strangers for survival. Not because I can't even comprehend the thought of me consuming another human being for survival but for the knowledge that they would die peacefully. To be swept away in a painless sleep together rather than apart. 
 I don't know if the choices I would make in that situation than me just wondering about what I would do would be the same but I hope if push comes to shove that I make humane decisions with as much grace and humility that I could muster. I do know that I hope my demented thoughts aren't going to be a reality for me or anyone else in the vast sea of people on Earth.]]> 2018-11-19 05:12:38 UTC https://padlet.com/justgeniebear/reading_blog_for_brook_english/wish/305775577 justgeniebear https://padlet.com/justgeniebear/reading_blog_for_brook_english/wish/310281072 12-2-18   finished book
Summary~   
Everyone has secrets and for Eliza Mirk, her secret means everything to her.  
 Everyone views Eliza Mirk as some weird girl who rather have her nose in her sketchbook than socialize, but little do they know that Eliza is also the author of a insanely popular webcomic, Monstrous Sea. 
   She is determined to keep her identity a secret but all it takes is one special guy plus two ignorant parents to reveal one major secret. Can Monstrous Sea continue when the two worlds between Eliza Mirk and LadyConstellation collide. 
My thoughts~
 "Eliza and Her Monsters," made Francesca Zappia quickly become one of my favorite authors. To her enjoyable plots and dialogue all the way down to her attention of detail made this book all the more worth while to read.  
 The way she crafted Eliza's need to keep her two identities a secret is something I particularly enjoyed. Her need to have a secret identity allowed the reader (me) to see her thought process on why it was so necessary which in the end made me more immersed into the book and caused me think of what I would do if something I love is loved by thousands of people. Due to this, I grounded myself from the book at night because those thoughts kept me up. 
  Because of these thoughts I found myself agreeing with everything Eliza did to keep her identity hidden. Especially hiding it from Wallace as long as she did. She kept the secret from her closest friends and her eventual boyfriend too because she knew it would ruin the relationship between them. Only her family knew about her being the author and they only knew that so they wouldn't be breathing down her neck every time she locked herself up in her room to create what she at the time loved most. 
   Eliza Mirk proved that to love your art doesn't mean you sacrifice your sanity as well. ]]> 2018-12-03 05:41:14 UTC https://padlet.com/justgeniebear/reading_blog_for_brook_english/wish/310281072 justgeniebear https://padlet.com/justgeniebear/reading_blog_for_brook_english/wish/312769729 12-9-18   finished book
Summary~
   In a world where magic can get you killed Adrian sul'Han or better known as Ash runs from the power hungry king of Arden with the goal to 🤬 him. 
   Abandoned at birth with a mark that is said to make her a well known target across the Seven Realms Jenna Bandelow spends her life hiding. 
 With a dash of chance and the guidance of destiny, Ash's and Jenna's lives get intertwined with the purpose to overthrow a hated king. 
   Constantly dancing on the line of life and death, Jenna and Ash battle chilling threats, deadly uses of dark magic, and their pasts that constantly haunt them. 
My thoughts~
 "Falmecaster" is an intriguing book to read. It holds a series of unanswered questions and answers to questions I didn't even know I had. The author, Cinda Williams Chima, clearly put a lot of thought into the world and characters she created and transcended her connection and vision of this into her writing. 
 Usually with the books I read it puts me into deep thought but with "Flamecaster" it was purely joy. I didn't have to reflect on my life as I read because there was no personal similarities or hardships throughout the book. Though it has been proven impossible to turn off my thoughts, I was able to think and dissect the book as I read which was a very refreshing touch to the book that made me enjoy it more.  
 Besides being able to enjoy the writing, I immensely enjoyed the story line and the characters within it. With all the well known fantasy touches of magic, dragons, and of course pirates made this story of hardship and revenge even more enjoy than I thought. That also includes the very snappy, sarcastic remarks thrown throughout the book. 
 Gladly I am able to continue this roller coaster of humor, battle, fantasy since "Flamecaster" is apart of a 4 book series. 
Hopefully the rest of the Shattered Realms series brings me as much joy and relaxation as "Flamecaster" did.  ]]> 2018-12-10 04:26:16 UTC https://padlet.com/justgeniebear/reading_blog_for_brook_english/wish/312769729 justgeniebear https://padlet.com/justgeniebear/reading_blog_for_brook_english/wish/320141460 1-13-19  page 374
Summary of what has happened so far~
With both of her eldest siblings slain by the command of the king of Arden, Princess Alyssa ana'Raisa is determined to have the war end before she has to step up to her role in the queendom. 
Being sent on assignment after assignment more dangerous than the last, Captain Halston Matelon has been fighting for the king of Arden. With each assignment he begans questioning if fighting for his king worth the constant game of life and death. 
Always receiving the short stick in life, Breon is forced to live on the streets worry free until someone framed him for the attempted 🤬 of the Princess of Fells, Alyssa ana'Raisa. When captured, his unknown past slowly unravels in front of him making him question who he is.
Suffering from the costs of war, they gamble everything into hope of ending the lies, death, and and constant conflict that riddled the world they know. 
My thoughts~ 
 Shadowcaster so far has lived up to the expectations that the previous book, Flamecaster, while keeping old and introducing new characters. Mrs. Chima has also successfully kept the complex yet engaging storyline through her intensive storytelling. 
The Shattered Realms series has been proven time and time again that this is a series worth reading. ]]> 2019-01-14 03:22:38 UTC https://padlet.com/justgeniebear/reading_blog_for_brook_english/wish/320141460