Reading

In my honest opinion, I don't believe that I grew very much at all as a reader this year. If anything, this year is the year that I read the least due to my new busier schedule. However, I do believe that I grew in terms of evaluation of the text. Now, I can see through the lines and understand the author's intentions and audience. This has led to a deeper enjoyment of literature. I also feel like I have gotten past being bored if I'm reading something that may not be as emotionally stimulating as a fantasy novel or other action based literature. This has helped me in classes such as AP World History, where we read manuscripts and passages that are, well, not that exciting. To summarize my point, I feel that I am able to analyze literature much more effectively than before.

List of Books I Have Read:

• The Count of Monte Cristo
• Don Quixote
• A Tale of Two Cities
• Where the Sidewalk Ends
• The Chronicles of Narnia
• Catch 22
• Slaughterhouse-Five

Hammer of Thor

In the past week, I've been reading Rick Riordan's latest book, The Hammer of Thor. This book has made me think of the times that I read his older works, and it made me reflect on how my perception has changed over the years. The older I become, the more I see that his books are geared to a younger audience.

One of the hardest things to overcome is realizing that it's time to move onto more challenging novels, and stop reading below your reading level for purely nostalgic purposes. It is something that I am just beginning to accomplish. I want to branch out with my reading and read classics such as Shakespeare, Vonnegut, and Poe.

Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian 
Honestly, I love this book. It sends you for a loop with its mix of childish humor and deep sadness. It has an excellent way of going about tragedies and wrongdoings, and it makes them have a sense of hilarity at the same time. It made me feel the emotions that Junior was feeling. This is one of my favorite things that happens in books.

One of the biggest things that affected me in this book was not any event that transpired on the pages. It was when I realized that the author of the book was not living the story he wrote. He was writing as Sherman Alexei. This moved me, not because it disappointed me, but because I realized how well this man can write. For me to be fooled into thinking that he was living through these events is an incredible feat in my mind. Honestly, this book is what the Diary of a Wimpy Kid should aspire to be.