Book 3 Review: The Notebook

                        The Notebook is a story about an old man who is reading a journal to a woman who has Alzheimer’s disease. The stories within are from the days when they were young and where their life together has taken them: The woman is his wife. Nicholas Sparks has written over 18 stories, each with a tragic end. Sparks likes to call his novels “love stories, not romance novels”, but many others like to disagree. The Notebook was published in 1996 and is Sparks’ first published book and third written novel. His most recent publish is The Best of Me (2011) and his new book The Longest Ride is to be released in September of 2013. The Notebook was on the Paperback Bestseller list for 72 weeks in 2004.

            The story begins during the present time in the 1990s, but goes back in time to the 1930s - 1950s. It walks through the days when Noah and Allie reunited after the war and how they never truly stopped loving each other. With his writing style, Sparks likes to speak in first and third person and he usually focuses on one viewpoint which would be Noah’s character. To spot this switch in view, Noah says,” My life? It isn’t easy to explain. It has not been the rip-roaring spectacular I fancied it to be, but neither have I burrowed around with the gophers” ( 1 ). But this point of view changes when Noah starts reading the journal to Allie. “He handed her the paper, and after an uninterested glance, something in the picture caught her eye and she took a closer look” (31). This adds a sense of being a part of the story and you feel as if the journal is being read to you.       

            The book itself was fairly ok, but it’s hard to give good judgment to a book that has been made into a movie and the movie contains more of a background of Noah and Allie then the book does. The characters were a perfect combination since Noah was more country and lower middle class, while Allie was a city girl who was high class. But having those qualities didn’t stop them from seeing the person who they truly are. The purpose that Sparks had written this story was to give a wonderful love story that almost anyone can relate to or someone who wants that kind of relationship. The strengths within this book would have to be the character development and how Noah and Allie never seemed to forget about the summer they spent together that lead to their reunion 14 years later. Weaknesses in the book would have to be how Sparks just jumped into where Noah and Allie were about to see each other 14 years later since their last summer together, and then it talks about what happened that lead to their separation. It was confusing when it went back and forth and it was just a mess in the beginning.

            The rating that I would give The Notebook would have to be  an 80% because I felt that Sparks could have added the information when Noah and Allie had first met, then go 14 years later in the story and continue on from there. It was a good book and I would read it again, but it’s not one of my most favorites and would be more of an occasional read. Something that I did get out of the story is that you should never stop loving someone, no matter what obstacles may lay ahead in the near future.

Book Trailer: Perks of Being a Wallflower

Book Talk

Blog 5

In my opinion, it needs to atleast be based off of your life or somebody that you know and the events need to atleast be somewhat true. I see no harm in stretching the truth a little because if you haven't already noticed, people lie and stretch the truth all the time! As long as the writer sticks the the  events and what happened next, I can view that as being a non-fiction piece.

Half truths do make a good story because they usually pull the reader in more and give the reader what they want, but to call that a memoir is like saying that you are the next big star. Frey's and Mortenson's books are great examples of half truths and they do create a story that the reader wants to keep on reading, but the fact that they call them memoirs is not the greatest plan of action. They decieve the reader into thinking that what they are telling is true with exception of some small amounts of exaggeration, but to know that they either stretched most of the story or made up a good portion of it would make the book seem less attractive to the reader.

Shields is right by needing to add labels and how it affects the outcome of the book. If you write a story and call it a memoir but most of it is barely true, then you would be considered fiction and you should have just labeled the story as that. But if you give a true story about your life and events that have brought you to where you are today, then that would be a non-fiction piece and can happily call it a memoir.

Blog Post 4

Three scenes that would be essential to keep with The Perks of Being a Wallflower would be the scenes where everyone goes to the Rocky Horror Picture Shows, the moments where Charlie thinks about his Aunt Helen before and after she died, and the christmas party where Charlie gives Patrick the mixed tapes and the poem that left everyone speechless. The scenes when he goes to the shows with Patrick and Sam show how connected he became to the life he was living after he met Patrick and Sam. The moments when Charlie is thinking about his Aunt Helen before and after he ends up in the hospital is important because it gives the reader a reason as to why he was so uncomfortable around Sam before she left for college and what caused him to end up in the hospital. The scene of the christmas party is also an important scene because it gives that moment of pause when after he read the poem out loud to everyone that nobody smiled or cried or got angry, but just sat there, looking at him with stunned faces as to why he chose that specific poem.

Two specific scenes I would want to cut would be the scenes where he is dating Mary Elizabeth and the scene where Charlie's sister becomes pregnant and he takes her to the clinic. The reason for taking out the part where he is dating Mary Elizabeth is because it was very pointless and didn't have a huge effect on the plot of the story and was just a waste of space. The reason for taking out the part where his sister becomes pregnant is that it was also just a small part that had no real value towards the story and even though it shows a moment where his sister tells him that she loves him, there are other parts in the book that she says i love you for other reasons.

Book 1 Project: The Night Circus Experience

            Wanting to relieve The Night Circus and all its twists and turns? Then pack your bags and prepare for the trip of a life time. What we are offering is a trip to the site of the circus in Boston, Massachusetts along with a package containing a red scarf, black coat, black and white tarot cards, a chance to meet some of the circus performers, and a kit to create your own story in a jar, just like Widget’s own. This experience will allow you to feel like one of many reveurs.

            In The Night Circus, two illusionists are put to the test to see who can endure the most pain and sorrow in a battle against mental and physical strength. But the two illusionists soon find that they are meant to be for each other and become star-crossed lovers. The entire circus is the stage for their battle and many of the performers become pieces in what is to come. The circus shapes who they are along with others who come to visit the circus to explore its mysteries. The story follows many others, like other performers and a couple visitors, one who becomes an important member of the circus when least expected. The other is the original creator of the reveurs, who leads as an important role for the viewers of the circus. He was the one responsible for all reveurs wearing red scarfs and black coats to the circus so that they could recognize each other. The many tents of the circus always intrigued the viewers, with all of its twists and turns, leading them down paths they never ventured down before, going into tents, knowing what they will find or finding what they least expected. Through its winding paths, Bailey, one of the main visitors who becomes and important member to the circus, befriends Widget and his twin sister. Widget has a tent created that hold many varieties of boxes, jars, and cups that hold so called “stories”. He has one jar specially made for Bailey that takes him back to his childhood of the smell of trees and the sense of freedom.

            This package will allow the average fan to relive the circus experience. They get to feel like a reveur who follows the circus where ever it goes and experience the spirit of the circus and the performs who create that spirit. The included kit to make your own “story” can allow the fans to create their most favorite memory from their lift time. They can either add their jar to the tent that holds most of the stories to share with many other viewers, or they can keep it for enjoyment of their own. This trip allows fans to feel closer to the characters and the many sites that the circus has claimed over the years. Fans can also create a short memoir of their trip through the circus and the experiences they had. This experience is also open to those who have never read the book and allows them to hears the opinions of the fans who relive every moment. This opportunity allows non-fans who have not read the book a chance to read the book that started it all.

            The Night Circus is meant for the young adult audience and is not recommend in some schools. Most tents in the circus will be toned down with some of the material that is viewed in the tents. Those who are creating a story in a jar and are under 12 years of age will need some adult supervision with the chemicals that need to go into the mix. All of the items in the package can not be replaced if misplaced or damaged. Fans will enjoy the circus experience as if they are part of the story themselves.

Post 2: What is a book?

A book is a doorway. This doorway allows you as the reader to become a part of the story. Most doorways can be opened just by reading the first page, while others need a special key to allow you into the story. That special key can either be your imagination, a present or past thought, relates to your life in a way, or you just need to have an open mind. The use of kindles, nooks, and ereaders today has increased since the days before. Some people say that having and electronic device that has a book on it is nice because you can just pack it up and save space, yet have so much access to so many books, magazines, or newspapers. But others say that have the book physically is better because you can mark areas of the passage that you liked the most, areas you thought made an impact on your thoughts of your surroundings, or areas you thought had an important message that has more meaning then before.

My thoughts on which is better is set equally to both. I like reading from my nook because I can just slip it away into my bag or suit case without it taking up space and I don't have to take as many books with me. But there is something about a book that you can actually turn the pages that I love. I enjoy reading books that have little notes in the margin that the previous reader had put in that contain their thoughts on what they thought of the plot or theme and how it made them feel afterwards, and I can relate to some of these little notes or maybe make a different connection to the book that the previous reader didn't have. Different authors have different opinions about a book vs. an electronic reader. I agree with those who say that having book is magical because you don't know what to expect to read what has been printed and written on the pages and the smell of a book is intoxicating to others which increase their desire to read more and more books. I also agree with those who say that having an electronic reader isn't as bad as it sounds. Sometimes people don't read books just because of the smell or what may lay hidden in its pages, but the magic that comes from the authors mouth. People want to read just for the sheer joy of it and the don't need any kind of connection to the previous reader. They just want to have their own thoughts of the book without assistance from little notes.