Second Quarter Reading list

Even though I've already read 3 books this quarter I plan to continue reading a lot like I did last quarter. I'm going to read The Last Olympian, the 5th and presumably the last of the Percy Jackson series, in this book all the others come together in the battle between the Olympians and the Titans. Sometime in early November, the 4th or 5th, I will get Towers of Midnight in the mail, it is the 13th book of the series The Wheel of Time, I can't wait because at the end of The Gathering Storm Rand had an epiphany and found his emotions back. And I'm not sure what I'l read after, maybe I'l finish Starbucked, it just depends on if I find a good book.

Reading Reflection Q1

I really enjoy reading, I make a regular habit of reading atleast an hour a day. This happens normally in the evening after dinner. When I read I'm normally watching movies on my computer at the same time, the background noise helps. I've always thought myself a deep thinker when it comes to books. But i can see how I've improved since being in this class, linking two passages of the same book or the same series to connect a part of the book that i would have otherwise misunderstood. As annoying as your diagrams were to do in class, they really help when you read.

2nd Quarter Annotated Reading List

Jordan, Robert. Towers of Midnight. Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, 2010. 861. Print. 3 Books
By far the best book I have read in a long while. Being the 12th book in the "Wheel of Time" series, the fact that I'm at the 12th book in a series shows how much devotion I have in the book and authors. One thing I found interesting about this book is that the original author, Robert Jordan, died about a year and a half ago, while the series was lovingly picked up again by avid fan Brandon Sanderson. This being the second book written by Brandon Sanderson, with Robert Jordan's notes, its really good. After a cliff hanger at the end of "The Gathering Storm" it picks right up into a super progressive novel. This book is always moving, never stopping for too long, and when it does just enough to complement the story line. Giving really specific details on this book wouldn't be fair considering its the 12th book, so I can't get too in depth on the plot. But I really do suggest this to any fantasy reader, its worth the commitment of reading 12 books.

Martin, George R.R. A Game of Thrones. Bantam Spectra, 1996. 694. eBook. 3 Books

George R.R. Martin is one of my favorite authors. He writes slow, but for good reason. When the finished product comes out, it never ceases to amaze. "A Song of Ice and Fire" is a, currently, four book series that starts off with "A Game of Thrones". This books takes place in a Middle Ages like era with a past and possible future that contains magic. Martin wrote this book with different Points of View (PoV). This adds different perspectives of the events of the realm. Since the communication of the era was so bad the PoV give you a more complete picture of the events and brings the reader to a major understanding of all characters and happenings. One attribute of this book that makes it unique is the nonchalants of things like adulatory and incest. This gives the story a realistic spin on the fantasy, while most writers would choose to leave out these ugly truths, Martin uses them to build upon his story, making it many more times again what it would be without them. Most would consider it bad, but it adds a major part to the plot of the story. If you are looking for an epic fantasy about knights and the middle ages with a magic twist, this is it.

Riordan, Rick. The last Olympian. Hyperion, 2009. 400. Print. 2 Books

The last of the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series by Rick Riordan. After four other books, this one ends the series with a bang. The main plot of the book is the battle between the Olympians and the Titans. The title took me awhile to get, but it's very well put. While all the other Gods are out fighting the Titan only one remains, Hestia, the goddess of the Hearth. Hestia being there impacts the story in a big way and adds a major plot twist that would be cruel to give away right now. 

 

Socratic Seminar Review

I really enjoyed the Socratic seminar. It helped me understand the book a lot better, by throwing in the ideas of other people in a very equal and easy to discuss environment. Becky brought plenty of things to the table when we were discussing John and Mond's fun argument. It was a good balance, b/c I favored Mond's side more w/ Becky vise versa. The double perspective made it all the more fun. From re-reading chapter 17 I understood it a lot more. When you re-read something it helps a lot when you talk about it. I really liked it, the seminar was a great learning experience. It made talking about BNW really easy and productive. I think I did a great job myself, the topics were great and the discussion picking up momentum. One thing that would be better, though, is the length. If it were longer, and since we only have 8 in our class, it would be a lot more fun.