Monday, September 24, 2007
Reading Report #2
For this reading report, please reflect on the quality and usefulness of the reading you have done for the past 3 weeks. Consider this: how has your reading helped make you a better student, citizen, or thinker? Refer to two or three of the texts (print or electronic) that you have read and explain how they helped you grow as a person.
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These past three weeks I have been reading Heart Shaped Box. It is about a famous retired singer who has bought an old suit which seems to have an old enemy�s soul lurking inside it. This book has led to me think about why people hold grudges. Take this crazy ghoul for example, it wasn�t the famous singer�s fault that his daughter committed suicide and was totally insane. But the father insisted it was and as a result came back and haunted him until all of his loved ones had died as a result. Why should he spend his eternity holding a grudge and trying to kill this guy when he could move on to much better happier places? It seems to me like this book is trying to tell readers to move on as soon as possible from mistakes others make, because you never know when you�re going to die and it would be a less unpleasant experience if you could just leave the earth with out a care in the world.
The past three week I have still been reading the book The Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan. This book is a really good book and once you start reading to u can’t put it down. From reading this book I have learned to think more while reading and also picture what is happening in your mind because then you can comprehend a lot more and that way u actually know what is happening in the book. From now on in every thing I read I will be able to comprehend it much better and it will make a lot more since
During the last three weeks i have been reading a book called Faking 19 by alyson Noel. This book is about two best friends living in California. One of the girls is very rich and popular and the other one is poor and has no confidence. The two girls get bored with their home town and decide to go to LA and explore clubs and meet new people. The popular girl named M meets a guy named Trevor and starts changing and strarts doing drugs. The other girl named Alex falls in love with a guy named Connor who ends up leaving her. This book is about the two girls life in California and how their friendship changes. This book is really good and i would recommend it to girls.
I just finish the novel Cut. It is an amazing story about a girl that goes through so much. It is about a girl that cuts herself and her family puts her in the institute. She is not allowed to have any sharp objects what so ever. But she finds ways to cut herself again. She is also forced to see this psychiatrist that doesn’t seem to help her at all. Towards the end of the story however, she discovers herself throughout the story and learns why she cuts herself and learns about her family. This story definitely surprised me in some places, and really taught me a lot about what others may be going through. The main character in the story hid it really well from her friends and family, now I don’t even know who maybe going through something really tough and I should be conscious of that. I also have been reading Taming a Liger. It is based on the movie Napoleon Dynamite but has spiritual meanings. It has a famous saying from the movie and then will go off on a biblical story. I just like these kinds of stories because it really makes me think about how I am living my life and how I should improve it.
Over the past few weeks, I have found
much of my reading to
be very helpful to me as a citizen. My usual reading consists of
user-submitted (and voted on) articles on Digg.Com.
Many are opinionated, and they are marked as such, but for the most
part the articles are just news. I feel that being informed on a wide
range of topics makes me a better citizen. Another item that I have
been reading is a book called Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris. This is a book
in response to all of the feedback he recieved after he published his
first book: The
End Of Faith. I don't really think that it makes me
a better citizen necessarily, but it is interesting to read a
witty book once in a while.
Over the past few weeks I have been reading the book, The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult. This book is very interesting and looks at the young girl's life in a way which I would of never had. It helps me understand the other side rather than the teenagers and to think of the positives in the situation. I also have been reading espn.com for my love of football. I always track teams and certain players throughout the season. This reading does not help me as much as my novel, however, I enjoy it!
For the past few weeks I have been reading allot about sports and cars. I read an article in Fortune magazine about a few of the worlds fasts cars. I specifically read a article on the Koenigsegg E-85 which is a Swedish car. The car has a 1018 horse power engine and everything on the car is aluminum, leather titanium or carbon fiber. The car has a price tag of $1,018,000. Reading this made me a better thinker because it made me think about what sort of cars are really out there and that are cars that most people will never even touch. Second I read about the New England Patriots. I absolutely hate the pats but I read about how an ESPM journalist shared with the public that the pats think they are the best they have ever been. He talked about the newest addition to the team, Randy Moss, he said that the pats are thrilled to have a down field threat and it will help them achieve there goal that is to win the super bowel.
“Over the past few weeks I have been reading,” Is the way just about everyone else started off their reading report but I am going to break that trend. I read Myths in world mythology which stretch your mind. I have read I Robot which is a book about how robots come to become a major part of the world we live in but it also brings up civil issues from today. I have started a saga of the seven suns book called the hidden empire but it is one ginormous book about how the humans use nuclear weapons to make a sun out of a planet not knowing that the life that lived on that planet and did not want to die so they go and kill the humans. This book tells you to check your resources ultimately they may be wrong and if they are you might kill your race. Also I have read the owners manual of my calculator (which for the record is big and boring) which taught me how to use my calculator all in all I have read about 20ish hours over the past 3ish weeks (including some school reading).
Over the past three weeks I have been reading a bunch of random stuff, but the most consistent reading I’ve done was reading of my Bible every night. Right now I’ve been in the book of Psalms. The chapters are short and encouraging. Some verses talk about trusting in God and taking refuge in Him, while others remind you other the joy of having God in your life. A verse that has encouraged me these past weeks was from Psalms 28:6-7, “Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.” This verse as well as other verses has helped me recall that my Lord is my strength and I should live my life for Him and praise Him. I have also been reading Hearts of Fire by The Voice of the Martyrs and other coauthors from Jesus Freaks. In this book there are eight different stories about eight women in the underground church and their stories about costly faith. The story I just finished reading recently was about a girl named Purnima, from a Buddhist town called Bhutan. Purnima became a Christian when she was a young girl, but her family was Buddhist. The family would be looked down upon and disgraced if the Buddhist people found out that their daughter was not of their religion. Purnima was unwilling to change her beliefs, so her family kicked her out of their home, so she began her scary and lonely journey. After that she was mugged and tortured by a group of bandits, and later imprisoned. While she was in prison she shared her faith with the other inmates, and kept her spirits high. The authorities had intended to keep her in prison for over seven years but she was released in less than two years, after the authorities were petitioned. One of the inmates that Purnima connected with quoted this when she was released from prison. “A bright light entered our prisons, but now it’s leaving”. Purnima’s story reminded me of how fortunate and blessed I am. And I only wish that I could be a light around my school, like Purnima was in the prison.
Over the past three weeks I have been finishing up Lovely Bones. It is about a girl who was walking home from school one day and she got raped. The gur that raped her, then, killed her and burried her bones. This story is told in the point of view of her looking down on her fanily as they try to figure out what happened to her. This book has deffinately made me more aware of the people around and me and my surroundings. It has also made me appreciate my family more and the time that i have with them, because you never know when it could all go away. I've learned to cherish every moment with them because it could all go away in a heartbeat.
In the last couple of weeks have been reading many articles on sports, skiing, and cars. Because I really do not like to read I try to find anything that has to do with something I like and I read about it. I am starting to like reading a little more now that I am doing it because I am finding more information on the things I like. I read about a professional freestyle skier, C.R. Johnson, who was one of the best skiers of all time until last year after his traumatic accident. He was filming in Utah when one of his fellow skiers went of a jump to fast after him and struck him in the head. C.R. had permanent brain damage and went into a coma; the doctor gave him a ten percent chance to live and walking was out of the question. He is now telling his recovery story and how he had to learn to speak, walk and ski again. When he was age 14 he could do one of the hardest tricks in skiing, a 1440, and now at age 23 he is just learning how to ski again. I could not imagine being the best at something in the world and then in a year not being able to even do the thing you were good at. I was so intrigued by this event I did more research and have been reading updated articles on his progress and the stories he has. It is remarkable that he let alone survive and is now skiing, he is just starting to do tricks again after only a month of skiing. This has made me think about count my blessings that I have not been seriously hurt. Also this has made me a better person because you never know if the next thing you will do you could be in C.R. Johnson’s position. So now I try to do everything I am good at like it is my last time because in a flash it could be all over.
Over the past few weeks, I have been reading a book called “I’m Third.” This book was actually written about my grandfather and described what his life was like during the Great Depression years. My favorite short story in the book was about the difficulty of making money, but it also had a funny twist to it. My grandfather tried to make money to put towards going to medical school by being a trash man. He chose this job because it was the only job he could find and it paid him decently. Once he had made his way through school, he ended up working in a hospital and he delivered babies. After delivering a baby, he removed his mask to assure the woman that everything was fine, but she replied saying, “Aren’t you my trash man?” This book broadened my perspective of life during the Great Depression and made me think more about how difficult it was to work and make money back then.
Other things that I have been reading are different articles in the newspapers about global warming, safe driving tips, and other things that are similar to those topics. In the article about driving tips, I found that the main topics that were discussed the most included teenagers, and bad driving habits. An example of a safety tip that was mentioned in the article was to avoid the “fast lanes.” This was one of the main tips because most of the recorded accidents occurred in the left lanes since there are usually no shoulder spaces to exit the road in case of a sudden halt or accident. I found these articles very impressive because they revealed facts that I hadn’t known before and I also thought that they were important for people to read because it could help to make them better citizens.
Bryan N said...
I've been reading the news paper and I have learned that so many horible things are happening and I have learned to be a nicer kinder person becuase there is obviously to much violence in the world. I have learned that there is so much happiness in the world but so much of it is being masked by the media so we should all be a lot nicer to one another.
(Posted for Bryan by Mr. Sale)
Derek M said...
I have been reading, but I don't think that my reading has helped me or anyone else out. I am very interested in sports and I am always on ESPN.com reading about players and teams. Sure it's interesting that Brett Favre has been having a great season and is about to pass Dan Marino for the most touchdowns ever thown in the NFL. However, by knowing that am I becoming a better citizen? There is a use for this information, for instance it is a great conversation starter. Also even if you don't know someone well you can always talk football. It is interesting that after going to the NFC championship last year that The Sai nts would start off the 2007 season 0-3, and that Ledanian Tomlinson would struggle miserably this season after being the leuages most valuable player the year before. So, even though I'd say that the reading about the NFL makes me a better citizen or is very usefull, I still read it because it's interesting and makes for good talks at the drinking fountain.
(Posted for Derek by Mr. Sale)
Phil L said...
Over the last 3 weeks i have read many articles and I am in the middle of a book titled A Short History of Nearly Everything by: Bill Bryson it talks about how we came from nothing to what we are today. I think this makes me better student because it helps me to have another way of thinking and to use this in any conversation in life. The quality of this is very well written by a well known author. In this time i have also read many other articles on cars. This may not help me become a beter student, citizen, or thinker. But it is just something i love to do.I read "Fast or Furiouse or Both." I t wa avout the new Ferrari that just came out. Well thanks for listening to what i have to talk about.
(Posted for Phil by Mr. Sale)
Dan M said...
In these past three weeks I had finished up reading Harry Potter. And ive noticed that in his life he goes through alot of bad times and struggles, but after finishing the last book I realize that through all the struggles and the bad times he never gives up and fights untill he has won. But another thing I noticed is that his friends never leave his side and even though things might get tough your friends are always there. And because ive read this book it has made me a better thinker and citizen, so now I will always know that if things get tough I can always rely on my friends to help me through it. And it has taught me to never give up when things get ruff.
(Posted for Dan by Mr. Sale)
In the last three weeks I have been reading Deep Six by Clive Cussler, this book has made me think about the world. I mean that, in the book it talks about bank robberies, mutiny and murder. This book has opened my eyes to the dangers that exist in the world, that I wouldn’t have really paid attention to. Because I now understand that the world is a dangerous place, this makes me a better citizen. Because it makes me more aware and attentive, this in the long run might save me and or others from a dangerous situation. I have learned from my nightly readings, and the more I read the more I learn.
KJ S said...
What Eldest taught me about was always concentrate on your work and don’t let anything distract you, or you could possibly fail. Like when Eragon was concentrating on the magic to draw a picture with his mind and thought of Aria and drew the picture of her on the slate. Also, I learned to concentrate on the things you want and you will probably get it. Like when Roran focused on getting his townpeople to safety from the Ra’zaac and got them to safety.
(Posted for KJ by Mr. Sale)
Over the past three weeks, I've read the online news most every night (www.thedenverchannel.com), a few Spanish comic books given to me by a friend in Germany, and Oh Yikes, by Joy Masoff. I think the news makes me a better thinker; when I read about issues like the protesting monks in Myanmar, I try to guess what will happen next based on what I’ve learned. We also discuss current events in cultural geography, so obtaining a little background knowledge beforehand is nice. Also, the Spanish comic books are really good practice! Reading Spanish in class is much different than trying to interpret a story with unfamiliar words. This helps me be a better student because as we learn new words, rules, or phrases, I can spot them in the comics and understand what is going on! Finally, I’ve been reading the book Oh Yikes, (kind of like an encyclopedia, except humorous and interesting), to my younger brother every couple of nights. He looks forward to listening, and I really enjoy watching him laugh at all the funny things the author wrote. I guess this is helping me to become an better person; laughing with my brother helps relieve a lot of stress sometimes, and we get a chance to spend some quality time together.
In the last few weeks I have been reading a series of books called The Rangers Apprentice. so far there have only been three of these written in the series. I have been reading and recently finished the third book in this series. these books take place in around what would be the middle ages. It starts out as a young boy who is recruited into a branch of fighters known as the rangers. This group are expert fighters who are masters of the bow, hand to hand, and knife to sword fighting. They are also experts at tracking people, hiding, and camoflauge and not being seen and such. The book follows this young mans journey as he fights in a war against his country's bitter enemy. He defeats this enemy and is captured by a group of mercenaries who fought against him in the war, and sold him and the kings daughter as slaves. His master then sets out to find the boy and bring him home with his best friend. The young boy and the girl have just escaped slavery and are trying to escape the island they work on. this is at the point where the third book has ended and the next one will come out. i am looking forward to the next book.
The past three weeks, I have been reading news on the internet, most of which has been about technology. I believe that in college technology will be a very large influence upon our lives, so I think it is very important to know about all its frequent changes, because it does, and will continue to, affect our lives in a very heavy way. Most of my reading has been through RSS Feeds, with sites such as Ars Technia and Digg. There are many new and exciting things to read and learn each day, and I think it is very enjoyable.
The past three weeks I have read many different things. I have read a lot of fitness magazines. I enjoy reading these because they teach me ways to stay in shape and healthy nutrition. I think these magazines teach me how to take care of my body and stay healthy. I have been reading a lot about the different religions in the world for world civilization. I have learned a lot about different cultures and their way of life. I have learned what different religions believe about the afterlife and who their main gods are. I am still reading the book Don't Waste Your Life and I am almost finished with it. So far it has taught me a lot about the way I should live my life and I am really enjoying it.
The past three weeks I have read many different things. I have read a lot of fitness magazines. I enjoy reading these because they teach me ways to stay in shape and healthy nutrition. I think these magazines teach me how to take care of my body and stay healthy. I have been reading a lot about the different religions in the world for world civilization. I have learned a lot about different cultures and their way of life. I have learned what different religions believe about the afterlife and who their main gods are. I am still reading the book Don't Waste Your Life and I am almost finished with it. So far it has taught me a lot about the way I should live my life and I am really enjoying it.
I have been reading daily news on yahoo news. This has helped me stay up to date on world, nation, and local news. Therefore helping me be a better citizen. I have also just begun reading the Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury. I plan to look in depth into the book to help me in becoming a better student. In the long run of my life, however, only the news is likely to help me.
During the past three weeks, I have been entertaining myself by reading the funny's in the news paper, my book; Peaches by, Jodi Lee Anderson, and Horse and Rider magazine. I think that these have helped me become a better student because they have taught me to pay attention more to the little things. When I read, I never really catch onto the "little things" such as; what exactly the author is trying to get at. The Horse and Rider magazine has helped me with my horse by giving me tips as to training and care of him. This mgazine doesn't really give any other types of tips to outside life other than horses so, I can't really relate to it other than that. The funny's in the news paper just give me a little push to a good start of a new day. It helps me realise that everyday is a new opportunity to get to know people I've never talked to, or become a better person all together. I never thought a silly cartoon in a news paper would make me think these things but, I guess I'm wrong! These past three weeks of reading have helped me in more than I think.
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