Screwtape Letters.

I decided I would try digging into The Screwtape Letters a little more this week. The book is full of satire, because it is written by a Christian named C.S. Lewis (widely famous for writing The Chronicles of Narnia), who is narrating from a demon's point of view. The demon is named Screwtape, and each passage is a letter he has written to his demon nephew named Wormwood. So far from what I've read, I have learned that Screwtape is giving Wormwood advice on how to either a) convert a Christian back to nothing or b) keep a human from ever becoming a Christian in the first place. Each demon has a specific "mortal" that they are attached to, and they are to secure the damnation of the mortal to Hell.

I've laughed a few times while reading the book. Screwtape refers to the devil as "Our Father", while referring to God as "The Enemy." Being a Christian, I find this to be the exact opposite of what I believe. While this book is somewhat funny, its also really scary and serious as well. Its scary to believe that demons actually plot all this stuff against you to try to get you to do what you know you shouldn't. I think reading this book is really going to help me with my faith, because the goal of the demons according to this book is to get you to not think about what your doing and whether its God-honoring, and I will be much more wise and thoughtful about the things I do. Another major theme of this book is temptation, and whether humans have the ability to resist it. Although I am able to resist temptation over the big things in a teenager's life such as drugs, alcohol, and sex, I sometimes have trouble resisting the temptations to get mad at people over stupid things, and to stay mad at people when I know I should forgive them. I think this book is helping me to resist those temptations as well.

Currently week 6

Bag of Bones by Stephen King   pages 490-529  39 pages finished book! :)

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis  pages 25-65 40 pages

It by Stephen King   pages 1-71 71 pages

Total this week: 150 pages
Total last week: 130 pages
Total this semester: 875 pages

Sentences of the week:
1. It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out.

This is a demon named Screwtape, talking to his nephew Wormwood, about how humans think that the devil puts thoughts into their minds, but Screwtape says that the main goal of a demon is to keep you from thinking at all.

2. He (God) is cynically indifferent to the dignity of His position, and ours, as pure spirits, and to human animals on their knees He pours out self-knowledge in a quite shameless fashion.

I just find it humourous that Screwtape refers to himself as a "pure spirit".

3. My dear Wormwood, Obviously you are making excellent progress.

This sentence scares me, because he means that the demon is getting to the human, and slowly pulling him away from God, which is the goal of the devil.

Finally finished....

Yes, you can cheer for me, because I FINALLY finished Bag of Bones by Stephen King. It took me a long time, and I'm not exactly sure why...I did read another book during this one, and Bag of Bones was a little over 500 pages long...but still I don't think it should've taken me this long. But nothing I can do about it now except talk about how much I enjoyed the book. I think it's my new favorite :) I haven't really been able to claim a book as "my favorite" until now, minus Harry Potter books and books I was forced to read for school. Now I can officially say I have a favorite when I am asked, no hesitations. The book did end up tying up loose ends, though some of them were kind of quick little things that were easy to miss.

I'm trying to read The Screwtape Letters, but honestly I'm just not getting very into it... I'm finding it really hard to understand. I really want to read the book! But right now Stephen King is catching my attention. I started reading It yesterday and it is FREAKING ME OUT already. I want to watch the movie so I can see if the way I'm picturing the clown is close to the movie, but I don't want to watch the movie yet because it might give stuff away! I'm only on page 70 but already I've been scared as I'm lying in my bed about to sleep. The last page part I read before bed was of someone being attacked by the smiling clown who turned into a crazy beast...when I turned the lights out, I felt like I could see the clown standing right by my door. I had to squeeze my eyes shut and try to sleep. Haha. And this is just the beginning! We'll see how this turns out...

Currently...

Bag of Bones by Stephen King
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

Bag of Bones: 375-490  115 pages
Screwtape Letters: 10-25 15 pages

Total this week: 130 pages
Total this semester: 725 pages

Favorite sentences of the month:
1. "We all have a voice or style, but it takes practice, practice to find it."

This is so true because, although it sounds cheesy, we are all different in our own way, and we were all made with different voices and styles, but when you're young, you don't really know what that is until you try to find it.

2. "When you're on your own, strange behavior really doesn't seem that strange at all."

Again, I do a lot of stupid and strange things when I'm alone, like singing or making up little adventures, and it's really stupid, but I'm by myself, so it's not really that weird to make up something fun to do.

3. "Sleeping dogs, I told myself each time. Sleeping dogs, Michael."
I like this one because he's talking to himself and trying to convince himself to not do something stupid. I talk to myself alot when dealing with people because I really want to get angry sometimes, but I talk myself out of it.

Bag of Bones...almost done

This week I didn't get as much reading done as normal, only about 125 pages. But this part has been the one that's made me jump out of my seat the most. I was actually legit scared, and everytime I heard a sound, or saw something while reading in my room, I jumped or jerked like there was actually something about to hurt me. I've never really done that with books before, probably because this is the first Stephen King novel I've ever read. It's a pretty dark book, but I think there will be light at the end of the tunnel.

In the middle of the book, letters would mysteriously move around on the refrigerator and say "go 19 down" and "go 92 down". Mike does a lot of crosswords, so he thought they might be referring to a crossword puzzle that he'd done before. However, he searched through all his hundreds of puzzle books and couldn't find anything related to the house.

In the last chapters I read, Mike and Ki drove back to Sara Laughs in the middle of the storm. He gave her some "sad medicine" (Benadryl) to go to sleep and as she slept he made a discovery--the "go 19 down" was on page 19 of the book he'd been writing...down the page, each first line had a letter and down the page it said "owls under studio". The owls his wife had purchased were in the studio. This discovery gave me chills, because I love mysteries and discoveries like that.

I still haven't finished the book, but by this weekend I'll have it completely read. I think after I read The Screwtape Letters, I'm going to start on another Stephen King book because I just liked this book so much. I was actually interested in the book unlike books I usually read. Its weird, but I kinda like the feeling of being scared, and this book definitely gave me that feeling.

Depressing reading today...

Just as the book was getting soooo good! Mike and Mattie were really starting to fall in love I think. Mike, Mattie, and their lawyers all had a picnic at Mattie's trailer to celebrate. Ki falls asleep and Mike goes to tuck her in, and Mattie follows. They begin to hold eachother and Mike realizes that he needs Mattie...he decides he's going to come over that night, and things begin to feel alright. Then...ugh! Two men in a truck start shooting at them all, and guess who ends up dead? Mattie. She dies with half her face blown off, in the arms of Mike, screaming for someone to protect her daughter.

This really bums me out. I mean, I was so looking forward to seeing the relationship between Mattie and Mike grow, since its odd that people with age differences as big as they have would be in a relationship. And Mike treats Ki so nicely, he's like a father to her. They have a special bond, considering they both know about the ghosts in the area. HOWEVER...i believe Ki has some kind of ability to tell the future, because the last words she said to Mike before she fell asleep (and before her mom died) were..."Take care of me, Mike?" Kind of creepy...but I want to know if he ends up taking care of her or not!

I think this part of the book has made me the most upset that I have been throughout the entire book. I actually stopped reading, looked up, and said out loud, "Well this sucks." And it made me realize that the book is almost over...sometimes its easy to get really lost in a book. We talked about this in psychology today actually. One type of daydreaming is getting so deep into a book that that's all you can think about and all you want to do and nothing can distract you from it. When I'm reading a good book, this happens quite easily. And this book would be one of those books.
On a happier note, I found 2 vocab words this week, which means extra credit will be coming my way :)

Claims of the Day

1. Purple Moment's claim:

The movie poster for The Brothers Grimm's use of serious, determined facial expressions, dark, gloomy color, a full usage of space, and tough, old-fashioned body language expresses an impassioned intensity and dignified confidence of the characters portrayed by Matt Damon and Heath Ledger.

2. Memoirs of a White Latino's claim: "The Hollow"'s dark, jagged scenery emanates the state of internal desperation and broken loneliness that is expressed constantly throughout the album.

3. Less Than Three's claim: The interior decorator's use of strange, modern furniture, simple color, a careful use of space, and distinct, quirky architecture express an energetic confidence and absurd frivolousness of the inhabitant.

4. emily:)'s claim: In this beautiful beach painting, the sparkling water to the clear gleaming sky, the vast openness of the ocean, and the author’s use of graceful, yet precise lines and textures illustrates the dreamy peacefulness the author attempts to portray.

5. Swimstrong's claim: In Versace's purple ruffled gown, his fading colors, smooth lines, and rough and fragile textures along with a flowing and clean shape create a complimentary and whimsical sense of beauty in fashion-art.  

I found Purple Moments claim to be my favorite of the claims. Maybe it's just because I love the movie the Brother's Grimm (specifically Heath Ledger), but I think it's a very strong claim and is very persuasive.

Most creative blog: http://trevorblogging.blogspot.com/

Observing and Inferring...a music video

Work of Choice: Music Video

The Adventure by Angels and Airwaves

link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMl8cQjBfqk&ob=av2e

Four elements:

movement/facial expression= bright, aggressive, gleaming, quaint

music= alive, magnificent, resonant, thundering

use of surroundings= attractive, clear, roaming, adventurous

energy= colorful, powerful, real, wandering

Five inferences: content passion, elevated optimism, energetic sincerity, animated vibrance, dignified energy

Claim: In the music video “The Adventure,” by the band Angels and Airwaves, resonant and alive music, roaming and adventurous surroundings, and powerful, real energy convey that a man’s life should be lived with passion and adventure, as long as his true love is by his side.

Poet of the Month

My favorite poet this month has been Tony Hoagland. Here's another one of his poems that I find interesting, called "Windchime."

She goes out to hang the windchime

in her nightie and her work boots.

It’s six-thirty in the morning

and she’s standing on the plastic ice chest

tiptoe to reach the crossbeam of the porch,

windchime in her left hand,

hammer in her right, the nail

gripped tight between her teeth

but nothing happens next because

she’s trying to figure out

how to switch #1 with #3.

She must have been standing in the kitchen,

coffee in her hand, asleep,

when she heard it—the wind blowing

through the sound the windchime

wasn’t making

because it wasn’t there.

No one, including me, especially anymore believes

till death do us part,

but I can see what I would miss in leaving—

the way her ankles go into the work boots

as she stands upon the ice chest;

the problem scrunched into her forehead;

the little kissable mouth

with the nail in it.

 

This is in my moleskine, and I just find it kind of sweet because it seems the husband is realizing his love for the wife.

Currently...Week 4

Palo Alto stories by James Franco: 149-197 = 48 pages (finished book)
Bag of Bones by Stephen King: 285-375 = 90 pages
Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis: ix,x, 1-11 = 13 pages

Total this week: 151 pages
Total for semester: 444+151= 595

Favorite Sentences:

1. "At first I couldn't reply, because Frank Arlen had completely demolished one of the assumptions I'd made about my married life-- one of those biggies, one of those that seem so basic you don't even think about questioning them. Gravity holds you down. Light allows you to see...Stuff like that."

I like this quote because it suggests that Mike just assumed he knew everything about his marriage, like it was common sense, but in reality, there were things about his marriage that he didn't know.

2. "I'd been hypnotized by the fantasies going on in my head, and a hypnotized man is easy to lead."

Mike is talking about how he was so caught up in writing his novel that he hadn't been paying attention to the house he was buying, so he bought the Sara Laughs house that was dangerous, without even thinking. The house had caught his attention during the creation in one of his novels in order to catch him off guard.

3. "The writing had burned off all thoughts of the real world, at least temporarily. I think that, in the end, that's what it's for. Good or bad, it passes the time."

I just like this quote because it's true. 

almost done with another book! about to start another

I'm STILL reading Bag of Bones, but I only have about 150 pages left! Its a long book, so that sounds like a lot of pages, but its really only a quarter of the book.

Anyway, the chapters I read the past couple days involved the start of the romantic relationship between Michael and Mattie. They, along with Kyra, go on a picnic, and as Kyra watches a juggler in the park, Mattie and Michael exchange a long passionate kiss, and Mike knows that Mattie is completely in love with him. She tells him to come to her trailer that night (as white trash as that sounds, she's really the opposite), and as much as he wants to, he decides not to for a few reasons. Also that night, he learns that his deceased wife Jo definitely wasn't having an affair...she was with her brother that night she was seen with another man. They had been down at Sara Laughs because (ahhhh) Jo was down searching the house...she felt that it was haunted. she KNEW it was haunted. And she told her brother that the house had chosen Mike. Mike was shocked by this because usually Jo is the one who does the house searching.

The saddest part to Mike was that Jo had known the house was dangerous, and there was something happening inside of it; but, she was waiting to tell him about it until he was finished writing his  book, because he never pays attention while writing his books. She had died before she could tell him any of the news, including her being pregnant.

While I'm working on finishing this book up, today I started to read The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis. I've kind of wanted to read this book for a while because I'm a Christian and I've read the Chronicles of Narnia and seen the movies. I've heard this book was really good and I'm just excited to see if it makes my faith in God even stronger than it is now. Unfortunately I've only read a few pages, so I'll have to see if I like the book a little later on...

Palo Alto and Bag of Bones

I finished reading Palo Alto stories by James Franco this week, and I'd have to say it was unlike anything I've ever read. It wasn't really my style, but overall I enjoyed the book, because it gave me a new perspective on highschool life and some of the things that can really happen.

Now I'm reading the rest of Bag of Bones, by Stephen King. The last I had stopped reading before I started Palo Alto, Michael had been getting his butt kicked by Max Devore. When I came back to the story, Max's sidekick, Rogette Whitmore (the "bag of bones") started to throw rocks at Michael in the lake, hitting him in the head. Long story short, Max and Rogette leave and Michael goes home. He is afraid to tell anyone about the incident because he doesn't want to look bad; how would it look to have been beaten up by an 85 year old? He goes to sleep thinking about this, and when he wakes up, he learns that Max committed suicide in a tub and a trash bag, shortly after his confrontation with Michael. He's not sure what to think about this--why would he kill himself, especially during the middle of the custody battle? Mattie is on the same page as Michael; she is hysterical, because she has no idea whats going on.

I can relate the feeling of Mattie to my own life, because sometimes I can get pretty hysterical when I'm confused. I can't stop crying, when I'm not completely in control of my life, and I need to learn to get over that and just go with the flow. If I learn to do that, I can become a more easygoing person who can be more enjoyable to be around.

P.S. i cant WAIT for the weekend.

"Currently"

Reading:  Bag of Bones by Stephen King
               Palo Alto stories by James Franco

Pages read of Bag of Bones: 285-295
Pages read of Palo Alto:1-149

Total this week: 159 pages

Total over the semester: 444 pages

Favorite Sentences this week:

1. "While I was parking in my driveway, I saw the cop who went with the car. He was walking toward me. Like a gentleman, I got out of the car."

This sentence is so ironic to me, because he says "like a gentleman," yet he's getting arrested.

2. "We all have a voice or style, but it takes practice, practice to find it."

I just find this quote kind of inspirational because it means we don't have to be like the rest.

3. "We kicked them until the lion lost its face; it was bent inward, the eyes all wrong."

They're talking about little rocking horse type things at the playground, and this kind of just showed me the loss of innocence over the years that teenagers have. One minute they love the playground, the next they're destroying everything on it.

Torn...

I've been reading two different books this week and I'm trying to decide which one I want to finish first. I've been reading Bag of Bones by Stephen King and then also Palo Alto stories by James Franco. Both are really good, but I think I'm just going to finish up Palo Alto, because it is so short and more intense at this point. In Bag of Bones, I'm in one of the more lethargic part of the story where not much is happening.

In Bag of Bones this week, I learned more about what Mike's wife did before the year she died. Apparently she had purchased two plastic owls, which don't seem very important at this moment, but I feel like they'll play an important part later. Also, Mike is encountered by Max Devore, the billionaire, the one trying to gain custody of Kyra. He and the "bag of bones" woman that's always with him find him walking down "The Street," and kind of start bullying him. Although Max is extremely old and breathes with an oxygen tank, he still calls Mike (and Max's daughter-in-law Mattie) some unthinkable names. Eventually, Max charges at Mike in his wheelchair and Mike falls into the river, while Max  and the "bag of bones" woman cackle at him. Max is determined to win this custody battle.

In Palo Alto, Franco is describing the stories of several different teens, and the stories are kind of shocking to me. I'm surprised at the fact that these kind of things actually happen to teenagers my age. I've never been exposed to the experiences in these stories before, and its kind of eye-opening because I sort of picture this perfect little word, and facing the truth that the world is far from perfect is a bit scary. For instance, these kids are growing up in homes where their parents actually allow them to smoke and drink--WITH THEM. I don't know about most kids at Homestead, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be caught dead with weed or alcohol, especially in front of my parents. Knowing how much trouble I'd be in and the fact that there would be consequences, I just stay away from it altogether.

The week's almost over and I have a pretty busy weekend ahead of me. Football game, last-minute ACT's before college application time, cross country practice, going out of town, and youth group all in 3 days. I'm not sure how I'm going to fit my reading in, but all I know is that I'm sad to finish these two books. It's sad to finish a book because once you get into a book, you don't ever want it to end.

James Franco--great actor, scary author

This week I started reading Palo Alto stories by James Franco. Its a lot different from other books I've read in the past, because its a lot more vivid. I usually read pretty upbeat stories that don't have a lot of greusome detail, but this book is different. It tells the stories of a bunch of different high school guys and girls in California--the not so happy stories. All of these kids have troubles with drugs, alcohol, and sex.

I can't relate to this book much because I have never gotten into any of those things, but it kinda opens my eyes to the fact that this kind of stuff does go on in high school. This book contains stories of people getting killed and people getting arrested because of stupid mistakes such as these, and it makes me grateful that I was taught not to be involved in destructive behaviors.

James Franco, in my opinion, isn't really my favorite to read because his sentence structure is kind of the same throughout the book. He kind of writes like a 15 year old kid, which I guess would make sense because he's writing through a high schooler's point of view....hmmm, I guess I just realized that. I suppose Franco is a pretty smart writer after all! I'm about 2/3 through the book, and when I put it down, I'm always eager to start reading again.

Currently...

Pages read: 135-285 for a total of 150 this week
 pages read last week: 1-135 for a total of 135

Total: 285 pages

Still reading Bag of Bones by Stephen King.

Favorite sentences this week:

1. "When you're on your own, strange behavior really doesn't seem that strange at all."

I find this statement to be completely true, because when I'm by myself I act realllllly weird, but to me it doesn't seem that weird, even though sometimes I catch myself saying and doing some pretty strange things...

2. "Sleeping dogs, I told myself each time. Sleeping dogs, Michael."

Mike is discussing whether or not to call his wife's friend and ask if she knew if Jo was having an affair. But he decided to "let sleeping dogs lie," meaning he wasn't going to meddle into something, when his wife is dead anyway.

3. "There were no long drives those last nine or ten months. We talked on the phone and I remember once we had lunch in Watervill, but there were no long drives. She quit."

Mike finally called Jo's friend Bonnie to ask if there were any charity meetings she missed that year when she lied about going down to the TR. Bonnie tells Mike she had quit, and hadn't been to any of the meetings that year. I really like this sentence because it is so suspenseful; you find out that Jo had been lying about where she was going that whole summer...

Week 2 Blog Tour

Today I looked at many different profiles including Amanda, Outspoken Silence, Running in Circles, Lori, I need a Nap?, CLAY ball, E-dubs, That Peruvian Chick, and Mariah.

Bag of Bones Blog 4

Mike has finally had the ability to start writing again because he for some reason no longer has writer's block. He's working on a mystery book unrelated to whats happening in his life right now. He is slowly becoming more attracted to Mattie, the 21 year old who he is helping with the custody case.
Mike is really unsure of whether he wants to pursue a relationship with Mattie for several reasons. First, he is 40. She is 21. He doesn't know if its even ethical to date someone who could be his daughter. Second, he is unsure of whether she wants to be in a relationship with him at all. Third, everybody in the town has their eyes on Mike, and on Mattie as well. If anything so much as a hug is seen by anybody in the town, it could be a disaster in the custody case, because Mike has been called as a witness; if he says anything in her favor, and is then seen in a relationship with her, it could mean serious trouble.
Fortunately, I can't really relate to anything happening in this book. I've never experienced ghosts, or trouble with the law. The only thing I can relate to is writer's block, which I've faced many times in writing essays for school. Also I can relate to Mattie's constant worry of whether she's being watched or what will happen to her daughter. Although I can't compare my worries specifically to those issues, I do constantly worry about everything in my life, so I can kind of understand why she has reason to worry.
Im about halfway through the book, and I can't wait to see what happens to Kyra (the 3 year old) in the next few chapters. Or what happens with the ghosts haunting Mike.