When I think about reading, I really do not care where I am as long as I am able to read, and not get too distracted!  I usually like to sit somewhere comfortable, kind of dark, and mostly secluded.  I like to be by myself and on my own.  When I start to read I am usually in the zone!  If something or someone really distracts me then I keep reading the same sentence over, and over, and over again!  Don’t you just hate it when that happens!?  Well I know that I do!  I usually read at a very moderate pace unless I happen to be racing against time.  Time usually ends up kicking me in the butt!  I love to read, so you know I like being by myself!  Graceling ended very unexpectedly, I did not want it to end so soon!  I think that if you are a fan of medieval and or fantasy then you should definitely read this book.  Kristin Cashore makes me think that I am actually in the presence of the characters and their situations.  I love that about books; you can lose your imagination and not worry about losing your head in the process!  Books let you imagine each and every scene and every small detail that are being described!  So take your time from your regular studies and read a book or two, you will be glad that you did!  I know that I was glad to follow through with what I had voted for to read at the beginning of the year!

Can't You See?

Can’t you see?
I am a person
Just like you?
I have to breathe
The same air
You do.
I have to eat
And socialize
With people,
Only the people
I trust.
Even though I look
Different I am the same
As you in every aspect
Of the human body.
Just because I am
Graced does not mean
You should always
Fear me.
Don’t always believe what
You hear, for some
Of it is not true. 
I am one in the same
As you.

Graceling-Part 1

When I first read the review of Graceling I knew that I wanted to read it. 
Katsa is the main character and also a graceling.  She has one blue eye and one green eye.  When she was only eight-years-old she watched her uncle as he touched the women who worked for him inappropriately, and when he tried to touch her, he died.  Katsa killed her uncle by punching him only once.  After that everybody was afraid of Katsa, they all avoided her gaze.  Her other uncle found out about her having being graced with killing and fighting, one in the same, he took her in and used her to straighten out those who needed it.  She began training with a lord of her uncles and a guy who takes care of things.  They taught Katsa how to control her grace, so she would not kill anybody without meaning to. 
Her uncle sent her on a mission to get a leinid and on the way she met another graceling, a lienid graceling.  He has one eye silver and the other gold.  When Katsa and her trainers get back to the castle of Randa she is to put a dress on for a supper, for she was to meet a gentleman.  Well it turns out that the lienid she had met was there too.  His name is Prince Greening, but he likes to be called Po.  The man she is to meet and talk with is a lord of another kingdom; they actually do talk a lot.  Katsa ends up walking out of the supper to relax her mind before she hurts somebody.  To do that she does some archery.  Po comes and watches her and then they get into a small brawl.  After that Po wants to see his grandfather who is the lienid that she had rescued from the prison. 
I don’t know about you guys but I really like this book!

What I Learned

When someone is acting strange, well you know what you should do?  You need to talk to them and slowly try to slip the thought of suicide in.  Then you would know for sure.
Another solution you should try is just to watch them.  See what happens to them during the day, whether it is at school, the mall, grocery store, or even at your house or theirs.  Be sure to watch closely and take note of any small details that they might have changed, thinking that nobody would notice.  Watch to see if they slump down a little more every time they get made fun of or get called a name.  If so talk to them. 
I really should have known all of this but I guess I did not. 
Anyway, there really is not anything else to say, but to watch for the subtlest changes in their behavior, appearance or even their home life.  I mean they really do give you hints as to what they are thinking.  Such as, not listening in their favorite class, or zoning out when they are talking to you, their best friend.  Who would not think something was wrong with a person who just ignored their best friend’s whole conversation!!!! There are tons of other hints that they give you and you just overlook them….Do not overlook them!  Go and talk to them, spend the night with them to see if the will let it all out.  Maybe if they let it all out nothing bad will happen!

A Poem on Thirteen Reasons Why

When I went to school
I saw that you weren't cruel
To those who are to you.
Instead you let them say
Whatever they wanted.
Little did I know you
Just let it fester and boil inside.
You said everything would be ok,
But I should've known that was a
Cover up.  Then when I got home
Your parents called and told me
About the dirty deed you did.
I should've done something,
I knew something was wrong,
Yet I did nothing!
Now you're gone, forever.
Never to be seen in this world again.
You've gone into the dark abyss.
Good bye my dear friend.
I will miss you forever.

Thirteen Reasons Why: What Would You Do?



Brendan



While reading to page 148 I was thinking about how this book, in reality, could actually happen.  What would people think if they were in this situation?  Would they just stop sending the tapes and forget all about them?  Or would they follow the person’s wishes and go through with listening to the tapes, then sending them to the next person?  Would they just throw the tapes away and forget all about that person, and never think of them again?  I do not know what I would do if I had to listen to tapes of a friend or even somebody from school that I just happened to know.  If I ever got put in that situation would I follow through with the person’s wishes or not?  These are the questions that haunt me right now; all because of the two friends that I have already lost.  What would I have done if they left tapes for me to listen to?  The truth…….I truly do not know!
Although I have been through couple of situations where I have lost friends to themselves, I have no doubt that if they did have something for me to do after the deed was done, it really depends on what, I would have done it.
This book really makes me think about my friends, I know I already talked about them, but I was really close to them.  I cannot stress how hard it is for me to read this book.  There are no words to describe the feeling.

I dedicate this blog post to Brendan and Trevor-Unfortunately I don't have a picture of Trevor

The Beginning

Well…I just started reading the book called Thirteen Reasons Why and I am really getting into it.  Every time I start reading I absolutely do not want to put it down.  Thirteen Reasons Why is about a girl who committed suicide.  The girl’s name is Hannah and she decided to make like a note, but with 13 cassette tapes, to be exact.  On those 13 cassette tapes were the reason why she committed suicide and it involved the people at school.  Hannah encased instructions for after listening to all the tapes, so when one person is done they would send those same tapes to the next person on the list.  A guy named Clay Jensen receives the cassette tapes next, but has no idea why.  He is the one who never worked up the nerve to ask Hannah out, yet he genuinely liked her.
As I got further into Thirteen Reason Why I go really emotional, even though this is a book; I have lost a two friends because they committed suicide, so it was just a bit hard to continue on at the same rate.  So I took some time off from reading, but eventually I started reading again.  Now as I read this book I think of them, but not the bad memories, the good. 
When I began this book I really did not believe that I would like it that much, or even at all, but as I got further into the book I really got into it.  I then realized it was just like all the other books I read.