Thoughts on Divergent

 finally began to read Divergent, as 90% of the people I know read it also. I had mixed feelings about reading it. I just didn't like its setting, and I had a feeling I would get bored. Yes, I made those judgements despite not even flipping a page in the book. However, after reading the first few chapters of it, those worries were quickly forgotten. I loved its dystopian setting. Since most of the other books I read had realistic settings and actual places, the setting felt so unique. Divergent almost makes those other books feel boring and too realistic. I like how Veronica Roth makes everything seem so interesting in the book and decides to be creative. As many of you may have realized, this book is very similar to The Hunger Games. For example, both have a unique and dystopian setting. Both of them also have a setting where it's divided in factions/districts. Both of them also are packed with lots of adventure.

If you are looking for a book that is similar to The Hunger Games, or just want a book with a unique setting and lots of adventure, then Divergent is right for you. Make sure to read it soon! The reason

Character Analysis of The Chronicles of Vladmir Tod

      Last week I started reading The Chronicles of Vladmir Tod: Eight Grade Bites. Lately, I'd been into the fantasy/realistic fiction genre. So, I was recommended this series. After I picked up the first book, I'd become instantly hooked. The story is about a thirteen year old vampire whose parents have died, and is being raised by his aunt, who knows he's a vampire. However, no one else knows that he is a vampire, except for his best friend, Henry. Life is hard for Vladmir, as he is unpopular among the students and performs poorly in school. However it becomes even harder for Vladmir as a new substitute teacher acts strangely around Vladmir. Vladmir is worried that the substitute teacher, Otis will discover his secret. An at one point he becomes dangerously close. What will happen? Will Vladmir be able to survive one whole year without any suspicion, or will he be discovered of his terrifying secret? Read to find out!

     The characters are very diverse in The Chronicles of Vladmir Tod: Eight Grade Bites. A lot of them have a very different personality. However there was one thing common among all characters in Eight Grade Bites: nobody is perfect, or right all the time. Each character has one or multiple flaws, despite their harsh circumstances. which has to be understood as the reader reads this. For example, even though the central character Vladmir has a tough life, he still has some flaws. Vladmir is often too careless with his powers and can be very irresponsible at times. Even Nelly, his caring aunt, has some flaws. She can be overprotective sometimes and yet careless of what her nephew does. Understanding this in the book will help readers understand the characters intentions and their personalility more.

Horror books

When it comes to the horror genre, most people have only watched the movies. But you must also know there are many critically acclaimed novels that are also just as terrifying. Authors such as Stephen King and Edgar Allen Poe clearly prove that with there excellent novels. Whether you love horror books or hate them, you can't deny that it takes true literary talent to write one. For an author to truly scare the lights out of you, isn't easy. The author must make you actually believe that you are the character in the haunted setting of the novel, in order to terrify you. In those works of fiction the imagery is excellent and the setting is so well described that you actually look up while reading the book just to make sure you aren't in that setting. Unfortunately, that is sometimes not appreciated by readers, and often under-looked. The plot for these novels are often great too and draw you in until the very last page. A great example would be author Stephen King. I read his novel The Shining last year, and every bit of it was terrifying. Let's just say after finishing the novel at night in the living room, I was paralyzed to that very spot. To top it all off, I was home alone too. But that doesn't make it a bad novel. In fact it was a great novel, and it had one of the best plots of any book. Those of you who can overlook the scary parts, I definitely would recommend you that book. Also, for anyone else who loves the horror genre should read more novels by Stephen King. However, if you can't stand being scared or are afraid of horror I definitely do NOT recommend those novels.

Sports Fiction

Do you love reading fiction books that are about sports? I definitely do. If you like them too, there are many authors that write about sports fiction. Some of them include Mike Lupica, John Grisham, Tim Green, and many more. My personal favorite is Mike Lupica. His books are very inspiring and teach you many lessons, and their not just about sports. However, his books are generally aimed more towards younger audiences, but that shouldn't stop you from reading some of his books. He is set to release a new novel, QB1, later this year.

One of my favorite books by Mike Lupica is Miracle on 49th Street. This book is about a young girl named Molly. Molly believes that the famous Celtics basketball player Josh Cameron (fictional) is her dad. Unfortunately, Molly's mother died years ago, and she can't prove it. So Molly approaches Josh one day and tells him that he's her father. However, Josh doesn't believe it. Just how far will Molly go to prove that Josh is her dad? Read to find out!

Importance of setting

Recently, in class we learned how setting can have a big impact on the central characters of a novel. I never really focused on that too much until now. As I read any book, instantly, I begin to focus on the setting. A good example would be The Hunger Games. It clearly shows how Katniss and the other tributes had changed and impacted them both mentally and physically just by the setting. Another good example would be the Harry Potter series. He was just a muggle, until he attended Hogwarts, where he trained to be a wizard. If he didn't go there, he would've never learned his wizardry skills. That shows how important setting is to a novel.

Lately, I'd been having trouble trying to find a good book. What I last read was The Kite Runner, and I wanted to read something similar to that, so I looked into more books by that author. So, I started reading A Thousand Splendid Suns. The overall feel to that book is similar to The Kite Runner, if not even better. I'd recommend that book to anyone to greatly enjoyed The Kite Runner.