Category: Independent Reading

I have started reading the book ‘Alexander Hamilton’ by Ron Chernow. I have thoroughly enjoyed the small percent I have read so far because needed to read it multiple times to understand it. One quote that stood out to me did so because it used complex words while keeping the flow of the sentences.

——” Hamilton viewed the hurricane as a divine rebuke to human vanity and pomposity. In what sounded like a cross between a tragic soliloquy a a fire-and-brimstone sermon”——

This description refers to the deadly hurricane that plagued his childhood home. Alexander was tasked by encouragement of Knox to inform the colonies of the tragic news.  As weirdly different Chernow chooses to describe Alexander’s work “a cross between a tragic soliloquy and a fire-and-brimstone sermon” it is equally as accurate as it essentially represents the essense of the youthful writings of Alexander.

This quote is also from the book that I continue reading “One Italian Summer” and it is about a hobby that enjoy a lot, photography.

“There’s something about photography I love — a whole memory caught in a moment.”

(p. 108, Serle, R. One Italian summer. 2023)

I choose this quote because photography is one of my favorite things to do. I see photography as a way of capturing moments forever, because even though you don’t have a good memory, a photo can always be a way of remembering a specific person or memory. When I was younger I used to say that I wanted to be a photographer to capture the valuable memories of my life and that’s why I liked this quote so much.

When I was reading the book “star girl” I found this quote:

“You’ll know her more by your questions than by her answers.”

I choose this quote because I was very struck by the fact that you can know a person more by all the doubts they have than by the answers they have to give.

A book I recently read was written by a local author Polly Horvath. Her book “Very Rich” is an amazing fictional novel portraying the difference between a family that doesn’t have anything and a family that has too much. The protagonist is a boy named Rupert Brown who has many siblings and lives in a very small house in the poorest part of town. This story takes place in Steeleville Ohio at Christmas time where Rupert meets the Rivers family a very rich family that lives in a huge mansion in the super-rich part of town. after being launched over their fence he is introduced to each one of the Rivers family members. After he is introduced they invite him to Christmas dinner where Rupert joins in their family festivities and eats with the family.

“Nobody really wants the things they get in the Christmas crackers. But, you know, you have to put up with it because, well, its a part of Christmas, isn’t it? Doesn’t your family do Christmas crackers?”

“Rupert wanted to say, My family doesn’t even do food”.

For me this quote was the most significant part of the book showing the disparity between a family that has too much and a family that has too little. Very Rich was quite an enjoyable book it expanded my imagination to the limits and blew my socks off this book I would 100% recommend for anyone looking for an interesting read.

Holden, the boy who’s perspective of the Catcher in the Rye is written in is remembering a double date with his roommate Stradlater. Stradlater and his date are in the backseat of Stradlater’s coach’s car. Holden and his date are in the front seat. Holden is recounting the strategy that Stradlater uses on his dates.

His date kept saying, “No-please. Please don’t. Please.” But old Stradlater kept snowing her in this Abraham Lincoln, sincere voice, and finally there’d be this terrific silence in the back of the car.

I was confused as to weather Holden’s roommate is forcing this girl to do something. Thus far in the book there has been no mention of forced affection or anything of the sort. I may be incorrect but Holden does not seem very surprised by the ‘snowing’ of Stradlater’s date. It shows how normalized sexual assault and persuasion might be normalized in this time.

I was reading the book Drive your Plough Over the Bones of the Dead, which is a mystery story. In this quote the protagonist, Janina, discovers the dead body of her neighbour, which I found highly descriptive and delightful to read.

He was lying twisted in a bizarre position, with his hands to his neck, as if struggling to pull off a collar that was pinching him. Gradually I went closer, as if hypnotized. I saw his open eyes fixed on a point somewhere under the table. His dirty vest was ripped at the throat. It looked as if the body had turned on itself, lost the fight and been killed. It made me feel cold with Horror—the blood froze in my veins and I felt as if it had withdrawn deep inside my body.

This quotation shows how to build suspense and keep the reader engaged. It gradually gives more and more details about the situation to ensure that it remains mysterious. The use of metaphors and similes are also highly prominent in this quotation. “with his hands to his neck, as if struggling to pull off a collar that was pinching him.” “His dirty vest was ripped at the throat. It looked as if the body had turned on itself, lost the fight and been killed.” This quotation shows the importance of having a wide vocabulary as it keeps the reader hooked and it doesn’t get monotonous. Overall, I enjoyed reading this quote due to its thrilling nature, wide vocabulary and literary devices. It goes to show how important each little step is to make a text entertaining.

I’ve recently started reading the Odyssey by Homer, which focuses on a man named Odysseus and his journey home after fighting in the Trojan War. Meanwhile, his son, Telemachus, is having to host a number of suitors that are all fighting for his mother’s hand in marriage. But when he’s told by the goddess Athena that his father is still alive, Telemachus sets out to find him. She disguises herself as Mentes and says that:

“I avow  to be Mentes, son of wise Anchialus, and I bear rule among the Taphians, lovers of the oar. And now I come to shore, as thou seest, with ship and crew sailing over the wine-dark sea, unto men of strange speech, even to Temesa, in quest for copper and my cargo is shining iron.” (p.14)

I like this quote simply because of how beautifully it’s written. Each line is so descriptive and you can almost feel how the words would flow if someone was reciting this. In these two sentences so much information is conveyed in a way that isn’t overwhelming or confusing, and I find that really impressive.

I recently finished a book called The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan are the protagonists of this story. The Great Gatsby is set in 1925, New York City and recites Jay Gatsby’s desire to pursue Daisy. Nick Carraway narrates the novel, he depicts important events in the story in the first-person perspective. Nick Carraway is a young man who just returned from fighting in WW1 and came to New York City to Study the bond business. In this excerpt, Nick Carraway concludes the novel by reciting what happens to Gatsby and the ultimate feeling of what he has observed all this time. For example, this quotation,

Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter — to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther… . And one fine morning —— (P.138).

The novel concludes with these words from Nick Carraway and continues the theme of the struggle humans face trying to re-create the past. Nick Carraway uses metaphoric language here as the current in the water draws them backwards, they continue to attempt rowing forwards. As stated in the quote, “We will run faster, stretch out our arms farther” Gatsby cannot escape his past ambitions and his want to recreate his relationship with Daisy. Gatsby is basing his future on his past.

𝙸 𝚊𝚖 𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚎𝚖𝚜 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚋𝚢 𝚆.𝙱. 𝚈𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚛. 𝚈𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚡 𝚟𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚘𝚎𝚖𝚜. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚎𝚖𝚜 𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎, 𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 & 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑, 𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜, 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝙸𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚖𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚔 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚜. 𝙰 𝚙𝚘𝚎𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝙾 𝙳𝚘 𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚃𝚘𝚘 𝙻𝚘𝚗𝚐. 𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚣𝚊, 𝚊 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚜 𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠,

𝚂𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝, 𝚍𝚘 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐:

𝙸 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐

𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚠 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚊𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚘𝚗

𝙻𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚐.

 

𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚑

𝙽𝚎𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚗

𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛’𝚜

𝚆𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚊𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚎.

 

𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝙾, 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚝𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚍

𝙾 𝚍𝚘 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐,

𝙾𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚠 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚊𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚘𝚗

𝙻𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚐. (𝚙.𝟿𝟾)

𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚎𝚖 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎, 𝙸 𝚙𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚑𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚒𝚝𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚋𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚗𝚞𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖. 𝙰 𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚊 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚍𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚜𝚔𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍𝚕𝚢 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢, 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚍. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚌𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍. 𝚂𝚒𝚖𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚎𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢, 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚢 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚗𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚐𝚒𝚊 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚝, 𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚣𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚈𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚜’ 𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚗𝚞𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚊𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚎. 𝙸𝚏 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚎𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚞𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚋𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚟𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚌𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝚜𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍, 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚘𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚌 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚜, 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜.

I left off my previous book “Mort” and now finishing another one called “The Catcher in the Rye” about a 16-year-old boy Holden and two days of his life after he got expelled. The first thing that I found funny at the start of the book was that he talked about his school, not in a very good light.

“And underneath the guy on the horse’s picture, it always says “Since 1888 we have been molding boys into splendid clear-thinking young men.” They don’t do any damn more molding at Pencey than they do at any other school.” (p. 4. J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye)

“There were never many girls at all at the football games. Only seniors were allowed to bring girls with them. It was a terrible school no matter how you look at it.” (p.5. J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye)

The thought of that people from his school would read this book and find a small part about them here made me smile.

I decided to write my next IRJE about another quote from Sense & Sensibility that connects with the first one rather comically. This quote takes place some time later after Mrs. Dashwood and her three daughters have left Norland Park, where they had lived for many years. After their friend Edward mentions it, Marianne and Elinor have this exchange:

“And how does dear, dear Norland look?” cried Marianne.

“Dear, dear Norland,” said Elinor, “probably looks the much as it always does at this time of year – the woods and walks thickly covered with dead leaves.”

“Oh!” cried Marianne, “with what transporting sensations have I formerly seen them fall! How have I delighted, as I walked, to see them driven in showers about me by the wind! What feelings have they, the season, the air altogether inspired! Now there is no one to regard them. They are seen only as a nuisance, swept hastily off, and driven as much as possible from the sight.”

“It is not everyone,” said Elinor, “who has your passion for dead leaves.” (pp. 52-53)

I chose this quote because I found it very funny after reading it, but also because it shows the difference in character of the two sisters. Marianne is much more ardent and sentimental, which can be seen in the way that she describes her old home with such nostalgia in this and the first quote, while Elinor is less emotional and more withdrawn. This is an important part of the story, as (slight spoilers!) Marianne ends up having troubles with her emotions after suffering a disappointment, and Elinor, after going through something similar, instead hides her pain and acts as if nothing had happened.

As I approached the end of the book I’m currently reading, The Inheritance Games, I went back a few pages to look for a quote that  described me a bit.

“It wasn’t my best look, but I’d gone to school with the same kids my whole life. I was wallpaper. No one was looking.” pg. 10

This quote is basically saying that the main character, Avery Grambs, always seemed to be invisible. No one paid her any mind while she was in school. That is how I feel sometimes even though it may not be true.

The book I am currently reading is the detective fiction, Mrs. McGinty’s Death written by Agatha Christie. The book relays the story of a murder convict who is believed to be innocent by well-renounced detective Hercule Poirot. The convict’s immediate acceptance of his fate doesn’t reside well with Poirot, encouraging him to explore the alternate circumstances and uncover the reality of the murder. The following quote is shared between Poirot and a superintendent assisting him on the case.

This quote reveals the peculiar reality of perception. Although the same movement, event, or even object is presented to us, everyone will conjure diverse thoughts and responses. Our brain fills in the absence of context or information provided based on our past experiences, emotions, and identities. Our brain may unconsciously alter our perception to correspond with our desires and expectations. We subconsciously choose different aspects of a message, compared to one another, our attention focusing on what we distinguish as important or familiar. In reference to this particular plot, Poirot is explaining that to properly assess all aspects of crime and unknown circumstances, various people must be involved to account for a variety and perspectives and experiences.

In Khaled Hosseini THE KITE RUNNER, the protagonist explains us that for all of Kabul, Kite-fighting was the highlight of the winters.

“Every winter, districts in Kabul held a kite-fighting tournament. And if you were a boy living in Kabul, the day of the tournament was undeniably the highlight of the cold season. I never slept the night before the tournament. I’d roll from side to side, make shadow animals on the wall, even sit on the balcony in the dark, a blanket wrapped around me. I felt like a soldier trying to sleep in the trenches the night before a major battle. And that wasn’t so far off. In Kabul, fighting kites was a little like going to war.” ( p. 52)

I like this quat because it let my thing of when I was a child, and the next day was my birthday, and I couldn’t sleep because I was so excited.

“People think that intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth. When you realize you can tell someone your truth, when you can show yourself to them, when you stand in front of them bare and their response is ‘you’re safe with me’- that’s intimacy.”
― Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

As I continued to read the book Daisy Jones the Six I saw this quote that was shocking for me and left me thinking

“Men often think they deserve a sticker for treating women like people.”

This quote left me thinking because this book talks so much about how people used to treat Daisy when she was only 15 years old, and how they only wanted to use her, so when I saw this quote I started to think; are there any men left who treat woman the way they deserve to be treated.? Because many times men pretend to treat us the right way until we are fully in love, and then they start treating us bad. So it’s hard for them to treat a woman the way they deserve to be treated, or even treat us like people.

So there are mens who think that they should receive a reward or be congratulated because of the way they treat a woman.

As I have continued the book ISHMAEL I found I quote said from Ishmael that I really like and it helps me get a correct mind for studying, working and everything that I do in my life.

“If you want to understand the habit of bees, you study bees, you don’t study mountain buildings. p.102

“None of us would dream of asking him to lend a hand.”

“Aggression, physical or verbal, makes people walk on eggshells, makes them close in on themselves in order to avoid exposure. I know this very well from my own family.” (p. 266)

Understanding the impact of aggression in Ulf Kvensler’s “The Couples Trip”. Anna, the main character talks about how she has been several times in an aggressive relationship. The first and most important one with her dad.

The author makes you comprehend what Anna feels in her situation. Anna talks about how she was always feeling embarrassed and guilty for not stepping up to defend herself. She talks about how she always wanted to go far away from her house. It is quite comic how she goes back to a similar aggressive situations but with a different guy.

The quote that I choose to put in my IRJE, made an impact on me while reading the book. I am absolutely grateful that I do not empathize with her. At the beginning I could not even read it, the chapter made me mad. How can she didn’t stand up for herself?  However reading more about her life made me appreciate more my life. The book changed not only the way I think about  Anna’s  situation how she  might think and  feel, but also other people that have been victims of aggression in the world.

Over the weekend, I started a book called Book Lovers by Emily Henry. The book is about 2 strangers Nora and Charlie. It is a rom-com book so it would be quite interesting. The quote from the book I’m picking is something Nora is describing.

The city is baking. The asphalt sizzles. The trash on the sidewalk reeks. The families we pass carry ice pops that shrink with every step, melting down their fingers. Sunlight glances off buildings like a laser-based security system in an out-of-fate heist movie, and I feel like a glazed donut that’s been left out in the heat for four days.  (p. 15).

I love this quote since Nora is just telling the reader how she felt when it was summer time. When she said “The asphalt sizzles.” It is just a metaphor that the weather is so hot it is like the asphalt is sizzling.

Months ago I read a book about leadership from Alex Ferguson’s point of view. The book it’s mostly about how Alex Ferguson managed Manchester United soccer team with his leadership. The book has a lot of important quotes for me about leadership, like for example.

Nobody can be a leader if these people feel that they do not have guaranteed permanence in their position. (p.189).

This quote is told in soccer terms, but if you think about it is true because I don’t think that anyone could be a leader if they have a lot of pressure all the time, like since the beginning to the end of the time that they would last as leaders. Also because nowadays a lot of people is afraid of being a leader because of the pressure that a leader carries. Like I know that a leader will always have pressure but what the quote is telling us is that no one can be a leader with so much pressure, like no human being will bear it.

In the book I am currently reading called Haroun and the Sea of Stories, The son of Rashid called Haroun lived in a country called Alifbay. Alifbay was a country of sadness where all of its inhabitants were something of a sorrow crowd, where the cities were towered with soaring sadness factories. In this country of sadness the was a story teller Rashid Khalifa who was loved by all the country. He would rattle on story after story to the people. His wife Soraya was a sweet woman and used to sing and hum to her hearts content however one day her song disappeared. Rashid: who was to enveloped in his stories didn’t pay much attention to Soraya’s lack of song.

“Then something went wrong. (Maybe the sadness of the city finally crept in through their windows.)                                                                                                                  The day Soraya stopped singing, in the middle of a line, as if someone had thrown a switch, Haroun guessed there was trouble brewing. But he never suspected how much.

Rashid Khalifa was so busy making up and telling stories that he didn’t notice that Soraya no longer sang; which probably made things worse. But then Rashid was a busy man, in constant demand, he was the Ocean of Notions, the famous Shah of Blah.” (pg. 15 – 16)

This quote shows how even in the happiest household in the country became infected with sorrow. As well as this, the quote serves an example of overshadowing the future events when Haroun told the reader that: he never expected how much trouble was brewing. This could infer that in future chapters there will be much more at sake than Soraya’s singing. As well as this the quote talks about how even Rashid Khalifa could be so busy as to overlook his own wife’s happiness. This also connects to when Soraya becomes to feel neglected later in the book, and leaves Rashid Khalifa for Sengupta who- in her words – has no imagination.

The book that I’m currently reading is You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao. This book has many quotes that I represent myself in and it makes me relate to the main character Julie, Julie is a young teenage girl who is passing through many problems in her life making question herself about the reality.

″You end up missing the little things, the moments you don’t think matter- but they do. Moments that make you forget about everything else.”

This quote really impacted me in someway because I related to it. When I was in Mexico I thought I wouldn’t miss the little details like going for ice cream with my family or even watching a movie with some friends. Once Ive been in Canada I noticed that I do miss does little details even if they don’t have anything important, when I get stressed I just remember does small intercations and forget all about my actual problems, just like Julie, she remembers details she had with her partner before he died and how does memories she thought weren’t important are now the reason why she is happy.

The book that I am currently reading is titled Lady Smoke, by Laura Sebastian. It is the second book in the trilogy and follows a fantasy plot with political intrigue, romance, and adventure. One of the many quotes in this book that stuck out to me the most was found in a scene where the main character, a young woman vying to reunite her country and take back her throne, spoke with another woman about their struggles. The quote is found on page 233, and is described as the following:

“As women, we must have our weapons in this world, whether they’re our minds or our fists or our wiles or our tears.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

This, specifically in the past tense setting of the book, gave me further insight into what the world was like for women in particular. Despite being a fantastical writing piece, Sebastian still manages to include relevance to reality within the pages while also adding a deeper layer of personality to the characters and their efforts. As a woman myself, this provided me with an opportunity to not only read of the characters but also place myself in the character’s situation. Ultimately, this quote added many important aspects and layers, overall enhancing the story.

On page 23 of the Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the protagonist Holden Caufield, describes how he interpreted an interaction he had with his “friend”, Stradlater.

” ‘Hi’, he said. He always said it like he was terrifically bored or terrifically tiered. He didn’t want you to think he was trying to visit you or anything. He wanted you to think he’d come in by mistake, for God’s sake.”

I have chosen this excerpt because of the realizations I made about the character while reading it. A formulation of ideas about Holden’s character have dawned on me at this point. The first is that he is someone who has a heightened awareness regarding his surroundings. He calculates and judges every little detail of the actions of the people around him. He is constantly making conclusions for why people act the way they do, and these conclusions are mostly negative. Holden Caulfield is an overthinker. He even goes as far as making justifications up. In order to give himself an explanation for why people did things he does not agree with. It is near impossible for Holden to think, ‘he simply said ‘hi” because he wanted to say hi’, because there must be a reason.

The last thing I realized about Holden is that he doesn’t really like people. I do not relate to the character in this way, but I understand why he does not prefer to be around people, sometimes. While reading, one can see that he always has something to say about someone. There is always something he doesn’t agree with or thinks is annoying. Knowing this, I must read this book with the understanding that it might not be the other characters that are irritating and arrogant, but instead it is Holden’s interpretation of the other characters that makes them appear this way.

In the book I am reading, there is this girl who is crazy in love with a boy she has known all her life, who she has recently broke up with.

I used to believe. I used to think that if I wanted it bad enough, wished hard enough, everything would work out the way it was supposed to. Destiny, like Susannah said. I wished for Conrad on every birthday, every shooting star, every lost eyelash, every penny in a fountain was dedicated to the one I loved. I thought it would always be that way. (p. 6)

I think this quote has a big impact in how she said this, how she realized its not gonna always be that boy.

The book I’m reading is called Twisted Games and it’s about a princess and her bodyguard that fall in love but it takes them years to make a single move and after that, they have an affair that is then sort of discovered and leaked by the news. But the princess is soon to be queen because her brother abdicated and her grandfather is retiring due to a heart condition, so according to the Eldorra laws she can’t be with her bodyguard Rhys because he is not in the bloodline so she is marrying someone else she is not even interested in, and she doesn´t even want to be queen because she loves her simple and low profile life. I haven´t finished the book but It’s very addictive and entertaining. The phrase of the book that I chose was one where Bridget the princess asks Rhys if he ever has been in love when he was helping Bridget complete her bucket list before she went to Eldorra to start arranging everything for the next queen.

“Bucket list number four.

Have you ever been in love?

No. But I hope to be one day. 

Look up, princess.”

The most recently finished book of mine was one recommended by an old friend. “It Ends With Us” written by Colleen Hoover is book of heartache, sorrow, and mad love. When i first started reading the book I thought “it ends with us” meant that Lily and her boyfriend Ryle would be together forever, however my idea was contradicted. At the end of the book Lily gives birth, after being sexually harassed and abused, her first words to her newborn are “it ends with us” meaning the generations of abuse in their family end with this new life.

“I think about how sometimes, no matter how convinced you are that your life will turn out one way, all that certainty can be washed away with a simple change in tide.” pg. 209

I have a mutual feeling about life’s uncertainties, I believe the waves of life can knock you down, and down again, but it’s ones choice to get back up and try again, for being knocked down and finding the motivation to pick yourself backup again grows you stronger and stronger.

In Pearl, by John SteinBeck, before Kino depart his journey to sell his pearl he had a sleep and his wife Juana stole his Pearl and threw it into sea. They arugue about this:

“They have taken away the pearl. I have lost it. Now it is over.” he said, “The Pearl has gone.” (Page 61)

Kino said this so calm that I literally shocked for this because they really need the money that pearl brought but after the gone of pearl he still kept calmness. (Juana have the pearl but Kino don’t know now).

In Khaled Hosseini THE KITE RUNNER, the father of protagonist Baba talks to his son about what he thinks is sin.

“there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft.”

“‘When you kill a man, you steal a life” Baba said.” You steal his wife’s right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness. Do you see?'” (p. 19)

I like what Baba said, because it is true, and it feels more wrongdoing a bat thing after reading this.

In the book “the CATCHER in the RYE” by J.D. Stalinger, Stradlater, a side character had asked Holden, the main character, to do his work for him, because he had gone on a date with a girl.

All of a sudden, he said, “For Chrissake, Holden. This is about a goddam baseball glove.”
“So what?” I said. Cold as hell.
“Wuddaya mean so what? I told ya it had to be about a goddam room or a house or something.”
“You said it had to be descriptive. What the hell’s the difference if it’s about a baseball glove?”
“God damn it.” He was sore as hell. He was really furi-
ous.
“You always do everything backasswards.” He looked at me. “No wonder you’re flunking the hell out of here,” he said. “You don’t do one damn thing the way you’re supposed to. I mean it. Not one damn thing.” (p. 46-47)

Stradlater was angry because Holden had done his work wrong and was saying that he never does anything right. Holden later said to stradlater that he should give the essay to him, just for him to tear it up and throw it in the trash, making them both get mad at each other.

I just finished the book “Think Again” wrote by Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist at The Wharton School. Before reading it, I didn’t understand why the book was #1 New York Times Bestseller but when I started to read it, I found the reason. The book is about how we can rethink our beliefs in life and also how we can learn from the fails of our lives and take advantage of them. A very important quote for me was this one.

How to acquire wisdom, live, make mistakes, learn from your mistakes, repeat steps 1 to 3 until wisdom is acquired, realize that the wisdom you acquired in step 4 was not really wisdom at all, repeat steps 1 to 5 for the rest of your life. (p.58)

This quote is very important to me because when I first read about it and I reflect it, I realized that it was true like, when you make mistakes you learn about them, maybe it can take time sometimes but you always learn. Like now in these days a lot of people is afraid of making mistakes so they don’t learn anything about themselves and their beliefs. Since I read that quote I’m not afraid of making mistakes because I know that every mistake it’s an opportunity to learn something new.

In the couples trip, by Ulf Kvensler, the main character, Anna, tells her boyfriend Henrik where she has seen the new boyfriend of her friend Milena, Jacob. When they looked for information, and think he changed his name and doesn’t earn much. Anna tells Henrik that he needs Jacob’s ID to see if the person they are going with to a trip is a convicted abuser.

“I know where I’ve seen him before.”

He looked blank. “What?”

“Jacob-I know where I’ve seen him before- I told you yesterday that I recognized him.”

“I explained that I was sure he’d been involved in a domestic abuse case when I was working as a notary.” (p.87)

The line “I know where I’ve seen him before” is something I use in a normally in my life. When you see someone and you do not remember the name and suddenly you remember and saying that is a fulfilling emotion I believe everybody has felt. Moreover imagine what Anna feels to remember who he was and finding out he is a convicted abuser.

In the book I am currently reading Dragonslayer, One of the main characters: Leaf, was dubiously deceived by the village Dragonmancers and his parents. In doing this they told him that a dragon had viciously killed his sister Wren when she was off in the woods. However, unknowingly they set Leaf down a path of vengeance against all dragon kind.

“Gone?” Leaf echoed, puzzled. “She ran away again?” Once she’d disappeared for an entire day, then reappeared the next morning with a grin on her face and twigs in her hair. Saying she just wanted to see what it would be like to live on her own in the forest with no rules. She’d lost all three of her toys for a month because of that, and Leaf had secretly carved her a little wooden snail to replace them. “No, dear,” his mother said, looking more tense than he’d ever seen her, which was saying something. “She wandered off and got eaten by dragons. ”Leaf felt like he was in a story, but the wrong story, one he’d stumbled into by accident, where very dramatic sad things were happening to someone, but of course that couldn’t be him. “She wouldn’t,” he said. “You’re wrong. Dragons wouldn’t dare eat Wren. ”His father let out a shaky laugh. “That is what she would say,” he said. “But as I’m always telling you, death could swoop down at any moment. We should all be more scared. She should have been more scared,” he finished mournfully. “It was really her own fault,” Leaf’s mother pointed out. “You know how disobedient she was. She brought this on herself.” She had her hands wrapped tightly together, as if she was pressing her feelings flat and thin between them. (pg. 18-19)

This quote basically shows the narrowmindedness that most the village people have, Leaf’s parents were not even affected by the loss of their daughter and instead using it to push this ideologies of Leaf. What I made out from this quote is that Leaf doesn’t want to face the fact that her sister is dead and rather uses minor meaning excuses to push away her death. As well as this I gathered that Leaf’s parents were almost glad to be rid of Wren and saw it as a relief.

The catcher in the rye is a novel made by J.D. Salinger, in short, this novel is about a 16-year-old boy, that when he was little his life was fine but then his little brother Allie dies of cancer, that leads Holden to have depression and just have a bad attitude.

“How was the fencing?”

“We win or what?”

“Nobody won,”

“What?”

“Nobody won.”

In the book I’m currently reading (The Inheritance games, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes), the main character, Avery Grambs has been left an incredible amount of fortune from a man she never knew. Avery is trying to solve the mystery of this situation and in this quote, one of the man’s grandchildren is making her view things differently.

”Did Jamie tell you about the old man’s weekly riddles?” Nash asked as we walked. ”Yeah,” I said. ”He did”. ”Sometimes,” Nash told me, ”at the beginning of the game, the old man would lay out a collection of objects. A fishing hook, a price tag, a glass ballerina, a knife.” He shook his head in memory. ”And by the time the puzzle was solved, damned if we hadn’t used all four.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. ”Why are you telling me this?” I asked. ”Why tell me any of this?” About their birthdays, their presents, their expectations. ”You might think your playing the game darlin’, but that’s not how Jamie sees it.” Nash’s voice was gentle enough, but for the words. ”We aren’t normal. This place isn’t normal, and you’re not a player, kid. You’re the glass ballerina —or the knife.” (p.154)

This quote is basically telling Avery, and the reader, that she’s not one of the people trying to solve the mystery, but she is being used to solve the mystery. What I made out from this quote was that no matter how hard Avery tried to be among and figure out the truth, the brothers will not accept her as one of them and will only use her as an advantage.

In ISHMAEL a novel written by Daniel Quinn, the author of another book called “The Story Of B”.  The reason why I chose the following paragraphs is because It made me crack up when I read this part. Because of the sentence” Stupid, no? Childish. Naïve. Simple. Callow. Or just fundamentally dumb. In one so manifestly normal in other respects, it needs explaining.” how he denied that he is stupid but he had synonyms after denying it.

a couple decades ago, when I’d had the silly notion that the thing I most wanted to do in the world was… to find a teacher. That’s right. I imagined I wanted a teacher—needed a teacher. To show me how one goes about doing something that might be called. . . . saving the world.

Stupid, no? Childish. Naïve. Simple. Callow. Or just fundamentally dumb. In one so manifestly normal in other respects, it needs explaining. “ISHMAEL” p.4

I Read a book recently called “Freak the Mighty” written by Rodman Philbrick the protagonist is Maxwell (Max) a giant-sized boy who is not very smart. Max moves with his grandparents to a small town and meets a small smart blonde-haired disabled boy named Kevin or as the bullies call him “Freak”. Together these boys create an unbreakable bond as they work together and keep an eye out for each other.

“I never had a brain until Freak came along and let me borrow his for a while, and that’s the truth, the whole truth.”-Maxwell

In this quote, Max is telling Gram that Kevin guiding him was helping his understanding of reading and writing and that he couldn’t do it without him. To me, this shows how the boys worked together and put their differences aside to bring out the best in each other Kevin being the brains and Max being the Muscle.

In Margaret Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale, the protagonist, Offred, is walking home with another handmaid named Ofglen. Handmaids aren’t allowed to have normal conversations; instead, only exchanging polite greetings and simple needs. When Ofglen beings talking to Offred and asking questions that would be considered treason, Offred is taken aback before responding. After the conversation the two discuss how they thought the other was a “true believer”.

“I thought you were a true believer,” Ofglen says.

“I thought you were,” I say.

“You were always so stinking pious.”

“So were you,” I reply. I want to laugh, shout, hug her.

“You can join us,” she says.

“Us?” I say, There is an us then, there’s a we. I knew it.

“You didn’t think I was the only one,” she says.

I didn’t think that. It occurs to me that she may be a spy, a plant, set to trap me; such is the soil in which we grow. (p. 194)

This exchange shows how isolated Offred has become from others, as well as how desperate she is for meaningful social interaction. Throughout the book the author has only given us moments of normality, this made me empathize much more with the protagonist as these brief occasions give both the reader and Offred hope for something better. However, constant fear that Ofglen may be a spy has made it hard for Offred to fully trust her, allowing some of the social isolation to remain.

The book that I chose to read is “One Italian Summer” by Rebecca Serle. This book and specially this quote really touched me because it talks about the real true love in life, the love from our mothers. Katy is a woman that had a really strong relationship with her mother and even after she died, that connection continued and it was stronger than ever before. Katy and her mother had always planned a trip to the most beautiful islands in Italy that her mother had already visited years before; they made this their special country. Then Carol (Katy’s mother) died and before she did, she wrote a special note to Katy for her to read while she was in Italy and Katy found it years after.

“My darling Katy, my baby girl-

Italy is so beautiful. It reminds me of you. How happy everyone is in the morning, how the stars come out at night. I know I am not there, and I hope someday to explain to you why. I hope so many things for you, baby girl. I hope you walk through the work knowing your value. I hope you find a passion, something you love, something that lights you up inside. I hope you find the peace and confidence it takes to trust where your path leads. Remember, it is only yours. Others can wave and cheer, but no one can give you directions, They have not been where you are going. I hope you’ll understand someday that just because you become a mother doesn’t mean you stop being a woman. And above all else, I hope you know that even if you can’t see me, I am always with you.

Forever,

Your mama” (p. 242-243, Serle, R. One Italian summer. 2023)

I chose this quote because I think that the love from a mother is the real true love that exists in every persons life. The love from a mother cannot be trade for anything, it is unconditional; this quote expresses that even though Carol didn’t make the best choices for her daughter and even for her own life, she always had Katy in her mind. Carol left but the memories that they made together will remain in Katy’s memory and heart forever always and the most important thing, Carol will always be by her side even when she cannot see her.

The book I’ve chosen to write this IRJE about is Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen, which I have recently started to read. The story so far centers around the Dashwood family, Mrs. Dashwood and her three daughters, Elinor, Marianne and Margaret. Mr. Dashwood has recently died, and his son by another marriage inherited the estate, Norland Park, where they had lived. The son’s wife is unempathetic and persuades him not to give them any of his inheritance, and Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters go to live elsewhere.

Upon leaving, Marianne is very saddened:

“Dear, dear Norland!” said Marianne, as she wandered alone before the house, on the last evening of their being there; “when shall I cease to regret you? when learn to feel at home elsewhere? O happy house! could you know what I suffer in now viewing you from this spot, from whence perhaps I may view you no more! and you, ye well-known trees! but you will continue the same. No leaf will decay because we are removed, nor any branch become motionless although we can observe you no longer! No; you will remain the same; unconscious of the pleasure or the regret you occasion, and insensible of any change in those who walk under your shade! But who will remain to enjoy you?” (p.16)

I chose this quotation because I find it very beautifully written and it touches on how I felt when I moved homes, though my feelings were less acute as I had spent less of my time there. I also felt regret and sadness upon leaving, and especially as we rented it out for a time, that it may not be “enjoyed” enough or ever quite in the same way.

I like how Marianne reflects on how the trees which she has loved so will continue as they are though she is gone. It makes me think about how often we can be so absorbed in our own issues that it feels as if things are more affected by us than they really are. For Marianne, it may feel as if Norland Park has changed so much ever since her father died and her half-brother and his wife inherited it, but to the trees, nothing has changed except the normal passing of time.

I’m currently reading the book called The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han.  The quote perspective from a girl (Belly). Her mom was at her friend’s house during the summer and she needed something. That was kind of important to her mother, her mother’s friend (Susanah), and her brother (Steven). Since this book has many perspectives it can get confusing sometimes.

‘”Did you kids eat all the Cheetos?” my mother asked, rummaging through a cabinet. “I’m starving.” “Yes,” Steven said. He couldn’t even look at her. “What about that bag of Fritos? Get those,” Susannah ordered, coming up behind my La-Z-Boy.’ (p.g. 56)

The quote “Did you kids eat all the Cheetos” the quote that I’m picking is a quote that made me crackle non-stop until the end of the chapter. It reminded me of one time I was at my friend’s house and she ate all my snacks which made me quite mad but it was all fine.

“They say moving on becomes easier over time, but I can barely hold a photo without my hands trembling,” this quote is from the book You’ve Reached Sam and is from the perspective of Julie. I started reading this book weeks ago and this quote captured my eye.

Many people have experienced the struggle of trying to move on from something or someone important in their lives. The quote speaks to the universal human experience of holding onto cherished memories and struggling to let go when the time comes. I relate a lot to this quote because something similar happened to me.

I chose to read the book Can’t Hurt Me, by David Goggins. This book is about toughening your mind, and facing everyday tasks that are difficult with a sense of perseverance, tenacity, and duty. In this chapter, David Goggins was going through ‘Hell Week’ in Navy SEALS training, which is a 130 hour week, where you get no sleep, and you must continuously perform the exercises and regimens that the instructors order you to do. This was Goggins’ third and final Hell Week, and if he did not meet the standards, he would never achieve his dream of becoming a Navy SEAL. He had also broken both of his feet in the previous week, regardless, he still had to complete a 40 minute run at 3:30 A.M each morning, so he decided to tape up his feet in tube socks, and perform the run with determination. This was his mental dialogue as he was completing the run:

‘ “The only way to guarantee failure is to quit right now!” I was talking to myself now. Silently screaming over the din of anguish that was crushing my mind and soul… I imagined the feeling I would have if I could actually pull this off. If I could endure the pain required to complete this mission. That brought me another half mile before more pain rained down and swirled within me like a typhoon. “People have a hard time going through BUD/S healthy, and you’re going through it on broken legs! Who else would think of this?” I asked. “Who else would be able to run even one minute on a broken leg, let alone two? Only Goggins! You are twenty minutes in the business Goggins! You are a machine! Each step you run from now will only make you harder!” … at the forty minute mark something remarkable happened. The pain receded to low tide. The tape had loosened so it wasn’t cutting into my skin, and my muscles and bones were warm enough to take some pounding.’

This quote goes to show the importance of grit and determination, and that pain is only temporary, and if you face it with strength and perseverance, you can enjoy the fruits of it afterwards, and it will give you the mental toughness to perform harder tasks in the future. In this case, David Goggins’ goal was to become a Navy SEAL, and the only way to do that was to deal with pure agony and torture. In the end, David achieved his goal and went on to become a renowned triathlete, pull-up world record breaker, and ultramarathoner. We think of pain as this uncomfortable, worthless feeling, but it might just be the key to unlocking your potential and becoming the best that you can be.

The protagonist Bob (version 2) has been revived as a sentient being using advanced futuristic programming. The book has brought forth unexpected thoughts of what makes something alive. I had not put as much thought into it until I read this book.

“I had three issues that bothered me. Was I conscious? Could I actually consider myself to be alive? And was I still Bob? Philosophers had been going on and on about this type of thing for centuries, but now, for me, it was personal. A human, regardless of their opinion on the subject, could depend on being a human. The minister’s offhand reference to me as ‘it’ and ‘replicant’ had stung at a level I was just now starting to appreciate.”
― Dennis E. Taylor, We are Legion (We are Bob)

Just after Bob had been revived as a replicant he was philosophizing on what made something alive, weather it was the ability to have thoughts or the desire to survive. I found this very interesting and made me wonder what criteria I use to determine weather or not something is alive.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚊𝚐𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚜𝚝, 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢, 𝚞𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚙𝚒𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕 “𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝙶𝚊𝚝𝚜𝚋𝚢” 𝚋𝚢 𝙵. 𝚂𝚌𝚘𝚝𝚝 𝙵𝚒𝚝𝚣𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚍. 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚗𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝙼𝚛. 𝙶𝚊𝚝𝚜𝚋𝚢. 𝙰𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝, 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘-𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝙶𝚊𝚝𝚜𝚋𝚢 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚞𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚛𝚞𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜 𝚜𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚍𝚒𝚐𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚎 𝚐𝚕𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚖𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏.

“𝙷𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚒𝚝, 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚖𝚊𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚘𝚛 𝚏𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎. 𝙸𝚝 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍, 𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚎 𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚓𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚞𝚛. 𝙸𝚝 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚛 𝚊𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚍, 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏.” (𝚙.𝟻𝟸, 𝙵𝚒𝚝𝚣𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚍, 𝟷𝟿𝟸𝟻)

𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚍𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚜 𝙶𝚊𝚝𝚜𝚋𝚢’𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚘𝚌𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚗. 𝙶𝚊𝚝𝚜𝚋𝚢’𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚌𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚢 𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚎. 𝙰𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛, 𝙸 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚞𝚝, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎, 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚎𝚡𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚋𝚎𝚜 𝙶𝚊𝚝𝚜𝚋𝚢’𝚜 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊, 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚖𝚊𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚋𝚎𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝.

I am currently reading a book given to me by my good friend Samuel, titled Can’t Hurt Me by Mr. David Goggins. I can see why people find this book inspirational since it is full of impossible situations in which Mr. David Goggins was forced to endure through. A relatively early quote in the book which sets the tone for the rest of it is,

————— “You are in danger of living a life so comfortable and soft, that you      —————   will die without ever realizing your true potential.”. p. 32

This quote is very true and made me think about the path of my life that I am on. The author knows that this is true because he has been pushed to and beyond his limits and that never would have happened if his life was soft and comfortable. One thing that is clear to me now is that I have to push my limits in order to find my true potential and lean away from my comfort zones. I am half way done with this book and I have enjoyed it so far, and while Im excited to finish reading it I am equally excited to put to practice the lessons he teaches.

I am currently reading the Star Girl book written by the author: Jerry Spinelli. The book is a fictional novel based on the lives of some teenagers in high school. The novel revolves around a new girl named Star Girl, who arrives at high school as a student.

One morning we had a rare rainfall. It came during her gym class. The teacher told everyone to come in. On the way to the next class they looked out the windows. stargirl was still outside. In the rain. Dancing.

In the quote, I realized that the main character was very interesting and peculiar because she was different from the others and even though her classmates saw it as a little strange, she continued with her thing.

I am currently reading the book Daisy Jones the Six, this is a Sci-Fi Novel based on a Tv Series. This book is about a band and its history of how they become famous. The quote I chose was this one.

“People always say I don’t graduate high school but I did. When I crossed across the stage to get my diploma, Simone was cheering for me. She was so proud of me. And I started to feel proud of myself, too”.

In this quotation we can see how Daisy has no faith in her because everyone thinks she is a fail and that she was only who she was because of her parents, but that’s not true, she wants to let people know what she has done. Her friend Simone showed her she was proud of her so she started feeling proud of her self.

I am currently reading Mort by Terry Pratchett. Death’s student and Death himself have a conversation in the quotation I chose when they first meet.

“But you are Death, you walk around the world and kill people.”

“Me? Killing?” Death was clearly offended. “Of course not. People die, but that’s their trouble. And after that, I get down to business. A world in which people would pass away but not die would look idiotic, wouldn’t it?” (pg.21)

I find this quote interesting since it sort of presents Death from a different perspective. While reading a book I am used to seeing Death being described as someone who waits for the right time and then kills but in this situation, he is doing a great job by transporting people’s souls somewhere else where they will be in peace.