Category: Independent Reading

The Handmaid’s tale is a book written by Margaret Atwood and this book is about a possibly near future in which Offred is one of the Handmaids and her purpose is to breed and if she doesnt get pregnant she will be sent into a toxic work camp or become a sex slave, and she used to be a normal woman but all of that is now gone.

“No guns though, even they could not be trusted with guns.
Guns were for the guards, specially picked from the Angels. The guards weren’t allowed inside the building except when called, and we weren’t allowed out, except for our walks, twice daily, two by two around the football field which was enclosed now by a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. The Angels stood outside it with their backs to us. They were objects of fear to us, but of something else as well. If only they would look. If only we could talk to them.
Something could be exchanged, we thought, some deal made, some trade-off, we still had our bodies. That was our fantasy.”

I chose this quote since i think its crazy to believe that this a book about a posibly near future which can be really scary and i think this quote explains how they treat the handmaids and how they dont fell good and feel scared which is sad and scary.

Letters In Unobtrusive Hands is a short book written by my very dear best friend Tarissa W. which was made specifically for me a short while ago, and I have just finished reading it, I thought to talk about this because I feel not far enough in my current book for a suitable topic. This book focuses on two people who were best friends, in which one struggles with remembering things, (Can be interpreted as Anterograde Amnesia or not) and the other writes letters to this person to guide them through what one could describe as a “Trauma Response”.

“If this is your winning personality, I would hate to see you losing it. It feels good to know that me and my old self agree on something. Tell me a story about us, are you this charming to all your friends or am I on the privileged list?”

This quotation touches my heart, truly because in these words “It feels good to know that me and my old self agree on something” signals that Kinsei (our character that struggles with memory) is intact with himself, it makes him feel happy too, its sort of the feeling that you cant recall or know why something makes you feel lifted, but it just does. The part about losing the winning personality is also heartwarming, it is more or less something that makes sense when you actually read it, where the “winning personality” is actually just the other character being confident with themself, which is often seen as being self-absorbed, but i think this was a nice touch that Kinsei finds a peace at the confidence. Looking into it better, both parts of him agreeing goes to show how it just feels so right, to have that kind of energy, it suits the person, its comfortable. I think everything about this story is a nice touch, even the ending which made me feel very sad, it definitely is a more accurate portrayal with internal struggles, it feels way more real to me than most books I read with this kind of stuff, which often uses stereotypes of mental illnesses instead of looking into the actual phycology and things. While reading this story I also researched along the way to get a better grasp at things, lovely short story, bawling my eyes out at the end if I am going to be honest.

Tales of an Old Bold Pilot Who Lived to Tell His Story of Flying The North, (long title, I know), by Jack McCallum. This book focuses primarily on aviation, advice from a former pilot who flew charters and cargo in Northern British Columbia, as well as the Yukon. I purchased this book from a quaint bookshop in Penticton during 2022, which proved to be a great read.

“It took a good 25 miles to get us to a height where I began to relax. There was still no possibility of normal manoeuvre. We were flying and producing just enough power and lift to keep us airborne. Though it occurred to me to turn back to Smith River and put the Tech back on the ground, the challenge of doing so with a marginally stable aircraft simply made this the least attractive option (pg. 20).”

The context of this quote is when Jack decided to help a Tech who was trying to hitch a ride to Watson Lake, but the next charter was 3 days away. Fortunately, Jack was in Smith River, but the PA-12 was fully loaded with supplies for the flight back to Watson Lake. After the Tech’s story, Jack gave in out of guilt. The plane was barely able to clear the landing strip and the plane was near a stall the entire flight, which is why Jack was on edge. I found the title of the chapter, “Killing (Ourselves) With Kindness” a very humorous and fitting name considering the situation.

 

The book I am currently reading, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, needs no introduction. The seminal tale of Western colonialism in the Congo, based on Conrad’s own experience, albeit slightly sensationalized. It is a story of brutal disregard for human life and greed.

“We live as we dream–alone….”

This quote, despite being very short, perfectly portrays the atmosphere of this book. Despite there being many characters, the travel into the dark, the unknown, creates a feeling of solitude. This is also created by the more metaphorical interpretation of the story, which is the journey into the depths of the human psyche, which, of course, is filled with solitude. Despite this, the story is interspersed with many masterfully written character interactions, full of darkness and foreshadowing.

In the book “I am Algonquin”, the book depicts the life of the tribe, its history, wars, and the life of a Chief and Great Warrior, Mahingan.

“Fellow Family Heads and Chiefs, I do not think that our enemies from the North have come to wage war on us, because if that was their plan they wouldn’t be so Obvious about their presence”, Mahingan (p.102).

 Later that day, Mahingan was told by the people that they are here to see him, so he was called to greet them. Turns out Mahingan was right, and the people from the North didn’t want to wage war, instead they wanted to play lacrose, which would decide if the people from the North could hunt here or they Should leave. 

At the current point of the book, both tribes are getting ready for this game, preparing sticks, lodges for the injured in battle (of the game) and obtaining loads of food for both of the tribes.

‘Alibaba’ by Duncan Clark, stands out among the best books about the economy due to its unique approach to explaining the intricate workings of the economic structure. For example:

“Because of the way our economy is structured, the government has a lot of resources.”(page 8)

This quote shows how the government is structured and gives us an idea of how China’s economy is progressing; I recommend this book to people interested in learning how the economy and government work.

The book the Lonesome Gun as stated in a previous post, is written by William W and Johnstone. The book is a western book filled with cowboys and guns and violence. I wanted to write down this quote but I never got the chance and I kind of forgot to.

“Johnny got up, dropped some money on the table, and walked straight to the weapons table, where Perley was in the process of unbuckling his gun belt. Johnny picked up his belt and strapped it on, staring into Perley’s face as he buckled it.

Perley started to step around him, but Johnny reached over and caught his arm. “Are you Perley Gates?” Johnny asked. (pg. 221).

I love this quote because earlier in the book, Johnny was hired by others to kill Perley Gates, and when he met up Perley and asked his name (spoiler, which Perley said yes to) it was a small foreshadow that within the next few pages there was going to be another brutal gun fight, Johnny had friends in the building with him that also were going to kill Perley if something was started. And the whole few paragraphs (which I didn’t quote because it was way too long) of the fight just show how amazing of a gunslinger Perley is, taking on 4 guys in a gun fight.

As I am finishing Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn I found it to be one of the most exceptionally engaging stories to follow where one of the narrators, Amy Dunne, is unreliable for perspective. It follows her as she fakes her death to frame her husband Nick.

”I am so much happier now that I am dead.”

I chose this quotation because it represents the character depth of this beloved main character. Amy unhappy with her marriage, her life, and most of all her husband’s actions does not care about the consequences of hers because, by this point in her life, she has gone mentally insane. As a normal person reading this, you might think most definitely this would turn people off from such a book, however, you’re completely wrong and that is one of the many reasons why I love this book instead of finding it boring like I do with many others.

Wolf Bane is the final book in the series Wolf Brother, or The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness, by Michelle Paver. So far, Wolf is being tracked by a demon and ended up on an island out at sea when he got lost and Torak and Renn are going out to search for him. A group of people who lived on the island found Wolf and saved him when they saw him washed up on the beach. They then put Wolf in a pen made of wood so he couldn’t get out. They gave him food and water, but we refused to eat anything. Once Torak and Renn find the tribe, they suspect they are hiding Wolf somewhere on the island. When they ask questions, everyone seemed on edge. They were invited to eat with them and while they were eating, a girl from there tribe couldn’t take it anymore and stood up and said,

‘Why can’t we tell them?’ she burst out. ‘He won’t eat, he won’t sleep, all he does is pace! He’s so unhappy!’

‘Who?’ Torak leapt to his feet, nearly braining himself on a roof-beam.

‘Perhaps the child is right,’ mused Chinoot. ‘Perhaps this is why the Ancestors saved them—

‘Who is she talking about?’ shouted Torak.

The Leader raised his eye-blobs at his discourtesy. ‘Why, the wolf,’ he said. (p. 125)

In this quote, the girl is talking about how Wolf isn’t eating or sleeping. I think this quote is meaningful because it shows how Wolf is clearly in distress, and as she said ‘unhappy’. I find it fascinating that Wolf wouldn’t eat because he misses Torak and Renn. Later on in the chapter when they reunite, Wolf was overjoyed to see them, and after greeting them, went straight to the food.

In the book The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz, there was a quote in the book that inspires me to work hard and to stay motivated. It even gives me a 30-day progress guide to measure my progress towards my goals. This is what the quote said by the author:

Success means self-respect, continually finding more real happiness and satisfaction from life, being able to do more for those who depend on you. Success means winning (p. 13).

I chose this quotation for many different reasons, but the main one is that I feel like I am having a lot of success right now with my sports and schooling. Another reason I chose this quote is seeing that the author defined the word success for us readers. The reasons why I think I am having success right now is because my team is second place and I am impacting winning by scoring goals for my team, I also feel like my grades are getting better. The one thing I need to improve on is just being a little bit more consistent. To summarize, this quote is very inspiring for me to be a even better individual.

I was reading “The White Tower” when I found this paragraph

“The woods surrounding the small clearing were silent, as if nature was holding its breath. at least, that’s how it felt to Ty as he watched his bother raise his large ash bow and sight down the slender shaft” pg.20

I chose this quote because it sets up the seen and gives you an idea of what’s going on without needing to read to the rest of the paragraph.

ice breaker

ice breaker its a book written by Hannah Grace

Being around a campfire remind me of camping when i was younger .

my parents plowed every spare of dollar they had into skating, so we culdnt afford to go to exotic or luxurious holidays when i was a kid. But every summmer we would camp at Snoqualmie Pass for a few nights, and I loved it.

this remind me that i need to be more gratefull.

 

 

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a novel that made me think and made me strongly interested in human nature and morality.

The story shows the struggle between good and evil within a person and the terrible consequences of trying to escape or hide the dark side within.

By contrasting the two personalities of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the author shows us the complexity and vulnerability of human nature.

This novel reminds us to be brave enough to face our inner self and try to become a kinder and more honest person.

Uglies is a novel written by Scott Westerfield and is the first in a series of four books. The book was published for first time in the United Estates in 2005 and in Spain in 2008. It is set in a retro futuristic society in which everyone has a surgery to be “perfect”. and Telly the main character is exited because in a few weeks she will get her surgery.

“im serious, Tally” Shay said once they were out in the water. “Your nose isn’t ugly. I like your eyes, too.” “My eyes? Now you’re totally crazy. They’re way too close together.” “Who says?” “Biology says.” Shay splashed a handful of water at her. “You don’t believe all that crap, do you-—that there’s only one way to look, and everyone’s programmed to agree on it?” “I’s not about believing, Shay. You just know it. You’ve seen pretties. They look … wonderful.” “They all look the same.” “I used to think that too. But when Peris and I would go into town, wed se a lot of them, and we realized that pretties do look.

This excerpt raises interesting themes about self-acceptance, diversity, and social pressure to meet certain beauty ideals. It also shows how Tally and Shay are willing to challenge and question the established norms in their society.

Having finished the book Ishmael, I may now discuss what meaning this book has. This book centres around a gorilla named Ishmael, who was caught in the jungles of Africa at a young age, and has lived in a zoo until being bought out by Walter Sokolow, and learned to communicate with him telepathicly. This caused him to learn, until the death of Walter Sokolow. He finds himself alone with a part of estate owned by Walter to his name, and tries to find students to which he may share his teachings.

I won’t spoil much of the book, however, in this book, Ishmael is viewing from a different perspective with a narrator who learns about Ishmael’s culture, and how the humans divide into two groups: Leavers and Takers.

And then ten thousand years ago one branch of the Homo Sapiens said, “Man is exempt from this law. The Gods never meant man to be bound by it” (p.124)

This passage talks about how we weren’t meant to be, since we only ruin the planet, by litter and pollution. This book discusses how Ishmael tries to fight with the human regime, for example, with human supremacy. Going into Full detail won’t be necessary, since the message of the book has been provided, however, for those who feel they want to know what harm we may cause to Mother Earth, proceed with exploring!

– Iaroslav Pyrozhok 

‘The Max Ward Story’ by Max Ward. This book focuses on the progression of Wardair, a very famous Canadian airline that was bought out and integrated into Air Canada in the late 80s. The book talks about Max Ward’s life, his challenges and successes in aviation, and entertaining life stories. He sadly passed away in 2020, and will be known as an influential figure who shaped Canadian aviation.

“So that was it; after all the years of struggle and uncertainty, and hanging on when there was nothing to hang on to, and building a company, and knowing moments of sheer wonder and sheer terror, Wardair was gone in a few minutes” (pg. 8)

This quotation outlines the moment Max Ward sold Wardair after many negotiations and challenges. The price it sold for was $250 Million. I found this quote significant because of how much it impacted Canadian aviation as we know it today. Wardair started as a small charter company out of Yellowknife for miners, and it eventually evolved into the third largest Canadian airline in its prime. Once Wardair was integrated into Air Canada, it changed the Aviation world in Canada, forever. Wardair was known for being reliable, affordable, and safe. Max faced many challenges, especially with Transport Canada, where they tried to put him out of business because they didn’t want any competitors for Air Canada.

The book I am reading is called “Ice breaker” by Hannah Grace. In the book there is this one quote that really stood out to me.

“I know you don’t, but you’re worth defending. Every cut, bruise, every single pang of anger or frustration. It’s all worth it. I’d throw my last punch defending you because you deserve it. To have someone be that person for you.” 

This stood out to me because it shows that the guy cares about the girl. I also really enjoyed this page of the book because Nathan showed that he would protect Anatasia at every cost.

“Girl Interrupted” Is a memoir written by the author ‘Susanna Kaysen’ in which it follows no linear storyline, simply experiences in the ward she was in during the 60’s. It starts when Susanna Kaysen starts by accidentally overdosing, committing to irreversible actions and then getting sent to the physic.

 I didn’t write it down in a fucking book! I told you to your face. And I told Daisy to her face – what everybody knew and wouldn’t say, and she killed herself. And I played the fucking villain, just like you wanted.

Although I understand this quote is very short, it is a very important sentence that I would like to analyze. Its important in the sense that its something everyone, especially teenagers experience in their life. “I didn’t write it down in a fucking book! I told you to your face.” Is in the same sense that many hide their true feelings, even from friends because it is something seen as cruel or harsh, when in reality it just the truth, raw and un-forgetful because it was not a lie, it was pure, pure feeling and pure rot of emotions. “And i told daisy to her face – what everybody knew and wouldn’t say” As in how people are never honest of their words, especially if we put this in world context really quick, how many times have you agreed to something because others have, even if you don’t actually agree with it? In the truth that, people prefer to talk behind backs, never to anyone’s face, never honest. “And i played the fucking villain, just like you wanted.” Where in the world, even today, when people express raw and truthful emotions, no matter how we put it, we will be shamed. People are seen as villains if they are honest, but seen as liars if they aren’t. When someone speaks truth, everybody else lives in ignorance, where we all have to live the same to be equal. How society forces people to be harsh, rude, evil if they are speaking facts, nobody else says it, but as soon as you do everything comes tumbling down. People want you to be the villain, so everyone hates you, so they don’t out themselves the way you did, they can be seen as normal or humane. The world is full of lies, but we only end up damaging the chain of them, never breaking it.

In my book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, persistence is a really important thing in late chapters, and it explains how persistence in business and ordinary life will help you to achieve your goals. Also, that people without persistence will never win.

Those who can “take it” are bountifully rewarded for their persistence. They recieve, as a compensation, whatever goal they are pursuing. That is not all! They recieve something infinetly more important  than material compensation- the knowledge that EVERY FAILURE BRINGS WITH IT  THE SEED OF AN EQUIVALENT ADVANTAGE (Hill, 179).

I chose to share this quote because it clearly states how not giving up will take you places you would not believe. In other section of the book, the author states, “Quitters never win and Winners never quit.” which I liked a lot because is a simple phrase with a lot of meaning behind.

The book I am currently reading, The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt, handles every element with razorlike precision. It is both a mockery of old westerns, as well as a love letter to them, all wrapped up in an egregiously violent, introspective, and darkly humorous piece. I personally love how the book manages more tender parts of the story, involving love that we always know will be short-lived.

“‘Looking up at my face she asked me to take off my coat, which I did, and she pulled a length of bright blue silk from her layers. She tied the sash over my shoulder, fastening it with a snug knot and afterward stepping back to look at me. She was very sad and beautiful, her eyes damp and heavy with their powders and ancient spells. I placed my hands on the material but could think of nothing to say about it.”

This quote precedes a grisly, unexpected scene, and truly shows how much the book can throw you for a loop. As well as this, it shows how the story tries to stay true to classic westerns, with their picturesque love stories intertwined with the main, often action-oriented plot, providing some relief from the intensity that such stories often create.

 

As I have just started reading Drive Your Plow Over The Bones of The Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, I don’t know much about this book at all. The book starts in a Polish village across the border from the Czech Republic, with our main character being woken up and finding out her long-time neighbor Big Foot is dead.

”Please get dressed. Big Foot is dead.”

I choose this quotation above all others because, like the main character herself, she doesn’t know how to react, what to say, or even what to do in this situation just like us as the readers. We just opened this book let alone encountered new characters for the first time and now one has already died right in front of our own very eyes. Speechless, this was a great start for this book.

“No, but they’ve got…something.”History, Tally realized. In the city, she’d owned lots of things–practically anything she wanted came out of the wall. But city things were disposable and replacebale, as interchangeable as the T-shirt, jacket, and skirt combinations of dorm uniforms. Here, in the Smoke, objects grew old, carrying their histories with them in dings and scratches and tatters.

This passage uses language description, expression description and environment description to show that things here are different from those in the city, and things here have their own history. The smoky environment description further renders a mysterious atmosphere.

The greatest day of Freddy’s life was when she and Laura Dean got together, but nothing has made sense since. Not only is Laura Dean well-liked, funny, and adorable, but she also can be cruel and careless. But their romantic connection is causing Freddy’s brain to spin and her friends find it stupid that she continues returning to Laura all the time.

“What is it like to love this person who keeps breaking up with you, and then presumably coming back to you? What does your love with this person offer? Does it make you happy? Does it give you what you need to be a better person?” P.G 53

I chose this quote because it makes me think about a similar situation I have been in and I wonder whether that if I read this book at the time of my situation and then maybe things would’ve been different, and I would stop seeing my situation in rose colored glasses

It Ends With Us was such a horrible, trash book but it was all so funny and amazing at the same time.
It Ends with Us is a book about a girl named Lily who has recently moved and is getting ready to start her life after college. Lily then meets Ryle and develops feelings for him. The connection between Lily and Ryle is challenged when Atlas, her first love, shows up just as she starts to feel something for Ryle.

Imagine all the people you meet in your life. There are so many. They come in waves, trickling in and out with the tide. Some waves are much bigger and make more of an impact than others. Sometimes the waves bring with them things from deep in the bottom of the sea and they leave those things tossed onto the shore. Imprints against the grains of sand that prove the waves had once been there, long after the tide recedes. p.60

I chose this quote because it really makes me think about all the memories I have and made, and lets me really reflect on the impact they have on me.

P.S I still love you  

 

 This book is about Lara Jean a girl who started dating Peter a very popular, who she thought she didn’t had a chance with him. But when Peter braakes up with his girlfriend, Lara Jean and Peter make up a plan to fake they are dating to make Peter’s girlfriend jealous. But they fell in love and started dating until they got in a fight and stopped talking to eachother but what Peter doesn’t know is that Lara Jean still loves him. 

 

Hope leaps into my heart like Jamie Fox-Pickle leaps into my bed- swift and unbidden. But I turn back around, like Ugh, what do you want now, so he doesn’t see it. 

“What’s that you’ve got crumpled up in your pocket?” My hand flies down to my pocket. “That? Oh, it’s noth-ing. It’s junk mail. It was on the ground by your mailbox. No worries, I’ll recycle it for you.” 

“Give it to me and I’ll recycle it right now,” he says, holding out his hand. 

“No, I said I’ll do it.” I reach down to stuff the letter deeper into my coat pocket, and Peter tries to snatch it out of my hand. I twist away from him wildly and hold on tight. 

He shrugs, and I relax and let out a small sigh of relief, and then he lunges forward and plucks it away from me. 

 

 

I like this quote because in the book this is the exact moment in which Peter realizes Lara Jean still loves him . If this part wouldnt have happened they would still be mad at eachother, but when Peter reads Lara Jean’s letter he realizes Lara still loves him.

• There is a touching passage in Leo Tolstoy’s “The Teacher and the Man” that fascinated me: “It was getting colder and colder, and Ivan began to shout to his horse, but because of the strong wind, he could hardly hear it. Their sounds…his hands and feet were frozen. “Numblicated, he lost all feeling for them” (Tolstoy, Masters and Men, p. 23). This excerpt vividly It depicts the harshness of the environment and the protagonist’s relentless struggle against the wrath of nature. What attracted me to this passage was its raw depiction of human perseverance in the face of adversity. It reminded me of the indomitable spirit deep within each of us. Spirit, what drives us to keep going, even when the odds seem insurmountable. Tolstoy’s masterful depictions of his characters’ physical and emotional turmoil resonated deeply with me and are a profound reminder of the resilience of the human spirit.

In the Play “Our Town” (by Thornton Wilder), we see the two main characters (Emily and George) change significantly throughout the story:

The book centres on their childhood, teen ages, living together, and the death of Emily. She died during childbirth of her second son, at only 26. She then sees how all of her relatives are waiting for her, all dead. She then wishes to go back to her 12th birthday, she sees her young mother, father, and the rest of her family. After finding out his wife is dead, George is seen weeping by her grave, as the scene ends with the sky clearing up from the rain with beautiful stars coming out over the town Grover’s Corners.

Once I had finished reading the book, I reflected on it by seeing how it resembles our lives. Most people seem to forget the value of what they have, own, or kept, until they lose it. Now, this is relative to me in a way, since I have lost my grandfather after he failed to beat cancer (he was one of the many fallen but glorious Chernobyl Liquidators, whom have lost their lives fighting with an invisible enemy, and although they didn’t survive the battle, they have won the war, reducing the amount of radiation significantly.

 

 

‘Viper’s Daughter’ is the seventh book in the series ‘The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness’ written by Michelle Paver. The series is mainly about a boy named Torak and his friends Renn and Wolf. Torak is clannless and can communicate with wolves. He found Wolf when he was 12 summers old, and Wolf was a cub. His father had just been killed by a Demon Bear and Wolf had been abandoned. Later into the first book he met Renn of the Raven Clan, and they became friends. The stories follow their adventures and revolves around Torak’s mission to defeat the Soul Eaters, a group of powerful mages who only want to destroy all life in the forest.

‘I left so that I wouldn’t hurt you’…’You couldn’t have hurt me more than you did when you left’ (p. 78)

This quote was in the seventh book said by Renn and Torak. Renn ran north and left Torak behind because she thought she was harmful. She kept thinking she would hurt Torak because she felt someone trying to take over her body. Every time Renn fell asleep she would have a dream that involved hurting Torak in some way. She was trying to go to the ‘Edge of the World’ and once Torak realised she had gone, he went after her with Wolf. I like this quote because it shows that you can emotionally hurt people when you’re trying to not to hurt them at all.

I felt that in the story Emily Changed, set in Gloverstowe Cemetery, it showed the fragility of life and the reflections people have on their deathbed.

The character Emily in the story returns to the cemetery after her death and develops a profound understanding of life and death, and realizes that people do not cherish time. Emily travels back in time, experiences some of the ordinary and trivial moments in her life, and realizes the importance of every day in her life.

She warns other characters to cherish the moment and not get lost in busyness and trivial matters.