crooked house

I spent the whole day reading Crooked house by Agatha Christie. This book was SO interesting I just couldn't put it down! This book was more than just you're average murder mystery. Everything was designed intricately enough that the reader could not pinpoint the murderer right away (and in my case, mistake another character for the murderer). The characters all seem capable of committing a murder. They all have a somewhat dark side to them and could benefit from killing their grandfather. Another thing I loved was how the author was descriptive. I could just picture what each room in the big mansion looked like. I was really REALLY shocked when I found out who the murderer was. The character did not seem like they would do something that extreme. Overall, I was impressed with how the author was able to create such a complex murder mystery and have such a clear idea of what the setting was like. This book was one of those books that are just enjoyable reading. But if I had to state the theme, I would say it's : "do not underestimate ANYONE. Everyone is capable of doing anything if they really want to."

The Alchemist: the language of the world

Santiago understands the language of the world, while the Englishman is trying to figure out/learn the language of the world. I think the author values intuition and learning through experience more than gaining knowledge through reading books. I guess knowing the language of the world is something you cannot achieve through books; you either know it or you don't. The Englishman has spent years deciphering literature about Alchemy, yet he's still gotten nowhere. He knows what results he should get, but do not know what steps he should take to get them. The boy, on the other hand, just naturally gains everything the Englishman is looking for. I think it will be interesting to see what each character achieves by the end of the novel.

The Alchemist

Along with all the make up work I had to complete, I was frantically reading The Alchemist to catch up in English class.

Some interesting things about the book so far:
-At this point, I don't think the boy was madly in love with the merchant's daughter. If you're madly in love with someone, they should always be on your mind (meaning you do not just forget about them), which isn't really the case here. He even said that himself; the merchant's daughter is not as important as his sheep. At the same time, I don't think the author would bring in that character for nothing, so maybe the merchant's daughter will have some significance later on.
-The author always uses the word "boy" and never his name. I think this is done to portray the boy's character and personality in part one. Maybe the author will start using Santiago when he becomes a more knowledgable person.
-The boy's way of learning is mainly through experience and observation rather than through "proper" education. One of the author's message for the readers?
-The King of Salem seems to be omnipresent.
-Between the time period of his encounter with the thief and starting to work for the crystal merchant, the boy suddenly becomes wiser.

Inkblotz: Issue #2

Today I read all the poems, short stories, and wise sayings in the second issue of Inkblotz. This was actually my first time reading Inkblotz, so I was really suprised to see how many talented writers we had at our school. I think each of the poems and short stories with an emotion as a theme (joy and envy) succeeded in portraying that emotion perfectly. When I was reading them, I was thinking, "Yup, that's exactly what envy is." The short story I could relate to the most was the one about the older brother being envious of his younger brother. The younger brother is basically a bad kid. He deserted his home and attends parties everyday, where he gets drunk. Ever since he left, his father has been sitting by the window, waiting for him to come home. The older brother is a good son who does not get into trouble and does everything in his power to please his father. Yet all his father looks to is the chance of his younger son returning home. The poem I could relate to the most was the one titled math. I feel exactly the same way about math as the writer does :(

Vanity Fair

So I've been reading Vanity Fair and it's actually taking me longer than I thought. First, the book is the same length as the fourth harry potter book, more or less. Second, I have so much schoolwork that I am not reading every single day and forget what happened in the story the last time I read. I've had to go back and re-read some of the story a couple of times...

It still bothers me that women did not have rights during this time period. The only way for women to gain class in this society was by marrying the "right man". The ideal husband was a man from a well to do, respected family and a steady income. It did not matter if the man was old enough to be your father or had a nasty personality. Rebecca, when hunting for a husband, aims for a rich man. The first person she goes after is her best friend's (from school) older brother. He is a chubby merchant in India who has absolutely NOTHING attractive about him. He only cares for food and drinks, nothing else. In Rebecca's opinion, he is also on the dumb side. But she chases him and flirts with him because he has class and money. I'm really glad that our current society doesn't really have that kind of a mindset anymore...although some people still do consider being rich more important.

Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair is a novel about a young girl Rebecca wanting to move foward in society. Although she is a very accomplished, bright young lady, she is constantly ignored because of her family's social class and because of her job as a governess. Rebecca tries to increase her rank in society by trying to marry a rich bachelor and winning over the affections of "important figures" with her charming personality.


In those days, governesses were looked down upon even though they were very learnt and educated. The wealthy and the nobility thought of them as "high class wannabes" and ignored them. Yet it was okay for a boy from a middle or low class family to move up the class ladder. This is shown through the life of another character in this novel. I think this mindset is ridiculous and sexist. What makes it okay for men to move up the social ladder without anyone lashing out at them, but not for women? Why is this profession not acknowledged? Women have to learn and master subjects in all areas (not just academics, but cooking, sewing, etc). I think this is a much bigger accomplishment then learning just one trade or living off of family fortune's.

Short stories and AR questions

I really like the short story unit we're doing. I actually like stories that are really twisted and creepy, kind of like Lamb to the Slaughter or stories that have an unexpected ending because it leaves the reader really shocked. I really enjoyed reading Lamb to the Slaughter because the ending just left the reader hanging. The reader has to imagine what happens next and figure out the character of the wife. Is she psychotic? Does she have a mental disorder? I think the author was wise to leave the reader hanging because that just makes the story even more creepy and scary. I thought she had a mental disorder because her giggling at the end was a symptom for a mental disorder I learned about while peer editing in writing class. I also did not know Roald Dahl was capable of writing such scary stories because usually he writes books for children. His novels are kind of weird too and have a lot of imaginary creatures involved.

I read Mrs. Sen's today between getting my haircut, shoe shopping, lunch, and food shopping. I could really relate to what Mrs. Sen was going through with being in a completely new country. She always compares things to the way things were in her country. She always goes, "In India they always had..." I do that all the time and I'm sure people get really annoyed and just want to tell me to shut up, I really can't help doing it. I guess Mrs. Sen and I both miss our homes too much.

Question on the AR reading test...
when is it going to be set up? Because i really need to return my library book, i'm tired of renewing it :p