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 :(