The Iliad raiden

Hello I am reading the Iliad by homer translated by Bruce M. King and Ennis Rees. I am reading the Barnes and Noble edition. I have read to page 78 out of  528. In the book the Acheans have landed on the     Trojan beach. Right now the Acheans are just kinda hanging out on the beach waiting for the leaders to say attack. The Trojans are waiting for the Acheans to attack. Meanwhile Achilles mother, Athena visits her son and tells him that if he fight for the Acheans then he will gain honor and his demise, but if he doesn't fight he will receive a happy life. then Athena finds out that Agamemnon has taken Achilles war spoils, a women he found named and then Briseis. Now the Acheans are getting ready to attack and the Trojans are getting ready to defend. What will happen next? I think this is a good book because this is the kind of action book I like that is a lot more descriptive. I am not sure why Homer wrote the story because it was defiantly not for money so it was probably to tell historical events. I am not sure there is a theme other than a lot of people want to kill the Trojans. The best character is defiantly Achilles. He is the best Achaean fighter on the Trojan beach. I don't think he has changed at all since the beginning of the book. Is there a really easy translation because all translations I have tried area a little crazy, this one is OK but if anyone can find an easier on that would be great.

the invisible man

I am reading The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells. I am on page 34 of 196. So far the book has been pretty weird. This man showed up in Bramblehurst, and stays in a motel. He is very suspicious because he is covered up from head to toe in clothing. He starts doing very strange stuff, and he has tons of luggage which ends up being bottles. Anyway when the delivery man delivers his luggage his dog bites the strange man. He runs to his room, while the manager rushes to check on him. The manager enters the room, looks around, and doesn't find the man. All of the sudden the manger is shoved out of the door by an invisible force, and the door closes. Its some pretty weird stuff. I like this book a lot. Its kind of mysterious. I think this author wrote the book because he was a writer and had a very good idea for a book. So he just made it. The theme is mystery because you don't know what all is going on. I like the strange man because you don't know very much about him, and its kind of cool. I don't get why the strange man doesn't just sneak around, because he's invisible. He could just stay at someones house without them knowing. He is invisible.

Holes #1

I am reading the book Holes by Louis Sachar. I am like a third of the way through it. Stanley Yalnats is the main character of this book and gets in trouble for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He gets hit in the head by these stolen shoes and the police convict him of stealing the shoes. He is sent to Camp Green Lake for a punishment. I really like this book, it is very interesting. So far it is pretty interesting because stanley encounters a yellow spotted lizard. The author might have written this book because he must have encountered or saw someone that has stolen shoes or something and wanted to write a book about it, or it could be about his childhood. The theme is to have enough courage and will to suffer the consequences that you shouldn't have to. Stanley Yelnats is the best character because he's the knew kid in the camp that is smart and strong willed and he is the only one i really know about. A quote could be, "A lot of people don't believe in yellow spotted lizards, but you will if one bits you." I have no questions right now none.

Ellen Foster

Ellen Foster:

I am now reading the book Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons. I am about a few chapters in and so far I am very confused. The main character has no name, and to make it in worse there are two realities. A girl is in a bad home with an abuse, drunk dad and then her mom dies because of him. Right now she is riding in a limo to her moms funeral with some of her relatives. What really confuses me though is then there will be a break in the text and she will wake up in this world where she is rich and her new mom makes her cookies and she has ponies. It is so confusing and weird!!!! I don't really like the book because I am just really confused.

 I think Kaye Gibbons wrote this book to make people feel sorrow and to write in a unique format. While she wrote this book I think she wants us to see the message of responsibility. At the very beginning of this story, before the mom dies, the main character takes the task of trying to help her mom with choirs and with keeping her dad calm so he will not hurt them. She definitely a strong and independent girl.

Because I have not read very far in this book my favorite character is the main character because she is courageous and strong. She tries to get though the day with out getting to angry and frustrated so her dad does not fight with her mom. I very much admire her because I was in her situation I would go crazy.

"I always want to lay here. And she moves her arm up and I push my head down by her side. And I will crawl in and make room for myself. My heart will be the one that beats. And hers has stopped"
This such a cool quote because it shows her love for her mother. This quote shows their relationship and the last moment they had together before she died.

I have many questions about this book. One of them is why the heck did she have to write in such a confusing way?!? I also would love to know why the author would kill the only good thing in this girls life. Finally I kinda want to know why the book has no quotes?...why is it only the girl's thoughts?

Post #1

Currently, I am reading the book I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore. I am nearing the end of the book and haven't decided if I will read the next book in the series or not. So far, John and Henri have remained in Paradise, Ohio, because John doesn't want to leave his friend Sam and his love Sarah. The Mogadorians found them though, and now they have to fight for their lives. This book seems okay to me, but isn't anything stellar like I was hoping it would be. Sometimes the story is slow, and nothing seems to happen for awhile. This made me not want to continue reading, but I did. I'm not sure why the author wrote this book, but it might be because he wanted to be an important character in a book. The alien home planet was named after him (Lorien), and in the back of the book it said that Pittacus Lore was Lorien's commanding Elder, and he is preparing Earth for war. The main theme of the book is fighting for what you believe in, and not giving up hope. John has had to do this many times already. When Henri kept trying to leave Paradise John had to take a stand, and tell him they wouldn't leave. John loved Sarah, and Sam was the only friend he had ever had, so he couldn't just leave them. John also has to not give up hope because the Monadorians are hunting him. They outnumber the Loriens and the Loriens have almost no chance of surviving, but John has to learn to keep fighting. This is reflected in the quote, "And when you think all is lost, when all is dire and bleak, there is always hope." John is the best character in he book because he has learned the most. He seems to have become wiser as the book progresses, and gained maturity. He's stopped running away from fights, and has learned to take a stand for what he believes in. I am wondering why the author chose to put himself into the story, and why did he call the planet Lorien? I also want to know if there are any motifs in this book.

Ty Appleget Prelim Post

Hi the book I am reading sounds like a thriller. The book I am reading is called The Invisible Man. So far it is about a man who covers himself comepletely. He doesn't let anybody see him even when he is inside. When there is a fire lit insidehe still kept his clothing on. Some questions I have are: Will anyone ever find out?, Will he cause any trouble to the people and how?, Could he be good or bad?, and Will he ever reveal himself to anyone?

Preliminary Posts

If you've just picked out a book and/or begun to read, please feel free to publish a preliminary post.  This is just a quick post that tells me what book you're reading and who wrote it.  You may also want to post a prediction or ask any questions that come up as you're looking the book over or reading the first few pages.

This does not count as Blog Post #1.  It might be easier if you make the title of your post  "Prelim. Post on >insert title here<."

Please go back to the first posts and re-read the criteria for this project (what you need to do in each post).  If you are unsure about anything, please ask.

Happy Reading!