Aug 21, 2012

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky


Description

A desperate young man plans the perfect crime -- the murder of a despicable pawnbroker, an old women no one loves and no one will mourn. Is it not just, he reasons, for a man of genius to commit such a crime, to transgress moral law -- if it will ultimately benefit humanity? So begins one of the greatest novels ever written: a powerful psychological study, a terrifying murder mystery, a fascinating detective thriller infused with philosophical, religious and social commentary. Raskolnikov, an impoverished student living in a garret in the gloomy slums of St. Petersburg, carries out his grotesque scheme and plunges into a hell of persecution, madness and terror. Crime And Punishment takes the reader on a journey into the darkest recesses of the criminal and depraved mind, and exposes the soul of a man possessed by both good and evil ... a man who cannot escape his own consciense.

Opinion

I have to admit I really liked this book. The names were a little hard to pronounce but after awhile you just kinda gave up and read over the name by saying "that person" in your head. It's increadably unique that a writer can write inside the mind of a crazy person without actually being crazy themselves. Withough having committed a crime they can describe it pretty exactly. Well....anyone up for a conspiricy theory? NO? lol it was a good book though honestly. One of those books that if you have to read a book in English and they give you a list of books to choose from, this is one that I would choose.

Aug 16, 2012

Beowulf by Seamus Heaney


Description

The national bestseller and winner of the Whitbread Award. Composed toward the end of the first millennium, Beowulf is the classic Northern epic of a hero’s triumphs as a young warrior and his fated death as a defender of his people. The poem is about encountering the monstrous, defeating it, and then having to live on, physically and psychically exposed in the exhausted aftermath. It is not hard to draw parallels in this story to the historical curve of consciousness in the twentieth century, but the poem also transcends such considerations, telling us psychological and spiritual truths that are permanent and liberating.

Opinion

Ok so would I be lying if I said I didn't want to read this book at first? Yes I would be. Would I be lying if I said I loved this book? Yes actually I would be. I like it, but I wouldn't say that I loved it. Finding symbolism in this book I have to say was a lot easier after the last book I read. It was a fast read. I liked that this book was about war and battle and that it was written in a poem. It adds a little bit of niceness to the book/poem. I liked the storys of Grendel and his mother because I like to read about deamons so that was cool. I liked to read about the dragon because I like fantasy books too. I didn't really care for this book because it didn't hold my attention for that long. I have trouble reading poems. and a poem that's a hundred and somthing pages long is pretty difficult to read in my opinion. It was good don't get me wrong, but would I read it again of my own free will?....No probably not!

Aug 13, 2012

How to read literature like a professor by Thomas Foster


Description

What does it mean when a fictional hero takes a journey?. Shares a meal? Gets drenched in a sudden rain shower? Often, there is much more going on in a novel or poem than is readily visible on the surface—a symbol, maybe, that remains elusive, or an unexpected twist on a character—and there's that sneaking suspicion that the deeper meaning of a literary text keeps escaping you.

In this practical and amusing guide to literature, Thomas C. Foster shows how easy and gratifying it is to unlock those hidden truths, and to discover a world where a road leads to a quest; a shared meal may signify a communion; and rain, whether cleansing or destructive, is never just rain. Ranging from major themes to literary models, narrative devices, and form, How to Read Literature Like a Professor is the perfect companion for making your reading experience more enriching, satisfying, and fun.

Opinion

I fully expected to hate this book. I don't like to read books that are all about learning something. This book though, was different. The sarcasm and puns in this book made it easy to read. Plus, I learned how to read things and find symbolism which is something I had trouble with in the last english class I took. Finding symbolism in nothing is difficult except when you find out that everything is symbolism.

Aug 8, 2012

Finally

I finally got the books I need to do my homework. Yaaay. Now I don't have to worry about not being able to hand in my first assignment. That's a relief. Talk about a bad first impression.

Aug 7, 2012

Rapture by Lauren Kate


Description

RAPTURE, the fourth & final FALLEN novel, is the Lauren Kate book the world has been waiting for.

The sky is dark with wings. . . .
Like sand through an hourglass, time is running out for Luce and Daniel. To stop Lucifer from erasing the past, they must find the place where the angels fell to earth.
Dark forces are after them, and Daniel doesn’t know if he can do this—live only to lose Luce again and again. Yet together they face an epic battle that will end with lifeless bodies . . . and angel dust. Great sacrifices are made. Hearts are destroyed.
And suddenly Luce knows what must happen. For she was meant to be with someone other than Daniel. The curse they’ve borne has always and only been about her—and the love she cast aside. The choice she makes now is the only one that truly matters. In the fight for Luce, who will win?
The astonishing conclusion to the FALLEN series. Heaven can’t wait any longer.

Opinion

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!! Up until the very last word I was awed by how this book was writen. Throughout the whole series you're wondering what the heck was bad enough to make Daniel and Luce cursed and you expect the answer to be simple and not interesting enough because of what is going on around them, but when you DO find out.......omg it's good. there was a lot of planning put into this story, I mean A LOT!!!! You know those books that by the time you get to the end the story isn't interesting, like the authors gave up? This book is deffinetly not one of those books. It's interesting to the very last word...believe me. This is coming from an atheist about a book about angles, god, and Lucifer.....that's how good this book is.

Aug 2, 2012

Passion by Lauren Kate


Description

Luce would die for Daniel.

And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn’t need to be that way. . . .

Luce is certain that something—or someone—in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime . . . going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel . . . and finally unlock the key to making their love last.

Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history.

Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames . . . forever.

Sweeping across centuries, Passion is the third novel in the unforgettably epic Fallen series.

Opinion

I like this book not only because it has a great story line but also because it brings history into the story. Luce travels in her past selves from Paris, Varsailless, Mesoamerica (before the earth split), Egypt, London, and so many more places with Daniel right on her tail. Well... not literally cause she doesn't have a tail but you know what I mean. The guide she's been listening to turns out to be the altamite evil who just tried to kill her. She goes to all of these places to figure out why she keeps dying in her past lives and finds not what she was looking for...in a much more complicated scene. Cant wait for the next book though. She just has to stop Satan from erasing history.....literally!!!! They only have nine days but no preshure though!

Aug 1, 2012

Torment by Lauren Kate


Description

Hell on earth.

That's what it's like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel.

It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts - immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans.

At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn't told her everything. He's hiding something - something dangerous.

What if Daniel's version of the past isn't actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?

The second novel in the addictive FALLEN series...where love never dies.

Opinion

The whole angel thing works for Daniel, but non-the-less Luce and Daniel's relationship is really tested in this book. You cant help feel like a rope in a tug of war game because you understand Luce's side to it but you also feel really bad for Daniel. And then, in the middle of it all, they bring in Miles. So much for Luce to put up with. Her feelings for Daniel are already being tried with without adding in another guy trying to win her over. You can totally tell, even if Luce cant, that Mile's is playing for her heart from the beggining. Then (SPOILER ALERT) Daniel sees Mile KISSING HER!!!! The way Lauren Kate describes Daniels face makes ME want to beg him for forgiveness!!! It's so heartbreaking. Yet I still cant wait for the next one to read about her adventure through the Announcers and, coincidentally, through her past lives.