post 7: final project

Missing You and The Stranger were very different in a lot of ways but also very similar. Harlan Coben seems to stick to a certain genre/story line. The mystery of the missing person.

Missing You was about Kat trying to find a missing mother while simultaneously trying to figure out who murdered her dad. On top of all of that, she recently found her ex fiancé on a dating website who turns out to be someone who she never even knew. She gets caught up in between lies and the truth and soon can't determine the difference between the two. 

The Stranger was about Adam trying to figure out why his wife, Corrine, lied to him about being pregnant, where she disappeared to, and who The Stranger actually is (since no one knows his actual identity). Adam, much like Kat, gets caught in all the lies and doesn't even know what the truth is anymore. 

Harlan Coben uses the same writing style for each book. He also incorporated the technology aspect in to both of the books, making them more modern for his audience. 

post 10: reading wishlist

• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 
• The Girl on the Train 
• Room 
• more books by Dennis Lehane 
• Gillian Flynn 

Book 5: The Shinning 

post 8: Book Talk presentation

post 5: the truth in a memior

Nonfiction is defined as a piece of work or literature that is based on facts and real events, sometimes composed into a story. In order for an author to write a nonfiction piece, it must be all facts, all real or else it is not considered truly nonfiction. If events, characters, settings, or anything are changed or altered then the book is not TRULY nonfiction. If an author claims a book is nonfiction but bits and pieces are changed to make the story “more interesting” then the book should be considered realistic fiction. In that situation, the author could also say that their novel is based on a true story but it cannot be considered nonfiction.

It is understandable when dialogue is altered a little bit when the exact conversation can’t be remembered. But any other changes that would change the plot line of the story wouldn’t be considered completely true or nonfiction. When authors write memoirs, their stories and events should be 100% true. If someone finds out that what they wrote about themselves is a lie or actually didn’t happen, then their credibility will go down the drain and probably ruin their career (depending on how bad it was). If the author really feels that they have to change their own life around to make their story interesting then maybe they shouldn’t be writing about themselves in the first place. People need to be able to trust the author and if what the author wrote is a lie then the trust between the author and their reader is broken.

post 7; book 4 check in 1

As I read Harlan Coban's book, Missing You, it's very easy to pick up on his writing style. His book has two stories intertwined with each other. Every chapter, the stories switch back and forth between each other.

The first story is the primary story. This where the main characters are introduced and where their problems occur. This story is the story with Kat, a detective for the NYPD. This story moves rather quickly and a lot of details and information is given as the story is told in third person.

The second part is the secondary story. This story is very vague and as the reader, you don't get a lot of information about the current situation that is occurring. The chapters for this story tend to be very short. It is also told in third person point of view but the narrator has an inside loop into Gerard's thoughts and feelings. Gerard has been kidnapped and the audience knows little to nothing about the situation that he is in.

These two stories put together compliment each other very well. As it goes back and forth, Kat's story is more indulging for the reader. The reader becomes concerned for Kat and wants her to solve her problems with her ex fiance and her father. She is relatable and the reader can develop sympathy for her because we know who she is as a person. But on the other hand, the other story is what throws the reader through a loop. Sometimes, I got so into Kat's story that the next chapter would start and I would think/want it to continue to be about Kat but then it would be about Gerard. The reader doesn't even know Gerard's last name but we know he is suffering through something horrible. It never reveals much detail about anything so this portion of the story moves much slower. It leaves the reader asking a lot of questions. I know I have myself asking a few. Is Gerard's struggle related to Kat? How is Gerard important? Will he ever be saved?

Sometimes the change in the two stories gives me whiplash because the chapters are relatively short and it switches back and forth quickly. It makes me curious to see how another one of Coben's book will be different; if his other books switch perspectives as well or if they have similar plot lines. This is what my main focus for this project will be.

post 6: book 3 listicle

Why Dennis Lehane is a Literary Genius

In the novel, Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane, there are so many twists and turns that occur in the book, at some points it’s almost hard to keep up. But it’s the plot twists and the unexpected turns that keep the readers intrigued and involved in the story because they want to know the answers just as bad as the characters in the book do. With everything that occurred in the book, it would’ve been extremely hard to just come up with all the tiny details needed to execute the mystery that unfolds throughout the book. For this story in particular, Lehane would’ve had to come up with an elaborate plan on how to execute everything. From the characters, to the back-story, to the tiny clues and small fragments of foreshadowing that happens throughout. This elaborate thought process and piecing everything together to create and execute such an amazing story, makes Dennis Lehane a Literary Genius.

Character Development: As the story develops, the characters develop with it. They begin to mold into each other. Lehane does an absolutely stunning job of developing his characters into real people. He develops the character through Teddy Daniels point of view, which gives the character more life. It was a very good choice made my Lehane to have an outside person tell the story with access to Teddy’s thoughts rather than just having Teddy narrate himself. With that in mind, you think that everyone is against Teddy and is trying to stop him from doing his job because that is the way that Teddy sees it. Especially Dr. Cawley. He appears to be plotting against Teddy because that is what Teddy’s predisposition of him is. This particular way that Lehane develops the characters is what makes the ending so incredibly amazing.

Setting Development: Almost immediately, the setting of Ashecliffe Hospital for the criminally insane on Shutter Island is introduced. The emotion portion of the island is developed through Teddy and his fear of water. Along with his fear comes the violent vomiting and Lehane draws a very descriptive picture in the readers mind about Teddy’s issue. “Teddy started the trip down on his knees in front of the toilet, heaving into the bowl as the ferry’s engine chugged and clacked and Teddy’s nasal passages filled with the oily smells of gasoline and the late summer sea. Nothing came out of him but small streams of water, yet his throat kept constricting and his stomach banged up against the base of his esophagus and the air in front of his face spun with motes that blinked like eyes.” This paragraph helps to build Teddy as a character but also the setting with the “late-summer”. It’s only later that Teddy realizes he will be trapped on an island; land completely surrounded by his biggest fear. “ “It’s the sea,” his father said, a hand lightly rubbing Teddy’s back as they leaned against the stern. “Some make take to it. Some men it takes.” ” Lehane creates the setting to set up Teddy’s demise almost immediately, which takes time to plan and work out before you can actually put the final product together.

Plot Development: Lehane develops the plot right from the beginning. He begins with a very short backstory about the death of his father then moves on to Teddy’s late wife, Dolores. Teddy’s flashbacks about Dolores are very important to the story. “Dolores, of the facts of her being on this earth for thirty-one years and then ceasing to be. Just like that. There when he left for work that morning. Gone by the afternoon.” Although they seem almost irrelevant, they are the bases of the entire story. Lehane does a very good job at hiding it. Not that it’s supposed to be hidden, but that fact that everything comes together in the end and everything relates back to something that was said in the very beginning of the book. The fact that Denis Lehane pieced everything together so perfectly is still an absolutely amazement. Nothing is to be given away about the ending of the book but just every single little piece to the plot is just so important to the resolution and it baffles me how someone like Denis Lehane isn’t talked about more.

post 4: book 2 adaptions

American Sniper will be a book that everyone will remember. As a filmmaker for this book would have to be very careful about how they would depict the life of Chris Kyle and be respectful since he is now gone. The type pf adaption would be best off as a movie. This story can not really split up into different pieces to be a TV show and as far as a play goes, the battle and action scenes would be nearly impossible to perform on stage.
A lot of different event occur very quickly in the book and time moves fast. Before you know it, it's three years later and Chris is being diploid to Iraq. But some very essential scenes that must be kept when turning the book into a film is when Chris first decides that he wants to be a SEAL. Along with that, is his dedication and hard work that it took to get him there; BUDS training camp, SEAL training, sniper training. The next very important scene to have in the movie would be when Chris meets Taya for the first time at the bar and their conversations they have about being a SEAL and her sister marrying a SEAL. The battles in the middle of the book, from the time 9/11 occurs to the end of his last tour, are all important. But as a filmmaker, you have to pick out what is more important for the audience to see.
A sensitive part of this film would be casting. First off, it's a very demanding film with a lot of action and very serious roles to play and shoes to fill. Also, you would need to keep in mind that this is a very true and very real story so the family will be effected by the film you create. You have to keep in mind that Taya is a widow and now a single mother. As you compose the characters of the book you should keep in mind Taya's feelings and that one day her kids are going to watch this movie and get to see the story of their father. Whoever plays the characters in the film would have to be well respected actors who can perform their best work in front of the camera to truly portray the characters that were developed in the book. Having it be that American Sniper is already a movie, I agree with the casting of Bradly Cooper. He is an amazing choice, someone who would take the role to heart and perform it with grace and honor. That's what is important about casting for this movie, since it is a very touchy and also very real story that is being told.
For this film, it would be hard to create a soundtrack that would fit well with everything. The movie is so serious and so real that you almost can't add music to it. Yes, music makes things more dramatic and helps set the mood. But for American Sniper, the scene itself will set the mood. The battles themselves will give the feeling of intensity. There is almost no music that could be added to a scene that would make the audience feel more than they already just because the story is so real.

post 3: book 1 project: fan experience

Dive into the real experience of the greatest night of Quinten Jacobsen’s life; his night with Margo. As you play this interacting game of chance, sheer luck, and whit you will get the chance to experience a night to remember similar to the night the characters in Paper Towns by John Green had. This hands on game will take you through a wild night based on the cards you draw. You could end up at 711, a park where you find a dead corpse, Jase’s house, or you could lose the one thing in the world that means the most to you. Her. The goal is to get Margo to Sea World but to get there, you must answer mind twisting riddles, put together clues, and be the ultimate sleuth much like Quinten in the book.

In the beginning of the book, Margo and Quentin are nine years old. They go to the park together on a seemingly normal afternoon only to find a man who had shot himself in the head under a tree. When they both see the body, Quentin takes a step back while Margo takes a step forward. This moment defines them as people; Quentin does his best to stray away from adventure and the mysteries in life while Margo wants to delve into the unknown and take anything that might come her way. After that day at the park, Margo and Quinten drift apart and no longer remain friends. As Quentin states, “We’re not friends, we’re neighbors.” Until nine years later. “And so May fifth could’ve been any day—until just before midnight, when Margo Roth Spiegelman slid open my screenless bedroom window for the first time since telling me to close it nine years before.” That one fateful night Margo wants to go on an adventure with Quinten. She wants him to be her driver for the night and also wants him to assist her in getting revenge on all the people who have wronged her. “‘I have eleven things to do tonight, and at least five of them involve a getaway man.”” For Margo, this a marvelous adventure. Nothing out of the ordinary for her. But for Quinten, this is the most rebellious stunt that he has ever pulled. Before, he has had no reason do anything that might get him in trouble with his parents let alone arrested. Quinten steals his mom’s minivan and leaves with Margo, willing to do anything she asks of him. They make dozens of stops at different stores, multiple people’s houses, with an end goal of Sea World. This is where you come in. You personally design a night full of adventure for the two to embark on. You don’t know where you’ll end up or when but you have to go through a series of traps, riddles, and clues to discover a new night of fun and NO FELONIES!! In the game, you could possibly end up buying a giant catfish or maybe something else out of the realm of anything “normal”. The game allows you to see what Quinten had to go through that night and the effort he had to put in to figuring everything out about Margo. Also, if you use the promotion code given when you purchase the game, you could win a free “MISSING: MARGO ROTH SPIEGELMAN” t-shirt. (Design below)

The Paper Towns game was created to uniquely simulate and recreate the night that Quinten and Margo had together while adding Margo’s mind to twist it up a little and make things more interesting. I feel this game will truly allow the fans of this book to experience the night that changed Quinten's life and the way he looked at things. I also think this game will show people who haven't read the book before, how different it is from the other books that John Green has written. I think this game will show that this is not your typical love story or "chick lit" but it also has mystery and adventure and that will help widen the audience to get more people to read it. This game also allows readers to keep the adventure alive even after the book has ended. It could allow them to feel what they felt when they read the book for the first time; anticipation and anxious to see where they'll end up next. 

Post 2 : what is a book?

I recently got asked the question, “what is a book?” Most people would answer something obvious like, “something you read” or “paper with words written in it that make a story”. But if you actually think about it, what is a book?

A book is defined as a handwritten or printed work of fiction or nonfiction, usually on sheets of paper fastened or bound together within covers, which is what most people would think a book to be. But now our books are made from technology. Sure you can’t flip through and touch the smooth edges of the freshly printed pages or you can’t smell the paper, either of slight mildew or fresh ink but it’s still the same book just on your phone or tablet or kindle. It still has the same words and makes you feel the same way about the characters and the plot. It’s still the same thing, written by the same person. It’s the same story just in the traditional form of a book.  

You have to think of a book as an idea, not an object. I could take Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and write it on the side of the building and it would still be the exact same thing. It would still be the same story.

Some people will say that there is a difference between a story and a book. I agree.  The book is the actual physical item that you can hold and buy and flip through freely. But the story is what’s inside the book. If I were to write Harry Potter up on the side of a building it technically wouldn't be a book anymore. Instead, it would be the marvelous story written by J.K. Rowling just not in the physical form of a book.

Think of a book as a person. When the person dies, they are no longer physically here with us. But their spirit and memories live on forever. Those memories are the stories that the person got to tell while they lived. Even though after they pass they’re not here physically, they’re still here in memory, like a story.

post #1: why I read

I read for many reasons. But my main reason is for pleasure. I read to take a break from reality and live in another life, a life with the characters and plots that are made up by your favorite authors. I like to read to explore different, interesting, sometimes intense situations that would most likely never occur in my own life. For example, when I read Harry Potter, I enjoy it because it is so different from any situation I would ever be in. The plot is so intriguing and just pulls you in. Before I know it, I've read 300 pages. I also like reading when people recommend me a book. I get interested to see what they concur to be a 'good book'. I like books because there is always something out there that you haven't read or heard about before. I like to read because, for that reason, there is always something new to be read. Books are also always there when you need to take a break for awhile. I came across a quite once that fits very well for my reason as to why I read.
"Books are the quietest and most constant friends and the most patient teachers." -Charles Elliot.