Book Project #1

My idea is to sell a picture book that tells The Story of the Pilot. It will include pictures that further expand the story and would make the story more exciting as opposed to the “word-of-mouth” telling of it in the book Reached.

 
           The Story of the Pilot is the basis behind all of the Matched series. It is commonly referred to throughout all of the books, and is the underlying plot for all three books. It explains through a sort of “code” the story of how *the Rising began in the world of the Society (*the Rising is a group that was against the rules of the Society and felt that people should have more choice in their life). In the book Reached the first two pages are titled THE STORY OF THE PILOT (a kind of prologue to help the reader understand what is going on). The story is meant to portray how many people felt they were being cheated out of their life and life’s experiences. Cassia demonstrates this when she says “Writing, painting, singing- it cannot stop everything. Cannot halt death in its tracks. But perhaps it can make the pause between death’s footsteps sound and look and feel beautiful, can make the space of waiting a place where you can linger without as much fear. For we are all walking each other to our deaths, and the journey there between footsteps makes up our lives,” She is trying to explain how the Pilot in the story wanted a better life for himself and the people; a  life that was without fear. And she showed that he stopped at nothing to try and make that happen (even though his notions seemed impossible). Towards the end of the book, Cassia is reflecting back on her and her friends’ journeys and how they have been impacted by the Rising.  She says “I remember what Anna called the three of us.

The Pilot. The Poet. The Physic.         

They are in all of us. I believe this. That every person might have a way to fly, a line of poetry to put down for others to see, a hand to heal,” This shows how Condie used each of the characters to symbolize a key component that takes place in all revolutions, and societies that are formed; The Pilot is the driving force that takes the brunt of the work/labor, the Poet is the one who keeps the past’s history and culture alive, while paving the way for new ideas to come through, and the Physic helps to heal the aftermath of what had been done for revolution to occur. Finally, the very last line of the book resounds as Cassia states “There is ebb and flow. Leaving and coming. Flight and fall.

Sing and silent.

Reaching and reached,”

She is referring to the struggles and changes that come with revolutions, but that ultimately in the end, goals can be “reached”.  Bottom line is that by providing the readers with a better understanding of THE STORY OF THE PILOT it will hopefully give them a better understanding of what is going on in the books, and will give them a new insight.

 

This idea will help the reader to better understand and experience the book Reached because it will provide a background (along with a visual) that will help them to better understand the underlying plot and meaning that is incorporated into the book, of how there is a struggle to achieve revolution, and ultimately a better world. It could help broaden the book’s audience because it will help to better explain some of the more complex details of the story, in a new, interesting way. People who are already fans will enjoy it because it’s another “partner” for the series, or a “companion-book”. Lots of authors have created similar things that have sparked readers’ interests to stay interested in their future works (Rick Riordan’s Demigod Files or Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter’s Codex).

These are pictures of what every page of the book could look like...

 (Sorry about picture quality... had to upload images a different way)

 

Reached

     I have recently been reading the book Reached by Allie Condie. So far, I have found the book to be very drawn-out and I feel like there is not much that has happened. What HAS happened so far took (at least in  my opinion) far too LONG to start. It is just now beginning to be more interesting. It falls a bit short of my expectations, based on it predecessors.

Post #2: What is a book?

 

A book is an idea. And it isn't only one idea, but it's a collection of them. They are the ideas and thoughts of the book's author that slowly transcend to the reader’s mind, where they are then expanded upon. A book embodies not only the message trying to be conveyed by the author, but also the reader's interpretation of it, and how they chose to experience it.

 

I nearly find myself agreeing with Tom Piazza when he states, "You get no sense of the feel of things, of the nature of the artist's ambition..." and feel that he has captured something of great importance. However, I do not honestly view myself as an “anti-technology/device” person (I use a Kindle myself). I also think that to some degree Joe Meno is correct in his statement that “…the idea of the book is more important than the actual form it takes…”  I feel like you shouldn’t completely ignore the benefits of having an entire bookshelf at your fingertips. It is a stubborn and unwilling attitude that will likely be viewed upon by today’s society as “old-fashioned”. Yet I also feel like you should never forego the experience of holding that 734 page hardback of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  

 
     I think that it will be a very sad day if/when the book (as in the sense of a literal BOOK) disappears. Can you honestly imagine reading to your children only from and iPad (or whatever is around by then)? I just don’t feel like it’s the same experience, especially for young children. I don’t feel like they should be robbed of the joy of turning their books’ pages by ACTUALLY turning them, and not pushing a button with an arrow.

We shouldn’t as book lovers banish the idea of e-readers and downloads; but we also as a people shouldn’t be so swept up in the whirlwind of excitement that surrounds our new technologic devices. We should try and all agree to be open to the idea that a book is just that; an idea. And one person’s idea of what a book is could be completely different than that of someone else’s. Does it really matter? Does it really have to be all or nothing?

 

 

Post #1: Why I Read

     Why do you read? Do you read for enjoyment or for information? Do you read for the educational value, or just so that you have something new to talk about with your friends and fmaily? I think that I honestly read for all of these reasons, and many more.

     In the video Why I Read (below) one aspect of reading is mentioned on more than one occasion, adn that is the idea that when we read we are often pulled into another world and on an adventure. We are able to experience things that we just don't get in our everyday lives when we read. We can go to places we have heard tell of, and be there in our mind by-way of the author's description. We can imagine what life would be like if a significant event hadn't happened, like Stephen King's new book 11/22/63.  Or maybe we are whisked away by a book where we can depict our posterity's future conflicts in books like The Giver or the Matched Trilogy that portray seemingly utopian societies that as time goes by prove to be anything but utopian. Bottom line is that when we read, we are taken to new places without ever having to leave.

 

 

     One of my personal favorites about reading, is that although you take into account what you think the author wants you to depict from his or her writing, you are still free to create your own interpretation. I know from experience that often times, readres are dissapointed when their well loved books become movies. That alternate world, almots like a miniature TV playing inside our minds is often replaced by the director's interpretation of the story. Nevertheless, we all still seem to pay to go and see the movies, hoping that we are not walking into a dissapointment;)

 

BOOK TRAILERS:

 

The Giver by Lois Lowry

 

11/22/63 by Stephen King

Summer of My German Soldier

I recently began reading The Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene. It was one of those "happen-upon" reads where I was just bored one night and couldn't sleep, so I went digging around through all my family's old books. I am SO glad I "happened- upon" it, and can't wait to see all that happens.

It takes place during WWII and Patty Bergan is a young Jewish girl living in Arkansas with her mother, her father and her little sister Sharon. She also spends a lot of her time with Ruth, the Bergan family's colored housekeeper. Just outside of her sleepy little town of Jenkinsville, Arkansas, a truckload of Nazi POWs are sent to a work camp. Among them is her Anton. Anton is different from the other soldiers; he is kind, polite, and speaks impeccable English. He's also the only one smart enough to escape the prisoner work camp, and leave the guards with absolutely no means of tracking him.

Little did he ever suspect that the only person who would ever see him would be none other than little Patty Bergan. Thank goodness for that, or he would never have made it to freedom. She hides Anton in her family's abandoned garage building on their property that over the years has become her own secret hide-away.

As time goes by, Anton begins to fall in love with Patty, and experiences what she felt from very first time she saw him.

It almost seems like sick irony; a Jewess protecting a Nazi soldier from the American forces trying to free her people in Germany... But you'll come to see that Anton is no ordinary "Nazi"; And Patty Bergan is DEFINATLY no ordinary girl, Jew or not.

I can't wait to see how this story ends!

 

Plus, check out this book trailer!

 

Blog Reflections

                The quality of my writing has improved greatly over the course of this trimester.  When I first started blogging this trimester, I wasn’t producing very cohesive posts; that is to say, I felt like sometimes I would trail off on one point, and then have to suddenly “snap” back to my original point. Also, I felt like sometimes my sentences trailed on and on, and shouldn’t have. For example, in one of my earlier posts, the sentence “It takes place in the modern day Vatican City, where Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is swept up in a whirlwind experience that involves the examination of a murdered physicist, a mysterious Vatican spy known as Janus, and an ancient brotherhood known as the Illuminati that appears to remain active to this day,”. YIKES! That ONE sentence is almost as long as my entire paragraph up until that point! Now, I feel like my writing is more concise and gets the point across more effectively per sentence. This is a sentence from a more recent post: Throughout Leo's visit to Ogygia, Calypso, as always inevitably fell for him; only this time her love was finally matched by her island's guest. By incorporating a semi-colon, it gives the reader a chance to BREATHE between all the words.

                As for the things I struggled with throughout my blogging experience, I have to be honest; consistently blogging. I had to really work at reminding myself to always blog twice a week, and often times I still found (find) myself blogging on Sunday nights, to make sure I didn’t fall behind. In order to work through this struggle, I attempted to plan certain days when I would get the second blog post completed; this occurred usually on either Wednesday, or often times late on a Friday night after I had already been home, and just wanted to get it finished so I didn’t have to worry about it over the weekend.

                Also, one strength that I felt that I had had during this trimester of blogging was my textual support in my posts. I tried to always have at least one quote taken from whatever book I was blogging about, and usually had more.

                 And in regards to my reading goal, I did make it, and even exceeded it. I obviously intend to read FAR more than just 5 books this school-year; the 5 book marker was mainly just for this 2013 year, which in any case seems that I have underestimated myself in any case.  I found that Goodreads.com was a very helpful resource during this process, and I will definitely continue to utilize its advantages.

                Over the course of this trimester, I feel that I have improved as a reader, because this blog forced me to look deeper into the meanings behind my books and their characters. Also by using Goodreads I was able to track my reading and really see the progress that I was making, which was a great motivator. All in all, I see myself a better reader because of everything I have done his trimester.

(POST #1) Book Recommendation! (Angels and Demons)

     The prerequisite to The Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol (the book that I am currently reading), Dan Brown's Angels and Demons is in my opinion one of his finest works. It takes place in the modern day Vatican City, where Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is swept up in a whirlwind experience that involves the examination of a murdered physicist, a mysterious Vatican spy known as Janus, and an ancient brotherhood known as the Illuminati that appears to remain active to this day. The Professor is in a race against time to discover the whereabouts of a time bomb planted inside the Vatican. He, along with Italian scientist Vittoria Vetra embark on a chaotic journey that takes them all across Rome and through its many historical monuments and buildings (both those that are world renowned and famously known, to those that have been long forgotten by most).
    

     In my opinion, the book is a great read for nearly everyone. It has so many elements of so many different genres that I feel it is bound to mix well with practically any reader's taste. There is action that has to do with the conspiracy element, along with undertones of science fiction, countless historical references, and even a hint of romance. I highly recommend the book Angels and Demons to all who feel like their taste in books falls into any or all of these categories; and I especially recommend and challenge those who don't think so, to give the book a try. After all,  you will never know what you have been missing until you give a try. Maybe you will even have to continue on and read more of Dan Brown's works.

 

(POST #2) Reading Skills for The House of Hades

"Seven half-bloods shall answer the call.

To storm or fire, the world must fall.

An oath to keep with a final breath,

And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death"

 

     Known as the Next Great Prophecy to the Greeks, and the Prophecy if Seven to the Romans, this prophecy plays a key role in the entire Heroes of Olympus series, by Rick Riordan. I want to, for my purposes, focus on the third line;

    

"An oath to keep with a final breath,"

 

 

     In the book, one the Seven half-bloods, Leo Valdez is blasted from their flying ship, Argo II, and winds up on the island of Ogygia, the home of Calypso. Calypso is the daughter of the Titan Atlas, and her punishment for assisting hi in the last war is that she must remain on this island. Part of the island's curse is that she always falls in love with the men who wash up onto her island, and once they leave the island, they can never find it, or her again.

 

     "'You can't come back,' Calypso insisted.

     Leo's heart went clunk. "'Because I'm not welcome?'

     'Because you can't. It's impossible. No man finds Ogygia twice. That is the rule.'

     Leo rolled his eyes. 'Yeah, well you might've noticed I'm not good at following rules. I'm coming back here with my dragon, and we'll spring you. Take you wherever you want to go. It's only fair.'

     'Fair...' Calypso's voice was barely audible."

 

     Throughout Leo's visit to Ogygia, Calypso, as always inevitably fell for him; only this time her love was finally matched by her island's guest.

 

     "As his raft skimmed over the water, taking him back to the mortal world, he understood a line from the Prophecy better- an oath to keep with a final breath.

He understood how dangerous oaths could be. But Leo didn't care.

'I'm coming back for you, Calypso,' he said to the night wind. 'I swear it on the River Styx.'"

 

     In their world, swearing on the River Styx is a binding oath, that I can't hardly think of any demigods breaking throughout the entire series. It's much like The Unbreakable Vow, for all my fellow Harry Potter fans!

     This conversation between Ron and Harry takes place in J.K. Rowling's book Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It shows the extremity of the Vow, as does the third line of the Prophecy imply about the vow it is referring to. I honestly think that Leo's vow to come back for Calypso is indeed the "oath to keep with final breath" that the Prophecy is referring to. I feel like this could be compared to the ULTIMATE of all promises, pinky-swears, and the likes, yet it doesn't even come CLOSE. The fact that there is some form of power surrounding these vows and oaths (and not just our own human consciences)  makes them all the more intimidating.

     It is not unheard of for people in our society today to give "promise rings" as a symbol of exactly what the name implies; a promise. Well, in my opinion, a promise ring would have been much more simple in this case; but then, where's the adventure in that?

     Hopefully, this oath is indeed completed and is not broken, thus resulting in whatever terrible consequences that would befall Leo.

Romeo & Juliet

     Ok, I know that a lot of you will probably think I'm completely insane, but I actually think that Romeo and Juliet could make a great pleasure reading book. Even if you aren't required to read it for high school, or a college course, or whatever, I think that a person should make the effort to read it at some point in their life.

“Classic' - a book which people praise and don't read.”
― Mark Twain

I came across this quote on Goodreads and thought that this pretty well summed up my point. EVERYBODY learns and knows the basic plot of Romeo and Juliet; They meet, they marry, they die... pretty straightforward. But you don't KNOW the characters until you have actually read the play. You don't realize all the wit and irony Shakespeare wove throughout the pages, as if knowing that one day this would be a renowned and studied work.

All I'm saying is that you shouldn't always just write off a book like you already know it, until you've taken the time to actually read it!

The Skinjacker Trilogy

As I was scrolling through my "read" list on Goodreads, I came across one of my FAVORITE book series that I read not that long ago; Everlost by Neal Shusterman. I started reading this book because of a teacher recommendation about it's sequel, and instantly became engrossed with the entire series.

EVERLOST:
This book tells all about the mysterious world of Everlost; a place the "exists between life and death". It is to this place where teenagers Allie and Nick are forced into when they are in a head on collision and they don't make it to the "light at the end of the tunnel".

 

 

 EVERWILD:
In the second installment of this series, Nick is desperately in search of Mary Hightower, "self-proclaimed Queen of Everlost", convinced that she can be changed back into the wonderful person she once was. Meanwhile, Mary is launching her own "smear-campaign" against Nick, trying to rally Everlost's children against him.

EVERFOUND:
In the third and final installemrnt of the Skinjacker Trilogy, Allie is determined to find a way back to her family; no matter the costs. Meanwhile, Nick is reduced to his "forgotten-self" (as was Mary's intention) to where all he can focus on about his previous life, is the chocolate smear on his face. In this book, we are also inttrduced to the scar-wraith; perhaps the only person who can be the key to Mary's undoing.

Check out this interview with author Neal Shusterman about how he originally got his inspiration for the series, and the writing process for the series!

 

I know that I only gave you guys a VERY brief introsuction to each of the books, but I don't want to ruin them, so you will just have to go out and READ! Definitely add these to your "to read" shelves! Here is my "to-read" list, if you want to take a closer look. If you have read any of the books there, please feel free to comment on them, and let me know what you though!

 

Also, if you want to read a more in-depth summary of the character descriptions from the series, click here.

 

Book Recommendation: City of Glass

I recently finished reading Cassandra Clare's third installment of the Mortal Instruments series, City of Glass and needless to say, I was blown away! I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a MAJOR climax to knock you off your feet! (FYI, just don't read my previous post before you read the book; it WILL ruin the book, so DON'T READ IT!)

Obviously you should read Books 1 and 2 of the series before City of Glass!

 

This book showcases the time spent in Idris for the crew; including an accidental Simon. Meanwhile, Valentine is plotting to summon the Angel, Raziel and to destroy the current non-Circle Shadowhunters. He summons an army of demons to distract the Calve while he heads for the third and final of the Mortal Instruments; the Mirror. I think anyone who enjoys the excitement of fantasy with the comedic irony of realistic fiction is sure to love the City of Glass by Cassandra Clare.

WARNING***MAJOR SPOIERS!!!

 

WARNING!

Do NOT read this post if you plan to/are currently reading the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, unless you want the ENTIRE plot twist revealed to you!!!

Last night while I was reading, if nearly fell out of bed when I got to the MAJOR climax... Jace ISN'T Clary's biological brother! I think it's safe to say that my reaction and Clary's paralleled each other pretty well;

     "Clary." ... "There's more that I have to tell you..."
     "Jace is Valentine's son. I mean, who else could he be?"
     Jocelyn looked straight into her daughter's eyes. "The night Celine Herondale had died, she was eight months pregnant. Valentine had been giving her potions, powders- he was trying on her what he'd tried on himself, with Ithurial's blood, hoping that Stephen's child would be as strong and powerful as he suspected Jonathan would be, but without Jonathan's worse qualities. He couldn't bear that his experiment would go to waste, so with Hodge's help he cut the baby out of Celine's stomach. She'd only been dead a short time-"

This means that Clary will now likely be in search of Jace before he does something that they'll all regret. He's in the mindset that he's a monster, and therefore has nothing to lose; now with this new revelation, it's clear that he does. This just goes to show how well-planned twists and climaxes really can make a HUGE difference for the reader!

City of Glass

     I recently began reading Cassandra Clare's City of Glass. It is the third installment in the Clare's series about the Shadowhunters. From what I have read so far, the book seems to be taking off in an interesting direction; not only has Clary broken the Law by coming to Alicante, but she did so by creating her OWN Portal; which is definitely likely to raise some questions amongst members of the Clave. But, as it is, they have more pressing issues to deal with at the moment; the fact that Valentine has uncovered a way to shatter the Demon Towers' abilities to ward off all Downworlders from entering the City.

     Will the group be able to stop Valentine from achieving the third and final Mortal Instrument? Will Clary  be able to awaken her mother from the coma-like spell that keeps her only barely alive? Will Clary and Jace find more answers pertaining to their mysterious births? I guess I'll let you know... 

House of Hades Book Review

I recently finnished The House of Hades(Rick Riordan)and it was AMAZING! The story continues for the Seven demigods refered to in the Next Great Prophecy (or, as it is known to the Romans, the Prophecy of Seven). Each of the half-bloods face new challenges that they never would have thought they would ever have to face. From dealing with bitter goddesses to defeating an army of foreign cows, the Seven have quite an interesting journey to face.

The book parallels the journies of Percy and Annabeth in Tarturus, with the others are aboard the Argo II. The book is told through multiple points of view, by awarding different chapters different ones of the Seven demigods. While Percy and Annabeth fight for their lives and journey toward the Underworld entrance to the Doors of Death, their friends are attempting to find the other entrance to the Doors, that are located in Greece.

I don't want to give too much away about the book, because then whats the point of reading it!? But, I will say that if you think that you do want to read this book, you DEFINATELY have to read the Prequels in the series, or else the book won't make much sense.

(Books 1-3: The Lost Hero, The Son of Neptune, & The Mark of Athena)

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call
To storm or fire, the world must fall
An oath to keep with a final breath,
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death

-The Next Great Prophecy/Prophecy of Seven

 

Reading Skills for The House of Hades

 

"Seven half-bloods shall answer the call.

To storm or fire, the world must fall.

An oath to keep with a final breath,

And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death"

 

     Known as the Next Great Prophecy to the Greeks, and the Prophecy if Seven to the Romans, this prophecy plays a key role in the entire Heroes of Olympus series, by Rick Riordan. I want to, for my purposes, focus on the third line;

    

"An oath to keep with a final breath,"

 

 

     In the book, one the Seven half-bloods, Leo Valdez is blasted from their flying ship, Argo II, and winds up on the island of Ogygia, the home of Calypso. Calypso is the daughter of the Titan Atlas, and her punishment for assisting hi in the last war is that she must remain on this island. Part of the island's curse is that she always falls in love with the men who wash up onto her island, and once they leave the island, they can never find it, or her again.

 

     "'You can't come back,' Calypso insisted.

     Leo's heart went clunk. "'Because I'm not welcome?'

     'Because you can't. It's impossible. No man finds Ogygia twice. That is the rule.'

     Leo rolled his eyes. 'Yeah, well you might've noticed I'm not good at following rules. I'm coming back here with my dragon, and we'll spring you. Take you wherever you want to go. It's only fair.'

     'Fair...' Calypso's voice was barely audible."

 

     Throughout Leo's visit to Ogygia, Calypso, as always inevitably fell for him; only this time her love was finally matched by her island's guest.

 

     "As his raft skimmed over the water, taking him back to the mortal world, he understood a line from the Prophecy better- an oath to keep with a final breath.

He understood how dangerous oaths could be. But Leo didn't care.

'I'm coming back for you, Calypso,' he said to the night wind. 'I swear it on the River Styx.'"

 

     In their world, swearing on the River Styx is a binding oath, that I can't hardly think of any demigods breaking throughout the entire series. It's much like The Unbreakable Vow, for all my fellow Harry Potter fans!

     This conversation between Ron and Harry takes place in J.K. Rowling's book Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It shows the extremity of the Vow, as does the third line of the Prophecy imply about the vow it is referring to. I honestly think that Leo's vow to come back for Calypso is indeed the "oath to keep with final breath" that the Prophecy is referring to. I feel like this could be compared to the ULTIMATE of all promises, pinky-swears, and the likes, yet it doesn't even come CLOSE. The fact that there is some form of power surrounding these vows and oaths (and not just our own human consciences)  makes them all the more intimidating.

     It is not unheard of for people in our society today to give "promise rings" as a symbol of exactly what the name implies; a promise. Well, in my opinion, a promise ring would have been much more simple in this case; but then, where's the adventure in that?

     Hopefully, this oath is indeed completed and is not broken, thus resulting in whatever terrible consequences that would befall Leo.

Still Hanging in There!

     I recently began the fourth installment of Rick Riordan's The Heroes of Olympus series, The House of Hades. I know, I know,and YES I am a freshman and I am STILL reading this series... but hey, I have soon QUITE a few copies of this book floating around the halls of MHS, so I know I'm not alone. Iguess ever since I started his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, I have just been hooked! EVERY year is the same; you finnish his new book that just came oiut, and then you have to wait a whole more year to get the next one! I nearly died when I looked at the back cover of the bookto see if there was another "Coming Soon.." message. I definitely felt wabi-sabi (wow, I think I actually found a really good way to use that word in context!) because on one side, I'm thinking "YAY! It's not over yet! I still have one more book to read!" and yet I'm thinking "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? I have to wait ANOTHER year; AGAIN!?" Oh well, something to look forward to.

     I'm also really looking forward to the "last cliff-hanger" Riordan mentions in his dedication.

"To my wonderful readers:

Sorry about that last cliff-hanger.

WEll, no, not really. HAHAHAHA

But seriously, I love you guys."

     Liz, my wonderful book lender, assures me that the ending is sure to be as infuriating as the author makes it seem. Great... I guess myself and my fellow Rick Riordan fans will all just have to be still hanging in there.

Bet you didn't see THAT coming...

     I started reading City of Ashes a couple days ago, and I haven't been able to stop! Cassandra Clare keeps the reader on their toes at all times and always has something COMPLETELY unexpected coming around the corner. For example, she took a seemingly INSIGNIFICANT piece of information, from the previous book in this series (City of Bones) and used it as a MAJOR plot twist in the book.

     "'He broke in?'" Clary said in disbelief. 'Simon would never do anything that stupid and crazy,'

     'But he did," said Raphael, with the faintest trace of a smile, 'because he was afraid he was becoming one of us, and he wanted to know if the process could be reversed. You might remember that when he was in the form of  a rat, and you came to fetch him from us, he bit me,'... 'In any case, he took some of my blood into his mouth when he did it. You know that is how we pass our powers to each other,'"

     In the previous book, Simon drank a potion that had turned him into a rat. One thing led to another, and he ended up accidently being taken home with a clan of vampires...yay:( Later on, he was rescued by Clary and Jace, and nobody would have ever thought that he would have any "side effects" from hid accidental trip. But, what few he WAS having, prompted him to return to the vampires' hotel. Unfortunately, he was attacked because he was viewed as an intruder. So, know he is has died and come back as a vampire. This makes life all the more complicated for Clary, as she struggles with her own newfound family, and the secrets of their world.

Theme and Summary of City of Bones (WARNING: *SPOILERS!)

     A theme that lies throughout the book City of Bones is the idea that revenge is not always satisfying.
   
     To set the scene, and do better understand the conflict between Valentine and Clary, you first have to understand what sparked Valentine's own hatred towards Downworlders. In the book, Luke explainins to Clary how Valentine eventually steped over the line of just "charismatic" to "crazy-obsessed". Valentine's father was killed by a werewolf, therefore he lumped all Downworld creatures to be murederous and untrusttworthy.

     "Then came the night that Valentine's father was killed in a routine raid on a werewolf encampment,"

     Luke goes on to explain how Valentine was never really the same after his  father's death. This incident was the main fueling behind Valentine's hatred towards Downworlders. His wife, Jocelyn soon realized just how crazy he truly was, and attempted to stage a sort of coup with the help of her friend Luke, and his pack of werewolves (Luke was attacked by a werewolf, who was the pack's leader; according to their tradition, whoever kills the pack leader, can become the new leader, and that is how Luke acquired this pack). To get revenge on his wife, Valentine burned down Jocelyn's family estate, and with it her parents. She also found what she thought to be her baby son's bones in the ruins of the estate, as well.

     This is why Clary hates Valentine so much. Not only was he seemingly crazy, but he had burned her mother's family alive. When she was presented with the idea of finding Valentine, she promptly requested that he not be spared; even though he IS her own father.

     However, in the end of the book, all the characters who had their own personal scores to settle with Valentine (whose actions were in part fueled by hate and their seeking revenge) were unable to become satisfied, seeing as he escaped. Perhaps had they planned more carefully, and not caused their own vendettas and quests for revenge to blind them, they would have completed their mission successfully.

Theme and Summary (The Lost Symbol)

     A central idea that was present throughout the book The Lost Symbol (particularly showcased in chapter  121) was that a loving and nurturing family doesn't always ensure a that a child will grow up to be a stable, outstanding person of moral character. The person who this pertains to in the book in particular is Zachary Solomon (aka Mal'akh, as he is commonly referred to as throughout the book). He was born into a family of great wealth and privilege, and to a family who was very adamant in their quest for trying to help better and to help make a difference in the world. Zach however had no interest in such endeavors, and preferred to spend his money for pleasure; and he eventually ended up paying for it, what with his arrest in the Middle East for attempting to carry cocaine across a border.

     This in my opinion was the beginning of his major spiral downward from being just a "rebellious youth" to becoming the "monster" that he was then  perceived as, during his obsessive quest toward becoming a god.

     "The massive tattooed creature before him had begun life as a tiny, precious infant... baby Zach curled up in a wicker bassinette... taking his first fumbling steps across Peter's study... learning to speak his first words. The fact that evil could spring from an innocent child in a loving family remained one of the paradoxes of the human soul,"

     This goes to show how just because a child is born into a seemingly kind and caring family, that doesn't account for the child's OWN personal behavior and character.
                                                
                                

Characterization of Zachary Solomon (WARNING: *SPOILERS!)

     In a previous post entitled "Characterization of Mal'akh"  I wrote about how the character Mal'akh was a KEY component to the progression of the book The Lost Symbol's plot and how he had undergone many changes throughout the book. Upon completing the book, I realized that I had not even scratched the surface of the complexity of the character Mal'akh. This single quote was an EXTREME revelation to me as I was reading;

    
     (*SPOILER!) "'I know everything!' Mal'akh fired back. 'I was there. You claimed you were trying to help him. Were you trying to help him  when you offered him the choice between wealth or wisdom? Were you trying to help him when you gave him the ultimatum to join the Masons? What kind of father gives a child the choice between 'wealth or wisdom' and expects him to know how to handle it! What kind of father leaves his son in a prison instead of flying him home to safety!' Mal'akh now moved in front of Peter and crouched down, placing his tattooed face only inches from his face. 'But most important... what kind of father can look his own son in the eyes... even after all these years... and not even recognize him!'" 

    
     That quote was probably the single most unexpected dialogue ever thought to have taken place between Peter and his captor. If there were a time-line that consisted of only his actions that played a role in the book, THIS moment would definitely qualify as the climax.

     
     To summarize Zachary's major character transformations (for more detail, see my post entitled "Characterization of Mal'akh"), I think it is important to re-visit every key part of his life; the  life that eventually led him to his *untimely death. As he realizes what   his son  has become after all these years, Peter began to recall his son Zach's early years, from his infancy to his younger years.

     
     "The massive tattooed creature before him had begun life as a tiny, precious infant... baby Zach curled up in a wicker bassinette... taking his first fumbling steps across Peter's study... learning to speak his first words,"

    
     Peter, as anyone would expect, has a terrible time imagining how Zachary could have possibly become this terrifying creature that stood before him; and how he had could have become so evil corrupt in the years since his apparent death. And, deep down, he slowly began to once again feel a renewed sense of responsibility and guilt about what had happened to his son; even though at the same time he was having great difficulty trying to comprehend how this had ever happened.

    
     "The fact that evil could spring form an innocent child in a loving family remained one of the paradoxes of the human soul,"

     To continue on in Zach's life, as he grew older it was clear to Isabel Solomon, Peter's mother and his Grandmother that he was not yet mature enough to be given his inheritance on his 18th birthday, which was a Solomon family tradition. Peter however refused to deny his son this "age-old" Solomon family tradition, and so Zach was given his piece of the family wealth;  unfortunately it did not, as Peter had hoped it would, push him toward being more mature and responsible.

    
     "The moment Zachary got his money, he broke from the family... He surfaced a few months later in the tabloids: TRUST FUND PLAYBOY LIVING EUROPEAN HIGH LIFE... the photos of their wayward teen turned from tragic t frightening when the papers reported Zachary had been caught carrying cocaine across a border in Eastern Europe: SOLOMON MILLIONAIRE IN TURKISH PRISON, "

    
     This prison is where Peter Solomon made the critical choice to not bail Zachary out right away, and by doing so he unknowingly alienated his son from himself and the rest of the Solomon family forever. It was here that Zach paid off the prison warden to invent the story of his death in prison, in exchange for a handsome reward. This was, as Zachary called it, the beginning of his "new life". He Deserted his name on took on a new one; Andros.

     
     "Inmate 37 was a free man again-a free man with a massive fortune... There was nothing money couldn't buy- new identities, new passports, new hope. He chose a Greek name- Andros Dareios- Andros meaning "warrior", and Dareios meaning "wealthy"... 'I am Reborn',"

    
     He the proceeded to live in Greece for many years, and then eventually returned to the Solomon home to retrieve the once-promised pyramid that supposedly would lead him to great wisdom. Un-recognizable to his family, the Solomon's simply thought him a robber, and never knew that he was truly their beloved son, nephew and grandson. After his failed attempt to retrieve the pyramid, he began a new quest; a quest that would prepare his body to be the ultimate sacrifice that would be pleasing enough to elevate him to the rank of a god. As part of this said preparation, he changed his identity yet again to Mal'akh, s part of his new journey towards becoming a god.

    
     Zachary Solomon/Andros Darios/Mal'akh's development throughout the book has been the major underlying story that has propelled the book's plot in it's entirety. His own personal vendetta along with his ick obsession was the driving force that set the entire chain of events into motion. Also, his great revelation was as I said before a major climax in the book, as well as a VERY unexpected twist. Needless to say, without him,, there would simply be no plot. And, in order to fully understand the book, and the dynamics behind the main conflict, you have to understand the life that began as that of the Solomon Heir.

Analysis of Robert Langdon's... Death?

     In my book that I am currently reading, The Lost Symbol, I recently completed its Chapter 103. This little "mini-chapter", consists of only about one and a half pages of text, however it goes into extreme detail about Robert Langdon's impending death by drowning in a glass box; a horribly ironic death to become him, given his past history that led to him developing a "crippling fear" of tight spaces.

     "He thought of the deep well into which he had fallen as a young boy, and of the terrifying night he spent treading water alone in the darkness of a bottomless pit. The trauma had scarred Langdon's psyche, burdening him with an overwhelming phobia of enclosed spaces,"

     "Tonight, buried alive, Robert Langdon was living his ultimate nightmare,"

     As I said before, how horrible that it seems he is to die not only in a tiny box, which only intensifies his time still alive, but he must also be yet again  surrounded by water; alone again, and this time with little to no hope of deliverance. The chapter ends with these three lines:
    
     "There was a blinding flash of light,"
     "And then blackness,"
     "Robert Langdon was gone,"

     Still, I find myself predicting that SOMEHOW Langdon manages to still live. Perhaps Director Sato will suddenly come bursting through the doors of Mal'ak's mansion and perform CPR on him. Perhaps Katherine Solomon will somehow break her bounds around her wrists and ankles and somehow destroy the fiberglass case he is being held captive in. I can't know for sure, but I just can't believe that Dan Brown would kill off his star protagonist before the book was even finished! I will have to read on to discover the credibility of Langdon's apparent demise.

Characterization of Mal'akh

     In the book, the charcter who refers to himself as Mal'akh has a very mysterious past and is very complex, indeed. We start out the book knowing next to nothing about him, yet as his scheme in the book progressess, so does our nunderstanding of his "past-life" and his new mission. He considers himself to have been reborn in Soganlik Prison (a Turkish prison). It is in this place that his plan to become a new man began.
    
     "The vast fortune belonging to Zachary Solomon had all been moved to an untraceable numbered account. Inmate 37 was a free man again-a free man with a massive fortune... There was nothing money couldn't buy- new identities, new passports, new hope. He chose a Greek name- Andros Dareios- Andros meaning "warrior", and Dareios meaning "wealthy"... 'I am Reborn',"

     "As the years passed, however... he felt as empty as he had in that Turkish prison,"

     Mal'akh still felt as though there was something still missing from his life. The initial "high" of his new-found money had begun to wear off and he was now facing whatever lay ahead. One day however, he remembered the stories that Zachary Solomon had told about  mysterious pyramid.

     "...Zachary Solomon-although long dead-still had something to offer"
    
     This entails how he changed throughout the begining of the book, and how he came upon his means to hold Peter Solomon ransom for the answers that would lead him tp the Ancient Mysteries. He took on the identity of Mal'akh after the night he attempted to rob the Solomon estate of the fabled Pyramid, and was shot by none other than Peter Solomon himself. That encounter only intensified Mal'akh's hatred towards Peter, which then led to the entire scheme he hatched which involved Langdon breaking the code to find the way to the Ancient Mysteries, and then taking them into his own knowledge. This proves how Mal'akh's personal characterization has GREATLY advanced the plot of the book.

The Lost Symbol (Book Recomendation)

     If you have read the other Dan Brown books that feature Robert Langdon, just enjoy the author's writing style, or haven't ever picked up anything by Brown, no matter what, you can LOVE reading The Lost Symbol. Robert Langdon is yet again mixed up in a world of mysteries, brotherhoods, symbols, conspiracies and the likes.
    
     This time, the story takes place in none other than Washington, D.C. where Langdon is called on an urgent request by his old colleague, Peter Solomon to speak at a lecture where the scheduled speaker suddenly dropped out. He immediately flies to the Capitol, but soon realizes that not everything is as it seems. There was never any lecture schedule for that night, and a threatening phone call from this previously assumed "assistant" to Peter, has Langdon realizing that he had been utterly played by this anonymous man. After a crazy adventure of dodging the Director of the CIA's Office of Security and her team, traveling through an underground book transfer (which due to his claustrophobia, may have been Langdon's most terrifying encounter yet!), and teaming up with Peter's sister Katherine, Langdon works towards whatever means necessary to discover an ancient secret; one that is required by Peter's captor in a matter of hours.
    
     If you enjoy mystery and adventure, I highly recommend that you add Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol to your reading list!

Analysis of Inoe Sato's Motives

     In the book that I am currently reading, The Lost Symbol, I find myself wondering HOW Inoue Sato,  the Director of the CIA knew exactly where Robert Langdon was located on the night when Peter Solomon's hand was discovered in the middle of the Rotunda in Washington, D.C. Sato didn't seem particularly keen on sharing how she had received her information either, when she felt that Langdon was beginning to question her information's credibility.

     "'This man who called me,' Langdon told Sato, 'was the only one who knew I was coming to the Capitol tonight, so whoever informed you I was here tonight, that's your man. I recommend--'"

     "'Where I got my information is not your concern,' Sato interrupted, voice sharpening. 'My top priority at the moment is to cooperate with this man, and I have information suggesting you are the only one who can give him what he wants,'" (Brown 77)

     You notice that Sato was very as she put it "cooperative" with Mal'akh; who could possibly be a potential murderer. He had after all severed a man's right hand just to follow an ancient tradition, with his own horribly sadistic twist. I wonder if perhaps she is in on the entire operation with Mal'akh. She is after all the Director of the CIA; Central INTELLIGENCE Agency. Perhaps this long-kept  Ancient Mysteries could hold some kind of information that she wishes to get her hands on. Just a thought that I would like to keep record of, just in case it turns out to be true, or at least see if I was maybe even on the right track.

Book Recomendation! (Angels and Demons)

     The prerequisite to The Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol (the book that I am currently reading), Dan Brown's Angels and Demons is in my opinion one of his finest works. It takes place in the modern day Vatican City, where Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is swept up in a whirlwind experience that involves the examination of a murdered physicist, a mysterious Vatican spy known as Janus, and an ancient brotherhood known as the Illuminati that appears to remain active to this day. The Professor is in a race against time to discover the whereabouts of a time bomb planted inside the Vatican. He, along with Italian scientist Vittoria Vetra embark on a chaotic journey that takes them all across Rome and through its many historical monuments and buildings (both those that are world renowned and famously known, to those that have been long forgotten by most).
     In my opinion, the book is a great read for nearly everyone. It has so many elements of so many different genres that I feel it is bound to mix well with practically any reader's taste. There is action that has to do with the conspiracy element, along with undertones of science fiction, countless historical references, and even a hint of romance. I highly recommend the book Angels and Demons to all who feel like their taste in books falls into any or all of these categories; and I especially recommend and challenge those who don't think so, to give the book a try. After all,  you will never know what you have been missing until you give a try. Maybe you will even have to continue on and read more of Dan Brown's works.