You Know You Love Me, a Gossip Girl Novel by Cecily Von Ziegesar
I just started this book, and so far it is every entertaining! This is the second in a series of 10 books in the Gossip Girl books, so I am already familiar with the characters and the storyline somewhat. There is also a T.V. show based on these novels with the same name, and I started watching the show before I read the books. My friend has all the books and she lent them to me after I started to watch and get interested. They are a little juvenile I must admit, but they are fun to read, and everybody talks about them so it's good to be in the know. It is different watching the show first and then reading the books, because they set the show up to be different than what it says in the books, so it is hard to follow two different stories, but fun at the same time. The good thing about seeing the show first is that now I can put faces with names, although normally when I read the book first the movie ruins it for me. Part of the fun of reading is imagining what everything looks like and what will happen, but because of the writer's strike it has not been on for a while, and now that I am seriously reading the books that's not a bad thing.
xoxo, gossip girl
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Outside Reading - Week 7, Post A
You Know You Love Me, a Gossip Girl Novel by Cecily Von Ziegesar
VOCAB
-cropped (59)- to cut off the ends or a part of
-nosed (108)- to move or push forward with or as with the nose
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
1) "They were better than nothing" (40). This is a cliche, it is overused to the point that is has no meaning.
2) "But Dan had eyes for only one girl" (60). This is a metaphor, Dan looks at other girls but he doesn't like other girls like he likes this one.
3) "He lay back in the grass and looked up at the orange autumn leaves fluttering in the trees overhead" (73). This is imagery, painting the scene, but it is also personification, giving the leaves the ability to flutter.
QUOTE
"Blair crossed her arms over her chest. 'We don't have two hours.'" (139). This quote shows the attitude that Blair has about herself. It shows that she thinks everyone should wait on her and she is entitled to everything. This quote is important because all of the kids in this book act and feel the same way.
THEME
You can't always get what you want.
VOCAB
-cropped (59)- to cut off the ends or a part of
-nosed (108)- to move or push forward with or as with the nose
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
1) "They were better than nothing" (40). This is a cliche, it is overused to the point that is has no meaning.
2) "But Dan had eyes for only one girl" (60). This is a metaphor, Dan looks at other girls but he doesn't like other girls like he likes this one.
3) "He lay back in the grass and looked up at the orange autumn leaves fluttering in the trees overhead" (73). This is imagery, painting the scene, but it is also personification, giving the leaves the ability to flutter.
QUOTE
"Blair crossed her arms over her chest. 'We don't have two hours.'" (139). This quote shows the attitude that Blair has about herself. It shows that she thinks everyone should wait on her and she is entitled to everything. This quote is important because all of the kids in this book act and feel the same way.
THEME
You can't always get what you want.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Outside Reading - Week 6, Post B
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
Yet again, all I can do is comment on the ingenious fabulosity of this book. It is somewhat challenging to continuously blog week after week on a book that I have been finished with for a few weeks already (note the extensive use of very descriptive, page filling, adjectives), but I finished in such a short time because believe me, it was truly that good, and if you haven't read it already, there should be nothing stopping you: go for it (note the McCarthy style of "setting the scene," I am very influenced by the books that I am currently reading). For instance, while I was reading DaVinci, all I could think about was what was going to happen next, and when I wasn't reading, I wanted to be; following the intensive as well as intricate story line was an entire thought process on its own. Another example of my delving into my current books was when we were reading Much Ado About Nothing, I started speaking in Shakespearean language, saying, "why, have not you read that book of great stature," as Benedick would say, or some might argue that Yoda could have also said that. But seriously, that book did a lot of good for me, now I know much more about European history and also the fictional story of the history of my religion, and if anybody ever questions it, I have the knowledge now to argue a convincing debate (and that knowledge also came from our debates in L.A, how fitting). Enough language arts jokes, I'm giving up and signing off.
Yet again, all I can do is comment on the ingenious fabulosity of this book. It is somewhat challenging to continuously blog week after week on a book that I have been finished with for a few weeks already (note the extensive use of very descriptive, page filling, adjectives), but I finished in such a short time because believe me, it was truly that good, and if you haven't read it already, there should be nothing stopping you: go for it (note the McCarthy style of "setting the scene," I am very influenced by the books that I am currently reading). For instance, while I was reading DaVinci, all I could think about was what was going to happen next, and when I wasn't reading, I wanted to be; following the intensive as well as intricate story line was an entire thought process on its own. Another example of my delving into my current books was when we were reading Much Ado About Nothing, I started speaking in Shakespearean language, saying, "why, have not you read that book of great stature," as Benedick would say, or some might argue that Yoda could have also said that. But seriously, that book did a lot of good for me, now I know much more about European history and also the fictional story of the history of my religion, and if anybody ever questions it, I have the knowledge now to argue a convincing debate (and that knowledge also came from our debates in L.A, how fitting). Enough language arts jokes, I'm giving up and signing off.
Outside Reading - Week 6, Post A
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
VOCAB
- caliber (360)- the diameter of something of circular section, esp. that of the inside of a tube
- anaphylactic(363)- exaggerated allergic reaction to a foreign protein resulting from previous exposure to it.
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
1. "If you're smart enough to read it, you're permitted to know what is being said" (205). This is a cliche, it is used as sarcasm and is not fitting in this context.
2. "A piece of this puzzle is missing, Langdon thought" (207). This is a metaphor using the puzzle as a comparison for the mystery at hand.
3. "Langdon began to stand up but paused, spying the small, spent pistol shell on the floor beside the truck's precision-crafted door sill" (209). This is an example of imagery, using very descriptive words to describe an extremely intense situation.
QUOTE
"'I'm sorry about this' he said. 'I really have no choice'" (207). This quote is a direct speaking quote from the novel that really illustrates the suspense throughout this mystery. Brown puts cliff hangers at the end of each chapter and then switches to a different point of view. This was placed at the end of the chapter, right as the main characters are about to get shot, you don't know if the survive or not.
THEME
The overall theme is you never know what you will find if you just keep looking.
VOCAB
- caliber (360)- the diameter of something of circular section, esp. that of the inside of a tube
- anaphylactic(363)- exaggerated allergic reaction to a foreign protein resulting from previous exposure to it.
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
1. "If you're smart enough to read it, you're permitted to know what is being said" (205). This is a cliche, it is used as sarcasm and is not fitting in this context.
2. "A piece of this puzzle is missing, Langdon thought" (207). This is a metaphor using the puzzle as a comparison for the mystery at hand.
3. "Langdon began to stand up but paused, spying the small, spent pistol shell on the floor beside the truck's precision-crafted door sill" (209). This is an example of imagery, using very descriptive words to describe an extremely intense situation.
QUOTE
"'I'm sorry about this' he said. 'I really have no choice'" (207). This quote is a direct speaking quote from the novel that really illustrates the suspense throughout this mystery. Brown puts cliff hangers at the end of each chapter and then switches to a different point of view. This was placed at the end of the chapter, right as the main characters are about to get shot, you don't know if the survive or not.
THEME
The overall theme is you never know what you will find if you just keep looking.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Outside Reading - Week 5, Post B
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
Dear Dan Brown,
Thank you for writing this amazing mystery novel! It kept me entertained for weeks, three very short weeks. Now I have nothing to write about for the last four! It was very deserving of the British Book of the Year Award, and many more that I am sure it will come to win. It was extremely well written; I can't imagine coming up with a plot even half as extensive as that. I loved all of the suspense, and the writing techniques you used to convey that mood, like the cliffhangers at the end of each chapter, and even from page to page. Also, I liked the way you wrote it from multiple viewpoints, it gave the novel more perspective and background.
I also liked all of the historical references you incorporated. Now I feel like I have more understanding of those artworks mentioned and historical figures and groups. I have learned about a few of them and I am sure I will learn about more in the future, and now I have a point of reference, and also a deeper understanding of those people.
-Monika
Dear Dan Brown,
Thank you for writing this amazing mystery novel! It kept me entertained for weeks, three very short weeks. Now I have nothing to write about for the last four! It was very deserving of the British Book of the Year Award, and many more that I am sure it will come to win. It was extremely well written; I can't imagine coming up with a plot even half as extensive as that. I loved all of the suspense, and the writing techniques you used to convey that mood, like the cliffhangers at the end of each chapter, and even from page to page. Also, I liked the way you wrote it from multiple viewpoints, it gave the novel more perspective and background.
I also liked all of the historical references you incorporated. Now I feel like I have more understanding of those artworks mentioned and historical figures and groups. I have learned about a few of them and I am sure I will learn about more in the future, and now I have a point of reference, and also a deeper understanding of those people.
-Monika
Outside Reading - Week 5, Post A
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
VOCAB
-tinny(7)- lacking in timbre or resonance; sounding thin or twangy
-subterranean(189)- existing, situated, or operating below the surface of the earth; underground
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
1. "Sophie sensed an unexpected glimmer of contentment in his eyes"(186). This is imagery, a glimmer of contentment is a very sensual and descriptive phrase.
2. "A familiar, lopsided grin crossed his face"(186). This is personifying grin, giving it the ability to cross.
3. "On the cement floor below, hundreds of identical plastic crates lay aligned on a n enormous grid... like rows of small coffins in an underground crypt" (189). This is a simile comparing the crates to coffins.
QUOTE
"Sophie needed only to read the first line to know Langdon was correct" (186). This is how most of the book is written. You don't know what the characters are talking about until the next chapter. On the next page you find out a crucial code. It is an example of the cliffhanger found at the end of virtually each chapter.
THEME
Sometimes you come across unexpected circumstances, per fate, and it is best if you just roll with them.
VOCAB
-tinny(7)- lacking in timbre or resonance; sounding thin or twangy
-subterranean(189)- existing, situated, or operating below the surface of the earth; underground
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
1. "Sophie sensed an unexpected glimmer of contentment in his eyes"(186). This is imagery, a glimmer of contentment is a very sensual and descriptive phrase.
2. "A familiar, lopsided grin crossed his face"(186). This is personifying grin, giving it the ability to cross.
3. "On the cement floor below, hundreds of identical plastic crates lay aligned on a n enormous grid... like rows of small coffins in an underground crypt" (189). This is a simile comparing the crates to coffins.
QUOTE
"Sophie needed only to read the first line to know Langdon was correct" (186). This is how most of the book is written. You don't know what the characters are talking about until the next chapter. On the next page you find out a crucial code. It is an example of the cliffhanger found at the end of virtually each chapter.
THEME
Sometimes you come across unexpected circumstances, per fate, and it is best if you just roll with them.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Outside Reading - Week 4, Post B
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
I finished this book over the past few days, and WOW, it truly lives up to the expectations that people placed on it. It was one of the most well written novels I have ever read. I really liked how the plot seamlessly flowed along, and how it all fit together so perfectly in the end. With each new chapter there was a turn of events, which made the plot seem more confusing but even more exciting as well. Thinking back on all of the questions that I had, all of them were answered. When they made no sense earlier, they are very obvious now. The only thing I didn't like was how it was written from multiple perspectives. It was similar to Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close in that the narrator switched constantly, but in ELIC the change was very confusing, but in The Da Vinci Code the transitions were very clear and smooth. It is also similar to the movie Vantage Point because the event is witnessed from the "vantage points" of nine different people. In the movie, the transitions are confusing, but as I said earlier, they aren't in The DaVinci Code. However, I didn't like these changes in the novel because the view would switch during such a climactic part of the story, I wanted to know what would happen next and be in on the action, not listening to someone else's conversations. I suppose it was all a technique to create suspense, and it worked because I was on the edge the entire time I was reading, and i couldn't put it down.
I finished this book over the past few days, and WOW, it truly lives up to the expectations that people placed on it. It was one of the most well written novels I have ever read. I really liked how the plot seamlessly flowed along, and how it all fit together so perfectly in the end. With each new chapter there was a turn of events, which made the plot seem more confusing but even more exciting as well. Thinking back on all of the questions that I had, all of them were answered. When they made no sense earlier, they are very obvious now. The only thing I didn't like was how it was written from multiple perspectives. It was similar to Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close in that the narrator switched constantly, but in ELIC the change was very confusing, but in The Da Vinci Code the transitions were very clear and smooth. It is also similar to the movie Vantage Point because the event is witnessed from the "vantage points" of nine different people. In the movie, the transitions are confusing, but as I said earlier, they aren't in The DaVinci Code. However, I didn't like these changes in the novel because the view would switch during such a climactic part of the story, I wanted to know what would happen next and be in on the action, not listening to someone else's conversations. I suppose it was all a technique to create suspense, and it worked because I was on the edge the entire time I was reading, and i couldn't put it down.
Outside Reading - Week 4, Post A
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
VOCAB
-Baphomet (318)- An idol or symbolical figure which the Templars were accused of using in their mysterious rites
-vellum (323)- calfskin, lambskin, kidskin, etc., treated for use as a writing surface
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
1. " 'No more false than that of a mathematical cryptographer who believes in the imaginary number 'i' because it helps her break codes' "(342). This is an analogy. Langdon is comparing religious allegory in music to the use of imaginary numbers. He relates the situations to each other as a basis for comparison.
2. " 'We had the correct Pope on our second hit. Alexander.' He paused. 'A Pope' "(392). This is a pun/play on words. Langdon previously thought that by Pope, Jacques was referring to a Holy Father. Truly he was being tricky and referring to Alexander Pope; a different kind of Pope.
3. "Sophie felt as if she were being hurtled through space with no idea where she would land" (304). This is a simile, comparing Sophie's feeling to the sensation of cluelessly being flung through the blackness of space.
QUOTE
"an ancient word of wisdom frees this scroll/and helps us keep her scatter'd family whole/a headstone praised by Templars is the key/and atbash will reveal the truth to thee" (302). This is a riddle that was secretly encrypted into a box deep in a safely guarded vault. It resonates with me because it is in iambic pentameter, which we recently learned was used in formal proclamations, indicating that this riddle is of great symbolic importance.
THEME
Always keep your guard up because you never know what could be coming your way or when there is a turn of events.
VOCAB
-Baphomet (318)- An idol or symbolical figure which the Templars were accused of using in their mysterious rites
-vellum (323)- calfskin, lambskin, kidskin, etc., treated for use as a writing surface
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
1. " 'No more false than that of a mathematical cryptographer who believes in the imaginary number 'i' because it helps her break codes' "(342). This is an analogy. Langdon is comparing religious allegory in music to the use of imaginary numbers. He relates the situations to each other as a basis for comparison.
2. " 'We had the correct Pope on our second hit. Alexander.' He paused. 'A Pope' "(392). This is a pun/play on words. Langdon previously thought that by Pope, Jacques was referring to a Holy Father. Truly he was being tricky and referring to Alexander Pope; a different kind of Pope.
3. "Sophie felt as if she were being hurtled through space with no idea where she would land" (304). This is a simile, comparing Sophie's feeling to the sensation of cluelessly being flung through the blackness of space.
QUOTE
"an ancient word of wisdom frees this scroll/and helps us keep her scatter'd family whole/a headstone praised by Templars is the key/and atbash will reveal the truth to thee" (302). This is a riddle that was secretly encrypted into a box deep in a safely guarded vault. It resonates with me because it is in iambic pentameter, which we recently learned was used in formal proclamations, indicating that this riddle is of great symbolic importance.
THEME
Always keep your guard up because you never know what could be coming your way or when there is a turn of events.
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