Reading Reflection

 I have never kept a blog before and I must say this was quite an experience.  This blog helped me to reflect more deeply about what I read.  It also motivated me to keep reading.  I tend to go through reading-for-pleasure spurts (during my undergrad, I stopped reading completely due to how much I was required to read for each class).  I'll read consistently for about and then stop for about a month.  It is so easy to just get too busy and make excuses; however, I do love to read.  My reading choices are eclectic.  I like almost anything.  During this time, I read a mystery, a classic, a horror, and now I believe a science fiction.  I don't like to keep myself in a well-defined bubble.  I hope that this experience keeps me motivated to keep reading.  I find the best time to read is right before I fall asleep (unless it's a really good book then I stay up way later than I should).  I have not always been fond of reading as an assignment, but I have to say I found this assignment very pleasurable.  Things teachers usually pick for students to read are very dull, very long, and very hard to read.  I hate when I sub and they want me to read aloud with the students from the textbook.  By the end of the day, I have read the passage at least six times and I find it very hard to follow along.  I believe this class has taught me the value of reading as an assignment and it has taught me how to get the most out of this type of assignment.  I was very skeptical when I first took this class.  Now that I understand the true meaning of literacy, I can say that I am a believer.  I hope to continue grower as a teacher, as a learner, and as a reader.

Reading log:  Monday: 9 pm - 10 pm
Wednesday:  1 pm - 2 pm
Saturday 9:30 pm - 10:30 pm

False Memory Part II

I didn't have much time to read this past week due to the death of my grandma.  It's amazing how busy you get preparing for a funeral.  There have been some interesting developments in the story.  I made a prediction that the characters were hypnotized.  Well I was partially correct.  There are trigger words that make the characters do whatever they are told to do; however, it's deeper than hypnotism.  When a person is hypnotized, they will not do anything they do not want to do.  These people will do anything.  Turns out the therapist is behind it.  I had a vague suspicion of this being the case.  I am looking forward to where the book is leading.  Dean Koontz knows how to weave an interesting tale.

Wednesday:  1 pm - 1:30 pm
Tuesday:  9 pm - 10 pm

False Memory Part I

I am continuing to read the Dean Koontz novel False Memory.  This is a strange book and is keeping what is really going on close to the chest.  There are some vague hints, but I'm sure that I'm going to be way off in my assessment (which I love!)  There are four people who seem intertwined in something devious (and one golden retriever). Only one seems unaffected by unusually behavior.  Susan has unexplained agoraphobia.  Martie is literally becoming scared of her own shadow and having strange fantasy about sharp objects.  Skeet goes into a strange trance.  Only Dave seems unaffected.  There is talk of a strange presence, and the golden retriever seems to react to something unseen.  My first guess is that these people have been hypnotized; however, Dean Koontz novels tend to travel into things a little more complex and imagnitive.  I look forward to finding out what is really going on.

Monday:  9 pm - 10 pm
Wednesday:  1 pm - 2 pm
Friday:  3 pm - 4 pm

Sad Cypress Part II

I finished the Agatha Christie novel early this week.  I must say that I could not figure out the ending.  It took me by surprise.  She left subtle clues all throughout the book; however, I have to say that none of my predictions were correct.  Not only was the story itself an interesting read but also the way she told the story was interesting.  I look forward to reading my next Agatha Christie novel.  I also began  a new Dean Koontz book this week.  It's called False Memory.  Its about two women who suddenly develop serious disorders.  One develops agoraphobia (fear of open spaces) suddenly, and the other develops a rare form of autophobia (fear of oneself).  She starts showing symptoms by being deathly afraid of her shadow, and then being deathly afraid of looking in the mirror.  These symptoms come suddenly and randomly.  These two women know they are being completely irrational, but it does not ease their absolute terror.  I cannot imagine being trapped in a situation like that.  I cannot imagine knowing that you are being completely irrational but being completely helpless about it.  I am terrified of heights; however, I am not so irrationally terrified that I cannot talk myself into overcoming that fear.  I do this as often as I can, but it does not become any easier. 

Monday:  10 am - 11 am
Tuesday:  9 pm - 10 pm
Wednesday:  9 pm -  10 pm

Sad Cypress Part I

I am currently reading an Agatha Christie book called Sad Cypress.  It is the first book that I have read written by Agatha Christie.  It is a tale about murder and a clever detective Hurcule Poirot.  A young girl has been poisoned out of jealously, and there is only one person who could have done it.  All the evidence points to a woman named Elinor Carlisle.  She broke off her engagement with her fiance because he was in love with Mary, the girl who was poisoned.  As this is my first Agatha Christie book, I don't know where this is headed.  I have a few ideas, but I hope they are all wrong.  I love when books take me by surprise.  Agatha Christie is supposed to be such a brilliant author because she understands the way people tick.  This book is told from various points of view with one chapter being completely written by letters (as in the ones that a person mails at the post office).  To tell the truth the only reason I decided to try an Agatha Christie book is because of a Dr. Who episode that was done about her.  I have not read very much British literature.  I am not very attached to the main characters; however, I am interested in how the story will end.  I'm over half way through and should have it finished by next week. 

Desperation Part III

I finished up Desperation this week.  I had mentioned in last week's entry that King's theology is that God is cruel; however, the end takes an interesting twist. The boy who has made the deal with God believes that he will have to die to accomplish this mission.  This does not bother him because his entire family has been killed.  At this point, it would be harder for him to live than to die.  It turns out this is not the fate that God has for the boy.  The person who must defeat the evil spirit is a famous writer who has been dead inside for a long time.  Near the end of the story, he has what John Weasley called a "warming of the heart."  For the first time in a long time, he felt alive.  He also knew he had to die.  The boy is beyond upset.  The writer tells him, "God is cruel.  Sometimes he makes us live."  The remaining survivors leave the town, and the writer destroys the evil spirit. The final body count is equal to eight.  While the survivors are leaving, the boy finds a note in his pocket from the writer.  It states, "Stay ahead of the mummy. 1 John 4/8  Remember!"  1 John 4:8 is "God is love."  An interesting message from a man who makes his living writing dark tales.  Next, I will be reading an Agatha Christie novel  Sad Cypress.  It's my first Christie novel.  I'm looking forward to reading it.

Reading log:
Monday:  1 pm - 2pm
Wednesday 9 pm - 10 pm
Thursday 10:30 pm - 11 pm

Desperation Part II

I am about halfway through my Stephen King book, and it has taken an interesting turn.  It is not simply about an insane cop killing people.  In the town of Desperation, there is some primeval force at work, and God has made a deal with a young boy to stop it.  The boy, David, had a friend who was hit by a car, and the doctors claimed that the friend was brain dead.  There was absolutely no way the friend would ever wake up.  David goes to say good bye to his friend in the hospital.  After the hospital visit, David prays for his friend to get better.  God tells David that he will answer his prayer, but David owes him.  The next day the friend wakes up. David’s family ends up in Desperation and it’s quid pro quo.   It’s an interesting twist.  Stephen King is by no means a theologian but his views on God are very interesting.  While God is a loving God, he is also a cruel God.  While David seems to have the hand of God protecting him, his family is not immune.  David watches helplessly as his younger sister is murdered right in front of him.  The fact that be believes that God is cruel is actually a comfort to him in the times which he must do difficult tasks.  So far the body count if up to four.  I’m sure more people are going to die, but I’m really attached to the survivors.  I can’t wait to see what else Mr. King has in store for me!

Reading log Friday:  1 pm – 2 pm

Saturday:  9 pm – 10 pm

Desperation

In the spirit of Halloween, I started reading the book Desperation by Stephen King.  As of right now, the book is about a crazy, homicidal cop who keeps abducting people off of Highway 50 the “loneliest highway in America.”  So far the body count is up to two people:  one adult male, and one little girl.  Stephen King is one of the most creative, weird, and depraved authors I have ever read.  Unlike To Kill a Mockingbird, I don’t see any life lessons coming from this book.  The other night I was driving in Wichita and I saw a cop who had pulled someone over.  I was terrified and glad it wasn’t me.  Knowing Stephen King, there will be many twists and turns along the way, and I am very excited to discover what they are. 

Reading log:  Monday:  9:15 pm - 10 pm

Wednesday:  10 pm - 11 pm

Saturday:  2 pm - 2:30 pm

To Kill a Mockingbird Part II

I have now finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird.  There are many obvious lessons to be learned from this wonderful book; however, I want to look at a less obvious one.  The character of Aunt Alexandra is an immensely unlikable person. She is Atticus Finch's sister.  All that seems to matter to her is keeping up appearances.  Then there is a point in the novel in which Tom Robinson is killed, and it tears Atticus up.  For an instance, he seems defeated.  Now, Aunt Alexandra did not support Atticus in his decision to defend Tom Robinson who is a black man.  She seemed to think that it was giving their family a bad name.  Her reaction to Tom's death is unexpected.  She is shaken, and she is angry.  She sees what it is doing to her brother, and she can't stand it.  This teaches us that people are three-dimensional.  There is a reason for the way they act, and there is usually more to them than meets the eye.  Although Aunt Alexandra did many things that makes the reader cringe, it turns out she does truly care for her family.  She only does what she does only because she believes it is what is best for them.  This lesson can be summed up by the old cliche, "Don't judge a book by its cover."

Reading log:
Tuesday: 9 pm -9:30 pm
Wednesday:  10:15 pm - 10:40 pm
Friday 1 pm - 1:30 pm

To Kill a Mockingbird-Miss Maudie

Last Sunday, I watched the movie To Kill a Mockingbird staring Gregory Peck.  For those of you who haven't seen it, I recommend that you add it to the list of movies to see before you die.  I had read the book in middle school but that was almost 10 years ago.  I realized that I didn't remember a single thing about the book, so I decided it was time for a reread.  I've been reading it for the past week and am a little over halfway done.  I'm glad I recently watched the movie because now when I'm reading I can visualize Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch and all the other characters as they appear in the movie.  I am a very visual person so that can make it hard for me to visualize some things by just reading about them (this does not make reading any less enjoyable for me).  This is why it is sometimes beneficial for me to watch the movie before I read the book.  To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming-of-age story told from the perspective of Scout, a young tomboy girl growing up during the depression.  She has an older brother named Jem who she looks up to.  During the summer a boy named Dill spends his time next door.  Dill and Scout are engaged, and Dill exclaims that he will never love another woman.  Her father is Atticus Finch who is a lawyer.  I have read that Harper Lee actually based the character of Atticus on her father.  Scout and Jem's mother died when they were younger so the family is helped by a Negro housekeeper named Cal.  Down the street lives a mysterious family:  the Radleys.  Their son Boo never leaves the house and many days the children spend trying to draw him out.  There are several more secondary characters; however, I am going to talk about one in particular:  Miss Maudie.  Miss Maudie is a neighbor of Scout and Jem who spends the majority of her time tending to her flowers.  She forges a strong relationship with the children allowing them to play in her yard and spending time with Scout when Jem feels he's outgrown his younger sister.  She's frank and honest, but not in a mean way.  One night her house catches fire, and the entire neighborhood works to save as many of her possessions as possible from her house.  Firefighters are unable to save it.  The next day the children go to see Miss Maudie who is working in her garden. Her house was all she had.  They expected her to be upset.  Instead.  "[...] the shadow of her old grin crossed her face. 'Always wanted a smaller house, Jem Finch.  Gives me more yard.  Just think, I'll have more room for my azaleas now!'"  Here who is woman who has seemingly lost everything looking on the bright side of things.  People have felt a whole lot sorrier for themselves for a whole lot less.  There are some things that a person just cannot change.  There is no point in lamenting that fact.  A person may not be able to control everything about their life, but they can control what they do about it.  I want to be more like Miss Maudie.  It's time to stop dwelling on our circumstances and start asking, "What am I going to do about it?"

Reading log:
Monday-10:00 pm -10:30 pm
Wednesday-9:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Thursday-10:30 pm-11:30 pm