Interesting Quotes from Water for Elephants!

Okay, so I need some interesting/important quotes in my blog, so here are the ones that I found:

"'You were with the Benzini Brothers? What years?'...'You were there for the stampede?' 'Sure was!' I exclaim...'That's probably the most famous circus disaster of all time.'"

I thought that this quote was interesting because a chapter back, the stampede was described. I felt like I was at the disaster, and I was a part of history [cheesy, I know] It was a very interesting twist, and I really enjoyed it.

"I reach for the napkin, and as I do I catch sight of my hands. They are knobby and crooked, think-skinned, and - like my ruined face - covered with liver spots. My face. I push the porridge aside and open my vanity mirror. I should know better by now, but somehow I still expect to see myself. Instead, I find an Appalachian apple doll, withered and spotty, with dewlaps and bags and long floppy ears. A few strands of white hair spring absurdly from its spotted skull."

This quote is one of many depressing ones said by Jacob in the nursing home. It really shows the fact that he is not comfortable with getting older, and being cooped up in his building really depresses him. He is used to the circus life, being surrounded by people and activity, and now he has to sit in his wheelchair and eat - according to him - disgusting hospital food. Another part in the book that really shows the magnitude to which he misses the 'outside world' is when one of the nurses gives him and apple, and he cries when he tastes it because it has been so long since he has had real food.

Sundays SUCK

Especially this Sunday because its the last day of break, and I have this ridiculous Top Ten list that I have to write for English. poop. The only thing I have to look forward to tonight is the Amazing Race, and that's at 7 pm. I have 3 hours and 15 minutes to worry about school and finals and top ten lists and play practice. Ahh this sucks.

So anyways, I finished Fanboy and Gothgirl a few days ago, and it was overall a good book...I was pleasantly surprised. I was also unexpectedly pleased with the ending. I was predicting that the book would finish with everybody unhappy, but it turns out that only Kyra/Gothgirl turns out bad. To sum up the main points, Cal and Fanboy end their feud and become friends again, and Fanboy finally accepts that his mom is pregnant and he is going to have a little sister. At last, he starts to accept his situation at home. The step-fascist is now Tony, and his mom is no longer the nagging, hormonal tyrant.

I would recommend this book if you have spare time and want a reasonably easy read. This book is enjoyable, but its not the best I've ever read.

I've Read a Lot

I've read a lot in the past few days, and a lot has happened. Heres a very brief list of the main things:

• Shortly after my last post, a new character, Kyra, was introduced in the book. Kyra aka Goth-girl is an outrageous, cynical girl who shares his love of comics as well as his hatred for jocks and bullies. For some reason he finds himself comfortable telling her things that he hasn't told anybody. Ever. He tells her about his comic book that not even his best [and only] friend Cal knows about.
• Cal and Fanboy have a spat, and Fanboy loses Cal. They don't talk in the halls, and they ignore each other in class.
• Kyra and Fanboy get in a fight, and Kyra gets very angry at Fanboy. She ignores him in the hall, and even tells Cal that Fanboy is gay and has a thing for him
• Fanboy's mom tells him that she can no longer drive him to the comic book convention that he has been waiting to go to for months. Fanboy's favorite graphic novel writer will be there, and he hopes to show Bendis his graphic novel that is his ticket out of his present life. The step-fascist hears the bad news and offers to take Fanboy to the convention. From that point on, the step-fascist is referred to as 'step dad', or 'Tony'.
• At the convention, Fanboy meets Bendis and tries to show him the comic book. Bendis tells Fanboy that he doesn't have time to go over it. Fanboy is crushed. He feels that he has blown his last chance at hope for a better life. Kyra showed up unexpectedly, she was still mad at Fanboy, but she came for his graphic novel. She really liked it, and wanted to know what Bendis thought of it. Fanboy told her that he dismissed it, and she rages. She goes up to Bendis and causes a scene in front of the whole convention.

This portion of the book dealt with a lot of issues. Relationships, love, suicide, hope, and many others. For such an obscure title, this book brings up some very intricate topics, and I'm excited to read more.

All About Whats-His-Name

I figured that I should start talking about my new book, and so far there isn't much to discuss except for the main character. The book is written in first person, and his name hasn't really been mentioned yet, so I don't exactly know the protagonist's name. I'll just refer to him as 'Fanboy', since that is in the title of the book.

As I mentioned earlier, Fanboy is a comic book nerd who is constantly harassed in school by pretty much everyone. He only has one true friend, Cal, who is on the football team, but shares the same love for comics. Fanboy has accepted the fact that Cal cannot be seen with him in public, and he doesn't really mind it. He lives with his mother - parents are divorced - and the "step-fascist", the beer guzzling brute that his mother remarried.

In order to escape all of these daily frustrations, Fanboy has a secret project. He stays up late and works on his own comic book, that he hopes one day will be his ticket out of the little hick town. Fanboy's dream is to become a famous comic book writer.

I enjoy the narration by Fanboy, mainly because of his witty and sarcastic side comments...they add a comic element to the novel. It also provides a window to the lives of those outside of our little Edinian bubble.

Almost there...

Only four more blogs left until I meet the necessary 14! Not that I don't like it, but I always get behind on my blogs, and then I worry about it until they're done, but by the time I have the ones I was behind on completed, I have two more to post. Its not that bad, really...it could be something worse.

So I started my new book that I got for Christmas, and surprisingly I'm not completely bored or weirded out. So far, its about this total nerd who really likes comic books and hes bullied by kids in high school, etc. Pretty typical so far, but its not that bad. I'll keep you posted on whats to come...

Happy Holidays..

I am happy to report that I received a book for Christmas from my great-aunt and uncle, and even though the title is a bit odd, I think that I will try it out for my new outside reading book. The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl is not the name of a book I would normally pick up, so we'll if its something that is enjoyable...I'll let you know..



Thank goodness its only Tuesday, there is much more break to be had :] enjoy it.

I think I'm Going to be an Excellent Sadies Date.

Sadies is finally here. I'm not in much of a party mood, so we'll see how this goes....

Anyways, today in class, we read through most of Act II in Much Ado, and I starred as Claudio. I am still at a loss for what my outside reading book should be. I started reading Inkheart, but then realized that everyone had read that in fourth grade, so I decided to choose another book. Then I saw Love in the Time of Cholera lying around, and picked it up. That was not the book for me right now. So here I am again, right back where I started, with no book.

Nothing else to say as of now.