Holding on and Letting go

Hi! During this next week I will be blogging about the book "The Here and Now" by Ann Brashares.
 

Summary
 
Prenna James comes from a world where everything has gone wrong. She, along with other people, were able to escape, but now she has to live in a community dominated by rules. There she meets a boy named Ethan Jarves, who knows that she is different, and creates a strong friendship with him. But what Ethan must never discover is that Prenna comes from another time, the future. Strangely, an old, homeless man knows her secrete and tells Prenna that the only way to save the world from the tragedy they both know will happen, she must help him avoid a murder that will take place in three weeks.  


Quote 1
 
"I put my feet flat on the floor as the projector hums to action at the back of the hall, cutting a beam through the dark air and slowly illuminating the first face on the wide screen that hangs behind the old altar. It takes a moment for the shadows and shapes to become a person, to become someone I know or don't know." (p.8)

This quote caught my attention because it has a lot of imagery. The author writes in a way that includes many of our senses. For example, she incorporates sight and hearing when she describes the picture being displayed by the projector, showing how the images begin to evolve and the sound the projector makes. This is a good technique because it makes the reader feel that he or she is part of the scene.
 

Quote 2
 
"Sometimes I only hear what we don't say. I only think the things I shouldn't think and I remember what I should forget." (p.19)
 
I would like to connect this quote to something that's going on in my life right. I try to let go and forget something but it's very hard. But I've learned that it's extremely important to let go of the things that, even though they once made us happy, now causes us great pain. We can't move on until we let go. We can't keep expecting that something will happen because maybe, it never will. This is how we miss all the other beautiful things in life.
 

Conclusion

I think that in the next chapters, Prenna will need to tell Ethan her secrete so he can help her avoid the murder. I believe that Prenna and Ethan will fall in love and, because it's against the rules, something bad will happen. I also predict that Prenna is going to discover why her father didn't escape with her and her mother. I'm really enjoying this book so far and it's very interesting; hopefully, you find my bogs interesting and entertaining as well. Don't forget to read my next posts to find out what will happen next! 

The Power of Love

Summary
After finishing reading the story to Allie, Noah and Allie go for a walk and get to know each other, since Allie has forgotten many things. Noah has to lie about somethings, like his and her name, so she won’t feel sad about forgetting people and events that were so important for her. For a moment during dinner, Allie remembers Noah, but instants later her disease affects her and she forgets again. Despite this Noah doesn’t give up; one night, he goes back to Allie’s room, she wakes up and remembers him! All the acts Noah did to revive their love finally gave result.

Quote 1

“Dusk I realized then, is just an illusion, because the sun is either above the horizon or below it. And that means that day and night are linked in a way that few things are; there cannot be one without the other, yet they cannot exist at the same time. How would it feel, I remember wondering, to be always together, yet forever apart?” (p. 176)


From this quote, I would like to recognize the poetic way it was written in. The author uses a simile to compare the characters life at this moment with the relationship between day and night. What Noah tries to say is that he is close to Allie, they live together in the same retirement house and spend some time together, but yet they aren't connected anymore because of Allie's sickness. 


Quote 2

"That life is simply a collection of little lives, each loved one at a time. " (p. 182)


I think that behind this quote there is a beautiful message. Each day we learn new things, we share our thoughts and stories, but most importantly we create new experiences and memories. Every day we have to live it without regrets, seeing the positive side of the life that's been given to us. 


Conclusion
I would definitely recommend this book, especially to teenage girls. It shows that true love does exist and never disappears, even if 60 years pass. Throughout the book, the author used many forms of writing that makes the book more enjoyable. There are metaphors, similes, techniques such as imagery and parts of poems. It’s I book you can’t miss reading. I hope you enjoyed my blogs about “The Notebook” by Nicholas Sparks as much as I enjoyed the book.

Bad News on the Way

Summary

The day after the big storm, Noah and Allie are visited by Allie’s mom, who tells them that Lon is in his way to New Bern. Allie feels very confused and doesn’t know what to do; she loves Noah and wants to stay with him, but if she does, she will hurt many people. Allie decides to leave Noah and talk to Lon. Noah, 80 years old, finishes telling the story to Allie, who doesn’t know that the story is about her nor knows who the man reading to her is. She has Alzheimer.

Quote 1

“If not for my diaries, I would swear I had lived only half as long as I have. Long periods of my life seem to have vanished. And even now I read the passages and wonder who I was when I wrote them, for I cannot remember the events of my life. There are times I sit and wonder where it all has gone.” (p. 163)

My first though after reading this quote was that we have to enjoy life and live in the moment, because once that moment is gone, we it can´t be recovered. The only way to re-live it is with our memories.

Quote 2

“No drowning man can know which drop of water his last breath did stop; … A wise poet’s words, yet they brought me no comfort. I don’t know what they meant or why I thought of them.” (p. 168)

When the doctors told Noah that his wife had Alzheimer, he thought about this quote but didn’t know why or its meaning. I think that it means that a person who know that’s dying doesn’t know what they’ll really die from in the end.

Conlcusion

I think that Noah doesn’t tell Allie who the girl in the story ends marrying because he wants to see if she remembers him or their past. I believe that in the end, Allie will remember Noah. The book is about to end and I must say that it’s one of the most beautiful loves stories I’ve read.  It’s written in a very wonderful way, it has some poetry and it’s highly entertaining. Don’t forget to read the last blogpost for this book!

Storms Deny, Storms Unite

Summary

The next morning, Noah wakes up and prepares Allie’s surprise; they’re going kayaking! Allie arrives the sky anticipates rain, but the reunited friends decide to kayak anyway. Unfortunately, after some time in the water, a big storm is created and Noah and Allie must to go back to the house. There, they dry, change and spend the rest of the day together in front of the fireplace. Allie and Noah look at each other and feel more in love than before.

Quote 1

“The air was cool on his skin, almost crisp, and the sky was a haze of different colors: black directly above him like a mountain peak, then blues of infinite range, becoming lighter until it met the horizon, where gray took its place. He took a few breaths, smelling pine trees and brackish water, and began to reflect.” (p. 88)

What I like about this quote, is that the author, Nicholas Sparks, makes you feel part of the scene thanks to the use of imagery. He includes three of the five senses to show the landscape he’s describing: tact, sight, and scent. This way, the author creates a clear image of the scenery in the reader’s mind.

Quote 2

“Now, it seemed, nothing was simple. It seemed so improbable, everything falling into place as it had, and she wondered what she would have been doing now, had she never seen the article in the paper.” (p. 92)

I wanted to connect this quote to real life because sometimes, this happens. We think about how different things could be if we had done something in another way. But sadly, we can’t change the past, if we did something wrong, we must forget it. If we did something right, we must enjoy it. If we didn’t do something at the right moment, we have to move on. Maybe for Allie everything would be easier if she hadn’t read the article, but she did; still, everything could turn out well.

Conclusion

I believe that any time by now, Lon will arrive and discover what Allie is truly doing in New Bern and why. Maybe there’ll be a fight or Allie will have to decide with whom she wants to stay. I think it will be very hard, choices sometimes are very hard to make and they can confuse until you don’t know what to do. So far, I’m really enjoying the book and I look forward to continue reading it. It’s a love story many people won’t forget…

Many Surprises

Summary

Noah and Allie spend the rest of the evening eating dinner and talking until it was very late. For some time, they each sit on a rocking on Noah’s house porch, both thinking about the other. When Allie is about to leave, Noah asks her if she would like to spend the next day with him because he had a wonderful surprise for her. Naturally, Allie says yes. Meanwhile, Allie’s fiancé, Lon, tries to understand why she isn’t answering his calls. He begins to think: something about New Bern… shopping… relaxing… a summer Allie had spent with a boy there long ago… and suddenly an idea pops into his head. What if she’s with that boy? 

Quote 1

“It wasn’t Noah she loved; she loved what they once had been. Besides, it was normal to feel this way. (…) Yet was it normal for her insides to twitch whenever he came near? Was it normal to confess things she could never tell anyone else? Was it normal to come here three weeks from her wedding day?” (p. 63)

What I think is happening to Allie in this part of the book is that she is falling in love again with Noah but doesn’t want to admit it so she won’t hurt Lon. In my opinion, she should open her heart and listen to what it’s saying. If Noah makes her feel like nobody else does, she should stay with him. Every girl deserves to be with a boy that makes her feel special, right?

Quote 2

“And sometime after midnight, on that clear October evening, it all rushed inward and Noah was overcome with longing. And if anyone had seen him, they would have seen what looked like an old man, someone who’d aged a lifetime in just a couple of hours. Someone bent over in his rocker with his face in his hands and tears in his eyes. He didn’t know how to stop them.” (p. 79)

 

 

In this quote, something similar to the first one is happening. Noah is beginning to understand that he misses Allie and he wants to be with her, but her engagement is getting in his feelings’ way. If Noah loves Allie, he has to fight for her.

Conclusion

I believe that in the next chapters, Lon will go to New Bern to find Allie and figure out why she really left. I predict that the surprise Noah has for Allie is something they used to do in the past. Finally, I think Allie will change her mind about marrying Lon to be with his first true love: Noah. To discover what will happen next, don’t forget to read my next blogpost!

Open Notebook, A Thousand Stories

Hi! During this summer I will be summarizing, responding to quotes and sharing my thoughts about the book “The Notebook” by Nicholas Sparks.


Summary

Noah Calhoun is sitting in a chair besides a bed where an old woman is laying, he slowly takes out a notebook and begins to read from its pages. The story begins in a big house in North California, where Noah is working and thinking about the best summer of his life he spent with the most amazing girl he’d ever met. Many miles away, Allison Nelson reads an article in the newspaper about Noah’s house and she feels the need to go back there, the place she’d spent an unforgettable summer as a teenager. She has something very important to tell Noah, so she decides to go. When Allie arrives unannounced and approaches Noah, memories of the time they spent together replay in their minds and reminds them how much they’d love each other. But Allie had to share the news she’s come to tell: she is engaged.


Quote 1

“Costal clouds slowly began to role across the evening sky, turning silver with the reflection of the moon. As they thickened, he leaned his head back and rested it against the rocking chair.” (p. 11)


What caught my attention about this quotes is the form of writing that the author uses. When he talks about the clouds, he uses imagery to create an image in the readers mind about what he’s explaining; Sparks describes the clouds and it actions very in detail by using adjectives such as thick and silver.

Quote 2

 

“Suddenly she felt guilty about showing up this way, without warning, and this made it harder. She had thought it would be easier somehow, that she would know what to say. But she didn’t. Everything that came into her head seemed inappropriate, somehow lacking.” (p. 37)

Not so long ago, and in many occasions, I’ve felt the same way Allie does at this part of the story. I thought about everything I wanted to and somehow rehearsed it in my mind. But when the moment came, I didn´t say it completely, how I wanted to say it, or didn´t say it at all. However, I realized that it’s important to tell people what you want to tell them because if you don’t, there can be misunderstandings or arguments.

Conclusion

So far, I really enjoy reading this book because the author has a very beautiful form of writing, it’s interesting, and entertaining. It’s a love story full of twists and adventures which is just starting that I believe other girls will like. My predictions for the next chapters is that Allie will stay with Noah to spend time with him. I think they will fall in love again and have new amazing experiences. If you want to know if my predictions were right, don’t miss my next blogposts! 

A New Version of the Story

During the last couple of weeks, I’ve been reading the book “Saving Juliet” by Suzanne Selfors. Here is a summary of what it’s about:

Mimi Wallingford is a sixteen year old girl whose life revolve around her mother’s dream of her becoming an actress. But after deciding that she is tired of learning lines and performing in a stage, Mimi and a famous star named Troy, are magically transported to William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Verona, thanks to a special quill she got from her aunt. The two teenagers meet Romeo, Juliet, Benvolio, Friar Francis and many other characters from the play, but start to change the story that was originally written. Mimi and Troy realize that they are the ones writing the play since their arrival, and to get back home, they must reach the end. After an elaborated plan and major events, the actors return to Manhattan and decide they are going to choose their own destiny.

Quote 1

“Two daughters, both alike in dignity, forced down paths of their mothers’ choosing. I had never realized the similarity between Juliet’s and my plight. It made perfect sense that my subconscious had selected this story for my dreamworld.” (Selfors, 82)

After acting as Juliet for such a long time, Mimi becomes tired of “Romeo and Juliet” and the character she plays. But when she arrives to Verona, enters the Capulet house and meets Juliet in person, she realizes she underestimated the girl she, at the beginning, only saw as desperate and lovesick. This quote shows how Mimi discovers that Juliet shares the same problem as her: a controlling mother. They both want to be the ones to decide what to do in their life. I think this scene is very valuable because it teaches us that we can’t judge other people before we meet them; they can end up being the person we didn’t expected. Things always happen for a reason, and in Mimi’s case, she ends up in fictional world to understand that she must be the one to decide her future.

Quote 2

“Every person has a right to be unhappy, to suffer in peace without someone else telling her that she is acting like a spoiled brat. Without a certain someone telling her constantly that her life is the stuff that everyone else dreams about. Happiness is not a one-size-fits-all kind of thing.” (117)

When I read this quote, I realized that it has a very deep message. My first thought was what that the statement Mimi makes is true: everyone has the right to be unhappy without anyone questioning him or her. I think that the lesson the author tries to teach with this is that people have to be left to decide on their own if they want to be sad. In some occasions, it’s hard for people to think positively and have a simile on their face. That’s why others shouldn’t intervene negatively in that people’s feelings; they should try to help them and make them feel better, not worse.

Conclusion

I have really enjoyed to read “Saving Juliet” by Suzanne Selfors over the past few weeks. I would definitely recommend it for girls ages 12 and up because it’s a book full with adventure, suspense and love (which I guess some boys wouldn’t like)! The author uses a good language, includes elements from our modern world, achieves her book to make sense, and shares many valuable messages in her writing. In my point of view, it’s important for writers to have these elements to create a great book. It’s always fun to read a book like this one! I hope you liked my blog about this crazy adventure as much as I liked to read it.

 To conclude this blog post, I would like to share this quote that I learned while watching a movie. Throughout the book, I've thought about this quote and connected it to the parts when the characters aren't thinking positively about their life but then look forward.