My School Summer Reading List

I know its a little too late to put up this list considering school starts in less then 2 weeks for me and I have yet to read any of the books I was suppose to.

But here are all the books that are needed to be read, understood, annotated, understood front to back cover-back to front cover, formulate a critical essay in which I make up shit about themes and how this relates to my life and whatever the hell the teacher wants.


The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

Synopsis

A brilliant profile of the Lost Generation, Hemingway's first bestseller captures life among the expatriates on Paris's Left Bank during the 1920s, the brutality of bullfighting in Spain, and the moral and spiritual dissolution of a generation.

This one I'm looking forward to reading. Why? Because Jess Mariano, the bad boy hottie who played the only literate boyfriend of Rory in Gilmore Girls, mentioned Ernest Hemingway. And ever since then I been wanting to read it. Now I get to kill two bird with one stone.

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

Faulkner's distinctive narrative structures--the uses of multiple points of view and the inner psychological voices of the characters--in one of its most successful incarnations here in As I Lay Dying. In the story, the members of the Bundren family must take the body of Addie, matriarch of the family, to the town where Addie wanted to be buried. Along the way, we listen to each of the members on the macabre pilgrimage, while Faulkner heaps upon them various flavors of disaster. Contains the famous chapter completing the equation about mothers and fish--you'll see. (Amazon)

Now this sounds interesting. But I have this horrid feeling the writing will be weird, thus making me hate the book. We'll see? But I am interested by the synopsis unlike the Hemingway book.

The Things They Carried by Tim O' Brien

One of the first questions people ask about The Things They Carried is this: Is it a novel, or a collection of short stories? The title page refers to the book simply as "a work of fiction," defying the conscientious reader's need to categorize this masterpiece. It is both: a collection of interrelated short pieces which ultimately reads with the dramatic force and tension of a novel. Yet each one of the twenty-two short pieces is written with such care, emotional content, and prosaic precision that it could stand on its own.


I started reading this on the bus when I first got a copy from the teacher right before summer vacation. I read a page or two and the writing seemed easy to understand and not cryptic. So that's a bonus. *thumbs up*


Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby is a novel by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. First published on April 10, 1925, it is set in Long Island's North Shore and New York City during the summer of 1922. The novel chronicles an era that Fitzgerald himself dubbed the "Jazz Age." Following the shock and chaos of World War I, American society enjoyed unprecedented levels of prosperity during the "roaring" 1920s as the economy soared. At the same time, Prohibition, the ban on the sale and manufacture of alcohol as mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment, made millionaires out of bootleggers and led to an increase in organized crime. [google books]


This is a book that I heard great things about from my brother, who doesn't read unless he is required to for school. So hopefully, for once he's right and it will be something I like.

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So what are some books you read/reading for your summer assignments for school? Love to know. Do you hate, surprisingly enjoyed it?

Top 10 Things I Hate About School . . . Currently

1) Chemistry teacher who refuses to teach.



2) GEOMETRY PROOFS!!! They are pure evil!



3) AP World History. Why? 1,200 AP World History Terms to be written in index cards!



4) Spanish speaking test, I can barely speak English properly half the time.



5) Poetry unit in English! Let's just say I don't get unless its written in white and black, I can't decipher the "gray" area (teacher's word not mine).



6) After-school activities that are in session for only 5 minutes and the rest of 25 minutes waiting around for the school bus, what a waste of time.



7) Stupid people who boast about drinking and puking their guts out over the weekend. (Since when was that considered a huge accomplishment??)


8) Redox - Yes its Chemistry.



9) Being sleep deprived.


10) Having overbearing parents (still love them though =] )

How I Got Out Of My Read Slump

I've been unsuccessfully trying to read a book (which will stay unnamed), for four or more weeks now on and off. Everytime, I picked up the book to read it, I can not bring myself to read more then just a few pages, without getting bored and tired of reading.

This book, which shall not be named, triggered, what every book blogger/reviewer dreads a . . . a reading slump.

Reading Slump- a long and heinous period of time, in which a person can't will themselves to pick up a book and read. Also known to cause book bloggers/reviewers to panic.

But after weeks of unsuccessful reading, I have finally discovered a remedy for this atrocious syndrome. I was even luck to finish a book, I didn't think it was possible! =O

Now you can to, with just a few points.





Here's how:

First, stop reading the book that triggered your reading slump. This is very important if a book does not hold your interest even after weeks trying to read. Just don't read it.

Then, allow yourself a day or two of not reading and do something as scandalous as watching television or computer. Who know? Maybe an episode of The Hills, while your at it. (Warning: you may get addicted, so moderate your television/computer time)

Still don't feel like reading?

No problems, time to take drastic measures.

Clear your head and make love to your books. Eww, not like that. But similar technique, think foreplay.

Take out all your books, lay them out in front of you.

Marvel at the pretty covers.

You know you want them.

Be bold. Pick a book, of your liking at the moment.

Yes, you know you want to read that book, even though the publication date isn't until September and you should be reading the book that's being released next week.


Push those evil book bloggery thoughts out of your head and read that book, enjoy that book, love that book and most importantly finish that book.

Lookie, lookie here you finished a book, you now can write a review. And that's right, read another book. And then before you know it, you will be on your way to read more and more books and who knows, maybe you can read and finally review the evil book that triggered The Reading Slump or you know give it away in a contest. Whatever floats your boat.

What Book Blogging As Taught Me So Far

So I've been book blogging since August and I sure as hell learned a lot.

Without further ado here's my list. By the way, I love list, as you can most probably tell by this post.

• How to use/make gmail and gmail chat
  

• How to make/use blogger

• Do schedule posting on blogger! weeee
  

• How to do a little (and I stress little) bit of HTML. See look here I embed my first video!

• Book Bloggers are awesome

• How awesome authors are

• That there are really nice people out there

• How to speed read
  

• How stressful it is having a book blogging, even though it seems that I don't update a lot

• Its very important to email replies back really quick

• Naming the publishers of YA books by simply knowing the title

• Getting feedback through comments makes me feel all warm and fuzzy

• How to use a MySpace (although I rarely use it)

• How to make/use a FaceBook (although I rarely use it)

• That I pretty much suck at going on social networking sites like MySpace and FaceBook

• I tend to make random post like these every time I'm procrastinating!

Ok, gotta get back to work. =(

Add on to the list!