Monday, January 28, 2013

...Another Ending

*SPOILERS*
I just finished the book I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith and the book was great! It followed Cassandra as she went through her first love and how she grows up.
At the end of the book, Rose runs away with Neil and leaves Simon hunting for her. Once they find Rose and Neil, Simon realizes that Rose is not in love with him, and Cassandra realizes that Simon could never be in love with her. Then Simon goes back to America with his mother, and Neil and Rose do the same. Cassandras father starts writing again and the story ended all wrapped up. The end was a kind of fairy tale ending but it was still open to the future of Cassandra and her world.
I highly recommend this book and hate that it ended!
I really liked the book and thought that the story progressed really well. The journal entries were different than other books that are in journal form that I have read. There was no date and the entries were long and sophisticated and really told the story. This made the book even better and makes you fall in love with Cassandra and her world.

...Another Middle...

*SPOILERS*
I am halfway through I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith and A LOT has happened! Two visitors came to the castle and introduced themselves as Simon and Neil Cotton, who own Scoatney, a large house (its a mansion really) and the castle that Cassandra and her family live in! Luckily, they are kind and strike up a friendship with Cassandra's family. Rose, Cassandras older sister, immediately sets her eyes on Simon as a love interest to gain some money for the family. Currently in the story, Rose and Simon are newly engaged and Cassandra is really pleased.
Throughout the story I have noticed some little differences in British life that seem almost foreign to me. For one, they have more meals in a day than we do, but I already knew that. In the story,  Simon has a beard which looks incredibly strange to both Cassandra and Rose but to me (and probably a lot of you)  it is a totally normal thing. The writing is also very different. This might sound crazy, but it has a lot more of a English feel to it. For example, there are a lot more descriptions of the scenery and of all the moments, and the writing seems more sophisticated. I can't wait to continue reading this book and to post more about it!

Friday, January 25, 2013

Another Book...

I just started a new book, I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. So far the book is pretty good, but I  don't really have much of an opinion just yet. The book is a journal of a girl named Cassandra who lives in an old broken down castle in England with her family. Her family consists of her father, her fathers wife Topaz (her step-mother), her sister Rose, her brother Thomas, and their worker/adopted son Stephen. I am not far into the book yet but I already know that the family is very low on money, and life doesn't seem too bright. Nothing of action has happened yet, but the writing is really great and I can't wait for this book to get going!

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Not Continuing

*SPOILERS*
I unfortunately do not think I am going to finish the Books of Ember series. The ending was good but also a GIANT cliffhanger to pull you in to the next book. However I didn't like the book enough to finish it. In the end Doon and Lina get to the new land and come to a great hole where the City of Ember is. I found it frustrating that the new beautiful land was just above them and they couldn't see it. I don't often read a book and not like it so i was disappointed that I didn't like it. Maybe the book was written at an age level too young for me, because if I was younger I probably would have liked the book more. However the book was still really good but I just don't think these books are for me.

Friday, January 4, 2013

Starting ANOTHER Series

I started the book, The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau which is the first book in the City of Ember book series. In the book the City of Ember they used to have a unlimited supply of everything but they recently have been running out of items. One of those items is light bulbs so the blackouts are becoming more common and the lights for bed go out at 9:00. In this world a kid goes to school until they are 12 and then they are assigned a job. Lina Mayfleet wants the job of messenger but instead gets the job of Pipeworks worker. Doon Harrow gets job of messenger but wants Pipeworks worker- so they switch.
Since I just started the book I am not very far in and so far I don't know if I like the book. It is moving really slowly and so far not much as happened since around the first chapter when Lina and Doon switch jobs. I don't know if this world is in the past or the future because they don't have trees or grass or the technology we have now but it doesn't seem like it was in the past because it is a different world. I haven't read much but will definitely finish it.