Blog #4~ Book 3

Question #1 - How can classifying books into genres be helpful to readers? How can it be problematic to writers?


Classifying books into genres can be helpful for readers because if they know they like reading a certain genre, it's easier for them to find a book they like.Ursula K. Le Guin, author of On Despising Genres, agrees, "Useful to readers who like fiction of a certain kind or about a certain subject," and also she later says, "Segregated shelving helps addicts find their fix,". But it's problematic for writers because sometimes they write a book that fits into multiple genres and it's hard to choose which genre it fits the best in.For example, if a book had romance and action in it, a writer might put it into the genre of romance and someone that only reads action might miss out on the opportunity of reading it because they never checked out the romance section.


Question #2- Why do you think there is such a difference between some books' commercial success and their critical success?


I think that there is a difference between a books commercial success and critical success because sometimes a book isn't just good because of the writing (diction, syntax) , which is what critics focus on. Some books become popular because of the plot and the emotional connection the characters in the book send off to the readers, which is how a book gain commercial success. Two completely different things that are being judged.


Question #3- Who gets to decide what good writing is? Who should decide?
As of now the book critics get to decide what good writing is because they are the ones handing out the awards but I think that the people (readers) should decide. They are the ones actually reading books out of enjoyment. Readers are the critics that really matter. They should be able to decide what good writing is. It's just the book critics job but it's readers that are actually impacted by the books therefore it would be more logical if they had a say.  

Where The Heart Is (Film adaptation)

Dear Bille Letts,
 I am writing to you concerning the fact that I would like to turn your book , "Where The Heart Is" into a movie. I believe that it would make a great adaptation and would make a best motion picture. There are a couple things I would like to touch bases on before I go ahead with this project.
For time purposes' , I think that we should cut out all the weeks Novalee spends in Wal-Mart. I think the 1st night is important but other than that it would be very repetitive in the movie. We could add a voice over if you would like to let the audience know how long she spent there.


Secondly, I was thinking about the soundtrack for the movie. I think we could just use songs that are already created rather then create a soundtrack especially for this movie. We would need about 5 slow songs and 10 up beat ones. I have some ideas for which song could go with what scene and I will send you a list in more detail later this week. But for example I think that the song , "Since You've been Gone" should be playing in the start of the movie when they are in the car to foreshadow what is going to happen later in the movie. Sound good?


Lastly, and most importantly, casting. I had Johnny Depp in mind for Willy Jack. Everyone knows he can pull off any part that is thrown at him and I think he has great potential for this movie. I think the audience would really enjoy Willy Jack's personality when it's played by him. For Novallee, I think Jennifer Garner would be perfect. She always portrays the roles of a "sweetheart" so well. And the last character that I have an idea for right now is, Forney. I think Patrick Dempsey would be a great choice. He is very well known in the TV show "Grey's Anatomy" and the person he plays on the that show has a similar personality to Forney which I think would help the audience favor him right off the bat.


Overall I think this movie has great potential and I would like to meet up with you so we could discuss these topics in further detail. I hope the changes I want to make aren't too much. Thank you for your time and I hope to see you soon.




Best Regards,


Natalia Amaral

Book Review for The Last Child

Book Review: The Last Child By: John Hart

9/3/2015

Natalia Amaral

The Last Child revolves around the life of a boy named Johnny who has a twin named Alyssa. One day Alyssa goes missing off of a lonely road in their small town. The book then transitions into a year later after the disappearance. Desperate to find his sister, Johnny explores the darker parts of town and gets into risky situations in hopes that Alyssa will still be alive.

The Last Child is John Hart’s 3rd book and he says himself that it's his best one yet and it definitely shows because it’s a New York Times award winning book. This book is not tied down to any news events but could most certainly be one. This book is not part of a series. I think the main reason it’s not, is because everything is resolved after it ends.

I personally think that this plot was very interesting and had great twists and turns to it. I also liked how it lead you to believe certain things for a long time and then it would surprise you with a new element.  A scene that stood out to be was when they found out what really happened to Alyssa and how heartfelt it was. What made that scene so powerful with the choice of wording and the imagery.

The strongest character in this book was Johnny. Not only because he was the main character but because Alyssa was his sister and it affected him the most. They had such a strong bond and after she disappeared a part of him disappeared with her. He also had a mature response when he found out what happened to his dad and to Alyssa. Detective Hunt also is a pretty strong character in my book because he is always with Johnny and hadn’t given up on trying to find Alyssa, even if it happened one year ago. I feel like the book revolves around them two the most and therefore they are the best developed characters .  

The big ideas that are discussed in my book are guilt vs innocence. For the duration of the whole book, they are trying to figure out what happened to Alyssa and blaming it on certain people. Also they blame the dad for leaving when in reality he was killed and didn’t leave them when the going got tough. I think my author's stance is that you shouldn’t blame someone for something until you know the full story. I think he shows what the stance is very well because at the end Johnny almost feels ashamed of what he thought his father did. When all along the father was just trying to help. “We all make mistakes, son ”( Hart 14). Detective Hunt said this to Johnny at the start of the book which I think sets up the theme for the rest of the book very nicely.

I would describe this book as a suspenseful book because after all they are trying to help find a missing girl. It is written in 1st person point of view which I think was good because there wasn't too much bias. My book mainly uses informal diction because the story is being seen by a young boy so the language is more relaxed. At times it uses colloquial diction when it’s a heated scene. The tone of my book could be described as hopeful and regretful. Johnny still as hope that he will find his sister even if it's already been 1 year and some characters in the book think what they did to try to find Alyssa wasn’t good enough. Detective Hunt says, “ I’m sorry I couldn’t bring her home, you know that right?” (Hart 18). This line shows how Hunt is upset and has regret about not finding her.

After reading The Last Child by John Hart, I will rate the book at 7.5 out of 10. I think it had a great plot and had interesting parts but there were also some slow scenes that were very boring and uneventful. It’s about 430 pages which isn’t awfully long but it isn’t a short read. I would still recommend it to others, especially if you like suspenseful books with plot twists. Overall I am happy with the result of the book but I was just expecting a little more.

John Hart’s offical website: http://www.johnhartfiction.com/

   

Blog 3 ~ Flipped Cover

I choose to "flip the cover" to the Pretty Little Liars book. I thought this would be a good book to flip over because it's pink and has a doll on the cover with cursive handwriting over it stating the name of the book. For my re-design I tired to use more "manly" colors (green, red, orange, blue ). Also I made the letters more blocked shaped rather than the cursive. I added the guys from the book on the cover also because I think that would help attract male readers.

Prezi ~ Book Talk

https://prezi.com/lkslu1nh3ahz/

Blog Post #2 ~ first thoughts of " The Last Child "

"Johnny learned early"


When I read this line for the first time, what I thought about was, what did he have to learn early?


As of now, I think the "good guys" are Johnny,  and the cops. And the "bad guy" is the father. I think that the cops are good because they have been trying to help find Alyssa for the past year. They also have been checking up on her family to make sure everything thing is going okay.
"I'm sorry I couldn't bring her home. You know that right?" said Hunt. This quote shows his actual disappointment in himself and it reinforces that he just wants to help. I think the father is the "bad guy"  because he left his family after Alyssa went missing. Almost like he didn't care enough to stay or maybe he had something to do with it so he fled.


I choose this book because I had heard great reviews on it and the plot sounded interesting and so far I really like it.

Blog Post #1 ~ Why I read

Why do I read?


I read because I like to be taken to a different place with a book and escape reality . I like to read about someone else's life and the ups and downs in it.I like the fact that I won't know what happens to the characters until I finish reading the last page of the book. And even if someone tells you what happens at the end, actually reading it is different. The details add so much to the story line and some how you are still shocked with the ending.  I like the surprise elements and plot twists that are mind boggling. When you think you know what's going to happen but the author changes it up on you, that's when you know it's a good book. I read to enhance my  imagination. After reading a good book you think that anything is possible. You become a little kid again and you let your ideas run wild. But one of the main reasons that I read is pleasure. The thought of just opening a book and reading the night away and going on a adventure with the characters in your book or watching your favorite character fall in love, nothing beats that. Some books are life changing and inspiring . I encourage you to find that one book that truly changes your life.