The Last Song Entry Two

Nicholas Sparks' change of narrator in each character really makes the novel very insightful and enjoyable for the reader. It is interesting to see the different perspectives that each character has. I am so impressed with the way that Nicholas had developed Ronnie so well and how he makes the reader feel as if we could all relate to a person who is in Ronnie's situation. The problem that Nicholas Sparks explores in this novel is divorce, which I think is a good topic for fiction writers to explore because it is a topic that affects many families today and it is one that does cause a lot of damage and hard feelings to the children affected by the divorce.

So far, Ronnie is unable to enjoy herself at Wrightsville Beach because she finds that there is nothing to do on the island. After escaping spending time wih her dad and her brother, Ronnie decides to go to the carnival and spend time at a booth that gives money to animals that need a home. After going around the carnival, Ronnie decides to go over where a volleyball tournament is being held. Automatically, Ronnie notices that the two guys on the one team "remind her of the spoiled private school types she sometimes ran into at clubs...she'd seen enough of the so-called privileged crowd to recognize a member when she saw one" Sparks provides such an interesting insight into Ronnie when we read this because now the reader is able to see that Ronnie is a person who tries to be true and honest and that she does not like people who pretend to be something they are not. Ronnie also seems to be happy to make a friend when she meets Blaze, who is so impressed by Ronnie's description of what New York looks like. Blaze then shows Ronnie a group of three boys who put on a show using fireballs. Ronnie is impressed by the talent she has, but immediatly freezes when the police show up to tell the three guys that they can not throw the fireballs on the street. Instantly, Blaze and the three boys run off, which leaves Ronnie with no chocie but to follow them as well. Has Ronnie finally found friends on the beach, or willl she soon go back to being depressed and reserved, constantly wishing she was back in New York??

I would definitly recommend this book to readers who enjoy stories about the life of teenagers. So far, I have been reading this book at a steady pace because I find that the book is so good I can not keep it down!!!

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

I never read a Nicholas Sparks novel before this one, but from reviews that I have read about him, I can tell that he is a well respected author. I had seen a couple of movies that were based on his books, such as Nights in Rodanthe and The Notebook, and I thought that the movies were excellent. Since I enjoyed the movies, I thought I would enjoy the books as well. So far, Sparks has a very unique and interesting writing style and he has such an interesting way of getting into the main character's head and really demonstrating to readers what it is like to be a teenager in modern day and how children and teenagers often handle the common problem in families--divorce. I picked this Nicholas Sparks book to read because the plot of this book seemed to grab my attention when I read the jacket of the cover and also the plot seemed different from the other book he has written.

Seventeen year old Ronnie Miller is very dissipointed about the summer plans that her mom has arranged for her. She is going to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina with her brother in order to spend time with her dad. Ronnie is upset that she will be spending time with her dad because she is hurt by the fact that it will be for the entire summer, which means that she will not have any time to spend with her friends. Throughout the car ride there she complains to her mom, and her mom keeps explaining to her that her dad is a good person and that it is good that she is spending time with him since the last time she saw him was three years ago. Ever since the divorce, Ronnie has been upset with her dad for leaving her. Her mom reminds her that her dad has visited and called a couple of times, but every time that happened Ronnie would be hanging out with friends. At this point, the reader may become curious to wonder if there is something more that occured between Ronnie and her father, but Nicholas Sparks has not revealed that to the reader yet. Could Ronnie and her father's relationship ever be saved??

So far, I am enjoying the book and I enjoy how engaging Nicholas Sparks writes and how he goes very deep into the character's thoughts.

Stay tuned for more!!!

My Blogging Observations & Goals For The Second Quarter

After examining my blogs from the last couple of weeks, I notice that my blogging style has a consistent pattern and structure that I use in each entry. I notice that in the beginning of my blogs I tend to discuss the author's writing style and the literary techniques the author uses in order to describe the character. Then in the second paragraph of my blogs I go into a summary of what happened in the book and what certain scenes in the novel show about the main characters. Third, I then mention certain passages that struck my attention as I was reading. I write the quote and then analyze what the passage is saying. After I examine a particular passage, I mention the reading process and discuss whether or not I read the book quickly slowly or if it was easy or hard to understand. After the reading process, I write about which people would be the most interested in reading the novel. I believe that this is a good way to end blog entries on books because then the reader is left knowing if the book I was blogging about is one that they would read or not. Not only due I notice the structure of my blogs are similar, but I also notice that I tend to focus mainly on author's style of writing and how the author portrayed the main character. The reason why I tend to mention this throughout most of my blog is because when choosing a book for independent reading, I tend to read the back of the book or the jacket focus on the quotes (if any) mentioned and try to figure out what the overall mood, feel and tone of the novel will be. I then try to see if the writing style will interest me. This is probably why I mention the author's writing style a lot in my blogs since I want the readers of my blog to choose a book from my blog that they like not only for the plot but also for the writing style and for the deeper meaning that the author is trying to explain throughout the novel. Don't get me wrong being interested in the plot is important-but you must also make sure the writing style of the author is one you can relate to and enjoy as well.

One goal that I have for blogging in the second quarter is trying to expand more on my sentences and trying not to reiterate the same point multiple times. Often times, I find that in my writing I tend to over repeat an idea that I have made previously, and often times this proves to be very boring and uninteresting for the reader because they understood the point I was making in the first place, so then they don't find any reason to keep reading what I have to say. When I write, I tend to become unaware that I am making the same point numerous times, and it is often times after the fact that I realize I have repeated the same idea and not expanded my knowledge of the text nor have I given a lot of insight to the reader as well. I would also like to improve the style of writing that I use in my blogs because I feel that I tend to write in only one style which could be boring to the reader at times. When rereading the blog entries that I have already written, I notice that many of my entries must be seen as boring to the reader because I tend to also start off my blogs in a similar way as well. Whenever I am about to start my blog, I always struggle with what my opening sentence will be. I hope that next quarter I can improve the opening clincher of my blog and learn to give the reader more of an insight to the novel.

Hopefully, in the second quarter, I am able to reach these goals and learn how to grow as a newly appointed independent reading blogger!!!