the war of northern agression

Just something I found amusing:

"Or Robert E. Lee, who, many years after the war , in a dying delirium, announced, 'Strike the tent!'

I was mulling over why the Confederate generals had better last words then the Union ones (Ulysses S. Grant's last word, 'Water,' was pretty lame."


It's interesting to see that Grant's last one word was water. Which I think would be quite a common last word around the world and throughout time. But Lee had gone crazy still thinking he was in the war and wanted to strike the tent.

I'm still reading Looking for Alaska. I'm going a bit slow though. In the book its close to Thanksgiving and Miles/Pudge has decided to stay at school with Alaska. The Colonel's mom however, invites them to have Thanksgiving with her and the Colonel.

"How will I ever get out of this labyrinth?"

Simón Bolivar's last words. Alaska quotes this from a historical novel out of her stacks of probably thousands. She's only read a third of them, she's saving the rest for when she's "old and boring." Alaska asks Pudge what he thinks the labyrinth is, "is it life? is it death?"

This question is significant throughout the whole book. Even though it's my second time reading the book, I still don't know what the labyrinth is... maybe both. I guess once I finish it for the second time, I might know a little bit better.

...

At Culver Creek you don't have your normal, stereotypical cliques. First you have the Weekday Warriors who go home to Birmingham on weekends in their cool, "mansions" and then you have regular boarders/scholarship kids like Alaska, the Colonel and Pudge. The Weekday Warriors are stuck up and snooty little rich kids and the boarders are the notorious rebels. The groups have this rivalry and play pranks on each other every year. Most boarders like the Colonel despise the Weekday Warriors, however the Colonel is going out with one... but it's not Romeo and Juliet at all.

...

Sigh, still, I love John Green's writing:

"Later I walked toward the dorm circle beside Alaska. The cicadas hummed their one-note song, just as the had at home in Florida."

Mice and rats eat books.

Firmin is a book by Sam Savage about a family of mice that live among books. Firmin the 13th born who was born with his eyes open really likes these books and appreciates them greatly. His rotund mother, Flor however doesn't really understand what books are all about. The book is written interestedly, I'm not really used to the style. Maybe it's because he's a well educated mouse... that must be it.

This book reminds me a bit of Disney's Ratatouille which is about a mouse that loves to cook food and aspires to be a chef. His family however will stuff anything down their throats. Remy, the main mouse believes in flavor and ends up being a chef.... Firmin's mom has torn up Moby Dick and Don Quiote and I'm only in the first chapter. Though from an early this little mouse, Firmin is eraptured by the books' presense. He's very well read. In the opening of the book he references many books who's first lines he aspires to be like.

So far, I really like this book especially since it looks like some hugh mouse has taken a bite out of it. I got it in Asheville over spring break, and I've finally got around to reading it.

Brunettes Strike Back

Brunettes Strike Back is the sequel to a book called I Was Once a Non-Blonde Cheerleader by Kieran Scott. I read this book on spring break after I bought it at McClure's Bookshop in Clemson, South Carolina. I went to a bookstore in almost every city I went to on Spring Break...

Highlands, North Carolina - Cyrano's Bookshop (The have a big husky.)
Franklin, North Carolina - Books Unlimited (They have kitties.)
Asheville, North Carolina - Malaprops Bookstore (No animals.)
Clemson, South Carolina - McClure's Bookshop (Ditto.)
Clayton, Georgia - Prater's Main Street Books (Kitty!)

Anyways, I didn't get to buy a book or two from each store because I went on break with a total of $30 dollars, so that would have been around two books, three max. However, McClure's was a used bookstore so I got a $16.99 hardcover for $4.00 instead, which was nice. I read that book in about a night.

Annisia Gobrowski used to live in New Jersey, however her family moved to Florida. In Florida everything is hotter, but her father still wears his long khakis. Everyone on the Sand Dune High School cheerleading squad is blonde, even if they're Asian... Since it's a sequel,(I read the first one in 7th grade maybe) Annisia has already made it on the squad, and the squad's already won regionals. Next is nationals and her supersitions captain, Tara (she's been wearing the same socks since regionals) has decided that they all must look completely uniform before nationals therefore Annisia must die her hair. Like most young adult novels of this nature the main character struggles a bit, but in the end she gets her way. Her hair remains undyed, they win nationals, the boy she was having troubles with that I didn't even bother mentioning because it was so cliche ends up staying with her and they all live happily ever after until the next book. (Which I have yet to purchase.)

Is it shameful to like books like this? There easy and fun to read... I guess it's kinda like watching Disney Channel every once in a while. Haha. Kieran Scott also goes by the pseudonym Kate Brian and writes the mystery, thriller series Private which I also really enjoy.

Looking for Alaska

Looking for Alaska is a novel by John Green.

Miles is a boy that is leaving his school in Florida to go to Culver Creek Prepatory School in Alabama. Though Miles doesn't have many friends at his school in Florida it is not his reason for wanting to leave for Alabama. Instead he tells his father that he goes "to seek a Great Perhaps." (the last words of Francois Rabelais).

Miles is fascinated by famous last words. He know Francois Rabeliais' last words, Henrik Ibsen's last words, John F. Kennedy's last words, etc. He's an avid reader and highlighter of biographies.

His roommate, Chip Martin or "The Colonel" has a quirk too, the previous summer he memorized all the countries because where he lives is apparently very boring and he's got nothing better to do. The Colonel has been at Culver Creek since freshman year, he and Miles (or now nicknamed Pudge by the Colonel for the sake of irony) are both juniors.

The Colonel takes Pudge to meet Alaska (that's her real name). According to Miles Alaska is quite good looking. She also has stacks of books lining the wall of her dorm.

I've read this book before you see, but it's a great book and I love it SOOO much. I've actually met John Green and had two of my books signed. I think that he is my favorite of my time.

"Florida was plenty hot, certainly, and humid, too. Hot enough that your clothes stuck to you like Scotch tape."

His writing helps me feel the heat, kind of like how the school is some days. haha.

The end of Huck Finn

Huck Finn I liked a lot. I was very glad that the only person that died was Huck's dad. I was very excited to find out that Ms. Watson had freed Jim. However, I was kind of upset that Tom didn't tell them first off.

In our reading circle James brought up the fact that Tom was the dumb one and I thoroughly agree. Huck was fine when it was just him and Jim. Then when Tom comes back around he doesn't even give Huck the benefit of the doubt. It's really irritating for me because when I was on the journey with Huck and Jim, Huck always seemed to know what to do. But when Tom comes back around he just bosses Tom around. James and I came to the conclusion that Huck is the smarter out of the two. Personally I don't think Tom could have made it on Huck and Jim's journey.

Huck Finn is supposed to be THE great American novel. I wonder how people have come to that conclusion... It's interesting... because I don't really know what is required that something become a great American novel... But overall I did think it was a good book.

Pure by Terra Elan McVoy

Pure is by Little Shoppe of Stories manager Terra Elan McVoy. I've known Terra since 8th grade when I started frequenting the store. She has always suggested good books for me and my friends. Plus she's always let me just kinda bum around in the shop just looking and not buying anything...

I got Pure on Friday night at the release party. And I read it this weekend. I was skeptical at first because it's really weird to read something written by someone you know. But once I got into the book and past all of the initial "Oh my gahhhs" I began to see it nicely.

It's a lovely story about a normal girl, named Tabitha who's a goody-two-shoes like myself. She doesn't drink or smoke. She attempts to get all of her assignments done on time while dealing with her friends conflicts. She has trouble with math and talks during science. She has parents with strict phone rules and she has one computer at home (that's way different from my house, but I've been there before).

Tabitha and her friends: Morgan, Cara, Naeomi, and Priah also attend church (Tabitha without her parents) and go to youth group on Sunday nights. It's interesting to read a book with people that regularly attend church. Something I wish I did myself. Something some of my friends do, something some don't and something some would probably never be caught doing.

Pure is essentially about a group of friends who all wear purity rings. They made pledges when they were younger not to have sex until they were married. Something like this seems archaic these days, so it's different approach. Anyways, one of the girls, Cara ends up having sex and Naeomi get's mad at her because she sees it as Cara throwing her life away for some boy. Morgan finds out and sees it as Cara breaking her promise to God and disowns Cara and is glad that Naeomi is mad at Cara. Tabitha however doesn't know what to do... Yes, Cara did break her pledge, but Cara is her friend and Cara needs friends.

In high school we figure out who we are. And while I can't really relate to the book on the specific example of purity rings, I can relate to the changes that take place and the way the girls grow apart. I wouldn't dump my friends because something that they did, unless it hurt me. I would say that this book, (which did I mention takes place in Decatur?) is definitely worth reading. And I'm proud to know the person that wrote it.