A Christmas Carol

I think we've all read, seen, or heard the story of Scrooge. However. I gave never really done any of the three, except for in Veggie Tales. So, I've decided to pull it out of my bag, and give it a go. I know that it's out of season, but there's enough snow on the ground for it to be excused.

This will be my first book by Charles Dickens. I'm excited for it. If I enjoy him, there are many other books by him to read!

Unroken Final

As I wrapped up Unbroken it gave me a sense of closure. Altogether, it's a biography of the life of a WWII Veteran, starting from his beginnings and carrying through his experiences as a POW, then his struggles after the war, up until present day. This is what I like about this book, in other war stories, the book ends after the war, or gives a very brief summary of the rest of the veteran's life. However, in Unbroken, a large portion of it is Louie Zamperini's  struggle to overpower his nightmares and visions from his time as a POW, and "The Bird." He falls into alcoholism after marrying a girl he barely knew (After he recovered, they had a happy marriage until she died in 2001.), and struggles until he finds the Church and Christianity.

Overall, Laura Hillenbrand, author, did an excellent job of transforming the remarkable story of Louie's life into an amazing read. Emotions transfer incredibly well, the sorrow when part of the flight crew dies, or the excitement when the first bomber flies over the prison camps. The book reads well, and kept me turning the pages for hours into the night waiting in exited anticipation of the next event in the adventure of Louie Zamperini's life.

New Theme

Do you like the new theme? I made it myself.

Unbroken

I started this book book before the reading unit, and was about halfway through when we started, so I'll be doing my half-way review now.

The book is split into multiple parts, most noticeably Louis Zamperini's early life and life in the war. The first part is Louis' early life, his childhood, and his running career, which took him to the Olympics, and his experience inside Nazi Germany, and being congratulated by Hitler himself. The second part takes place after his drafting into the AAF, as a B-24 Consolidated Liberator bombardier.

It's a true story, but is written in a way that makes it feels almost like fiction. However. it incorporates real events and statistics that I can relate to. These two combined elements make this book an incredibly enjoyable read for myself specifically. However, if you don't have too much background information on WWII, the book does a fantastic job in informing the reader on everything they need to know, the basic knowledge on the B-24, and the pilots opinions on it.

All together, this book is an incredibly enjoyable, regardless of prior knowledge. However, if you don't tend to enjoy war stories, this book is not for you. There isn't any gory material, but there is parts where it would get boring if you aren't comprehensive of the book. It also creates moments of suspense, which could be a reason to read it. Either way, it;s a fantastic read that I would recomend to nearly any reader.

Tha Hand that Bears the Sword: Finale

Oh man, the cliffhanger. Packer Thome, the main character, is named King as the Nearing Vast army prepares to take back the city that was taken from the by the Drammune. Also, in Drummune there was a transfer of power, and the new woman in power was the Hezzan's- that is, the dictator's, wife. Zealots, who are the equivalent of priests in the Drummune religion, Drammun, are infuriated, but are trapped by their own laws. Meanwhile, in Vast, the religious themes are strong. There are plentiful references to the Bible, faith, and forgiveness. Religion takes a very large place in this novel, which I find very cool. It's a large risk to incorporate religion into books, but Polivka does it very well in this book. However, I think that if you were not a Christian, you would be overwhelmed by the magnitude in which religion is incorporated into the book. Anyways, I absolutely loved the book. Polivka uses old sentence structure in quotes, and combines it with modern while not. It makes the book easy to read, but you still get incredibly immersed into the book. If you ever need a book to read, I'd recommend this one. It's a bit long, but that's not a complaint. I can't wait to read the next book of the series, The Battle for Vast Dominion!

The Hand that Bears the Sword: Midway

I'm about halfway through the book, and I'm finding it incredibly enjoyable. I find that it builds up to a climax, weather it be a battle, an assassination, etc., and then falls until it starts climbing again. You don't get bored reading it, either, because of this. The "Age of Sail" time period also works well for the religious and royal themes for the book, allowing the author to create a divide between the protagonists, the Kingdom of Nearing Vast, and the antagonist, the Drammune. He also uses perspectives from both kingdoms, each with their own Pro- and Antagonists. This gives the reader a sense of dramatic irony. I predict, based on the next book's in the series title, "The Battle of Vast Dominion," that the book will end ready for the largest climax, but then will move to the next book.

Abandoning "For The Win," Picking up "The Hand That Bears The Sword."

I've lost interest in For the Win, it didn't really interest me after reading the first 40 pages or so.
However, I've had a book in my bag for two or three years now.The Hand That Bears The Sword, by Bryan Polivka It takes place in a different universe than ours, but comparatively, in the age of sail. It's the second book in the Trophy Chase Trilogy, I haven't read the first, but it isn't necessary to understand the plot line. It' classified as Historical Fiction, as it takes place in what we call the age of piracy. Its audience is young adults, judging by use of the word "lecherous," which tells me there will possibly be some romance scenes. I hope I enjoy this one better than I did For the Win!

Hello! And Welcome to my Blog!

I'm only starting this for a school project, but I feel like I could have fun with this. The first thing I shall pull out of my Big Bag of Books, AKA the Library, is For The Win by Cory Doctorow. It's in the Sci-Fi genre, taking place in the near future. I have to prior knowledge about Doctorow, but I have read, and watched, a lot of Sci-Fi; it's one of my favorite genres. The book's "blurb" is a bit confusing, but it gets the main idea across. Taking place in the near future, most industry seems to take place online, creating "Gold" which is then sold to gamers in exchange for real money, which then goes back to the hard, gold-creating process. I don't really know what to expect from this book, on the cover there is a few words next to the title: "Online for offline, You've got to organize, To Survive." It tells me that there is both cyber and real-world combat or arguments. It seems like an interesting read, and I'm excited for it!