tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14106651184902126942023-12-21T16:59:06.136-08:00High School Dublin Book ClubHigh School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-77068398475419708832023-12-07T14:26:00.000-08:002023-12-07T15:13:16.565-08:00Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYoF43Rk535PXDCfhbUuG8kLqsuFfbj9D_cAb7-pYN6tbgZFPXkNSdVVoqtzt6VYANtF5qDcsAcNYzVeYas02YGUjIOLrPF5X8nGMgTn22IzOCNVffmQl7E42KJj-c2HuRqoXjz04uPfbrUMBISdUJ79at2WUO3m0TVCSerNcx1mVuX0aubxDkBysDsYo/s1960/dragon%20teeth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYoF43Rk535PXDCfhbUuG8kLqsuFfbj9D_cAb7-pYN6tbgZFPXkNSdVVoqtzt6VYANtF5qDcsAcNYzVeYas02YGUjIOLrPF5X8nGMgTn22IzOCNVffmQl7E42KJj-c2HuRqoXjz04uPfbrUMBISdUJ79at2WUO3m0TVCSerNcx1mVuX0aubxDkBysDsYo/w131-h200/dragon%20teeth.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>Hello Hello! Recently, I read 'Dragon Teeth,' a historical
fiction novel by Michael Crichton. The story revolves around William 'Foggy
Bill' Johnson, a young Philadelphian studying at Yale. On a bet from an
academic rival, he joins the renowned palaeontologist Edward Drinker Cope on a
journey to the American West in the summer of 1876 to unearth dinosaur bones.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The book offers an insightful glimpse into the world of palaeontology.
Crichton's powerful and intelligent writing maintains the story's intrigue and
keeps the characters engaging. It provides enough detail for the reader to
comprehend the intense and precise art of archaeology.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">During their Westward journey, Cope and Johnson face tense
and often violent encounters with the ruthless Professor Othniel Charles Marsh,
another palaeontologist and a long-time rival of Cope. Marsh stops at nothing
to steal the fossils excavated by Cope's team, specifically teeth belonging to
a newly discovered species of dinosaur, Brontosaurus.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The feud between Cope and Marsh adds a captivating dimension
to the novel. The story becomes more exhilarating as Johnson navigates
unfamiliar and dangerous encounters with bandits and gunslingers in the
badlands of Deadwood, Montana.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">'Dragon Teeth' proves to be an entertaining and exciting
read, offering both an educational and engaging perspective on archaeology, palaeontology,
and the discovery of dinosaurs during the rough and tumble days of the Wild
West and the American Frontier.<o:p></o:p></p><br /></div>High School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-43018888808954284392023-12-06T11:10:00.000-08:002023-12-06T11:10:33.398-08:00Form 1 Popular Reads<p>Each month in our Form 1 English class we read novels for homework. Last month we chose books that have not yet been made into a film or TV show. Here is a list of the books that we enjoyed. Maybe you would like to read them too! </p><div><div>A Spoonful of Murder by Robin Stevens - 3/5 stars</div><div>Scarlet and Ivy: The Lost Twin by Sophie Cleverly - 4/5 stars</div><div>Lily at Lisadell: Lily's Dream by Judi Curtain - 3/5 stars</div><div>Faraway Home by Marilyn Taylor - 5/5 stars</div><div>Dancing in the Dark, by Peter Prendergast - 4/5 stars</div><div>The Battle of ROAR! by Jenny McLachlan - 4.5/5 stars</div><div>Lola Rose by Jacqueline Wilson - 3.5/5 stars</div><div>The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer - 5/5 stars</div><div>How to Rob a Bank by Tom Mitchell - 3/5 stars</div><div>The Sacrifice Box by Martin Sewart - 3.5/5 stars</div><div>Arsenic for Tea by Robin Stevens - 3/5 stars </div><div>Freeze, by Chris Priestley – 2/5 stars</div><div>The Ultimate Truth by Kevin Brooks – 3.5/5 stars </div><div>Chalkline by Jane Mitchell – 4.5/5 stars </div><div>Kensuke's Kingdom by Michael Morpugo – 5/5 stars </div><div>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon – 3/5 stars</div><div>The Golden Swift by Lev Grossman – 3/5 stars</div><div>BRILLIANT by by Roddy Doyle – 5/5 stars </div><div>Cool by Michael Morpugo – 4/5 stars</div><div>Public Enemy Number Two by Anthony Horowitz– 5/5 stars </div><div>Arthur Quinn by Alan Early– 3.5/5 stars</div></div>High School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-74105289548834762162018-04-10T07:14:00.002-07:002018-04-24T07:13:24.603-07:00Our April Reads...<br />
The book I read was The Twisted Ones by Scott Cawthorn,it is about a girl who has to investigate some murders made by the robots her dad invented it is really creepy and good i rate this four and a half stars out of five.<br />
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The book I read was Hitler's Canary by Sandi Toksvig, it is about a boy called Bamse who lives in Copenhagen when it is being taken over by the Germans, throughout the book Bamse and his brother Orlando perform small sabotages on the German army ans saving thousands of Jews by transporting them safely to Germany, I would rate this book a 10/10 because it is based on a true s<br />
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The book I read was "Storm of Strawberries" by Jo Cotterill, it is about a family that live on a strawberry farm. One day a storm comes and the parents aren't able to look after the kids. The kids have a lot going on. I would highly recommend this book.<br />
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The book I read was Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. The Oasis is a virtual reality world that everyone spends all there time on. One day, the creator James Halliday died, he left his fortune to whoever wins his competition. The competition is to find three keys and unlock three gates to eventually win the prize. After 5 years of everybody searching for the prize Wade found the first key. I would give this book 10/10.<br />
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The book I read was called The Real Rebecca, it is about a girl called Rebecca and her mum is an author. Her English teacher left the school but another teacher is a massive fan of her mums books and she keeps embarrising Rebecca. I rate this book 9/10 stars.<br />
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The book I read was called A Spoonful of Murder. It was about a girl called Hazel who's grandfather died and she then finds out that he was murdered! In this case she is not just a detective, she is also a suspect! I would rate this 9/10.<br />
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I read Race Against Time by Ginny Elliot. It is about a girl who gets involved in a blackmail situation. It is a virus going around to all horses running in the Grand National. Jessie can not tell anyone because if she does her horse will get infected. I rate this book 7/10 stars.<br />
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The book I read was Abandon by Meg Cabot, it is about a girl called Pierce who had a near death experience. She tells the reader how she died and where you go when you die. i would give this book an 8 out of 10.<br />
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The book that I read was the Maze Runner. This book was about 50 teenage boys that got trapped in a maze. a group of scientist called WICKED studies the boys brain patterns to help cure a disease. The kids don't realize it but they are the last hope to save the few remaining souls of humanity.<br />
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The book that I read was Born to Run. This book was about a dog who gets rescued from a canal. He was a naturally good runner. He goes travelling around the city. He goes on many adventures with each of his owners. I would rate this book a 9 out of 10.<br />
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The book that I read was wilderness. This book was about a mother who brings her kids on holidays but goes missing. They had to cut holiday short. I would rate this 8/10. High School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-27358852969969804802018-02-02T03:56:00.002-08:002018-02-02T03:56:07.713-08:00Our January ReadsThe Planets<br />
This book shows you everything in the Solar System including asteroids, comets, meteorites, dwarf planets, the sun, planet and moons. This book is good because the illustrations spectacular and it is quite up to date. I rate it four and a half stars.<br />
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ALI: a life<br />
Author:Jonathan Eig<br />
It is a biography on the life of Mohammed Ali. This book is great because it is engaging an realistic. This person is the reason why a lot of people took up boxing. I would recommend this book for people who like boxing. I would rate it five stars.<br />
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The life of Anne Frank<br />
written by Jacquelyn Wilson<br />
It is about a German girl living in Holland and went into hiding in a secret annex at the time of world war two. It is more enjoyed for people interested in history. I rate this four stars.<br />
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Famous Speeches that Changed the World<br />
This book shows you many famous speeches that changed the world, including; Adolf Hitler, Martin Luther King Jr and Winston Churchill. This book also shows how important each speech was in history. I would recommend this book for people interested in history. I rate this book four stars.<br />
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Alex Ferguson<br />
The book I read was Alex Ferguson, it is an autobiography. It is about how he went to Manchester United and his relationships with players. I would recommend this book to people that have and interest in sport or football. I would give it a three out of five.<br />
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Animal Life<br />
This is a book of all amazing animals big and small. There is animals that are going extinct and they tell you how the animal lives. I would give this book an eight out of ten because of its good description and accurate pictures.<br />
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Tiger Rescue<br />
The book that I read was tiger Rescue, the another of the book is Virginia McKenna. it is a book about a tiger cub being rescued by born free foundation. I would give it five out of five.<br />
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<br />High School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-68359928748750240952015-12-09T01:39:00.001-08:002023-12-06T11:17:50.503-08:00Christmas Books1. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens <img src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSqlKKnLpUqIiOis9IG7DCwlT5rhsVK50ygAuA0ZSI0dkHSKvq_" /><br />
The book is about an old man called Scrooge who is visited by three spirits who show him how to care.<br />
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2. A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> The book is about how families wait for St. Nicholas once a year and when a father bumps into St Nicholas</span></div><br />
3. The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg<br />
The book is about how a boy doesn't believe in Christmas and goes on a train to visit Santa to discover the true meaning of Christmas.<br />
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4. Skipping Christmas by John Grisham<br />
<a href="https://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSYk_keaSOY4EVH0NX3n4frVYPT5GAgb2sd22_-6QWb1468_c2-" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSYk_keaSOY4EVH0NX3n4frVYPT5GAgb2sd22_-6QWb1468_c2-" width="208" /></a>The book is about how a family go on a Caribbean cruise and leave their daughter in Peru where the story takes a turn for the worst.<br />
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5. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson<br />
The book is about how six misbehaving children stumble across a church and are assigned roles in a play and through the roles of the play find what Christmas is all about.<br /><br /> <!--Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Ft3.gstatic.com%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dtbn%3AANd9GcQV08aKdRhxtnH35TPZZ09L8eUs69E7RZumnPjmkkin4boGHPf7&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQV08aKdRhxtnH35TPZZ09L8eUs69E7RZumnPjmkkin4boGHPf7"--><!--Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Ft1.gstatic.com%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dtbn%3AANd9GcTHWac-_empoxu_BbjIm6gaV8l0CSibEhB-_jSijzgpkHf6TD80&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTHWac-_empoxu_BbjIm6gaV8l0CSibEhB-_jSijzgpkHf6TD80"--><!--Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Ft0.gstatic.com%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dtbn%3AANd9GcQRyhxULT-l1z5p6Yq0nkyjzFK9dxG8b4Rv3CbMuFYJ6oXpYVpO&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQRyhxULT-l1z5p6Yq0nkyjzFK9dxG8b4Rv3CbMuFYJ6oXpYVpO"--><!--Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Ft2.gstatic.com%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dtbn%3AANd9GcSYk_keaSOY4EVH0NX3n4frVYPT5GAgb2sd22_-6QWb1468_c2-&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSYk_keaSOY4EVH0NX3n4frVYPT5GAgb2sd22_-6QWb1468_c2-"-->High School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-60037548235954958762015-02-27T02:32:00.001-08:002015-08-29T14:23:29.950-07:00OPEN-By Andre AgassiThis autobiography was written by a ghostwriter on behalf of Andre Agassi. I was drawn to giving this book a read as I play tennis myself and I heard many people going on about how much of a great read it was including my parents and friends.<br />
Andre Agassi played tennis professionally from 1986 to 2006. The book is about Andre's life story and how his father forced him to play tennis as a kid, tennis then became his career, even though he hated it. The book focuses on Andre's ups and downs in his life, the friendships he had and his relationships. The book also describes Andre's battles with his great rivals, his devastating losses, and his career changing matches. He describes the intense psychological aspect of tennis and how it can take you to great highs in your life but also to great lows.<br />
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The main characters in this book are Andre Agassi, Brooke shields(his first wife), Brad(his one of few tennis coaches), Gil (his personal trainer and in many ways a great friend), J.P and Perry who were two of his closest friends, and of course Steffi Graf who was the best woman tennis player in the world when she retired and also Agassi's wife.<br />
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Another main person to impact Agassi's life was his father and he turns out to probably be the most influential person in Agassi's life, The reason for this is from the day Andre Agassi was born his father was convinced that he would be the world's number one. His father built a tennis court in his garden and a machine that would fire balls across the net for Andre to hit back. Andre thought of this machine as a fire breathing dragon who never grew tired. He hated it. His father worked out that if he hit one thousand balls every day, he would hit 365,000 balls a year and that this must make him the best tennis player in the world some day.<br />
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By Adam RufliHigh School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-36155971830686995222015-02-11T02:45:00.000-08:002015-08-29T14:24:14.149-07:00A Study in Scarlet Sir Arthur Conan Doyle<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqp41dT5IZYXQQbfg45tHl6u5WapA-DTJSG-yi5Ly1odhqYQfOaD1Z7pHsNStxb2Vq8fkvenRVdJT1_yNQOLLmiyrGMgC4NxZ1GYz0DcUzrfOhkwvRXmqbjMiJBsHvwU3DaUlC3IllYH8/s1600/A-Study-In-Scarlet-Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqp41dT5IZYXQQbfg45tHl6u5WapA-DTJSG-yi5Ly1odhqYQfOaD1Z7pHsNStxb2Vq8fkvenRVdJT1_yNQOLLmiyrGMgC4NxZ1GYz0DcUzrfOhkwvRXmqbjMiJBsHvwU3DaUlC3IllYH8/s1600/A-Study-In-Scarlet-Cover.jpg" width="240" /></a>A Study in Scarlet is a book I have been considering reading for a long time. I worried that it would be overly verbose (being written over a century ago) and somewhat outdated. It was a great relief then to find out that this is a novel that has aged brilliantly, outdated terminology aside. Compared to others of his time, Conan Doyle's narratives tend to speed along at a fast pace which (for me) is essential in this sort of murder story in order to keep the reader interested in the plot as it unfolds. Also, while it is something the author cannot have foreseen, the first person style in which it is written provides a wonderful insight into life in the nineteenth century. The hustle and bustle of the busy London streets during the daytime, and the silence of the night is excellently captured.</div>
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I am confident in saying that Sherlock Holmes in one of the greatest characters in the history of literature. From his quirky mannerisms to his immense intelligence (and occasional comedic lack thereof) he is intensely likeable. It is no exaggeration when I say that he improves very scene he is in. It is here, I think, that Conan Doyle made his greatest mistake.<br />
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The novel is divided into two major sections, the first dealing with the solving of the murder case. Holmes is prevalent in this portion, and it makes for brilliant entertainment. The latter section deals with the back story of the murderer, and it is here that I feel the book loses steam. The pace slows down to a halt as we are introduced to an entirely new cast of characters, most of whom are significantly less interesting than Sherlock and Co. (Holmes is entirely absent for these chapters). A grumpy elderly man and his stereotypically attractive daughter are no substitute for the crime-solving sleuth.<br />
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I feel that the entire second half of the book would have been better off as a single chapter, or spread out throughout the narrative. It is effectively a large exposition dump at the end of the story, and while it does pay of in making the murderer feel more three-dimensional I am left wondering if reading it was worth the effort. It is a Sherlock Holmes novel without Sherlock Holmes, and not in the positive sense (see "The Hound of the Baskervilles"). There is no other way to describe it, in my opinion the second half of "A Study in Scarlet" is boring.<br />
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A Study in Scarlet is a book of two (literal) halves. The murder case is everything a crime novel should be; engaging, surprising and genuinely entertaining- a proper classic. The murderer's back story is anything but, although to be fair I do feel that the good outshines the not-so-good. I would still absolutely recommend this book to anyone even vaguely interested in crime, drama, or good novels in general. Just forget the second half!<br />
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High School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-27066403173566778642015-02-11T02:42:00.003-08:002015-02-11T02:42:57.199-08:00Suite français - Irène Némirovsky<br />
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Suite français is a book written during and about the Second World War. For the first half of the book, the storm in June, it gives you the story of the war through rich refugees who have to leave their homes in Paris and encounter lifestyles they haven't been used to. They witness people dying and that have run out of food, in some cases some of the families feel sorry but in others they still view themselves as the ones who have lost the most because they have come from upper class lifestyles. In the second half of the book, Dolce, it tells the story of a French woman and a German soldier. I prefer this half of the book as I think it had more of a story line, even though Némirovsky dies before she could finish it I honestly think if she had of finished it the story as a whole would not have been the same.<br />
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There are a few over laps in the book of the first and second half, for example the Michauds had stayed with the Angeillers when they had escaped from Paris, and they're son had had an affair with one of the Women in the village.<br />
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When you think of any war most of the time you think of the soldiers, the only soldiers mentioned in this novel are the ones billeted in the french towns. You understand through these soldiers that the war, although there are different views, is mainly the same for everyone.<br />
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Although to story did get a bit confusing at times you would be able to understand it again after a few lines or paragraphs. All and all this book is written amazingly and it's a shame that some of the stories were not completed, but that is also a good thing as you can make up the endings yourself, use your own imagination to know what became of the characters. Even though the author didn't intend that to happen it worked!. I really enjoyed this book, but as I already mentioned I preferred the second part. I do recommend this book to anyone, I feel like there is at least one character in this book that everyone would enjoy, there are a lot of characters.High School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-27204020688773182982015-02-06T02:31:00.001-08:002015-08-29T14:25:31.778-07:00Looking for Alaska by John Greene<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Looking for Alaska is about a young boy who moves school in search for his great perhaps but ends up stuck in this Labrynth.<br />
His name is Peter but when he moves to boarding school his new friends re-name him Pudge.<br />
While at the boarding school Pudge falls for the unpredictable Alaska. Pudge's life changes completely when he moves here he makes life long friends, the Colonel, Takumi, Lara and Alaska...however Pudge's new friends don't quite stick by the rules,this type of life is new to Pudge but its an adventure he doesn't want to miss.<br />
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My favourite part of this story is when Pudge and the rest Colonel Takumi... all plan a revenge prank on a few of the people who weren't quite welcoming to Pudge when he first moved especially due to who he had decided to become friends with.<br />
<br />High School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-69816484322126053362015-02-06T02:31:00.000-08:002015-02-06T02:31:06.841-08:00The Girl on the Cliff - Lucinda Riley<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjozlc7NblQO45wAMQd-d5Xhjnsh7CsPRgGJAdmJR3q3bBAPgErEeZfwHbDckwAMHzYPDx6EM7CLolyozXomW3mWJaTW7YH1-zkWHteNIXEIzA7zm79ainpji6efn4A98_tMhr6Ya7htNvJHWcELj10DoZQ9Bs" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1317666770l/11973190.jpg" /></a>Grania Ryan moved away from Ireland in search of a bigger better life in New York, but after suffering the loss of her unborn child she returns home to her family in Ireland, leaving her partner, Matt, in New York with no explanation to her fleeing. Grania meets a young girl Aurora Lisle on the cliff and is intrigued by her confidence and bubbly personality. It was then a friendship began to grow between the two, and without Grania knowing it, history was beginning to re live itself. <br />Grania's mother had warned her not to get involved with the Lisle family, she kept telling Grania it would only cause trouble because their family's history went back to 1914. This history included war-time romance and raising and loving a child that was not their own .As the story goes on we begin to untangle the past of the two family's and we also get to see the past repeating itself, we see Grania falling in love once again and we see her treating Aurora as if she were her own child. <br />What drew me to keep reading this book was the character of Aurora, at such a young age she suffered the loss of her mother which as we see in the book affected her life greatly, it also matured her. She w</div>
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There are two stories to the life of Pi. One is full of animals and carnivorous floating islands and is a tale of adventure and triumph, whereas the other is a frightening tale of the darker side of human nature. Both are incredible stories of survival, and loss, and faith. And an ordinary boy named Pi who is forced into extraordinary circumstance.<br />
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The premise of the novel is that a young Indian boy and his family sell their zoo and pack up to search for a better life in Canada. On their way through the pacific ocean the ship crashes and sinks leaving Pi in a lifeboat with only a hyena, a zebra with a broken leg, an orang-utan and an adult Bengal tiger for company. The story, told through the eyes Pi himself, seems incredibly real and as soon as I opened the first page I was immediately enraptured with Pi Patel's story.<br />
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The author's clever use of first person and incredible use of language creates a vivid and mesmerising image in your mind and makes even the mundane moments seem imaginative and special. The landscapes and problems that Pi is faced with along the way are engrained in my mind and will be for quite some time.<br />
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At the end of the novel you are told a different story in which the animals that Pi has been trapped on the lifeboat with are replaced with people. The two stories both match up and follow the same story line but when the animals are replaced with people it becomes so much more difficult to comprehend the atrocities that took place. In the second, darker story the ship's cook has devolved to become more animal like, forgetting all the pleasantries and normality that comes with being in a society and has regressed to only thinking in the sense of the Freudian id. Even when Pi is interviewed at the end of the novel and tells his interviewers both stories and let's them choose which of the two to put in their report, they choose the first because they don't want to even consider that any person is capable of such barbaric and vicious behaviour because if they did they would have to admit that then they will be forced to reflect on how they would act if they were put in extreme circumstances.<br />
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Everyone would like to think that they would act like Pi, who turns to God and himself instead of violence, but this novel shows that people are capable of terrible things if put under enough pressure. But with extreme self discipline and faith in something someone can survive a terrible ordeal without forgetting what it is to be human.High School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-25619520241839818452015-01-30T02:34:00.000-08:002015-01-30T02:34:47.826-08:00"The Road" by Cormac McCarthy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I really enjoyed reading "The Road". I hadn't read any books by Cormac McCarthy before so I was curious to see what "The Road" would be like. "The Road" is unlike any book I had read before. I found that McCarthy's use of dialogue added to the sense of near complete silence and fear that the characters experienced throughout the book.<br />
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"The Road" is set sometime in the future where every day is a struggle for the people who have managed to survive whatever catastrophe had happened in the years past. It is a story about a man and his son who are trying to stay alive with only a few rations and gun with two bullets and their journey to reach the coast. Throughout the book they are followed by men who are starving and will try to kill them. We don't know the age of the man but the boy is about seven. They end up reaching the coast after a hard and treacherous journey in which they encounter many horrific things.<br />
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However, they start to run out of the little food they the have left and the man dies from starvation. I thought that the young boy was going to die too, but a few days after his fathers death he is saved by a group of people who agree to help him.<br />
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My favourite character was the father. He kept trying to reach the coast in an effort to keep his son alive. He was extremely brave throughout the book and tried to protect his son from the men and from seeing the horrific things that they saw on their journey. He was also very kind. When there was a shortage of food he would always give the son the larger share of food.<br />
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My favourite scene was when they were running dangerously low on supplies and they found a warehouse packed with food such as cans and other food that doesn't perish easily. This scene was such a rare moment of happiness in the book where the characters felt safe and happy and this is why its my favourite scene.<br />
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I would sincerly recommend this book. It is such a sad but beautiful story and I feel that people should read it and acknowledge the author and how great this book is. I would definitely read other books by Cormac McCarthy.High School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-22414657100389905662015-01-29T02:59:00.003-08:002015-01-29T02:59:40.192-08:00Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens This was the first Charles Dickens book I had read, and despite its length of 880 pages, and the language, which took some getting used to, it has now joined my list of books which I will never forget, and will probably reread many times. It takes a couple of chapters to get into, but when you do get into it, you will fall into its pages, and for the days, weeks or months while you're reading it, you will only have to glance at a page to disappear into the world of Nicholas Nickleby.<br />
The story follows the life of our central character, Nicholas Nickleby, after the death of his father. He moves to London with his sister and mother, but soon, needing a job, he leaves them to work in a school a long way away. It is here that we first meet Smike, an unhappy and helpless boy whom Nicholas befriends. Nicholas is very quickly, like the other inhabitants of the school, entirely unhappy. Events at the school build to a climax, resulting in Nicholas and Smike fleeing back to Nicholas's family in London. However, between the terrible schoolmaster, Squeers, (Dickens has a flair for naming his characters!) and Nicholas's cruel and money- obsessed uncle, Ralph Nickleby, life for the Nicklebys, and their devoted friend Smike, is far from uneventful. The book documents the many adventures, and more often misadventures, of Nicholas, Kate, their shallow and talkative mother, and the various characters they meet along the way.<br />
The thing I most enjoyed about this book was the characters. At times it is hard to keep track of them all, but each character has a very developed personality. Nicholas was a very believable character- he was strong, brave, caring and intelligent, but none of these characteristics was unrealistically over- developed. He had enough depth and complexity to make him the kind of character you can relate well to and understand. His mother's incessant, mindless and highly irritating chatter contrasted perfectly with his steady, considerate patience.<br />
Somebody once told me that Dickens's books are funny. I expected that. What I didn't expect was the moments when I was sitting there reading in a room full of family members, all staring at me as I laughed hysterically at the book. This is one of the very few books that has made me laugh out loud. It was mainly the character of Newman Noggs who provided the entertainment- Dickens's descriptions of his many oddities, especially in the scene where we first meet him, had me grinning like a lunatic.<br />
I expected "Nicholas Nickleby" to be good. What I hadn't expected was the the way it captured my attention. Sometimes a chapter will be spent on some seemingly random and unrelated scene, which is forgotten until it is woven back into the story twenty or thirty chapters on, to create a complex and thrilling twist in the plot. The story's many layers and side- plots add a depth and extra dimension to the book that give it that bit more reality and complexity than any other book. I would give this book 10 out of 10.<br />
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High School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-30590295240869321472015-01-29T02:26:00.001-08:002015-01-29T02:26:33.102-08:00Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOhyphenhyphenR3RhL7MAwWL2sFU3hXZX6yPVEuR239-FBOObuqfFHgr8hpTYkOIWXyA0mny2a9OxJV2f4MWkQehtxxK4rnJQurwNlTLGkGDcHMAwJYRKBVeM-MtgmnjB7OUwiQiJLQ3_a9VUDYlU/s1600/pride+and+predjudice+br.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOhyphenhyphenR3RhL7MAwWL2sFU3hXZX6yPVEuR239-FBOObuqfFHgr8hpTYkOIWXyA0mny2a9OxJV2f4MWkQehtxxK4rnJQurwNlTLGkGDcHMAwJYRKBVeM-MtgmnjB7OUwiQiJLQ3_a9VUDYlU/s1600/pride+and+predjudice+br.jpg" /></a>I read the book pride and prejudice by Jane Austen. The book is about the Bennett family mainly who live in Longbourn, the family has a variety of very strong contrasting characters, Jane the eldest of five daughters and is supposedly the most beautiful, Elizabeth who is my favourite character is really confident and witty, Mary the middle child is the intelligent quiet one and the youngest two are kitty and Lydia who are just silly and ditsy and love going to town to see the officers. Mrs Bennett main purpose in life is to get all five of her daughters married, preferably to wealthy men with large estates.<br />
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The main theme of this book is love, marriage and money. throughout the book all three themes are very apparent. Love is found in marriage and hopefully money is brought with marriage. You see love between Jane and Mr Bingley even at the very start when you see how he cares for her so much when she falls sick when she comes to visit him which contrasts with the love between Darcy and Elizabeth which is not very clear at the start but it becomes more apparent throughout the book.<br />
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The book starts with news of a new wealthy single man arriving in town to buy Netherfield park, Mr Bennett is sent out by Mrs Bennett for a social visit as she hopes that this young man will be the future husband of one of her daughters. Mr Bingley first meets Jane at a ball and falls for her beauty at first sight, he dances with her most of the night. Mr Darcy is also introduced but as an arrogant man with excessive pride as he refuses to dance with Elizabeth. Later on in the novel Jane goes to visit Mr Bingley in Netherfield park but has to stay there when she falls sick, , Elizabeth then travels to Netherfield park to take care of her sister and encounters Mr Darcy again with Ms Bingley, Mr Bingley's sister who is chasing Mr Darcy. Ms Bingley is not impressed with Elizabeth at all and her stay in Netherfield park is not the most pleasant and she is happy to return home.<br />
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Mr Collins a clergyman is then introduced who is supposed to be inheriting the Bennett's land, after a while he proposes to Elizabeth but is refused and later marries her friend Charlotte. The Bennetts and Mr Collins go to visit their uncle in town when they meet Wickham who is an officer, He tells Elizabeth of what a horrible man Darcy is and how he cheated him out of his inheritance, this adds to Elizabeth's dislike of Mr Darcy.<br />
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The book continues with more encounters between Elizabeth and Darcy and more marriages between the young ladies. I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone. its beautifully written and is a grasping novel and quite humorous at parts.<br />
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Kyla O'dwyerHigh School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-80247976293887273852015-01-28T02:46:00.001-08:002015-01-28T02:46:45.122-08:00Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1341952742l/15745753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1341952742l/15745753.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a>The book that I read was Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. It's about these two people who are outsiders in their lives who meet and fall in love. It's quite generic to be honest.<br />
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The main girl Eleanor is constantly described as being fat and having massive unruly red hair and always dressing really weirdly. Yet that's okay because Park is in love with her. It just seemed that it was always being like "how does he like me? I'm fat" like I get that she was supposed to be a self conscious character but I mean stand up for yourself. The only times she actually felt good about herself was when Park said nice things about her and that doesn't exactly scream role model or strong person in any way. I get that her home situation was really bad, her stepdad hated her and she always had to walk on eggshells around him but love yourself for yourself sometimes not because someone else said that you looked nice! plus Park is always saying things that sound like thinly veiled back-stabbing compliments towards her.</div>
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Park is the main guy in the book. He is introduced as kind of popular yet at the same time is an outsider who is really actually unique and perfect in his own way. With about one friend. He is half Korean and it seems that the book can't go one chapter without mentioning it. One time it even said something that went like "No Korean guys can be good looking" I mean WHAT? Isn't that a touch racist? Park's mum is a beautician and one day he starts wearing eyeliner because he thinks it makes him look better and his dad asks him why because guys don't usually wear eyeliner and he starts crying. I don't really know why but I think it was supposed to show that Park's family isn't perfect either..?<br />
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In this book both the main characters acted normal enough at the start but then fell in love in about a second and then started acting like they were on drugs. Having random mood swings, becoming so dependent on each other I thought that I was reading Twilight and just a general strangeness. I think what the author was trying to do was have them as the classic YA John Green or Stephen Chbosky outsiders but just missed the mark. I just couldn't have any feelings about them because I thought that they were utterly ridiculous. Maybe if Rowell had spent more time exploring other characters like Eleanor's mother and the abuse that she was going through regular beatings and what I'm guessing is rape would have given the book more range and depth. The "super emotional ending" just flopped because by the end I just didn't care.<br />
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So overall I would not recommend this book but I wish the author tons of luck with their other books in the future.High School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-37911390334058248372014-05-09T07:21:00.001-07:002014-05-09T07:22:24.274-07:00Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A couple of months ago
when I started to read the fantastic fantasy novel Game of Thrones by the
author George R.R. Martin, I couldn’t have known that I would be sucked into such a vivid world a of dark fantasy
that is so effortlessly by George in this novel . This book is the first of a
series, of which five books have been written to date. The novel begins with a
scene taking place deep in a mysterious forest up in the far north of Westeros,
the kingdom wear the novel is set. </div>
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Three men of the ancient order of the nights
watch are ranging out in the wild forest, when one of them comes across a group
of dead people. However, when the leader of the group goes to investigate the
dead bodies have disappeared. An eerie feeling falls over the group and they feel
that they are not alone in this deep unknown land. One man climbs a tree to get
away from whatever beast is down below. Looking at his companions from high
above, he sees a group of strange white figures, beautiful yet inhuman, gather
around his companions. The leader lifts its sword and strikes at the leader
below.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Meanwhile, in the civilised lands of
Westeros, Lord Eddard Stark awaits the arrival of King Robert the first to
visit his castle in heart of the old northern kingdom, where even in the long summer,
snows still fall. We are here introduced to the main point of view characters
and the tale of their lives un folds before us. <o:p></o:p></div>
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What is so truly astonishing about this book
is hw the author so easily juggles such a huge array of characters, and still
manages to keep the reader engaged. Indeed, he makes us fall in love with all
his characters, making it such a difficult task to decipher the bad from the
good; evil from the heroes in the book. It is in the characters this book truly
shines. I give it a 10/10, unable to find even a minute detail I don’t love. I
would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.<o:p></o:p><br />
By C. F.</div>
High School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-27313044798400387032013-11-04T13:34:00.004-08:002013-11-04T13:34:50.033-08:00The City of Bones - by Cassandra Clare<br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0f/City_of_Bones.jpg" style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #888888; float: left; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0f/City_of_Bones.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" /></a>A book that I love is 'The Mortal Instruments: The City of Bones written by Cassandra Clare this book is the first book in a very popular series and has always stood out to me for many reasons. One the amazing characters, two the story and three the stormy night when I first came across it. I was at my sister's friend's house for a sort of family friends get together thing, I was thoroughly bored and had being my very sociable self had no interest in speaking to anyone. I picked up the book sitting on her bedside table, the cover intriguing me; an image of a young male with 'markings' covering his body and beams of light coming from his body. The book also had a review from Stephanie Meyer on the inside which interested me.<br /><br />I began to read it and I had read about four chapters of the book and was really enjoying learning about the supernatural world, Clary Fray had stumbled upon. All of a sudden the lights flashed really bright and the power cut, no electricity, no light, no reading. But I struggled on, reading using the light of my phone but in the end I reluctantly put the book down to gave my straining eyes a break and joined in with everyone else.<br /><br />After all that happened that night the book was far from my mind until two or three weeks later when my sister's friend had finished with the book and was getting rid of it. She had read the book and didn't enjoy it but when I remembered it I gleefully took it from her and began to read. I finished the book within the day. I discovered there was a second and third book written and there was rumours of there being a fourth book nothing had been confirmed at that point. I squealed with delight, thrilled I did not have to say goodbye to the characters already. Immediately went and bought them. The anticipation too much to bear.</div>
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<br />Three years later, another four books written on the world of shadowhunters and demons (totalling 7!!), a movie coming out later this year, another book out later this month (!!), I have lent and recommended this book countless times and it is without a doubt my favourite book. I have returned numerous times to this book only to be enthralled each and every time by the shadowhunters in their constant quest to defeat evil and protect the mundanes but each time I do return, I remember that very eventful stormy night when I first came across it.</div>
High School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-13832726975866809812013-11-03T05:30:00.000-08:002013-11-03T05:30:46.096-08:00Un Lun Dun by China Mieville<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
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<a href="http://www.impossiblepodcasts.com/wp-content/uploads/blogger/-Bsp5XGlHnmg/Td6RVW-xMWI/AAAAAAAAAI4/AO3PSyxvUM0/s1600/un-lun-dun-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #888888; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.impossiblepodcasts.com/wp-content/uploads/blogger/-Bsp5XGlHnmg/Td6RVW-xMWI/AAAAAAAAAI4/AO3PSyxvUM0/s1600/un-lun-dun-cover.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="198" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was given this book by an old friend who liked it and thought I would enjoy it too. I really liked it and have read it at least four times. It is about UnLondon, an alternate realm where all the discarded items of London go. Two girls from London, Zanna and Deeba</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">stumble upon this world and find out Zanna is part of a prophecy to save Unlondon from the Smog `, a cloud of chemical gases trying to burn Unlondon to feed himself . Zanna gets injured and has to be brought back to London and has her memory wiped but Deeba remembers and goes back to try help her new friends save Unlondon from the Smog.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This book has really interesting characters. The author makes</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">characters out of inanimate objects like Curdle the milk carton and gives them a real personality that makes you think they are human. This book made me want to become a costume designer because of the description of one of the characters, Obaday Fing, a tailor who makes clothes out of book pages and has a pin cushion for a head.The book is black and cream and has very lovely illustrations by the author on the cover and in the book.</span></div>
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High School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-19547640863743024762013-11-03T05:22:00.001-08:002013-11-03T05:22:32.825-08:00Succumbing to Keats<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Any time I’m asked a question involving <i>one book,</i> I instantly feel that cloying indecisiveness that is my love for a seemingly endless list of books. So being asked to write a blog post about the <i>one book </i>I would bring to a desert island is torment! After much deliberation between The Golden Treasury left to me recently by my grandmother, and a tatty volume of Keats, I’ve decided to go with Keats, as I’ve fallen totally in love with its decrepit charm.<u></u><u></u><u></u></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The book came to me last year. Imagine the bustling streets of the town of Gorey, in Wexford, where I sometimes go to shop with my family. There’s a small café there, called “The Book Café”, if I’m remembering that right, with the kind of atmosphere that makes me want to play chess (though I’m awful) and drink hot chocolate. Go through to the back of the café and you’ll find shelves and shelves of second hand books. In short, a reader’s heaven! It was here that I found a bookcase devoted to poetry, and hiding unassumingly between some larger, sterner looking volumes was my Keats volume, and I say ‘my’ with great pride and satisfaction.<u></u><u></u></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">By then, the book had seen its fair share of wear and tear, the pages are browned and the denim-y cover is a little stringy along the spine, but, to me, that’s all part of the charm. It cost five euro, which I’m mentioning because it adds to my happiness around having snatched it up. I must now have read “Ode To A Nightingale” a thousand times, so I’ll close by quoting my favourite lines:<u></u><u></u></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“O, for a beaker full of the warm South,<u></u><u></u></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene,<u></u><u></u></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">With beaded bubbles winking at the brim,<u></u><u></u></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And purple-stained mouth.<u></u><u></u></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">That I might drink and leave the world unseen,<u></u><u></u></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IE"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And with thee fade away into the forest dim.”</span></span></span></div>
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ull of the *true, the blushful Hippocrene</div>
High School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-29607013599804078062013-05-10T00:59:00.002-07:002013-05-10T00:59:18.855-07:00My Love Affair with Pride and Prejudice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">If I were to have one book in the whole world to read, it would be the battered old copy of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. This worn out book lives forever on my bedside locker, as it did my mother’s before she gave it to me. This novel never fails to excite me. Although the tale is well known to me now, each time I read this book I get engrossed in the characters so effortlessly portrayed by Austen. However, these are but part of the appeal to this book. To me nothing can beat her use of irony and wit providing an endless stream of humour that can never fail to bring a smile to your face. To be without this book would be like being without a closest friend. With the opening of this novel, a day can turn from lousy to exciting.</span><br /><div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> The other thing that is truly remarkable about this novel is its characters, as mentioned above. I can never fail to fall in love with Austen’s use of dialogue to give amazing depth to her characters. This allows us to feel for her characters and creates the perfect atmosphere with which to tell her tale. As highlighted above I am thoroughly in love with this book. I would give it a rating of10/10, which might seem fanciful but I truly hard set to find any faults with it. I would highly recommend giving it a read!</span></span></div>
High School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-12303197859462370202013-05-08T01:00:00.001-07:002013-05-08T01:00:08.185-07:00The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger <br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="EN-IE"><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Before I read it, the title of this book had always loomed imposingly in the distance. It was one of the greats, one of <em>those</em> intimidating books whose name is permanently etched into your brain, it was <em>Pride and Prejudice</em>, it was <em>Great Expectations, </em>it was <em>War and Peace -</em> it was 'classic fiction' in the most terrifying sense of the word. I expected it to be dense, and wordy; I expected it to be a book that meant something and knew it. This couldn't have been further from the truth.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="EN-IE"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="EN-IE"><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">In The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger takes the reader on a journey through New York through the eyes of the teenage protagonist, Holden Caulfield. And through this somewhat eventful city jaunt, we catch a glimpse into the mind of one of the most angst-ridden, self-destructive protagonists known to literature. </span><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Obsessed and terrified by the thought of change, when confronted with adulthood, he declares it phony, unimportant, distancing himself from the changing sands of time and wishing he could simply stop the clock, and stand still. Ultimately, it's the novel's central theme of craving inertia which drives it, and gives it meaning.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span lang="EN-IE"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="EN-IE"><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;">But what draws you in, what forces you to continue, is Salinger’s excellent narration. He commands Caulfield’s voice masterfully, and wholly inhabits his mind, effortlessly conjuring the character, making it seem as if he is speaking directly to you, his words echoing endlessly in your mind. Salinger and Caulfield are both storytellers at their heart; their burning passion to make you empathise with them is what motivates them, and what makes their stories so engaging. He lightly sprinkles the text with colloquialisms and slang - <em>Catcher </em>isn't a book which views highly of itself. For much of it, it's as if Salinger has simply made a carbon copy of his mind onto the page. Caulfield isn't afraid to aggrandise himself, he doesn't shy away from making himself seem faultless. And this lets us understand his character that much better - he isn't an all-knowing, all-encompassing narrator. We're not meant to believe his every word and look up to him as a role model. We're <em>supposed </em>to dislike Holden, we're <em>supposed </em>to view his actions critically and judge him for them.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="EN-IE"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="EN-IE"><em>The Catcher in the Rye </em>is a story that doesn't place itself above the reader. It's a story that doesn't try to teach you a moral, it's a story which doesn't take itself as anything more. In writing it, J.D. Salinger wrote a masterpiece which, while amongst the classics in its quality, surpasses them in its relatability.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span lang="EN-IE">By Mike Dolan</span></span></div>
High School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-37544251910228150552013-05-07T00:50:00.002-07:002013-05-07T00:51:14.666-07:00Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seuss: A nostalgic response by Daniel M.B<br />
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It was a bleak winters evening back in 1998, I had recently discovered Pokemon so my eyes were<br />
glued to the television enthralled by Ash Ketchums ambition and determination to “catch them all”.<br />
I even enjoyed the card game although I had no idea how to play and was completely illiterate. They<br />
were aesthetically pleasing and that was enough to keep my interest. There was a sudden clinging of<br />
keys at the door and in walked my Dad holding eight bags of groceries, his face was going red from<br />
the weight and a vein popped in his temple. He dropped the bags with a huge sigh of relief, knelt<br />
beside me and simultaneously patted my head. “Now my bonny lad, will you be a good boy and<br />
bring in the last little bag in the boot” he said. I willingly obeyed and toddled out to the car, picked<br />
up the plastic bag. Under the plastic bag was a multi-coloured book cover entitled “Green Eggs and<br />
Ham”, my eyes gleamed in awe of the colours, you could say I was somewhat of a child-magpie<br />
when it came to objects that shone. I brought the book in, delighted with my recent discovery and<br />
gave it to my mam asking her to read it to me. My mam read me the book several times, over and<br />
over, night after night until I started finishing her sentences when it came to my favourite parts. I will<br />
never forget reading all 70 pages by myself in my living room (granted some of it was memorised not<br />
read...) feeling as accomplished as ever. It was the first book that I had ever read and for that reason<br />
holds huge sentimental value for me. I do like “Green Eggs and Ham” Dan I am.</div>
High School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-53522559033175098292013-05-02T00:58:00.000-07:002013-05-02T00:58:04.882-07:00Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4;">Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is, as Terry Pratchett might put it, 'a mystery inside a riddle, wrapped in an enigma'. In fact, the author's name is not John le Carré, as the cover may have you believe, but is in fact David John Moore Cornwell. He took the name 'John le Carré' when he was working with the British intelligence agencies MI5 and MI6. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (lack of punctuation intentional) is a story about a man, George Smiley, who has retired from the British secret service, so we can see the experience le Carré brings to the table.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFxvZMy5BsDgDY95UvRnClMZ8A_nQ8NoTbPrYAovl2Kc6a_Ju8yW51g0-PjuW_9O9M3vBYy0vkoigkgbyuAC8Ffaj_j5jQY2uIcM_V588FmHWFQlubMxKutXTT-X-0J3HOKOTe6xAvqM/s1600/tttspy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFxvZMy5BsDgDY95UvRnClMZ8A_nQ8NoTbPrYAovl2Kc6a_Ju8yW51g0-PjuW_9O9M3vBYy0vkoigkgbyuAC8Ffaj_j5jQY2uIcM_V588FmHWFQlubMxKutXTT-X-0J3HOKOTe6xAvqM/s1600/tttspy.jpg" /></a><br />It is this authenticity that makes the novel for me. Everything in the novel feels real, from the rather grey London atmosphere the author conjures, to nail-biting tension that so electrifies the book's plot. The book is not filled with action, this story is not akin to the action-packed world of espionage that Ian Fleming wove so famously for James Bond to rampage across. Tinker Tailor Solider Spy is a sombre and nervy affair.<br /><br />The reader is thrust into a world where nobody is to be fully trusted, given that most of the characters spy on others for money, armed with nothing but an insight into the truly brilliant mind of the protagonist, George Smiley, as he pieces together a mystery and tries to uncover a mole in the secret service even after he's been cut off from it. Though it doesn't involve a detective, aside from a few bit characters, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy boasts as good a 'whodunnit' as any book out there.<br /><br />The great thing about the book is the sense that the reader gets of the planning that le Carré put into the book. Everything is thought out and everything the characters do is rational and fitting with their personalities, and this only contributes to paranoia imbued within the book. In short, Tinker Tailor Soldier is a compelling and tense thriller that had me at the edge of my seat throughout.</div>
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by Luke B.</div>
High School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-42927622574387087432013-05-01T00:55:00.001-07:002013-05-01T00:55:29.782-07:00First inspiration from the Last Ship Home<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;">In a time when I could count the years of my life on my hands my brother and I received a book called The Last Ship Home by Rodney Matthews. It was a fantasy art book containing paintings that he had done from literature and from his own imagination. It was a simple book; square in shape and significantly larger than an A4 page. It had a most spectacular cover of a ship floating through the sky towards a cliff-side village and then a corresponding one on the back cover of the same ship drifting away from the village resulting in the decay of the landscape.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWL_ZELAhVn0QCsQnJ6BDEzkz_FXiMxy-brpH7DXXtpZaNKT06wCLensRlg_T4wIuwdPPNttMcYHfjdFSl0aCBjHAWt8C_Eo5jbA9nMNnGA2pfwIc5e5n_vdiBPqzpa6FrKILm6Q7jii4/s1600/riv_rodneymatthews.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWL_ZELAhVn0QCsQnJ6BDEzkz_FXiMxy-brpH7DXXtpZaNKT06wCLensRlg_T4wIuwdPPNttMcYHfjdFSl0aCBjHAWt8C_Eo5jbA9nMNnGA2pfwIc5e5n_vdiBPqzpa6FrKILm6Q7jii4/s320/riv_rodneymatthews.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">My brother and I spent many hours as children exploring each of the pictures, inspecting every detail with curiosity by tracing outlines with small fingers. I recall at one stage we would take it out every night to look at the pictures, flicking through each page and excitedly pointing to a character exclaiming “He’s my favourite!” (But of course he would always get the best guy)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmaOsX-mTyLeRtjzLJVTffSODr2hP3ffWYIGBQuPasCfa6xFYs1sos02ZFuhtXaoBThZ1ATTqAt7W4o2bCaIB3ZsNXMocoYSQMenltJt8wB58LXBO4PN7Z9lJiEBqgzundDJRPAplqWDI/s1600/rodney_matthews_alice+in+wonderland_alice+and+the+caterpillar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmaOsX-mTyLeRtjzLJVTffSODr2hP3ffWYIGBQuPasCfa6xFYs1sos02ZFuhtXaoBThZ1ATTqAt7W4o2bCaIB3ZsNXMocoYSQMenltJt8wB58LXBO4PN7Z9lJiEBqgzundDJRPAplqWDI/s200/rodney_matthews_alice+in+wonderland_alice+and+the+caterpillar.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I remember my brother reading me the titles of each of the works before I even knew how to read, titles such as “An Unlikely Hero”, “Rivendell – The Last Homely House”, “The Martians” and “Alice and the Caterpillar” – depictions of scenes from The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The War of the Worlds and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – all books that I would then read in the years to come.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHPL6Dug0epvx-acr2mTQG7FAmPfvICYyQnYQfonrhh7aFeTLWrM4Q64dmOMIfhRDcWGY0wae-4I3cVjHmo4t9PFIW8RhqCQMlLAKFtVVw7V40T2CuwmtbJcqtxB8fpohQJnIj8JTpfs/s1600/RODNEY_MATTHEWS__Last_Ship_Home_12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHPL6Dug0epvx-acr2mTQG7FAmPfvICYyQnYQfonrhh7aFeTLWrM4Q64dmOMIfhRDcWGY0wae-4I3cVjHmo4t9PFIW8RhqCQMlLAKFtVVw7V40T2CuwmtbJcqtxB8fpohQJnIj8JTpfs/s320/RODNEY_MATTHEWS__Last_Ship_Home_12.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: 14pt;">For me Last Ship Home planted the seed of curiosity that would germinate and flourish into a part-time hobby and full-time interest in books and art. Even now, a decade later, do I open the book to look at a specific picture and find myself once again pouring over each page with new found wonder and inspiration.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">By J. Deering 2013</span></div>
High School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1410665118490212694.post-73025665502417867082013-04-29T00:48:00.001-07:002013-04-29T00:48:40.445-07:00Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; text-align: center;">'Jane Eyre'- Charlotte Bronte</span><br />
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I first came across the story of 'Jane Eyre' when my teacher in fourth class played us an abridged version of the audio book. The characters and the story stuck in the mind, and when I was in first year I finally read the book. </div>
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<br />It tells the story of its title character's life. This begins with her bleak childhood, spent unwanted in the house of her cruel aunt and cousins, and then mistreated in the grim Lowood school. It's only when Jane moves onto her life as a governess at Thornfield Hall, working for the handsome, mysterious Mr Rochester, that she begins to live a happy life. The book continues to reveal the ups and downs of Jane's turbulent life, and looking back, it's no wonder it became my favourite book.<br /><br />It was the first classic novel I'd ever read. In primary school, I read a lot of fantasy books; any books set in the 'real world' that I read were probably by Jacqueline Wilson or Cathy Cassidy. This was different. The characters were real, flawed people. The plot was intricate, dark and intriguing, and contained pretty complex themes of morality, feminism, religion, and love. These being subjects that hadn't really come up in the books I was used to at that point.<br />Jane changes and develops so much throughout the book, and even though I wouldn't say that I necessarily related to her as a character, she always felt real.<br /><br />When I told my mum I was reading 'Jane Eyre', she went through her bookshelf until she found a small brown hardback book, with golden gilt borders around the cover, and extremely thin, translucent pages.<br />Her dad (who, although I unfortunately never met, I know was never seen without a book in his hand) had owned this book, and when my mum moved from Limerick up to Dublin at the age of 17, she asked if she could take it with her, and she's had it since then. Or at least up until it was passed onto me a few years ago.<br />This copy is now almost always found on my bedside table, and if I ever can't find anything to read, it's always 'Jane Eyre' I turn to.</div>
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by L. H. 5th Yr</div>
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High School Dublin Book Clubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17270854070767079785noreply@blogger.com0