30 Day Book Challenge: Day 15

We're half way through the challenge! Yay!

Day 15- Favorite classic book

 

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

I already mentioned The Hobbit as my favorite book so I don't want to mention it again, but Fahrenheit 451 is a good second pick for favorite classic. In case you don't already know what this is about, Bradbury writes about a society where books are illegal to own and houses no longer burn... books do. I read the book last year for the first time.

This society is kind of put off by independent thought and the TV is the main source of entertainment. No longer limited to a small television, these take up entire walls and can interact somewhat with the viewer. As far as size goes, we basically have that with large screens and projectors today. Guy Montag (the main character) is a fireman, whose job is to burn any books that are found. His problems start when he decides to bring a book home instead of burning it. Once he reads it he starts thinking differently and wants to find more books to read.

I was a bit taken aback by the concept of books being an illegal thing. They basically believe free thought is achieved through reading... and I don't totally disagree with that part, but they believe free thought is a bad thing and that it causes the problems in the world. An interesting thing to think about and can make people talk about the importance of literature.

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30 Day Book Challenge: Day 14

Day 14- Book that should be on HS/college required reading list

 

1984 by George Orwell

I had a lot of ideas for books that I could choose for this. Next to 1984 I would probably pick Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I liked 1984 because it showed (at least to me) the importance of independent thought and the need to keep governments from taking total control over its people.

Yes, there were some parts that dragged on a bit, but for the most part you see a world that is strictly regulated and where the government controls everything and regularly spies on the people. I think that a book used to educate should be a source for topics of conversation and this book has plenty.

What would you recommend? Let me know in the comments!

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Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Description

The system was simple. Everyone understood it. Books were for burning, along with the houses in which they were hidden.

Guy Montag was a fireman whose job it was to start fires. And he enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and he had never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs or the joy of watching pages consumed by flames, never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid. Then Guy met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think. And Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do...

I think the concept of technology taking over our lives is an interesting one. At the time this was written, television was becoming more and more popular in people's homes. The televisions in the book are huge, taking up entire walls. Programs make it so people interact with what they're watching. Then there is the of burning books because, basically, the government doesn't want people to think and have their own ideas.

Once Montag gets the idea of books and free thought into his head his world is turned upside down. A good classic (and slightly ironic that it's also a challenged) book and anyone that values critical thought should read this.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Laura and Stepfanie's rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description:

Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

I don't remember reading this book in school, so I decided to give it a try. Lois Lowry is an incredible story teller. Even though it was a relatively short story, I didn't feel like there was anything missing.

The story is told in such a way that you don't realize how different that world is until it is mentioned. I got to the part about (something I'm not going to mention because it would ruin it when you came to that part of the book; but it's totally awesome!) and it felt like a bomb had been dropped because I had no idea. Terrific writing!

If you haven't read this I suggest you do!

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I first read this book in 7th grade; It was one of the only books I ever read during school ha ha. I really enjoy this book and all the imagery it presents.

1984 by George Orwell

1984 by George Orwell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Slightly boring, but did cause me to think about this dystopian society and what could be possible.

What is “freedom” really? That’s the thought I had throughout this novel. I also wondered how so many people would allow our current “freedoms” to be taken away. I think that people, at their cores, wouldn’t stand for that much control (that they’re aware of). I know that we are monitored now, but it’s not so blatantly obvious that we see it every day in our homes.

So let’s examine the word freedom. Winston says in the novel that freedom is the right to say 2 + 2= 4 and even that is taken away from him. The dictionary says freedom is:

1. the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint.
2. exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.
3. the power to determine action without restraint.
4. political or national independence.
5. personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery: a slave who bought his freedom.

But can we listen to what the dictionary says a word means if even that is being controlled? Can we define something when the government says it is something else? It is so easy to be controlled that we don’t realize we’re being controlled.

1984 causes people to think about society and politics and what we allow to be done (or what we ignore). Every question I have leads to another question…. which is frustrating if, like me, you prefer to read and enjoy instead of questioning each part of the book you read. I don’t like questions, it reminds me too much of my college English classes.



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Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Although I understand the appeal of the book, I wasn't that impressed. The strange jumps in time and place makes it hard to follow occasionally. Certain sections in the book are never completed and left me wondering, which was probably done for that reason. The repetition of "so it goes" got a little annoying but after awhile I suppose I got used to it. I appreciated that it wasn't a very long novel. If I had to read 500 pages of it I probably would have just put it down and left it. It was long enough to be entertaining short enough that it was easily readable.



The time travel and abduction put me off a little and I'm guessing that Billy was experiencing some form of PTSD from the war. No matter how strange the book, my guess was that the character Billy created the whole alien abduction in order to deal with other mental issues stemming from his time in the war.


Even with its flaws I can see why some people call it a "classic."


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The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Probably my favorite book or at least one of my favorites. It seemed to start a little slow but as soon as Bilbo goes running out of his little hobbit house I feel like I'm swept into another world. I love the characters, the scenery and the story that pulled me in (almost from the start).


They started filming The Hobbit and I'm really excited about it! Can't wait to see it! Below is a video blog from Peter Jackson.

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Dracula by Bram Stoker

Dracula by Bram Stoker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


What's not to love about the original vampire novel? Nothing written about vampires since has come close (Twilight sucked- vampires don't sparkle).

Written in 1897 in "journal" format, the reader follows written accounts of the characters. That makes it a little hard to get into at first, but I loved it. Anyone that likes vampire books or movies should read this. Classic.



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