Transfer of Power

by Vince Flynn
Continuing the trend, this is the second book in the Protect and Defend series by Vince Flynn. I'm starting to get a little sick of his writing style. It actually reminds me of McCarthy's, believe it or not! I mean, he uses punctuation, but he always uses the, um, declarative sentences, was it? Where he starts it with the noun? It's a very straightforward way of writing. Also, he tends to get into excessive detail about things that I don't understand. Actually, he just likes guns a lot. So every time someone has a gun or uses a gun or even thinks about a gun, he has to describe the make and number and how much it weighs and where it was made and all these annoying little details that I really don't care about. And since this is a book about how terrorists take over the White House and then the CIA has to get them out, there are a lot of guns. I swear, a quarter of the book is just the descriptions of guns. I don't think I'm going to make it through all 11 books in this series if it continues on like this.
On the other hand, the story was really good. Like I said, these terrorists come in and take over the White House, 12 of them against the entire US. Flynn tells half the story from their leader's point of view, which I like because I can totally see where he's coming from, instead of just assuming that he's an insane, deranged maniac. Then again, he actually is an insane, deranged maniac, so maybe I'm imagining things.

Oh yeah, and remember Garret? He got sniped off at the end of the book. Made me very happy.

Merry Christmas!

~Marcella

Term Limits

by Vince Flynn
Another spy thriller from my grandpa :) I actually liked the other one better. This one is good, but there are so many characters... I can't keep them all straight. Also, the author of this must be really, really smart, because he keeps going off into these random tangents about the sciencey-technical parts of the book, and I have no idea what he's talking about. So then it's harder to figure out why various bits are so important, and I end up piecing together what happened from what people say about it afterwords.
Another thing I don't like about this book is one of the main characters, Stu Garret, who is the president's chief-of-staff. You know how there are some people who, when you're around them, you just automatically get annoyed with them, and they rub you the wrong way no matter what they do? This guy would do that to me. I was in a bad mood when I finished one of the chapters of this because it was all about this guy, and he was annoying me so much! He has this super angry personality, and everytime anyone says anything to him, he has to disagree, and he blames everyone else for his problems. Like, he was yelling at these Secret Service agents for two pages straight because their senator was sniped, and it wasn't their fault at all, but he was all, I'll have your badges for this, you'll never amount to anything if you can't even keep this guy safe! I want to jump in the book and slap this guy across the face.
I'm hoping he dies before the end of the book. That would make me so happy...
~Marcella

The Lovely Bones

by Alice Sebold

This is an incredibly depressing book. It's about Susie, who is raped and killed and buried in a hole by her neighbor. She goes to heaven and from there watches her family as they try to figure out who killed her. It's actually pretty creepy, the way she watches everyone from heaven. For years and years, she follows around her sister on dates with her boyfriend, sees her dad go almost insane, floats helplessly as her murderer attacks more and more people.
I liked how realistic it was, though. I mean, they never catch her killer. Her sister gets married, her dad has health problems, there is no happy ending, at least no stereotypical Disney-movie happy ending. Life goes on, though.
It's a good read, I guess. In some places it drags on, and the plot just keeps on going and going and going... I have to say, I liked the beginning and the end a lot more than the middle. Susie makes all these connections up in heaven that no one on earth would have seen. It's kind of like when you're reading a book where you know things the main character doesn't, so you can solve the mystery or guess the ending, but they don't figure it out until the last chapter. Only, in this book, Susie does know everything, and she has to just watch helplessly as people make the wrong decisions, or guess the wrong answer, or make wrong conclusions. When I'm dead, I don't want to have to watch everyone else mess up. I'd much rather just hang out in heaven and wait for them to show up.
~Marcella

Annotated Bibliography

*NOTES
I changed my research question from what we originally discussed in class. There were very few articles on my previous topic, so I switched to one that I was more confident about. If it has to be under one of the topics on our SIRS assignment, you could probably classify it as Medical Ethics.
I fixed my citations, so this should be better now.

Research Question: Should marijuana be legalized for use in medicine?

Bailey, Eric. "State Issues Guide to Legal Pot Use." Los Angeles Times 26 Aug 2008: B1. SIRS Researcher. SIRS Knowledge Source. Edina High School. 7 Dec 2008 http://www.sirs.com/.

This article describes the new guidelines set down by the state of California for legal marijuana use. Eric Bailey, the author, has written several other articles concerning legal marijuana use and how the guidelines set down by California have affected those who use and sell it legally. This particular article particularly talks about the reactions of various people who these guidelines affect, including California’s Attorney General, Fresno’s chief of police, and leaders of pro-medical marijuana groups. Most are pleased with the guidelines, because they will help police identify legal marijuana users and therefore be able to concentrate on recognizing and persecuting illegal drug dealers.

Adams, Jill U.. "A Balm for Pain." Los Angeles Times F-6: 18 Aug 2008. SIRS Researcher. SIRS Knowledge Source. Edina High School. 7 Dec 2008 http://www.sirs.com/.

This article talks about the various medical uses of marijuana, both current and past. It has apparently been used since prebiblical times, and is now used in such fields as neuropathic pain, multiple sclerosis, and nausea treatment. Several studies are quoted in which marijuana significantly helped patients feel better, although some of the improvement may have been due to the patients being high. It also describes the controversy that the best way to deliver the pain-relieving ingredient is to actually smoke the marijuana. Jill U. Adams has written several articles in the LA Times concerning medical use of marijuana and
also about the benefits and dangers of prescription drugs and the risks of energy drinks and baby formulas. She has a Ph. D. in Pharmacology and in addition has researched neuroscience and psychology.

-*--*--*-

McDonough, Jim. "A Weed By Any Other Name Smells the Same." The Christian Science Monitor: 16 December 2002. Researcher. SIRS Knowledge Source. Edina High School. 8 December 2008 http://www.sirs.com.

This article is the reaction of a conservative Christian group to a new study about a theory parallel to the gateway theory (that marijuana is a starter drug that leads one to the ...)

TO BE CONTINUED

Quantum Ethics

by Keith Ellis

My grandpa, now that he's old and retired, has pretty much nothing to do except read thrillers and then give them to my dad. I intercepted this one when it was on it's way to my dad...
The first thing I noticed about this book was in the first chapter, when the author was describing the newly-elected president. He's the first non-Caucasian man elected president, one of the youngest men ever elected, had previously served in the US Senate, was criticized by his opponents for his inexperience, has the middle name Hussein... Notice any similarities to a certain president-elect of ours? I freaked out, because this was written before Obama announced he was running. Anyways, I was hooked.
The book is about a genius, Cassy Geemunu, who invents a quantum computer--a computer that can basically do everything (she names it GOD). Including hack into any other computer, such as those that control the US nuclear weapons. The US government rushes to protect Cassy by bugging her home and office, recording all her conversations, and having people follow her to try to find out where she's hidden her computer/kidnap--er, protect her within secure government facilities. Unfortunately, they've forgotten that Cassy's a genius, knows exactly what they're doing, and will not stand for it. She disappears. The government enlists the help of the best tracker they know, John Thunder, but who knows whose side he's really on... the government, or Cassy's? Oh right, plus the terrorists are after Cassy's computer as well.
It's a really cool book. There was only one girl mentioned in the entire thing... but she was practically the main character, so it was okay. Not to mention, like the entire world was the "bad guys". Anyways, read it. It's the most thrilling thriller I've ever read.
~Marcella

Honor Few, Fear None

by Ruben "Doc" Cavazos

Motorcycle gangs are a lot more complicated than you might think. That's what I learned from this book. Doc, the author, is the international president of the Mongols MC, and this book is his story, from his childhood in the gangs of LA, his first motorcycle, club politics, dealing with the Mexican mafia, the US government, and the Hells Angels (and coming out on top), getting through bad publicity and angry club members and more. It was actually fascinating! He starts out with a story about how the police raided his home last summer without a warrant and took all his legal, registered guns, his motorcycles (100% bought, not stolen), his money and jewelry (it's "drug money", they claimed ) and put him and his son (who's not in the club) in jail. I was amazed!! The rest of the book continues on the same lines, as he tries to get rid of the terrible reputation of the Mongols fairly.
One thing Doc mentions multiple times is a book written by an undercover cop, which is apparently full of lies and exaggerations. The FBI put a guy into the club and basically told him to try to get drugs, stolen motorcycle parts, evidence of murders--anything that could be used to incriminate the Mongols of something. He got nothing. However, the FBI decided they couldn't spend that much time and money making up a fake ID, planting him in the club, getting secret mics to record conversations, and all that, and not come up with anything, so they got this guy to write a book about his "horrific experience". I would love to read that book and compare it to this one.
It really just makes me mad, to hear about all this slander and prejudice aimed at this club. They've done nothing wrong! Their club rules include no drugs, no stealing, no harassing women, on and on and on, but still people are determined to make them look terrible. This is seriously just a group of guys who like to ride motorcycles. If one or two happen to enjoy drugs as well, that doesn't mean the entire club uses/endorses/deals them!
Read this book. It's so cool to see such a different perspective than usual. It goes by so fast, too. It seems like the guy is sitting there talking to you! Grraaah... it's so unfair! I can't get over the injustice these men are faced with!
Indignantly yours,
~Marcella

The Kite Runner

by Khaled Hosseini

Wow. Just... wow. This is one of the most incredible books I've ever read, right up there with A Child Called It and The Lovely Bones. It'd a fictional narrative by an Afghan boy, about his life growing up in Afghanistan before the revolution and Russian invasion, his moving to America, and his return to his country later in his life, in an effort to fulfill himself.
This is such a powerful story. Amir's father is a rich, well-liked Sunni man, and Amir spends his childhood trying to impress him. His best friend, Hassan, is a Shi'a Muslim, and the son of his father's servant. Neither of the boys have mothers: Amir's died in childbirth and Hassan's eloped soon after his birth. The reader can see Hassan's recognition of his place in society, although Amir doesn't always notice. He cleans up after them, does things for him, lies to cover up his mistakes-- it's almost heartbreaking how much Amir takes him for granted. However, things change between them when Amir watches Hassan get raped by a peer and doesn't do anything to stop him. He distances himself from Hassan, avoids him at all costs, in fact, until he finally blames Hassan for stealing a birthday gift (he didn't) and Hassan and his father leave.
Soon after that, the Russians invade Afghanistan, and Amir's father decides they have to leave the country. They emigrate to Pakistan illegally, and soon move to San Fransisco.

...I don't want to ruin the ending if anyone else wants to read it, which you should. It's so sad, but I couldn't put it down. It's just so realistic--this story could have happened to anyone, but it's written so well, with all these connections that keep coming back to haunt you. I seriously can not get over this book! I'm probably going to reread it in the next couple of weeks, to try and pick up on some more of the details that make it so interesting.
It's so good...
~Marcella

Prom Anonymous

by Blake Nelson (262 pg)

In the spirit of the upcoming school dance, I found a book about a school dance. Perhaps it's slightly more formal and obsessed-about than our dear little Sadies, but, you know, close enough. In fact, I actually felt like I could connect with the main character, Chloe, really well. There isn't really anyone she likes, and she's not totally into the whole prom scene anyways. Her two best friends from middle school are trying to find someone to set her up with, and she's going along with it, even though she doesn't really connect with them as well anymore (in fact, they have absolutely nothing in common) and is kind of freaking out about the whole blind date thing. In my case, the guy I was going to ask already has a date (grr...) and my friends are trying to think of someone for me to go with. Unfortunately, we don't really hang out with the same people anymore, so I don't even know half the people they're suggesting. Y'know, I just think it would be kind of weird to ask someone from my driver's ed class this summer who I haven't talked to all year. Although he was pretty hilarious. On the other hand, Chloe ends up having an awesome night and getting a boyfriend in the process (aww!!), so hopefully my dance will have the same results.
~Marcella

Note: This isn't the novel I'm doing my report on. I'm going to pick one that actually has some depth to it :D

Melamine Scandal Spreads to Chinese Eggs

I read an article on CNN.com about melamine being found in Chinese eggs. It was interesting reading the article. I liked how they had multiple points of view. In one section, the article talked about how it was not going to be as big a scandal as the melamine in milk, and wasn't going to sicken as many people. Later, however, it interviewed a woman who said that eggs were just as bad as milk, because people eat just as many eggs as they do milk, and they're impossible to cut out of their daily diets. The Chinese health officials apparently reassured reporters that, although of course they were going to solve the problem as soon as possible, a child would have to eat 20 eggs a day for a week for the poison to have any effect. Ignoring these reassurances, Wal-Mart has pulled eggs out of all their Chinese stores, but the chicken-made dairy product is plentiful pretty much everywhere else.
It seems to me that people outside of China are making a bigger deal out of the scare than the Chinese people themselves. Among others, the WHO has published reports criticizing Chinese health standards, but all the Chinese people interviewed didn't seem worried. They kind of had a well,-it-won't-happen-to-me kind of attitude toward it all. My theory is that this is the rest of the world trying to put down China. I mean, the US, UN, and more are all not on good terms with them right now, so maybe they're just using this as an excuse to make China look bad. On the other hand, China might be trying to downplay this so that other countries don't make them look bad. But that'll eventually backfire on them if it turns out to be a big deal and they haven't done anything about it.
I'd like to keep following these stories to find out what happens. If more and more Chinese kids get sick, I'm guessing they're going to actually have a problem, but if the rest of the world is blowing this up to be more than it actually is, they're going to end up looking pretty sheepish. In honor of this, I'm going to put up a picture of a sheep in my little box.
Til next week!
~Marcella

Backstage Pass. Among others...

by Mary Wilcox (245 pg)
I am getting so sick of these cheesy teen novels. Yes, they inspired the title of my blog, but honestly, how predictable can you get? I thought this might be a little bit off the beaten track--a mystery novel!!-- but apparently not. The plot went something like this:
Sister becomes a famous tv star.
Someone tries to sabatoge her career.
All the clues point to jealous co-star.
...Who has an excellent alibi.
Turns out to be a jealous lighting boy.
Main character gets hot boyfriend.

With plenty of awkward moments, obvious clues, and shameless flirting to add to the fun!
In fact, that was so annoying that I'm going to go read something else right now, and blog about it instead.

...

In a happy coincidence, I've run across a text that relates to what we're learning in class! It's called "Worst Analogies Ever Written in a High School Essay". An analogy, of course, is a literary term used to describe comparisons, usually similes. In the list, there were many notable examples of analogies not to be used.
Some of my favorites include "He was as tall as a six-foot-three-inch tree", "John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met", and "Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph".
As you can see, I've found a much more inspiring and meaningful piece of literature than the books I was reading earlier.

Maybe next week I'll find something slightly more... stimulating.
Until then, I suppose!
~Marcella

Peach Girl: Change of Heart vol 10

by Miwa Ueda
This is a manga book I read. It's a complicated story about a love triange- Momo likes two guys, and they both like her back. Her friend Sae is always trying to mess up Momo's relationships, and after all sorts of misunderstandings in the first nine books, Momo finally has to choose which guy she's going to go out with.
Toji, Momo's first boyfriend, is a cute athlete, who's always very truthful and uncomplicated. I thought he was too boring for Momo, who has such a fun personality. Kiley is a bad boy, but nobody really knows about his complicated past. He's kind of unpredictable, but I like him better than Toji. He's so fun and loving, and there's never a quiet moment when he's around!
Momo's been flipping back and forth between Kiley and Toji for almost two years by the time this book happens. They've all been through a lot together, so no matter who she chooses, Momo is going to have some regrets.

I really like manga books because I can actually see what I'm reading. After a day of euro notes and stuff, it's nice to not have to open a book and see another huge block of text. Plus, some of the visual emotions are a lot more interesting to look at than to read, especially when the author uses funny effects.
It's also really fun when they have fan letters and extras in the back of the books. Some people send in pictures of the characters, and some send in long letters and have heated debates. I think it's cool to be able to read other people's perspectives on the book.
~Marcella

Knocked Out By My Nunga-Nungas: Confessions of Georgia Nicholson

By Louise Rennison. (173 pgs)
I love this book. This is probably the fourth time I've read it, but it makes me laugh so hard... It's English. British English, that is, and the Brits have a way better sense of humor than us Americans, or as Georgia would call us, her dear friends from Hamburger-a-gogo land. It's actually the third book in a series that has eight books (one just came out!!), and I've heard they're making a movie of them. I am so excited, you can't even believe it.
One of the only downfalls of this book is that it makes me start thinking in a british accent. And then I start using strange British words when I talk. And then people start having absolutely no idea what I'm talking about. I don't know if that's necessarily a bad thing, but it can cause problems when I'm trying to actually get a point across.
Anyways, Georgia finally got her crush, Robbie the Sex God, to ask her to be his official girlfriend. She is oh-so-happy, until this other guy she flirted with, Dave the Laugh, accidentally kisses her. And she accidentally kisses him back. And he's an "item" with Georgia's friend Ellen (thank goodness no one saw that kiss!). So Georgia is just so traumatized by this that she decides to be full of "maturosity" and "sophiticaticatiosity" and show Robbie that she really is his one and only. The book is written completely through diary entries, and I have seriously fallen off my bed laughing it.
Awesome book.
~Marcella

The Song Reader

by Lisa Tucker
I haven't finished this book yet--in fact, I've barely started it--but it is such an incredible book I couldn't wait to blog about it. From the few chapters that I've read, I can already tell that it's going to be powerful, well-written, and probably make me cry. So far, it's about a girl, Leeann, who's mother is dead and father is MIA. She lives with her sister, Mary Beth, who is a song reader, that is, she analyzes songs people have had stuck in their head and can predict the future from them. Rereading that sentence, it sounds pretty cheesy, but the novel is also full of dark-sounding foreshadowing. I already can tell that something terrible is going to happen. According to the book jacket, Mary Beth is going to make a mistake when she's reading someone's songs. From the foreshadowing I've seen, it seems more like someone isn't going to follow her advice, and it's going to hurt her.
I have quite a few predictions about this book already. First is that the girls' dad is going to make a reappearance. He left them when Leeann was young, but it seems like he had a mental disorder of some kind that made him unstable. I'm getting the feeling that he's going to come back and complicate their lives. My second prediction is that something bad is going to happen, probably someone's death. The whole book so far has been these dark, foreboding hints at something terrible to come. I'm morbidly excited to see what it is.
~Marcella

Making a Splash: Whitney

by Jade Parker (248 pg)
This book is the third in a series about three girls who work at a water park during the summer. This one is told from the perspective of Whitney. She didn't know the other two girls, Robyn and Caitlin, before the summer started, and she hasn't told them much about herself. She's insecure because her old best friends had taken embarrassing pictures of her and put them on the internet. Then she finds out that the guy she likes is being paid by her dad to "watch over her". She totally freaks and stops talking to him, then refuses to talk about it with her real friends because she's paranoid that they're gonna tell the whole world. I wanted to write a letter of advice to Whitney, since she was going through a difficult time.
Dear Whitney:
I just wanted to tell you to trust people more. Even though some people are totally mean and backstabbing doesn't mean everyone is. It's okay to have fun with people like Robyn and Caitlin, people who are nice, fun, and trustworthy. If they haven't done anything to betray your trust, you can open up to them. Friends can make everything easier! Also, you should try to see things from other people's perspectives. Maybe if you had taken the time to talk to Jake about the what he's doing, you would have found out that he really did like you. Once you find real friends, you should stick with them. Don't be tempted by fakers again! Most of all, always be yourself. If someone can't accept you for who you are, you don't need them.
~Marcella

Chicks with Sticks: Knit Two Together

By Elizabeth Lenhard (244 pg)
I picked this book up on a whim from the library a couple of days ago. It was kind of funny, actually, since I had found my old knitting needles earlier that day and had an urge to start knitting.
Anyways, this book is about four best friends who met at a knitting shop and like to hang out, gossip, and knit. It's really cheesy. One of the girls, Tay, is a total tomboy, who likes to do "experimental", hard core knitting. Amber's a pretty, popular girl who doesn't like counting stitches. Then there's the hippy-dippy alternative girl, Bella, and finally, the narrator of the story, Scottie, who's a cute little nerd who wants a boyfriend.
Shockingly enough, 2 chapters in, the boy of Scottie's dreams moves into her apartment building. She offers to ride the L to school with him, they majorly connect, and he (gasp) asks her out a week later.
She becomes totally self-absorbed, starts neglecting her friends, and spending every waking moment analyzing her boyfriend Beck's behavior. While knitting. Eventually, Beck gets creeped out by her possesive behavior and asks to "cool it off" a little, despite the fact that they've been on a total of two dates and barely held hands. Her friends welcome her back with open arms (aww...), and they find a new knitting store to buy yarn from.
It was a cute book, I guess, not to mention fun to read. There were little knitting puns all over. It kind of makes me wonder if anyone is actually that obsessed with knitting. On the other hand, it was really predictable. I suppose, most of the books I read lately are super predictable, so maybe I need to start reading something other than cheesy teen novels.
~Marcella

Welcome!

Hi, everyone!

This is my Enriched English blog. Feel free to look around, and enjoy!