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
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
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
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
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
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
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
Sunday, December 7, 2008
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
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
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
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
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
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