Free Reading #2

    As I get deeper into Lone Survivor, I get more and more encompassed into the plot. By now, Marcus and his teammates are camped out behind enemy lines in Afghanistan. They find what they are looking for: the village of Ahmad Shah. The team scouts the surroundings and tries to determine a game plan. All of a sudden, three goat herders stumble upon the SEALs and are quickly tied up and gagged. The team finds themselves in a debate on whether to kill the innocent shepherds, or let them go and risk being found by the small army in the village below. Marcus, the team leader, ultimately decides to let the herders go. That is as far as I have gotten but I am anxious to find out what happens next. 

Lone Survivor- 1:50

In-class reading- :10

Free Post #2

         Last night I went to the Élan Back To School Dance. Élan is one of two Cotillions of Baton Rouge, the other one being Baton Rouge Cotillion. The theme of the dance was “kickoff back to school”, so everyone wore their spirit gear. Me, being the flamboyant kid I am, wore Carson Saurage’s cheer uniform. My guest, Thomas, wore a baseball shirt and shorts (I know, pretty mainstream), but we both were looking pretty sharp.

When we got to the dance at the Marriott, I got plenty of looks, but nobody was too hostile. After about an hour of listening to songs from 2008, My tight-fitting outfit got super itchy and uncomfortable. Not to mention the bow flopping around and tugging my hair out every time I moved. What I liked about this dance was that it was pretty wholesome. Everyone was just having a great time and being friendly. There was no inappropriate dancing, drinking, smoking, etc. It was a great night!

Free Reading #1

          My Free Choice book is called Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell. It is a first-person nonfiction book about the author, a navy SEAL, and his struggle to survive in the Mountains of Afghanistan after his team was killed. In the prologue, Luttrell recounts his journey from state to state breaking the devastating news of his friends' untimely deaths to their friends and family. In chapter 1, Marcus talks about the journey from the base to the mountains, through cities with angry looking locals, onto a huge freighter which he calls the "flying warehouse". The target of the mission was an Al-Queda leader named Ahmad Shah.

Lone Survivor- 1:30
Biology Textbook- 0:30

Free Post #1

        I had a great summer this year. I went to Montana and Washington D.C. I learned a lot of new things while enjoying my time off from school.

Every year my family goes to Northwest Montana for the entire summer. We have a house on the Swan River in the Flathead Valley. Pretty much everything about it is different from Baton Rouge. The people, the scenery, and especially the food. We have many friends and family come and spend time with us. There is a huge lake called Flathead Lake, and we love to waterski and tube on it. My dad and I have become avid fly-fishers over the years, and take an annual two day trip in June on the Missouri River where we catch all kinds of trout. Our house is about an hour away from Glacier National Park, and we love to go hiking there.

Normally my family and I take a one or two week trip after we arrive in Montana. This year, it was Washington D.C. I went with my mom’s sister and her three sons who are seven, nine, and twelve. We saw all the sights like the White House, Lincoln Memorial, Capitol, and various museums. My favorite part of the trip was the Newseum, a museum of major news in history. It covered everything from sports to politics. 

This summer was full of fun and knowledge, and I loved every second of it. But even though it ended too quickly, I was glad to be back home to see my friends and start high school. 

Reading Response to Knife of Never Letting Go

I thought that Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness was a great book! I am really beginning to enjoy books about dystopian societies and hope that they stay as popular as they are now. When I read books, I like surprises. KONLG has many surprises along the way and each one made me want to keep reading. However, I was confused what planet the book took place on. Is it post-apocalyptic Earth or a completely different planet? Did Viola come from Earth, or was she visiting Earth from another planet? All questions that I feel like could have and should have been addressed.

I really enjoyed the sense of urgency throughout KONLG. It kept me encapsulated in the novel and had me rooting for the kids (even though I secretly wanted Todd to die). If there would not have been a huge army after them, the book would not have been nearly as good because Todd and Viola could take their sweet time on their journey to Haven. As I was reading, I constantly was expecting things to take a turn for the worst at the most unexpected time. I was sure that Aaron or Mr. Printess would pop out, or even a Spackle! This is similar to Divergent, as Tris was always looking over her shoulder.