Week Twelve

There still is not a lot going on in The Shining yet, but Jack, Wendy, and Danny have arrived at the hotel and were taken on a tour through the hotel. In the kitchen they meet the chef, Dick Halloran, who shows them around the kitchen. After the tour of the kitchen Mr. Halloran gets ready to leave for the winter. Before he leaves he has a talk with Danny because he can tell that Danny has what he calls "Shining." He can tell because he has it too, but he realizes that this "shining" is very strong within Danny.
There was also a more in depth description of what really happened between George Hatfield and Jack Torrence before Jack lost his teaching job.

I think that this was a fun project because I like to read but I don't always like to read the books that we have to read for school. It was nice to be able to read what I wanted to read and get graded for it.
I read a total of 10 full books plus the three I am currently still reading: Tempted by P.C and Kristen Cast, The Tale of Beelde the Bard by J.K. Rowling, The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks, Dear John by Nicholas Sparks, Burned by P.C. and Kristen Cast, A Crack in the Line by Michael Lawrence, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, The Shining by Stephen King (still reading), Does the Noise in my Head Bother You? by Steven Tyler (still reading (its actually very interesting)), and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (still reading). I read over 3100 pages and for a total of about 62 hours over the past twelve weeks (I read for 4 hours this week).

Week Eleven

Hmm... a theme for The Shining.... Isolation isn't good for the human psyche; it drives you crazy. I feel like this is a good theme because Jack Torrence and his family gets snowed in for an entire winter and he ends up trying to kill his wife and son (even though I haven't gotten that far yet).

I don't have anything to summarize because I didn't really read much this week, but I did read the beginning of The Scarlet Letter which I'm sure you already know....

I read for 1 hour this week.

Total Time: 58 hours

Week Ten

I am currently reading The Shining by Stephen King. Jack Torrence lost his job so his friend, Al Shockley, got him an interview to be the winter caretaker of the Overlook hotel. He gets the job and now Jack, his wife Wendy, and their fie year old son Danny will be moving there. In the past Jack used to drink a lot and Wendy had thought about divorcing him many times but she decided to stay for Danny. Jack eventually gave up the drinking but one time in a drunken rage he grabbed Danny by the arm and Danny's arm broke. Oops. Also Danny has an imaginary friend named Tony who has shown him "visions" of the hotel....

The passage I chose to apply to what I've read so far is found in Galatians. "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious:...fits of rage,...drunkeness.... I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." Galatians 5:19-21
I picked this because there has been a pretty big emphasis on Jack's past with the drinking and breaking Danny's arm.

I read for 2 hours this week.
Total Time: 57 hours

Week Nine

I finally finished Mockingjay this week. It was really good but I didn't really like the ending....

Katniss and the rebels finally defeat President Snow and the Capitol. The war is over; but not before more lives were lost. President Coin, the president of District 13 had a bomb dropped that killed many innocent Capitol people along with some of the rebels and District 13 people, including Prim, Katniss's little sister. Katniss was granted the privilege to be the one to kill Snow' so one last time she puts on her Mockingjay suit and grabs her bow and arrow. She is standing in front of a crowd of people aiming at Snow, but at the last second she changes her mind and shoots Coin instead. Snow ended up dying anyway. Katniss, Haymitch, and Peeta go back to District 12 where it takes months for Katniss to somewhat recover and come out of her house. Gale gets a job in another district and her mother is starting a hospital in District 4.

I think I didn't like the ending because I was expecting a happy ending and it really wasn't....

I also started reading The Shining by Stephen King. I haven't gotten very far so there really isn't anything to summarize yet.

These first four pictures describe the end of Mockingjay.



President Snow has a strange obsession
with white roses which affects Katniss
throughout the end of the book.



I picked this picture because during the
war when the rebels were making
their way to the Capitol there were a
few explosions.

On the way to the Capitol there were
a lot of death traps (called 'pods') set
up and they reminded me of what Jigsaw
does in the Saw movies.

Katniss's weapon of choice.



The next picture pertains to "The Shining."

The Overlook Hotel in Colorado. (I think this is from the movie.)

I read for 2 hours and 45 minutes this week.

Total time: 55 hours



Week Eight

This week I'm still reading Mockingjay. I tried really hard to finish it but I ran out of time.... :(

The war is in full force now. Katniss, Gale, Peeta, and some of the other warriors are in the Capitol fighting their way through a bunch of traps the Caprtol people, mostly Presidnet Snow, have set up in the streets. Boggs, their troop leader has been killed along with a couple of others leaving Katniss in charge of the troop.

Hopefully I will be able to finish this book next week....

Now to review the goals I set at the beginning of this project.... I don't think I will quite reach those goals. I should be able to get about 75-80ish hours and maybe about 15ish books.

I read for 3 hours this week.

Total time: 52 hours and 15 minutes.

Week Seven

Ok so I just visited the Amazon's Teen Books website and I decided that it is a good place to look for books. It has different categories of books so if you are looking for a specific kind of book, it is easy to find a good book to read. I think when I finish the book I am currently reading I will go back and find a good book.

So this week I finished up Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. Katniss and Peeta have learned that, for the third "Quarter Quell," they will both have to return to the arena to face other past victors. What Katniss and Peeta don't know is that Haymitch, their mentor, and a few others have a plan to escape from the arena and form a rebel group to try and take on the Capitol. The group loses a few members on the way but Katniss and three other tributes she teamed up with were rescued when the arena was destroyed. They are now being taken to District 13, a place thought to have been destroyed the last time the country was at war. Katniss learns that District 12 has been destroyed. War is most definitely jsut around the corner.

I also started Mockingjay, the third book in the Hunger Games series, this week. Katniss finds out Peeta was captured by the Capitol when the arena was destroyed. District 13 was her to be their "Mockingjay" and lead the rebels in their fight against the Capitol. Katniss accepts and they begin filming propaganda that will air throughout the country to try to get as many people on their side as possible. This is as far as I've gotten so far....

I read for 6 hours this week.

Total Time: 49 hours and 15 minutes

Week Six

This has been another some what busy week for me so I didn't read very much this week... :(

But I did start Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (the sequel to The Hunger Games) and so far it is very good. It picks up right where The Hunger games left off and it has been very hard for me to put it down. It usually comes to sleep or keep reading... unfortunately sleep usually wins.

So... Katniss and Peeta are back from the Hunger Games and are about to go on a Tour through the districts and to the Capitol. What Katniss is starting to discover is that, because of her "trick" with the poison berries during the games, the Capitol is not happy with her. Also she has started somewhat of an uprising in the other districts and things are starting to take a turn for the worse. Panem is no longer a safe place for anybody and people are starting to flee from their homes.

That's as far as i got so far. A better summary will come next week.

I read for 3 hours and 15 minutes this week.

Total Time: 43 hours and 15 minutes