Summer Reading Question #2: I read The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The main character, Hester Prynne, discovers how to control her rash nature and how to become a more maternal person. She discovers this after she has her daughter, Pearl. We learn a little about her childhood and how her parents often had to subdue her rash decisions. This leads us to realizing her affair was not out of the ordinary behavior for Hester. She knows this too, and controls herself when around the townspeople, even though the thoughts the come into her mind are rather strong. Standing on the scaffold, she does not reveal Pearl's father, although we are sure it crossed her mind a time or two, to ease her burdens. She learns to control it by putting herself in a position that she can earn the poeple's respect back. She feeds and clothes the townspeople. She ulitimately becomes a motherly figure for the girls of the town. They have forgotten about her letter of shame by the end of the book, becuase her nature is so different than that of an adulteress.

This discovery made it easier for me to process the change in Hester. Without the explanation of how she was before and how she changed, it would have been nearly impossible to explain to myself why Dimmesdale revealed his secret to the town. Yes, he had his own guilt, but part of his guilt was that a good woman that was earning respect for herself again took all the blame for their sin, which was partly his fault also. I think everyone can relate to personal guilt, but that we can all also be forgiven and earn trust again from those we have sinned against. It gives everyone a little bit of hope. I learned that I have much of the same personality as Hester. I often make rash decisions that I pay for later, but I also know when it's time to be silent and keep my word. I recognize it is time to mature and grow from my experiences.

Summer Reading Question #1: The book that I found the most interesting was The Picture of Dorian Gray, because it captivated my attention. It mixed a great plot and a lot of descriptive adjectives. In my opinion, books are the most interesting when you are interested in the subject and the plot continues to progress quickly. I wasn't thrilled by Sense and Sensibility, because I have been watching the movie since I was ten with my mom, and since I had that idea in my head, I was disappointed by the book itself. I think I just follow movies better because there is something to watch and you don't have to envision it in your head. 

I read many magazines and some great books that were written by inspiring people, books like Crazy Love and Do Hard Things, written by two nineteen-year old boys. It challenged me to defy the standards our culture has set for teenagers. I used the same standard. This was my fourth time reading through Crazy Love because the subject is so relevent to my life.

**Enjoyed your post. Not familiar with the last two books you mentioned but would enjoy knowing the authors' names... I read quite a bit of young adult fiction when I can. I agree that much of Austen's work makes better film than it does reading... but her wit is classic! I am always amazed at how easy a job screenwriters have taking her text to film... they pull all the dialogue out almost exactly as it stands in the works. (but you don't get the sidebar THOUGHTS that her main characters are usually having in their heads as well - which are fun!)