You read 3 (or more) books this past summer. Which book from the summer reading list did you find to be the most "interesting"? In a paragraph or two, tell me what it takes to make a book interesting (in your opinion) and how the summer book you chose met the standard of "most" interesting. If NONE of the books qualified for that title (again, in your opinion) tell me where and why they fell short of your standard.

Finally, tell me what things you read OTHER than assigned books? Did you read magazines, other novels, travel guides for a vacation, instructions for how to work something, whatever? Think it over, this could be a longer list than you first imagine! Which of these other things was the most interesting.... did you use the same standard as you did for paragraph one? If not, why not?

Of the three books I read this summer the one that was most interesting to me was Cormac McCarthy's The Road.  There are several things that make a book interesting to me and The Road  was the most interesting in all of them.  First of all The Road had the most interesting setting.  Not that Mexico and Spain aren't interesting, but they aren't quite on par with post-apocalyptic United States.  It also had a much more interesting plot.  The constant fight for survival kept my interest much more than the plots of the other two books.  The relationship between the father and son in The Road was also interesting.  It was very touching to read how the father would stop at nothing to protect his son and make sure no harm came to him.

I didn't read a whole lot else over the summer but I did read some.  The two big things that come to mind are "Rolling Stone" magazine and On the Road by Jack Kerouac.  I did not set the same standard for "Rolling Stone: simply because they are completely different types of literature.  Instead of a fictional novel it is a magazine dedicated primarily to music news so using the same standards would be impractical.  However, I did use basically the same standards with "On the Road."  It had an interesting plot, setting, and characters.  I also enjoyed reading it because traveling around the United States like they did is something i think I too would enjoy doing some day. 

Consider the novel you read for the theme SELF-DISCOVERY.

What exactly was it that the novel's main character discovered about himself/herself? Explain how this discovery was an integral part of the novel's substance or core.

How was this discovery applicable to you as the reader? In what sense could it be applicable to ALL readers? What did you learn about YOURSELF as you watched the character change within the novel?

Answer this on your personal page by 5pm on Friday, Aug.21st.

The Novel I read for the theme SELF-Discovery was Ernest Hemingway's  The Sun Also Rises.  In the novel Jake Barnes, Brett Ashley, and some of their other friends vacation to Pamplona, Spain during the bull-fighting fiesta.  Throughout their week there, there is a lot of partying and near constant drinking.  Although they are having a good time there is still an underlying feeling that they are all just trying to cope with their problems.

Jake and Brett are clearly in love yet because of his inability to have sex due to a war injury and her inability to stay with one man regardless, they realize that a relationship between them will never work out.  However, they remain close friends even though it causes them obvious pain.  Jake helps Brett whenever she needs it even though he knows they can never be together.  To deal with this problem they both turn to excesive drinking and Brett hooks up with almost every guy that comes along.  At the end of the novel they realize this is not the way to go about things.  When Jake goes to meat Brett in Madrid and they have lunch together they descide not to get drunk, a first for the entire novel.  Brett also descides to go back to Mike, her ex-fiance, because he was a good guy that really loved her.  They discover that it is better to deal with their problems positively instead of temporarily drowning them out with alchohol and sex.

Another character who deals with problems in the novel is Robert Cohn.  During his time at Princeton he was discriminated against because he was Jewish.  To deal with it he takes up boxing, even though he hates it, so he can beat up anyone who makes fun of him.  This way of thinking leads him to beating up Pablo Ramero when he sees him with Brett, who he also is in love with.  Afterwards he feels terrible and realizes that he can't just beat people up when they wrong him in some way because it makes him just as bad as them.

This can be applicable to me and all readers because it is a good lesson for everyone to learn.  It is better to deal with life's problems in a positive way rather than try to drown them out because until you do they'll keep coming back. I learned about myself that I need to follow the advice I just gave.  I've dealt with problems in my life in less than positive ways before and I should try to change that in the future.