Catch, by Will Leitch
A very deep, thought provoking book. really enjoyed it. about some guy who finished high school and his summer before colledge. really cool book. probably my favorite.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
A Good Book
Here is 2 good books i read recently that i thought people might enjoy:
Freshman by Michael Gerber: Hart Fox might not have the pedigree to be a shoo-in at Stutts, a prestigious Ivy League school, but he has the grades and the resume. And he does make it in-sort of. His acceptance is hijacked by Burligton Darling III, a wealthy alum, who is so desperate to get his hapless son, Trip, into Stutts that he funds a new boathouse. Darling also offers to get Hart a spot in the freshman class, and pay his way, if Hart will take all Trip's classes for him.
Despite this deal with the devil, in September, Hart walks ont the Stutts campus jubilant. But what awaits him is a strange parallel univers of secret societies, class hierachies, and inexplicable traditions. On any given day at Stutts, the math department might discover that the number 9 doesn't really exist; an English professor might prove that Shakespeare's plays had been penned by a potbellied pig; or worried grad students might be chasing an escaped black hole.
hart dreams of building his resume at the college newspaper. But instead, he finds himself aligned with the outcasts of an all-but-defunct school humor magazine. Along the way he learns about the joys of decimating beer-can pyramids, the horrors of being "rusticated," and even falls in love-with a preppy vampire.
Groundbreaking, hilarious, and surprising, Freshman marks the teen fiction debut of a gifted writer.
this is a funny book. btw, the above was from the cover flap. this is a great book, especially for my classmates who don't read too often for fun.
Freshman by Michael Gerber: Hart Fox might not have the pedigree to be a shoo-in at Stutts, a prestigious Ivy League school, but he has the grades and the resume. And he does make it in-sort of. His acceptance is hijacked by Burligton Darling III, a wealthy alum, who is so desperate to get his hapless son, Trip, into Stutts that he funds a new boathouse. Darling also offers to get Hart a spot in the freshman class, and pay his way, if Hart will take all Trip's classes for him.
Despite this deal with the devil, in September, Hart walks ont the Stutts campus jubilant. But what awaits him is a strange parallel univers of secret societies, class hierachies, and inexplicable traditions. On any given day at Stutts, the math department might discover that the number 9 doesn't really exist; an English professor might prove that Shakespeare's plays had been penned by a potbellied pig; or worried grad students might be chasing an escaped black hole.
hart dreams of building his resume at the college newspaper. But instead, he finds himself aligned with the outcasts of an all-but-defunct school humor magazine. Along the way he learns about the joys of decimating beer-can pyramids, the horrors of being "rusticated," and even falls in love-with a preppy vampire.
Groundbreaking, hilarious, and surprising, Freshman marks the teen fiction debut of a gifted writer.
this is a funny book. btw, the above was from the cover flap. this is a great book, especially for my classmates who don't read too often for fun.
My Heritage Paper
It’s Friday. I’m looking forward to the usual weekend night of video games, ice cream, and general laziness. Plopping down on the couch, I flick the TV on, immersing myself into the mindless drone of the news. But alas, it was not to be.
“Why aren’t you ready yet?” my dad yelled from his room. “We leave in 10 minutes!”
Leaving? Wait; hold on a second, where are we going? We don’t have anything… Oh. That’s right, were going to our grandparent’s retirement home again. We just went on Sunday!
With a sigh, I switch off the wonderful, blaring box, and walk slowly to my room, spying through a door my mother screaming at my brother because is shirt is too wrinkled. Grabbing a dusty pair of dress pants from the closet, I rush to the door.
The retirement home is like a hotel, lavishly decorated and bright. Reaching the dining room, we greet our grandparents with hugs and hellos. We are quickly ushered to our table, and pull open the menus.
***
When is the food gonna come? I nibble on the bread, tapping my foot in impatience. The adults are talking about some other dinner tomorrow. Great. Staring off into space, I realize my grandpa is talking.
“Have I ever told you boys about the time I went to Europe? Well, it was during WWII, nearing its end in 1945 and I had a chance to enlist, to see the world. Now, I had many choices for my future; Japan, China, I even had a chance to enlist in the illustrious 442nd. But in the end, I chose to join in on some obscure guard duty in France…”
I zone out. I’ve already heard this one many times, and I still remember him telling me last time, even if he doesn’t. For a while, I stare at the ice, bobbing up and down in my glass.
“Me and my friends were just out of school, and were going to choose were to go. Now, I said to all of them: lets go to Europe, to see all the famous landmarks and sights. But my friends said no. My pal Ernest told me that it wasn’t worth it. why not just go wherever they told you, or better yet, the 442! You could get real famous there.”
“So, I set off on my own. Everywhere I went there, I was the only Oriental person there. This was more of a tour of Europe than a fight, and I was happy with that. I went to see the Eiffel Tower, Venice, and Rome. I even went to the isle of Capri, into the famous Blue Grotto. You know where that is, don’t you? It was amazing. Turquoise water, all around, and a tunnel so small that you had to lie down in the boat to get through, even at low tide. Its closed down now, too dangerous. Its things like that I went to the war for.
“But what war was there? Everyone was starting to go home to America now, and I was in a group that was pulling out soon too. The war was winding down. All I did after my adventures was guard some base in France for a few months, and that was it. Shipped back, with not a touch of war on me.”
This was the same old story as before, but for some reason, it hit me this time. My grandfather had actually done all these things! It wasn’t just some old story; it was part of his life. Nothing I have ever done in my short existence could even compare to that! The food had come, but I ignored it. I sat and eagerly awaited that familiar ending.
“When I came home, I met up with my friend Earnest again. This time, he was really down looking.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him. He told me how much he regretted not taking that chance with me.
“You know, in those days, boys, people just didn’t travel. It cost too much, and it was really hard to do. Only in the military could you hope to see any sights. Now Earnest, he was a really sorry looking sight, with all his mumbling and grumbling. Well, I had told him, but he just wouldn’t listen. I grabbed at this chance, and others, and never regretted any of them. So remember, when it comes to taking a chance, a leap out into the air, even if no one else follows.”
Wow. This was really the most morally strong ending I’ve heard in a while. But this time, it actually did something. It opened my eyes to all the could-haves in my live, and made me promise myself to take any chances I get. The dinner laying cold and forgotten on the plate, I leaned forward in my chair, to hear the rest of his tales.
“Why aren’t you ready yet?” my dad yelled from his room. “We leave in 10 minutes!”
Leaving? Wait; hold on a second, where are we going? We don’t have anything… Oh. That’s right, were going to our grandparent’s retirement home again. We just went on Sunday!
With a sigh, I switch off the wonderful, blaring box, and walk slowly to my room, spying through a door my mother screaming at my brother because is shirt is too wrinkled. Grabbing a dusty pair of dress pants from the closet, I rush to the door.
The retirement home is like a hotel, lavishly decorated and bright. Reaching the dining room, we greet our grandparents with hugs and hellos. We are quickly ushered to our table, and pull open the menus.
***
When is the food gonna come? I nibble on the bread, tapping my foot in impatience. The adults are talking about some other dinner tomorrow. Great. Staring off into space, I realize my grandpa is talking.
“Have I ever told you boys about the time I went to Europe? Well, it was during WWII, nearing its end in 1945 and I had a chance to enlist, to see the world. Now, I had many choices for my future; Japan, China, I even had a chance to enlist in the illustrious 442nd. But in the end, I chose to join in on some obscure guard duty in France…”
I zone out. I’ve already heard this one many times, and I still remember him telling me last time, even if he doesn’t. For a while, I stare at the ice, bobbing up and down in my glass.
“Me and my friends were just out of school, and were going to choose were to go. Now, I said to all of them: lets go to Europe, to see all the famous landmarks and sights. But my friends said no. My pal Ernest told me that it wasn’t worth it. why not just go wherever they told you, or better yet, the 442! You could get real famous there.”
“So, I set off on my own. Everywhere I went there, I was the only Oriental person there. This was more of a tour of Europe than a fight, and I was happy with that. I went to see the Eiffel Tower, Venice, and Rome. I even went to the isle of Capri, into the famous Blue Grotto. You know where that is, don’t you? It was amazing. Turquoise water, all around, and a tunnel so small that you had to lie down in the boat to get through, even at low tide. Its closed down now, too dangerous. Its things like that I went to the war for.
“But what war was there? Everyone was starting to go home to America now, and I was in a group that was pulling out soon too. The war was winding down. All I did after my adventures was guard some base in France for a few months, and that was it. Shipped back, with not a touch of war on me.”
This was the same old story as before, but for some reason, it hit me this time. My grandfather had actually done all these things! It wasn’t just some old story; it was part of his life. Nothing I have ever done in my short existence could even compare to that! The food had come, but I ignored it. I sat and eagerly awaited that familiar ending.
“When I came home, I met up with my friend Earnest again. This time, he was really down looking.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him. He told me how much he regretted not taking that chance with me.
“You know, in those days, boys, people just didn’t travel. It cost too much, and it was really hard to do. Only in the military could you hope to see any sights. Now Earnest, he was a really sorry looking sight, with all his mumbling and grumbling. Well, I had told him, but he just wouldn’t listen. I grabbed at this chance, and others, and never regretted any of them. So remember, when it comes to taking a chance, a leap out into the air, even if no one else follows.”
Wow. This was really the most morally strong ending I’ve heard in a while. But this time, it actually did something. It opened my eyes to all the could-haves in my live, and made me promise myself to take any chances I get. The dinner laying cold and forgotten on the plate, I leaned forward in my chair, to hear the rest of his tales.
Monday, February 26, 2007
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