Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be betrayed by everyone you know? Your friends, your enemies, and your piers? Julius Caesar experienced this emotion just seconds before he was assassinated. His friends that he loved so well killed him with envy in their hearts. William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar grips the reader with strong emotions ranging from every end of the spectrum and a malicious plot to kill a beloved leader.
Julius Caesar was a successful political and military leader favored by his fellow Romans. He was loved so well by both plebeians and patricians. He was offered a kingly crown three times by his closest friend, Mark Antony. But, being a true Roman, he refused it all three times. Yet one nobleman, Cassius, became jealous of Caesar. Because he lacked the power and influence to turn Rome against Caesar, Cassius decided to drag Brutus into the fight. Brutus didn't give in so easily, but when Cassius forged letters that appeared to be from fellow Romans, Brutus feels that the only way to preserve the Roman way of life is to kill the person who threatens it--Caesar. When Cassius brings many other noble, honorable men into the plot, it becomes a conspiracy. The conspirators then corner Caesar and when he least expects it...murders him! With Caesar dead, the conspirators begin to cheer and shout "tyranny is dead!" But when Mark Antony makes his speech about Caesar, the feelings towards the conspirators turn from grateful to angry. Cassius and the others soon realize what their envy has caused.
William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar is a gripping story with tales of betrayal on every page. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a book with a good historical basis but an interesting twist on the characters.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Simple Genius review
Have you ever wondered what its like to be a private investigator, knowing top secret information that can be the difference between you solving a murder case or becoming a murder case yourself? In the world of Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, this is a normal occurrence. Sean and Michelle are partner PIs (private investigators) that have near-death experiences regularly. This time, they're called to investigate the murder of Monk Turing, a brilliant mathematician for the genius establishment of Babbage Town. David Baldacci's Simple Genius teased my brain and kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing until the very end.
Sean and Michelle, the two main characters, have been through a lot together. They've gone through near-death experiences and shared top secret information together. One has always been there to back the other up in tight situations. But when Michelle walks into a bar and gets in a fight with a guy twice her size, things start to change. Sean worries deeply about Michelle's well being. After hours of contemplation and a phone call to an old friend, Sean decides to put Michelle in a mental rehabilitation institution. Michelle goes willingly, but after spending time there, begins to notice strange activities going on, with her own healing process to deal with on top of that. Meanwhile, Sean gets a new case to investigate a murder in the small, isolated village of Babbage Town. After a quick overview of the case Sean notices one important detail--the murder took place on CIA property. Because the murder was on government soil, the FBI would be involved. This proves rather troublesome for Sean. When Michelle is "cured" and meets Sean in Babbage Town, she discovers just how strange this case really is.
Aside from Sean and Michelle, there are other important characters in the story. Viggie Turing was Monk Turing's daughter. The problem with Viggie is that she always speaks in code. She's a prodigy when it comes to numbers, but when it comes to dealing with real life problems, she shuts down and does not let anyone inside her mind. She is very important to the story when it comes to solving the case because she has vital information needed. Then there's Horatio Barnes. Horatio is Sean's friend who is a psychologist. He tries to cure Michelle at the rehab, but she leaves before he can finish. So he is put on the case by Sean. He then tries to cure Michelle in Babbage Town while trying to help the case by talking with Viggie. From the CIA, there's Ian Whitfield and his "wife" Valerie Messaline. Ian is the supposed leader of Camp Peary, the CIA camp where the murder took place. Len Rivest is the head of Babbage Town. He was murdered while Sean was in Babbage Town investigating Monk Turing's murder. His murder added more suspicion and confusion to the case. Lastly, there's Champ Pollion. From the beginning of the story, he doesn't seem like a very prominent character. But do not underestimate Mr. Pollion, because he has a very important part in the story.
David Baldacci's Simple Genius is a mesmerizing and entertaining story with an interesting plot, many eccentric characters, and a surprising ending. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery book.
407 pages
Sean and Michelle, the two main characters, have been through a lot together. They've gone through near-death experiences and shared top secret information together. One has always been there to back the other up in tight situations. But when Michelle walks into a bar and gets in a fight with a guy twice her size, things start to change. Sean worries deeply about Michelle's well being. After hours of contemplation and a phone call to an old friend, Sean decides to put Michelle in a mental rehabilitation institution. Michelle goes willingly, but after spending time there, begins to notice strange activities going on, with her own healing process to deal with on top of that. Meanwhile, Sean gets a new case to investigate a murder in the small, isolated village of Babbage Town. After a quick overview of the case Sean notices one important detail--the murder took place on CIA property. Because the murder was on government soil, the FBI would be involved. This proves rather troublesome for Sean. When Michelle is "cured" and meets Sean in Babbage Town, she discovers just how strange this case really is.
Aside from Sean and Michelle, there are other important characters in the story. Viggie Turing was Monk Turing's daughter. The problem with Viggie is that she always speaks in code. She's a prodigy when it comes to numbers, but when it comes to dealing with real life problems, she shuts down and does not let anyone inside her mind. She is very important to the story when it comes to solving the case because she has vital information needed. Then there's Horatio Barnes. Horatio is Sean's friend who is a psychologist. He tries to cure Michelle at the rehab, but she leaves before he can finish. So he is put on the case by Sean. He then tries to cure Michelle in Babbage Town while trying to help the case by talking with Viggie. From the CIA, there's Ian Whitfield and his "wife" Valerie Messaline. Ian is the supposed leader of Camp Peary, the CIA camp where the murder took place. Len Rivest is the head of Babbage Town. He was murdered while Sean was in Babbage Town investigating Monk Turing's murder. His murder added more suspicion and confusion to the case. Lastly, there's Champ Pollion. From the beginning of the story, he doesn't seem like a very prominent character. But do not underestimate Mr. Pollion, because he has a very important part in the story.
David Baldacci's Simple Genius is a mesmerizing and entertaining story with an interesting plot, many eccentric characters, and a surprising ending. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery book.
407 pages
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Randomness!!
Because I lack a better subject to discuss, I'm blogging about randomness. Everyone knows what randomness is. Every person on this planet will be confronted with it at one point in their life. Some person will come up on the street and say something to you that makes absolutely no sense at all. Perhaps a person will come and give you a random hug. No matter what the act of randomness may be, everyone will experience it at one time or another.
The dictionary definition of randomness is "proceeding, made, or occuring without definite aim, reason, or pattern." This definition is certainly true when it comes to randomness. My little brother, Chris, is one of the most random people I know. He goes down the hallway at school and hugs people that he doesn't know, talks to people that hate him, etc. My little cousin, Calli, is 4 years old and is also very random. I was at her house when her dad, my uncle, came home and said "how was your day, Calli?" She didn't reply for about a minute so he started to walk on. Then she turned to him and yelled "I LIKE PUPPIES!" Best random moment of Calli's ever.
Randomness is so very random that I might even consider it a disease. It seems that it may also be contagious. I believe this because it looks to me that randomness transferrs from one person to another. When you spend a great amount of time around a random person, you too become random. By the way, I like tacos(:
The dictionary definition of randomness is "proceeding, made, or occuring without definite aim, reason, or pattern." This definition is certainly true when it comes to randomness. My little brother, Chris, is one of the most random people I know. He goes down the hallway at school and hugs people that he doesn't know, talks to people that hate him, etc. My little cousin, Calli, is 4 years old and is also very random. I was at her house when her dad, my uncle, came home and said "how was your day, Calli?" She didn't reply for about a minute so he started to walk on. Then she turned to him and yelled "I LIKE PUPPIES!" Best random moment of Calli's ever.
Randomness is so very random that I might even consider it a disease. It seems that it may also be contagious. I believe this because it looks to me that randomness transferrs from one person to another. When you spend a great amount of time around a random person, you too become random. By the way, I like tacos(:
Being Thankful
These are the top ten reasons I am thankful for Thanksgiving:
- family- I am thankful for my family because they are always there to support me when I need them.
- friends- I am thankful for my friends because they are always there for me when I'm upset and are always there when I need help.
- health- I am thankful for my health because I am healthy and alive and don't have any health problems to worry about.
- NO SCHOOL- I am thankful for Thanksgiving break because there is NO SCHOOL!!
- T.V.- I am thankful for Thanksgiving break because I get to watch more T.V.!
- food!- I am thankful for Thanksgiving because of all the yummy food!!
- sleep- I am thankful for Thanksgiving break becuase I get to sleep in! :D
- home- I am thankful that I have a home to live and sleep in.
- games- I am thankful for Thanksgiving break because I can play more games with my brother and sister.
- BREAK!- I am thankful for Thanksgiving because I get a break from everything!!
Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens review
Sean Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens is a self-help book designed with problems that teens face in mind. In my opinion however, Sean Covey is not a teenager therefore he does not understand the pressures that teens deal with these days. Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens drags through its suggestions to deal with social pressures as well as problems within the teen and gives bad advice.
Habit 3, Put First Things First, is a habit suggested by Sean Covey to help teens take control of their lives and keep them organized. In my personal opinion, the way Sean Covey wrote this habit was not helpful to teens. I, being a teen myself, found this habit hard to follow and apply to my life. I think that Sean Covey is too outdated to understand the issues teens have these days. Teens these days have different ways of making sure that they have all of their assigned tasks done on time. I personally prefer to stay disorganized because it helps me remember everything better.
Sean Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens is an offensive book that attempts to "help" teens control their lives and emotions and I do not recommend this book.
Habit 3, Put First Things First, is a habit suggested by Sean Covey to help teens take control of their lives and keep them organized. In my personal opinion, the way Sean Covey wrote this habit was not helpful to teens. I, being a teen myself, found this habit hard to follow and apply to my life. I think that Sean Covey is too outdated to understand the issues teens have these days. Teens these days have different ways of making sure that they have all of their assigned tasks done on time. I personally prefer to stay disorganized because it helps me remember everything better.
Sean Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens is an offensive book that attempts to "help" teens control their lives and emotions and I do not recommend this book.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Numbered List
So I was sitting in CBA with Mr. Alen Richardson discussing what I would blog about. We sat at my computer and talked for quite a few minutes about potential blog posts. We came up with many interesting possibilites (okay, so maybe they were all failures), but as many of you know, Alen is a fan of Chuck Norris. As a result of his influencing my decisions, I was going to list Alen's top reasons why Chuck Norris kills people. But then I started thinking hard about this subject, and deemed it inappropriate (partly because I don't want Chuck Norris to come find me...I know he will!). Instead of listing the top reasons why Chuck Norris kills people, I am going to list the top 10 Chuck Norris jokes of all time! So...enjoy!(:
- Chuck Norris has counted to infinity...twice.
- Chuck Norris will never have a heart attack. His heart is not nearly foolish enough to attack him.
- Chuck Norris is the reason why Waldo is hiding.
- Chuck Norris can set ants on fire with a magnifying glass. At night.
- Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door.
- There is no "ctrl" button on Chuck Norris's computer. Chuck Norris is always in control.
- Chuck Norris can eat just one Lay's potato chip.
- Chuck Norris can kill two stones with one bird.
- Chuck Norris destroyed the periodic table, because he only recognizes the element of surprise.
- Chuck Norris can sneeze with his eyes open.
So those are the top 10 Chuck Norris jokes, at least according to the author of a how-to website.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
The DaVinci Code review
Imagine growing up learning one thing, then all of a sudden, you are told the truth, that you were taught a lie, just as generations of people before you were. This is how Sophie Neveu feels. She was taught growing up that Jesus was immortal, a bachelor, and that the Holy Grail was a chalice that Jesus drank from at the Last Supper. But the night that her grandfather, Jacques Sauniere, is murdered, a long chain of events and codes leads Sophie and her new friend Robert Langdon to a shocking secret. Sophie and Langdon find the legendary keystone of the Priory of Sion, which will lead them to the real Holy Grail, the bones of Mary Magdalene, Jesus’ companion. Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code entertained and teased my brain with many codes and riddles.
The setting of The DaVinci Code is in Europe, and changes to many different areas of Europe throughout the story. The story begins in Paris, France, where Jacques Sauniere is murdered inside the Louvre Museum. From then on, the main characters Sophie and Langdon are sent throughout Europe to many popular, historical locations.
The characters of The DaVinci Code are colorful and diverse. Robert Langdon is a Harvard professor from the United States who is in Paris to give a lecture on symbolism. Interestingly enough, Langdon is a symbologist specializing in pagan symbols and the Sacred Feminine. This fact makes him an important asset to the group who seeks the Holy Grail. Sophie Neveu is the granddaughter of Jacques Sauniere and a cryptologist, which also makes her important to the story. Silas is an Opus Dei monk who participates greatly in corpal mortification, a practice of Opus Dei. Silas is an albino, which makes him quite the interesting character. He is working against Sophie and Langdon. There are many other interesting characters throughout the story that come in and out such as Captain Fache, the Teacher, and Sir Leigh Teabing.
I would recommend The DaVinci Code to anyone who enjoys books with codes and riddles and surprising twists scattered throughout the story.
489 pages
The setting of The DaVinci Code is in Europe, and changes to many different areas of Europe throughout the story. The story begins in Paris, France, where Jacques Sauniere is murdered inside the Louvre Museum. From then on, the main characters Sophie and Langdon are sent throughout Europe to many popular, historical locations.
The characters of The DaVinci Code are colorful and diverse. Robert Langdon is a Harvard professor from the United States who is in Paris to give a lecture on symbolism. Interestingly enough, Langdon is a symbologist specializing in pagan symbols and the Sacred Feminine. This fact makes him an important asset to the group who seeks the Holy Grail. Sophie Neveu is the granddaughter of Jacques Sauniere and a cryptologist, which also makes her important to the story. Silas is an Opus Dei monk who participates greatly in corpal mortification, a practice of Opus Dei. Silas is an albino, which makes him quite the interesting character. He is working against Sophie and Langdon. There are many other interesting characters throughout the story that come in and out such as Captain Fache, the Teacher, and Sir Leigh Teabing.
I would recommend The DaVinci Code to anyone who enjoys books with codes and riddles and surprising twists scattered throughout the story.
489 pages
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