In order of the first book I’ve read to the last.

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February

During the month of February, my page count for reading a day was about 17 pages.

The number of pages I read a week in February was about 118.

The total number of pages read this month: 472

 

15 Dogs

Andre Alexis

My rating: 5/5

The number of pages: 171

I loved this novel and how the author was able to depict the effects of human intelligence and how that relates to the human condition. Honestly, while I was reading this novel it felt like the author was trying to comment on the theme of how it is human nature to develop hierarchy social classes and how this desire causes individuals to turn to violence. This theme was evident to me, every single time that there was a collective group of dogs, one wanted to be the alpha and assume control, they would reinforce what they wanted through the means of killing or executing. None of the dogs wanted to be the lowest status and would escape the pact if they were. It was an interesting read as it gave me insight on what the author was trying to express about human nature.

 

The Barter

Siobhan Adcock

My rating 3/5

The number of pages: 301

This novel was definitely interesting it followed two young mothers going through supernatural experiences, I liked how the author was able to incorporate two tales, especially in different time periods, as one of them was in modern-day Texas while the other was on a farm in 1902. I also admired how the author was able to create suspense by leaving each chapter on a cliffhanger; however, I wouldn’t read other books similar to it. I don’t think it was really my style or preference when it comes to literature. I guess I am not really into ghost stories and would rather go for a more realistic novel, that being said I am glad that I tried reading a novel in a genre that I would not normally read, I think it is crucial to keep an open mind and try reading new things.

 

This month didn’t go as well as I would have liked, in the beginning, February I made a goal to read at least three novels; however, I was only able to read two. that being said I am happy that I have taken creative writing because I have never been a strong reader but with this class, I am forced to read on my spare time which will help me long term. Before I would not have even gotten around to reading two novels in a month, I feel like I am making an improvement in my life.

For March, I want to read three books, one just right, another candy read, and a challenging one. Specifically, I want to read Lord of the Flies by William Goulding, The Great Gatsby by  F. Scott Fitzgerald, and lastly Unsaid by Neil Abramson.

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March

During the month of March, my page count for reading a day was about 24 pages.

The number of pages I read a week in February was about 166.

The total number of pages read this month: 734

 

To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee

My rating (so far): 4/5

The number of pages (read): 131/376

In ELA I am required to be reading this novel. I have only gotten around to reading 131 pages of the book because I have spent more of my time focusing on two other novels that I was reading for fun. When I first began reading this classic novel I would often find myself bored of it; however, as the plot progressed I slowly began to gain a liking for it, especially when I learnt more about the case that Atticus was defending. I also began to find the novel interesting when my teacher provided my class with insight on some of the author’s intentions. When I learnt that Harper Lee was commenting on themes like the innocence of children, gossip, and judgement it drew me to the book. For instance, she was using the character, Boo Radley, to draw attention to the discrimination that individuals with mental illnesses went through because of ignorance from others. I also liked how the author used Atticus defending a coloured man to draw attention to how wrong people’s views were on coloured people at the time. I think the main message she was trying to point out was how all people regardless of ethnicity should be treated equally and how the oppression they faced was not right. These various themes present in the novel prompted me to give the book such a high rating. I also have hope that by the end of April my rating will be 5 stars because I think that the plot will only get more exciting from here.

 

At the Water’s Edge

Sara Gruen

My rating: 3/5

The number of pages: 378

Honestly, when I picked up this novel and read the review that Jodi Picoult author of Leaving Time left: ” Even after the final page, the novel’s message still resonates with me: The monsters we seek may be right in front of us.” I for some reason expected a story where the main character went through a realization that his/ her life was horrible and took action to fix it. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the protagonist, Maddie. She ignored the fact that she had a horrible husband for half the novel, and when she finally realized who he truly was, it was the side characters that pushed her to take action, coming to her rescue with a solution to her problem. Her attitude and thinking bothered me which most likely led me to not enjoying the novel itself; in certain instances when it was obvious that the husband was horrible her only response was to forgive him instantly making me further dislike her as a character. I suppose that an explanation for her actions is that the time period of the book is in the 1940’s where women were viewed as less than men and were oppressed; however, I couldn’t help feeling that she wasn’t standing up for herself and that she kept pushing her problems under the rug.

 

Lord of the Flies

William Goulding

My rating: 5/5

The number of pages: 225

This classic novel was a spectacular read. I would most definitely recommend this read to others. I loved how the author was commenting on such dark themes and ideas that most likely originated from his own experience in war. The main idea that I came up with after reading this novel is the idea of human evil: this theme is evident as the group of boys progress from being civilized to savages and ruthless. Once they develop their fear of the beast on the island it results in them suffering paranoia motivating them to take violent actions toward each other. ‘The lord of the flies’ or the pig head is a symbol representing the beast as an internal force inside each individual on the island driving them to evil. This indicates that each person has a universal evil within them; however, the author also shows an optimistic side to his idea by showing that although Ralph had an evil inside him urging him to act cruelly he was able to somewhat control himself. In the end, William Goulding is raising awareness in the question: how does society play a role in provoking human evil? To some extent, it does through tragedies such as war pushing people to their ugliest for survival.

Although I did not reach my goal of reading 3 books this month I definitely improved through reading more than I did last month. My daily page count increased from 17 to 24 which I find a success. I hope that in the next month I am able to improve further or at the least stay where I am. I achieved my goal of reading Lord of the Flies but did not for Unsaid or The Great Gatsby. I began the book Unsaid but didn’t like the style of writing and quickly decided to abandon it. I have no excuse for The Great Gatsby as I just didn’t get around to reading it.

For April, my goal is to read The Great Gatsby by  F. Scott Fitzgerald since I didn’t this month. I want to read The Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Lastly, I also will be finishing To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

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April

During the month of April, my page count for reading a day was about 21 pages.

The number of pages I read a week in February was about 154.

The total number of pages read this month: 617

 

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde

My rating: 4/5

The number of pages: 192 pages

I loved reading this novel, as I was starting to reach the end of it I found myself facing a paradox of wanting to finish it and know what happened, but also never wanting to finish the novel as it was amazing. I loved that Oscar Wilde was able to touch on how a person selfishness can tragically affect them and others. He was commenting on the importance of understanding that life is not just about solely seeking pleasures and beauty in outer appearance, I feel like this book really tied into the cliche: “don’t judge a book by its cover,” which I loved.

 

To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee

My rating: 5/5

The number of pages (read): 245/376

I loved this novel, I thought that Harper Lee did a spectacular job with the piece of literature she was able to draw on the themes of social inequality, innocence, perspective and more. I love the style of her writing and how she incorporated figurative language such as symbolism- I felt as though it really strengthened her message and voice.  I am so glad that I have been introduced to this classic and would definitely recommend it to anyone as a must read.  

 

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

My rating: 3/5

The number of pages: 180 pages

I suppose that the reason why I gave this book such a low rate of three stars is that I personally dislike romance novels, and since the major downfall of Gatsby himself came from his reckless actions originating from his passionate love for Daisy, it prompted me to get frustrated at Gatsby himself. I especially felt frustrated with him and Daisy when she seemed to not care for him with her selfish actions of easily forgetting him when he was at his weakest point. Although, I did appreciate the fact that this entire story was used as a historical symbol by the author representing the 1920s as a time period of greed, and an empty pursuit of pleasure resulting in the corruption of the American dream.

Although I was able to accomplish my goal of finishing To Kill a Mockingbird and reading two other novels, I can’t help but feel that I could have done better. This month has been a little crazy with school work and other stress probably resulting in the decrease of my reading rate, which was disappointing for me to see as I wanted to improve my reading rate from March. Still, I was finally able to read, “The Great Gatsby,” which has been a goal of mine for a while.

During the month of May I want to read four books firstly I’d like to read 1984 by: George Orwell, also The Kite Runner by: Khaled Hosseini, Night by: Elie, Wiesel and lastly Selected poems of Alfred Lord Tennyson.

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May and June

During the months of May and June, my page count for reading a day was about 21 pages.

The number of pages I read a week is about 146.

The total number of pages read these months: 1023

Sea Devil

Arthur Gordon

My rating: 3/5

 pages: 6

 

A Little Beaded Bag

 Morley Callaghan

My rating: 3.5/5

 pages: 4

 

Afrika Road

Don Mattera

My rating: 3/5

 pages: 8 pages

 

To Build a Fire

Jack London

My rating: 2.5/5

 pages: 10 pages

 

Einstein’s Dreams

Alan Lightman

My rating: 4/5

144 Pages

It was definitely one of the most interesting and different pieces I have ever read, I would definitely recommend this novel to everyone as it explores many interesting and eye-opening topics that I had never thought of before. Each of the chapters basically is a description of a new world where essentially time works much more different than the last. The novel definitely includes the presence of physics and different scientific theories such as the theory of relativity by Einstein himself, further making it a unique and compelling read.

Selected Poems

Alfred Lord Tennyson

My rating: 4/5
337 Pages

I have never been the type of person to like reading or writing poetry, in fact I have always despised it the most out of all the forms of writing, I think that this hatred is because with poetry there is no black or white answer as its up for interpretation; two people can look at the same  poem and each could conclude that it means something that is the complete opposite of what the other is thinking. Also, I always thought that poetry made no sense when I would start to read a poem I would often get lost in it and end up confused what the author was trying to say in the first place. Despite this, through reading this book I have gained a deeper understanding and respect for the art itself. I must say that Lord Tennyson did a spectacular job with all these pieces of literature, in my opinion, he was able to draw on the themes of loneliness, depression, perspectives on technology, women gender roles and more. I like how he incorporated figurative language such as symbolism- I felt as though it really strengthened his voice when expressing his overall ideas and themes. This book has given me some hope when it comes to poetry, I think that if I were to start reading poems much more often and annotating them it will make a big difference within me.

A Tale of Two Cities

Charles Dickens

My rating: 5/5

304 pages

I loved reading this novel, as I was starting to reach the end of it I found myself facing a paradox of wanting to finish it and know how it ends, but also never want to finish the novel as it was amazing. I particularly enjoyed reading this novel as I was able to gain some insight into a major historical event which was the French Revolution. I think that Charles Dickens famous quote of this book: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” really exemplifies his main idea of the major adversity present in the socio-economic status of people and how it impacted these individuals quality of lives. Other themes that I found evident in this major work is that of oppression, sacrifice, personal awakening etc. I loved reading this classic and I personally think that everyone should get around to reading it at one point in their lives.

 

1984

George Orwell

My rating: 4/5

 pages (read): 50 of 336

 

The Importance of Being Earnest

Oscar Wilde

My rating: 4/5

 pages: 64

 

The Merchant of Venice

William Shakespeare

My rating: 4.5/5

 pages: 96

 

I believe that this is the two months of my entire semester where I actually feel proud of myself for what I have accomplished in terms of reading. From the beginning of the semester (February) to now there is a clear and major jump in numbers and personal dedication; where then I only read 472 pages in the entire month. Although I didn’t get around to reading The Kite Runner by: Khaled Hosseini or Night by: Elie Wiesel, I still was able to tackle some outstanding novels, short stories, plays, and poetry.

I want to finish the school year strong, so for the month of June I hope to read The Kite Runner, Night, and Life of Pi by Yann Martel.

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July and August

(July 1- August 27)

During the months of July and August, my page count for reading a day was about 20.

The number of pages I read a week was about 139.

The total number of pages read these months: 1153

 

Romeo & Juliet

By: William Shakespeare

The number of pages: 96

My rating: 5/5

When I looked at the required reading list for the summer, I instantly decided that I wanted to read and familiarize myself with Romeo and Juliet, I have previously studied this text in grade 7; however, what I looked at that year was very broad and basic. I remember that year my teacher made us read a Romeo and Juliet comic book that used modern-day English and called it a day. I always felt dissatisfied with my understanding on this timeless classic and felt the need to take initiative and dig deeper by reading the original copy. Not to sound dramatic, but just like in grade 7, Shakespeare broke my heart because of the tragic the ending; I once again was devastated when both lovers took their lives over the stupidest misunderstanding ever. However unlike in grade 7, this time around I was able to recognize and appreciate the beautiful poetic language used, there were so many times that as I was reading this play I bookmarked a quote simply because I loved the language used and couldn’t get over how perfect it was.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

By: Khaled Hosseini

The number of pages: 432

My rating: 5/5

 

The Wars

By: Timothy Findley

The number of pages: 198

My rating 3.5/5

 

The Stone Angel

By: Margaret Lawrence

The number of pages (read): 15

My rating: 5/5

 

Miss Brill

By: Katherine Mansfield

The number of pages: 5

My rating: 4/5

 

Just Lather, That’s All

By: Hernando Tellez

My rating: 3/5

The number of pages: 7

I became intrigued by this short story when I realized that the author was from my home country, Colombia- instantly I felt compelled to read it out of a sense of patriarchy, I suppose. This story consists of dialogue between two main characters, but mostly it’s made up of an internal monologue from the main character, this story’s conflict is a man vs himself as best exemplified through the protagonist’s inner thoughts and ideas. I gave this story a rating of three, because, although, I liked the premise of the idea and the theme of humanity vs inhumanity, that the author was trying to portray, I felt like he used simple and boring language. Perhaps if the author used more descriptive language and put more thought towards his diction this story would’ve been that much better.

 

Z: A Novel About Zelda Fitzgerald

By: Therese Anne Fowler

The number of pages: 400

My rating: 5/5

I began to read this novel because I had already read The Great Gatsby by: F. Scott Fitzgerald. I am aware that I’ve given The Great Gatsby a relatively low rating of only 3/5 stars; however, I’m starting to notice an unexpected change within myself where once I disliked reading romance stories, but now, the whole concept is starting to grow on me, at least to the point where I picked up this book and decided to read it. Anyways, this book was definitely not what I expected at all! The author of this novel, in my opinion, is simply brilliant- she was able to take me on an insane rollercoaster of emotions. She was able to play with my emotions especially when it came to Zelda’s struggles with mental health and Scott’s troubling alcoholism. I just loved it!

Throughout the summer I have noticed a drastic drop in my motivation when it comes to reading, my numbers and reading rate reflect this struggle. Considering the fact that I haven’t fully completed my required reading definitely raises up some big red flags, this lack of motivation throughout the past couple of months has resulted in me starting grade 11 stressed and anxious. I’m at least glad that I’ve gotten a minimum of 20 pages a day of reading in throughout the summer, but I’m also disappointed in myself because I know that it could have been higher. Needless to say, I’m for sure going to be pushing myself a lot during these first few months of school to step it up and catch up to my peers.

The top thing on my to do list is to complete The Stone Angel within a few days, which in my opinion is totally doable if I work efficiently, I need to finish it so that I am able to complete my data sheet on it as soon as possible. For the month of September, I would like to read the following novels: Paradise Lost by: John Milton, All the Light We Cannot See by: Anthony Doeer, and 2001: A Space Odyssey by: Arthur C. Clarke.

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Citations

All Visuals of book covers from https://www.amazon.com/

Featured Image is in the public domain and does not require attribution according to the author.