Who should and shouldn't read 1984

Who should and shouldn't read 1984
The book is very deep, and can be hard to understand. 1984 requires a lot of its readers. Its not just a story its criticism against society, and you have to understand that to enjoy it, and to understand that you need to be of age to understand how society works.
If you like politics you will probably like this book. If you like science fiction you will probably like this book. If you like both this is your book.
If you are interested in story, and emotional storytelling this is not your book.But I still think everyone should give it a try. Even if you are not the typical "1984 reader" I think you always can learn something new from reading book that's not typical for you, and especially in the case of 1984.
Even if I don't really liked the fun factor of this book, I really liked the message. Everyone should try it out, if you don't like it, you should at least read the about it on the internet, so you get the message of the book. Because that how important the message is.

Petter

1984

The theme of the book 1984
The book 1984 is a scienes-fiction book, written by George Orwell. The main theme of the book is the so called "big brother society". How the government is trying to control us and our thoughts. How they are watching us. The characters and the story is not that important, the thing this book focus on is to tell a message, a very important message. The book was written in 1949 but is still very relevant.
Our society is becoming more and more like the society in the book. With laws like FRA and "Datalagringsdirektivet" passing through the book becomes more and more true. The government can to day always track us. Even if this book wouldn't have been good, it would still have made a difference. We became aware that of the risks of the "big brothers society" and many of us are still aware of the risks. It  was even this book that coined the expression big brothers society.
It makes us think different about society, and such book is always good, even if it makes us think about society in a bad way. Its always good to question today's standards. Its sad that we don't do that as much as we did before.
I think it would be grate to question and foresee up coming problems just as Orwell did. To simulate the future inside our heads, before it happens.
The theme of the book is really good, and it only gets better when its telled so good by the author.

A summary of The curious incident with the dog in the night-time

The curious incident with the dog in the night-time by Mike is a murder mystery that´s different from others. Christopher John Francis Boone is a fifteen year old boy who´s really talented in mathematics but has difficulties with the social. Christopher has the syndrome Asberger which is the reason way he sees things differently and doesn´t understand others behaving. One evening Christopher finds Mrs. Shears dog Wellington dead in her garden and after getting in custody after hitting a police because of a misunderstanding, he decides to solve this murder mystery. Not only does he try to figure out who the murderer is, he also writes a novel about it which is the novel that you read in this book. What he don´t suspect is that the murder mystery also leads to many answers and new information about his mother’s death which divides the novel into two stories.

This is a different and sometimes humorous novel which is told in another way from other murder mystery novels.  Mike Haddon has written a strong and very emotional novel which will never get out of your memory.

Marika

Miss Marple

Miss Marple – A pocket full of Rye

“When a upper middle class Rex Fortescue dies while having black tea, the police are shocked. Mr. Fortescue died during his morning tea in his office and the diagnosis was that a poison, taxine - a poison found as a mixture of cardiotoxic diterpenes in the leaves.” A day after his woman Mrs. Fortescue is killed just as their maid Gladys. Is it one off Rex´s children that is after his money? Miss Marple is determined to solve the murder to make the revenge on her former maid Gladys killer. 

This book is for those who want a book that is completely unpredictable and will take you on exciting adventures of the British upper class environment. According to me this Agatha Christie is the best author to make small and large characters come alive. She is an expert at describing in a way that only she can that makes the drama more fascinating. The drama is high because all the murder, all the characters that go behind each other’s backs and Miss Marple brings together the clues one after the other. Therefore, this book suits for those who love gossip and like to snoop into the lives of others. Take the chance and dream away and maybe play detective for a while.

Are you like me a fan of the old lady Miss Marple, you'll like her even in this history. Man to hang out with Miss Marple when she does what she does best namely, drinking tea and gossiping. She is always very socially gifted and the other persons in the book often like to confide in her. The most fascinating thing about her is that she is old but still a very inspiring person. She makes me yearning for old age in a world where youth is considered as the ultimate way of living.  

You should not read this book if you hate the British upper class. There will be plenty of that in the book when everything is set on a big rich man's house and everyone wants inherit the dead man's money. You should not read this book if you are a busy person when the text of the book is small and tough.

  A poem
Who am I?
I am small and gray
But I still do my thing
I love tea and gossip
On my spare time I like to solve murders
I'm Miss Marple.

Teen Idol

The plot and one conflict in the book”Teen idol”

I have read the book “Teen idol” by the author Meg Cabot. The book is about a girl called Jenny Greenley, who is a student at the Clayton High School. Jenny has a best friend called Catrina, who is in love with this big movie star Luke Striker. One day Jenny finds out that she is going to take care for Luke Striker for some weeks, because he is going to see how it is in their school so he can play a certain character in his next movie. She says of course yes and meets this guy and guides him in the school, with another name, Lucas Smith. When Catrina finds out the real truth, that this guy is Lucas Striker, she is going insane. And when she finds out that Jenny is going to the prom with the big movie star, she is going really mad and she and Jenny become each other’s enemies. And that`s the big conflict I will tell you about.

Jenny and Catrina become enemies when Jenny says that she is going to the prom with Luke Striker. And that is because Trina (Catrina is called that), knows all about this big movie star and adore him very much. So Trina thinks that Jenny is mean to her when she says yes to go with Luke Striker to the prom. This is going on for a while and the two ex best friends doesn`t even speak to each other, for a very long time. But then after awhile, Trina realizes that she misses her best friend Jenny and that it is unnecessary to fight only because of a guy. So she takes the contact with Jenny again and they become best friends again. After this Trina doesn`t care about Luke that much anymore and she finds another guy that she falls in love with. And the book has a happy ending when both Luke Striker and Jenny Greenley realize that they have found the love of their lifes.

I kind of like this book anyway, because it`s the typical genre that I like. Some love story between different kinds of persons in the book. I think it`s really interesting to read about how they are solving the problems and if it is a happy or a bad ending. So if you like to read about love and how to solve problems, you should read this book, because, it`s really good!

3 entries about Potter

Main character portrait

Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets

You may think Harry would be a secretive and anxious person because of his traumatized passed. Already as a toddler he lost both of his parents and was forced to live with his aunt’s hostile family. Throughout the years he was both physical and mentally abused, but in some way he never lost the sparkle of life. In my eyes, he’s brave, curious and naive, which often leads him into dangerous adventures. Fortunately he also owns the gift of being a brilliant wizard with a warm and sensitive heart. For example, he sacrifices himself for Ginny in the chamber of secrets. He doesn’t run or hide as a child could do. Instead he fights the Basilisk and gets awarded with the sward of Gryffindor.  All together make Harry a great hero

On the other hand, there are other views. Harry’s aunt Petunia, her husband Vernon and their son Dudley, aren’t fond of him at all. Since they’re only humans, Harry’s magical powers scare them. Uncertainty creates fear and in this case I believe they express the fear in anger and hate. They are also chasing a perfect image where Harry is a pure obstacle in their way to success. For instance, when the Dursleys have a couple over for dinner, Harry isn’t even allowed to participate, instead he’s ordered to “…be in my room, making no noise and pretending I’m not there.” They don’t want people to know their terrible secret about Harry’s odd abilities.

Harry Potter has, beside his troubled childhood, a great fame. All over the world people look up to him as the boy who stopped Lord Voldermort. It’s easy to understand them. He was a dark wizard capable to take many lives on his way to the power. Even though Harry only was a baby and never did anything particular, he became the opposite symbol for Lord Voldermort, evil and injustice. He became the symbol for love, hope and future.

The other students at Hogwarts experience Harry’s fame and his close connection to Voldermort as both frightening and exciting. When the chamber of secrets against all odds opens once again, people believe it’s because of Harry. I suppose it’s superior to gossip about, at the same time as it would be truly dangerous if it was true.

Harry is always uncomfortable with the fame though. Maybe it reminds him of the death of his parents and the reason to his current home. I guess he wishes it never happened.

Among his friends he’s just like any other eleven years old boy and that’s where he feels comfortable. Ron and Hermione love Harry for his good heart. They rely, help each other and simply enjoy themselves. I believe they are so close friends that his fame and background aren’t what matter. They value his personality more.          The settings

Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets is set in mainly two different environments.

First of all, London, with the suburbia. Harry lives with his relatives at number four, Private Drive in Little Whinging.  It’s a neighborhood of upper middleclass, where for instance perfect cut green lawns with water sprinklers are a must. People are sneak peeking over the impressive hedges or through the clean shining windows. If your car isn’t recently washed or there are other visual imperfections, it affects your value and position as a person. I imagine it as very strict and cold environment. Everything must be in control. I don’t believe the neighbors are friends in any way. It seems like they see each other more like enemies in some kind of exaggerated game.

As a contrast to this over the top normal society, there is magical Hogwarts. It’s situated in a green forest area in Scotland just by a lake. It’s an enormous castle with hundreds of towers and turrets. Surrounded by a high stone wall and powerful gates, the school is supposed to be one of the safest places in the country. Many stairs and corridors are constantly changing and moving as a contrast to stringency of Private Drive. Nothing here is predictable or controlled because of the age and all forgotten secrets of the castle. No one for example really believed the Chamber of Secrets existed until Harry and Ginny could prove it. There was a hidden passage in a sink which only could be opened by those who speak parseltongue.

I believe J.K Rowling chose these environments to create this specific contrast and energy to the story and also to make it real. In Little Whinging there are no signs of magic at all. It’s a calm normal area for humans. It makes this unbelievable plot truer.

At Hogwarts there’re green wild nature, unusual creatures like the Basilisk, magic and supernatural spirits. It’s the authors fulfilled fantasy world. Thanks to the unpredicted, she doesn’t need to relieve everything at once. There are 7 novels about Harry Potter. Through this way she could save surprises or put other fascinating details in the further book she wrote.

This world of witchcraft and wizardry is full of facts and everything fits perfect to the story, but I don’t think it would be as successful if it wasn’t for the contrast to the real world. The fact that there might be another world, a complete other society with magical powers, living next to us without our knowledge, is mesmerizing. 

He’s all alone in the night

In the cupboard under the stairs
An innocent child is found
There’s no one who cares
No one who’s there
He’s all alone in the night

Away took death his mother
One terrible accident
Gone is also his father
No parents to share their love
He’s all alone in the night

But somewhere in a hidden past
A great hero was found
One lightning so fast
One lightning went bad
And Harry Potter survived

A passed of tragic
A future of magic
He won’t be alone in the night

Who should read Battle Royale?

Battle Royale describes a nightmare scenario which takes place in an apocalyptic future; a future where the government controls everything and would do anything to keep it that way. Therefore, they have organized an annual event called the Program, in which junior high school students have to fight each other until there’s only one survivor left. It’s a bloody and gruesome thriller about isolation, fear and realizing how far you’re willing to go and how much you’re willing to sacrifice in order to stay alive.

First of all, I want to say that I personally enjoyed this book. Okay, enjoyed might not be the right word in the context, but still. I found it interesting and thrilling, while at the same time, it also got you to think. Now, it might just be me, since I’ve developed this fascination with dystopian stories, but that’s not the only reason. I think, having a particular interest for politics and psychology, is of use when reading this book. It explores the human mind and how people act during pressured situations, not to mention, life threatening. Even though the book is fiction, I can’t help but think that the author has a point when it comes to this. Also, politics plays an important part in the story. For example; the information you get about the society and the government, helps you understand the book on another level and you can easily draw parallels between this world and our world. The Republic of Greater East Asia, as the country is called, reminds you of any country run by a dictator or a strict government.

The language may be a bit complicated in some parts, but it’s still easy to understand and follow. What might be a bit of a struggle though, is keeping track of the different students. The point of view changes between them and you get to know each student to some extent; either it’s their background or how they feel about the situation they’re in. This makes the whole book a lot more interesting, since you get a lot of different views on the whole thing, not to mention, a detailed description on how the human mind works on different people. Because of this, I wouldn’t recommend this book to people who can’t stand violence and death. Since you get to follow different people, you get to read about most of the deaths. In other words; if you don’t mind reading about 14-15 year olds killing each other in the most brutal and sick ways, you’re good to go.

All in all, I think anyone who’s interesting in politics and action should read this book. If you’re like me, fascinated about different social structures and the cruelty of man, it’s a big plus. Preferably though, you shouldn’t be too young while reading it. There are some pretty detailed and horrid scenes, not to mention the cruelty of forcing kids to kill each other. Also, since they tend to criticize the system and the way the country is run, the author takes it to a deeper level which might be hard to understand if you’re too young. Though, besides that, I would recommend it to anyone who’s up for a small challenge and is interested in dystopias. 

//Johanna