Jackie's Reading Journal

Goosebumps

2005-05-13T18:45:00.000-07:00

I just read Night of the Living Dummy and The Girl Who Cried Monster by R. L. Stine. These were alright books. They were really, really easy to read. Night of the Living Dummy is about sisters who are twins that always get jealous of each other when the other one has something cool. When Lindy found a dummy in a dumpster and started ventriloquism, Kris got jealous and wanted one too. Kris's dad found one in a pawn shop and bought it for her. Lindy was much better than Kris with the dummies, and Kris was mad at her. Lindy's dummy's name was Slappy and Kris's was Mr. Wood. One day Kris found a piece of paper in Mr. Wood's pocket and she read it. This made Mr. Wood come to life. He did all sorts of bad things like call people names and barf on a bunch of people in an audience. Kris and Lindy finally got rid of Mr. Wood when a bulldozer ran over him. The Girl Who Cried Monster is a book about a girl named Lucy Dark. She liked to tell her brother, Randy, monster stories and scare the living daylights out of him. One day Lucy left her rollerblades at the library and decided to go back and get them. To her surprise, she saw the librarian, Mr. Mortman, pull handfuls of flies out of a jar and shove them into his morphed head. He had large bulging eyes and a long snake-like tongue. She went home and tried to tell her parents about Mr. Mortman but no one would believe her because of all the stories that she made up. She kept going back to the library to make sure she wasn't seeing things and once one of her friends, Aaron, even went with her. He saw Mr. Mortman change his appearance and he told Lucy's parents about it. Lucy's dad invited Mr. Mortman over for supper one night and Mr. and Mrs. Dark ate him for supper because they were vampires.

Bag of Bones

2005-05-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

I have finally finished this book. It took me a long time to read because the beginning was sort of boring but once you get through the beginning, the book is really good. Mike had been cross examined about the custody of Kyra. It didn't really get anyone anywhere because Mike kept coming up with smart comments to keep the hearing from going bad. After that Mike went to the library to see Mattie, and the head librarian kept on giving them dirty looks. A few days later Mattie called Mike and told him that she had been fired from the library. She was devastated because it would look bad in the case if she didn't have a job. After the phone call, Mike took a walk to cool off and he suddenly got dizzy so he was leaned over next to a birch tree when all of a sudden he saw a wheelchair and a pair of legs walk in front of him. He looked up and saw Max Devore and his "personal assistant" Rogette Whitmore. They told him to leave the case alone because it wasn't any of his business. Mike tried to leave, but Max moved his wheelchair so he couldn't go anywhere. Max also hit Mike in the head with his cane. When Mike fell into the lake, Rogette threw stones at him until he swam out far enough where she couldn't reach him. A floating raft was only like 100 yards away so Mike decided to swim to it. He was so exhausted and when he finally got there he looked to shore and Max and Rogette were nowhere to be found. Mike swam in to shore and crawled back to the cottage and went to sleep. The next morning John Storrow called and told him that Max committed suicide the night before. The custody case was over. Mike, Mattie, John, and the other lawyers decided to have a party at Mattie's in celebration. While they were outside playing frisbee, a drive-by shooter shot Mattie and John. Mattie died and Kyra was crying because she wanted her mom. While all of this was happening, a huge storm was brewing and when Mike took Kyra to Sara Laughs to be safe the storm hit. There were trees falling all over the place and the wind was blowing crazily fast. Throughout all of this the lady who the cottage was named after, Sara Tidwell, was the evil spirit in the house and she was possessing people to kill little children with names beginning with "K". Mike had to dig up her remains which were by the lake and pour lye on them. After he did this, the house wasn't possessed anymore. A couple of weeks passed and Mike decided that he wanted to adopt Kyra.

Bag of Bones

2005-04-29T17:43:00.000-07:00

While Mike and Bill talked, Bill told Mike that Jo had been to the summer house quite a few times before her death. He also said something about Jo buying plastic owls because it kept the evil spirits away from the house. Mike knew nothing about this and he was upset because Jo never told him that she was visiting Sara Laughs. Mike made a few phone calls to try to see why Jo had been visiting the summer house. Afterwards, he went to look for the owls. He went to check the cellar. It was very spooky and he felt a presence. There was someone or something down there answering his questions by banging on a pipe. Once for yes and twice for no. After he found out that the owls weren't in the cellar he went back inside the house and a message in magnetic letters was on his refrigerator. It said: hel1o. He sat down and started doing a crossword puzzle and when he went to get a drink out of the fridge there was another message that read: help r. Mike moved the letters so it said: lp her. Whoever moved the letters wanted Mike to help Mattie and Kyra. Max Devore wanted custody of his granddaughter, Krya, and Mike was going to help Mattie by hiring a lawyer for her. Mike called up a guy named John Storrow and he said he would be Mattie's lawyer. Mike talked to John for a while about the case and the things that Mike should and shouldn't be doing. It was okay for Mike and Mattie to talk and hang out in the backyard of Mattie's trailer, but they weren't supposed to be seen going into it because the people in the village would think something was going on between them. John and Mike hung up and Mike called Mattie and told her about hiring a lawyer for her. She was so thankful and was glad that someone like Mike was trying to help her.

Bag of Bones

2005-04-22T23:27:00.000-07:00

Mike kept on hearing these crying noises inside of Sara Laughs. He didn't know what they were so he was going to try to record them and let Bill listen to them. Mike had been living in the cottage for about a week and he still had not gone into Jo's nook or studio since she had passed and he contemplated visiting the rooms. Jo's nook was never overfull, but Mike said it made his office look crowded and homey by comparison. It was only a square room because the rug, photos, and desk were gone. He felt anger towards Brenda Meserve because he thought she cleaned it out, but a voice in his head gave him the idea that Jo did it herself. The studio, which Mike had visited after eating his lunch, was closer to the way it was before Jo's death.

Mike used the tape recorder that he had found and pushed record before he went to bed. The next morning he re-wound the tape and pushed play. There was a whisper that said "Oh Mike," over and over again which freaked him out. That morning after breakfast, a truck pulled into the driveway and the sign on the driver's door gave away that it was Bill Dean. He had come to visit and see how Mike liked the clean up job of the cottage. Mike and Bill talked and caught up on each others' lives. Bill told Mike that he should stay out of Max Devore's (Matti's father) way because he was crazy. Max would do anything to get what he wanted. Bill also told Mike about Mattie and they sat and talked for a few hours.

Bag of Bones

2005-04-18T01:26:00.000-07:00

I completely forgot to post this on Friday because of prom so sorry it's a little late. After Mike woke up the next morning, he decided to go on a walk and while he was on his walk, he saw all of his neighbors. He went for another swim and layed on the float in the middle of the lake. His mind raced about all the events that had went on since he returned to Sara Laughs. He walked back home and went upstairs where he was reminded of Johanna. He cried himself to sleep again for the second time in one week.

Bag of Bones

2005-04-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

This book is going kind of slow but so far it has been good. Mike was driving into town on Route 68 and just passed Lakeview General Store when he spotted a little girl walking in the middle of the road. He stopped his car and got out to see what she was doing and where she was going. She said that she was going to the beach because her mommy wouldn't take her. Mike guessed that she was either three or four years old. After a little time passed, a woman in a jeep sped past and slammed on the brakes once she saw that the little girl was with Mike. She reversed the car to were they were standing and Mike and the woman talked for a while. The woman's name was Mattie Devore and the little girl was her daughter, Kyra. Mike went and ate supper at Village Cafe and afterwards he went back to Sara Laughs and took a swim in the lake. It was nice and refreshing. He got out, lounged around his house and the phone rang. It was Maxwell Devore, Mattie's father, calling because he was concerned about his granddaughter's safety. He hung up the phone and the rest of the evening he read until he fell asleep in his bed.

Stephen King

2005-04-01T09:36:00.000-08:00

Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947. He was the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his parents separated, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. When Stephen was eleven they moved back to Durham, Maine. Stephen attended grammar school in Durham and then Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. During his sophomore year at the University of Maine, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, “The Maine Campus.” He graduated from the University of Maine in 1970 with a B.A. in English and was qualified to teach on the high school level.

He and Tabitha Spruce married in January of 1971. He met Tabitha in Fogler Library at the University of Maine, where they both worked as students. The Kings have three children: Naomi, Joe, and Owen and three grandchildren. Stephen made his first professional short story sale "The Glass Floor" to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching high school English classes at Hampden Academy in Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels. In the spring of 1973, Doubleday & Co. accepted the novel Carrie for publication. During the summer of 1973, the Kings moved to southern Maine because of Stephen's mother's poor health. Stephen wrote his next-published novel Salem's Lot. During this period, Stephen's mother died of cancer, at the age of 59.

Carrie was published in the spring of 1974. The Kings then left Maine for Boulder, Colorado where Stephen wrote The Shining. About a year later, they moved back to Maine and he wrote The Stand and The Dead Zone. Stephen and his family moved to Orrington so he could teach creative writing at the University of Maine. Stephen is currently the 2003 recipient of The National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

Some of King’s written works include: Bag of Bones, Carrie, Desperation, Dreamcatcher, The Eyes of the Dragon, Firestarter, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, Insomnia, It, Salem's Lot, The Shining, The Stand, and Tommyknockers.

Bag of Bones

2005-03-18T11:45:00.000-08:00

Mike Noonan's wife had died of a heat stroke in the parking lot of a store while she was jogging one day. A few months later, after Mike finished the book he was writing, he wasn't able to write anymore because of his wife's death. Every time he went to sit at the computer, he would feel like he had to vomit. He decided to give up writing for a while. He was thinking about all the things in the past and thought about his summer house, Sara Laughs. He made up his mind to leave all the commotion in the city and go to Sara Laughs for a few months. He called up his groundskeeper, Bill, and made sure that everything was in working order. He then called the housekeeper, Brenda, to have her clean up the house. The house needed to be re-roofed and also needed new pipes. After the house was in tip-top shape, Mike made the long trip to the cottage. After he got there, he checked out the cottage and it made him think of Johanna, so he cried himself to sleep.

Dean Koontz

2005-03-10T10:30:00.000-08:00

Dean Koontz was born and raised in Pennsylvania. When he was a senior in college, Koontz won an “Atlantic Monthly” fiction competition and has been writing ever since. He graduated from Shippensburg State College, and his first job was with the Appalachian Poverty Program. He was expected to counsel and tutor underprivileged children on a one-to-one basis. On the first day of his job, he discovered that the previous employee had been beaten up by the very kids he had been trying to help and wound up in the hospital for several weeks. The following year was filled with many challenges, and he was more highly motivated than ever to build a career as a writer. He had long nights and weekends, and continued to write after leaving the poverty program. He found a job as an English teacher in a suburban school district outside Harrisburg. After a year and a half, his wife, Gerda, made him an offer he couldn't refuse: "I'll support you for five years," she said, "and if you can't make it as a writer in that time, you'll never make it." After five years, she had quit her job to help run the business end of her husband's writing career. Dean and Gerda Koontz live with their dog, Trixie, in southern California.

Ten of his novels have risen to number one on the “New York Times” hardcover bestseller list: “By the Light of the Moon,” “One Door Away From Heaven,” “From the Corner of His Eye,” “Lightning,” “Midnight,” “Cold Fire,” “Hideaway,” “Dragon Tears,” “Intensity,” and “Sole Survivor.” This makes him one of only a dozen writers ever to have achieved a milestone like this. Twelve of his books have risen to the number one position in paperback. His books have also been major bestsellers in countries like Japan and Sweden. His books are published in 38 languages.

The New York Times has called his writing "psychologically complex, masterly and satisfying." The New Orleans Times-Picayune said Koontz is, "at times lyrical without ever being naive or romantic. He creates a grotesque world, much like that of Flannery O'Conner or Walker Percy ... scary, worthwhile reading." Rolling Stone has hailed him as "America's most popular suspense novelist."

I really enjoy reading Dean Koontz books. He is probably my all-time favorite author. His books really make you think and wonder where he gets his ideas from.

Bag of Bones

2005-03-04T11:40:00.000-08:00

After I finished reading "Seize the Night" I started reading "Bag of Bones" by Stephen King. So far this is a good book. It's about a man named Mike Noonan who lost his wife. He was an author that had written a few books and when he finished he celebrated with his wife. After she died, he couldn't make himself write anymore. He was having nightmares and they took place at his summer house, Sara Laughs, and his wife was in it. I'm just a little ways into the book but I'm sure that I'll enjoy the rest of it.

Seize the Night

2005-02-25T15:45:00.000-08:00

So far, this is a really interesting book! This book is the sequel to "Fear Nothing" which was a very good book. "Seize the Night" is a book about a man named Christopher Snow who has a rare genetic disorder called xeroderma pigmentosum or XP which leaves him dangerously vulnerable to light. He lives his life in darkness and wanders around Moonlight Bay during the night. One night while he was riding his bike with his animal companion, a dog named Orson, he found out about a kidnapping. Jimmy Wing was kidnapped right from his bedroom and Chris and his friend Bobby search the grounds of a military base that was supposed to be shut down, Fort Wyvern. Very strange things happen to them while they're at Fort Wyvern. Chris's fuzzy friend, Orson, was even captured, but you'll have to read the book to see if Jimmy and Orson are rescued. I recommend this book to Dean Koontz fans and anyone who likes to read adventure books!

Let Me Call You Sweetheart

2005-02-18T11:42:00.000-08:00

After reading "A Bend in the Road" by Nicholas Sparks, I read "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" by Mary Higgens Clark. I think this is a really good book and I liked it so much, I read it in like three days. It is about a woman named Kerry who brings up a murder case that was sentenced 10 years earlier. Everyone thought that Suzanne Reardon's husband killed her, but as Kerry got closer and closer to figuring out who the real killer was, people around her started to die. At the end of the book, you find out who the real killer was, but I won't spoil it for everyone who hasn't read it yet. "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" was a real page turner and I'm glad that I read it. Now I am reading "Seize the Night" by Dean Koontz.

A Bend in the Road

2005-02-11T11:35:00.000-08:00

Just a couple days ago, I was reading "For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Ernest Hemingway. It got a little boring, so I decided to start reading "A Bend in the Road" by Nicholas Sparks. I really like it so far. It is about a man named Miles Ryan. His wife is killed in a hit-and-run accident. It is very tragic. He has to take care of his son, Jonah. Miles finds out from Jonah's teacher, Sarah Andrews, that Jonah is struggling in school. Miles has a meeting with Sarah and they hit it off instantly. Right now I am at the part where Miles is thinking about asking Sarah to marry him. This has been a really interesting book so far and I think it will continue to be really good.

Ernest Hemingway

2005-02-03T20:20:00.000-08:00

Ernest Miller Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899 and was the second of six children. His grandfather died when he was six, and his family moved from his house. The Hemingway household was strict because no enjoyment was to be taken on Sunday. His mother taught him music and creativity while his father taught him to love nature. He was given a shotgun for his twelfth birthday and he started writing. He attended high school and was very good at English. He began to write articles for his school newspaper.

After Ernest graduated from High School, his father wanted him to go to college, but Ernest wanted to join the forces or learn to write. His father wouldn’t let him join for World War I, so he got a job as a journalist for the Kansas City Star. He was then accepted as an ambulance driver by the Red Cross. Ambulance drivers played a very important part in the war because they risked their own lives to go pick up the wounded on the battlefields. Ernest wanted to see action, so he signed up for the job of canteen duty. Six days before his nineteenth birthday, he was shot in the knee. Many operations took place on his wounded knee. With the aid of crutches, he was able to walk two months later. He had been promoted to First Lieutenant and was awarded a silver medal of valor.

While in the hospital, he met and fell in love with a woman named Agnes von Kurowsky. They spent some time together but she told him he was too young for her. After he returned to the states, she wrote him saying that she had found someone else. Ten years later, Hemingway recorded his experiences in "A Farewell to Arms," his 1929 novel about an affair between a wounded World War I soldier and his nurse.

There were a lot of women in Hemingway’s life. His first wife was Elizabeth Hadley Richardson. She was twenty-eight, eight years older than he, and they were married in September of 1920. Hadley became pregnant and gave birth to a boy named John Hadley Nicanor Hemingway. Ernest had an affair with Pauline Pfeiffer and he and Hadley got a divorce. In May of 1927, Hemingway married Pauline. He became infected with anthrax on his honeymoon and became very sick and depressed. Pauline gave birth to two sons, Patrick and Gregory. In 1936, Ernest met Martha Gelhorn who was a reporter and had an affair with her. By 1939, he and Pauline were separated and he married Martha in November 1940. He was alone a lot because Martha was a reporter. In May 1944, Hemingway met Mary Welsh and fell in love with her. With his divorce finalized from Martha in March 1946, he married Mary Welsh. After his divorce, he fell to alcoholism and when he drank too many daiquiris, he had a very serious car crash. After he recovered, he met Adriana Ivancich and fell in love.

His accidents continued in 1954 and he was involved in two plane crashes, the second so serious that the news of his death was published. On October 28, 1954 Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. He was showing signs of mental illness because his health had collapsed and he was forced to rely more on alcohol. Hemingway killed himself in a log cabin in Idaho on July 2, 1961.

Hemingway's published novels include: The Torrents of Spring (1926), The Sun Also Rises (1926), A Farewell to Arms (1929), Death in the Afternoon (1932), Green Hills of Africa (1935), To Have and Have Not (1937), For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940), Across the River and into the Trees (1950), The Old Man and the Sea (1952), A Moveable Feast (1964), and Islands in the Stream (1970).

The Five People You Meet in Heaven

2005-01-28T11:54:00.000-08:00

This is a really good book. I liked it a lot. It is about a man named Eddie. He is the maintenance man at and amusement park called Ruby Pier. On Eddie's 83 birthday, a ride malfunctions and falls. A little girl would've been killed but Eddie pushed the little girl to safety and was smashed by the roller coaster cart.

Eddie went to heaven where he met a man with blue skin, his army captain from the battle in the Philippines, a woman named Ruby who the amusement park is named after, his deceased wife Marguerite, and a little girl named Tala. When people died, they get their own five people. Each one of these people taught Eddie a lesson.

Eddie's first lesson was from the Blue Man. The Blue Man taught Eddie that there are no random acts and we are all connected. You cannot separate one life from another just like how you can't separate the breeze from the wind. Eddie's second lesson is taught by his captain. His second lesson is that time is not what you think it is. Dying is not the end to everything, but what happens on earth is only the beginning. Ruby teaches Eddie that holding anger is a poison that eats you from inside. We might think hating is a weapon that attacks the person who harmed us, but really it is a curved blade that only harms us. Marguerite taught Eddie that lost love is still love. It just takes a different form. She says even though life has to end, love doesn't. Tala, a little 5 year old, is Eddie's fifth person. She taught Eddie his purpose on life was to work at the amusement park and help keep all the visitors safe.

Eddie's heaven turned out to be Ruby Pier. Inside the park were millions of people that Eddie helped to keep safe. That is where Eddie stayed and waited to teach someone else their purpose of life.