At first when I received this book, I knew that I was going to enjoy reading it. I liked the front cover, I thought it was colorful, it really got my attention. I know the saying "never judge a book by it's cover", but for some reason the cover of the book really got my attention. I also thought by looking at the cover of the book that the story was going to be about an older woman, not a teenage boy. The next thing I noticed about the novel was the author's name. I thought what an unusual name, but then again I have an unusual name also. For a second I thought the title of the book was the author's name. I was definitely interested at this point and read the back of the book and a few pages, I was so intrigued I read the first fifty pages right then and there.
When reading the first fifty pages of the book, I noticed several things. One of the things I noticed was the language used in the text. A mixture of foul language, english and some spanish. Luckily, I took two semesters of spanish so I was able to understand. What really got me was the use of foul language. Honestly, I don't care for cussing but it made Sonny's character seem all the more real especially when Sonny expressed his anger. I don't think that "darn" or "shoot" are suitable to express for the situations Sonny finds himself in.
Another aspect of the story that was hard to read was the part of Sonny's dog, Goofy. There was a part in the text where a gut was trying to breakdown Sonny's front door, he came in and Sonny had a knife to protect himself. The guy ended up pinning Sonny to the floor taking away the knife while Goofy was bitting the guys leg."Goofy kept going for his leg until his hard black shoe lifted her jaw and head when he kicked her there really hard, and she whimpered, hurt,"(Gilb, 9). That part was really sad, as an animal lover it is really hard for me to see, hear, or read about animals getting hurt. There was also a part in the text where Sonny and his mom moved in with Cloyd and Sonny finds out he can't have Goofy there because Cloyd doesn't want a dog in his apartment. I thought that was terrible. Goofy is Sonny's best friend and she can't be there and Sonny's mom didn't really do much about it.
I would have to say so far the book is very interesting, an easy read, and I can't wait to see how it all turns out in the end.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Blog #3
Reading is one of my favorite things to do. I love to read. I always make time to read. I enjoy reading the most when everyone is relaxing and watching tv. I go into my bedroom and get under the covers and read for at least as few hours. Sometimes I only read for a little while because I am tired and can't keep my eyes open. I find this book very interesting and I am enjoying the read, the characters are interesting and spontaneuous. I feel at this point in the book anything can happen and I think that is what is so interesting. It keeps the reader on their toes. I read whenever I get a chance to. Mostly I read in bed (my favorite), or waiting for my next class, during lunch. I am mostly eager to find out what is going to happen next, curiousity gets the best of me. This book is an easy read and I think this could be one of the reasons I am drawn to this book. I don't need a dictionary to figure out the words, but I do think some of the characters need a bar of soap in their mouth.
I feel it is important to stay current with the reading assignments. I am taking four classes this semester and all of my classes have some required reading. It is very easy to fall behind on the reading and very hard to catch up. It makes it hard to participate in the class lectures. When it comes to reading and writing, I would rather read a lot and write a little. I would rather read 500 pages then write 500 words. I think the hardest part about reading is trying to understand a book that is difficult to read. I really become frustrated and once I do that it is hard for me to continue to read the book. I remember reading a book for my English 1C class, it was King Lear, by Shakespeare. That was a difficult book to read at first, but the more I read, I slowly began to understand what it was I was reading.
I would say I am good at reading and enjoy it, but the writing assignments not so much. I struggle with this the most. I become really stressed out. I think it is the whole writing process because once I iron out all the details and begin writing I am not so stressed out anymore. Sometimes I struggle when the teacher has us pick our own topic. I find it easier when the teacher assigns the topic. For the most part reading has always been one of my favorite hobbies. It gives me a chance to escape from reality to enter another world other than my own and to view life from a different perspective.
I feel it is important to stay current with the reading assignments. I am taking four classes this semester and all of my classes have some required reading. It is very easy to fall behind on the reading and very hard to catch up. It makes it hard to participate in the class lectures. When it comes to reading and writing, I would rather read a lot and write a little. I would rather read 500 pages then write 500 words. I think the hardest part about reading is trying to understand a book that is difficult to read. I really become frustrated and once I do that it is hard for me to continue to read the book. I remember reading a book for my English 1C class, it was King Lear, by Shakespeare. That was a difficult book to read at first, but the more I read, I slowly began to understand what it was I was reading.
I would say I am good at reading and enjoy it, but the writing assignments not so much. I struggle with this the most. I become really stressed out. I think it is the whole writing process because once I iron out all the details and begin writing I am not so stressed out anymore. Sometimes I struggle when the teacher has us pick our own topic. I find it easier when the teacher assigns the topic. For the most part reading has always been one of my favorite hobbies. It gives me a chance to escape from reality to enter another world other than my own and to view life from a different perspective.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Blog #1
Prompt #1
I think at this point in the story a number of things could happen to Sonny. Sonny could possibly get in trouble with the law. Sonny goes into other people's houses to experience how other people live. He looks at pictures or "If I felt like it, if I had the mood, I sprawled out on their couches or lay down on their beds," (Gilb, 2). Sonny admitted that when he snuck into these houses he would take money. It started out with taking loose change, then he moved on to bills, anything Sonny saw laying around. "A dollar, a five, a ten, any of them could be sitting around, folded, piled, like forgotten or nothing to them, or in a drawer or a box under the bed," (Gilb, 49). Sonny also stole two hundred dollars from someone and was also ripping off his mom and sister.
Another thing I think could happen to Sonny is his attraction to Cindy, the married woman who lives in the apartment #3. Cindy is constantly flirting with Sonny and always telling him how cute he is. "The towel wrapped around her was short and her thighs, which I could see a lot of , were still drippy wet too, but I was too uncomfertable to look too long", (Gilb, 40). Sonny found out that she is married and Cindy doesn't like her husband. He also found out that Cindy is almost nineteen. He thought she was older and he lied to her about his age. "I told her I was sixteen, even though I wasn't," (Gilb, 43).
Another thing I think can happen to Sonny is a possible confrontation with Cloyd Longpre. Sonny is not very fond of this man. Sonny thinks it is just a temporary home until his mother comes to her senses. Sonny doesn't like how his mother had changed herself for Cloyd. "My mom was dressed too pretty to take serious, shampoo in her hair and body lotion smell, and she was trying to hard to sound happy. Nobody'd believe her except her," (Gilb, 17). Sonny is not interested in conversating with Cloyd, he only does it because he has to, and to make matters worse Sonny was told that his best friend Goofy wasn't allowed to stay at Cloyd Longpre's apartment. His dog was staying with Cloyd's son. "You mean the dude who stuffs dead animals," (Gilb, 20).
Sonny knows that Cloyd isn't right for them, "All you had to do was look around the apartment to know this Cloyd wasn't right for either of us," (Gilb,19). Sonny didn't like the wasy Cloyd lived. He hated the maple dining room table, "And we never ate dinner at no table before, unless it was at a restaurant," (Gilb, 19). I think Sonny hated the living room the more than the dining room. I don't think Sonny cared for the dead animals on the wall. "He asked if I wanted to hear about the day he shot that buck. I was supposed to say yes. I couldn't stand there nice and listen, could not," (Gilb, 19). Sonny also didn't like the food Cloys liked, such as fish or venison. " I hated deer meat and will always hate deer meat. Cloyd food," (Gilb, 25, 26).
I think at this point in the story a number of things could happen to Sonny. Sonny could possibly get in trouble with the law. Sonny goes into other people's houses to experience how other people live. He looks at pictures or "If I felt like it, if I had the mood, I sprawled out on their couches or lay down on their beds," (Gilb, 2). Sonny admitted that when he snuck into these houses he would take money. It started out with taking loose change, then he moved on to bills, anything Sonny saw laying around. "A dollar, a five, a ten, any of them could be sitting around, folded, piled, like forgotten or nothing to them, or in a drawer or a box under the bed," (Gilb, 49). Sonny also stole two hundred dollars from someone and was also ripping off his mom and sister.
Another thing I think could happen to Sonny is his attraction to Cindy, the married woman who lives in the apartment #3. Cindy is constantly flirting with Sonny and always telling him how cute he is. "The towel wrapped around her was short and her thighs, which I could see a lot of , were still drippy wet too, but I was too uncomfertable to look too long", (Gilb, 40). Sonny found out that she is married and Cindy doesn't like her husband. He also found out that Cindy is almost nineteen. He thought she was older and he lied to her about his age. "I told her I was sixteen, even though I wasn't," (Gilb, 43).
Another thing I think can happen to Sonny is a possible confrontation with Cloyd Longpre. Sonny is not very fond of this man. Sonny thinks it is just a temporary home until his mother comes to her senses. Sonny doesn't like how his mother had changed herself for Cloyd. "My mom was dressed too pretty to take serious, shampoo in her hair and body lotion smell, and she was trying to hard to sound happy. Nobody'd believe her except her," (Gilb, 17). Sonny is not interested in conversating with Cloyd, he only does it because he has to, and to make matters worse Sonny was told that his best friend Goofy wasn't allowed to stay at Cloyd Longpre's apartment. His dog was staying with Cloyd's son. "You mean the dude who stuffs dead animals," (Gilb, 20).
Sonny knows that Cloyd isn't right for them, "All you had to do was look around the apartment to know this Cloyd wasn't right for either of us," (Gilb,19). Sonny didn't like the wasy Cloyd lived. He hated the maple dining room table, "And we never ate dinner at no table before, unless it was at a restaurant," (Gilb, 19). I think Sonny hated the living room the more than the dining room. I don't think Sonny cared for the dead animals on the wall. "He asked if I wanted to hear about the day he shot that buck. I was supposed to say yes. I couldn't stand there nice and listen, could not," (Gilb, 19). Sonny also didn't like the food Cloys liked, such as fish or venison. " I hated deer meat and will always hate deer meat. Cloyd food," (Gilb, 25, 26).
I Am
I am Jeana Vasconcellos. I am orignally from Hayward, California. At tweleve years old my parents moved my sister and I to a town called Rio Vista. It was a very small town (like San Juan Bautista). I lived there until I was twenty and decided to move to Hollister and live with my Aunt (my dad's sister). I got my driver's license and started to take a few classes at Gavilan College. I started working towards my AA degree in 2007. I need two more semesters to graduate and will be the first one in my family to obtain a college degree. I would like to transfer to CSUMB and obtain a bachelors degree and eventually my master's. I would like to be a Special Education Teacher. In my spare time I like to read, I am a huge Twilight fan, but mostly like to read murder mysteries and other vampire novels. I have a weinee dog named Peewee and two nephews Gabriel and James whom I love more than anything. My boyfriend and I recently bought a house together last year and will celebrating our tenth anniversery May of this year. No wedding bells yet!
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