Different Books

    It can be both hard and educating to read multiple books at a time. I've done this a lot, and now I wonder how it affects my thoughts on the books.
     If the books I am reading are intense and hard to follow, it will take me longer to read each book. Also, I mix up the story lines which gets really confusing and I have to keep re-reading, or I even forget about one of the books which I would've enjoyed if I'd continued it.
      On the other hand, reading multiple books at a time can help you notice the similarities between them, such as character traits and relationships, and compare the kind of writing. Once you are able to do this, it can be very interesting to follow both books at a time.
      So the best way to do this is to see whether or not a book seems confusing and overwhelming and decided whether or not to read another book simultaneously.

Confusing Books

      When reading V for Vendetta and countless other plot twisting, intense and hard to follow books, I often find that I lose track of what is happening and either lose interest in the book or fail to try to understand what exactly it's about.
      I often zone out and have a hard time remembering what exactly is happening in the story. ESPECIALLY in V for Vendetta, God knows what is happening in that book right now. I think I should take more time thinking about being clear on the plot, and asking someone about it. Being ignorant about a book and it's characters makes it so much less enjoyable, and I think i'm missing out on a lot of the novel that I could really love that I don't pay attention to/
      Books are similar to music in that way, if it gets boring, you tend to lose sight of the good things in it. Like the meaning of the song/book, and I find that after many repeats of a song I first found boring, I end up loving it. You just need some time and thought.
      In conclusion, I am going to try to understand the books I read more, and pay more attention to te plot instead of drifting off into space.

Complex Characters

      In the graphic novel "V For Vendetta" by Alan Moore, it's not really clear whether or not the main character, V, is "bad" or not.
     One reason why is because during the time the book is set in England, the government is very corrupt. So when V blows up the Parliament building, it's debatable whether or not this was the wrong thing to do. He reapeatedly kills powerful and  evil forces in the government system,  which is both good (weakening the dictatorship) and bad, killing humans.
     Maybe there's a better or more ethic way to take down the fascist government, but all the same, you can't say he is definitely good or bad. Also, V had a terrible past with horrible mental institutions and mistreatment, so it makes sense that he would want revenge (vendetta).
     This is why I think V in V for Vendetta is a complicated character.

V For Vendetta

      I'm currently reading the graphic novel "V For Vendetta" by Alan Moore, and as confusing as I find it (I need to learn more about British history) I think it shows a lot about good and evil in the world.
      For example, the main character "V" seeks revenge on the crumbling British society of 1997. The country has become a fascist dictatorship and no one is trying to escape it, for fear that they can't. V, a man's code name, is a man who is always dressed in a long black cloak, a hat and a mask. He is one of the only people in Britain  trying to gain equality. He performs acts of violence on the people at the core of the evil government. This is both good; for weakening the terrible government; and bad, for murdering many people.
      For the entire beginning of the book, I had no idea what V was doing was bad. I just didn't think about it, until someone told me he was doing something wrong. Then I realized, oh yeah! He's killing people! But then again, killing evil people. I'm still caught between the controversy of his character, and his impact on the government.
      I am not finished with the book, but I am excited to see what changes V makes on British society, and what happens to the teenager he rescues, Evey Hammond.

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

       Towards the end of the book Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick, the main character, thirteen year old Steven Alper, comes to realize how much he cares about his brother Jeffrey, five.
       In the beginning of Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie, Steven writes a long account of his hatred for Jeffrey in class. He talks about how annoying he is, and how all the grown ups including his parents cared about Jeffrey more.
       When Steven finds out Jeffrey has leukemia, he suddenly realizes he could lose Jeffrey at any moment, and he begins to worry about him. This is a sudden change from wishing he was an only child, and it shows the beginning of his change of feelings. Steven keeps thinking his cancer is his own fault, and that he should do something about it.
       Towards the end, Steven begins to make huge personal sacrifices for Jeffrey. He sees that he is not just an annoying older brother to Jeffrey, but that he can guide him through his sudden tragedy. Steven saves Jeffrey from getting sick by not letting his crush, Renee Albert, inside his house, skipping out on his Band Concert to go with Jeffrey to the hospital, and almost stopping his drum lessons, the most important thing in his life.
       In conclusion, Steven realizes how important Jeffrey is to his life, when he sees how easily he could lose him. This proves the saying "you don't know the worth of the water 'til the well is dry." All people should appreciate the worth of their family members, friends and others while they can.

Memoir

      I opened the door. The cold air struck me- I could feel it passing through me in the strangest way. The dark, cold sound of nighttime, the quiet drone of city lights and slowly passing cars were suddenly all around me. I could smell the rain, the streetlight flooded sidewalks, daunting and unfamiliar. Ana stepped into the doorway, tears streaming and mascara running down her face. "Hi," I said, and brought her inside.

      My house was quickly comforting again, the late night discussion of politics from my dad, the soft spices and hot soup boiling on the stove. We stepped down the hall and into my room. I could feel myself shaking uncontrollably, and I tried to stabilize myself. We sat down on my sister's bed like we had so many other times. But this time was different. My mind was racing like a flip book, with all the possibilities to why she had come over flashing by. I couldn't help but imagine the worst, and I knew I needed to help her but had no idea how to. That was probably the worst part. She smelled like strong perfume. It felt stupid, but I asked her what was wrong.

       Ana never makes any sense. Literally. It's like all the words are mixed up in her head like a kindergarten scribble and she can never say what she really wants to. She's an impulse person, always going with her gut feeling. Ana's unique in that way; since she never over thinks anything, she's the realest person I know. 

      She exploded with everything at once. Her depression. Her problems at school. Everything was happening so fast, and I had no control. She looked guilty for coming over so late with little notice, but I felt bad for worrying about my own dumb little problems. Ana had contemplating suicide. How did this happen? She wasn't one of those attention seekers either. Her life was far from perfect, and it terrified me. I thought stuff like this happened in books, or at least to people older. I kept thinking about what could've happened to her, what still could, because her life was escalating so quickly. But I had no idea. All I could do was sit there and listen. And for then, that was what she needed.

      She cried and told me how happy she was when I said she didn't have to go home, that she could stay at my house. I should be there for her more often, I realized. Maybe my friends needed me. Not just Ana.  Everyone else. Why had I been sitting back and waiting for something bad to happen? So I started paying more attention to how my friends were acting. Because everyone needs help. I just hadn't seen it yet.

Go Ask Alice

      After only the first few pages of "Go Ask Alice",  I could tell I was being sucked into something big.
      The book was published in the 70s, supposedly based on the true diary of a 15 year old girl's life at the time. Even though I've only read about the first few pages of "Go Ask Alice",  I can feel myself being dragged down into a depressing but intense and interesting look into the tragic life of a drug addicted 15-year old.
      The most exciting part about the book is that I feel like I'm there with her, and whenever I know something bad is going to happen, I'll get that terrible feeling inside like you're driving midway off a cliff and you can't do anything but watch. But nevertheless it's exciting and I'm glad I'm reading something slightly depressing because it's a life lesson, and reading it will I think, make me realize a lot about how easily things could go south in anyone's life.