10 great books You Need to Read

mullitri001 Uncategorized November 19, 2024November 19, 2024best books, books 0 Comment

Scarewaves by Trevor Henderson

I chose this book because it follows a wonderful story about a girl named Mary and she just moved into a new city. The city is called Beacon Pointe, and it has a history of disappearing people. There is also a boy named Byron, and his friend went missing after coming home from soccer practice. In this book they meet, and there is also a different person, they all meet towards the beginning of the book.

Trapped in a Video Game by Dustin Brady.

It follows two kids who were playing a game, but there was a glitch. They get pulled into the game, and then they discover a different kid who was missing in the game. This book is an amazing story and there are five different books in this series. This book has amazing characters as well.

Amulet by Kizu Kibuishi.

This book follows a young girl and her brother and they are moving into their great great great grandfather’s house after their father died in a car accident. They come across a basement where something was lurking in the shadows. There is even more to this book and if you like graphic novels you might like this one. This series has nine books and it’s all about fantasy.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz.

This book has many different stories. Each of them follows a different person. Each person is haunted by a different thing. This series has three different books and each has multiple stories in each. It doesn’t matter what book you start on but each of them are good.

Baby-sitters Club by Ann M. Martin.

This book series has a lot of different books. In each book there is a different problem. Each book has a different problem for each character, and each book title has one of the names of a different person in the club. The first book is about how Kristy (the creator and founder) and all of the baby-sitters club members came up with the idea. There is also a Netflix show about The Baby-sitters club.

Snapdragon by Kat Leyh.

This book is about a person named snapdragon, she also has a cute dog named G.B. . This girl lives in a town with a supposed witch. The witch is rumored to eat pets. In this book there are a lot of different things. This book is full of magic. leading from beautiful places to even more beautiful places.

The Witches by Roald Dahl.

This book has multiple suspenseful parts. With a little bit of mystery. In the book this kid and his grandma go to a hotel, but the hotel is full of witches, and these witches dont like children. The kid goes exploring and stumbles into the meeting room. The kid is stuck in that room. Then the witches discover that there is a child.

Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland.

This book follows a group of dragons. Each from their own tribe. There is a mud dragon, there is also seawings, which are like water dragons, as well as multiple others. These dragons are trying to fulfill a prophecy. This book is great for everyone, there are both graphic novels and chapter books.

Dog Man by Dav Pilkey.

This book is about a story of a police dog and a police officer and they get into an accident. Then the doctors stitch the dog’s head onto the man’s body. And then dog man is created. After, dog man goes on multiple journeys. There are 12 books in this series so far. This book is amazing.10. Smile by Raina Telgemeier.

This book is about a girl who gets braces. In this book the girl is sad because of the braces. Then she goes through multiple problems. This book is really good, especially if you like graphic novels. This book is amazing.

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird is a highly discussed novel that follows a young white girl’s life during a time of black discrimination. This girl, nicknamed Scout, is especially living during a time when a black man in her town is accused of rape, and her father, a lawyer, defends him in court.

2. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

The Westing Game follows a number of characters, each with their own experiences and thoughts on the events revolving around the death of a prestigious businessman. Everyone in this quick read has a unique point of view on the events playing out before them, and they must inevitably work together, despite their differences, to unlock the key to the mystery.

3. The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver is a wonder of a book, placed in a dystopian society where everything is considered right as it should be, we follow Jonas, who is just another kid in his perfect world. His journey is a powerful example of personal development.

4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games is a novel set in a dystopian future, where North America has become Panem, a society where everyone is ruled by a vicious government, and disobedience is punished by a game involving death, fear, and everything else the people have got.

5. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

The Boys in the Boat. An amazing true story about the value of perseverance and working until the end, shown by nine Amercian’s journey to the Olympics. Their quest is shown through the hardships of Joe Rantz, a struggling student at the University of Washington, and who didn’t know his potential.

6. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Number the Stars is a novel taking place in a Nazi Invasion of Denmark, following young Annemarie, whose best friend Ellen is a Jew.

7. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

A Tale of Two Cities is a novel following Doctor Manette, a French man going to live with his daughter Lucie, after an 18 year long imprisonment in the Bastille.

8. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

The Diary of Anne Frank is an unedited published work by Anne Frank herself, a Jew living in Amsterdam during WWII. Emphasized by her death at the end, this book shows the terror of the Nazis and the unbearable life they unreasonably gave the Jews.

9. Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm is a novel about an uprising of farm animals against their owner, and they take over the farm, and over time, they discover things about the farm and each other that could help for better or for worse.

10. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby is a tale following a millionaire named Jay Gatsby, who is pursuing a young woman whom he loved in his youth. This novel is an exemplified version of the American dream, to live happily with initiative, determination, and prosperity.

These ten books are some of the most important, controversial, and impacting books of our time. They each convey a theme about everyday life. So hide in your closet with one of these novels, and discover the importance of them in our society for yourself.

The Voynich Manuscript – a 600 Year Old Mystery

hawkikad000 Science May 21, 2024#ancient, #code, #decipher, #decode, #language, #unsolved, book, books, History, investigation, mystery 0 Comment

The Voynich Manuscript is a handwritten book, carbon-dated to the early 15th century (around the 1400s). It’s written in an unknown language that many call “Voynichese”. Many of the pages contain simple drawings of a variety of subjects. The entire codex currently has a total of 240 pages, however there are some that appear to be missing. Using the page numbering written inside of the book, and investigating the gaps between pages, it’s suspected that the whole manuscript once had around 272 pages in total.

A Brief Description

The manuscript doesn’t have an official name, only commonly referred to as “The Voynich Manuscript” after a man named “Wilfrid Voynich”. Voynich purchased the book some time in 1912. Later, in 1969, the manuscript made its way in Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. A few years ago, back in 2020, Yale University published the entire manuscript online for their digital library.

After many years of investigation and study, the language remains undeciphered. Many professionals and codebreakers attempted to decipher it during both world wars, but were unsuccessful.

The Investigation

As stated before, the pages had been carbon-dated to the early 1400s, sometime around 1404 to 1438. The manuscript had also been protein tested, showing results that the pages were made of calfskin, composed of at least 14 entire calf skins. Goat skin composes the binding and covers.

Polarized light microscopy had revealed that the ink the manuscript had used consisted of iron gall ink written with a quill pen. The ink was used for both the writing and the outlines of the drawings. Extra analysis provided evidence that the ink had traces of many different minerals, such as carbon, iron, sulfur, potassium, calcium, copper, and zinc.

Paint had covered the pages to color in the ink outlined drawings. All the colors have been analyzed. The blue paint was made of ground azurite with small amounts of copper oxide cuprite. The white paint consisted of calcium carbonate and egg-white. The green paint had copper-chlorine and atacamite. Finally, the red paint was made of red ochre, with traces of hematite and iron sulfide.

The text had many unknown characters, with some only showing once or twice. It reads from left to right, and there is no punctuation. Most of it is written in a single column with paragraph divisions and a jagged right margin. Over 170,000 characters are counted within the manuscript.

The illustrations and text both have characteristics of a European origin. For further evidence, the materials in the paint that was listed above consisted of minerals usually obtained from Europe in the suspected timeframe the book was written.

The History

Georg Baresch is one owner of the manuscript, being its first confirmed owner. Georg was a Prague alchemist from the 17th century. While the book was being stored in Georg’s library, a scholar named Athanasius Kircher had published an Egyptian dictionary. Georg sent a sample of the book to Athanasius, asking him to send him a translation. As the manuscript is not written in egyptian, the book was never translated. Athanasius acquired an interest in the manuscript because of this.

Athanasius asked Georg to send him the entire manuscript, but Georg refused. After Georg’s death, the book was given to his friend, Jan Marek Marci, who also happened to be friends with Athanasius. The manuscript was swiftly given to Athanasius.

The manuscript stumped Athanasius, so it was stored in the Collegio Romano library for two hundred years. The manuscript remained in this library until Victor Emmanuel II of Italy annexed the Papal States. Victor’s new government wanted to seize church properties, which included the library the manuscript was stored in. The book eventually made its way to a private library owned by the Society of Jesus.

Sometime in 1903, the Society ran low on money. The Vatican Library offered to purchase some books from them, which they succeeded in. 30 different books were shipped to the Vatican library. One of these books was the Voynich Manuscript itself. Wilfrid Voynich, the man listed before whom the manuscript was named after, acquired these books, and noticed the manuscript. He didn’t recognize the language, so for the next several years he urged scholars to attempt to decipher the manuscript.

Shortly after Wilfrid’s death, the manuscript was passed down to his wife, Ethel Voynich. Later, when Ethel died, it was passed to her friend Anne Nill. Sometime after, Anne sold the book to Hans Kraus, an antique book dealer. Being unsuccessful in finding an interesting customer, Hans donated the manuscript to Yale University, where it sits to this day still unsolved.

The Hunger Games – Review

heinrmak000 Reviews, Uncategorized May 13, 2024Book Review, book reviews, books, Books to read, Dystopian, The Hunger Games 0 Comment

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a dystopian romance book about a sixteen year old girl named Katniss Everdeen. In her society, there are twelve districts, and every year each district has to sacrifice a boy and a girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to the capitol to fight in the Hunger Games. This year, at the seventy fourth annual Hunger Games, Katniss’ sister gets drawn, and Katniss volunteers to take her place. She would rather put herself in danger than let her sister, her innocent sister, get slaughtered. She knows that it is possible to survive because she is a hunter. She knows how to use a bow, and how to fight. She has to win these games. She has to win, to survive for her sister. She has to win, to protect her family. How will she survive? Will she make friends along the way?

Sample:

In The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, on page 5 it says,

“Even though trespassing in the woods is illegal and poaching carries the severest of penalties, more people would risk it if they had weapons. But most are not bold enough to venture out with just a knife. My bow is a rarity, crafted by my father along with a few others that I keep well hidden in the woods, carefully wrapped in waterproof covers. My father could have made good money selling them, but if the officials found out he would have been publicly executed for inciting a rebellion. Most of the Peacekeepers turn a blind eye to the few of us who hunt because they’re as hungry for fresh meat as anybody is. In fact, they’re among our best customers. But the idea that someone might be arming the Seam would never have been allowed.”

Highlights

I loved reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins because it was interesting. It was interesting because there was always a challenge, or a conflict, on every single page, never leaving you bored. Because it was interesting, it made you keep wanting to read more, and not want to put it down. I also liked that you could understand the character’s motives and emotions. Additionally, because you understand the character’s motives and emotions, you can understand why they do the things that they do, and you can understand why they do their actions. For example, when Gale makes fun of the Capitol, and the people in it, you can see why he says that, and why he feels that way. Another example would be Katniss volunteering for her sister, you can see why she would do that, and why she feels so anguished at the thought of her sister in the Hunger Games.

Rating

I give The Hunger Games a nine out of ten because it was interesting to read, you could understand the character’s motives and emotions, and their actions because of that. The only bad thing that I have to say about this book is that it is gory in the way of the fighting and violence in it.

Things Like This

If you liked this book, you should check out the rest of the series. The rest of the series includes the second book, Catching Fire, the third book, Mockingjay, and the prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Other books like this include Divergent, by Veronica Roth, The Giver, by Lois Lowry, The Moon Dwellers by David Estes, The Maze Runner by James Dashner, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling, Uglies by Scott Westerfield, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.

2020 and 2021 were great years for Star Wars

calcameron Uncategorized November 24, 20212021, Boba Fett, books, clone wars, Disney, Films, movies, New Release, Queen's peril, resistance, Ronin, series, shows, Star Wars, Star Wars Television, The Bad Batch, The Mandalorian, Thrawn ascendancy, Tv, TV Shows, visions 0 Comment

2020 is said to be one of the worst years ever. Several incidents made people think 2020 was the worst year ever, and the worst one, a pandemic hit, and people were quarantined. However, with all that time to spend at home in that quarantine, came a lot of content for Star Wars fans. The years 2020 and 2021 have seen several releases for the Star Wars universe. There were many releases of novels, comics, movies, TV shows, and even some documentaries. Aside from content people could watch, the video game, Knights of the Old Republic, was recently released on Nintendo switch. In these past 2 years, a lot of Star Wars content has been released, but there is still a lot of scheduled content to come in what is left of this year, as well as 2022 and 2023.

Book Releases

Let’s start with the books that were published over these past 2 years. In 2020, There were a couple of novels were released. The first book to be released was Queen’s Peril, a young-adult novel. Queen’s Peril was released on June 2, 2020, and is a prequel to Queen’s Shadow, released in 2019. Queen’s Peril was written by E.K. Johnston and has a page count of 288. The events of this book take place when Padme at the age of 14 is elected to be the queen of her planet, Naboo. The story is mainly centered around her and her handmaidens.

The second book to be released in 2020 was Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising. Chaos Rising was released on September 1 of last year and is the first book of the Thrawn Ascendancy series. Chaos Rising was written by Timothy Zahn and has 336 pages. The book takes place during the Clone Wars and is about Thrawn’s mission as a commander in the Chiss Ascendancy to track down dangerous assailants.

This year, there were a few more canon Star Wars novels released. In 2021, Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good was released. Greater Good was published on April 27, 2021, and is the second book in the Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy. The author of Greater Good is Timothy Zahn, and the book contains 432 pages. Greater Good takes place after Chaos Rising and is about Thrawn and the rest of the Chiss Ascendancy dealing with the aftermath of the events that took place in Chaos Rising.

Star Wars Visions: Ronin was the second novel that was released in 2021. Ronin was released on October 12, 2021, shortly after the show it was based on Star Wars: Visions was released on September 22, 2021. First-time author Emma Mieko Candon wrote Ronin, with the book containing 352 total pages. The book takes place between the third and fourth Star Wars movies, specifically after the first Star Wars: Visions episode, The Duel. The story of Ronin is centered around the aftermath of The Duel, while the main characters struggle to find their place in the universe.

The third Star Wars novel of the year was published as Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil. Lesser Evil was just recently published on November 16, 2021. As with the rest of the Ascendancy trilogy, Lesser Evil was written by Timothy Zahn and has a total of 576 pages. Lesser Evil is the third and final book in the Thrawn Ascendancy series and is about Thrawn trying to prevent the 9 leading families of the Chiss Ascendancy from turning on each other and risking everything to do so.

Series Releases

There were also quite a few shows released over the last couple of years. The first Star Wars show that came out in 2020 was Star Wars: Resistance, an animated children’s show. Season 2 episodes 14-19 aired at the beginning of 2020 throughout January 5-26. Resistance has a rating of 5/10 on IMDb. This shows that Resistance is less popular among Star Wars fans as the show is mainly aimed at young children and doesn’t add much to the Star Wars universe.

The second show to air in 2020 was Star Wars: The Clone Wars, an animated PG show. The Clone Wars show originally started in 2008, however, in 2020, the show’s final season aired. The 7th season started airing on February 21, 2020, and the final episode of the season and show aired on May 4, 2020. Season 7 of The Clone Wars has a total of 12 episodes, making it the shortest season in the series. The Clone Wars is very popular among Star Wars fans having an 8.3/10 rating on IMDb. The Clone Wars takes place in between the second and third Star Wars movies during the clone war, and some of season 7 overlaps with the events of the third Star Wars movie, Revenge of the Sith.

The third and possibly most popular Star Wars show to air in 2020 was Star Wars: The Mandalorian, a live-action TV-14 series. The first season first aired in 2019, and the second season dropped on Disney+ in 2020. The first episode aired on October 30, 2020, and the season finale aired on December 18 of the same year. The Mandalorian is more popular than most Star Wars shows and is known more widely as it is live-action and therefore seen as more mature. The Mandalorian has an 8.8/10 rating on IMDb, just a little higher than The Clone Wars. The show takes place after the sixth Star Wars movie and after the fall of the empire.

In 2021, we saw fewer shows for Star Wars. The first Star Wars series that streamed in 2021 was Star Wars: The Bad Batch, an animated show for ages 8 and up. The first episode of The Bad Batch titled Aftermath aired on Disney+ on May 4, 2021, a day on which several Star Wars content has been released, seeing as May 4 is known as Star Wars day. The show went until August 14, 2021, when the season finale was released. The Bad Batch has an 8/10 rating on IMDb and is popular among the Star Wars fandom. The Bad Batch Takes place after Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and during order 66, an order that was issued to the entire clone army to execute all the Jedi.

The other Star Wars series that was released this year was Star Wars: Visions, the very first Star Wars anime. All of the Visions was released at once on September 22 earlier this year. Visions are slightly less popular than other Star Wars shows. This is likely because it is a collection of non-canon, stand-alone shorts. Vision’s rating on IMDb is 7.1/10, and the show has many different shorts that take place during different times in Star Wars history.

To Be Released

Although 2020 and 2021 were some of the worst years for the world in a very long time, the 2 years were some of the best years Star Wars has had in a while. There were several books, movies, and series released amid everything that gave people entertainment while they were at home. Even though these past couple of years have been great, the next to come will see some more amazing content. The Book of Boba Fett is set to release on December 29, 2021, on Disney+. The final book of the Queen trilogy that was previously mentioned, titled Queen’s Hope is releasing sometime next year. There are also several shows and following seasons of other shows that will be released in 2022 and 2023. These include The Mandalorian season 3, Andor, Acolyte, Rogue Squadron, Bad Batch season 2, Ahsoka, and the long-awaited Kenobi show. There is also some less well-known content that will come out, such as, the animated movie A Droid Story and the book Padawan that will drop on July 26, 2022. 2020 and 2021 were chaotic years, but at least while we were at home trying to stay safe, Star Wars provided escape and distraction through their amazing content.

Harry Potter Fan Theories

smithell010 Uncategorized February 13, 2020February 12, 2020books, fan fiction, Fan theories, harry potter, movies 0 Comment

Fans Theories About Harry Potter

The first Harry Potter was first published on June 26th, 1997. That was almost 23 years ago. J.K Rowling left lots of gaps for fans to make inferences. Harry Potter fans are still making theories about it today. Some even impressed J.K Rowling herself. I’m talking about some of my favorite theories fans have made and some of my theories.

Harry Potter: The boy who will always live?

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Professor Trelawney gives a very dramatic prophecy including Harry Potter and Voldemort. It states “…and either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives.” Thinking about this prophecy, you can notice that since Voldemort died at the hand of Harry, Harry would be forced to live a never-ending life.

J.K Rowling is writing about herself?

J.K Rowling is known for writing one of the most famous books in the world. But, one fan theory suggests that when she writes about the nosy daily prophet writer Rita Skeeter, she’s been writing about herself. Rita Skeeter was first introduced in the fourth book, Harry Potter and the Triwizard Tournament. Rita Skeeter gets the people who read her section in the daily prophet very drawn in. One theory went in deep suggesting Rowling is Rita Skeeter in disguise.

Defense Against the Dark Arts Job Post?

Not one time in the Harry Potter series has a Professor stayed in the Defense against the dark arts job post longer than a year. This leads to Hogwarts saying that the job is cursed. A theory states that Tom Riddle wanted this job, when Dumbledore denied him the job, Tom Riddle cursed the post for all who taught this subject saying that all who occupied this post would have a terrible fate and only teach one year here. In the seventh book, Snape becomes headmaster and crow gets put in the post. This leads people into thinking that Snape knew about the curse and put Crow in the post so he only taught one year and then the terrible fate would happen to him.

Lily Potter’s Still Alive?

In Harry Potter and the Order Of the Phoenix Harry sees that there are these winged horses that direct their carriages that bring them to Hogwarts. Harry never saw the horses until his fifth year at Hogwarts. Once he realizes he can see them we meet a character named Luna Lovegood who introduces the winged horses as thestrals. Harry learns you can only see Thestrals if you’ve seen someone die. Harry starts seeing the Thestrals after in the fourth book Harry sees Cedric Diggory die. Except why didn’t Harry see the Thestrals before since when he was a baby he witnessed his mom (Lily Potter) die. He even had flashbacks of her death. Maybe she’s still alive because if she did die Harry would have seen the Thestrals from the beginning.

More Theories?

Even though Harry Potter was published a long time ago, fans are still very invested in the series. There are many more theories we have uncovered that could change your whole understanding of the Wizarding World. These are just some I have created and heard of.