Book Review: Slam! by Walter Dean Myers

ISBN: 0545055741
Published: May 1st, 2008
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
Read from September 26th to 30th, 2013
Synopsis from Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Greg "Slam" Harris can do it all on the basketball court. He's seen ballplayers come and go, and he knows he could be one of the lucky ones. Maybe he'll make it to the top. Or maybe he'll stumble along the way. Slam's grades aren't that hot. And when his teachers jam his troubles in his face, he blows up.
Slam never doubted himself on the court until he found himself going one-on-one with his own future, and he didn't have the ball.

Review:

This was the first book that I read for my adolescent literature class that I didn't really enjoy. I think my biggest problem was that basketball played such a large role in the book. I don't tend to read sports books, and I was a bit wary of this book from the very beginning because of it. Still, I would have looked past it if there had been other interesting parts. Basketball was such a large role in the book though that I found myself skipping large chunks of the book because I was just bored of reading it. I know there are plenty of other people who would love it, but I just don't enjoy reading about basketball practices and games.

The rest of the book wasn't much better for me. I just didn't find the plot that interesting. Honestly, there didn't seem to be that much of a plot. I mean, there was I guess, but I didn't get what the point of the book was really supposed to be. For the most part, it felt just like the million basketball movies I was forced to sit through in high school, especially with the character who wants to show off as opposed to work as a team. It was so repetitive, and I almost think that's my biggest problem with sports book and movies. Every single one is exactly the same.

I don't want this review to come across as too negative. I'm sure this is a great book for people who enjoy books where sports play a large role. I'm just not one of those people, and this book didn't interest me at all.

Laundry's Not so Fun

It's laundry day for me. I just put everything in the washer, and now I'm waiting to go back down there and switch everything to the dryer. I'm not too fond of doing laundry, but I'm not really sure why. As far as chores go, it's pretty simple (for me, not so much with people who have to wash everyone in the families clothes). The worst part is lugging everything up and down the stairs in order to get to the basement where the machines are.

At least it only takes the morning. I'll be done by noon. In the meantime, I really need to get some homework done. I'm hoping to get it done rather early in the day too. I have a lot of it, but none of it should take that long, since I tend to do everything in bits and pieces over days. Then I can spend the rest of my Saturday doing whatever I feel like.

Awesome Semester

This semester seems to be going by so quickly. There's just two weeks until midterms now, but it feels like classes only started a couple of weeks ago. I think the fact that I really enjoy my classes this semester for the most part has really helped.

It's been a busy semester as well, but I haven't gotten to the point where I'm so stressed out that it's overwhelming. So far I've had a lot of work, but it's been okay, and I manage to get everything done without too much stress. I'm hoping it stays that way at least until finals in December.

I'm really excited because I'm taking more and more classes related to my majors, and those are the classes where the homework isn't quite so miserable to get through and what makes everything easier on me. I hope it stays that way in the future. I'm honestly a bit nervous about what next semester will be like, but it's still only September, so I shouldn't be worrying about that just yet. I have month or two.

I'm sure my classes will remain just as enjoyable for the rest of the semester, which is great for me. I'm really happy with all but one of them, and even that one isn't really all that bad. This semester is going great so far.

Book Review: John Paul II for Dummies by John Trigilio, Jr., Kenneth Brighenti, and Jonathan Toborowsky

ISBN: 0471773824
Published: December 1st, 2006
Publisher: For Dummies
Read from September 20th to 25th, 2013
Synopsis from Goodreads:

The first Polish Pope, John Paul II, was a thinker and a leader whose religious convictions defined a new approach toward world politics--and changed the course of history. When he died on April 2, 2005, millions around the world mourned his passing. No other person in recent history has had such a tremendous display of respect and honor. The fact that so many non-Catholics honored this man attests to his effect on the world--and not just within his own religion.Now, you can get to know the man behind the papacy and appreciate his remarkable achievements. "John Paul II For Dummies" is a friendly, plain-English guide to the life and legacy of one of the world's most beloved religious leaders. You'll discover: The Pope's influences His personal struggles How he impacted the Church His approach to world politics The ways he spread his message.

Review:

Overall, I thought this book was a good resource. However, I also thought there were several things that I really didn't like about this book. The biggest thing for me was that large chunks of the book weren't really about John Paul II at all. In some cases, this didn't bother me. For instance, there's a whole chapter on history in order to set up what was going on during John Paul II's childhood. Since I love history, that chapter kept me entertained. There was also a whole chapter about Benedict XVI and other such things that got annoying. It wasn't so much that the chapters were uninteresting or bad, but the book is supposed to be about John Paul II and large parts of the book really weren't.

The book was also a bit outdated and has Benedict XVI as pope. However, it's been sitting on my shelf waiting to be read since Benedict XVI was pope, so I went into it expecting that.

If you are interested in books about John Paul II, then I think this one is worth at least checking out. The information is presented in a way that is easy to follow, although recounts of John Paul II's childhood include some weird time jumps. However, I also think it would be easy to find better books about John Paul II if you really wanted to learn more about his life.

How I Met Your Mother Review: Season Nine Episode 1 ("The Locket") and Episode 2 ("Coming Back")

It feels so odd to be reviewing just two episodes of How I Met Your Mother and not half a season. It's going to take some time to adjust to only talking about one (or two in this case) episode at a time. I can go into a lot more detail about stuff without going on for ever and ever.

I loved finally getting the see the mother and actually discover some about her personality. I loved her interaction with Lily and how they met. I thought it was great that they seemed to get along so well and everything. The scene towards the end of the second episode with the mother and Ted a year later was also adorable. I got a bit emotional watching that. It's crazy how close we are to finally having Ted and the mother meet.

I also loved Robin and Barney in these two episodes. The part where they were worried they were related was hilarious, and the bit where Barney told him that he had Robin to show him that true love was real was so sweet.

The storyline with Marshall and the woman from the airplane was really hilarious, and now they're apparently driving to New York together. It will be interesting to see how long that drive lasts episode wise and how long she'll be around. I'm looking forward to that storyline because I'm sure it will be incredibly amusing.

That's all I really have to say on these two episodes. I'm so used to being really brief about things with the reviews of twelve episodes at a time. I'm sure I'll get used to one episode at a time reviews soon, and it will be easier for me to go more in depth about things other than just mentioning them.