The start of a journey

Well, it’s been quite  a while since I have blogged last, and I am not too happy about it.  I started my job this past week and I work about 40 hours a week, so that was something to adjust to.  Also, being a first time blogger, it is something new to get used to, and trying to get in to the groove of blogging every couple days is not easy at first, so just hang with me, it will be worth it.

 

I have started read For Whom the Bell Tolls and as of right now I am about 3 chapters into it.  So far, I am really enjoying it.  Although it is hard to judge a book by the first 35 pages, I feel that as the novel pans out and the story continues, I will enjoy  it more and more.  Besides being introduced to the main character, Robert Jordan, and having the basic structure of what the story will contain, we are also introduced to the main female character, Maria, and someone who plays a huge part in the unfolding of the novel’s events.  As soon as Jordan sees her, you can tell that he falls in love with her.  Even though it is not stated outright, it is pretty apparent that Jordan falls for Maria.  The spark that is created between Jordan and Maria also establishes what may be the central catalyst of conflict in the novel.  One of the people in the guerilla group that Jordan meets up with does not want Jordan to pursue Maria because of Maria’s rough past.  This, in my opinion, lays the groundwork for what is sure to be a recurring theme of forbidden love.

 

I plan to blog every other day, whether I read 5 pages or 50 pages, and hope to be close to finished with the novel by the end of the month.  I don’t want to rush anything though,  because I feel like this novel needs to be savored as it is read.

 

Till next time,

Michael

First Book Choice

Over the past couple of days I have been trying to figure out what book to choose as the first one I read/review/ discuss here, and after some consideration, and help from my good friend Andrew, I finally made choice.

 

The book I picked is Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom The Bell Tolls.  This is a novel about Robert Jordan, a young American in an antifascist guerilla unit in Spain during the Spanish Civil War.  The story follows him as he is given orders to go behind enemy lines and destroy a bridge.  While on his mission, Jordan falls in love with a Spanish girl by the name of María.  The remainder of the novel continues to follow Jordan as he struggles with inner conflict about not only the mission he is on, but his newfound love for María as well.

 

Until now, I have yet to read a novel by Ernest Hemingway.  I know, what kind of English major hasn’t read Hemingway yet, so I figured it is about time that I change that.  I have no doubt that I will enjoy this novel, and hopefully I can spark some interest for someone else out there to go and pick it up and read it for themselves.  I know Hemingway may seem intimidating because people mainly read his works while in school, and he is not a particularly easy author to read, but there isn’t any reason why someone shouldn’t be able to read one of his works on their own without the aid of a teacher to walk them through it.  That leads back to my main purpose for why I am doing this, to get at least one person more interested in reading, and have them realize how great it is.  I am going to try and chose a myriad of genres that way I can show people the wide breadth of options they have when deciding to read a book.

 

Here I come Hemingway,

-Michael

 

 

 

 

First Post!

I am starting this blog as a way to get out to other people my passion for reading and my opinions of the books I am reading at the time. I don’t want to think of this as a blog that reviews books, because that has no doubt been done many times before, but as I am reading I will update what I am reading and what my opinions are of the books I am reading. Maybe you will appreciate my opinions, maybe not, the fact that you are reading them enough. I am up for suggestions on good books/what I should read next. I am pretty sarcastic, and that may show in the way I write about the books I’m reading, but a little spice never hurt anyone.

Reading, the way I view it, is slowly becoming less and less of something that people consider as an option when they have free time. I mean, why read a book when you can watch Jersey Shore, take a nap, or play a couple hours of video games. Life is stressful no doubt, and free time is precious, but need need to slow down and enjoy life. For me, reading is one of the best ways to accomplish this slowing down of life. While you read, you are able to escape and leave behind whatever problems are stressing you and immerse yourself in someone else’s world and live the story the author is telling about a character/s. As dorky as that may sound, I find to be, without a doubt, solid truth.

I am not quite sure what the first book is that I will be reading to write about here, but that will be figured out tomorrow.

Living life one page at a time,

-Michael