February 2018 ( In Order of first read to last read)

1. Inferno By Dante Alighieri (359 pages, 5/5)

Total amount of pages read: 359, approximately 79 pages per week, about 11 pages per day.

February was a rough month for my reading ladder. I unfortunately missed almost three weeks of school due to the passing of my grandfather. With the little spare time available, I managed to squeeze in some reading which helped take my mind off of everything happening around me. This book will forever be committed to heart and memory, for it helped me when I felt as if no one else could. Inferno is one of the most amazing, yet challenging pieces of writing in which I’ve ever read. The book is written by one of the greatest minds of the middle ages, commonly referred to as Dante. The book follows a character (which I perceived to be Dante), and his travels through the seven circles of hell and purgatory, leading him to the arc angel Lucifer. This book is fantastic if one is in search of writing that makes you think. The text I read, which was graciously lent to me by Ms Hunnisett, was translated from Latin, with each English page directly next to its Latin partner.

 

March 2018 ( In Order of first read to last read)

1. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (750 pages, 5/5)
2. The End of Growth by Jeff Rubin(275 pages, 4/5)
3. Anthem by Ayn Rand (104 pages, 3/5)

Total amount of pages read: 1132, approximately 283 pages per week, about 40 pages per day.

March was a crazy month for me. It was very hard to find the time needed to read every day but I managed. All of the books I read were very thought consuming and stuck with me even after I put each book down for the night. The Fountainhead is about a young architect named Howard, who struggles with EVERYTHING about the way society, as well as the people within, work and function. Set in, what I perceived to be, the early 1920s, Howard, along with his companion Peter Keatings, must face the challenges of the architectural lifestyle and the pressure associated with creativity. The End of Growth is a book about oil. Not cooking oil or the oil that forms on your face, but the oil found in the ground. Jeff Rubin speaks about the reality of the worldwide economic reliance upon oil and how this reliance will lead to economic collapse and inevitable downfall of certain countries. Anthem is a short novella that describes a world without freedom and human rights for all. Individuals exist only to serve the state and council of Vocations. The story follows Equality 7-2521, a street sweeper who cant help but find fascination with science. He knows that further exploration of his interests will lead to nothing good but decides to do so in the safety of a small underground room hidden from society. Equality 7-2521 discovers natural electricity and studies the power it holds but only at great costs.

My goal for next month is to read another book written by the author Ayn Rand. The writing techniques used create clear images within my mind, allowing me to gain a better sense of events in the complex writing of her stories. Next month I want to establish a set schedule for reading at home. Hopefully, this will help allow for more time to read with my busy evenings.

 

April 2018 ( In Order of first read to last read)

1. Hear The Wind Sing by Haruki Murakami (5/5)

Total amount of pages read: 101, approximately 25 pages a week, about 3 pages a day.

The month of April was the busiest in which I’ve had in a while. Unfortunately, my grades started to drop which led me to spending more time on my homework, leaving less for reading. I also received a promotion at work that required a more present being from myself, leaving me even less time to read. My creative writing teacher initially recommended this book to me, and I’m grateful she did for I don’t know where I’d be right now without this book. The author of the book, Murakami, has a writing style that leaves you craving for more. Every sentence better than the last, he takes his time describing every detail imaginable.  Hear The Wind Sing is a true story that brings light to the struggle teens everywhere face. What to do when school ends and summer starts. Murakami tells of his summer as a young man, and the adventures he attempted to pursue with best friend, Rat. I recommend the book to anyone in search of a read unlike anything else. If you are looking for anything that’s found on the inside of a Chapter’s, then keep looking. I rated the book 5 because of the simple fact I’ve disliked this form a writing for a while, but this piece was the first that I enjoyed.

Next month, I wish to improve my reading rate, and start another piece by Haruki Murakami. My goal is to finish another book by him, then start reading a book of poetry to help improve my poetic skills.