Reading response

Log: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin 8/20- 10 min. 8/23- 40 min. 8/24- 30 min 8/25- 20 min. 8/26- 55 min (25 for IDOF packet) pp. 1-75

     The Westing Game is a very confusing book. At the start, they introduce almost 10 characters in about 10 pages. This is the one thing that I don't like about mysteries. You read the first ten pages and ask yourself what just happened. For this book, I was pretty close to putting on the shelf and say that I'll read it later, but I decided to keep going and see what happens.

     Even though it is very confusing, the book is very interesting. What makes this mystery stand out is the fear factor at the beginning of the book. The rumor that Sam Weston is lying dead on an oriental rug in his house has spooked everyone. People know things that others don't and it makes a good page-turner. Even though I still don't know half the characters, this is a book that I am excited to read.

In Defense of Soccer: A Player's Manifesto

     Soccer isn't about kicking a ball and running around a field, it is full of many intricate processes that all attempt to get a goal. To get a goal, you and your teammates have to be in peak physical and mental condition. The average professional soccer player runs more than 7 miles a game. That's a 12 minute mile which consists of walking, jogging, and sprinting. Running that much improves your muscular system and cardio.

     Soccer can take a toll an you mentally. No soccer game is the same, so you have to be able to react to any situation at any given time and because of that, soccer players tend to have better reaction times than players of other sports. Even thought no game is the same, you can be in the same situation. Memory is a key component that separates soccer from other sports. To be effective, you have to know what to do, even when you don't have the ball. In soccer, you have to be in the game mentally and physically.

Thoughts on English

     I am excited to be in this English class this year. It looks like we are going to be doing this that I have wanted to do for a while now. The class seems very planned out and structured this year. One of my goals this year is to become a better writer, which is definitely my weakness when it comes to English. I think that it is very possible to achieve that goal this year.


     I'm glad we are reading Macbeth and Lord of the Flies because of the fact that they are classics. Now I'm starting to appreciate reading Romeo and Juliet last year because now Shakespeare won't be as foreign as it was last year when we read Macbeth. Another thing I am excited about doing this year is reading short stories. I haven't had much experience with short stories so it has that unknown factor, which is a good thing. English has been fun this year and I think that will continue.

Outside Reading

     This week I am going to start reading The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. The Westing Game is a mystery about sixteen people getting together to read the will of a man named Samuel W. Westing, a multi-millionaire. This mystery has been reviewed highly by many and has won the Newbery Medal. This is one reason why I chose to read this book.
     I am excited to read The Westing Game because I have read other mysteries recently and have really enjoyed them. The Westing Game seems to have a similar plot to the other mysteries that I have liked, so I hope that this one is just as good. I have been wanting to read this book for a while and now I finally have the time to read it. I think that The Westing Game will be just as good as the other mysteries that I have read.