Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Dangerous Kiss by Jackie Collins


My book is called “Dangerous Kiss” by my favorite writer Jackie Collins. This special book consists of four different “books”, but actually they are just continuing our story after 2, 3 or 6 months. Jackie Collins is one of my favorite writers I’ve read already 4 of her books and I just can’t stop reading when I start one of her books! In this book there is so much going on you will get confused when I explain, but it’s worth it! Every page I turn something new happens. So, Lucky Santagello is the main protagonist and the whole book revolves around her and her family. Mary Lou-wife of Lucky’s stepbrother Steven-gets killed and Lucky’s husband gets shot on the arm in a random car-jacking accident. The girl, who shot those two lovely people, is the daughter of the housekeeper of a rich, black and famous comedian. But the girl, Mila wasn’t alone during the car-jacking, with her was Price’s son (the famous comedian) Teddy, who is now accused by the girl that he had killed Mary Lou. Lucky’s goddaughter, Bridgette an extraordinary beauty and a world famous model who would later inherit a tremendous amount of money had been drugged and raped by Carlo, an Italian bastard that ruined her life. He knocked her up and when she went to take revenge, he got her addicted to drugs and married her, keeping her away from everyone that loved her. When she asked him to give her help to stop the heroin since it was harming her baby, he sent her in a very isolated house alone promising that he would bring doctors to help her. That never happened and poor Bridgette lost her baby and went through withdrawal alone, burying her unborn child. Meanwhile now that they caught Mila and they are going in court for the case of the car-jacking, a former lover of Lucky’s husband appears. Lennie (her husband) had been kidnapped many years ago and during all of that time everyone thought he was dead, one night Lucky got really drunk and slept with her best friend, Alex who is until now madly in love with her. They both agreed to keep it a secret since it didn’t matter, but it seems like Lennie had a secret too. He wasn’t dead, he got saved by an Italian young woman whom he slept with and without his knowing left her pregnant. She came back after 5 years to find him with their son that had hearing problems. Lucky’s perfect marriage is now ruined, will she take him back? Bridgette’s best friend, Lina a model too, has now a very romantic relationship with Steven and he can finally laugh again after the tragedy of his wife.
In my book the character that I can mostly connect with is the protagonist, Lucky. She is such a strong, powerful woman, who never puts it down. She does whatever she wants and there is no stopping her. She never asks permission to do anything and she will do whatever she feels like doing and not complain about the consequences. I am exactly like that, when I make a decision even a simple one like ordering something new in a restaurant, I like to decide alone, without other people influencing me. And when I don’t like my decision I just say to myself, you shouldn’t complain and just live with it! Also she is very stubborn and I am stubborn, I hate lies and when people pretend. When she found out about Lennie’s affair with the woman, she felt betrayed and wanted immediately a divorce from him, because he had lied to her that nothing happened with that woman. If I was in her shoes I would do the same, but then later I might have given him a second chance, because I believe that people deserve second chances. And I think this is what she will do, but we will see!
I have no problem understanding the book, since it’s so catchy! But I have a great difficulty connecting with the new Bridgette, because before she was so innocent and hated drugs, never dated guys and just lived a quiet life, passionate about her career. And now she in on drugs, married to a man that takes completely advantage of her, beats her up and makes her think she is a total nothing. Also I have trouble connecting with the whole car-jacking incident and how Steven must feel about his wife’s death. Fortunately no one really close to me has ever died, so I don’t know how that pain feels like, thank you God!
Well all of my characters and their experiences are too extreme for my age and my life until now. The only thing I experienced that a character experienced too, was when Bridgette was all innocent and perfect. Well she hated drugs and I hate them too, and she wouldn’t even take an aspirin, and I used to never take aspirins, but 3 months ago I had to take because I had a terrible stomach ache. And that was the only time I did! I can say also that the way Lucky feels about her father Gino, is the same way I feel about my father! I love him and I always look up to him, asking for his advise and he is always there to support me and teach me something new. That’s exactly how Gino is!
She doesn’t use so many literary features, she uses sometimes metaphors and similes, allusion many times, foreshadowing and colloquial language. But you don’t really notice them, since the book is so realistic and you just get engaged in all of that imagery. She has some very strong skills in describing things, it’s not too much that you get bored of it; she described everything as much as needed for you to be able to visualize everything in your head. Also she sometimes says everything raw, just the way it is, without trying to make it look nice and perfect. She uses colloquial language when black people talk, or when Lina the supermodel talks, and it makes it more interesting getting you more involved with the character.
The plot of my book is kind of realistic. In some cases it’s very realistic, for example, Bridgette getting raped and then hooked up, or when Lina changes from being a wild party animal into a sweet angel when she first met Steven. But in some other cases it’s a bit extreme, like the character’s background, all the killing, the fact that always something new comes up. But that’s what makes it more interesting, the extreme, and the unbelievable.
If it’s possible I would love to be everyone’s best friend. They are all just so unique and interesting characters that I really wish I could have such friends. But of course if I could have Lucky Santagello the main character as my best friend then I will have access to everyone in the story! Lucky is a really extraordinary woman and I would love to have her as my best friend. She is smart, beautiful, outgoing and always fun. She takes good care of her friends and she worries about everyone. Also we would both have so much in common and maybe I could even produce a movie with her!!!
My book is very similar to another book by Collins, “Drop Dead Beautiful”. Lucky Santagello has like a series, but it’s not really a series, I mean you could read any book at any time and still understand what’s going on. First there is “Chances” where Lucky grows up, then “Lucky” which she gets married 3 times, “Lady Boss” which she begins Panther Studios and another one the “Vendetta: Lucky’s Revenge”, where she fights a lifelong enemy. I am planning to own and read all of her books but slowly slowly! “Drop Dead Beautiful” the book that reminds me very much of mine has also Lucky Santagello as the protagonist, but this time everything happens in her own family, her daughter gets kidnapped and everything! Also the way of writing is the same, we get to see everyone’s point of view in the story and that makes it even more exciting!
While I was reading today I could very clearly visualize everything, especially the part where Bridgette is suffering from the drugs while she buries her unborn child in the back of her garden. Also I could picture her alone in that huge haunted house all by herself, weak and frightened. I could picture Steven, Lucky’s brother, finally being happy again with Lina, while he still misses and thinks about his wife every morning he wakes up and before he goes to bed. I could also imagine how Lucky devastated and angry Lucky might be after the heart-breaking news about Lennie’s affair, she refuses to talk to him, doesn’t ever answer her phone and totally avoiding him.
I think in the next section I read Bridgette will get stronger and be able to escape from the house or maybe Lucky’s detective will find her and save her. I think Lucky will forgive Lennie and take the kid as if its her own, and everything will be fine. Alex might marry someone else since he can see he has no chance with Lucky. I think that Steven and Lina will diffidently get married. And I want to believe that Mila will be proven guilty by Lennie, since he was the main witness and Teddy will be free. Oh, and I just hope that Carlo will die, since he did so many mean things all his life, destroying other people.
If I could jump in the story right now I would go to the house where Bridgette is kept, bring her food and medicine, take her to a hospital, then to a rehab clinic, because the bastard Carlo left her alone to get over drugs, and that IMPOSSIBLE! She was addicted for so many years she couldn’t just cut them immediately; it had to be done by experts slowly, since the poor baby was addicted too. I would then take her to my house help her get stronger and healthier be there for her to listen to her and keep her good company, trying mentally to make her stronger too, and then I would report everything to the police so they can find and destroy Carlo. And then when I see that Bridgette is well again, I will help her built her career back up again, find her a new house and be her best friend forever!!! She is such a lovely character, and she went through so much all of her life, her mother was a drug addict that died early, and her father died too, so she was raised up by Lucky! But she deserves the best!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

reading log: Lipstick Jungle


Lipstick Jungle
Candace Bushnell
My new book is called “Lipstick Jungle” by Candace Bushnell. This book has been on my shelf for two years now, since my grandmother bought it with a magazine and gave it to me. Bushnell is the author of “Sex and the City” by this we can figure out the style of this book. This summer I watched many American series and one of them was “lipstick jungle”, so when I laid eyes on this book during the weekend I got really excited, because I has so little time to start and read enough of this book to be able to write about it. Therefore I will act as if I know half of the story, so I can talk more about it.
Just like “Sex and the City”, “Lipstick Jungle” talks about three successful, beautiful New York women. Nico O’Neilly, 40 years old, married with her college teacher which is much older than her, and editor in chief of Bonfire magazine. In the book she has a daughter, in the series she doesn’t, but anyway, Nico is successful and beautiful. Nico has a beautiful (not so much) marriage, a lovely daughter and a successful career; what else does a woman want? But Nico isn’t happy at all, she misses passion in her private life, she misses adrenaline, suspense. Everyday is like yesterday and yesterday is like tomorrow. Her life ended up being super-boring! One night at a party that she attended alone, she meets Kirby, a young underwear male model. He falls in love with her and he doesn't hide it that much, giving her his number-which she never calls. He tries to find her number but sadly he couldn't find it. Nico can’t get him out of her thoughts and it’s really hard for her to resist calling him. What’s going to happen when they meet again? Will they be able to resist each other? It looks like love at first sight to me! Wendy Healy president of Parador Pictures, married to loving Shane, has three beautiful children and an extremely perfect life. Her career is very successful and her marriage is as perfect as it could be. Shane took the role of the woman of the house and she has the role of the man that has a career and brings the money for the family (a lot of money). Would Shane stop being the little wife and one day stand up to Wendy and want to work? Lovely Wendy is so beautiful that even her teenager daughter is jealous of her. Would her fear of getting fired ever come true? Victory Ford, a fashion designer with a very successful business, until her spring line goes public and it's a total disaster (for the critics) that ruins her whole career. Victory is single and very successful, she started out from zero and she went up to 100 what will she do down there at 10 again? What does Lyne Bennett, the charming billionaire want a date with her? All of there beautiful successful women have been best friends for a very long time and they will go through everything together.
If I was older I would be able to connect with these women since their in their 40s. I could connect a little bit with Victory, because after the bad critics about her spring line came up, she still believed that it was the best work she ever did and she didn't care about what everybody said. I am like that, I don't care what other people say about me and I will stand up to what I believe and desire no matter what other people say. I can also connect with Nico, a little bit, because later on when she will be in a relationship with Kirby and she will feel like a teenager again, feeling in love for the first time. I can connect to her at this phase of her like (lets forget that she is cheating to her husband) because I am in a great relationship with a guy that I love so much and he respects me and loves me too, the same way Kirby feels about Nico.
I totally get this book, I understand everything and it really helped that I watched the series. The only thing I can’t connect to, is the marriage that Wendy and Nico are in, since I am not married and their success as business women. When I will be in my 40s I will be able to connect with this responsibility that Wendy has to bring money to her family, to be a great mother and a good wife, while battling in work to be as strong as any man could be in her position.
My book is very realistic. This type of women are out there, cheated women, women that cheat on their husbands, women that are unhappy with their perfect life, women that have to survive in a man’s job in a strong position, like a president. Women that go through ups and downs in their career. There women are everywhere in the world, it’s not a story about special cases of women.
I would definitely like to have Wendy and Nico as a friend. I like that they are women on top in their business and they manage to keep what would ideally be a man’s position. I would like to be friends with Wendy and tell her how beautiful she is and how stupid she is that she didn't become a model or an actress. Also I would like to be by her side because she is such a good friend even if it means loosing all that she ever worked for. Nico is such a cool character, I love that woman, and I hate her at the same time! Cheating is the worse thing you could so to yourself and then to the person you love. Its better to walk away if you are not happy anymore. Nico has such a lovely time and she is so excited, happy with Kirby, she feels young again. I am so excited for her that she found someone to love her so much, she is really beautiful.
While I was reading today I could clearly visualize Nico in the back of her limousine feeling depressed about her so called-perfect life, and then suddenly feeling excited and hungry for life as soon as she thinks of Kirby. Since I saw the series, I can pretty much visualize everything, because as far as I am now the series is the same with the book!
Another scene that I could picture clearly was when Wendy woke up one morning, went to have a shower, then wrapped her towel around her body and answered the phone resting her phone on her right shoulder and trying to understand what her assistant was saying. She then went to her office to check her emails. This scene was described in so much detail.
This book reminds me of “Lovers & Players”, “Lethal Seduction”, “Married Lovers”, and “Drop Dead Beautiful” all written by Jackie Collins, one of my favorite writers. She talks about death, love, money, success, business, and gossip which is what the book is about. It also reminds me of the series and the movie “Sex and the City” and of course the same “lipstick jungle” but in a series.
Actually I know what will happen in the next section I read, but anyway! Since I am only on page 55 out of the 391, I will not say about the next section, I will talk about what will happen in general. Victory will start dating Lyne Bennett and she will fall in love with him and he will too! Wendy’s husband, Shane will get an invitation, since he was a guitar player before, to join a band on a tour, he will have a conflict with Wendy about it. Will he go or will Wendy persue him to stay? Nico will go to Kirby’s apartment, and she will have the time of her life. Will she keep her promise and go only once with Kirby? Or will she go again? Kirby made her feel alive again and she deserves it, because her husband is probably also cheating, but lets see!
This book has a lot of imageries, and it helps the reader visualize a lot, and since I saw the series, I feel like I am watching it again when I am reading. It uses similes like: “this was like waving a red flag in front of a bull”pg.20 and, “words kept haunting her like a bad smell” pg.32. The similes are really effective they make it even more realistic and understandable. Also she uses foreshadowing, for example when she was describing Nico’s husband she said “a loving (well, sort of) husband” pg.26. (On the next reading log I will explain what Nico’s husband did to her, the cruel bastard!) Another use of Foreshadowing is when the writer is talking about Wendy’s job it says: “she worried that she would get fired”, we will see later that Wendy does get fired, and we will see why. But I really like the use of similes, imagery, and foreshadowing, they make the story even more interesting!
I talked already a lot about how this book and the characters remind me of my life. Wendy’s house which is full of toys because she has a 6 year-old son and a baby daughter, reminds me of my house, since I have a 3 year old sister!
If I could jump in the book right now, I would take Nico’s place, and I would ask from my husband a divorce and then I would live happily ever after with Kirby. Because I don't find it right for a married couple to cheat on each other and still be together, pretending that everything is okay and great. Also I would like to beat the crap out of Nico’s husband, because you will see next time that what he did was unbelievably MEAN!!!
I really LOVE this book!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Anticipation Guide "The Pearl" Prompts

1. Family is the most important thing in life.

1. I agree with this statement. Family is the most important thins in our lives because they are helping you grow up by giving you the standards that they think are right. They help you become a good person in the society and until you become an adult by supporting you economically and psychologically. Your family will always be there for you to listen to you and advise you. Also their beliefs and way of thinking influences dramatically your way of thinking. Even when we grow up and we have our own family and friends we will always feel connected with our family.


2. Sometimes winning the lottery is a bad thing.

2. I agree that winning the lottery sometimes is a bad thing. For example an alcoholic, drug dealer might win 1 million; well that’s not a good thing. It will make the persons condition even worse. But if a good and decent man not so rich that works all day to feed his kids, then he wins 1 million and he becomes not so interested in his decent job or his family. Then still that’s changing a person’s life into something that’s not so decent. What is anyone going to do with so much money that they didn’t even earn with their sweat? Too much money can change you in a bad way, being greedy, self-centered, and careless.

3. Our lives are ruled by fate. No matter what decisions we take, our lives are already planned for us.

3. I think I agree with this statement. I believe that we all have a destiny and we came here to learn some things, to meet the people we have to meet, and to make the decisions that we should make. But we are not the ones controlling what happens. God has his little plan for us and we are in it no matter what we do. Some decisions are going to change us, but we are suppose to make those decisions, and each time we follow our heart and not our mind or the opposite, well that’s what we were suppose to follow after all. Either if that is our heart or our mind. Some of our actions which are bad for us, are really happening to we could learn something out of it.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Democracy -Langston Hughes

Democracy
by Langston Hughes
read by Sofia
Democracy will not come
Today, this year
Nor ever
Through compromise and fear.

I have as much right
As the other fellow has
To stand
On my two feet
And own the land.

I tire so of hearing people say,
Let things take their course.
Tomorrow is another day.
I do not need my freedom when I'm dead.
I cannot live on tomorrow's bread.

Freedom
Is a strong seed
Planted
In a great need.

I live here, too.
I want freedom
Just as you.





Sunday, February 14, 2010

Haiti Podcast


14, February 2010

Like today we used to seat all together and eat the chocolate cake my mama made for my papa. The only day of the year my mama buy chocolate, it was expensive. And now, now we have nothing, not even money for cheap food. We are homeless. My mama is crying all the time and I have no strength and no words to cheer her up. I am the oldest, I do understand that we have no food, we are badly injured and we have no clean water. My family has 7 members, my mama and papa, my 4 younger brothers and I. Even if we had a little food, it couldn’t feed all of us. Added to the no food-and no water-situation, we have no home. The house we lived in before wasn’t big; it was a tiny garage with 2 beds that the Red Cross has given us. But now, now we are H-E-L-P-L-E-S-S. By all the mean of the word we are. I understand some English because the Red Cross gave us free lessons, so I could understand what the Doctors and the people that helped us clean our wounds said. They said they have already run out of supplies. Also they said that our situation will get even worse. I don’t understand how worse it could get. We have no home to live, and its raining all the time. We have no food to eat, so we can’t keep healthy and strong. My dear dear papa that I love so much is the most injured of all and the doctors said we have to be prepared because he will get worse-that I didn’t tell my mama. Also we have no water. The most valuable thing in the world and we don’t have it. Before I saw on a photo some people that were in a large box that looked like a room, it was full of crystal-clear water. I never saw that much water before in my life.

I know the truth, we have no chance to be saved. And I feel calm, I know I wont survive for long, even though my mama fights to give us some food, she even steals to take some food, but I know we will all die in the days to come. I am one of the only people here that is calm, not frustrated, and not angry. There is no one to blame so it was our destiny to end up like this.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Taste of Salt-Antisipation Guide

1. Politics and political problems are a problem for adults to deal with.
1. I agree and disagree about this because it depends to what we mean by adults. If we are talking about people older than 18 then its different. Sometimes people from 20-30 years old and even a little bit older, have great, new, fresh ideas about the politics, which is if they are studying and having a good idea of what’s going on in politics. That will make our government refresh and we will have better ideas and ways of solving some problems. Where on the other hand if we mean adults above 50, who don’t take be wrong but they have the same standards and beliefs like their great grandpa had. So this way if we are stuck on the past and the past way of dealing with politics, then the world, and the government will not go forward. But of course older people have more experience than young adults. That’s why I believe that people who are involved in politics should not only be young people nor old people. So therefore we have the experience and the knowledge from the elders and the fresh and new ideas from the young adults. On the other hand if you are talking about young kids under 18 years old then I strongly agree they shouldn’t be involved. They may follow if they are interested in what is going on but they shouldn’t be practically involved.
2. All scenarios have a happy ending if those involved work towards it.
2. Because this statement is so general I disagree and agree again. It always depends on the people but also in the environment the scenario takes place. For example, lets say we have this couple that they really work to keep their relationship healthy and enjoyable by both of them, but the woman had grown up in a palace and she is extremely rich, where her dear husband is from a poor and big family. They can’t continue being in this relationship because the woman’s parents don’t approve this husband for their daughter. So there is no happy end since it didn’t depend on how hard this people worked but on where they lived and this scenario took place. But if we have to people that are deeply in love and they work very hard to keep a good relationship between them and the environment around them is positive. Then we defiantly have a happy end.
3. Literacy (being able to read) is a form of freedom.
3.I totally agree, because if you can’t read and write then it’s like you are isolated from the rest of the world. You can’t read the newspaper, magazines, books, laws, menus and many others. So if an earthquake is about to happen and the meteorologists reported that on the newspaper you wouldn’t be able to read it and you would depend on others to tell you. Also if your country has applied some new rules that you have to be aware of and you should read them from a document. Then for sure you loose your freedom since you will end up in jail! Magazines and books free the mind and help the people get an image of what goes around the. Books also help people by giving them the chance to “live” a life they are interested in and learn new things, and become intelligent and valuable people in life. So it’s a kind of freedom from the present you live in. also if you go away with your friends to a restaurant then you can’t order from the menu. And that makes you codependent to your friends, and I don’t think that’s cool!
4. Civilizations without a written language cannot effectively document history. (No technology)
4. I agree with this statement strongly. Because like poems or songs that we know from our grand elders are changed from generation to generation, either on purpose or by a misunderstanding; like this an important history fact that have changed the world then or even a not so important history fact could be transformed into something completely different and untrue. So let’s say the only way to keep history without it being written down everything would be a mess. The story from mouth to mouth will change and people will maybe forget something and replace it with something else. And then some people will say that this happen and others will say that that happen. So we wouldn’t know who to trust and they wouldn’t know if the story they say its true or the generation before them has changed it in someway. Also a story from a generation without ancestors would be lost and from mouth to mouth those history-stories won’t stay forever in our memory.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The Outsiders Persuasive- Blog

Hey Chelsea,

I know you have to choose between being a Soc and a greaser. But it’s very easy to choose, you want to be a Soc! Maybe things are rough all over, but they are a lot better when you are a Soc; you get a better chance to have the life you always dreamed of.

Greasers are mean and lifeless people, but We are fun and full of life! The little hoods grow up with no parents no families and they have no clue what love and care means. Our parents though care deeply for us and they love us very much, they give us whatever we ask for! Greasers don’t know how to behave and they don’t have good and polite manners to girls. But our guys, Soc guys, are amazingly polite, loving and they spoil us usually with expensive clothes and jewelry. Those rats talk rude and dirty to girls and they don’t give a damn if they are offending you!

Those poor dogs have no money, well you might say, what do I care if they have no money? But do you want to have friends that steal their cokes, they don’t pay to go to the drive in movies, and like dogs they slip under the fences? No, because you want to be around rich kids, that have Mustangs, organize huge-fun parties that really cute guys attend, and with girls that go shopping 24/7 in the most stylish shops in town. Most of us are cheerleaders and that means that we are popular and everyone wants to be our friend.

The most serious thing is that you have a better chance to make your dream come true. And if, lets say, your dream is to be an actress, then you can go to the best universities in all over the world. When those tramps are drop outs from school, they have no goals in life and they just like to smoke and bit the crap out of each other.

But you don’t want to be around guys who swear like sailors, and girls that are ugly tramps. You don’t want to be friends with guys that make little kids pee in their pants. You don’t want to hang out with people that use the 5-finger discount to feed themselves, and carry guns with them. That have no point, no goal in their life. No, you want to hang out with Us, people that have good manners, are polite, come from good and rich families; that have Mustangs, fancy clothes, and care about life and their future. Because you really want to have a beautiful life, travel and see many things with your friends, later get a job you love, and get married to a guy that respects you. You can have all these, that’s why you must be a Soc!

See you soon,

Sofia