Rowan's Blog

Hello everybody,

My name is Rowan, I am a in Max and Kam's class at Logan. I play many sports but my favorite is hockey, I have been playing for seven years and have been skating for eight years. I now play at DU but have played for the Thunderbirds and Evolution. I am trying to start a chocolate business called The Chocolate Tree. I enjoy running, cooking, sailing and hiking. I have a Rhodesian Ridgeback named ranger, and have two sisters, Adin and Sarah, and a brother named Edison. I like reading fantasy, science fiction and really creepy books; one of my favorite authors is Michael Crichton.

My top three favorite books are: Sphere, Enders Game and The Lord of the Flies. I liked Sphere because of how amazing it was written, it made me want to keep reading. It was also really freaky when everybody started turning against each other, it combined everything I like action, science fiction and creepiness. Lord of the flies was the same way but I thought it was very life like, people get lost on an island and freak out. It was sad at some parts and was kind of gory at other parts but it was a great read. Lastly, Enders Game was a really great book, it was kind of sad because Ender really had to be completely destroyed for everyone else to be happy. Even though I loved the book I could never see anyone who is like 7 or 8 years old, having to go through the things that Ender did. These are some of my favorite books, I like a lot more but these are the books that just spoke to me.

I read divergent because a number of people said that they enjoyed it, I really liked it to. It was a good and well written book, the plot was interesting though, how you had to belong to one faction and believe just one thing. Half way through the book I was mad about the faction-less, you just don't belong and everyone shuns you. The only way they survived was because the Abnegation basically had to feed them or go against their faction. I didn't like the relation between four/Tobias and Tris, I felt that it completely deterred from the plot of the story, other than that I really liked the book. For a post-apocalypse teen romance/drama/action book it was pretty good, much better than the hunger games.

This week I read Insurgent by Veronica Roth, I really liked how it picked up at the end of the last week. This book felt a lot like the Hunger Games, in the first book Katniss, Tris, was pretty hardcore and awesome, then the second book happened, they both saw some freaky stuff and are messed up. Then the third book comes out, something tragic happens and then Tris pulls out on top and she gets married has kids, last chapter she talks about what her life was and then ends with a perplexing statement. I still really liked the book and the writing was amazing, but the relation ship between Tris and Tobias just seems like the author felt like adding it in there. I feel like it added nothing to the actual story, it just complicated everything. It still was a good book and I recomend it to anyone who like teen drama/romance/action.

I really liked this book, I felt that it was a great way to wrap up the series. Like all of the other books I thought that Tris's relationship with Tobias was used a little to much. But I felt that it was more appropriate in this book than all of the others. I felt that the ending was very abrupt, it wasn't bad, it was very sad. I felt that it was an a good ending to this book though because the book dealt with a lot of very deep and sad issues. And I thought that a sad ending that gave you some hope really went with the story. I really think you should read the series if you haven't.

This book focuses on the mental game of hockey, and trying to improve your physical game through mental preparedness. I really liked the book, my favorite concept, each chapter is a different concept, was about this ABC thing that was talked about through the entire book. It is basically the three main things to think about when you are playing a game, these could be anything like making a breakout pass or getting a good shot from the point. I also liked all of the interviews with NHL players, I thought that it was very interesting all of the ideas that he gave them. I also liked how some of these NHL players were nervous about the same things that kids my age are, I just thought that was pretty cool. I would recommend this book to anyone even if you don't play hockey, there is so much information that will help you succeed.

Next I am reading Outliers

I read this book over the trip, it wasn't a really good book it was actually kind of sad. The writing was good but it talked about killing a lot and other things. The plot of the book is basically this kid is trained to befriend kids and then kill there parent because they were "plotting against the United States." It had a little bit of action but mostly it just talked about getting closer to his next target and then killing her in the end. I was not a big fan of the book but I am not saying don't read the book, I am just saying I didn't like the book. Next week I am reading Outliers.

I really enjoyed the book, I really liked all of the research and studies that Gladwell included to back up all of his ideas. In the first part it talked about hockey players, it said that players who are born in the later part of the year have a much smaller chance of becoming good. This is because the older kids have had more practice and are more physically mature than the younger kids. I also thought it was cool about how in Korea there are six different levels of communication, and when a employee is talking to a boss there is a right and wrong way to talk. I was also surprised because the book basically stated that the reason that great people are great is because they got lucky, it wasn't hard work or anything like that, it was luck. I thought it was a great book and was well written, and I would recommend it to everyone. Next week I am reading The World Without Us

This book was very cool I am half way through it and it basically talks about what the world would look like if Humans just left. Not like packed up and left, or a giant bomb killed all of us, but literally just vanished. I thought It was really interesting how cheap all of the buildings are now a days, like most of the buildings the we built in the last 30 years will be gone. However when people were building the cathedrals and castles they chose things to last and thats why we still have them around today. Another thing that was cool was how much water the sewers and subway of New York have to hold back. It said that like in 36 hours the streets of Manhattan would be flooded from all of the natural flood water. I really think you should read this book and I'm not even done with it so...

PART 2

The book continued on about what would happen if all of the humans left, it also talked a lot about polymers and all of the plastic waste that is produced. It was really surprising how much waste is in all of or oceans, it talked about the pacific garbage patch that is floating around in the Pacific. It said that now the size has grown to an area the size of Africa. It talked about these things called nurdles that are these tiny little plastic pieces, 5.5 quadrillion are produced, equaling 250 billion pounds are manufactured annually. Once again this was a great nonfiction book and I really enjoyed it.

This week I read Beyond the Deepwoods, it was a great book, it was a really fun and interesting read. It followed the main character, Twig, in his adventures through the deepwoods. He lives with wood trolls and they never leave the path, but when Twig realizes he dosn't look like them, he realizes he isn't one of them. When Sky pirates with floating boat that use rocks to fly, come after Twig, he has to go to "his" aunts house to be safe. But when Twig strays from the path, unthinkable things happen. Overall this was an awesome book, it had a lot of writing but amazing pictures to pictures some of the crazy creatures. This is a complicated series, but it should be fun. Next week I am going to read a book...

I really liked this book, the actual writing wasn't that good but the point that the doctors were trying to make was good. It really helped show me how to people living in the projects actual live. We, being the lucky kids we are, really don't know what it is like to live in poor neighborhoods. This book really changed my perspective on life and I am very happy I read it, this week we have to finish.

This book was really good, though the actual writing was amazing. The book was writen by Liza Page, and soon when your reading the book and it switches charecters, it is really anoying because all of the sudden someone will be talking about a new family. Luckily it said which doctor was "telling" the story. The part that I found good was the plot, and how these for guys persevered through all of these hard times and actually became doctors. I thought that it was inspritational because if these men had been able to do it and they had lived in the projects, than I who has it much better off than all of them combined, should be able to get through college. It was a great book, read it if you want to learn about living in the ghettos or just read it to inspire you. Next week I am reading speaker of the dead...

3000 years have passed since Ender Wiggin defeated the buggers, now humans have spread out to one hundred worlds. Once again intelligent life has been found and humanity is taking this as a second chance. Humans are doing everything they can to not ruin this chance, but when the creatures begin killing the planets xenelogers. Ender is called to speak the death of the xenelogers but he has bigger plans.

This was an amazing book, it was 450 pages long, but I read it in two days. At the start of the book the story follows a girl named Cassie and her strugles as she deals with the current alien invasion. The aliens never really come down to earth by the destroy the earth in a series of "waves" the first being a total blackout, followed by massive flooding then a plauge. What are the next two waves you will have to find out. No matter what this was a great book there was a little adult stuff, she swore a little but over all I would give it a 9.8 out of 10

This was one of the best books I have ever read, there was action and it also incorporated sci-fi which was really cool. I loved the idea of being able to go into another world and do and be whatever you want. I cant wait until someone comes up with something just like this and I can own my own asteroid and become anything I want. The book was really descriptive and I read it in one day so I really liked the book. I would definitely read it, I had one question though about the age progression of the main character so if anyone figures that out I would like to know.

This was a really good book, it was set on the slopes of Mount Everest in 1994. Krakauer was actually invited to climb the mountain as a journalist and then write about the commercialization of the mountain. The book was actually very sad and a lot of people died. The book was written in a cool way at the end where Krakauer pieced the stories of all of his companions and had it switch between character every chapter. I liked the book, Krakauer has also made another book called Into the Wild, but they are all non-fiction.

This book was really hard to read, there was a lot of dialogue and it was in all of these different accents. However it is still an amazing book, the words and sentences create vivid pictures in my mind. Plus the main character Ishmael is really well developed and the secondary character Queepueg you are still learning about as Ishmael learns about him. I am at page 200 of 800 so I think it is going to be a three week book, but they have not even begun whaling which is a big part of the book so far. It might be hard at first like a lot of classics but trust me this is an amazing book.

By page 350 there was one brief encounter with a whale, I am not understanding how this book relates to whaling at all. There are so many run on sentences, I mean if I ever wrote something like that any teacher would slap me and tell me re do it. I guess grammar wasn’t what it was back then, it was like 150 years ago. I guess I might not be done with the book but I don’t understand how any of the story is relatable to now other than the small stuff like going on a boat. All in all I cant say if it is a Classic right now but where I am up to I feel it does not deserve it.

Guys I am really sorry but I lied, the reason I though the book was good was because it was really descriptive and thoughtful writing. But the reason I kept reading was because I was hoping there would be something interesting like killing a whale. So sure it happens once or twice, but in the end the author spends more time comparing the whales heads than the actual whaling. Plus the book went on these uncontrolled tangents and spent most of the time talking about random people on random boats. By all means don't read this book because of what I said here, but if you do, be ready for a whole lot of fluffy unneeded stuff.

I really liked this book, I thought that It was well written and the characters where pretty much developed. At the beginning I though the book would be about happy little forest animals running around and stuff. Then it turned out the rats where genetically engineered and there was this cool owl and a little mouse got sick. The book was an adventure book and for a child's book it was still a good book, it was 300 pages long so actually a decent length. But it was a great read, next week I am reading Maze Runner.

This was a great book, everything was very descriptive and I could really picture every scene. The book talks about a post apocalyptic community enclosed by massive walls that open every mourning and close every night. The main character, Thomas finds himself in a large box looking at the faces of other boys staring down at him. He gets pulled up and finds himself in a large enclosure, called the glade surrounded by massive steal walls. He can not remember anything but his name, he learns that outside of the walls is a massive maze that the glades, the people who live in the glade, have been trying to solve for two years.

The Client
Night Circus

Atlas Shrugged

Under The Dome

The Road

The Red Pyramid

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

Enders Shadow

Fahrenheit 451

Half Brothers

The Sisters Brothers

Enders Shadow

Maze Runner

I gaze into the brown bottle

Pretending its beer, I down the malty beverage

My mom asks for a sip

The machine is right over there

The drink is much to valuable for anyone but me

The man leaps down from his perch atop his ladder

his boots leave large imprints in the soft ground

tattooing the surface for ever.

The large gold bubble located where the mans head should have been turned

as the man slowly took in what he saw

What he was doing, and seeing

would change this world forever.

He planted the flag, walked around and then went home

Humans will never and have ever been the same since.

People now liberated by a common goal

continue to strive towards the next planet.

No matter how far humans get in outer space

there will be more to explore forever.

I have a lot of friends on Facebook, some of them are from a cruise in Vancouver some are form a camp in New Hampshire. Some of them I don't even know because my friend just told me to friend all of his friends. I deleted most of them but some slipped through the cracks and now all of my friends just send me Candy Crush games invites. Candy Crush is one of the worst games ever created, my brother and sister are addicted to it and it bothers me so much. It is so stupid, all you is line up candy and then you win, no skill is involved, fat stupid people living at their moms house could be sitting at their computers and feel good about themselves because they are doing well in Candy Crush. I really hate hammers, they make so much stupid noise, someone could make a lot of money buy selling a hammer that makes no noise. I hate stupid noise more than I hate Candy Crush, but Gavins squeals are the worst noises. They would be good if he was trying to imitate a cow. Wait why would I say cow, I must be stupid, I think I am just tired and its the end of the week and I got like no sleep in the last couple of days so just deal with it.

Max want this limerick clean

but he doesn't understand how mean

to put such restrictions

on such innocent children's

chances to be quite obscene.

There once was a skier from France

who didn't fancy wearing pants.

He tripped and fell

and gave quite a yell

luckily nothing dirty else ends with ance

There once was a student from logan

who couldn't write a good poem

he wasn't good at art

and wasn't even that smart

and thats why we don't hear from him again