February 2015 archive

The Silkworm

How many of you out there are Harry Potter fans?

Excellent, excellent. I could talk forever about how much I love the Harry Potter Series (my favorite novel is Harry Potter and silkworm 2the Chamber of Secrets; my favorite movie is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, what are yours? You can post in the comments if you’d like). I am a fan of both the books and the movies (and of course the books are better), the incredible HP fandom, and even the amusement park in Universal Studios. So, naturally, I was thrilled when I heard J. K. Rowling was writing another series (under a pen name) for adults.

This is the second book in that series. The Silkworm (and the first book, the Cuckoo’s Calling) are written by one of the best and most well-known authors out there: J. K. Rowling. She writes these books under the not-so-secret pseudonym, Robert Galbraith. Yes, that is a man’s name.The Silkworm by J.K. Rowling

I recommend these two books to all book fans—Harry Potter lovers or not (but you should love Harry Potter, because it is amazing, don’t even let me get started on why everybody should read that series). The Silkworm is not really about silkworms, but the title is not completely random, either (it will make sense once you read the book, so go get on that if you are curious!). This pair of books is a great start to what is a promising new(ish) mystery series for adults. I was actually a bit scared to start Cuckoo’s Calling, because I was worried that I had too high of an expectation for the book, just because I love her other series so much. But don’t be worried, you should give them a try—not because they are written by J. K. Rowling, but because they are amazing books that deserve the high ratings they have.

So what is the Silkworm about? I suppose I should start with the characters.

First, you have the protagonist—private detective Cormoran Strike, an ex-army silkworm1member who (unfortunately) only has half of one of his legs (not including his prosthetic). Then you have his faithful secretary (or does she do more than make phone calls?) Robin.

This novel focuses around the case of missing novelist Owen Quine (and I have no idea what the correct pronunciation for his name is), who was reported in as missing to Strike by his wife. She says that he has just gone off on his own for a while, and wants Strike to find him and take him home to his family. But there is something more to this case. It isn’t a simple disappearance. Quine has just completed a very controversial (unpublished) novel that he plans to self-publish. The controversy of this novel? It includes “poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows”, exposing many secrets and details that aren’t exactly his to tell.

When Quine turns up brutally (and bizarrely) murdered, Strike is on the case to determine who the killer is. Is it the wife, or someone else featured in his awful manuscript? Was this a single killing, or is someone else next?

Read to find out.

Renewable Energy we can Count on

So most people get that using a lot of energy is bad, because of the increase in greenhouse gases and the resulting effect on global warming. And most people get that fossil fuels are bad—that they’re dirty, inefficient, messy, and can be dangerous. But despite increases in alternative energy, a significant amount of society is still against these alternative energy sources, even if these sources could pose a solution to mitigating climate change. Why is this?

renewable3Many people have a positive mental image of rene  wable energy, while fossil fuels tend to have a more negative connotation. But people are reluctant to make the switch from fossil fuels to alternative energy. It is easy to just stick with what works, and people don’t want to change what isn’t broken. But that attitude won’t get us anywhere. In fact, the opposite attitude is what will—and is—helping us to begin to solve the pressing environmental issues we face today. Renewable sources of energy have also begun to change the minds of some members of society.

Renewable energy is currently providing clean and reliable energy where it does exist. And record numbers of new wind farms and solar energy farms are popping up in the US recently. If we continue this expansion of renewable energy, we can continue the decreases in dirty fossil fuels. New energy technologies can allow us to improve our current electricity and energy system, and this will allow us to move the country towards a cleaner future. In fact, the United States has the tools needed to increase renewables, and our electricity system has the potential to accommodate more wind and solar energy. But can we count on renewable energy? Yes.

“The wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine.”
This does not matter. With multiple wind and solar power sources, we can draw electricity from a broader geographic area to ensure a steady supply of electricity. Additionally, more accurate weather forecasts can allow grid operators to estimate renewable energy output, and make adjustments as necessary. Other power sources, such as hydroelectric power or even hydrogen power, can fill the gap made on wind or sun-less days. And it is also important to remember that electricity grids can handle change. All energy sources face changes, and even fossil fuels are not always reliable because of possible “interruption for maintenance, and from severe weather, equipment failure, and other unexpected events” (UCSUSA). The grid that handles our electricity is already used to preparing for variations in supply and demand, and can just as easily be made to work with alternative energy sources that can be just as variable as traditional energy sources.

We will be able to allow renewable energy to provide a majority of U.S. electricity, because we can actually depend on alterrenewable2native energy sources. Alternative forms of energy, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, and hydropower, are readily available to be used as forms of electricity for today and tomorrow. We can add many variable energy sources, and depend on these environmentally-friendly sources of electricity. We can change.

Although change is hard, we can do it. Change is necessary for a better future and sustaining the human race on Earth.Green nature landscape with planet Earth

Let’s start a change—today!

http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/smart-energy-solutions/increase-renewables/ramping-up-renewable-energy-sources.html#.VNA0Qi5HM4c

Are you bossy?

This week’s book review is not one of the books I would normally read. Meaning, that it is not a typical, young adult/science fiction/fantasy novel. This book is a little different.

A quote about this book- it “includes Special, Never-Before-Solicited Opinions on Breastfeeding, Princesses, Photoshop, the Electoral Process, and Italian Rum Cake!”

What is this book? Bossypants, by Tina Fey.fey

A Bossypants is one who is bossy, or one who interferes with other peoples’ lives. But is being bossy bad? Or can it be taken to be a positive thing? It can be an insult, or a complement, depending on how one takes it.

This hilarious book both tells the story of Tina Fey, a girl with a dream. Two dreams, actually. “A recurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher”, and “a dream that one day she would be a comedian on TV.” This book discusses both dreams, and talks about Tina Fey both before and after Liz Lemofey2n, “Weekend Update”, and “Sarah Palin”. As a successful comedian who has been on TV, she tells her story from her early life as a “vicious nerd” to her career on Saturday Night Live to her life as a mother—and more.

I absolutely loved this book. I am not a huge fan of Tina Fey, and the reason I liked this book was not because it includes her life story. But it was very, very funny and insightful. I found myself often laughing out loud when I read this book (and in public places, no less!), and I was both entertained and inspired by the stories she told in this book. Tina Fey talks about anything and everything—from Chinese food to J-Lo’s butt, from Jehovah’s Witnesses to body image, and from politics to prostitution. She offers great advice, as well. One of my favorite quotes from this book is “Do your thing and don’t care if they like it.” I find this sentiment both true and inspiring, and I aim to live my life this way. Another great quote is “If you retain nothing else, always remember the most important rule of beauty, which is: who cares?” Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and although society does not always make it seem like it, to many people, real beauty is what matters on the inside. Tina Fey captures this idea in a concise, witty, and snappy quote, just like many of her other great quotes in this book.

If you pick up this book, you won’t regret it. And if you have already read it before, what is your favorite quote or story from this?

And remember—you’re no one until someone calls you bossy.

Let’s go to Wonderland!

alice

Today, I’m gonna talk about an easy read. So if you have been meaning to read a book—for fun (gasp!)—then this one is a great one to try. The book? It is a classic, but is easy to read (unlike Hamlet, which is a wonderful classic, but is rather hard to read). It is written for children, but not in a childish way. I read it for the first time a few months ago, and I really enjoyed it, even though I know it is intended for another audience.

I think that you guys will really like this book. Oh yeah, the book’s title: Alice in Wonderland.

I never really had thought about where exactly Alice in Wonderland came from—I think I’ve just known the story forever, but I never read it as a child. I have seen parts of the new movie (although I’m not a huge fan of it, I find the new movie a little creepy), and I cannot recall ever seeing the whole animated movie, either. But I knew the basics of the story- a girl named Alice follows a rabbit and falls down a rabbit-hole, and then some stuff happened with some playing cards and a queen, right? But what exactly is the story of Alice in Wonderland?

Alice begins her tale sitting on the riverbank, when she sees a white rabbit. Carrying a pocket watch. She follows him, and falls down a rabbit hole, and lands in Wonderland. The following story involves a great set of characters- the Cheshire Cat (and did I mention that I am a cat fan?), a Caterpillar, the Queen of Hearts, and of course—the Mad Hatter.

Alice’s adventures are told in a wonderful tale told through the pages of a short chapter book. It is only 92 pages, and I read it quite quickly. It was satisfying and sweet, and I loved taking a break from the craziness and nonstop homework of college life, and this book was a great way to give my brain a break. I totally advise reading it- are you sure you actually know the whole story of Alice in Wonderland? And if you have seen the movie (or movies), this book is a great way to really get to know this wonderful, fantastic, imaginative, classic tale.

Additionally, Lewis Carrol includes some great quotes as well. My favorites are listed below.

-Ah, that’s just it. If you don’t think, then you shouldn’t talk.

-Good advice. If I listened earlier, I wouldn’t be here. But that’s just the trouble with me. I give myself very good advice.

-I have an excellent idea, LETS CHANGE THE SUBJECT.

-Curiouser and curiouser.

-Curiosity often leads to trouble.

-I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then.

-Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.

-If everybody minded their own business, the world would go around a great deal faster than it does.

-“Have i gone mad?” “I’m afraid so, but let me tell you something, the best people usually are.”

Overall, this is a wonderfully sweet story that will push the limits of the imagination and just leave you satisfied and happy. And if you don’t like this story, OFF WITH YOUR HEADS!