What kind of books do you like to read?
I really enjoyed reading Ellen Hopkins' book: Crank & Glass. She has a few others such as Burned, Impulse, Identical, Fallout etc. which I would love to purchase myself from Chapters. Hopkins writes about teenage struggles such as drug abuse, mental illness and prostitution. All of which are very relate able to any reader who has been through or has known someone whom has gone through it. Her books really pull you in, and you start to care about the characters in a whole. You're always wondering "what will happen next?". Her books made me never want to put them down and every page drew me in even more. Her writing style is unique, instead of the traditional writing she writes verse novels which was intriguing when i first picked it up. I fell in love with that kind of text and I'd love to find more novels like hers.
How have your experiences in elementary, middle and high school affected your views on reading?
in elementary school we were always pushed to read. "I Love To Read" months every February with prizes to the top kids, each class competing and seeing who can read the most. At the time it was fun and i loved it. Books were simple, big letters with small words, and more pictures than there was a story. I was at the top of my class with my reading and comprehension skills, so i read a lot. When middle school came around, it was the opposite. Having books constantly shoved down your throat through the first 6 years of your life really repels you from reading. Every Friday we would have to read and no one wanted to - we were kids, we wanted to eat candy and play outside, goof around. I picked up the skill of fake reading, and i think the teachers bought it. It was the seventh grade where i started reading again because my teacher at the time had comic books from when he was a kid, and let us read them. They were fascinating. Along came the eighth grade, and all i wanted to read about was sports, but I also really enjoyed reading and writing poetry. Transitioning into high school, I was unsure on what to read.. I didn't know what I liked. I was still trying to figure that out. When I got into Ms. McLauchlan's class in the ninth grade, she introduced me to Ellen Hopkins' books. i started to read Crank and I instantly fell in love with it. Poetry is fascinating. There is so much meaning in such a powerful paragraph. When I read I really like to connect to it personally, which is why I personally love Ellen Hopkins' books so much.
What's New?
Recently, a lot. I'm saving up to get into Law school, I bought a new boat, and I am saving up for a new truck. I fractured both sides of my foot, and tore the ligament's while working. I was working on the docks moving freight, when i went to go move another which was in the way. That one went out of control and crushed my foot in-between the two of them. I instantly started screaming. I took two steps then collapsed on the floor. My supervisor rushed over, but I could barely talk. I was going into shock, and i was shaking. I have been on crutches and off my foot ever since. That was mid July. Two months later and I'm hoping i can make it for hockey. Besides being injured every year, another thing that is new is that I am getting my boating license. I have recently purchased my first laptop, which is a Macbook Pro. I didn't realize how expensive these things were, but it was worth it.
