"Take out the bad parts and mean words"

I am officially in love with Finch's personality, or all of his personalities in that case. He is funny and seems to bring live to everybody and everything around him, even though he feels kind of dead himself.

As we all suspected, Violent and Finch become a couple and start a romantic relationship.

They don't care about what other may or may not say at their backs or directly in front of them. Finch seem to be happy, truly and completely happy; and completely in love with Violet "You are all the colors in one, at full brightness." Their wonderings are now for the pure pleasure of being together and making and making small places become important and great in their memories and own ways, He meets Violet's parents and tries to be the best of himself during the process, putting a blanket on top of the "real" Finch, the one that's made of thousands of other Theo's.

Violet complains about that, about Finch "acting" and "lying" to her parents but then he says this: "Sometimes, Ultraviolet, things feel true to us even if they're not." and that makes her go silent. I liked this quote a lot because there's truth in it. Some people have that one part of themselves that they would like it to be true. For Finch is that he could be the perfect boy for what he considered the perfect parents of the perfect girl. He really did. A lot of times I have found myself in this kind of situations, wishing I was something else or that I was something more, or better than I actually am. I liked this quote because of that. It reminded me of all of those times that I felt like Finch and that maybe a lied because I really wished that that lie could be true.

I think this part of the book was a nice break for the readers and the characters from the dark mood there was on the book before. We can see that they are growing and overcoming some of their obstacles, even Violet's mother can see that.  "Growth itself contains the germ of happiness." Because of the moment I am -we all are - living, I find this quote quite comforting. Growing up at first seems like this great moment we are all waiting for as kids, but now that we are finally here and our future is now behind us but at the same time so far away; it's time for us to be adults, it's quite scary...more than scary is terrifying and intimidating at its very best. So when I read this quote I felt more at peace with all of it, since it's true. Growing up is scary but it's also what brings us happiness.

As for Violet, well she feels more alive, more "in her skin" now that she's with Finch nd that she's falling in love with him. On the other hand Finch personal demons give him a break and he can deal with the real ones, such as his dad, much better. More balanced.

VOCABULARY:

1. Cocooned: to be surrounded and covered in a protective way.
I felt safe, cocooned in his arms I felt like nothing could hurt me.








2. Helluva: nonstandard spelling of "a hell of a"
I'm in a helluva mess









3. Cram: completely fill to the point that it a ppears to be averflowing.
The trunk was crammed with suitcases and backpacks









4. Jolting: give a surprise. To suddenly appear or to push or shake someone roughly.
A surge in the crowd behind him jolted him forward.





5. Weightless: to feel so light that there's no wieight pulling you down to earth.
Dancing brings me such joy that it is as if I am weghtless and could fly.

The Great Manifesto

In this part of the book, Finch and Violet's friendship grows stronger and she starts to like him more and more. He doesn't treat her like a poor little thing - like everybody else does - and that's helping her to get on her feet again and find new things and get amazed by those new things even when her sister's gone.

On the other hand, Finch seems to live for those moments with her and for her. It is obvious that he felt in love with her since the first moment, but I don't think that he realises that Violet does him a lot of good. "I learned that there is good in this world, if you look hard enough for it. I learned that not everyone is disappointing, including me, and that a 1,257- foot bump in the ground can feel higher than a bell tower if you're standing next to the right person." I like this relationship because it is the reality of so many people, to find someone that will make you feel better when you are feeling down. It could be in a romantic way or just a friend that makes you realize that things are not as bad as they look.

Violet still feels guilty for what happened to her sister, and still has troubles when it comes to getting her life back on track, but there have been a lot of improvement and she seems a lot happier.  "You have to live your life like you'll never be sorry. It's easier just to do the right thing from the start..." Finch is hard on her, pushes her out of her comfort zone, but also makes her feel better. He seems to always know what to say and when to say it. I think that this is good for her because she really needs it and I also relate to it since I like to do things right from the beginning or to make the right choices. A lot of times I have made a mistake and felt bad about it or mad at myself.  At the end not a single choice that you make is a choice to be sorry for, every bad or good choice that I have made had helped me in some way and I thank that.

Talking about bad or good choices, the book is also filled with bad and good moments. It's hard for both of them in their own way, but I think that Finch is the one that's having the hardest times. He is always trying to escape from something that seems to catch up to him time to time, he feels suffocated and haunted and even though he doesn't show it, what happens at school it's not easy for him and slows him down when it comes to run away from his depression or dark moods "It's growing out of a label that's hard." He definitely doesn't like labels, he thinks that they take over the person as if the person was nothing more than his label. He is always changing his personality and I think that has a lot to do with that, with the fact that he can't stand to be only one thing.

I've loved this book so far, how Finch and Violet's relationship is so complicated but at the same time perfect in some sort of way. They need each other to overcome whatever is pulling the down.


VOCABULARY

1. Bangers: a car in poor condition. The one that makes a lot of noise.
The Scott's have an old banger and it always so annoying in the mornings when they go to work that it wakes everybody up.





2. Ambles: walk in a slow relaxed passed. To calmly walk just for pleasure, not trying to get anywhere.
They ambled along the river during the night, enjoying the moment.






3. Leaping: jump a long way, to a great height or with great force.
Ballerinas leap in such delicate way that some people consider it beautiful and always land gracefully.





4. Lopsided: with one side lower or smaller than the other.
Finch gave Violet a lopsided grin that made her wonder if was being serious at all. 








5. Churning: agitate or turn (milk or cream) in order to produce butter.
The woman churns the milk for a whole hour before she gets some rest. 

Violet and Finch

All the bright places has been a wonderful book so far. I have only read 74 pages but I already know that I love it.

The book is about Violet, the typical popular girl that looks perfect on the outside but then, her sister dies and that's when trouble begins. There's also Finch, a boy that is depressed at a whole new level. He's the school's "weirdo", but seems happy with that reputations and makes the best out of it, even though he is really broken on the inside. "I smile so she can see what I mean. Everything where it should be, on the outside at least." (pg. 8)

The characters are great, but my favorite is Violet. Finch is great, don't get me wrong and basically every quote that I love in the book is from Finch's perspective, but I think that I can understand violet a little bit better. She just lost her sister and something about it made her look at everything in a different way, she's clearly not comfortable with the life she used to have anymore, but she's trying to fit in again and it's having a hard time with it until Finch saves her.

The whole story and friendship between them begins first when Finch stops her to jumping off the school tower when he was actually planning to do the same thing. Finch saves her and when he stays behind, standing on the ledge, Violet saves him. It all begins there, in that really odd way, but they really start to know each other when Finch asks to be with her for a school project. Little by little he talks to her trying to help her, he's helping himself, staying awake, staying alive. For someone as depressed as Finch, he says the most incredible things to her in an attempt to make Violet feel better. "That depends on who you ask. See, I don't necessarily think it's late. I think it's early. Early in our lives. Early in the night. Early in the new year. If you are counting, you'll notice the earlys outnumber the lates." (pg. 54) I believe that this quote is awesome and it really hit me because with all the school stress that we have been living this last week, the college, career choices or the choice not to make any choices is really stressing and sometimes I have come to think that there will never be enough time to do all that I plan to do; but then I read this quote and I realized that Finch is actually right, and it kind of makes me feel a lot better.

They are both in their last high school weeks, they are living exactly the same things we are and that also made me feel really identified with them. Of course without the depression factor in the equation. Everybody is trying to figure out what to do with their lives, where to go and thinking about all the choices they turned down and the places they will never go because they have other plans. Everybody is worried about if they are making the right choices or if they will end up on the right path or place, but then, I found this quote. "...but maybe even the smallest places mean something. And if not, maybe they can mean something to us." (pg. 41) It's not about worrying if you will end up where you're supposed to be, but to make the places you are the right ones. I liked this quote because it made me feel a little bit more confident about my university choices, and life choices in general. It can also apply to small things such as a park or a store. For me, it's blockbuster where I used to go with my family and rent movies, and it was great because that meant that it was going to be whole movie weekend or the park in León where we fed the ducks.

So far the book, or what Finch is trying to show Violet, is that life is worth living; it doesn't have to be incredible in a conventional way, or perfect but that there's something special in every day that keeps everyone going. He's trying to make her see that at the same time he found something to keep him awake.


VOCABULARY

1. Domain: an area owned and controlled by someone.
Everything in his sight was King's Arthur's Domains. 







2. Ledge: the very narrow edge of something.
She stood on the ledge, trying not to look down because she knew that if she did she would fall. 








3. Wisps: a small, thin o twisted bunch, piece or amount of something.
She held the cigarette in her delicate hand, wisps of smoke laced around her fingers, escaping thru them and danced into the cold winter air.









4. Swagger: walk and behave in a very confident or arrogant way.
Finch adjusted his jacket and swaggered along the school corridors, catching everyone's eye. 








5. Humdrum: lacking excitement. Dull
She played the piano as an escape from the humdrum of her life.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

"Time for the world to end"

As in any book, the last part is always the most intense. Tests are made and or heroes take critical decisions. Normally, the character would found himself in a dilemma, dancing in the line between two ideas, two choices; but not Cassie, she knows what she wants and she knows what she's going to do, even though she discovers something that could have destroyed any other person, if not at least weakened in their decisions she doesn't take it like that and overcome's it, use it to her advantage...something that I think was really clever and also made me like the book a little bit more “I am a shark, Cassie," he says slowly, (..). "A shark who dreamed he was a man.”  She was kind of betrayed, someone kept a secret from her and I thought she was going to react differently, but she decided to trust, to overcome the situation. That's really important for her because her main rule was not to trust anybody, but she knows now that there are other ways besides the constant fear. In that kind of world in which you have to constantly make the decision between kill and been killed, people are forced to mentally grow much faster so that makes people more mature, more focused. If Cassie had acted like a drama queen and go all 'I hate you, I hope you die' attitude, well... it would have really bothered me. Also, something that improved was Cassie-Evan relationship. It's still an insta-love, but it was well managed after that and I like how they act as a couple and the extra plot that gives to the book.

So, (in my opinion) Cassie grew a little bit as a character, but she's not the only one. Zombie a.k.a Ben is less upsetting. In the beginning, he was like clay. He had no opinion, no personal thought and he didn't take any actions for his own; he had some kind of internal fight and really deep reflexions, but that was all. He thinks a lot but doesn't do much. NOW things are different, he had this idea inside of his head the whole time and as it grew I began to realize that he was going to take action so time soon. I was right, and now I actually like Ben. He is much focused and has taken this role of the leader which is great.

“The kid who didn't go back when he should have and now goes back when he shouldn't. The kid called Zombie, who made a promise, and if he breaks that promise, the war is over - not the big war, but the war that matters, the one in the battlefield of his heart.

Because promises matter. They matter now more than ever.” This quote is so intense, the moment and the reason he thought this were a great combination and created this feeling of anticipation and excitement. A lot of things had happened to Ben, but now he is making everything right and this just gain strength is great, I really like it because it makes the whole book a lot more intense and it made me jubilant to see how he evolved and took risks 

 The end of the book its filled with action, it's pure action and running away. Cassie is in the final lap and her loved ones depend on her if she takes a false step now everything could be lost “It's almost dawn. You can feel it coming. The world holds its breath because there's really no guarantee that the sun will rise. That there was a yesterday doesn't mean there will be a tomorrow.” This part of the book is so great, it's intense and filled with strong emotions because the danger is in every corner. After the kind of boring second part of this book, I liked it a lot, I was pleased and by the time I finished the book I was eager to buy the second one and start reading. 

VOCABULARY

1. Blurting: to emit a sound suddenly.
"And in the middle of silence, she came back, blurting and running without control"






2. Wanly: of an unnatural or sickly paleness
"She looked sick, without strength and wanly. It seemed as she hadn't bee outside in months"








3. Reluctant: unwilling. struggling in opposition.
"He grabbed the reluctant bride by the legs and dragged her to the altar"







4. Assure: to inform or tell positively. State with confidence
"I assure you that everything's going to be alright. You studied all night for this exam, you are going to be just fine"







5. Holster: a carrying case for a firearm.
"He ran outside, grabbing his holster on the way and adjusting it tho his belt without stoping"

Ben, Evan and the Silencer

In the book, we can also find a second "main" character: Ben Parish. I was really shocked when I discovered who he was (because in at first they don't mention his name), and that shocked lead me to believe that he was going to be an interesting character with an interesting plot on his own...I was wrong. I hate this character for three simple reasons:

1) He is dumb and really weak. I mean, I know that living in a world like that most be frightening and really exhausting, and sometimes people break down but I mean he is in a constant state of controlled fear and insecurities wich leads me to the second point...

2) He is SOO malleable, like Ben himself, says it:  “What doesn't kill us sharpens us. Hardens us. Schools us. You're beating plowshares into swords, Vosch. You are remaking us. We are the clay, and you are Michelangelo. And we will be your masterpiece.” Even his nickname -"Zombie" - agrees with me.

3) Everything that he narrates is BORING.

So, while we are listing all the bad things that have emerged in this second part lets not forget Evan Walker, a new character. He is cliche, don't get me wrong, I like his character and how he thinks and his personality, but the only reason of his existence is being (of course) the guy Cassie falls in love with. This couple is the biggest insta-love that I have aver read in my whole life. “I had it all wrong," he says. "Before I found you, I thought the only way to hold on was to find something to live for. It isn't. To hold on, you have to find something you're willing to die for.” I mean, they haven't been more than a MONTH together.


But, it hasn't been all bad. There has been some good stuff at the end of this section. She is getting prepared for fighting, rescuing her loved ones and things are about to get exciting.  “But if I'm it, the last of my kind, the last page of human history, like hell I'm going to let the story end this way. I may be the last one, but I am the one still standing. I am the one turning to face the faceless hunter in the woods on an abandoned highway. I am the one not running but facing. Because if I am the last one, then I am humanity. And if this is humanity's last war, then I am the battlefield.” (Pg. 101). DAAAAMMMMM GIRL! that's some kind of unique peep talk.

Up until now, it has all been about sadness, destruction and healing up wounds; but the time for fighting has come and I can feel Cassie getting ready for it. I like this part of the book because, even though I have to read Ben's narration it's kind of a break from all the madness she has been trough. She meets Evan, which I liked (I mean, she can't bee just wandering all by herself for 500 pages); the introduction of another character is never boring it's just that I don't like this two as a couple. They are so freaking perfect, and Cassie went from Terminator to Hellow Kitty in no time.

I keep saying bad stuff but, believe me, it's not all bad. Things are getting interesting.

Extra bonus round of why I hate Ben:
"Before the alien Armageddon happened, I was known for my smile. Not bragging too much, but I had to be careful never to smile while I drove: It had the capacity to blind oncoming traffic. But it has absolutely no effect on Ringer. She doesn’t squint in its overwhelming luminescence."

Nop...please, just die.



VOCABULARY:

1. Squad: small group or party of persons with a common purpose.
"The squad gathered around the table and began to plan the next movement for tomorrow's battle"




2. Bragging: to show of.
"I mean, Im not bragging but my dad knows the president and once he invited me to the white house. Im so important now"










3. Coax: to attempt to manipulate or influence with nice words, persuasion.
"Oh my God, you are so strong. I have never seen such muscles in my whole life do you think you can carry this boxes for me? Im sure it not that big of a deal, at least for you"

4. Boring: to be bored. Something not interesting or tedium.
"The class was so boring that every 3 minutes seemed like 3 years. I thought I was going to die"










5. Limp: to progress slowly and with great difficulty.
"He was shoot and when he tried to get up, the just acquired limp didn't allow him to go anywhere"

The Four Waves

The main character in this book is Cassie, a teenager that's living in the middle of the end of human kind. This alien-apocalypse had four stages, - better known as four waves-. The first one: "lights out" an electromagnetic pulse fries every electronic device in the world. When I read this I couldn't imagine the world know, so dependent on technology without it. We have lost every surviving skills, we are kind of useless without a phone in our hands and there's no way to communicate, no way to ask for help or found your loved ones. That really, really scared me.

I also thought a lot about the psychological state everyone was at that time, denying that the end was close but also with constant fear every second of the day. I couldn't imagine living in the world like that, but what troubled me the most was Cassie's family because it was identical to my family and I thought in parents in that situation, trying to calm us down as Cassie's dad: "He looked at me and smiled reassuring and said, -everything is going to be okay- because that's what I wanted him to say and it's what he wanted to say and that's what you do when the curtain is falling -- you give the line that the audience wants to hear."(pg. 36)



When I began to read the book I thought that it would be really cool you know? I mean, apocalypse, aliens, survival it sound like a really great book to read, really exciting actually; but then, as I read I realized it was just awful. I felt completely identified with Cassie and that made me understand her and imagine what it would feel like to be her and live what she was living more deeply. Everything that happened to her, every single lost she had I could feel it too and it was really easy for me to be in her place and feel what she felt. "When he came to tell me she was gone, he was calm. He didn't lose it. He held it while I lost it."(pg. 52). I wouldn't want to be her for any reason in the world, because as I read (and picture me in her life) I realized that I wouldn't be able to survive 3 days in her world.

Finally, the worst part of all the waves was the fourth one. In situations like this, us humans look for groups, to stay united so we have better chances to win a fight and survive, but when someone give's you a reason not to trust the person beside you and fear takes control over you then everything's lost  "This is what the Others have done to us. You can’t band together to fight without trust. And without trust, there was no hope. How do you rid the Earth of humans? Rid the humans of their humanity."

This first part of the book is all about destruction and lost, I think this is a compilation of humanity's worst fears, all together in a book. I think that I would be part of that background-non-important group that dies in the first week. I don't think that I would be physically or physiologically strong to survive in a world like this.





VOCABULARY:

1. Clutching: to hold real tight, to seize.
"As he ran, I clutched his hand, trying not to let go. If I tel go, I'm lost" 





2. Strayed: without a fixed way or purpose.
"I walked and walked. So tired I didn't noticed i have strayed from the main road"





3. Obliteration: to remove or destroy completely.
"The never ending obliteration of the place made it impossible to ever heal"






4. Contingency: a possibility, something uncertain
"He's always prepared. Sheldon has contingency plans for every single posible -or imposible- disaster"




5. Embankment: enclose or protect. Raised to hold back water, carry a road way.
 "The plane settled about 400 yards from the runaway in an embankment"