My caffeinated literature

Gulf Coast State College Contemporary Literature blog.

[bear1na]

[briidean2]

Post 14 The one thing that I love about this book and movie was the bond between father and son. You don't see that much anymore. The man doesn't give up on himself or his son. Even though the love of his life gave up and left them both he still made the best choice for the boys future(hopefully that family wasn't insane). Its hard to say what I would do if I was in the fathers shoes. Its hard to even imagine being in an apocalyptic environment. I probably would've stayed in the bunker full of food.  I really enjoyed this book. This class was amazing as well.   

[jpeterso9-deactivated20141221]

Okay, so here it goes. I found the movie to be quite a disappointment and not worth the $9.99 I paid for it to watch it on iTunes… From the manor house and the people within the basement (I expected a horrific scene), the man stealing the buggy, who turned out being black, which I think was some...

[briidean2]

I couldn't agree with you more! The movie did the book no justice. It was extremely low budget and the acting was horrible. I just expected more out of the movie. I could not believe the director chose a black man to be the one to steal the cart. That was VERY disappointing.  Maybe in time some one will remake the movie. 

[briidean2]

Post 12

I really enjoyed reading The Road. The only thing that is bothering me is the ending! I wish there was a part two. I just want to know what happens to the son. Does he live once he goes off with these people that have been following him? Do they trick the son into trusting them and their really the bad guys? Or are they really good and will he help repopulate the earth? I guess I will need to read some fanfiction so I can stop wondering. 

I am interested to see how the book and the movie are going to correspond together. 

[thisgirlcalledashley]

This book has been such a good and easy read! I was a tad skeptical to begin with of the book and it’s setting but soon I found myself glued to this book. During the walking scenes I would read the paragraphs super slow but then any sort of action I seemed to speed up my reading, causing me to...

[briidean2]

I couldn't agree with you more about your views on the book. I really enjoyed reading this and then going into class and being opened up to different interpretations. Prof. Clark does a wonderful job on covering information that many people wouldn't have thought of (that is just ONE of the many things I love about her). I'm not a religious person, but when she started comparing the book to the bible I started to notice the parallel. All and all, this was a wonderful book that I know I will read again. 

[trentmcgill]

I really thought I would enjoy this book but it’s just so slow, I’m so far behind on the readying assignment because I’ve been so busy lately, but also because I just can’t get into it. Has anyone else had this problem? Around what page does it get really good? I’m just ready to...

[briidean2]

The book actually gets REALLY good. It also plays with your emotions a little. Once you get the time to sit down and read it I am sure you will start to enjoy it. Its hard to say what "pages really get good" because it builds up to these intense situations that honestly made me become glued to the book. I am excited to finish up the book and watch the movie. It will be interesting when we get the chance to see how the book and movie are similar and even way different from each other.   

[briidean2]

Post 11

I am really enjoying this book. The bond between the father and son to me is extremely special. It is very obvious in many different ways that the boy depends on his father and in away I feel like the father depends on his son a lot too. They only have each other. I am curious to see what direction this book is going to go. I can't wait to find out!!     

[briidean2]

Post 10

A Visit From the Goon Squad

Following this book is very difficult. I see from everyones post that I am not the only one. Each chapter is all over the place and you kind of have too piece it all together. Sasha is my favorite character. I know that a lot of people probably don't really care for her because of her background but that is why she is my favorite. She grew up fast and had a rough life but at the ending she is a mother. To me just because a person has been through a lot and made choices that some people wouldn't make does not mean they are a horrible person. 

I wouldn't mind rereading this book to pick up on the little things I missed because of the confusion of the chapters. Overall this book is good.  

[courtneyymcfarland]

It seems like as the book goes on, it just confuses me even more. I didn’t even realize that Rob drowned when he jumped in after Drew just for fun until the power point chapter. Also I didn’t even know Sasha was married because at the beginning of the book she was on a date with Alex but yet now…

[lucas-carters-amazing-lit-blog-]

I agree that that this is a confusing book. When I first opened up the pages I couldn’t help but notice the ugly looking powerpoint stuff in the back. I was like, “Powerpoint? Seriously? Your publisher paid you to make a freakin’ powerpoint?” Yet even the story is hard to follow. I can’t wait to finish it so it makes sense.

[briidean2]

When I finished a chapter in this book and went on to the next I was completely lost. I realized that the time line was all over the place and sort of difficult to follow. The power point is different, but I liked it. Once I finished the book things seemed to fall into place. 

[sukimochi]

[briidean2]

Post 8

I really thought Generation X was an interesting story. It isn't anything like what we have been reading in class. Buck was no Prince Charming. Buck trying to talk the sisters into leaving the asteroid for his personal gain was a really selfish move on his part, because there was only enough oxygen for one person and he was going to use it. There is nothing romantic about that. At least the sister that he did talk into leaving was able to see her world (asteroid) in away that her family or anyone ever had. 

[kinpando]

I enjoyed reading “Generation X” and how the author included the element of fairy tale in the story. I liked how he twisted it around and made that element more dark and realistic. Love is not all about sunshine, rainbows, and unicorns. Sometimes, people go all in and it turns out to be not what…

[courtneyymcfarland]

I couldn’t agree with you more.  So many movies and books that are made and published are about falling in love and everything being happily ever after.  In real life, “happily ever after”, is much harder to attain and isn’t what it’s made out to be in the movies.  I like authors who incorporate this dark side.  Even though the actual story is far fetched and unrealistic, the love concept is not.  Not every person who falls in love stays with the person they fall in love with.  Things happen every day.  People and feelings change.  For authors to make stories realistic in this way, is a much harder thing to do than the typical story line.

[briidean2]

I can list so many movies that have a happily ever after. In "Generation X" this does not have a romantic fairy tale ending. This isn't your traditional story line at all and in a way I liked it. 

[briidean2]

Post 7

I can't believe how fast midterms came! Working as a group was a very creative idea that Prof. Clark had. I am confident that this different style of learning will help the entire class. 

[brittneykenney]

I really love the way Professor Clark is setting up our midterm! This way, a lot of the students got to meet other students in the class, and it helped me think back on all of the things we read and get answers to anything I didn’t understand that we read.

[hopejerkins]

I like the way...

[briidean2]

Professor clark did have a very creative way of setting up how we studied our midterm. It gave us a chance to talk to the other students around us and see their point of view. 

[courtneyymcfarland]

After finishing Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, I was a little surprised. Most of the times books and movies are pretty predictable and I can guess what will happen, but not in this case. I was so disappointed that after all of his searching, Oskar found out that his dad hadn’t even left him...

[briidean2]

I agree with you! I am usually really good with figuring out what is going to happen. I was disappointed when Oskar finally figured out what the key went too. Prof. Clark did make a good point, I was still bummed out though. I am a big fan of Sandra Bullock I can't wait to watch the movie and compare.  

[briidean2]

Post 6

“We need enormous pockets, pockets big enough for our families and our friends, and even the people who aren’t on our lists, people we’ve never met but still want to protect. We need pockets for boroughs and for cities, a pocket that could hold the universe.”

Reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close has been bittersweet. Its hard to express how this book makes me feel. Oskar's character is really amazing. He is such a young boy, but his personality is very rare. Some of the quotes from the book are really powerful. It really makes me think of certain situations a lot differently. 

[briidean2]

Post 5

“What if the water that came out of the shower was treated with a chemical that responded to a combination of things, like your heartbeat, and your body temperature, and your brain waves, so that your skin changed color according to your mood? If you were extremely excited your skin would turn green, and if you were angry you’d turn red, obviously, and if you felt like shiitake you’d turn brown, and if you were blue you’d turn blue.

Everyone could know what everyone else felt, and we could be more careful with each ohter, because you’d never want to tell a person whose skin was purple that you’re angry at her for being late, just like you would want to pat a pink person on the back and tell him, “Congratulations!”

Another reason it would be a good invention is that there are so many times when you know you’re feeling a lot of something, but you don’t know what the something is. Am I frustrated? Am I actually just panicky? And that confusion changes your mood, it becomes your mood, and you become a confused, gray person. But with the special water, you could look at your orange hands and think, I’m Happy! That whole time I was actually happy! What a relief! “ (pg.163)

Ever since I read this passage I fell in love with it. Oskar being a smart and inventive child he is also depressed and he hurts himself. This is a very common struggle that people deal with. Oskar makes such a strong bittersweet point with what he said. If people could see how other people felt they would treat them differently, and maybe even acknowledge their existence.    

[rachaelrobinson6]

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close has been a interesting read for me. I think the story is sometimes hard to follow. I sometimes have to reread some passages. And when you get to new chapters you really don`t know who is speaking. I find that a little annoying. I just think that Oskar is adorable. He is certainly an interesting main character. I like how he just so inventive and imaginative

[abragiel-deactivated20141219]

I definitely find myself rereading paragraphs and pages because when i read them the first time it just went in one ear and out the other. I hurt for Oskar, i want to take his pain away from him. But he is a very strong boy and what he is doing to find the key shows persistence and patience and ultimately the true love he has for his dad, even after his death. #reblog5

[briidean2]

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close was hard for me to get into at first.Once I got further into the book everything started unravling and I started to finally understand what I was reading. I also hurt for Oskar, how he lost his dad and the fact that he hurts himself. Oskar is very smart and interesting. I really like this book.  

[lucas-carters-amazing-lit-blog-]

I found the idea of a main character being a female bodybuilder and how it subtly influences the story interesting. The story starts out with the death of her child which leaves Norma, a feminine housewife, a need to cope and does so by slowly transforming into an independent, bodybuilding woman. I have two personal theories about why she picked up bodybuilding, one is that Norma used weight-lifting as a way to cope her stress from her child’s death, another is that she thinks she has a new life after her child’s death and views fitness as a means of self-improvement in order to trough through the tough times. At the end, she changes so much that the couple are no longer a match like they were.

I find it weird that the author picked a female bodybuilder in the first place, especially considering the time it was written in. The bodybuilding industry was just taking off but for men and men only due to its masculine association. Pictured above is the 2014 Olympia Women’s Physique winner. I liked to imagine that Norma had more muscle than that during this story. What do y’all think Norma’s fitness means to the story?

[courtneyymcfarland]

I think that her fitness was, like you said, her way of not only coping with her loss but also self-improvement.  Without having her child to raise, she had so much free time on her hands.  In a way, I think that it is symbolic of what she had to overcome.  It takes a great deal a strength to keep going and not fall apart after the death of a loved one; especially the death of your own child.  By working out, it physically gave her that strength she needed as well as the mental strength.  By bodybuilding, it gave her a channel to get her emotions under control and to work through them.

[briidean2]

I agree with both of you! Norma turned to working out as away to cope. I couldn't imagine losing a child. I have lost a lot of people in my life but I know if I lost my child I would cope a lot differently. She worked out and it kept her mind busy.