Harry Potter and the PHILOSOPHER'S Stone (Pgs. 0 - 130)

About that title… It's philosopher's stone. What in the world is a sorcerer's stone? Why was this changed? Why is this a thing? Did the publishers think that no one would get it? Honestly, what was the logic behind this? That's a rant for another time. Not now.

I must confess that I never read the Harry Potter series as a kid. I wasn't abroad the train of the obsession of Harry Potter, and although I enjoyed the movies, I couldn't tell you what the first few were about today. It was that long ago, and thus reading this book now is like getting a new experience… or close to one, at least.

It only hit me, as I was reading, the surface of the cool stuff present in the universe of Harry Potter. The nomenclature is very inspired, though at times significantly less than clever. As a fan of fantasy and one with a great appreciation for the likes of J. R. Tolkien's efforts in creating an entire language all its own, seeing things like the "Put-Outer" do nothing but put a foul taste in my mouth. I understand that it is a Young Adult novel, but seriously? In a world with so many cool inspirations and naming conventions, the first magical item the reader hears about is the "Put-Outer"?

What could a an evil, inhuman wizard look like?

Complaints aside, starting off the novel with the celebration of some (at this point) unknown evil sorcerer's death is one way to get a reader's interest going. Had I not known about Voldemort and his role in the events to come, this would have interested me greatly. The idea of some vile wizard whose only discernible motive seems to be to gain power doesn't really make for a good, morally questionable and well-written antagonist, but it does invoke a certain drive in the reader to want to learn more about how such a villain could be thwarted. When Hagrid talks about the rumors about the cause of Voldemort's disappearance, he says,

"Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die." -Pg. 57

That plays up a villain. That creates mystery. That makes the reader wonder just how powerful the guy was, if he had apparently gained enough power to lose the title of being human at all. And the book is barely 3 chapters in at this point. That is good writing. And speaking of good writing, given my knowledge of the later events in Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling does an excellent job of foreshadowing. Her planning is evident when Harry chooses his wand.

Slightly disappointing in all honesty.

"It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother --why, its brother gave you that scar." -Ollivander, Pg. 85

The fact that Harry has a wand that is connected to Voldemort's is clear foreshadowing of a connection between the two. This is all only the start of the cool things I could talk about in just the first half of the book. 

Image Sources: 

http://lilithstreasuretavern.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/7/3/13737227/s144094589190160637_p425_i1_w639.jpeg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a3/Lordvoldemort.jpg

Persepolis 2 Blog 2 "Looking at the Person"

Now that I have finished Persepolis, I want to know just what kind of person that Marjane Satrapi is. I believe that I have the information necessary to figure that out, but at best I can derive from anecdotes and interviews. As a note, nothing is certain until one actually meets someone in person. 

Despite what some believe, I do not think she is an instinctive person. Given the opportunity, not once but twice she speaks out against the Islamic Regime at a school setting. Perhaps from her being raised up with people like her uncle who was executed for wanting freedom and a family who generally were overjoyed with the rebellion against the Shah, she greatly valued liberties. It would make sense that she would act with every chance she got to attempt to fight something that restricted her so much. On the other hand, Satrapi also failed to defend herself several times while in Austria. She would occasionally explode, such as when she overheard the girls talking about her at a cafe, but most of the time, was self-blaming and passive. She is a short-tempered person who likely battles clinical depression of some sort.

If anything, this short temper and clinical depression would make sense considering her inclination to being an artist. There have been several studies linking depression and mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder to bursts of inspiration and a person's level of creativity.** This is because of an exposition to a greater range of emotion. She says that she chose to use writing and visual art to express herself for Persepolis.

"Well, for me, who is someone who cannot choose between writing and drawing, [a graphic novel] was the best way of expressing myself" -Marjane Satrapi*

She is a passionate person who puts in a great amount of effort to her work because she believes that that is the mark of a truly creative person.

*Source: http://99u.com/articles/7134/marjane-satrapi-on-artistic-freedom-fame-finishing-no-matter-what (Interview with Satrapi)

**Source: http://talentdevelop.com/interviews/psychcreat.html (Article about creativity and how it functions)

Persepolis 2 "Iranian Revolution"

Persepolis 2 is the second part of the auto-biographical graphic novel about Marjane Satrapi, someone who was a young girl during the Iranian Revolution. This part of her story details her venture into France when sent away for her safety. How people treat her in France gives an interesting view on the event, given the history of the Revolution.

The Iranian Revolution was a result of a history of unfortunate monarchy and a combination of US and British interference. In the early 1950's during the Cold War, the US feared Iran falling to Communism due to its being in close vicinity to the Soviet Union. Of primary concern was the potential for Iran to end up as a source of oil for the Soviets. "Thankfully", the Shah, bloodline monarch of Iran, would co-operate with them and promise not to ally with the Soviet Union. Through a long campaign of covert affairs, the US ultimately supported the Shah by performing a coup d'etat against the democratic political leader, Mossadeq, who was suspected of being a Communist sympathizer.

For years afterward, the people placed the blame of this on several sources: Britain, themselves, but they remained in the dark about US involvement. (Source: http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB435/) It eventually came to light, however, and Iran was quick to respond to them, such as when a group of people attacked the US Embassy, resulting in the Iran hostage crisis.

Source: http://www.gq.com/news-politics/big-issues/200911/iran-hostage-crisis-tehran-embassy-oral-history

This took place in 1979, 5 years prior to Satrapi's initial arrival in France. This puts things into perspective, though it doesn't really illustrate the significance of this point in time. Although Iranians knew what the CIA had done, US citizens did not. At least in the US, the Iranian Revolution was not of great concern to the public. It was only after the attack on the US embassy that people started to care, and even then it was in spite of Iran. In this way, the stigmas present in anti-Iranian sentiment are understandable. To exemplify this disdain, Satrapi says that at the time,

"Iran was the epitome of evil and to be Iranian was a heavy burden to bear." (Pg 41)

Now, the story itself more focuses on the life and times of Marjane Satrapi, but knowing this part of history adds a lot of depth to one's perception of the events in book. It acts as a good way to contrast what history has reported on with what a person who experienced the events has reported on.

(Background Knowledge on CIA coup d'etat from All the Shah's Men by Stephen Kinzer)

"The Help" Pgs 251 to End: Final Thoughts

I feel that I was a little too hard on The Help in my previous blogs. For all of it's shortcomings, I decided for this last section to take the story at face value; ignoring the historical accuracy and character depth to an extent. It was only then that I truly invested myself into the story and got through the remainder.

I found that, in browsing several interviews with Kathryn Stockett from https://acriticalreviewofthehelp.wordpress.com/a-list-of-interviews-with-kathryn-stockett/ , I found interesting information on the circumstances of Stockett publishing the book. She never intended on sharing the story with the world, but ended up going through the process of publishing after family told her it was good and she expanded on her original. She was also conflicted in that on one hand, she saw that a story from the viewpoint of primarily black maids in the 1960's was not her story to tell, yet she wanted the story to be told. Ultimately, we know what her decision was as otherwise I wouldn't be writing this.

As for the story, to begin with, I was mistaken in claiming that Hilly was written to have no redeemable qualities. She proved to have some amount of depth beyond being an absolute antagonist, even if she ended up the primary antagonist to the end. It's mostly her interactions with miss Skeeter that give her depth. And I suppose it's hard to write a character to be more than a racist when that is one of their defining characteristics in a book based around racial tension. In all seriousness, however, Hilly is still a poorly written character, and that I will stand by.

I liked the interactions between Miss Celia and Minny. Minny developed well from her initially rigid view of how people of different skin color could work together through both her and Skeeter. Really, it was the development that the story really needed, as without her, we'd be left without that transition, as no other character showed such a drastic level of change and everyone generally remained the same by the end as when introduced. She was a well-rounded character that made the story entertaining both with her brand of humor and good development, while at the same time providing some of the more disturbing parts of it that she experienced.

Finally,  Skeeter and her book ended up causing a whole mess of trouble with Hilly and a radio station that condemned the work. I am left to wonder just how much of an impact the book really had on the rights of African Americans, specifically maids, even if the book is historical fiction. In wondering, I then question the point of the story, and no, I am not referring to the theme of segregation in the 1960's. I questioned the point of using the book as the primary plot device, given that, as I have just said, it can't really have an effect on the law.

My final thoughts of the book are as follows: despite its lack of historical accuracy (see the first blog), use of nigh-impossible to respect antagonists, and almost subverted messages through the text in the form of self-degrading values for many characters (for example, Aibileen being able to, for the most part, get over her son's death by more or less replacing him with Mae Mobley), the book has some merits that I respect. It is by no means worthy of being a best seller in my eyes, as pretentious as that sounds, but even the author acknowledges that, as she states in many interviews.

"The Help" Pgs 166-250: Criticism, criticism...

Criticism. It's healthy. It keeps one's standards high. It prods at flaws that can be improved upon. It can be used to analyze a story. In pointing out what's wrong or "off" with an author's writing, one can probe for a meaning beyond their confusion. I'm about to do just that, so be ready.

It never really occurred to me just how thick Miss Skeeter is in the head until now. I knew she wasn't the one with the most common sense, certainly, but she takes the time to explain just what should have been pretty obvious dozens of pages ago. For example, on page 202, she reads sections of the Jim Crow laws, only to conclude:

"… There's no difference between these government laws and Hilly building Aibileen a bathroom in the garage…" -Pg 203

Obviously they're both being done to segregate African Americans and white people, yet she had to sound that out for herself? I forgave her interactions with Aibileen, considering that she was played as an awkward, book smart but not street-smart person. She understood that black and white people still were immensely segregated despite the supreme court's recent ruling given the time of the story. This was not necessary to get into.

On another note, I think I gagged at the thought of Elizabeth being pregnant. After what she's done with her first kid, she thinks having a second is a good idea? Perhaps one of the more revolting characters of the cast, Elizabeth doesn't deserve the right to be called a mother. I'm not aware of how parents in this time and place treated their kids, and I don't trust the author to know herself, but somehow I don't think that Elizabeth's "parenting" would be acceptable treatment of a child even then.

I can't tell you if these characters are believable. They are obviously written to fit roles, with characters like Miss Hilly being antagonizing general racists and Miss Skeeter being elevated as a heroine. There is not a single redeeming factor about Miss Hilly or Elizabeth in my eyes. Every story needs its hero and conflict, and although I understand the point of not antagonizing the oppressed African American maids, well-written characters could be made to fit said roles without making either of them out to be an ultimate good or ultimate bad. I know I said that I'd focus more on the story this post, but I can't just ignore these points.

(Source re-used from previous post)
Source: https://acriticalreviewofthehelp.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/facts-surrounding-the-help/

"The Help" Pgs 1-165: Setting the Scene

This past week, I have started reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I can't say much aside from the fact that I my knowledge of the time frame and a lot of the involved history with the subject matter was very fuzzy. My background for the book was not very strong, so although I enjoy the story so far, I felt that I couldn't talk about any of it without some research. I have thus looked at a critical review of the book that analyzes the facts about the book. Despite the hyper-critical voice present in the article, it brought up many problems with the book with reliable sources to back the author's claims.

Let's start with the story. It takes place during the 1960's in a racially charged Jackson, Mississippi. The book follows three alternating narrators, an African American maid named Aibileen, another named Minny, and a white woman named Eugenia (referred to as Miss Skeeter). The three share their viewpoints in much the same way as the characters in My Sister's Keeper, and unfortunately, are subject to the same pitfalls that said characters were: poor characterization and in a few cases, unbelievability. When the many maids were on the bus openly badmouthing their "white superiors," something in the back of my head told me that this seemed a little odd given the time and location. Here's where I did my research. Aibileen mentions Rosa Parks winning the right for them to sit wherever they please on the bus, when it was the Freedom Rides, the movement of many civil rights advocates to attempt to use white-only facilities, which was met with arrests and heavy bias in trials. Ultimately it was ordered, with the aid of 400 federal marshals, to overturn the states' segregation of interstate travel laws. This was happening in 1961, just a year before the start of this book, and the struggles of segregated buses did not end with it. Already the story has a historical hole, and this is less than 30 pages in.

Source: http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/Civil-Rights-Movement.aspx?p=2

Source: https://trainwreckdsociety.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/kathryn-stockett.jpg

With regards to the review, I found several points that suggested that the author was not familiar with the time she was writing in. From the absurd use of self-deprecating terminology (the idea of an African American valuing "blacker" skin) to the repeated anomalies of odd character actions. And although I have to do more research on the facts challenged by the review, it was particularly convincing and I can't help but have a bias when reading.

Source: https://acriticalreviewofthehelp.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/facts-surrounding-the-help/

The story has only begun, and I realize I didn't go into too much detail on the aspects of the story at all. I'll try to focus on that next blog.

Reading "My Sister's Keeper" Pg. 260 - End

Alright. Let me get this out of the way before I start: I am not a good writer. For as much as I could go into how a good ending works and what can kill an ending, I admit to falling for most of the traps associated with writing an ending. I understand why an author would choose to make a surprising ending, twist ending, storybook ending or whathaveyou. But this I will get into after a few points are discussed.

To begin, all character's motivations (save Jesse, but I'll get to that) are revealed in a medley of revelation and closure. Campbell reveals that he is epileptic, Anna reveals that Kate had asked her to instigate the suit for her medical emancipation, Brian reveals that he wanted to let Kate die rather than watch her suffer, and many other things of less importance.

Something I never really touched on which I should have was the poor handling of Jesse as a character.  Or rather device, as aside from being the "antihero with a caring heart" trope, he is used only when something else important that doesn't directly involve him occurs. Where characters like Campbell and Anna are tied back to Kate just as the book has set up, they have their own voices and histories that are significant in their own right. With Jesse, he is a boy who was ignored and is now taking out his anger. That's all. Maybe that signifies how he was actually treated in the story, but this is disrespectful to a character that could have been much more. Not only is treating him like a plot device poor writing, his character and voice are poorly written as a whole. It's like reading what a mother thinks her brooding teenage boy would say and do.

"Fuck them all" Pg 93, as Jesse drives haphazardly down the wrong side of a highway. 

This line coming from an angry boy that evidently hates the world would be understandable, but the delivery of it along with what was obviously meant as a "shocking" segment where Jesse drives down a highway in his very first narration chapter, show just what Jesse was meant to be from the start. The off-child. The one who had the potential to solve the problems the others couldn't. And Picoult failed to give him a proper presentation. But it's ok because she made him reconcile with his father and made him a police officer in the end, right?!

With that out of the way, the characters appeared to have a proper "happy" ending, for as happy as this book could get considering its subject matter. When all of a sudden,

"Anna's head hit the window with great force, Mrs. Fitzgerald. It caused a fatal head injury." Pg 415

And that takes me back to the start, as Kate is then able to use her kidney and is then somehow cured, able to live while Anna is the sister who dies in the end. The story was built in such a way that this ending makes little sense; it's almost as if the ending wasn't planned until the very end. It was abrupt, out of nowhere, and coming back to Jesse, his reaction isn't shared of all of the main characters. The most damning peace of evidence for this point is at the very beginning:

"In my first memory, I am three years old and I am trying to kill my sister... In the end, though, I did not kill my sister. She did it all on her own… Or at least this is what I tell myself." - Prologue

Kate never wanted to kill her sister. In fact, there was never any evidence to suggest that she wanted anyone else to die other than herself. I somewhat understood it when this applied to Anna, as at the time she was receiving painful treatments for her sister without knowing why. She describes what suggests her smothering her sister in this prologue, and that would not be what Kate would ever do. Yet this mysterious person behind the prologue's sister dies. Plain and simple: the ending was not meant for the book. It was shoe-horned in. And that is my biggest qualm with this title.

In spite of a powerful emotional ride, the ending sours what would otherwise have been an interesting experience.

Reading "My Sister's Keeper" Pg 130 - 259

Continuing the story reveals several characteristics of the characters that weren't immediately obvious  initially. Firstly, Anna, in spite of her relative maturity, is still very much within the realm of a thirteen-year old girl mental-wise. She still cries for her mother, still obsesses over little things, and still is a brooding teenager, and that last point is what really gets me. As much as I understand the desire to make decision's for oneself and have control over one's body, after what she's demonstrated in this section of the book, it seems more and more like Anna is in some neglect-induced teenage rebellion, which acts against her case. The less control she has over her case the more flustered she becomes, and for all of Jodi Picoult's attempts to make Anna out to be a strong young adult, they come off as superficial and skin-deep, which may be intentional as far as I know.

 Ashelyn_Andrae/Shutterstock.com

To begin with, at one point she talks about a date she had with a guy just 3 months prior to the events of the story. She and this guy go see a movie, and she "spent all [her] time trying to figure out how electricity could leap the tiny space between [her] arm and his," (Pg 18). Her clashes with her mother also demonstrate this, in a very realistic way. She acts just like any other kid would, occasionally blowing up but most times being hesitant as her mother pushes her down with accusations and threats. It is in this part of the book that Anna actually breaks down into tears in front of others, as opposed to when she tried hard to hide at the beginning. Emotionally, she is still a thirteen-year old.

It's not just Anna whom I view drastically differently. With further readings involving her father Brian, I've come to realize that he is not courageous, as his being a firefighter would leave the reader to believe. He only hopes for miracles. In the face of adversity, given the option, he will take the coward's way out. This is understandable regarding his job, as he says:

"The safety of the rescuer  is of a higher priority than the safety of the victim… Always."   Pg 142

At the same time, for as reasonable as that is, the book is riddled with metaphors and indirect comparisons. Given the context, this is a reason why he sides with Anna in her case; not directly, but one can tell he isn't about to force his daughter into donating a kidney, even if it would save her older sister's life. He often runs from his fights, choosing silence when his daughter was hurt early in the book and refusing to confront the larger problems when they were present in front of him. He is a pragmatist in a bad way, doing only what he thinks he can do, limited in his willpower and resolve.

With all of the family ordeals going on with the Fitzgeralds, with Kate's kidney failure and the family lawsuit still going on, the last person they need in their lives after reading this section would have to be Campbell. As a lawyer, he's doing his job, but just when I thought he would soften up and actually fight for Anna's benefit rather than making her case a means to an end, he turns around and hurts the family for the case. He makes it clear he is only out for himself:

"There may be a special corner of Hell for attorneys who are shamelessly self-aggrandizing, but you can bet we all are ready for out close-ups." Pg 184

He instilled the restraining order despite understanding that Anna didn't want it, and when questioned about it by Julia, someone who has great empathy for Anna and a history with Campbell, he merely replied:

"I did [talk to Anna] and we were [on the same page]--Sara was coercing her, and Anna wanted that to stop." Pg 187

He is, like Brian, a pragmatist and a coward but in the worst kind of way. Only out for himself, and he has no shame in any of it. Despite what he may have done for Jesse for Anna, I only see a selfish man.

The Good Blog (late post I'm sorry D:)

So I missed the other part of the first assignment. Hear Here it is. (No one saw that typo)

For decades humanity has asked a simple question: what attracts an audience? Be it for a book, a television show, or, most importantly a blog? *wink wink nudge nudge* So I intend do give my 25 cents on this matter. Why 25 cents? Because 2 cents is worthless.

Now, a good blog should, first and foremost, try to understand the audience it is attempting to reach. The audience takes into consideration the type of blog and the content one aims to post, as well as the "personality" one wishes to impose upon the blog. The audience of a blog for puppies, as a simple example, would be mostly dog-lovers. A comedy blog would obtain an audience of people who enjoy your brand of humor, and so on. The personality of a blog comes from the visual presentation and the blogger's voice. Unless one intends on making a completely objective and bland blog (which has an audience, don't get me wrong. Just a really small audience), your writing style and how you represent yourself reflects the personality of the blog. 

If you're a writer and understand the mechanics of the english language, you're almost set. But the big thing will still need to be solved else you fail to garner much of an audience to begin with; and that big thing is blog layout. When a newcomer first visits your blog, what they see on your homepage will determine whether or not they decide to stay and investigate your site. If your blog assaults the reader with a wall of text and bland visuals, you have doomed your blog. Make sure that your choice of color is easy on the eyes (don't put yellow text on neon green pleeeaaase). A lot of things need to be considered for the whole of a website's layout.

There are plenty of things I probably am not even thinking about at the moment. The eternal struggle to understand the nature of the consumer audience is a confusing one. Take my advice though, I promise what I've said is good.

Reading "My Sister's Keeper" Start - Pg 130

Allow me to preface: I'm not the most avid reader, as much as I hate to admit it. In a way, it's a blessing; every new book I pick up becomes an amazing experience in some way; an emotional trip, a thriller, a grand adventure. Let it be known that while this does color my ability to critique a story or understand what makes a "good" story, it gives me a greater appreciation for the story itself, being unfamiliar with the kinds tropes and turns a story like My Sister's Keeper would normally undertake.

My Sister's Keeper follows the Fitzgeralds, a family unfortunate enough to have its elder daughter, Kate, diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. The younger daughter, Anna, is the primary focus of the story, being born specifically for the purpose of giving her sister appropriately matched blood and bone marrow to keep her alive. Anna has had this decision made for her for years, and this becomes critical as it is revealed that her sister's kidney is failing, and kidney transplant is the next thing she will be forced to endure.

Already I am having a hard time going through it. The subject hits close to home, and brings questions to my mind I wouldn't want to answer. Given the choice, would I be willing to go through painful transplants, and perhaps even life-threatening surgery to save a loved one? Having lost a loved one to cancer in recent years, the question remains. I wasn't given the choice, but a nagging voice returns now and then to dwell on "what ifs". In Anna's case, she believes her life shouldn't be jeopardized even for her dying sister.

We find out through flashbacks small parts of the Fitzgeralds' past. Among them, the memories of the mother (Sara) and father (Brian) when they first learned of Kate's disease. Initially I had mislabeled Sara as an uncaring and poor parent, seemingly ignoring Anna and her delinquent son Jesse, but after these scenes, I couldn't help but find a very deep empathy for her. Anna puts it well herself:

"My mother could be beautiful, if she were parachuted into someone else's life." Pg 10

To find fault in her would be to find fault in the actions of one given impossibility and told to make the possibility. While she appears not to care for any of her children aside from Kate, there are small hints in her dialogue and body language that suggest not apathy, but inability. She is not the parent to be dealing with her situation. She is not the person to be dealing with her situation. She is an emotionally weak and confused person who wants only to save her dying child. She is not a terrible parent. That is something I cannot accuse her of, lest I face the same fate and need to make her decisions.

Could you make those decisions?

Ultimately...

Choosing to die is one thing. Choosing not to give a person a chance for one's own safety is another. Choosing not to save one's sister for one's own safety is different altogether. Anna is well aware of that, and her mother sees as well. Upon discovering that Anna wishes to sue for her body, a single slap is all her mother gave:

"Just so you know: shame is five-fingered." Pg 54

Further progression through this book will take some amount of effort, especially now that I have a grasp of what lies ahead.

Les Blogs Interestants

I took a look at several blogs in an attempt at finding good examples for this first assignment. It took me several just to find two. When understanding web design and the basics that allow for the ease of user browsing are critical for a blog competing on the internet for an audience, it's a shame as many of the blogs I examined actually contained good content. That's slightly disheartening, but I digress.

The first interesting blog I observed was the famous and eccentric Hyperbole and a Half. At first glance, the blog gives the viewer a strong first impression, colored by how one would take in a barrage of vibrant colors and artistry born from the best that Microsoft Paint can offer. The blog's homepage sports a heading which displays several creations of the author's many years of writings, some of which, like the "Alot," that have become popular icons outside of the blog. The author's personality is fully present in every page, including the "About" pages, which are humorously enough, highly uninformative and primarily filled with random content. Considering the aim of the blog being to provide entertainment, it does its job. Though it is very much niche humor, it fills the niche well.

Structure-wise, the page is well organized. A set of tabs below the heading and several thumbnails for posts along the right side of the screen allow for the ease of browsing. The lack of information about what the blog actually is can be neglected as the blog's style serves to get that across on its own; no need for words. It is aesthetically... pleasing, while still remaining functional. All-in-all, the blog stands out and is pretty pretty darn sweet.

The second blog I took interest in was The Last Psychiatrist, a blog made by a practicing psychiatrist. Much like Hyperbole and a Half, the layout is easy to understand and use. Unlike Hyperbole and a Half, it takes a more minimalist approach, while still maintaining a level of humor. From the homepage, all recent articles are listed with only a single title, thumbnail, and joking comment. To even begin reading a portion of an article, one must first click on the title. This significantly reduces the clutter on the page so present in many another blog. I don't know about anyone else, but going to a webpage only to be assaulted by a wall of text is one of the biggest ways to put me off exploring said webpage further.

One of the blog's greatest strengths lies in the writing itself. The author of the blog provides an interesting, witty commentary that I personally find appealing. He has a very quirky sense of humor, but can get serious points across even while making tiny jabs at his subject. In short, the blogger has a strong writing style and has designed his blog in such a way that is friendly to the average new visitor.

My Sister's Keeper

Book #24-08