Miller,+Nicole


 * A Farewell to Arms Podcast**


 * Blog #12 December 18, 2011:** I have finally finished the book. I've got to be honest and say that I didn't enjoy this book anywhere near as much as //A Farewell to Arms//. The dialect was too simple and I felt like the same events were repeated throughout the book. Jake, Bill, Mike, and Brett would go to the bullfights, then to the cafe, then to a hotel, and the whole cycle would repeat again. I thought this book was going to be a romance, but I didn't sense much romance at all. It was just a constant struggle between Jake and Brett and how she fell in love with Romero, one of the bull fighters. The mood of the book seemed to be frustration because Jake wanted to be with Brett, even though she flirted with every man she saw. If I were to rate this book 1-10 with 10 being the best, I'd say a 5. I just think that Hemmingway could have been more creative with the storyline to make the book more eye-catching, because I wanted to doze off at times.


 * Blog #11 December 10, 2011:** This week, I read up until Chapter 14. Jake and Bill arrived to the river where they went fishing in Spain and had a good time relaxing in nature. Hemmingway included a lot of descriptions in these last few chapters as he was trying to portray this beautiful image of Spain. He mentioned many senses in his descriptions such as sights, sounds, and scents. I am convinced that Spain is a very marvelous place to visit. Gearing back towards Jake and Brett, the two of them have had little communication during this trip. I could tell Jake was a little disappointed that Mike got to spend a lot of time with her; I could sense jealousy. Also, it was revealed that Brett had had a few affairs in the past. This didn't surprise me because of how Brett's character is described. I don't understand why Jake would go for someone like that. He deserves someone better in my opinion. I predict that Brett will stop all communication with Jake eventually and run off on her own with other guys.


 * Blog #10 December 4, 2011:** I am currently on Chapter 10 of //The Sun Also Rises//. At this point in time, the book is a little slow and not a whole lot is going on. Brett and Jake are still having an on/off relationship and see each other occasionally. Brett claims that she and her husband Mike Campbell are getting a divorce. Jake is pleased by this because he really loves Brett and wants to marry her. Unfortunately, she gives the impression of leading him on. I don't like how every time the two are in a romantic situation, she always says that they won't work out in the future. But the thing is is that she gives no real reason why they won't work out. Seems to me she is leading him on and wants to break his heart. Besides Jake and Brett's relationship status, Mike, Bill, Brett, and Jake are on a trip to Spain to go fishing. I think it's a little funny because Jake and Mike are in the same atmosphere and I could sense the awkwardness between them. That's where I stopped for this week, but I predict something significant is going to happen. Maybe Brett will realize she wants to be with Jake? Maybe she's going to go back to Mike? At this point, I am left unsure.


 * Blog #9 November 19, 2011:** As of today I am on Chapter Six. I'm entertained by the relationship between Jake and a girl he met at a bar, Brett. He admits to himself that he is falling in love with her, but when they were in a cab together, he tried to kiss her but she pushed him away. He also described how beautiful she looked when the lights shined through the windows on that night. Unfortunately, Brett said that love is "hell on earth" while Jake thinks of it as fun and sweet. I think she's playing hard to get. That night he was upset when he went home thinking about Brett and how he wants to be with her. Around 4:00a.m. she arrived at his house drunk and the two ended up kissing! I was a little surprised how this situation turned out. He seems like he's desperate to have a girl in his life and she is leading him on. Jake also found out from Cohn that Brett is actually engaged to be married to Mike Campbell. I was shocked how Jake reacted. He is certain that she and Mike won't end up together. I'm not sure how this will all play out, but I hope Brett makes a decision.


 * Blog #8 November 7, 2011:** In //The Sun Also Rises// I have read just the first few chapters. The characters that have been introduced are Robert Cohn and Jake, who is the main character. Cohn is a great Jewish writer and Jake is an American journalist; Jake is also a WWI veteran. So far, all that has happened is that Cohn asked Jake to go to South America but he refused. I honestly don't think Jake really likes Cohn; I think he's acting nice to him because I think Cohn is the more successful man between the two. I really don't know what to predict yet since not a lot has happened. I an eager to be introduced to more characters though!


 * Blog #7 November 1, 2011:** The next novel I chose to read for the second quarter is //The Sun Also Rises// by Ernest Hemingway. I have not started the book yet but it is another romantic novel that takes place in Spain. I'm ecstatic to get started on it though because I really enjoyed Hemingway's //A Farewell to Arms// which is a great romantic story. I am really beginning to become a big fan of Ernest Hemingway!


 * Blog #6 October 18, 2011:** The other day, I read another horrific story from my //Seventeen// magazine called, "Foul Play." This story absolutely scares me because I'm afraid something like this will happen to me. A 19 year old girl named Kenia Monge went missing on April 1, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. Kim, Kenia's sister, explains what happened on that horrible night. Kenia was out that night at a party and was drinking. Kim swears that she was careful and didn't go overboard. She never came home and Kenia's friends were asking Kim where she could be. They claimed that her purse and phone were left on a table at the party which was apparently strange because Kim says her sister is super attached to her phone. I could tell something was fishy about that, considering I am a girl who is also attached to my phone. Once the phone was returned to her parents, there was an eerie text saying, "This is Travis, the guy who gave you a ride last night, white creepy van :) did you get home okay?" Travis was later caught on camera moving a cooler to the back of a bakery and then turned off the cameras while wearing latex gloves. A witness then saw Travis burning something in a barrel behind the bakery. I thought it was evidence he was burning, trying to cover himself up. He was finally caught by police and charged with attempted murder, arson, and sexual assault. At the end of the article there was a small section that said "Update." I was eager to read it. The update said that Travis led the police to Kenia's body which was buried close to a highway. I was so sad when I found out the tragic news. I really thought there was a chance she was still alive! These kinds of stories are intriguing but upsetting to read because they're so real, they don't seem like they're real. I mean, who in Boone can see someone being kidnapped and murdered from our school? I would be so devastated. This makes me appreciate the town that I live in; I'm not saying it won't ever happen, but Boone is a fairly safe town to be.


 * Blog #5 October 11, 2011:** This week I read a very shocking article again from my //Seventeen// magazine titled, "Both My BFFs OD'd on Heroin." The entire story was really sad to read, knowing that this particular drug is very deadly. Brandi, now age 20, reflects on her sophomore year of high school with her two BFFs, Briona and Erika. They were all normal teenage girls; they loved to shop and sing in the car, but they had a secret obsession--drugs. Brandi first became introduced to heroin when her boyfriend offered it to her. Foolishly she tried it because she felt so rebel. She shared it with her two friends and they all got high every day. This is where it got scary for me. After awhile, Brandi started losing her skin color and looked so sick in the face. She felt like she couldn't stop because she felt so free. Her obsession became so intense that she started stealing jewelry and money from her sister's college fund. She went to rehab but broke the rules and soon went to jail for six long months. I felt so bad for her because she wasn't truly getting the help I think she needed. Her parents kicked her out of the house and I think that was a big no-no because a teenager needs all the parental support they can get. They won't improve if no one is by his/her side. Once Brandi, Briona, and Erika got out of jail, they started getting high again. Briona sadly overdosed and died. Brandi and Erika were so devastated. What made me mad was that Erika said, "Do you want to use just one more time?" two days after Bri died. Fortunately, Brandi said no, but Erika went ahead and did it. Erika overdosed and died as well. Brandi is now clean and tells her unfortunate story to high schools in her county. I'm glad she has the courage to retell such a tragic story and got the help she finally needed. Lastly, I really liked one of the lines she wrote in the article: "I want teens to know that this drug doesn't care how old you are or what you have going for you--it just wants to kill you." I'm sad she hard to learn it the hard way, but I'm happy she encourages teens to never do drugs.


 * Blog #4 October 4, 2011:** This week I read an article from my //Seventeen// magazine titled "Wisconsin Gunman Shoots Himself After Standoff." I was absolutely astounded by this story as Kayla, a sophomore at a high school in Wisconsin, wrote after one of her classmates came to school with a gun. That particular day was going normal for Kayla, until sixth period when her classmate, Sam, "went to the bathroom" during class and came back to the classroom armed. Kayla was scared to death as he shot the teacher's desk. He then jingled bullets around in his pocket. Kayla called this a "silent threat." She turned over her worksheet and wrote a note to her parents telling she loved them dearly in case she was killed. At this point I wanted to start crying! I felt so bad for her because it's so hard to picture a situation like that to really happen. Sam oddly chatted with the students in the classroom, and by 8:00p.m. the SWAT team finally broke down the door when Sam fired at the teacher's computer. The students got out safely, still terrified, and Kayla heard one last shot; Sam had killed himself. I was so confused as to why he would kill himself. As the article mentioned, there was no suicide note, no alcohol in his body, nor drugs. I find it so sad that our generation can easily get a hold of things such as guns and use them to harm people. I really believe Sam needed help that his parents couldn't give and maybe none of the shootings and fear wouldn't have happened. This article was well-written and gave a great picture as to how it happened. I could put myself in Kayla's shoes and try to re-create the scene on that terrifying day.


 * Blog #3 September 27, 2011:** I finished the book this week I was shocked as to how it ended. Henry and Catherine were told by the barman in their hotel that they had to make a run for Switzerland. They arrived by boat and had to lie to the soldiers to avoid getting arrested. Once they finally got settled, they moved into a nice wooden house with Mr. and Mrs. Guttingen near Montreux. Henry and Catherine talk about how their lives are going to be so wonderful and peaceful together, especially when the baby comes. I was so excited for them to have the perfect life together as a family, but I was wrong! When Catherine went into labor, she ended up having a C-Section. The doctors told Henry that the baby wasn't alive and I felt so depressed to hear that! Catherine was becoming ill and the doctors discovered she had had a hemorrhage. Henry watched her as she died on the hospital bed and I started balling. That would be such a horrific thing to go through! It's so sad because all Catherine wanted to do was not cause any trouble for the doctors and to just enjoy the experience of having a baby. To give an overall opinion of the book, I'd say it started to get really good towards the end. I really wish the whole book had as much emotion as the end. Another comment I have is that I thought the dialogue between Henry and Catherine was a little odd sounding. Maybe because it was during a different time. I know it was supposed to sound romantic, but something about it made it seem a little funny and weird. If I were to rate this book 1-10 (10 being the best) I would give it a 6.5.


 * Blog #2 September 19, 2011:** This past week I have read Chapters 14-23. Henry is still recovering after the attack and found out he needs knee surgery in six months. He isn't too fond of waiting that long to go back to work fully recovered. While he is in the hospital, Catherine came to visit him and had some big news! She is pregnant! Now they are considering marriage, but the conflict is that Catherine will be sent away of they marry due to an Italian law, and of course, I don't think they'll cope with separation too well. I just hope they don't lose communication whether they are separated or not for their sake and the baby's sake. These chapters didn't have a whole lot to deal with the war, but rather Henry and Catherine's future. I favor the romantic scenes rather than the war scenes only because I personally don't care war-like stories. I predict Henry will get his surgery as planned and go back to work in Italy, while Catherine continues her job as a nurse until the baby comes.


 * Blog #1 September 13, 2011:** The novel I chose to read was //A Farewell to Arms// by Ernest Hemingway. Right now I am on Chapter 14 and I am getting a kick out of Henry and Miss Barkley's spontaneous relationship . First of all, Henry was stationed in Italy during World War I where he worked as an ambulance driver. The Italian town he lived in was described vividly and he mentioned how troops and war machines were always passing by, making it a noisy scene. Henry and his roommate Rinaldo talk about women frequently and how they want the most beautiful ones. To me, they speak as if they can take and throw away girls whenever they please. Once Henry becomes acquainted with a British nurse, Catherine Barkley, he starts to become interested in her. When they were alone one night, he tried to kiss her, and she slapped him back. I thought that was so funny to picture that happening! The surprising thing is that she ended up kissing him back in the end. Right now Henry is being sent to Milan to recover from a few injuries and he misses Catherine terribly. I'm starting to think that she is changing his view on women and how to treat them. This novel is literally about love and war, and I can't wait to see where it leads to next. I predict there will be a long-time separation between Henry and Catherine and they will lose their relationship.