Monthly Archives: February 2024

Why Should We Read Shakespeare?

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Recently in my english class, we started to read Hamlet which left me skeptical at first. I’ve always known Shakespeare to be one of the greatest and most influential writers of all time, but I wasn’t entirely sure what the point in reading seemingly outdated literature was when it came to solving the issues that face us today.

Almost immediately, I realized that this preconceived notion I had about old plays (and literature in general) was extremely wrong. 

It is definitely true that some sentiments in old writing will not seem as relevant to us today, but a lot of the concepts certainly are still relevant. One of the things Shakespeare did best was his ability to analyze the time in which he lived and what issues prevailed around him, and wrote about them in such a way that they could maintain relevance centuries in the future.

A few themes I have noticed in Shakespeare’s work that are still issues faced today are gender, race, and class discrepancies in society. While these issues certainly looked different in the late 16th to early 17th century time period in which they were written about, they still manifest in daily life and are at the center of many political debates.

If there’s one thing I have learned from previously my wrong assumptions about Shakespeare, it’s that I want to encourage people to read historically significant works to help them understand what paved the society we see today like I have recently done as it has greatly changed my outlook on life for the better.

– Taylor O.

Many works by William Shakespeare are available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. They are also available to download for free from Libby.

A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck

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A Year Down Yonder is a novel by Richard Peck. This book won the Newbery Medal in 2001. It is the sequel to Peck’s A Long Way from Chicago, which received a Newbery Honor in 1999. This story takes place in 1938, during the Great Depression. Joey and Mary Alice are from Chicago. Joey has just left home to join the army. Mary Alice, his 15-year-old sister, is sent to stay with her grandmother in the country. This is disappointing to Mary Alice, because she does not like the idea of living in a farming community. However, her parents feel that they have no choice but to send Mary Alice away due to their financial hardship.

At first, Mary Alice struggles to get used to her new surroundings. Some of her fellow high school students are mean to her. However, Mary Alice’s grandmother comes to the rescue and turns the tables on the bullies. Her grandmother is very protective, and she finds many ways to help Mary Alice feel at home.  Mary Alice gradually becomes accustomed to country life, and after an extended stay with her grandmother, she becomes reluctant to return to Chicago. 

This book is similar in many ways to A Long Way from Chicago. Both books are very enjoyable to read. However, I found A Year Down Yonder to be even better than the first book. The grandmother is highly entertaining in this book, as always. In my opinion, this book is even more humorous and memorable than the first book. It also provides a good historical glimpse into that time period. Richard Peck won a Newbery Honor for the first book, which was quite good. He won the Newbery Medal for this sequel, which was even more impressive. Both books are well-deserving, and I would definitely recommend both of them.

A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Book Recommendations

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Picking out your next read can be a difficult and time consuming task. Many of us barely have the time to read at all, and when we do, we want a book that absolutely consumes us. Below I have compiled a list of book that I have read and enjoyed. I have categorized these books by genre and included short summaries, as well as my thoughts, for maximum efficiency. Happy reading!

Dystopian

The Hunger Games Series- Annual games are held in Panem, a dystopian and futuristic America, and when 16 year old Katniss Everdeen is selected to participate in these games, she stirs a spirit of rebellion that changes Panem forever. The Hunger Games series had me hooked with great twists and turns. The movie adaptations are also some of the best I have seen!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

The Selection Series- 35 eligible young girls are selected to compete for the prince’s hand, for most girls this is all they have ever wanted. For America Singer however, a five on the rigid caste system, this is her worst nightmare. The Selection series was one of those series I simply could not put down. I was extremely immersed in the world of America and Maxon and I have actually read the whole series two times through!

The Selection by Kiera Cass is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Romantic Comedies

Better Than the Movies- With the inspiration of 2000s romantic comedies, Liz Buxbaum searches for love. While trying to get the guy of her dreams, Liz ends up in a fake dating scheme, and realizes she has been after the wrong guy all along. I really enjoyed all the quotes and references to romantic comedies. This book was such a fun read and if you are a Swiftie you will definitely enjoy all the references as well!

Better than the Movies by Lynn Painter is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Today Tonight Tomorrow- During their last 24 hours of senior year, academic rivals realize that they have a lot more in common than they previously believed. Today they were enemies, tonight they were friends, and tomorrow they might be falling for each other. I really enjoyed the time frame of this novel and the scavenger hunt aspect made it fun and fast-paced!

Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon is available to download for free from Libby.

The Lorax

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The Lorax is an absolute delight from start to finish! I love this movie; it is a delightful, and colorful burst of imagination that motivated me to do more for environmental love and a severe case of Truffula tree envy.

The animation is beautiful and vibrant, and The Land of Thneedville is a kaleidoscope of colors. The characters are so animated and full of personality that you’ll want to hug a hummingfish for good measure.

The protagonist is Ted Wiggins, who is voiced by Zac Efron. Ted is a boy who lives in the artificial and polluted town of Thneedville. His crush on Audrey drives him to embark on a quest to find a real tree to impress her. He stumbles upon the Once-ler, the critical character who holds the secrets of the Truffula trees and the Lorax.

The Lorax, voiced by Danny DeVito, brings this bushy-mustached guardian of the forest to life in a heartwarming and hilarious way. You’ll always remember his one-liners, and trust me, you’ll never look at a tree the same way again.

The story is more than just a quest for the last Truffula seed; it’s a powerful message; the movie gently nudges you to think about environmental issues without preaching, and by the end, you’ll be singing “Let It Grow” at the top of your lungs like an eco-warrior.

The supporting cast is equally funny and fantastic– Taylor Swift as Audrey, the protagonist’s crush, Swift adds a dash of girl power. The Once-ler (voiced by Ed Helms) is also charmingly clueless about the consequences of his actions, and you almost forgive him for the deforestation.

And let’s remember the musical numbers! From “How Bad Can I Be?” to the infectious “Let It Grow,” the soundtrack is toe-tappingly catchy, and you can’t help but dance like a Swomee-Swan in no time. The whole track is so dance-worthy.

So, if you think this movie is only for kids, think again, “The Lorax” is a must-see for tree-huggers and Thneed enthusiasts, including older kids and adults alike. It’s an infectious celebration of nature, a cautionary tale about corporate greed, and all the fun rolled into one Truffula-tastic ball. Make it a movie night and grab your family, friends, and maybe even a Lorax-fun-approved snack and judge for yourself. For me, this movie was a cinematic experience as fun and sweet as a Bar-ba-loot’s marshmallow fluff!

Have a sweet Barbaloot experience!
Bella H.

“Yes No Maybe So” by Becky Albertalli & Aisha Saeed (Book Review)

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*Contains some spoilers*

Yes No Maybe So: 9780062937032: Albertalli, Becky, Saeed, Aisha: Books - Amazon.com

Yes No Maybe So is a story of 2 different people, from different worlds, that are forced to come together and decide to stay together.

To elaborate Jamie Goldberg, a shy, unpopular guy in high school gets the worst luck when he has to do one of the things he hates most, public speaking. His cousin, Gabe, who is Rossum’s (a man running for state senate) campaign manager, and his family are automatically required to help spread the word and convince others to vote for Rossum. Jamie likes to help but he has to go canvassing and since he refuses to say a speech at his little sister’s bar mitzvah in front of friends and family, he can’t comprehend the fact of doing that in front of strangers.

Maya Rehman, on the other hand, is confident and friendly but is having the worst Ramadan. Her parents are separating, which came as a complete surprise to her. Her best friend, who is a year older than her, is going off to college and leaving Maya behind in a way. Then to find out that she might be leaving early for college and won’t really get to hang out with Maya all summer, crushes Maya. She is unaware of her summer plans now, not really wanting to be home but not having a car for transportation and on top of it not allowed to date or have a boyfriend. Her parents suggest her to go canvassing to help family friends and if she does it, it will live up her chances of getting a car. It just so happens that Jamie and Maya end up going canvassing together, which starts their story.

I personally loved this book, the detail, and the chemistry between the characters. How they took the differences of them, their personality, households, and background to create drama, sensitivity, hardship, and love within the book. The main conflict was Jamie’s confrontation and Maya’s parents and idea of boys. Throughout the book Jamie and Maya’s relationship grows but it moves very quickly towards the end which made it feel too rushed for me. Overall, I would recommend this book, knowing it is a mixture of politics and romance, but the writing of each page makes the book one of my favorite reads yet!

Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli & Aisha Saeed is available to download for free from Libby.

Never Finished by David Goggins

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Never Finished is yet another memoir by David Goggins. While this autobiography can be enjoyed as a standalone book, it assumes that the reader is already familiar with David Goggin’s story and his first book Can’t Hurt Me.

In his first book, Goggins describes how he overcame a traumatic childhood, mental disability, and health issues to defy odds and more. He is now a retired Navy SEAL, accomplished endurance athlete, Advanced Emergency Technician, public speaker, and wildland firefighter.

It enhances the previous book by elaborating and providing insight into earlier overlooked events. There is a great balance between introducing new topics and improving old ones.

In his previous book, Goggins introduced tips after every chapter to improve yourself such as journaling, compartmentalizing your day, visualizing, and using an “accountability mirror”. Unlike these more straightforward “Challenges” that Goggins used, this book provides “Evolutions”. These are not simple quick-fix habits. Instead, they present ideas for you to question yourself, and change for the better. Some of these ideas are summarized below:

  • “The Winners Mentality” – Find strength and energy in everything, even in defeat
  • “One-Second Decision” – In the moment of suffering, we often forget our goals and feel the need to quit. No matter how long you have been working, moments of weakness and strength are counted in seconds. So, take a knee and evaluate the situation.
  • “Trained Humility” – Be humble enough to accept that you will never know everything, and let that fuel you to grow more.
  • “Foxhole Mentality” – Small minds and weak people kill dreams, so surround yourself with those who support and push you to be your best.

While small habits are the key to getting started, deeply improving yourself through your mindset and values is the next step.

One of the final ideas that I enjoyed was the idea that there are no “part-time savages”. Many might work hard hoping that when they achieve their goal they can finally rest. Goggins says, “When you are always on the grind, you think there will come a time when the rough road…will smooth out, but that is never the case.” When you finally reach the top of the mountain, there might be another taller one waiting for you.

Goggins makes it clear that while he has achieved great success, his journey is still not over. Shortly after the success of his first book, he had a heart scare which forced him to take another break from endurance events. Even though he had done so much, and his heart condition gave him a reason to stop, Goggins knew that he could do more.

Overall, Never Finished by David Goggins is another amazing read, fit for anyone who would like to improve themselves in any aspect of life.

Never Finished by David Goggins is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.

SMART Goals!

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The first month of the new year, 2024, comes to an end but it is still not too late to make 2024 resolutions! Goals are hard to set and achieve especially if it’s hard for you to commit to long-term stuff, but using SMART can help you achieve the goals for 2024 whether it be to lose weight, get better grades, or even start meditating. So what does SMART stand for?

S – Specific

The S in SMART means “specific.” This means that your goal has to be specific and it can not be broad. You can be more specific with your goal by using the 5 W’s: who, where, what, and why. You can also use how in this when making your goal. An example of being specific is instead of saying,“My goal is to get better grades,” you can say “My goal is to turn my grades from C’s to A’s for the second semester of high school.”

M – Measurable

The M in SMART means “measurable.” This means that your goal has to be measurable. By being measurable, it means that you can track your progress. If your goal was to lose weight, you could track your weight on a scale at the end of each week. 

A –  Attainable

The A in SMART means “attainable.” This means that your goal should be attainable and not impossible. You can state how this goal is attainable. For example, if your goal is to start getting a better sleeping schedule, you can eliminate some distractions, such as going on your device before you sleep, so the goal is attainable. 

R – Realistic

The R in SMART means “realistic.”This means that you should be realistic in making your goal and that it can be achieved within the amount of time. Ask yourself questions such as “How will I complete this goal by the end of the year?” so that you can be realistic with making your goals. 

T – Timely

The T in SMART means “timely.” This means how you will time your progress. You can time your progress in various ways such as writing down in your planner every week or daily to achieve your goal. For timely, you have to write down how you’re going to time your progress. An example of this could be that you will read 2 books to 5 more books than last year by December 31st, 2024. 

This is really helpful and I apologize if my explanation was not clear enough but this has helped me a lot. I had to make a goal for my English class and although I was obligated to do the assignment, it actually is really helpful for I have stayed consistent with my goals for the new year. So if you really want to be productive and achieve goals for 2024, I recommend using the SMART method.

MOVIE REVIEW – La La Land

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Jazz, romance, and music. And Ryan Gosling. Add all of that together, and what do you get? 

La La Land. It is also known as the best movie ever created, by me. It’s one of those movies that I’m like, “Oh, my GOD I WISH I THOUGHT OF THAT FIRST!!” 

According to IMDb, La La Land was a 2016 American musical romance film about an actress and a pianist falling in love while balancing their future aspirations and navigating their careers in Los Angeles. The two protagonists, Mia and Sebastian, were played by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling respectively. 

Now, it seems like your typical “meet-cute” type of movie. Although it contains elements, it did not come with the “I’m so in love with you, let’s get married and have seven kids in a big house with a white picket fence” ending. Anyways. I’m still sobbing. 

The music was written by Justin Hurwitz, and — oh, my GOD — it was mesmerizing, it was whimsical. A mix of styles, rhythms, and instruments created so many different atmospheres, exciting or not. I thank Hurwitz for creating such a devastatingly beautiful soundtrack. My favorite song, or instrumental, actually, was “Epilogue”. A quiet, delicate piano quickly moves into a full, loud, booming orchestra entangled with a solo trumpet and jazz. It was definitely one of my new favorite instrumentals after the “Pirates of the Caribbean” theme. 

Other than the music, however, I want to focus more on the theme. It taught me a lot about love. It’s complex, it’s manipulative, it’s alluring. It’s not your cliché fairytale, “the guy always gets the girl” movie. I don’t mean to spoil. Much, at least. BUT THAT ENDING BROKE ME. Overall, the movie conveyed love in a more realistic light. 

DON’T READ THIS FOR SPOILERS: You can’t have cake and eat it, too, you know? I’m really happy that Mia and Sebastian didn’t give up their dreams for each other. It sets it apart from a ton of other romance movies. You love and lose, and that’s one of the biggest lessons you could ever learn. 

Anyhow, this movie has been on my watchlist for years. I’ve been hearing about it ever since it came out, and then one of my classmates said, “La La Land is my favorite movie, for real.” And now, my heart is broken. And I spent about two hours watching one of my newest favorite movies instead of studying for my finals. 

La La Land available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.

Water- The Key to Our Futures

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As the famous French proverb goes, “We never know the worth of water until the well runs dry.”

In the 21st century, there is not a single thing that we take more for granted than a sip of water. After all, it’s always there for us: we take our flasks with us to school or work, enjoy cups upon cups while at home, and if we ever get thirsty during the night, a soothing glass of water is only a kitchen’s walk away.

Scientists say that humans are 70% water, but water is 100% essential to human life. But if water is so essential, then why is it so hard to come by in some areas? The reality is that clean, drinkable water is still a luxury to many, especially in the continent of Africa. For you it is just a kitchen’s walk away, but for many it is an arduous, several mile long journey.

Many children have forgone their education due to a lack of access to clean water, which has resulted in them falling ill and being bedridden while they should be at school. This perpetuates a cycle of sickness and poverty that actively works against sustainable development across the globe, stagnating the progress of these third-world nations. And while we may like to think that this issue does not affect us, that we live too far-removed from the most underprivileged countries that we cannot be gripped by the issue of clean water insecurity, I would like to remind you that over 2 million Americans do not have access to clean drinking water. This number, when averaged out with the rest of the world, amounts to 1 in 4 people not having the basic right to quench their thirst and nurture their bodies as every human should.

Water is further essential in that it grants people dignity, allowing them to be clean and present their best themselves in a dignified manner. I refuse to live in a world where something as simple as water can stand in the way of people’s futures, which is why we must take action to provide clean, drinkable, accessible water to every person on this planet. Every mother and son, every father and daughter, every grandparent and grandchild, every professor and student, every aspiring engineer and passion-driven child who dreams of a future that is not crippled by a lack of water needs our help to give them the opportunity of life they deserve. It is time to make waves in the lives of countless people, and it is time to give them the water that they deserve.  -Forrest F.

Book Review: Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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Recently, for my school’s English class, I read Purple Hibiscus, which is a book about a girl named Kambili growing up in a wealthy but abusive household in Nigeria. This was probably one of the best books of this genre that I’ve read, as it contains plenty of interesting themes, as well as having a deep overall meaning.

At the start of the story in chapter 1, Kambili witnesses her father hurl a leather missal across the room after her brother, Jaja, defies him by refusing to attend church. Here, the first signs of the fact that her father is abusive is revealed. however, at this part, Kambili tells the reader that this event was later in the book, after everything else happened.

The start of the actual story begins on chapter 2, with the story taking place at Kambili’s house. this second chapter gives important background information on the family, their economic condition, as well as other details that will be important for later. It is also revealed that Kambili lives in a very religious household, with her father pushing the faith on her and her other family members. As the story progresses, the author makes it more and more apparent that the father clearly uses his religion to control his family, as well as further showing the extent of the influence of abuse on Kambili, her brother, and her mother.

What made this book very interesting was how the author took inspiration from her youth but obviously included elements of fiction added to it. In fact, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie gave a TED talk about the book as well as the “danger of the single story“, which I highly recommend watching before reading this book, as it provides the reader with some background on the book.

Overall, This was a great book, and I would recommend it for anybody who is interested in an emotional, moving story.

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.