<p>Well if you’re a fan of post-apocalyptic fiction I recommend Swan Song by Robert McCammon and Lucifer’s Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. And if you’re not, then you should definitely give it a shot.</p>
<p>Only 2 AP classes offered at my high school. AP Lit/comp and AP calculus. Very few honors classes. I go to a tiny (300 students 9-12) in northern mn, do you think it will affect my chances for getting into top 20 universities??</p>
<p>For some book recommendation, these are currently on my reading list/recently read list, all seemingly captivating:</p>
<p>Steve Jobs - Walter Isaacson (About 1/5 into the book. Peering into Jobs’ early life is a fascinating journey, to say the least. His humble beginnings, the characters that have shaped him, et cetera, are all insightful things to reas about. Isaacson captures Jobs’ brusqueness rather well)</p>
<p>Letters From A Stoic - Seneca (If you’re a philosophy nerd like me, this is a lovely read. Written ages ago by the legendary Seneca The Younger in ancient Greco-Rome, it wraps many Stoic philosophies together, challenging and changing the reader’s viewpoints on life as a whole. It probably will change how you approach the world, life, etc. if you can get past the strong verbiage)</p>
<p>Zorba The Greek - Nikos Kazantzakis (Also a bit of a philosophical work, influenced by Epicurean and Stoic philosophies, but from a much more modern, season and humorous perspective. It’s a story that follows the adventure of a morally conflicted/hazed man on a trip to work as a laborer in Crete as he finds a joyous man named Alexis Zorba. Due to his clandestine wisdom and overall friendliness, Zorba ends up changing the man’s life forever. It’s an emotional and humorous read, simply put)</p>
<p>The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson (If you haven’t heard of this book already, stop living under a rock. Thrilling mystery involving a Swedish mud-raker of a journalist and an ominous case he’s been assigned. Great movie, seemingly great movie too [the Fincher version, of course])</p>
<p>I have many more recommendations if needed, but these are the best at moment in my humble opinion. Enjoy!</p>
<p>^Typos are embarrassing, eh? Here’s one to keep in mind (out of the few to be found): last line about Dragon Tattoo: “Great <em>book</em>, seemingly great movie”</p>
<p>I’ve heard conflicting things about Dragon Tattoo. Some call it great, while others call it messy and poorly paced. I’ll probably end up reading it, though.</p>
<p>I still read pretty often, but I’ve developed a nasty habit that has made my reading far less enjoyable. I tend to over-analyze everything I read–usually, I try to understand why an author wrote a certain phrase or passage. Instead of appreciating a book for what it is, I attempt to see what’s behind the words, and it’s really annoying. For example, if I find a poorly-worded sentence in a Stephen King novel, I imagine him sitting in a room, scribbling down possibilities for the sentence, and settling for a less-than-perfect choice. Or I see an alternate agenda behind an author’s words, like, ‘If I make this chapter really suspenseful/shocking/etc., maybe I’ll top the NYT Bestseller’s List!’ Any tips on how to defeat this terrible habit? Or am I stuck with it for life?</p>
<p>I can see how some might interpret Dragon Tattoo as messy, mostly due to the mediocre job done of translating the book from Swedish to English. There are a fair amount of areas in the English version of novel where one might have to read certain passages repeatedly to fully comprehend what the author was trying to say.</p>
<p>@Studious: Do you think that habit might’ve come out of english classes? lol</p>
<p>I’ve never experienced that problem but I would suggest trying to imagine the world behind the words- what does the air smell like, what do the characters feel?- and savor each sentence like it’s something tasty and delectable. (assuming the style of writing suits that.) I think that’s what I do and I don’t generally notice specific sentences, but problems in characterization or information presented bother me to no end. So pick your poison :D</p>
<p>Good luck, don’t think very much when you’re reading, and if nothing else works, not reading for a while should solve most problems.</p>
<p>Happy Holidays to all! I hope you all have an amazing holiday. As for me, I am currently catching up on reading and doing stuff for church.</p>
<p>Also, since my semester ended when I got out for break, I am going to post my final grade predictions.
Honors Chem: 100
Honors Precalc: 98
Allied Health Sciences 1: 100
Honors Physics: 99</p>
<p>@globalwolf: You know, you’re probably right about the English class thing. My English classes tend to read a very small amount of literature but over-analyze the crap out of it. I’ll try to enjoy myself more while reading.</p>
<p>@evan: Awesome job!</p>
<p>@evanb1996 That’s really good. In my freshman year I took physics I did really bad. I got a C. How do you study for physics? I plan on taking it next year. Thanks.</p>
<p>Studious, reading “unconventional” works might also help your cause. Even watching unconventional movies would help. Essentially anything with a storyline. Challenging your typical perspective on stories might evoke different feelings towards the way you analyze works. It’s a stretch, but if it doesn’t work, you’ll still be exposed to some fantastic pieces of art. I personally would recommend you stay away from authors like Stephen King, and go with ominous works like Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, or any film by Luis Bu</p>
<p>@FantasyVesperia: I studied every night for Physics. In the beginning, I did not get a single concept, until I started studying every night. I will admit that I still do not get some of the concepts (even after finishing the class), but studying helped me at least grasp the overview and how it is supposed to work.</p>
<p>@evanb1996 Thanks, I’ll try harder next year :)</p>
<p>I have a question for you all. What do you feel are your strongest academic subjects? I feel that mine are biology, chemistry, and math.</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestion, anaychi. I’ll definitely look into Vonnegut.</p>
<p>Evan, my strengths are exactly what yours are. I probably enjoy math the most, though.</p>
<p>My strongest subjects are probably Spanish and biology, I took bio last year and will take ap next year hopefully</p>
<p>My strongest academic subject is English/writing. Biology comes really easily to me, but I think my class is just really easy. (I don’t listen to a single word in class, and I have a 99%. but I don’t think that’s any sort of bragging right because I don’t have to work for it…it’s sad.) French is sort of easy for me. I don’t always get great grades on my homework, but I love it so much that the work and improvement come easily.</p>
<p>I am not good at math. at. all. I am a sophomore taking algebra, and struggling with it. It’s kind of sad.</p>
<p>Slightly off-topic, but for those of you who follow sports:</p>
<p>Did any of you watch the Bulls v. Lakers game yesterday?! I never been so anxious watching a game before, with the exception of the 2010 World Cup. The last 10 seconds were ridiculously intense!</p>
<p>@anaychi: I didn’t watch that game, but I watched the Heat vs Mavericks. I felt sorry for the Mavs in the beginning since they were losing by 30 points certain times in the game.</p>
<p>I saw a bit of Heat/Mavs game. It seemed like a joke from the start, really. Yesterday’s highlights were pretty much the Knicks fantastic win over the Celtics, and Bulls beating the Lakers by a point in the last 5 seconds. Both games were lovely.</p>