This month I read a book called Gleanings by Neal Shusterman. There are countless of stories that must be told of the Scythedom. Centuries passed ever since the Thunderhead supported and kept humanity running smoothly. And Scythe Goddard making several countries his puppets to fulfill him power. Same characters and New foes, heroes, and some in between will have their stories unraveled. In the book you’ll find out just how terrifying the world of the series, Scythe can be.

I really liked the book just like the rest of them. The stories that are told give you hidden details and background information. The stories included Scythe Godard’s childhood life, A story of a dog with the mind of a human hunting down a scythe (Which I thought was hilarious until you find out what the scythe did to the dog), the truth of Scythe Curie and the relationship she had with Scythe Faraday, and many more stories. Although some of the stories were kind of boring the book was equally as good as the other books.

My favorite character from the book is kila. Because although she is an unsavory which means to abide by the Thunderheads law, she still shows signs of sympathy. I can prove it with this quote, “What are you still doing here?” he snapped “Your session is over. Hurry along.” “I … I just … Are you okay?” This proves that even if she abides by rules and causes havoc she can still have sympathy for others.

My favorite quote from the book is, “Because it is easier to believe that scythes aren’t real, and that I am a liar, and that the moon is made of cheese, than it is to admit that everything you believe about the world is wrong.” (Pg 102) This is my favorite quote from the book because it is in fact better to not believe something than to be afraid of it. Such as imaginary monsters from your childhood that you still remember.

A computer programmer is a perfect job for me. Being a computer programmer is one of my passions. I would love to be a computer programmer because I’ll will be able to create a wide variety of different applications, write, modify, and test code and scripts to ensure that they are functioning correctly. Who knows I can even make my own game. Another reason why I would like to be a computer programmer is to help the devs behind many of my favorite games: Supercell. My favorite game from them is Brawl Stars as you might know. I would like to help them with there new games that are under development, help them with other games that they have released, or help them come up with a new idea for a game. The last reason why I would like to become a computer programmer is because its like having a superpower. Being able to know what specific lines of codes do and being able to program anything to shape would overall be fun and challenging at the same time. Bugs can occur in your code or something might not go the way you intended it to be. Computer primming is not easy. You will have to know how to problem solve and communicate with others while also having fun. That’s why I’m willing to take on the challenges of being a computer programmer so that it shapes me into a more confident person.

This month I read a book called The Toll by Neal Shusterman. The third book of The Arc of a Scythe. Citra and Rowan along with many other scythes have fallen along with Endura. Nothing stands between Goddard and his domination over the world. The Thunderhead has fallen silent. What else can go wrong? In order to make the world the a better place, the answer lies the between the chosen ones.

The book just like the 1st and 2nd have just been mind blowing. In the beginning your set with Greyson. Once you progress perspectives change to Greyson, Citra, Rowan, and many different Scythes. You think that everything is alright and things will go the way they were supposed to but things take sudden turns. Which makes the book amusing just like the rest and hard to guess what happens next.

My favorite character for this book has changed to Munira. She can be a wise and kind. But sometimes have some jealousy inside her. She can also be calm in situations where destruction happens. One quote to prove that she is wise is, ‘“We are imperfect beings,” Munira said. “How could we ever fit in a perfect world?”

My favorite quote from The Toll is, ‘“We are imperfect beings,” Munira said. “How could we ever fit in a perfect world?”’ This is my favorite quote because no matter how much we try to make the world perfect, we will never be satisfied.

The possibilities are endless when you are invisible for twenty-four hours! First thing I would do is rob a bank. Because how else would you have the things you ever dreamed? And for entertainment why not wear a mask and pretend to be a “floating” head. Or carry around objects to make them “float”. Maybe even eat. People would watch the food disappear as the food gets eaten bit by bit. Even everyday activities can be fun. Being able to get a late snack from the pantry without judgement? Duh. For plenty more fun I would haunt my friends and follow them to their house to cause a ruckus. I would also use my invisibility to fight the evil community and do good for people. Such as visiting hospitals to see if the injured are getting treated well.

living in a paradise and a living heck is harsh. The reason why I got there was by a simple boat. I was imprisoned for a crime I have not caused and now I was sent here to die. Beautiful and colorful glowing trees and plants surrounding every part of the island. Foods that are oddly colored yet sweet. The creatures there are not what you think. Monsters that hunt by night. Sleep by daylight. Their awful multicolor eyes shine bright. The body’s all covered in some sort of goo with different shapes and colors. Claws that can cut through diamond. Each and every one of them have a unique ability, speed, teleportation, anything you can name. By daylight flowers blossom, trees dance of joy from the disappearance of the dark. Crickets sing and cry. The sun is my sign of hope. Once dark falls the animals hide. Flowers drop dead. Trees shake nervously. And the monsters come out to hunt. My daily routine there is just to live. I hunt for food. Break down trees. Dig up holes for shelter to hide me from the monsters. I change holes once a week because they find me at some point. I bath myself in mud so that their keen sense of smell doesn’t find me. I fish which takes about two hours to get twenty fish. Far more than enough for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The water there is all purified so no need for iodine. Once dark is out I tie big parts of wood towards the ground of the hole I made with a hand made iron hook. And wait. Wait for those gosh awful beings to disappear. As I lay down and try to sleep while the noises they make is just horrendous. You might be wondering how I know daylight has appeared. Well simple, I have a little hole to peak from. Once I awaken I start the daily routine once again to survive. Trying to make a boat to leave heck’s paradise.

This month I read a book called Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman. After what had happened in book 1 (rad reading for December), a year has passed since Rowan became incognito. Since then he became an urban legend, he became vigilant searching for corrupt scythes in a trial of fire. His story is told around the world. As Scythe Anastasia, aka Citra, gleans with compassion and challenges the so called “New Order”. But when both her life and Scythe Curies is threatened and her methods questioned, it becomes clear that people aren’t open to change.

I really enjoyed Thunderhead as much as I did with Scythe. As the story progressed lots of problems occurred. Citra’s life was threatened and her methods of gleaning questioned. Rowan got captured by Scythe Brahms who was working, to his surprise for Scythe Rand and Goddard. Both came back from the dead. But there’s many more than that. Rowan’s best friend, Tyger was used to give Goddard a new body without knowing he would be sacrificed. That left Rowan in despair. And it left him more vulnerable when he was told that his dad was gleaned by Scythe Brahms. Grayson, the new character who was introduced also had many though times. His family wouldn’t care for him so the Thunderhead did. And for warning Scythes Curie and Anastasia that they were in the merge of death he was kicked out of an academy called the Nimbus Academy and marked unsavory so he could no longer speak to the Thunderhead. All that just kept me awake all night just to find out how everything would sort out.

My favorite character is still Rowan. He can be calm when it came to situations he couldn’t solve or even death. He never let his fear show after what he’s been through. I can prove this with this quote, “‘Citra,” Rowan said. Calmly. Simply. “We’re going to die.’”

My favorite quote is on page 26 it states, “Death must exist for life to have meaning.” This is my favorite quote because if death weren’t to exist in the world what meaning would it have exist. And yes many people don’t want that to happen (like me) but at some point it will and we have to understand that it is just how life is.

The thought of my favorite meal makes my mouth water. The toasted, rolled, tortilla seasoned with spices. The meat inside filled to add a smoky flavor. The tortilla covered in spices that one can’t tell which has been used because of all the flavor and heat it gives off once in your mouth. The lettuce. Onion. Cheese. And sour cream mounted on top of the enchiladas. The lettuce to add an astringent taste. The onion to add a bitter yet flavorful taste in your mouth. The cheese for a salty, milky and buttery taste. And with the sour cream, the sweet and creamy texture in your mouth making you feel in heaven.

The Dumbledore quote is very meaningful to me. I interpret the quote like this, happiness can be found even in the most gloomy, downcast, miserable times. But when one figure’s the way out of the dark and puts it all in the past, one can once again regain their joy and happiness. This quote relates to me because whenever I’m not my joyous and a hyper persona, I can be very sad and not in a mood to do anything but lay down and cover myself with the bed sheets. Once I think of the more positive outcomes and try to put the bad things in the past, my joy and energy just breaks through the sky’s. If that doesn’t work then my family would always be there to get me up my legs again.

Somebody I look up to as my hero is my sister. There many reasons why I look up to my sister as my hero. She is like our second mom. Whenever my mom and dad are gone at work she is there to take care of me and my brother. She was and always is there to there to help us out whenever we get ill and never enjoys herself unless we are safe and by her side. Another reason why I look up to her is because she never stops to encourage us to do well. Not just school but other things. We don’t like it but she’s always there checking up on us or on our grades. When they’re not so good, she tells us many things to try and improve our grades or well being. One final reason why I look up to her is because she always sets a good example to us. She’s always trying her best in college even if the courses are hard. She’s working and studying but fits all of that in a day. She likes to be organized and makes a schedule to fit in all her events.

My word of intention for 2024 is active. There are a few reasons why I choose active as my word this year. Being active is hard for me. I’m always lying down with my Nintendo Switch at hand. This is a problem though. Now that I have scoliosis, I need to be active more than ever. I need to do exercises that improves my back. And I need to do a sport. Since I still have time to grow my scoliosis can worsen.Another reason why I need to be active is to avoid technology more. Yes we all get awards for having straight A’s, but it doesn’t mean that I can spend a long time on my Nintendo Switch. I already have a whopping 1000 hours or more spent on it. And that’s just a year since I got my Nintendo Switch. With my phone I spend more than four hours on it everyday.One other reason why I need to be active is to improve my health. Being healthy is important. At least by running a few minutes daily I could improve my health, enhance my productivity, be more enthusiastic, reduce risks of disease, improve my ability to do daily tasks, and many other things.