Desert Dawn

Desert Dawn is apart of the series including the previous book I read; Desert Flower. The model Waris talks about her childhood life in Somalia. All of her 'bringing up' wasn't the nicest so she wanted to escape as soon as was legal to. Which leads to the next chapter about her life in New York and about the voyage back to her country and her mother. I think this book very interesting and exciting as I couldn't put it down. Experiences of her own life and about the Somali culture were shared and it was quite personal and made you feel grateful for the things you actually take for granted in life. I have learned a lot about how the Somali people survive and especially what it was like for this now Model. It is amazing to see what a difference a strong willed person makes and how it can change your life forever.

My Sister's Keeper - by Jodi Picoult

My Sister's Keeper is a true story and I personally get very excited and into real life stories so this was a great book for me to read. Although there are many ups and downs in this story, it keeps the book engaging and I didn't want to put it down. I'm sure if you have seen the movie you would know what I mean.

The Truth About Forever

This book was a 'peaceful' read and easy to get to know what the story is about. 

The caption of what this book is about is...


"A long, hot summer...That's what Macy has to look forward to while her boyfriend, Jason, is away at Brain Camp. Days will be spent at a boring job in the library, evenings will be filled with vocabulary drills for the SATs, and spare time will be passed with her mother, the two of them sharing a silent grief at the traumatic loss of Macy's father.-But sometimes unexpected things can happen—things such as the catering job at Wish, with its fun-loving, chaotic crew. Or her sister's project of renovating the neglected beach house, awakening long-buried memories. Things such as meeting Wes, a boy with a past, a taste for Truth-telling, and an amazing artistic talent, the kind of boy who could turn any girl's world upside down. As Macy ventures out of her shell, she begins to wonder, Is it really better to be safe than sorry?"

Desert Flower

Chapter Two: Growing up with animals

During this chapter she tells some memories of her life when she was with her family.

A quote from chapter two... "Before I ran away from home, my life had been built around nature, family, and our strong bond with the animals that kept us alive."

Summary in my own words:
From the day she was born she was surrounded by animals of all different kinds. And from the day she could walk she was caring, feeding and playing with them. This was her bringing up. She has always and always will love animals because of the strong bond between them.  She says quite a bit in the book that the bond she had with these animals, kept her alive. As she was constantly travelling throughout her childhood she brought the animals with her wherever she went. Her family never stayed in one place for more than 3-4 weeks. They were Nomads. There way of travelling was through deserts and over many hills. Life started to get very hard as she was one of 12. Beyond her knowledge 6 out of the 12 of her family died. Life was too hard.
Another heart touching quote about Waris' younger sibling: "One day the baby (her younger sibling) was strong and healthy, and the next my mother called for me..."Waris!!!" I ran to her and saw her kneeling over the baby. I was just a little girl, but I could tell something was terribly wrong. "Waris, run and get me some camel's milk!" But I couldn't move. "Run, hurry!" I just stood there staring at my sister in a trance-int terror. Finally I tore myself away, but I knew what would be waiting for me when I got back. I returned with the milk, but the baby was totally still, and I knew she was dead. When I looked at my sister again, my mother slapped me.."

Desert Flower

Desert Flower is the true story of Waris Dirie's life.
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I have only been reading this book for a couple of days but I am hooked and it is one of the best books I have read.
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This book is about her life from the day was born to where she is now. She had a rough childhood with many memories which have scared her for life.
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Below are some bits of chapter one which stood out to me.
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Chapter One: Running Away
A quote from chapter one...  "A slight sound woke me up, and when I opened my eyes, I was staring into the face of a lion. Riveted awake, my eyes stretched wide-very wide-as if to expand enough to contain this animal infront of me. I tried to stand up but I hadn't eaten for several days so my weak legs wobbled and folded beneath me."
Summary in my own words:
She had help from her mother to plan an escape away from her home. She did just this. Her Dad chased her for hours on end but she didnt slow down, she kept going. He gave up. She ran through the desert for days on end untill she came to a small city. She got hitiched by a man. He was in his forties. She took the risk of getting in a truck with this man and he ended up trying to rape her. She didn't budge..It was a struggle but she ended up knocking him out with a loose rock and nearly killing him. She ran, ran and kept running until she was out of sight from this mans truck. She then got hitchhiked by another man. She had an okay feeling. He was rich. What could go wrong? She thought.

Hunger Games

I have recently read the Hunger Games book for the second time for a school study. It is a great book. Appeals to both Girls and Boys and has been written really well. I would recommend it to anyone to read as I think it is a suitable and enjoyable book. The language the author has used it very detailed and you can really imagine what is happening to these people. I briefly pulled apart the book and did a narrative arc. Through doing this I realised how well the author had sturctured the book as it was easy to tell where the inticing moment, climax, resolution etc. Over all it is a great book and cant wait to study it more :) 

Life on the farm (Shooting from the top)

Irene van Dyk - 

Through out reading this particular chapter, I have noticed that Irene is a down to earth 'normal' women. It talks about her 'life on the farm' when she was young. One of Irene's favorite memories was "sitting on the homestead porch on the farm with her father, Herman, staring out into the pitch-black night listening to foxes howling." This seams really real to me and made me think that she is still a normal person who had a normal life when young. She has worked very hard to become who she is today and she proves to people that she wasn't always at the top - she has worked her way      there just like anyone else could. The rest of the chapter talks about how she grew up in South Africa and little bits and pieces of her life.