#2 East of Eden John Steinbeck 1952

In chapter fourteen, there is a quote that the main character says as he prepares for the future on his newly obtained land, "Remember my name is Adam. So far I've had no Eden, let alone been driven out." He continues on to say that he wants to plant his "garden" for his "Eve", and that, "I'm going to make a garden so good, so beautiful, that it will be a proper place for her to live and a fitting place for her to shine her light on."
It is human nature to dream of some place better than the one we are in. I've known people who dream of the mountains when they are at the beach, and dream of the beach when they are at the mountains. Politicians and different forms of government are constantly attempting to make the world better, or how they believe it should be. I even create new and better worlds for myself when I write.
Adam's dreams are the practical kind. The kind that can actually come true and you can benefit from. This is very possibly the best kind of dream you can have, and the dream that I need more of. With dreams such as this, it would be completely realistic for it to come true. It will not disappoint you so often as the unrealistic fantasies. With a goal in mind you can make these dreams come true. The only thing that would ever be able to stop you is yourself.

East of Eden John Steinbeck 1952

This book has been amazing. I am already in chapter thirteen. For those who do not know, East of Eden recreates the tale of Adam and Eve in the Bible. As of now, I am not yet in the thick of the story. Adam Trask and his scheming, untrustworthy wife, Cathy, have just moved to Salinas Valley, where the rest of the story will take place.
So far, I think what has intrigued me most is the tension between Adam and his brother, Charles. It began with their father, who loved Adam more than his brother. At one time, Charles became so angry he set out to kill Adam. They pushed past the incident somehow but later, while Adam was drugged on his wedding night, he slept with Cathy.
As you may know from reading my creative writing blog, I absolutely love to read (and write) about betrayal between brothers. It is the absolute worst thing you can do to betray someone who has only given you love. It makes for a wonderful story, especially if you were willing to doubt the sunrise before the love of your family. I know that I love my younger siblings more than anything on this earth and would never do anything to hurt them. I would be crushed to find if one of them deliberately tried to hurt me. It is one of those things that you never see coming, and one that hurts you the most.

#4 102 Minutes by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn 2005

9-11 was an awful, catastrophic event that changed all of our lives. We still hear and talk about it today after eight years. We can no longer even bring liquids onto planes. Anyone who looks fairly Middle Eastern gets treated with suspicion. Paranoia has become the norm in movies, books, and even everyday life. A few days after the attack on the Twin Towers, there was a group of three Americans, Israeli men, who came into a diner in Florida. While they ate, they spoke of the unfortunate loss. The attack was the top of gossip, and the first subject on nearly everybody's tongues. It was a perfectly natural topic. The waitress, of course, called the police after the men had left. They followed the Israelis in dozens of police cruisers. When they finally caught up with them, the took them into custody where they were interrogated for three days before they were realised. It is unfair and unjust, but can you really blame us? Thousands of people had just died and with the failed attack on the Pentagon who knew if they were going to try again? To this day I hold my breath on September eleventh, scared that someone might try and finish what they started.

I regret to say that I do not believe I will be finishing this book. It is a depressing and difficult read that I am not getting much out of. Even most of my blogs came out of my own thoughts and experiences rather than the reading. I feel awful, like I have given up, but reading is something special to me. When reading becomes a chore for me it is time to get a new book. I am happy to announce that I will now be reading East of Eden by John Stienbeck. I hope that this book will be better than the last.