"The Hit" by David Baldacci; Future Predictions

In the book, The Hit, by David Baldacci, the plot has started off awfully quick. A man named Will Robie, who is a highly trained assassin working for the CIA, just got recruited for his next assignment... Jessica Reel. Robie and Reel have a history in the field together, and they were a good team. This makes this assignment personal. Jessica and Robie are both professional assassins hired by the U.S. government to stop bad people from doing any more harm to the real world. Jessica had recently been on a mission, but her handler or senior officer running the operation, was killed. All fingers point to Reel killing her handler. Now that she has betrayed her government by killing one of her own, Will Robie has been reassigned to this high priority case. I think Robie will eventually come in contact with Reel, and find out there is more to Reel's situation than he knows. I don't think Robie will kill Reel since they were friends. The CIA wants Jessica Reel Dead or alive for her actions. They send Robie after Reel. A killer to find a killer.

"The Hit," by David Baldacci; Why I chose this book

I chose the book, "The Hit," by David Baldacci , because of a recommendation. Since I am interested in mystery, action thrillers, and suspenseful books, I thought it would be a goodies to try a new author. I was a little hesitant on whether to try a different author, but it was worth it. David Baldacci has a very strong author's voice, and a unique style that compliments the story. The particular book I chose to read is an action thriller, where a spy is sent after another spy to kill them. So far it has been very intense and action packed. The beginning has started out pretty quick, and it hasn't unloaded a mounds of background details. I think this is going to be a good read, and I am looking forward to advancing in the lives of two spies. How does the beginning of your book play out.

The "Racketeer," by John Grisham; Book Review

In my opinion, John Grisham did a great job of writing this book, the "Racketeer." He built around the story line perfectly. Everything occurred in chronological order, and seems to occur by chance, but the whole story line is part of something much bigger. John Grisham does a fantastic job of leading you down this winding round, and just as you think it's about to end, it hits the sharpest turn. The twist throughout the book and at the end keep you constantly questioning and on the edge of your reading chair. I think anyone who enjoys mystery, suspense, or law types of books would enjoy this great book. John Grisham writes with an elegant, organized, elevated style. The story was well laid out, and the style was unique with elevated enhancements. The author used elevated and low diction, as well as numerous forms of syntax. I would rate this book as a 4.5 out of 5. Overall it was a we, rounded book that I really enjoyed and highly recommend to anyone looking for mystery to solve.

The "Racketeer," by John Grisham; Building Suspense

In the book the "Racketeer," by John Grisham, the author does a good job of building suspense throughout the story. He uses multiple obstacles, changing viewpoint, and using bits and pieces out to keep you clued in. The main character, Malcolm Bannister, has to overcome many challenges, and he doesn't know what could be waiting for him around the corner. John Grisham constantly puts twist in the story to through you off. He puts ideas in there to distract you, and make you wonder. The things you aren't expecting, happen. The vigorous climb to only meet a clif hanger at the end of a chapter. The voices of all the characters are heard, and the tensions keep builing, and building. It begins to overwhelm you, and you are always on edge, waiting for the next fast ball. John Grisham builds the suspense to draw you in to his web, to capture your curiosity. You can't stop reading, it's intense, heart beating, excitement building. Your curiosity and longing to find out, and discover what is going to happen next. I was always looking forward to finding out what the next twist was. What techniques does your author use to show suspense in the story?

Krista Ramsey Introduction Activity

Locking into the magic of Legos

By: Krista Ramsey

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/columnists/krista-ramsey/2014/02/15/krista-locking-into-the-magic-of-legos/5521245/

Krista Ramsey talks about how kids have the opportunity to take an interest in Legos; through the Monthly Mini Build at the Lego store inside Kenwood Mall. There, kids can experiment and create their own creations, which helps a child's creativity, visualization, and other valuable brain skills. The best line in this article is, "Cynics say what parents are actually buying is quiet time for themselves, since children presented with a Lego set disappear into the bowels of the house and are not heard for hours." This tells the reader that building with Legos can help keep a child busy for hours, allowing the parents to relax. The children also become more independent as they build things on their own, and the think of new, creative ideas. The long sentence is an example of syntax, where it gives few pauses, not allowing the reader to stop and think. Am example of elevated diction used is, "disappear into the bowels of the house..." Krista Ramsey's writing style is organized and journalistic. This quote says, "This is vaguely possible. But it doesn't change the fact that, in the era of violent video games and highly orchestrated "enrichment" activities, a humble pile of Lego bricks is still among the most captivating and creative sorts of child's play." The facts she presents a true and well written within the text. There is still a journalistic style present throughout the article, because she is a journalist and writes in that way. Some questions I would ask Krista  Ramsey would be: Why is the majority of you writing centralized around children?, Have you always loved to write, and what about?, and Did you major to write in a newspaper, or what was your education background?.

The "Racketeer," by John Grisham; Character behavior

In the book the, "Racketeer," by John Grisham, the behavior of the protagonist, Malcolm Bannister, really stood out to be. Malcolm talked about he was just a normal guy before he was caught in a fishing net, and hauled to his prison. He was a family man, with a wife and a kid, just a innocent man making an income for his family. One thing did change though when he tried to swim through the net; his trust in the government because they were the ones fishing for them. When they sent Malcolm, along with the other fish, to an isolated life behind cast iron, he changed. He had to adapt, and he no longer trusted the government because they threw him into a plain cement mixed structure when he was innocent. Malcolm became independent, self-relying, cautious, and he adapted to life in a sardine can. When finally he jumped at the chance to get back in the water. Malcolm made a deal and he darted back into the ocean where he was free as can be, or so he thought. The government failed him again when they couldn't protect them. As of now, he only trusts himself, and no one else. He is out in the ocean alone, with plenty of water, but there are also plenty of sharks hunting for his blood. Do you agree with Malcolm changing his behavior to what it is now because he went to prison?

The "Racketeer" by John Grisham; Characters changes throughout the story

In the book the Racketeer, by John Grisham, Malcolm has gone through some change throughout the book. Malcolm is an ex-lawyer, and he has always been an intelligent person. But before he caught this lucky break, he was depressed and lonely. He didn't know how he would survive another 5 years of crawling time. Five years, that's half a deacade, 60 months, 261 weeks, 1,825 days, 43,800 hours, 2,630,000 minutes, and 158,000,000 seconds. Wow that's a long time! Malcolm, as any other person, wanted to be free; not having to worry about living in cold, dark, crampt, 8 x 12  "home". Prison is scary, and believe me, it is not a place you want to wind up. Malcolm felt like he had no hope, just him and his books alone for the next five years. Along came this case of a murdered judge, and he knew who committed the crime. He made a deal and he was free, had a new life, protection, a new car, a new house, everything. But no matter how well or how far away he was from the hunters, they kept snooping, and they found their prey. Malcolm's new life as Max Baldwin was no longer a secret, he was exposed. In the open, the worst situation to be in, he had no one to turn to. He was under government protection, but the gang hunting him still turned up rocks and found him. He couldn't trust the government anymore, they put him in prison for something he didn't do, and they promised to protect him, but he was found. Malcolm was happy when he was liberated from the dark, iron and mortar institution trapping him, isolating him from the concept of being free, freedom. He was happy to see the light of day again, and start fresh with a whole new mountain to climb. He enjoyed his new life, but the bridge of trust between him in the government began to crumble. He was no longer safe being with them. He left from under their thumb, and somewhere we he was his own man. He was independent, he no longer needed the government's leash. He felt it was better this way, but will he be safe on his own?