After the opening chapters

"So things were ticking along quite nicely..."

To be honest , I feel a little awkward after reading the opening chapters. Eventhough the book is easy to read and the main character is almost the same age, he seems pretty weird. The story is told by Sam himself. I was right into his confusing thoughts about his life .He introduces himself as a boy who loves skating,but he often changes the dates and at first I didn't really know where the story was heading to. He also got an odd habit . He's talking to a poster of Tony Hawk(T.H.),who's in Sam's opinion the most famous skater in the world.Sam read his autobiography over 40 times and now Tony's talking to him . But only with the words which were used in his book, so the things Tony's saying aren't much helpful. But he's still very important because I think he's kind of a male role model. A replacement for his father who's not living with him. He has no male person he can look up to in his life, so he just starts to create his own role model, that gives him advices and helps him through tricky situations. Everything cleared up a little in the second chapter . Sam talks about his parents, about the guys he's skating with, then he starts talking about the evening he met Aliciaand how they started dating the next day , but not only dating...In the next chapter everything's about them. How they love each other and that they try to spend every second together .I think that every teenager ,including myself, can relate to the second and third chapter.It's about the first time in love, having a relationship, growing up and all the problems that comes with it.

Tony Hawk

Poem

Good morning, on July 7

Though still in bed, my thoughts go out to you, my Immortal Beloved, now and then joyfully, then sadly, waiting to learn whether or not fate will hear us - I can live only wholly with you or not at all - Yes, I am resolved to wander so long away from you until I can fly to your arms and say that I am really at home with you, and can send my soul enwrapped in you into the land of spirits - Yes, unhappily it must be so - You will be the more contained since you know my fidelity to you. No one else can ever possess my heart - never - never - Oh God, why must one be parted from one whom one so loves. And yet my life in V is now a wretched life - Your love makes me at once the happiest and the unhappiest of men - At my age I need a steady, quiet life - can that be so in our connection? My angel, I have just been told that the mail coach goes every day - therefore I must close at once so that you may receive the letter at once - Be calm, only by a calm consideration of our existence can we achieve our purpose to live together - Be calm - love me - today - yesterday - what tearful longings for you - you - you - my life - my all - farewell. Oh continue to love me - never misjudge the most faithful heart of your beloved.

Ever thine
ever mine
ever ours
(Ludwig Beethoven, Beethoven's Immortal Beloved Letters,

First entry

First impression

Interview with Nick Hornby about "Slam"

I'm actually quite excited about reading the book "Slam" by Nick Hornby, because the cover is very interesting designed. The short introduction on the back of the book suggests that the main character , a 16 year old boy named Sam , lives an ordinary life . His mom just dumped her boyfriend and Sam fell in love with this girl called Alicia. He's doing fine until some accident happens. This accident is probably the reason why the book is called "Slam" . The word slam stands for something that happens intense and with a lot of noise. So I expect the book to be entertaining and lifelike. With problems every teenager can relate to e.g. school, divorced partens,having a relationship,etc. Since the book is written by Nick Hornby, I suggest that it'll keep up to my expectations. I've seen the movie "about a boy",whose originally was written by Nick Hornby, and I like the way that the story was told. I also hope that reading the book improves my writing skills. This book isn't the first novel I've read in English.My favorite books in English are the " Twilight Saga" by Stephenie Meyer. In my opinion it doesn't matter whether a book is in English or German as long as I like its content and the way its written. I think studying texts in classroom has advantages but also disadvantages. I like it because I deal with the book more than I would do on my own. I get to know what my classmates think about the book and I often recognize other aspects because of their impressions. On the other hand I think that we waste to much time on talking about a book. After 5 -6 times it becomes an aweful bore.