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Showing posts with label Advanced Level 2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Advanced Level 2. Show all posts
Friday, 24 October 2014
50 Best films about writers, ranked
Click here to read the article
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Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Lisa Bu: How books can open your mind
Do you usually read books? What kind of books do you like reading? Do you like reading books in English?
Watch the video and do the listening activity:
Then check your answers watching the video with subtitles:
Enjoy it!
Saturday, 2 February 2013
Will eBooks be the death of Traditional Books?
The stats are in and the fight is on. Overall book sales have dropped in 2008 and 2009, according to the American Association of Publishers (AAP). While adult hardcover books actually increased by over 6% in 2009, eBook sales, which account for 4% of all book sales, have increased a whopping 176%.
Are these figures telling the tale of the tape as the publishing industry struggles to regain their status as a recession proof industry? Are eBooks on their way to eliminating traditional books altogether? Or, is there another story under the front cover that is yet to be told?
Most of us love to read and most of us have our preferences for the platform we read from. What corner will you be in as the squaring off heats up? Will you be a traditionalist and stand behind the old guard, or will you sing the praises of the contender?
Are these figures telling the tale of the tape as the publishing industry struggles to regain their status as a recession proof industry? Are eBooks on their way to eliminating traditional books altogether? Or, is there another story under the front cover that is yet to be told?
Most of us love to read and most of us have our preferences for the platform we read from. What corner will you be in as the squaring off heats up? Will you be a traditionalist and stand behind the old guard, or will you sing the praises of the contender?
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Time to read
Here you are some suggestions to start reading for fun!
THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY, by Rachel Joyce. 368 pages [FICTION]
When Harold Fry nips out one morning to post a letter, leaving his wife hoovering upstairs, he has no idea that he is about to walk from one end of the country to the other. He has no hiking boots or map, let alone a compass, waterproof or mobile phone. All he knows is that he must keep walking. To save someone else’s life.
OTHER OPTIONS.-
JULIET NAKED, by Nick Hornby [HUMOUR]
Annie’s put fifteen years into safe, slightly obsessive Duncan, and now she’s like her money back, please. It’s time to move on. But she lives in Gooleness, the north’s answer to a question nobody asked. Is she really going to find real, proper, fell-it-deep-down-in-your-boots love on a damp and windy seafront? Or perhaps she should follow her heart and pursue Tucker, the reclusive American rock star, who keeps emailing her his smart advice.
But between Annie and her second chance lie a few obstacles. There’s Malcolm, the world’s most judgemental therapist, and Barnesy, the north’s most extrovert dancer. There’s what men and women will do and won’t do for love. And, of course, there’s Tucker. . .
SWEET TOOTH, by Ian McEwan. 320 pages [SPIES/ROMANCE]
Cambridge student Serena Frome’s beauty and intelligence make her the ideal recruit for MI5. The year is 1972. The Cold War is far from over. England’s legendary intelligence agency is determined to manipulate the cultural conversation by funding writers whose politics align with those of the government. The operation is code named “Sweet Tooth.”
Serena, a compulsive reader of novels, is the perfect candidate to infiltrate the literary circle of a promising young writer named Tom Haley. At first, she loves his stories. Then she begins to love the man. How long can she conceal her undercover life? To answer that question, Serena must abandon the first rule of espionage: trust no one.
THE UNCOMMON READER, by Allan Bennet. 128 pages. [HUMOUR]
The Uncommon Reader is none other than HM the Queen who becomes obsessed with books after a chance encounter with a mobile library. The story follows the consequences of this obsession for the Queen, her household and advisers, and her constitutional position.The consequence is, of course, surprising, mildly shocking and very funny.
THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY, by Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows. 256 pages [HISTORICAL FICTION]
The novel is set in 1946 and is in the form of letters, mainly to and from the central character, Juliet Ashton, a successful writer who becomes, wholly coincidentally, involved with a group of people on Guernsey who lived through the wartime German Occupation. The book has something to say about all kinds of things. Among them are friendship, suffering, forgiveness, goodness and wickedness, the resilience of humanity in desperate circumstances, how reading may influence us and the history of the Channel Islanders during the war.
EAT, PRAY, LOVE, by Elizabeth Gilbert. 384 pages. [CHICK-LIT]
A married woman realizes how unhappy her marriage really is, and that her life needs to go in a different direction. After a painful divorce, she takes off on a round-the-world journey to “find herself”.
YOUTUBE BOOK REVIEW
ME BEFORE YOU, by Jojo Moyes. 528 pages. [DRAMA/ROMANCE]
Me Before You is a beautiful book. It is hugely funny and incredibly sad. It is the kind of book which stays with you, which makes you feel like you can do anything and be anyone – and you should. You should live your life to the fullest. Just read the book, you’ll understand.
YOUTUBE BOOK REVIEW
ONE DAY, by David Nicholls. 448 pages. [CHICK-LIT]
15th July 1988. Emma and Dexter meet for the first time on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways. So where will they be on this one day next year? And the year after that? And every year that follows?
Twenty years, two people, ONE DAY.
Twenty years, two people, ONE DAY.
THE THIRTEENTH TALE, by Diane Setterfield. 480 pages. [MYSTERY]
The Thirteenth Tale is a gothic suspense novel published in 2006.Vida Winter, a famous novelist in England, has never been forthcoming when it comes to her past. Her entire life is a secret, and for fifty years reporters and biographers have attempted to discover the truth. With her health quickly fading, Ms. Winter enlists a bookish amateur biographer named Margaret Lea to bear witness to the tragic story of the Angelfield family, their eccentric beginnings as well as their demise. Margaret, who has family secrets of her own, must unravel the mysteries of the past in order to reconcile not only Miss Winter with her ghosts, but also Margaret with her own.
THE LITTLE STRANGER, by Sarah Waters. 512 pages. [GHOST STORY]
The Little Stranger is a 2009 gothic novel written by Sarah Waters. It is a ghost story set in a dilapidated mansion in Warwickshire, England in the 1940s., Waters’ fifth novel features a male narrator, a country doctor who makes friends with a family with faded fortunes left simply with a very old estate that is crumbling around them. The stress of reconciling the state of their finances with the familial responsibility of keeping the estate coincides with perplexing events that drives one to be committed to a mental institution, and kills two more.
THE BOOK THIEF, by Markus Zusak. 560 pages. [HISTORICAL FICTION]
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak was the best-selling debut literary novel of the year 2007, selling over 400,000 copies.
Nine-year-old Liesel lives with her foster family on Himmel Street during the dark days of the Third Reich. Her Communist parents have been transported to a concentration camp, and during the funeral for her brother, she manages to steal a macabre book: it is, in fact, a gravediggers’ instruction manual. This is the first of many books which will pass through her hands as the carnage of the Second World War begins to hungrily claim lives. Both Liesel and her fellow inhabitants of Himmel Street will find themselves changed by both words on the printed page and the horrendous events happening around them.
DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY, by P. D. James. 352 pages. [MYSTERY]
The year is 1803, and Darcy and Elizabeth have been married for six years. There are now two handsome and healthy sons in the nursery, Elizabeth’s beloved sister Jane and her husband Bingley live nearby and the orderly world of Pemberley seems unassailable. But all this is threatened when, on the eve of the annual autumn ball, as the guests are preparing to retire for the night a chaise appears, rocking down the path from Pemberley’s wild woodland. As it pulls up, Lydia Wickham – Elizabeth’s younger, unreliable sister – stumbles out screaming that her husband has been murdered.
Inspired by a lifelong passion for the work of Jane Austen, P. D. James masterfully recreates the world of Pride and Prejudice, and combines it with the excitement and suspense of a brilliantly-crafted crime story. Death Comes to Pemberley is a distinguished work of fiction, from one of the best-loved, most- read writers of our time.
THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, by Deborah Moggach.304 pages. [HUMOUR]
Enticed by advertisements for a newly restored palatial hotel and filled with visions of a life of leisure, good weather and mango juice in their gin, a group of very different people leave England to begin a new life in India. On arrival they are dismayed to find the palace is a shell of its former self, the staff more than a little eccentric, and the days of the Raj long gone. But, as they soon discover, life and love can begin again, even in the most unexpected circumstances.
Pick your choice and enjoy your reading! Remember good sites to buy original books arewww.thebookdepository.com with good prices and free delivery to your door, orwww.amazon.co.uk where you can also find second-hand books although you’ll have to add up VAT and posting charges. You also have the Spanish version www.amazon.es
This is a totally safe way of shopping, I use it all the time, you have a choice between paperback and hardback hence the difference in price. It depends on your budget and preferences. However remember they will add VAT and posting so it is worth ordering with other classmates to share the post cost.
Source: EOI Elx
Tuesday, 22 January 2013
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Books and Authors
You can download the podcasts which are available indefinitely. Click here.
Saturday, 12 January 2013
Book Review 1
If you are ever asked about a film/book, you would certainly recommend it or not depending on how much you liked it. Find below some interesting expressions to give your opinion in just one word:
Fascinating! Far-fetched! Brilliant! Gripping!
Moving! What a bore! Entertaining! Funny!
Exciting! So-so! Worst film/book ever!
Second-rate! Readable Hilarious! Wishy-washy!
The best movie/book ever! Thrilling!
Frightening! Awesome! Crappy! Fantastic!
A masterpiece! Outstanding! Amazing! Shocking!
Thumbs up! A must read! Not my cup of tea!
Just alright! Poor! Dreadful!
When giving details about a book, we must include key information. A good review should include:
- The setting—where does the story take place? Is it a real place or an imaginary one?
- The time period—is the story set in the present day or in an earlier time period? Perhaps it is even set in the future! Let your reader know.
- The main character(s)—who is the story mostly about? Give a brief description. Which is your favorite character?
- The plot—what happens to the main character? WARNING! Be careful here. Do not fall into the boring trap of reporting every single thing that happens in the story. Just summarize the basics. In this particular book review we are far more interested in your opinions than in a rewrite of the plot, so keep it simple.
- Your opinion. Once you have described the basics the book, you can tell what you think about it. Some questions you might want to answer are:
- Did you like the story? Why or why not?
- What was the best part of the book? Why? And the worst?
- How did the story make you feel? Did you feel different things at different points in the story?
- Would you change the end or any other part of the story?
- Would you recommend it to friends? Why (not)?
- Would you read other books by this author?
Check this INTERESTING handout to boost your reviews.
Thursday, 27 December 2012
Hear The 2012 National Book Award Nominees
Publishers, reporters and authors gathered Tuesday at the New School in New York City to celebrate this year's exceptional nominees for the National Book Awards. In advance of the awards on Wednesday night, NPR recorded the 10 nominated authors for fiction and nonfiction reading from their works.
These 10 books — which tell the stories of a young drug smuggler, lovable philanderers, holograms in the Saudi desert, and more — inspired, informed and entertained readers in 2012.
Hear two winners — Louise Erdrich and Katherine Boo — and eight finalists as they read from some of the year's best books.
Listen here.
The top titles of 2012
BOOKS OF THE YEAR: ANNA CAREY asks writers, poets, historians, comedians, politicians, broadcasters, an editor and a bookshop owner to nominate their favourites.
Read more here.
Read more here.
Thursday, 18 October 2012
Night Waves: a radio programme
Anne McElvoy talks to novelist and film director Paul Auster whose new memoir "Winter Journal" is a follow up to his 1982 acclaimed early account The Invention of Solitude. Click here (min. 0 - 13.25)
How to write a short book review
First make a list:
1. Title
2. Author
3. Date
of publication
4. Genre
(fiction, science fiction, history, non-fiction, etc,…)
5. Describe
the Book:
Give an overall view of the book without giving away the outcome. You should include quotes or scenes from the book that you think are representative of the quality (or lack of quality) of the book.
Give an overall view of the book without giving away the outcome. You should include quotes or scenes from the book that you think are representative of the quality (or lack of quality) of the book.
6. Evaluate
the Book:
Give your opinion of the book. You can support your opinion with details from the book. You can compare it to other books you've read that are similar. Tell your classmates why they should or should not read the book. If it will help you, provide a rating system on a ten-point scale.
Give your opinion of the book. You can support your opinion with details from the book. You can compare it to other books you've read that are similar. Tell your classmates why they should or should not read the book. If it will help you, provide a rating system on a ten-point scale.
SAMPLE 1
Genre: Fiction/ThrillerTitle: Down to the Needle
AUTHOR: Mary Deal
It has been twenty-three years since five-year-old Becky was kidnapped. Abigail “Abi” Fisher is just as diligent today as she was on the first day in trying to find and reunite with her daughter. Abi looks at every young woman who crosses her path and wonders, “Is that Becky?”
Abi’s heart continues to celebrate, yet also break, as every missing child and every homeless young woman is identified or found, and is not her daughter. Five years ago, Abi met Joe. The two clicked almost instantly and they keep each other balanced through the emotional roller coaster that each deals with in life. Just as Abi’s interest piques with a woman on death row, Joe becomes distracted with someone from his past. Abi struggles with pursuing her newest lead that may bring her to her long-lost daughter while supporting Joe in his need for discovery, too.
The author has created a protagonist that any parent, or anyone who cares about children, can identify with. The need to protect a child is overwhelming, and the character of Abigail has lived with the guilt of not being able to do that for the past two decades. Readers will quickly empathize with Abi’s wholehearted desire to find a positive resolution – a reunion with her daughter – especially as the time for the quest seems to have a deadline. The tightly woven plot lines combine with the fast-moving action to keep the reader on the edge of her seat.
Mary Deal is retired and living in Hawaii. She spends a most of her time writing, but ventures out to the beach every now and then. Along with her passion for writing, she enjoys oil painting and photography. She has four published suspense/thriller novels and is working on more. Her third novel, River Bones, won the Eric Hoffer Book Awards competition. She has also published short stories and poetry in various magazines and anthologies.
I find the title appealing since the pacing and tension has the reader hoping for answers along with the protagonist right down to the needle. Will there be a positive resolution before lethal injection is administered? Make sure you have time to read, because once you start, it’s hard to stop. Down to the Needle is a great read.
My score (out of 10): 8 (Very good).
SAMPLE 2
Title: A Thousand Splendid Suns
Author: Khaled Hosseini
This is a very moving story that makes you feel sad from the beginning.Though it isn’t a true story, the author describes in detail the daily life for,perhaps, the worst twenty years of the history of Afghanistan, when theircitizens had to suffer violence, misery and different kinds of repressivepoliticians, such as the Taliban. Mariam and Laila’s story could have been thestory of a lot of Afghan women, who were forced to put up, not only with war,but also with the tyranny of their husbands as well as with the intolerant rules of the corrupted governments.
Hosseini has followed his debut novel with another work of strong storytelling and engaging characters. The story pulses with life. Khaled Hosseini is simply a marvelously moving storyteller.
My score (out of 10): 10 (Excellent!)
SAMPLE 3
Title: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Author: Roald Dahl
Review: This story is about a boy called Charlie Bucket. He lived with parents and grandparents in a small wooden house on the edge of a great town. The ‘Buckets’ were very poor and Charlie never got enough to eat so he was always hungry – and he was always dreaming about his favourite food – chocolate! In the middle of the town there was a famous Chocolate factory owned by Mr. Willy Wonka, the greatest inventor and chocolate maker in the world. Charlie’s greatest wish was to get inside that factory and eat the wonderful chocolate. His wish finally comes true – but many strange and surprising things happen once he is inside.
You will have to read the story to find out more about this great book.
My score (out of 10): 9 (Excellent!)
LANGUAGE SUPPORT
Sample sentences you can use for your review.
This story is about …
There are (two) main characters in this story, …
I think this is a great/worthwhile/funny/strange book because …
A lot of interesting/weird/exciting things happen in this story.
It is easy/impossible to guess the ending of this story because …
At first the reader thinks … but later we find out that …
This story has a sad/happy/confusing ending because …
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