The agreement quiz is coming this week. No doubt about it. How ready will you be? We'll try a different approach tomorrow in an attempt to make sure we really understand it. Hopefully it works.
Gotta be honest. The presentations have not been very good. You have offered thin, unsupported, cursory responses to the prompts which you have had plenty of time to prepare for. You need to take responsibility for your role in your group. Be the best that you can be. Check out the rubric again.
Are you offering intelligent discussion?
Are you being thorough and clear?
Are you supporting what you say with evidence from the text?
Are you offering context to be sure your discussion is understood?
Are you being passionate in your presentation?
Are you as prepared as you can be?
Tomorrow's presentations will go a long way to deciding the next step we take.
We'll be jetting off in a new direction very soon. Time for a bit of nonfiction.
See you tomorrow.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Enriched 11-05-2012
Congratulations to Peter Rutkowski, Jason Bao, Nate Mark, and Garrett Wolfram on an excellent presentation during period one today. The information they shared was insightful and organized. The highlights were the specific examples they used to construct the connections between Stroud's fantasy world and our own real world. Tremendous research and thorough development. Everyone was involved. You even wrapped it up well at the end. Great job going above and beyond, men.
The bar has been set. The challenge is out there. What are you going to do to make sure your presentation is as strong and clear and thorough as it needs to be?
You completed a quick 15 minute writing assignment today where you interpreted a quote using "HB" as support. I've only looked at a dozen so far but Ava Khan definitely nailed it. What terrific insight she offered into how Barry Goldwater's quote on equality was evident in the text of "HB". I'm looking forward to checking out the rest.
Tomorrow I'll be giving you an assignment on irony. We found some examples in our "Harrison Bergeron"story, and now I want you to locate an example on your own. This will be in the form of our juxtaposition/parallel structure/cohesive writing assignments. Ten points. More to come tomorrow.
We'll have an agreement quiz this week. That means we'll spend a bit of time tomorrow working on agreement errors again. Perhaps this time we'll try a different approach. Hmmm... my mind is racing with an idea.
We'll also start reading a story from our text books tomorrow. I wonder if you'll be able to see the connection it has to "HB".
Remind me tomorrow that we have to file our C.A.P. papers and reflections (if you haven't already done so).
Isabella, I think I found it. Imaginat10n!
Here's an Archer card challenge. I heard about this on NPR over the weekend. I thought it was funny and creative. The Washington Post presented its readers with a challenge. Take any word. Change, add, or subtract one letter in the word. Give the new word a definition. Sound simple enough? Here are a couple examples.
sarcasm becomes sarchasm
definition- the gap between a person who uses sarcasm and the ability of the audience to grasp it.
reincarnation becomes reintarnation
definition-when a person dies and is reborn as a hillbilly
Dopler becomes dopeler
definition-the tendency for stupid ideas to sound smarter the faster they are coming at you
Take a couple of days and see what you can come up with. Create one or two on your own, type it up nice and I'll sign your Archer card for each one. Work with a friend. I'll sign for both of you. They need to be original. Check out this link for more examples. Have fun.
See you tomorrow.
The bar has been set. The challenge is out there. What are you going to do to make sure your presentation is as strong and clear and thorough as it needs to be?
You completed a quick 15 minute writing assignment today where you interpreted a quote using "HB" as support. I've only looked at a dozen so far but Ava Khan definitely nailed it. What terrific insight she offered into how Barry Goldwater's quote on equality was evident in the text of "HB". I'm looking forward to checking out the rest.
Tomorrow I'll be giving you an assignment on irony. We found some examples in our "Harrison Bergeron"story, and now I want you to locate an example on your own. This will be in the form of our juxtaposition/parallel structure/cohesive writing assignments. Ten points. More to come tomorrow.
We'll have an agreement quiz this week. That means we'll spend a bit of time tomorrow working on agreement errors again. Perhaps this time we'll try a different approach. Hmmm... my mind is racing with an idea.
We'll also start reading a story from our text books tomorrow. I wonder if you'll be able to see the connection it has to "HB".
Remind me tomorrow that we have to file our C.A.P. papers and reflections (if you haven't already done so).
Isabella, I think I found it. Imaginat10n!
Here's an Archer card challenge. I heard about this on NPR over the weekend. I thought it was funny and creative. The Washington Post presented its readers with a challenge. Take any word. Change, add, or subtract one letter in the word. Give the new word a definition. Sound simple enough? Here are a couple examples.
sarcasm becomes sarchasm
definition- the gap between a person who uses sarcasm and the ability of the audience to grasp it.
reincarnation becomes reintarnation
definition-when a person dies and is reborn as a hillbilly
Dopler becomes dopeler
definition-the tendency for stupid ideas to sound smarter the faster they are coming at you
Take a couple of days and see what you can come up with. Create one or two on your own, type it up nice and I'll sign your Archer card for each one. Work with a friend. I'll sign for both of you. They need to be original. Check out this link for more examples. Have fun.
See you tomorrow.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Standard 11-04-2012
The weekend is nearing its end, and, if you are like me, you can't wait for school to start tomorrow. Unfortunately, we still have almost fifteen hours before we need to be at school. What to do until then...
Well, if you haven't presented your book yet, you could be polishing that up. We had the chance to see a couple presentations last Friday, and while there were some bright spots, overall, there was a lack of passion and an inconsistent use of specific textual details. The discussion also lacked the depth necessary to be completely successful. Since we have all seen two presentations and been a part of an analysis of their strengths and weaknesses, my expectations for the groups who will be presenting this week have been raised.
I'll be collecting the books from you once you have completed your presentations. We will head off in a new direction this week with a stronger focus on nonfiction reading and writing. Remember that I promised an agreement quiz sometime this week. Don't worry, I won't let you down by forgetting. There is also a rumor of some practice Acuity performance tasks coming our way.
So much fun. I can't wait to get started. I'll see you tomorrow.
Well, if you haven't presented your book yet, you could be polishing that up. We had the chance to see a couple presentations last Friday, and while there were some bright spots, overall, there was a lack of passion and an inconsistent use of specific textual details. The discussion also lacked the depth necessary to be completely successful. Since we have all seen two presentations and been a part of an analysis of their strengths and weaknesses, my expectations for the groups who will be presenting this week have been raised.
I'll be collecting the books from you once you have completed your presentations. We will head off in a new direction this week with a stronger focus on nonfiction reading and writing. Remember that I promised an agreement quiz sometime this week. Don't worry, I won't let you down by forgetting. There is also a rumor of some practice Acuity performance tasks coming our way.
So much fun. I can't wait to get started. I'll see you tomorrow.
Enriched 11-04-2012
I can tell by the emails that people have been putting the finishing touches on their presentations. Responses to a few of the more common questions are as follows.
Yes, you can use notecards, but remember that they are NOTE cards not sentence cards or paragraph cards. You should use them as reminders of ideas you wish to discuss but not as pieces of paper to read from.
A works cited should be included for information you accessed from the web and included in your Prezi; however, since I did not stress it to you myself, it will be considered more of a highly recommended suggestion instead of a requirement. Kudos to those who have asked or who have automatically included one. The rewards will be yours.
Remember, we'll be looking for intelligent discussions, multiple examples, creative presentations, thoughtful organization, equal involvement, and PASSION!
We'll start tomorrow, but not before we spend the first fifteen minutes giving you a chance to complete the writing we didn't have time for last Friday. You need to choose one of the three quotes listed on the 11-01-2012 blog. You need to discuss and interpret the quote using "Harrison Bergeron" as your sole source of support for your interpretation. The writings will be assessed on your ability to organize and develop your ideas in a clear, concise manner. 20 points.
Another crazy week ahead of us. I miss Wednesday morning and all day Thursday for language arts meetings. We supposedly have a practice Acuity performance task we'll be starting followed up by a
official Acuity performance task. We'll also be moving beyond "Harrison Bergeron" and into other related areas. There will be an irony assignment coming your way. Oh, and don't forget that agreement quiz I promised. I sure won't. On top of all that we still have our presentations that will take a few days to get through.
Enjoy the last few hours of your weekend. Sleep well tonight. I'll see you tomorrow.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Standard 11-01-2012
Tomorrow is the day. Our book group presentations will take flight. I want you all soaring to presentation nirvana. We had a good look today at what is expected out of your talks. I want to thank the Speak group in period three and the Someone Like You group in period four for helping us to prepare. I think it was time well spent. Tonight, you should be putting the finishing touches on all your responses. I have tremendous faith in you. Success is within your grasp. Go grab it!
See you tomorrrow.
See you tomorrrow.
Enriched 11-01-2012
It's late, so I'll be quick.
Today we spent a good amount of time prepping for our presentations that will begin next Monday. Since you have the extra weekend days to perfect your presentations, I'm expecting insightfully prepared and passionately shared analyses from every one of you. Keep checking out the A expectations on that rubric to remind yourselves what you need to accomplish.
Happy HB! Tomorrow will be a "Harrison Bergeron" day! All Harrison. All hour. I know, I can't wait either. We'll be looking at Vonnegut's views and purpose. "Harrison"'s vocabulary and theme. Examples of irony and symbolism. A couple other surprises and these quotes:
"If liberty and equality are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in government to the utmost." Aristotle
"Equality, rightly understood as our founding fathers understood it, leads to liberty and to the emancipation of creative differences; wrongly understood, as it has been so tragically in our time, it leads to conformity and then to despotism." Barry Goldwater
"Equality may perhaps be a right, but no power on earth can ever turn it into a fact."
Honore de Balzac
Here's a thought. At the end of class tomorrow, say the last fifteen minutes, we might be doing an in class writing asking you to discuss one of those three quotes using "Harrison Bergeron" as your supporting text.
Gotta fly. Be good. See you tomorrow.
Today we spent a good amount of time prepping for our presentations that will begin next Monday. Since you have the extra weekend days to perfect your presentations, I'm expecting insightfully prepared and passionately shared analyses from every one of you. Keep checking out the A expectations on that rubric to remind yourselves what you need to accomplish.
Happy HB! Tomorrow will be a "Harrison Bergeron" day! All Harrison. All hour. I know, I can't wait either. We'll be looking at Vonnegut's views and purpose. "Harrison"'s vocabulary and theme. Examples of irony and symbolism. A couple other surprises and these quotes:
"If liberty and equality are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in government to the utmost." Aristotle
"Equality, rightly understood as our founding fathers understood it, leads to liberty and to the emancipation of creative differences; wrongly understood, as it has been so tragically in our time, it leads to conformity and then to despotism." Barry Goldwater
"Equality may perhaps be a right, but no power on earth can ever turn it into a fact."
Honore de Balzac
Here's a thought. At the end of class tomorrow, say the last fifteen minutes, we might be doing an in class writing asking you to discuss one of those three quotes using "Harrison Bergeron" as your supporting text.
Gotta fly. Be good. See you tomorrow.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Standard 10-31-2012
Happy Halloween! I hope your bags are loaded with candy and your insides are filled with hot cocoa. If you braved the weather to trick-or-treat, you're undoubtedly a bit chilled at this point.
But let's get to the point of this blog: your book group presentations. We have our volunteer groups lined up for tomorrow. Period three will hear a bit on Speak and period four will hear from one of the Someone Like You groups. We will be analyzing how well they present their information and discussing ways they can improve. We will all benefit from this. After they present, I will offer time to the groups to practice and prepare for Friday, our first day of presentations. Here's a glance at the rubric so that you are sure what you need to do.
You received your papers back today and typed up your reflections. We'll staple those to the papers tomorrow, and you can then file them in your folders. If you decide to rewrite your paper, make an appointment to come and see me. Be prepared to tell me what you will do to improve the paper. Don't come see me unless you have ideas written down. See me no later than next Wednesday. The grade will be recorded on the first quarter report card.
Enjoy the evening. Don't eat too much candy. See you tomorrow.
But let's get to the point of this blog: your book group presentations. We have our volunteer groups lined up for tomorrow. Period three will hear a bit on Speak and period four will hear from one of the Someone Like You groups. We will be analyzing how well they present their information and discussing ways they can improve. We will all benefit from this. After they present, I will offer time to the groups to practice and prepare for Friday, our first day of presentations. Here's a glance at the rubric so that you are sure what you need to do.
An A presentation will:
have everyone equally involved for each question
be presented in a smooth, planned, organized fashion with no repetition
offer intelligent discussion that is thorough, clear, and supported
increase our awareness of and interest in the book
be passionately presented
not give away key details or the ending (fiction books only)
not involve winging it except spontaneous positive additions
A B presentation will:
have almost everyone equally involved
be pretty well planned out and presented in a mostly smooth, organized fashion
offer good discussion that’s fairly thorough, mostly clear, and usually supported
inform us about the book
be presented with some enthusiasm
keep most of the key details and the ending vague
not involve any winging it
A C presentation will:
have an emphasis on two or three group members
have an inconsistent plan and a rocky presentation
offer discussion that is at times surface-oriented, muddled, and unsupported
generate more questions than answers about the book
lack anything beyond blips of passion and enthusiasm
give away a couple key points to the story
exhibit some winging it; should have done more specific preparation
A D presentation will:
mostly be conducted by one group member
have no clear plan of production and too many stops, pauses, and
I-don’t-know-what-to-do-next moments
offer vague, simplistic, unsupported discussion
give us no idea what the book is about and convince us that you
didn’t read the book (and we shouldn’t either)
not even have the blips of passion and enthusiasm
tell us what you shouldn’t have told us about what happened in the story/ending
be almost completely made up on the spot
You received your papers back today and typed up your reflections. We'll staple those to the papers tomorrow, and you can then file them in your folders. If you decide to rewrite your paper, make an appointment to come and see me. Be prepared to tell me what you will do to improve the paper. Don't come see me unless you have ideas written down. See me no later than next Wednesday. The grade will be recorded on the first quarter report card.
Enjoy the evening. Don't eat too much candy. See you tomorrow.
Enriched 10-31-2012
I'm sure that as I write this many of you are outside freezing, begging for candy on this annual celebration of All Hallows' Eve. I am toasty warm and dreaming of the amazing presentations we will soon be witnessing in class. Let's talk a bit about those. You will have time in class tomorrow to put some finishing touches on them. Unfortunately, the mobile computer lab is leaving us a day earlier than initially anticipated. While we won't have access to those laptops, please feel free to bring any of your electronic devices (with your parents' permission, of course) that you think might help you prepare for your group's presentation. Our goal will be to start the presentations on Friday. While the work I saw period one engaging in on Tuesday was inspiring, certain groups in periods five and six had me a bit nervous. As usual, I'm expecting high quality, insightful work that leads to strong presentations. Here is another look at the assessment sheet just to drive home my point.
Read that A presentation carefully.
We did some good work with "Harrison Bergeron" and Kurt Vonnegut today, but didn't complete our discussion. Our emphasis tomorrow will be on the presentations; however, if time permits, we will return to KV and "HB". A few items to consider:
What is Vonnegut's stand on equality? Should communism be a focus of our discussions?
What is his stand on the power of the government? Too much? Too little? Just right?
What are his views on the power of the people?
Why is the death of Harrison Bergeron interpreted differently than the deaths of Prince Prospero and T. Sean's client?
Can you explain how the piece is satirical?
I also want you to start considering the role irony plays in the story. Plenty there.
I tell you, the story is loaded. It's too bad that our discussion has been so disjointed due to testing, days off, and other activities. Don't worry, while we won't abandon "Harrison", we'll get into some new material next week.
Enjoy the evening. Don't eat too much candy. See you tomorrow.
Book Group Presentation Assessment Rubric
Group Members________________________________________________________________________________
Book Title_____________________________________________________________________________________
Method of Presentation__________________________________________________________________________
An A presentation will:
intelligently discuss the ways the author used fantasy to comment on humanity/society
offer multiple examples from the text to support the claims of the group
creatively present the information being shared in a polished format
passionately and enthusiastically share the information to heighten our interest
demonstrate careful planning and thoughtful organization
be presented equally by each member of the group
A B presentation will:
discuss the ways the author used fantasy to comment on humanity/society
offer some examples from the text to help support the claims of the group
present the information being shared with some creativity and polish
heighten our interest in the information being shared with some passion and enthusiasm
display signs of some careful planning and thoughtful organization
incorporate each group member significantly, but not equally, in the presentation
A C presentation will:
hint or suggest at ways the author used fantasy to comment on humanity/society
offer an example or two from the text that might be used to support the claims of the group
present the information being shared with more silliness than creativity; more abrasion than polish
generate some interest in the information being shared with blips of passion and enthusiasm
be aided by more careful planning and thoughtful organization
have a discernible difference in the ways group members participate
A D presentation will:
fall short of clearly sharing ways the author used fantasy to comment on humanity/society
not be able to support the claims of the group with valid textual evidence
lose the purpose of the information being shared in silliness
lack any attempt at passion or enthusiasm
have forgotten to plan or organize
have an obvious difference in the ways group members participate
Score ___________
40 Read that A presentation carefully.
We did some good work with "Harrison Bergeron" and Kurt Vonnegut today, but didn't complete our discussion. Our emphasis tomorrow will be on the presentations; however, if time permits, we will return to KV and "HB". A few items to consider:
What is Vonnegut's stand on equality? Should communism be a focus of our discussions?
What is his stand on the power of the government? Too much? Too little? Just right?
What are his views on the power of the people?
Why is the death of Harrison Bergeron interpreted differently than the deaths of Prince Prospero and T. Sean's client?
Can you explain how the piece is satirical?
I also want you to start considering the role irony plays in the story. Plenty there.
I tell you, the story is loaded. It's too bad that our discussion has been so disjointed due to testing, days off, and other activities. Don't worry, while we won't abandon "Harrison", we'll get into some new material next week.
Enjoy the evening. Don't eat too much candy. See you tomorrow.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Standard 10-30-2012
What a great day! Of course, what else would you call a day where you get to take an Acuity test (aside from the norm)? Anyway, with the pretest for quarter two under our belts (see that agreement?), we'll soon have a good idea where we need to focus our attentions this quarter. I'll keep you posted.
Speaking of posted, I posted the 2nd quarter critical common core standards today. Many of the standards from the first quarter remain but a close look at the top of the will reveal a stronger emphasis on informational texts. Get ready for some non-fiction.
For now, though, we'll be finishing up our fiction work with our book talks. You will see a practice talk tomorrow--at least one question's worth--and then have a chance to sharpen your presentation skills as well. You see, we'll discuss it thoroughly, breaking down what worked well and what didn't really pan out. That way there will be no surprises when you present yourself. The assessment rubric you'll receive tomorrow should help with the expectations as well. Will your group be the one to volunteer? You'll be helping yourself and the rest of the class. See me if you are interested. First come, first serve.
I'll also pass back the papers tomorrow. We'll share some of the better ones, so that you understand what generated a successful piece. After our discussion, you'll be asked to type a reflection on the writing. One good paragraph on each of the following prompts.
What did you do well in this piece of writing? Be specific.
What do you need to work on in this piece of writing? Be specific.
What are you going to do differently next time to be sure you are as successful as you could be? Be specific.
With our computers handy, we might be able to type those reflections in class and print them off as well. We'll see.
I'm going to cut and paste something from the enriched blog because I want to share it with you as well. I started reading this great book over the weekend called The Twelve. Well, here's what I wrote for the enriched blog...
Speaking of posted, I posted the 2nd quarter critical common core standards today. Many of the standards from the first quarter remain but a close look at the top of the will reveal a stronger emphasis on informational texts. Get ready for some non-fiction.
For now, though, we'll be finishing up our fiction work with our book talks. You will see a practice talk tomorrow--at least one question's worth--and then have a chance to sharpen your presentation skills as well. You see, we'll discuss it thoroughly, breaking down what worked well and what didn't really pan out. That way there will be no surprises when you present yourself. The assessment rubric you'll receive tomorrow should help with the expectations as well. Will your group be the one to volunteer? You'll be helping yourself and the rest of the class. See me if you are interested. First come, first serve.
I'll also pass back the papers tomorrow. We'll share some of the better ones, so that you understand what generated a successful piece. After our discussion, you'll be asked to type a reflection on the writing. One good paragraph on each of the following prompts.
What did you do well in this piece of writing? Be specific.
What do you need to work on in this piece of writing? Be specific.
What are you going to do differently next time to be sure you are as successful as you could be? Be specific.
With our computers handy, we might be able to type those reflections in class and print them off as well. We'll see.
I'm going to cut and paste something from the enriched blog because I want to share it with you as well. I started reading this great book over the weekend called The Twelve. Well, here's what I wrote for the enriched blog...
One final thing that I'm going to use as my excuse for not blogging over the weekend. I received a book on Friday night that I used every non-spoken-for minute reading. It's called The Twelve by Justin Cronin. It's the long-awaited sequel to Cronin's world wide bestseller The Passage, a book that will have you leaving the lights on at night. The setting is a post-apocalyptic world that has been overun by vampire like creatures called virals that were created by a governmental biological weapons experiment gone very wrong. These virals are mean, vicious, blood-thirsty creatures who move in pods at amazing speeds. They attack humans hard. They attack humans fast. They leave behind a horrific mess. The heart of the book takes place about 100 years after the disaster started to take hold. There are several heroes, mostly out of necessity, since Cronin has few qualms about killing off characters he has spent time fleshing out. Cronin does a fantastic job of making us care about each character--even the less virtuous ones. I loved the first book, and the sequel has picked up right where the original left off. This is a trilogy and I can tell I'll be waiting impatiently for the third book due out in 2014.
Here's a link to the text. Watch the video, short but engaging.
If you're interested in finding out more, just ask me or do some digging on that link above. Archer card signatures if you tell me the last line in the short video.
See you tomorrow.
Enriched 10-30-2012
After a long, relaxing weekend, it was great to come back to school for a little Acuity testing. Okay, maybe not, but the Acuity pretest is an important step in understanding where we will be placing our focus for the second quarter. We'll get the results soon and start shaping the curriculum.
Tomorrow we will be discussing the author's perspective of "Harrison Bergeron". Two questions I want you to consider are listed below.
What is Vonnegut's purpose for writing this story?
Based on this story, what do you believe Vonnegut's views are?
These questions will help us uncover theme and motivation while potentially generating some insight into Kurt Vonnegut and the story itself. Be prepared to discuss, defend, and debate.
Since we have those computers in the class for at least one more day, we'll also spend some time prepping for our book group presentations. I hope to start those on Thursday--yes, two days from now. Better be working on those at home as well as in the class. I'll give you a rubric tomorrow to clarify the assessment expectations.
One final thing that I'm going to use as my excuse for not blogging over the weekend. I received a book on Friday night that I used every non-spoken-for minute reading. It's called The Twelve by Justin Cronin. It's the long-awaited sequel to Cronin's world wide bestseller The Passage, a book that will have you leaving the lights on at night. The setting is a post-apocalyptic world that has been overun by vampire like creatures called virals that were created by a governmental biological weapons experiment gone very wrong. These virals are mean, vicious, blood-thirsty creatures who move in pods at amazing speeds. They attack humans hard. They attack humans fast. They leave behind a horrific mess. The heart of the book takes place about 100 years after the disaster started to take hold. There are several heroes, mostly out of necessity, since Cronin has few qualms about killing off characters he has spent time fleshing out. Cronin does a fantastic job of making us care about each character--even the less virtuous ones. I loved the first book, and the sequel has picked up right where the original left off. This is a trilogy and I can tell I'll be waiting impatiently for the third book due out in 2014.
Here's a link to the text. Watch the video, short but engaging.
Now, I don't want you to think that all I read are violent, blood-filled books ("The Masque of the Red Death"; World War Z; The Passage; The Twelve). You'll actually be reading quite the variety as we move forward. But if you have time (The Passage = 800+ pages; The Twelve = 550+ pages) you could do a lot worse than these two end of the world books that make the "ordinary world disappear" (Stephen King). Archer card signatures if you tell me the last line in the video on the link.
Tomorrow we will be discussing the author's perspective of "Harrison Bergeron". Two questions I want you to consider are listed below.
What is Vonnegut's purpose for writing this story?
Based on this story, what do you believe Vonnegut's views are?
These questions will help us uncover theme and motivation while potentially generating some insight into Kurt Vonnegut and the story itself. Be prepared to discuss, defend, and debate.
Since we have those computers in the class for at least one more day, we'll also spend some time prepping for our book group presentations. I hope to start those on Thursday--yes, two days from now. Better be working on those at home as well as in the class. I'll give you a rubric tomorrow to clarify the assessment expectations.
One final thing that I'm going to use as my excuse for not blogging over the weekend. I received a book on Friday night that I used every non-spoken-for minute reading. It's called The Twelve by Justin Cronin. It's the long-awaited sequel to Cronin's world wide bestseller The Passage, a book that will have you leaving the lights on at night. The setting is a post-apocalyptic world that has been overun by vampire like creatures called virals that were created by a governmental biological weapons experiment gone very wrong. These virals are mean, vicious, blood-thirsty creatures who move in pods at amazing speeds. They attack humans hard. They attack humans fast. They leave behind a horrific mess. The heart of the book takes place about 100 years after the disaster started to take hold. There are several heroes, mostly out of necessity, since Cronin has few qualms about killing off characters he has spent time fleshing out. Cronin does a fantastic job of making us care about each character--even the less virtuous ones. I loved the first book, and the sequel has picked up right where the original left off. This is a trilogy and I can tell I'll be waiting impatiently for the third book due out in 2014.
Here's a link to the text. Watch the video, short but engaging.
Now, I don't want you to think that all I read are violent, blood-filled books ("The Masque of the Red Death"; World War Z; The Passage; The Twelve). You'll actually be reading quite the variety as we move forward. But if you have time (The Passage = 800+ pages; The Twelve = 550+ pages) you could do a lot worse than these two end of the world books that make the "ordinary world disappear" (Stephen King). Archer card signatures if you tell me the last line in the video on the link.
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