Daily Reads and Doodles – a blog for bookworms and doodlers

The Top 5 Best Books I’ve Read This Year

March 9, 2020March 9, 2020 ktape20241 Comment

Hello everyone! I was thinking, I have read a lot of good books this year but I don’t even remember all of the books I’ve read. So I went to the library, got a list of books that I have checked out, and decided “I should do the top 5 best books I’ve read this year!” So, without further ado, I give you some of the best books I have read this year. (Da-da-da-daaaaaa)

#1. The Hunger Games:

If you ask me how good this book was I don’t think I would be able to explain it in words. It was SO GOOD. This is probably one of my favorite books of all time. This book takes place in the ruins once known as North America, now called Panem. Panem is a capital that is surrounded by 12 districts. The Capitol is controlling, cruel, and unfair. Each year they force the 12 districts to send one boy and one girl from the age of 12-18 to fight to the death on live TV. This annual event is known as ‘The Hunger Games’. Katniss Everdeen is the main character in this story and she has had a rough life. Often starving and close to death, she has learned how to survive and keep her family safe. When her sister’s name gets picked she doesn’t hesitate to take her place. When she enters the arena she has to make choices that depend on her survival and that will change her forever.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Games-Suzanne-Collins-Paperback/dp/B00YDJSO5M/ref=sr_1_4?crid=115JT8STYE675&keywords=the+hunger+games+book&qid=1583617838&sprefix=the+hunger+%2Caps%2C267&sr=8-4

#2. Paper Butterflies

Image result for paper butterflies book cover

Okay, I have never cried over a book before, and I know what all the book lovers out there are thinking, “how are you even human?”. But it’s true, I haven’t. This book was so full of emotion that I couldn’t help myself. It wasn’t all sad though. Sometimes I would just cry because it was just so sweet or happy. “June’s life at home with her stepmother and stepsister is a dark one—and a secret one. She is trapped like a butterfly in a net.” That explanation is on the cover of the book and I think it does a very good job describing the situation. When June was little, her mom died and she was left with her dad. Her dad remarried to a woman named Kathleen. Kathleen and her daughter are emotionally and physically abusive to June. June goes through a lot in this book with struggling to show her dad what is happening and coping with tormenting bullies that hurt her in ways a lot of people don’t know. One day she meets a boy in the woods named Blister. Blister has all of the things June loves like a big, chaotic family and a loving heart. In him, she finds hope and unbreakable friendship and love that help her get through everything. This is the story of how she gets through something that seems impossible and finds things to treasure along the way.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Paper-Butterflies-Lisa-Heathfield/dp/1541560426/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=paper+butterflies+book&qid=1583618769&sr=8-1

#3. Divergent

Image result for divergent book cover

Divergent is obviously one of my favorite books from this year since it is on this list but it is also probably one of my favorite books of all time. Beatrice Prior lives in a society with 5 factions. Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), Erudite (the intelligent), and Dauntless (the brave). Each year, 16-year-olds choose which faction they belong to. But Beatrice is different, and her difference could mean death. She has to choose between staying with her family or being her true self. When she chooses her faction she undergoes a difficult and challenging initiation, finds out who her real friends are, discovers a confusing love, and much, much more. Throughout the book, she finds out that her supposed perfect society is not so perfect after all and when conflicts emerge she finds out that her difference could save the ones she loves.

Link: https: https://www.amazon.com/Divergent-Veronica-Roth-2011-05-03/dp/B01FIWHXQI/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=divergent+book&qid=1583618822&sr=8-4

#4. Messenger

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Messenger is the 3rd book in The Giver series. Matty, the main character lives in Village. He is the messenger for Village and goes through Forest and back again to deliver messages to other villages and people nearby. He has grown up with Seer, a blind man who is known for his special sight, looking after him and keeping him safe. Village used to welcome all newcomers and help them live a happy life, but now something has changed. Something evil has formed in Village. People who live in Village want to close it to outsiders so no one else can get in. To save Village and restore the kindness that once was, Matty has to make one last difficult journey through the forest with a power that he finds in himself along the way.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Messenger-Giver-Quartet-Book-3-ebook/dp/B003JTHWKK

#5. Red Queen

Image result for red queen book cover

Red Queen is part of a 4 book series. This world is divided by blood; Silver and Red. Those with Silver blood (Silvers) have powers making them nearly gods. Those with Red blood (Reds) are the lower class. They are forced to be conscripted in the army to fight in the never-ending war and live in unfair conditions. Mare has Red blood and lives with her family in the Stilts. When her best friend gets conscripted into the army, she does everything she can to get him out. Certain events lead her to the royal palace. There, Mare discovers the powers she didn’t know she possessed in front of everyone including the royal family. But Mare is not a Silver. She has Red blood. So how can this be? To hide this from everyone the royal family makes her take on a new life as a Silver. She is now the lost Silver Princess and is betrothed to the King’s son. Further along the way, Mare starts to secretly support a rebellion group called “The Scarlet Gaurd”. The result of this puts brother against brother and Mare against her true heart.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Red-Queen-Victoria-Aveyard/dp/006231064X

All of these books formed a world that I could escape to when I didn’t want to think about homework, school, or gym class (if you are a little like me, you get that last one). I have read so many AMAZING books this year and most of them didn’t make it on this list which is sad, but I’ll always remember them. Wow… I’m really starting to sound like a book nerd. If I had more time and patience, this list would probably be a mile long. Anyways, those are 5 books I have read this year that are truly too good to express in words. See you next time!

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How to draw Olaf!

February 4, 2020 ktape2024Leave a comment

Hello everyone! Today I will be walking through and trying to teach you how to draw Olaf! There are so many good Disney characters to choose from so it is hard to pick one but if I had to, Olaf would be one of my favorites! Olaf has such unique characteristics and is so funny, so I thought I would attempt to draw if and have you follow along step by step. Just a warning, the pictures on here may show steps we haven’t done yet but we will get to them later. I just got a little carried away before taking pictures. Well, let’s get to it!

Before we start, I used this picture to guide me and so it might help you too. ⇓

The first step I started with was drawing an oval shape because that is pretty much the shape of Olaf’s head.

Next, since Olaf has a peculiarly shaped head, I decided to draw the curves. Getting the right shaped head for Olaf was the most difficult part for me. But after a couple of tries, I got the general shape (I think…). So don’t give up if you don’t get it the first time. (Tip: draw lightly so that if you have to erase your lines there won’t be ghost lines. I always forget about this so that is why you can see all of my erased lines)

Facial Features:

After I finished the shape of Olaf’s head I started to draw his facial features. I started with his mouth. His top lip goes over his bottom lip which makes you think he is a funny character just looking at him. His big front tooth also contributes to this but we will get to that later. First I drew a short horizontal line with a little bit of a curve next to his left temple. Then I drew a long curved line down to his part of the lip that was poking over the side.

After I finished the lips, I drew his front tooth. I think Olaf’s front tooth is his signature characteristic. This is a simple step but it was tricky for me to get it to the right size. The shape is basically just a square that attaches to his lips.

As you can see up above I started to draw the eyes. Whenever I draw circles I go like this… ⇓

To explain it in words I draw a circle but keep going round and round until I think I have the right line somewhere within all of the other lines. I erase the edges/lines little by little until I think I have the perfect line. After you finish the eye shape you can draw the pupils. I drew a small circle inside both the eyes. Then I drew a really small circle inside the one that I just drew and left it white while coloring the one that it was inside of. ⇓

After the eyes, I drew the eyebrows. I usually draw the eyebrows after the eyes because it is easier for me to know where to put them. When you draw eyebrows it can change the whole facial expression. I don’t know how it does this but trust me, it does. They can make him look like he is sad, mad, and can even make him have an innocent look to him. In other words, be careful when you draw the eyebrows because they could change his whole expression. I started a couple of centimeters above the eyes and made a slowly curved line down. Then I colored it in and did the same thing for the next eyebrow.

After this, I decided to draw the nose because obviously, Olaf would be sad without a nose.

To start as a base you can draw a small oval like when we started the head. Then you can add the point on the end.

The next step is to draw the stick son top of his head, or his hair if you will. From the picture I looked at, there were only three sticks on top of his head. I don’t really know how to explain this, but I just tried to make the sticks look as natural as possible with straight and uneven lines.

The Body:

Now, since we are finally done with his face, we have to do his body (which are two big snowballs and some snowball feet).

NOTE: In the picture I used to guide me, his body was curved because he was waving so that is why it will look a little lopsided for now. Once you add the arms though, it won’t look weird and will compliment his pose.

I started with his middle snowball. I drew two curved lines that kind of resembled a rainbow. Like this…

Then I moved on to the last big snowball which was pretty much the same thing except bigger. Then, of course, I drew a bottom line to attach the two sides.

After the two big snowballs are done (or body, whichever you prefer), I added two small snowballs as the feet. This part is pretty much just two flat-ish circles attached to the bottom of his body.

Next, I added his three stones/buttons onto his body. I put them closer to the left side of the body because his body is facing that way. These were pretty much just circles with some soft of edges. One stone goes on the first snowball and two go on the second snowball.

After this, I added his stick arms. In the picture, it showed him waving so one arm was up and one was down. First I just started with a thin outline of each arm like this. ⇓ (or the picture up above)

His arms were mostly the same as his hair but straight. They were a little curvy and splintery to make it look more realistic. Then I added the hands. These are a little hard to explain but easier once you actually do them. I kind of just followed along with the picture and half guessed on how to do the hand. If you think about it this way it might help; they are like the arms or hair but a little thinner, shorter, and have a curve at the top instead of a point. It also helped me to think about them like webs or like a frog’s hand.

This next part is optional, but I just shaded the body and head a little bit where I thought there might be a shadow or less light to make it look more “off the page”. I just guess most of the time where to put the shade but if you are not sure and want to try it, here is a picture of what I did. ⇓

Adding a background is also optional.

If you are feeling fancy you could even add Elsa, Anna, or Sven standing next to Olaf. I won’t today because I drew Olaf too far up on my paper and Elsa’s head would probably be cut off I tried to draw her. Well, that is all for today. I hope this was helpful if you followed along! I hope to see you next time!

Gale or Peeta?

January 9, 2020 ktape20241 Comment

Hi everyone! (and by everyone I mean the one person who is reading this) Today we are going to be talking about The Hunger Games (AKA one of the best book series ever written). Just a warning THERE ARE SOME SPOILERS. If you have read The Hunger Games you know that Katniss and Peeta were meant for each other. If you don’t think that then, well this is my reaction…

If you haven’t read The Hunger Games this might be a little confusing. Basically, Katniss, the main character, is in a love triangle throughout the whole series and doesn’t know who to choose, Gale a friend that hunts with her and helps her family, or Peeta a loving and selfless boy who helps her survive in The Hunger Games. Gale is a fiery character and has very strong opinions. When he was 14 he met Katniss in the woods while getting the animals from the snares he had set to catch food. At first, they didn’t like each other but ended up becoming good friends who cared about one another.

Peeta is the baker’s son in town. Katniss and Peeta meet in the reaping (an event where names are drawn to be sent into the Games). In reality, they have always seen each other in school but when they get to the games is when they actually start to talk. Katniss finds out that he has had a crush on her since the first day of school when they were five and has admired her ever since. Personally, I think that Peeta and Katniss were meant to be together and you should too but if you don’t, that is why I am going to be listing three points on why they were meant to be together! If you already agree with me then you can still read on to refresh you memory about some of the best moments in the book!

1.) He led the Career Pack away from her

Right when the games started the “Career Pack” (an alliance formed with skilled killers/fighters) knew that they wanted to kill Katniss. Peeta joined the pack so that he could lead them away from her knowing that he might get killed if they found out what he was doing or made a mistake. In one part of the book and movie the Careers and Peeta trap her up in a tree knowing that she will have to get down eventually. This was when they would kill her. Before Katniss was about to close her eyes she saw another pair of eyes hiding in the trees. She realized it was Rue, a sweet 12-year-old, pointing to a Tracker Jacker nest hanging from the branch.

(Tracker Jackers are venomous bees that make you have painful and scary hallucinations that can cause death. These were created by the Capitol). Katniss figures out what Rue is trying to tell her and starts to cut the nest out of the tree so she can drop it on the Career’s below her.

When she drops it on the Careers and Peeta the nest explodes and the Tracker Jackers start stinging them giving Katniss time to get away from them. The only thing is that she was stung too and starts to have hallucinations. Peeta pushes her in the right direction yelling her name making her come to her senses before the hallucinations fully take over. This saves her from the Careers.

2.) He gave her bread to keep her from starving

Before Katniss won The Hunger Games she was starving a lot. Even though she hunted every day in the woods, she still often didn’t have enough food for her and her family. In one chapter of the book, Katniss was on the edge of starvation. She went to the Hob (kind of similar to a black market) to sell her younger sister, Prim’s, baby clothes for money to buy food. No one wanted to buy the clothes so she was going to be going home empty-handed. She couldn’t bear the thought of going home without food for her family so she sunk down next to a tree behind the warmth of the bakery, desperate to find a way to get her hands on food. After sitting there for a few minutes she hears a racket inside of the bakery. It was a woman yelling at her son for burning the bread. A couple of minutes later Peeta walks out with new weal on his face and throws the bread to Katniss. Later in the book, she finds out that he burnt the bread on purpose so he could give it to Katniss even though it meant he would take a beating for it.

This is part of the scene when he gives her the bread ⇓

This is from the book and explains the scene better ⇓

“The boy never even glanced my way, but I was watching him. Because of the bread, because of the red weal that stood out on his cheekbone. What had she hit him with? My parents never hit us. I couldn’t even imagine it. The Boy took one look back to the bakery as if checking that the coast was clear, then, his attention back on the pig, he threw a loaf of bread in my direction. The second quickly followed, and he sloshed back to the bakery, closing the kitchen door tightly behind him.”

3.) Change of the Rules

At the end of the Games, after Katniss and Peeta kill Cato, they are the only ones left. The rules were that if you were from the same district you both could win together. But after the last cannon goes off (signaling someone is dead) they change the rules that only one tribute can be the victor. They know that they don’t have long to kill each other before the Gamemakers send mutts back in so they know that someone has to die. Peeta refused to kill Katniss and tried to persuade her to kill him so she could go home and see her family again. Instead of doing any of this Katniss has a better idea to eat poisonous berries that would kill both of them.

Katniss tricks the Gamemakers and Capitol because she knows that they would never let the Games end with no victor remaining. Right when the berries go into their mouths someone yells “STOP!” and they both make it out of the arena alive.

As you can see, there are many reasons why Peeta is better for Katniss than Gale. These are just some of the reasons that took place in the first book. In other words, there are many, many more reasons and I don’t think I could talk about them all in one blog post. Some may disagree and I understand because there are also some reasons why Gale is good too. But in the end, Katniss made the right choice when she chose Peeta. Now it’s your turn to decide in the survey below!

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How to Draw Cartoon Characters

November 16, 2019 ktape20243 Comments

Hello everyone! Today I will be trying to show you how to draw a cartoon character. Today the person I will be drawing is Mrs. Keller (Imagine a round of applause right here)! I am definitely not an expert but I do enjoy doodling. And that’s all that matters, right? Anyways, you are probably getting bored by now so let’s start!

First I always start with the head. I think it helps to exaggerate the size proportions a little… well maybe more than a little.

Ex. If a person has a small and round head make it a little bigger and more round. If a person has a long and slim head make it longer and slimmer than in real life.

When I draw cartoons I make the head really big and the body smaller. I don’t really know exactly why I do this but I think it makes it look a little more cartoony if you know what I mean. So, for Mrs. Keller’s head, I looked at a picture of her on her blog.

Next, I decided to make the hair. I did a bunch of swirly lines to make it look like curly hair. After I did a few strands I copied the shape over and over again until I thought that it was the length of her hair.

After that, I drew the body. For the arms, I placed one on the hip and one out. Then I drew the torso. I drew two lines down from where I ended the arm and wrapped back around (or the armpit). For the legs, I drew a long triangle from the two lines I just drew. The triangle looked kind of like this one.

⇓

Next, I drew the clothes. I decided to do something simple so that it wouldn’t look as messy when I outlined it in black. So I drew a dress and a jean jacket that I had seen her wear one time. To get started I drew the dress. I drew another triangle shape like the last one above.⇑ Then I drew horizontal stripes all the way down the dress to add a little bit of a design to it.

After the dress, I drew the jean jacket. First I started with the collar because it was the easiest shape to draw and could be used as a good starting point. After I drew the collar I drew the rest of the jacket. A lot of the time I can’t picture certain things in my head so I look up a picture. This one helped me the best. ⇓

Once I got the outline of the jacket in my head I could start to draw it. First I drew the opening. I drew two lines down kind of like when I drew the torso in the third step. Then once I was at the point where her dress was flaring out, I drew two small diagonal lines going out and connected it to the side. Then I added three buttons to the side and a small pocket to the other.

Next, I added a book and an apple sitting in the hand that is out. To do this I made a skinny and long rectangle and then a small circle with a stem sticking out of it.

After you have everything else drawn there is only one more thing left to doodle. The facial features. I know what I would be thinking if I was following along and doing this. I would say, “Great. This is going to be the place where I mess the whole thing up”. But it doesn’t have to be! The trick is to keep it simple and clean. First I started with the eyes because I thought it was easier to try and place the rest of the facial features with the main focus already done. First I made a shape that looked like an oval laying on its side. ⇓

Image result for oval outline

To make it more interesting I made one of her eyes winking. (It might not look like a wink but it was the best I could do) When the eyes are complete don’t forget to add the eyebrows!

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The last step for the facial features was the nose and for that, I just did a triangle with one side missing. Kind of like this shape: ›

After you finish this you have one (or two if you choose) more step. Outline! I think this makes it look cleaner and makes it look like you didn’t try so hard because it looks so smooth and everything is now one line. You can do this with anything but I would recommend a pen because it won’t bleed through or leak onto other lines like a sharpie would. Any type of pen will work.

See? I used a fish pen.

Then, after you finish this step you can erase the pencil. Make sure you outlined all of it in pen or some other writing utensil before you erase the pencil marks because you don’t want to accidentally erase part of your person.

Next, it will be time to color! This is my favorite part because you can color it whatever color you want and be creative. This is the last step to the process and it is optional. After I colored it I put Mrs. Keller’s name at the top so if that anyone saw it they would be able to tell who it was. I also put it on a piece of construction paper because I thought it made it look more complete.

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Thanks for reading this! I know it seems like a long process written down but it will go faster when you do it by yourself and get in the zone. It is also probably more fun drawing it than reading this. Well, until next time!

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Best Books to Read at the Beginning of the School Year!

October 8, 2019 ktape20241 Comment

Hi! Today I am going to tell you the best books to read at the beginning of the school year. The best ones to read are the ones that grab your attention right away because right after summer not many people want to start reading again, ~~espesially at school~~. Anyways, this is a list of the best books I think would be good to read when you are back at school.

#1 The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell

This book is part of a 6 book series. It is about two twins whose father died. After he dies their mom starts struggling with money and stress. When their birthday rolls around they are given a special present that will change their life forever. They go on many adventures that change them forever and help them recover from losing their dad.

#2 The Giver

The Giver is about a world without color and adventure. It is part of a 4-book series. Jonahs is one of the main characters and his job in society is to be the Reciever of Memories. The Giver gives him these memories from the past that make him feel mad, sad, pain, etc. No one in this society has these feelings so they make him confused. While he receives these things he becomes upset with the rules in his society and runs away with a baby that is going to be released (killed) to find Elsewhere and start something new.

#3 The War that Saved My Life

The War that Saved My LIfe is about a girl named Ada. This takes place during World War ll. She has a club foot and her mom is abusive because of it. So when her brother is sent away to evacuate England she runs away to join him. They find a home with a women named Susan who does not want kids. Jamie (Ada’s brother) finds his love for planes and Ada grows attached to a pony and learns and experiences many new things when she is there.

Those are the 3 best books, in my opinion, to read at the beginning of the school year because they will make you want to continue reading again. Some of them may seem childish but you can’t judge a book by its cover. See you next time! ~~Well not really since I can’t really see you and you can’t see me.~~