My Environment

Amidst the loud screams and fighting, there sat a girl on the bed wondering how to get out of this circle of animosity. An escape was all she needed. Wings to just fly away to another world where everything was going to be ok. Books gave her wings. She could be in whatever land she wanted to be in with just the turn of the page. Her problems melted away into the background as she soared to new places. Places that anyone would love to go. She could be a princess happily with her prince. Or she could be an almighty ruler that never had to listen to anyone else.

That little girl was me. Sharon Ashley Russell and I am not a product of my environment. However, I did learn that books were an amazing part of life, if only more people would take the time to really get into them the way I did. I spent my days as a child outside with my friends until the night came, then I curled up with a good book to end those long days. Maybe my family life wasn’t perfect, but if I got lost in a book, none of those problems mattered anymore. "I don't want to be a product of my environment; I want my environment to be a product of me."

Ashley Russell

Ashley Russell was born in Kings Mountain, North Carolina to southern parents. She has lived in this little city for all of her life. A small town girl, with big dreams.

She attends the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She studies Journalism and History because those are her passions in life. She has worked as a freelance book editor for the Atlantic Publishing Company in Ocala, Florida. As classes pass, she has found out that she loves Journalism and is excited to be working for the Daily Tar Heel this semester. After her time at school, Ashley does not want to return to her little town in Kings Mountain, but wants to stay in Chapel Hill or intern for some company as an Editor this summer. In her free time, when she is not doing homework, she likes to read the newest novels-- and of course she supports her Tarheels!

With a big future ahead of her, Ashley takes the time to make school a huge part of her life, without missing out on all of the great memories to be had in college.

Abooout Me :)

Hi, my name is Ashley Russell. I currently live in Chapel Hill with my college friends. As a broke college student I need to make some money somehow, so I work at a sub shop, Jimmy Johns. For fun, I like to go out on the weekends with my friends and have a good time enjoying the college life. Since most of my friends are guys that like to stay “buff” I go to the gym daily and attend a rigorous exercising class known as CrossFit. My motto is to live life for you and not for others because those that matter don’t care and those that care don’t matter.

I believe that people take life for granted and should start thinking for today rather than for what is going to be going on in twenty years. If more people would just go with the flow, then life would be so much more enjoyable by all. I like to watch movies with my friends and gossip with my suitemates when I have down time. The best thing is to stay in watching television with the comfort of the ones around you. I prefer books to video games, music to silence, jeans to skirts, fiction to nonfiction, Google Chrome to Firefox, and friends to enemies. I am an aspiring Editor, possibly leaning towards book editing. I have live in North Carolina for my whole life but I will be out of here as soon as I graduate from the best college in the world, UNC-CH. GO HEELS!

Trying to get to the end.

The writer of the blog Mary Dell seems to be a common reader who enjoys blogging for her own sake. She takes this time blogging to get her thoughts down about the books that she is reading as well as to think through how she currently feels about the novel. I do not see and signs that Mary is a professional blogger; she is merely an avid reader who likes to share her experience with others. As for this book, it seems as though she is not satisfied with the feelings the author is trying to give her while reading. “I know too much about them (the characters) to laugh at them and they never laugh at themselves with me (the reader) even though they spend plenty pages laughing at each other.” Her taste in this novel is very subjective, I believe that I could continue to enjoy the “office gossip” even when it became personal because I feel like that is the point of this book, as she has described it. There are so many blogs that spend time praising authors on the genius; however, I like that this blog shows that different readers can have different feelings on a book that someone else may believe is a masterpiece.

http://www.bookblog.net/

Omnivoracious Blog

The passion for reading books is so evident within this blog from Anne Bartholomew. In the opening lines she says, "I love getting recommendations as much as giving them. Sometimes I love them even more." Many people go into their jobs because of the money but it is very apparent that Ms. Bartholomew loves her job and all of the “perks” that come along with it. Seeing as though she holds a field recommending books for one of the top sites, one must assume that she is good at what she does. The part that drew me in the most is that she takes the time to read all of the books that are suggested to her and shows a lot of interest in what her informants like. She continues the cycle of reading by taking in new books and passing them onto others who ask for her advice on what to read next. The persona that she displays is one of knowledge but who continues to learn every day. It is a very open one that makes you feel in touch with her because she admits that there is much more to learn in the world. The enthusiasm that encompasses her blog makes this one that truly tells me a lot about books.

http://www.omnivoracious.com/

In Class Collaboration

In the blog, Bookslut, Margaret Howie's most recent post is centered on the latest, best-selling novels and those that are worthy of the nominations in the genres of crime and science fiction. As you read her posts, you can see that she knows a great deal about the books and the awards that can be gained in each separate genre. Her persona does not vary within each post. Margaret does not force her persona unto her followers; she merely informs. She seems to have authority on her topic because she makes references to a lot of books and gives commentary for most of the books she mentions. She also reaches a younger audience by using a lot informal language she uses such as "wicked cool trophies" that describes the way the Hugo trophies for science fiction look. Her use of links beside the details of her blog makes this a very hands on and user friendly for all of the viewers of this page. I also find her very simplistic language to show that she truly enjoys these books that she converses about, and that she does not believe that she is the ultimate genius on these books. She is simply someone who enjoys sharing her opinions on books with those who care to read her blogs.

http://www.bookslut.com/blog/

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