Literary fiction vs. Commercial fiction

In English class on Monday we talked about literary fiction versus commercial fiction. I was surprised to realize that I had somewhat talked about literary and commercial fiction in my summer reading journals. I mentioned how both my summer reading books, American Gods by Neil Gaiman and Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, were more character based than plot based. Literary fiction is more character based and commercial fiction is more plot based. I also said that I like the plot based books better because they are easier and more enjoyable to read, which means I like commercial fiction.

Commercial fiction is extremely popular and gives people and escape from their daily lives. Literary fiction on the other hand makes you see the world in a different way after reading and is usually less enjoyable to read. The books we read were in between literary and commercial fiction. This makes sense because both books were enjoyable to an extent, but also changed my views on the world. With American Gods, I learned about how it is hard to tell the difference between good and evil through Neil Gaiman's character Mr. Wednesday. Never Let Me Go opened my eyes to how the world sometimes overlooks how technological advancement can negatively affect certain groups of people.  

Bracelet Beginnings

Bracelets are as fun to make as they are to receive. I got my first bracelet from my best friend in eighth grade. I was ecstatic to finally have a so-called "friendship bracelet". In eighth grade, receiving a friendship bracelet was like a right of passage. If you had one, you were "in" with my group of friends. Since that day, I have been making friendship bracelets on and off.

I think the most enjoyable part of making friendship bracelets for me is that I can give them to my friends. I also like that they are a fun way to pass time. Over finals week freshman year, I brought my materials to school and made bracelets. My classmates were amazed at my talent and how fast I could create a bracelet. Soon after I started knotting my bracelet, I had a whole group of people surrounding me and asking me all sorts of questions. The funny thing was that the people that gathered around me that day weren't my best friends; in fact, they were classmates I didn't talk to on a regular basis. My hobby lets me meet new people and make new friends all the time.