This story is definitely a Spinelli story if you've ever read his books before. Quirky solitary boy, plot driven by theme and character development, aThis story is definitely a Spinelli story if you've ever read his books before. Quirky solitary boy, plot driven by theme and character development, and vague slightly thin ending. I like plot to be driven by action, so I don't think I'm ever going to fall in love with his stories where following a character's subtle change and redemption is the main premise.
That being said, this is a really great book to facilitate discussion, especially about differences, attitudes, and kindness. Parts of the book had me (and my class) gasping and laughing and anxious to read more, so it was definitely a solid read. ...more
I'm still figuring out how I feel about this one, but it was a really cool universe.
I feel like the reader can either try to look deeper and find thinI'm still figuring out how I feel about this one, but it was a really cool universe.
I feel like the reader can either try to look deeper and find things to prove that the plot is really clever and mysterious, or they can take it at face value and see it as a confusing, meanderig story with a cliffhanger that makes the themes more important than the plot and characters. I feel like truly good books can be enjoyed in both ways - whether you're just reading them for what they are or whether you're looking for a deeper meaning. With this book, I felt like everything was going over my head or like I was trying too hard to make up an explanation for my lack of understanding.
*spoilers below* So... It was a really creative universe filled with raining knives and trumpets that are dads and lions that guard schools. And I *think* there were certain quotes/ideas that the reader was supposed to pick up on to explain why the story ended and began the same way and why everything the children did seemed futile and controlled by fate. It was weird. It was unsettling. It didn't leave me fully satisfied.
107 - "It wasn't like our circular history books that begin where they end." 134 - "The way to free y'rself from any system of control is to do something useless. But do it as well as you can! That's really what does their heads in." ...more
I was compelled to read this because of the beautiful cover art. Jamaal May is from Detroit, the motor city, and I think the bleak, smoggy, slightly fI was compelled to read this because of the beautiful cover art. Jamaal May is from Detroit, the motor city, and I think the bleak, smoggy, slightly fantastical art represents this collection well.
I really enjoyed the poems Masticated Light (about a man dealing with becoming legally blind), The God Engine (about death and adults trying to shield children from it), and Pomegranate Means Grenade (which is a really interesting response/homage to Jontae McCrory who wrote a really amazing poem at age 11 that inspired May).
Franny - Both Lane and Franny were so incompatible and bored with one another yet they kept trying to force conversation and force “love.” You could tFranny - Both Lane and Franny were so incompatible and bored with one another yet they kept trying to force conversation and force “love.” You could tell that neither of them really felt the “I love you”s but they kept repeating them hoping they would become real and meaningful.
And I think that was paralleled in the discussion of the book about praying without ceasing.
//"In other words, nobody asks you to believe a single thing when you first start out. You don't even have to think about what you're saying, the starets said. All you have to have in the beginning is quantity. Then, later on, it becomes quality by itself.”// There’s so much expectation between Franny and Lane. It feels like they both know the relationship is soured, but they won’t give it up, so they have to force everything to keep going.
I like when stories have extended metaphors or when they’re self-referential about themes by talking about /something else/ which really isn’t anything else at all.
Zooey - At first, I thought the intro written by Salinger was just part of the story written from Zooey’s perspective. “Oh… this is very meta and self-referential. I wonder what kind of book Zooey is writing. This is somewhat progressive for a 50s female character. She sounds kind of pretentious, though. Oh, wait… OH.”
I then realized that it was Salinger writing in 1st person about his characters AND that Zooey is male. I am a highly informed reader, obviously.
And after all that, I found myself completely zoning out throughout most of the book. I would mentally check out, then come back in to Zooey prattling on about something else in his overly self-confident way and then I’d mentally check out again for a few more sentences. It was just boring and tedious. I’m sure there’s a deeper meaning and understanding to be found, but Zooey’s portion of the book actually invalidated my previous “deeper metaphor” about Franny’s life. In the end it was more meaningless than I wanted to give it credit for being....more
I guess I was expecting a more introspective and insightful look into Jeffrey Dahmer's life, but this book came across more like "Yeah he's always beeI guess I was expecting a more introspective and insightful look into Jeffrey Dahmer's life, but this book came across more like "Yeah he's always been a weird guy. Just.. weird. And we made fun of him a lot, but he was kind of our friend because no one else could stand him because he was just so weird. And now I'm making money off of my association with him. Did I mention he was really weird?"
Instead of being insightful it just felt exploitative. I don't think I would have minded it if the story had been more biographical and the author hadn't pretended to be "friends" with Dahmer when really he just drifted in the same social circles and made fun of him behind his back a lot. ...more
Considering this is one of the first books in the vampire genre - even before Dracula - I appreciated that there were very few tropes and the story reConsidering this is one of the first books in the vampire genre - even before Dracula - I appreciated that there were very few tropes and the story really just focused on the creepiness of the situation. Since I knew Carmilla was a vampire from the beginning of the book, it took away a lot of the mysterious edge of the story, but I still really enjoyed it.
This book felt different than other classics written in this time period, and I haven’t been able to figure out why. I enjoyed the story. I was actually surprised that it was as suspenseful as it was considering everything was written as a flashback. It almost had a “Woman in Black” feeling to it since there was mystery and paranormal mixed in.
Also, the themes of homosexuality were really tame and vague, but I think that’s how it needed to be in that time period. It’s interesting to see how the threshold for what’s considered “controversial” has shifted. I love that books can be time capsules in that way....more
These are such interesting vignettes of stories. There's only enough for the ending to be implied and leave the reader chilled as they make assumptionThese are such interesting vignettes of stories. There's only enough for the ending to be implied and leave the reader chilled as they make assumptions of what may happen next. They're creepy and spooky without being too intense. Definitely for teen+ audiences, but not too gory or horrifying. ...more
The premise was really interesting, and the characters were REALLY diverse and intriguing, and then somewhere along the way the plot got confusing andThe premise was really interesting, and the characters were REALLY diverse and intriguing, and then somewhere along the way the plot got confusing and the character motives were shaky and unclear and the story overall wasn't what I wanted it to be. It was still really compelling and I think things might be better explained and fleshed out in the future volumes. ...more
4.5 stars. This was so interesting! After mega storms larger than Katrina decimate NOLA, the area is suddenly a breeding ground for a fast-spreading, 4.5 stars. This was so interesting! After mega storms larger than Katrina decimate NOLA, the area is suddenly a breeding ground for a fast-spreading, deadly disease. The U.S. quarantines the majority of the southeast and the residents are left to fend for their lives in a civilization that turns wild.
I really enjoyed this story. It was just a really well developed dystopian novel with really rich characters and settings. Since it's been many years since the first outbreak of the disease, most of the swamp and vegetation has grown up around old neighborhoods and businesses. Society is dependent on harvesting blood from certain people to make antibodies so instead of rebuilding and having a set government, everything is still in disarray and people have developed tribes with faulty leadership. I liked that it took on this perspective because it was no longer about Main Character vs. Government system. It was about Main Character vs. literally everyone else. I felt like I could trust no one while reading the story, and that made a really interesting experience. ...more
I really wanted to like this more than I did. The characters were so unique and have such great representation for kids with different home lives and I really wanted to like this more than I did. The characters were so unique and have such great representation for kids with different home lives and backgrounds. Yet as captivating as the characters were, the plot didn't captivate me as much and I felt like I was struggling to stay engaged. ...more