What We Read Last Week - July 6
I am sorry to say I didn't read anything that I think teens would be interested in last week (unless you are interested in web content management systems, human-computer interaction or marketing on the web--last week was a lot of work-related reading for me)...
But go ahead and use this thread to tell us about what you read last week! Now you can start winning prizes for your contributions as well!
Alan H is a web librarian at Toronto Public Library. He reads all over the place.
What have you read recently? Let us know by commenting!
Last week, one of the books I read was Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.
Firstly, I love the storyline of Thirteen Reaons Why. Hannah Baker committed suicide, and weeks later, after her death, the boy who had a crush on her and who made out with her at a party, finds an old shoebox at his doorstep. In the shoebox are 7 cassette tapes, all each with a number on them. It Following the map Clay was given, he listens to Hannah's voice as he travels across the town. It all started with one rumor that was a chain reaction for everything else that occurred. It wasn't her fault, but other peoples . . . Thirteen people, all linked together in some way, are the reasons why she chose to end her life. Clay is one of them.
With Clay's character, he was always thinking . . . and wondering . . . and his feelings were often described in detail. I can only imagine how painful it was to have to listen to all of this from the girl he liked.
I liked Hannah's character. She was honest, saw things differently, was bold at some parts of the book, who knew how to express herself. As each event unfolds and passes by, you can imagine why she would even want to kill herself in the end.
I loved how it went back and forth from Hannah's tapes to Clay who is listening to the tapes.
It was a touching book, with a lot of raw emotion.
A gripping book, with a lot of different issues in it, high school in a way, isn't easy for everyone. I would recommended this for teens or adults.
Posted by: Teresa | July 06, 2009 at 07:49 PM
Recently I read Unbelievable from the Pretty Little Liar Series by Sara Shepard. I just loved the book and it probably makes my top 10. From the very beginning the book grasps your attention and you can't put it down until you finish it. The things that happened and the way the characters responded to them was pretty believable and some of their responses were pretty similar to mine. When you read the book you feel as if you are actually there watching these characters from your own eyes instead of reading it!
Posted by: Ally | July 06, 2009 at 10:26 PM
Currently, I am reading The Dead Pool written by Sue Walker. It am still reading it and I am on the middle of this book. It is a mystery oriented book and I have no clue how to get the key to unlock the mystery behind the story.
I know I am not finished reading it yet, however, I am enjoying it very much.
Posted by: Iffat | July 07, 2009 at 04:33 AM
I just finished the book "Mountain Girl River Girl" by Ting-xing Ye. It is unbelievable to know some of the black tricks between rich and poor people in recent China. I was shocked throughout the book. and felt pity for the 2 girls.
Posted by: Julie | July 07, 2009 at 10:26 AM
I just finished reading "Rebel Angels" by Libba Bray, the sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty. This novel, the second in a trilogy, is an incredibly rich and vivid fantasy. The main character, Gemma Doyle, continues her journey to adulthood as she learns more about herself and her opinions about the world and her place in it. I really enjoyed it. I can't wait to read the third and final novel of the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, A Sweet Far Thing.
Posted by: Emma | July 07, 2009 at 12:45 PM
To tell the truth I wasn't able to go to the library last week because of the many events that are happening in my life. However I am proud to say I have read the nwespaper daily last week and found out it is just as great as a book. Not to mention the knowledge I hade gained from it. :D
Posted by: S.Sivanesan | July 07, 2009 at 01:56 PM
I am in the middle of a book series named Cirque Du Freak. It is a horror book and it is quite thrilling. It is gory and violent but it won't let me let go of it. It is quite cool how the author, Darren Shan, uses his own name for the main character.
This book is about this boy who becomes a half-vampire for best friend. However, the boy gave up his hopes and dreams to become a half-vampire. He goes to the mountain of vampire to join the other vampires but then he realizes that he is destined to fight with the vampaneze lord. The vampaneze lord was the mysterious leader of the vampaneze, the enemy race of the vampires. I won't reveal whole story, but I recommend all of the readers who like scary and violent books to read it.
Posted by: Kaeil | July 07, 2009 at 07:30 PM
I started "a complicated kindness" by Miriam Toews who knows how long ago before my exams even started, due to my lack of commitment towards reading a book consistently even if I really like it. :) Despite that, I've found the novel to be really, really good so far. The story is narrated by a girl recounting her life before her sister and then mother left her family, and after, and so on. It's really humourous, the story, because the narrator is this clever, questioning, sort of jaded person who retells her life in this, detached, yet still completely attached, peculiarly honest perspective. A complicated kindness would be good for people who like reading novels, if this is for them, that would ask them to open their mind, question things, and be strangely...compelled.
Anyway :]
Posted by: Violet | July 07, 2009 at 08:04 PM
I just read the first book in a series called 'Beka Cooper' the first book is called ' Terrier' and it's by Tamora Pierce
The book is about a really shy girl who wants to become a part of Provost's dogs guard- which is basicly the police in the book, she's assigned to the lower city and has to learn fast because the lower city is the toughest part of Corus (the city the book is set in)
The book is spiced up from the normal police hunting crimal story with magic, talking cats with purple eyes and the terms used in the book (which are very funny sometimes and completly orignal).
The fact that it is her diary makes it intersting because in some areas of the book she gets so angry or embarassed she won't write it down untill the next day write in the journal.
Posted by: emily | July 07, 2009 at 09:59 PM
I've recently finished reading "Night World 3" by L.J. Smith. It's similar to the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer in the sense that it is about vampires and werewolves, but different in every other way. This book actually comprises of 3 stories that used to be sold seperately in the 90's but were put together to make up "Night World 3."
Each story deals with the "Soulmate Principle" which is the idea that there is a soulmate for everyone in the world. Soulmates don't have to be the same, meaning that a human's soulmate can easily be a vampire or a shapeshifter. In addition, once you meet your soulmate, you never be truly happy without them. This makes love very dangerous as death is the penalty for humans who discover about the Night World (the society made up by vampires, werewolves, witches, and shapeshifters.)
I honestly believe this book (and the two previous books in the series) to be MUCH better than the Twilight Series (that I liked.) The writing isn't as simple and the plot for each book is so much more exciting, making you want to read more.
Posted by: Sarah C. | July 08, 2009 at 11:25 AM
Recently, I've finished reading a book called "What Looks Like Crazy" by Charlotte Hughes. I really liked this book, because it's funny and I really couldn't put the book down for a minute. The main character Kate Holly, is trained to deal with everyone's problems, except her own. Her character was very stong through out the book, especially when she started getting mysterious threats plus dealing with other problems of her patients at the same time. The writing as well, is very strong and keeps you reading until the very last page.
Posted by: Sarah W. | July 08, 2009 at 01:03 PM
I've just started reading the Twilight series(by stephenie Meyer). I've watched the movie, and I'm a big fan of the storyline(not the movie).But it looks like such a long book!
Posted by: Simran | July 08, 2009 at 04:28 PM
Well i recently went on a book craze. read more than 20 books in a week and a half. and yes it's possible if you stay up nights. anywayss but my favorite out of all of the was deadline for sure a wonderful book about love, life, and death. a great read indeed. really got to me too
Posted by: Mary | July 09, 2009 at 09:36 AM
Like many others i finished the Twilight series. Im so glad i read them. it's amazing series with a great storyline (as Simran stated) i believe that the movie could have been way better, but the books make up for it (in my opinion). If you like romance, comedy, and action, this is 100% your kind of book. And i read on another blog that Twilight is aparently a "chic book" but i believe it's also an amazing book for guys (especially "breaking dawn" jacobs view). in fact i was just talking to a friend the other day and he said that he LOVED all four books.
Read this book! ITS AMAZING
Posted by: Nare | July 09, 2009 at 10:30 AM
I am reading this book called "inexcusable" by Chris Lynch. Kier loves Gigi and would never do anything to hurt her. So Keir carefully recounts the events leading up to that one fateful night, in order to uncover the truth. Clearly, there has beem a mistake.
But what happened is indeed someting inexcusable.
GREAT book! its a m a z i n g
Posted by: Devi | July 09, 2009 at 02:39 PM
just starting to read the boy in the striped pjs
Posted by: Allison | July 09, 2009 at 06:13 PM
I just finished Bliss by Lauren Myracle and I have to say it was absolutely fantastic! The plot was great and the main character's point of view was very realistic. This book focused on supernatural things such as seeing the future and communicating with ghosts while at the same time it focused on realistic issues such as war and murder. The characters were very appealing and it was very hard to put the book down once you started reading. Although, the ending totally took me by surprise and left me sort of disappointed I have to say its a must read. I am hoping that the author does a sequel for this book!
Posted by: Ally | July 10, 2009 at 12:59 PM
Like Nare, I've also read the Twilight Series. I believe that books are always better than the movie, but I believe that they could have done way better. I'm excited for New Moon, because I love Jacob character. I think that even though most people believe that it is a chick book that almost anyone can relate to one or more of the characters (other than the fact that they are either vampires or werewolfs).
The books that I was able to read this week are "Getting the Girl" by Susan Juby and "Hold On" by Alan Gibbons.
The book 'Getting the girl'revolves around this story plot. Every girl at Harewood Tech fears being D'listed, which means becoming a social out-cast--ignored by all the other students. Sheran likes Dini so when he fears that she is in danger of becoming D-listed, he goes undercover to find out who is responsible.
The book 'Hold On' about John Sorrel commits suicide. His only friend Annie vows herself of uncovering the truth about his short life. She finds herself into some trouble on the way, and falls in love with the wrong person.
Posted by: Ashante | July 10, 2009 at 02:49 PM
Sarah C, I've also read the Night World Series, I believe that it is an awesome series, and at times it can be better than Twilight. The Series talks more about the soul mate principle which is also found in Twilight. The thing that i enjoyed best is that all the story revolve around teh samee thing yet they are all different in its on way. The last book is the only one I can't find and it is KILLING ME. I REALLY WANT TO KNOW HOW IT ENDS. I'm still seaching, so if any advice please tell me thanks. (L)
Posted by: Ashante | July 10, 2009 at 02:54 PM
Ashante
you can put a hold on the last book though...
Posted by: Devi | July 10, 2009 at 07:53 PM
Devi,
Your soo right, I guess I never really thought of that, I soo used to walking in and getting the book. I'll try, thanks for helping. I feel soo dumb, I should have thought of that. But thanks again.
(L)
Posted by: Ashante | July 10, 2009 at 11:06 PM
This week I (re)read Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis and Persepolis 2, two amazing graphic memoirs about the author's coming-of-age. The first tells the story of her childhood in Iran during the Islamic Revolution; the second shows us her teen years in Austria where her parents have sent her fearing she is too outspoken for life in Iran at that time. The drawings are simple yet arresting, and Satrapi is an amazing storyteller, alternating between poignent and moving stories of loss and destruction and moments of fun and laughter. A movie was made of these two books. It is really great, too. It's told in the same black-and-white cartoon style as the books are.
Posted by: alice | July 11, 2009 at 10:41 AM
I read Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice". It's really good, although I admit it only comes in second place - first place goes to Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre".
Posted by: Edmee | July 11, 2009 at 04:22 PM
Ashante,
Glad i could help:D
Posted by: Devi | July 12, 2009 at 12:32 PM
Last week I read the book "Avatars - the Kingdom of Twilight" by Tui T. Sutherland. This was the last book of the Avatars Trilogy. I found it really intense and unpredictable, and it was hard for me to stop reading. The series is about 5 kids who wake up and are the last people on earth. It mixes greek mythology, romance, action/adventure and mystery. It's awesome and you should read it if you like fantasy books! The first book of the series is called Avatars - This is How It Ends.
Posted by: Andre | July 12, 2009 at 03:14 PM