Kate Mester
Many of the 6 were disturbing but so well written and complicated that I couldn't stop thinking about each story long after I had finished it. Technical complaint on thr audiobook: The first story had really bad sound quality and the narrator's voice echoed. I've never experienced that in any other audiobook I've listened to. If it was on purpose than that's pretty creepy! The other narrator's were perfect matches to their story. Liked hearing a few familiar voices.
For the first 2 hours of the (audio) book I was annoyed and told myself I was going to quit, that RR had 2 good books in her, (Landline was unforgivable), and from now on the books will be middling to as bad as this, a fifth rate Harry Potter knockoff. And then the book finally settled into the relationship, and that's when it finally got tolerable and more interesting. RR excels at writing relationships with realistic emotional observation, and the crappy HP fantasy fanfic was a distraction to that. Know she created these characters for Fangirl, but wish she had kept their relationship and scrapped the setting and plot for her realistic wheelhouse.
Simplistic and logical. Compelling if you're reading about feminism for the first time. Though I know the main argument was pure feminism and not intersectionality, I really wish she hadn't said this: “the loss of virginity is a process that usually involves two people of opposite genders.” I guess usually gives a pass, but it could easily havr been written to show a woman's involvement in sex without a gender binary
See why the audio won awards, because it creates all the music the characters play rather beautifully. I loved the three stories but the framing story was week and hopefully kids wouldn't get stuck there before moving into the much better stories. Definitely recommend the enhancement of the audio over simply reading the book!
Waiting for physical copy to read Lin's liner notes, but listened to the rest. A few interesting backstory pieces that I didn't know. Definitely funny to hear Mariska Hargitay trying to read slang or pronounce rap names. Such a hilariously bad choice in narrator that it had to have been intentional, though I don't get the intention.
Listening to the book, the breakout story of one character written in second person and then a few asides from Sherm was jarring and felt like an interruption. However, as the structure settled in, I thought the stories coalesced beautifully and it was a lovely tale of the growth and change of middle school female friendships. Stead's writing remains a true pleasure to read.
The main character and group therapy sessions seemed a realistic portrayal of teens with OCD, with pandering or over-dramatizing. Not many teen books have realistically rendered and authentically meant explorations of Catholic faith as a subplot, so it was nice to have that variance. The issues with the mother were the sole drama and plot propulsion other than the romantic relationship, but they felt both overwrought and underdeveloped at the same time. A relatively sweet book with some new angles but a bit boring overall.
Solid 4.5 and perhaps edging ahead of Out of the Easy as my favorite Septys. The variable narrators in the audio did a lovely job conveying the characters, and i was genuinely moved by the stories. I was inspired to do much more research into the sinking, which I barely knew anything about. I'd love to find a great nonfiction pair for this book.
Took me forever to read because I had to take breaks from it. Feel the sheer density and intensity might turn away the intended audience, but that'd be a shame because it's so informative and interesting and well researched. The pictures truly add to the story. I've listened to some Shostakovich but now I'm intently listening with a new ear to the pieces Anderson talks about. Would be a great group read for a HS orchestra.
I'm usually bored by revolutionary war stories, but the magic of Sheinkin is he can take a normally historically boring story and turn it into a thriller. He wasn't as successful here as his never works (most particularly Most Dangerous), but it was interesting. I'll consider it background learning before seeing Hamilton!
Certainly see why it's Printz worthy. The small town corn setting rang very true (minus the magical realism), and I was delighted when it was revealed to be IL, because I felt like I knew that town! I liked that Roza got to define her ending and it wasn't wrapped up in a marriage plot, though her freedom from men narrative could easily have ended that way with lesser writers. Not sure I loved Finn's diagnosis twist, but it made sense to story.
Goodreads description: Cassandra Clare meets Caribbean legend in SHADOWSHAPER, an action-packed urban fantasy from a bold new talent. Comparing this to Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments is a disservice to Older. Everything here is BETTER, from the dialogue to the authentic and believable characters to the quick plot pacing. This will be such an easy sell to 8th-HS. Kids will see themselves in Sierra and her friends and family and hopefully this won't be the last we see her. Highly recommend the audio book - Anika Noni Rose gave a tone-perfect performance.
