June/July 2013

Our June/July pick is.....





The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.  Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free?  The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfill her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.  But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him?

May Selection Follow-Up

We had a small group this month since we met right after the Memorial Day holiday, so I decided to gather a few sentences from everyone as a summary of what they thought.


Kate:
Birthmarked is one of my all-time favorite series.  I love the character development and teh world where water is a valiable commodity and used to create a sort of underclass.  I was immediately drawn in my the whole worl of teh midwives and some of the heartbreakingthings that they had to do.  Gaia is niave, but her bravery shines through!

Christine:
Overall-interesting world but a flat and boring main character. The 'bad' guys didn't seem that evil but there is a lot of potential for the next two books.

Maura:
I read through Birthmarked very quickly.  It was fast paced and kept my interest.  I was a little frustrated with Gaia's parents for keeping her in the dark (for no apparent reason).  As a mother, this was a hard read.  I couldn't imagine having to choose one of my twins.  I wished the author had added more decoding into the story line.  I really enjoyed that part of the book!

May 2013

Our April pick is......

In the future, in a world baked dry by the harsh sun, there are those who live inside the walled Enclave and those, like sixteen-year-old Gaia Stone, who live outside. Following in her mother's footsteps Gaia has become a midwife, delivering babies in the world outside the wall and handing a quota over to be "advanced" into the privileged society of the Enclave. Gaia has always believed this is her duty, until the night her mother and father are arrested by the very people they so loyally serve. Now Gaia is forced to question everything she has been taught, but her choice is simple: enter the world of the Enclave to rescue her parents, or die trying.

April Selection Follow-Up

The List inspired a lot of discussion about body image, high school cliques, and how we see ourselves vs. how others see us.

Which one do you feel most sorry for? Admiring of? Dislike?

The character that seemed to touch everyone the most was Bridget, who seemed trapped in her simultaneous desire to be admired and get help for her disordered eating.

Danielle was a favorite of everyone because of her ability to bounce back from the name calling and break-up and the way that she ultimately decided to be ok with who she was. 

Jennifer was universally disliked, but when the question of empathy was posed, everyone agreed that she was also an object of pity.

What role did the teachers/adults have in the book?

The role of adults was the basis of a larger discussion about whether something like this could keep happening under the eye of adults at home and at school.  The teachers/principal in the book existed behind the wall of silence that was put up by the girls and while the principal may have thought she was making progress, as a reader we knew that there was no way anyone was going to give out any information. 

The parents of the girls ranged from smothering to completely out of touch.  Even the parents that seemed to be involved in the lives of their kids didn't really know what was happening.  Everyone agreed that there was a certain amount of realism in the way the teens in the book gave the impression of being ok even when everything was falling apart.

Which girl did you identify with the most?

A few identified with Danielle and the place she found on the swim team, but many people also saw a little bit of themselves in each girl on the list

Observations
When we discussed The Fault In Our Stars, a point was made that Hazel Grace could have been a boy and the story would have had the same structure and impact.  However, The List seems to be a book that really works within the world of the high school girl experience.  Reading this book made many people realize how much the worries about looks stay with you, even as an adult with a career. 

Additional Discussion Points
Why girls are always the victim of these types of lists
The difference between the way boys and girls value looks and reputation

April 2013

Our April pick is.....




An intense look at the rules of high school attraction -- and the price that's paid for them.

It happens every year. A list is posted, and one girl from each grade is chosen as the prettiest, and another is chosen as the ugliest. Nobody knows who makes the list. It almost doesn't matter. The damage is done the minute it goes up.

This is the story of eight girls, freshman to senior, "pretty" and "ugly." And it's also the story of how we see ourselves, and how other people see us, and the tangled connection of the two.

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March Selection Follow-Up

There was a lot of great discussion about this book, which seems to have really captured everyone's attention.  I will write about the things we discussed that don't give spoilers, so if you haven't read the book, you should be safe.  (There may be some very minor spoilers.)

1. Why is this YA?
More than one member asked this question because, presumably, Julie and Maggie are past their teen years when most of the action takes place.  Perhaps it is the spirit of the book or the fact that it begins when they are teens.  It could also just be a marketing decision.

2. Did you see von Linden as being totally evil or was he a conflicted character?
Many people thought that his attempts to engage Julie in conversation were an attempt to humanize himself and perhaps make her feel more comfortable.  His actions at the end of the book certainly make it seem as though he felt conflicted.  Kathryn compared this situation to the episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation when Picard is taken prisoner by the Cardassians.  It just so happens that I have a clip to show you, so if you've read the book, you can see the parallels.

 

3. Maddie does not see herself as a heroic, although her actions are similar to another pilot who she does see as a hero.  Is Maddie a hero, too?

I think we all said yes, of course, but Mary made a good point when she said that "a real hero is humble".  Maddie doesn't see what she does as heroic because, to her, she was just too afraid to jump.  Staying in the plane was the only other choice.  Does that make her any less of a hero?  I think many people would say no. 

4. Maddie had to make a very difficult decision.  Did she do the right thing?

I think the answer to this was a unanimous YES.

When we began our meeting, I asked everyone if they found the beginning of the book to be "draggy".  Despite the fact that the slow build-up of the book is a criticism I see often for CNV, no one in the group had an issue with it.  I asked them if they had issues with the rather dense discussions about airplanes and military protocol. To paraphrase Mary, we are used to reading technical documents that we might not understand.  It's part of our job.   I don't disagree with that statement!

Some other discussion points:

The subtlety of the mentions of torture in this book.

The origins of the phrase "Kiss me, Hardy".

The class difference between Julie and Maddie.

March 2013

Our pick for March is....

Oct. 11th, 1943--A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it's barely begun.
When "Verity" is arrested by the Gestapo, she's sure she doesn't stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she's living a spy's worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution.  As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage, failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy?