Next Pick: Delirium

 

January's book is Delirium by Lauren Oliver. I hope you are reading along with us. If you have a Kindle, it's only $2.99. We'll be meeting to discuss it on January 21st.

Next Pick!

Kayla announces December's book choice. I am making all kinds of strange faces in the background. I didn't realize I was so expressive...

Next pick is Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. For lazier parties, I've pasted the Goodreads summary below.

It’s the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place. 

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. 

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune—and remarkable power—to whoever can unlock them.   

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday’s riddles are based in the pop culture he loved—that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday’s icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes’s oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig.

And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.

Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt—among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life—and love—in the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape. 
 
A world at stake.
A quest for the ultimate prize.
Are you ready?

Next Pick: Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

The bookworms have been all kinds of busy this last month, so this post is a bit late. But our next pick is Stargirl! We are meeting one week from today to discuss it (Saturday 11/18). Read it with us! It's a very quick and enjoyable read. And check back for our review. We are expecting a guest-worm this month.

Here's the Amazon review for interested parties: 


Stargirl. From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, the hallways hum with the murmur of “Stargirl, Stargirl.” She captures Leo Borlock’s heart with just one smile. She sparks a school-spirit revolution with just one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. At first. 

Then they turn on her. Stargirl is suddenly shunned for everything that makes her different, and Leo, panicked and desperate with love, urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her: normal. In this celebration of nonconformity, Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the perils of popularity and the thrill and inspiration of first love.

October's Pick

Want to know what we'll be reading next? Watch Bess's video announcement to find out.

Okay, fine. I'll just tell you in case you're too lazy to watch a 1-minute Youtube video. It's called Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. Our next meeting is scheduled for October 15th, so go grab your books and get started.  I should also tell you about our exciting news. Joshua Mohr, author of Termite Parade, found our blog and Tweeted us! It pretty much made our nerdy little days. We're Facebook friends with him now...  He's got another book coming out next month that we're likely to add to our list, so check that out too.

And finally, the bookworms have a Facebook page now, so things are getting legit.  "Like" us or "fan" us or whatever. Happy reading.

And the next book is...

I know. You've been dying to hear what we're reading next. Melisa announces it in the short video below. Check it out.

Too lazy to watch a 30 second Youtube video (Christina)? Fine. The next pick is Joshua Mohr's Termite Parade. I'll link a New York Times review here for interested parties. If the book is bad, blame Melisa. Just kidding. But seriously, read with us! We absolutely love the fact that we've got some virtual book-clubbers. It's made this whole thing even more fun (if that's even possible).

This cover kind of sicks me out. What do you think of it?
Grab a copy at the local library and get to reading. Due date = September 17th. I'm already excited.

Bookworms unite!

Are you reading with us?

Next book: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, due August 13th.

Our second book club meeting is quickly approaching, but there is still plenty of time for you to pick up the book and read through it. So I hope you do. It's a quick one. At least that's what I'm told. And it better be true because I am desperately trying to finish some of the books I'll be teaching this fall that I've never read including The Book Thief, Life of Pi, and Fahrenheit 451. This means I'm going to have to wait until the last minute to read Before I Fall.

We'll be selecting our third book at our next meeting. The decision is ultimately up to Melisa, so if you have a suggestion, feel free to post it here. You can also look at our list for ideas or suggest something totally different.

Due date for Before I Fall is August 13th. Shortly after the 13th we'll post our meeting notes, some photos, and some videos of our discussion.  We don't have the time or the skills for any high-quality production, but if you've got suggestions for our post-meeting blog posts, (videos, photos, meeting notes, ratings), please let us know.

Happy reading, bookworms!

What Are We Reading?

We are currently reading Impossible, by Nancy Werlin. Read it along with us. Our deadline is July 9th. After reading the book we'll do a podcast of our conversation about it, which we'll post here on the blog.

About the book:
Werlin combines magic, romance, and a family curse in this 21st-century fairy tale based on the ballad "Scarborough Fair." On the night of her prom, Lucy, 17, is raped by her date and becomes pregnant. She decides to keep the child, and she is supported by her foster parents and Zach, her childhood friend whose love for Lucy changes from platonic to romantic as the story progresses. The teen discovers the curse on the women in her family when she reads her birth mother's diary. Lucy is destined for madness at 18 unless she can perform the three impossible tasks described in the song and break the curse of the Elfin Knight. She is determined to rid herself and her unborn child of the curse, and her family and Zach help her as she works to solve the riddles. This unique story flows smoothly and evenly, and the well-drawn characters and subtle hints of magic early on allow readers to enter willingly into the world of fantasy. As in The Rules of Survival (Dial, 2006), Werlin addresses tough topics. Rape, teen pregnancy, and family madness set the story in motion, but the strength of Lucy's character and the love of her family and friends allow her to deal with such difficult matters and take on the impossible. Teens, especially young women, will enjoy this romantic fairy tale with modern trappings.—Jennifer D. Montgomery, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green 


Have you already read it? What did you think?


Check out the writer's website.