Disclaimer: I won a free copy of this book from www.firsttoread.com. This review is also posted on www.goodreads.com
Touch is an essay in the guise of a novel, and the big ideas had already been laid out in the first 50 pages, and it became clear what would happen and who would do what. In that sense, it was not suspenseful. But I kept reading because it was well done, a story well told, in the end. So it's a bit simplistic. But like I said, there are enough interesting characters that Maum actually had the makings of a truly insightful novel, but I feel like she never quite took advantage of them. The weird part is the time it takes place in— at points I thought the story took place in the present, and at others a sort of alternate present (self driving cars with uncanny AI seems possible but we’re not quite there yet).
The theme is fantastic in exploring technology and its pitfalls. This book was extremely thought provoking. With so much technology in the world, there were some interesting parallels. As a society, we are becoming poor communicators and there needs to be more of an effort to get back to our roots. I liked the concept of this novel. I had a hard time with the story itself.
♥♥♥♥♥♥- Satisfying for a first read, but I'm not going back
B+ = This book is good, and I enjoyed reading it. However, there are some flaws.
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
How to Servive a Summer: First-to-Read Review
Disclaimer: I won a free copy of this book from www.firsttoread.com. This review is also posted on www.goodreads.com
Will "Rooster" Dillard was one of several teenage boys at a camp to "cure" their homosexuality, tortured until one of them ended up dead. The survivors, years later, have tried to put the experience behind them, made difficult by one of the camp counselors writing a book. And then a movie is made from the book, controversial and one everyone is talking about. The past entwines with the present, and the different viewpoints of the people who were there--two of them have gotten their chance to tell the story, and now it's finally Will's turn. As you might expect, this a bit of a sad story at its core. Will, especially, wanted to be "cured" to please his preacher father, and the struggles of his youth are pretty painful. But his present is a different story, when he's found some acceptance of himself, and finally facing his past helps him move past his issues and find happiness in his future. That hope carries you along through the worst of it, though it's still a bit ambiguous in regards to the movie. The purpose behind it, after all the talking, seems to be more plot related than having anything deeper.
This feels to me like a semi-autobiographical first novel where the author maybe needed some more emotional distance from the subject matter before he decided to write about it. White does a good job of capturing the feeling of a time and place, but the story and character development felt undercooked to me. Turning real life events into a novel using a first-person narrator who's basically a stand-in for the author is such a go-to for young writers but is so hard to get right. This is a good start but I'd like to see what White can do with different subject matter.
♥♥♥♥♥
5 hearts: Doesn't particularly light any of my fires; I feel indifferent about this book (x)
C = This book is okay, and I finished it relatively quickly. It didn't blow me away, and something was definitely lacking (characters, plot, dialogue, etc.)
Will "Rooster" Dillard was one of several teenage boys at a camp to "cure" their homosexuality, tortured until one of them ended up dead. The survivors, years later, have tried to put the experience behind them, made difficult by one of the camp counselors writing a book. And then a movie is made from the book, controversial and one everyone is talking about. The past entwines with the present, and the different viewpoints of the people who were there--two of them have gotten their chance to tell the story, and now it's finally Will's turn. As you might expect, this a bit of a sad story at its core. Will, especially, wanted to be "cured" to please his preacher father, and the struggles of his youth are pretty painful. But his present is a different story, when he's found some acceptance of himself, and finally facing his past helps him move past his issues and find happiness in his future. That hope carries you along through the worst of it, though it's still a bit ambiguous in regards to the movie. The purpose behind it, after all the talking, seems to be more plot related than having anything deeper.
This feels to me like a semi-autobiographical first novel where the author maybe needed some more emotional distance from the subject matter before he decided to write about it. White does a good job of capturing the feeling of a time and place, but the story and character development felt undercooked to me. Turning real life events into a novel using a first-person narrator who's basically a stand-in for the author is such a go-to for young writers but is so hard to get right. This is a good start but I'd like to see what White can do with different subject matter.
♥♥♥♥♥
5 hearts: Doesn't particularly light any of my fires; I feel indifferent about this book (x)
C = This book is okay, and I finished it relatively quickly. It didn't blow me away, and something was definitely lacking (characters, plot, dialogue, etc.)
Californium: First-To-Read Review
Disclaimer: I won a free copy of this book from www.firsttoread.com. This review is also posted on www.goodreads.com
The "Coming of Age" genre focuses on identity. Who you are, who people think you are, and the multiple identities you walk in among your peers, family, and the larger circles around you. As the novel progresses, we get to see Reece transform from the new kid in school who's trying to find a way to fit in, to a young man who is starting to understand the complexities of life. Written by R. Dean R. Johnson, CALIFORNIUM had a lot of elements (pun unintended) that should have added up to something good, but in the end, it was a little lackluster. While I was compelled to keep reading because I wanted to see how it all turned out, I never felt truly connected to the characters. In some places, it felt like things were moving too fast, especially the post-DikNixon show climax. Other things, like the frequent calling out to elements or the way that Reece and his friends talked to each other, felt wildly off the mark. I found Treat to be way too forced a character, as if he was supposed to remind us that it was the 80s--a tactic that didn't really work. It honestly felt like this could have taken place in any era after the rise of punk music, so I wish there had been more to make me feel like it taking place in the 80s was important to the feel of the story.
Stunningly mediocre. A perfect 4 on the ph scale. No strong feelings one way or the other. The stereotypical thing you think of when you think of YA fiction.
♥♥♥♥♥
5 hearts: Doesn't particularly light any of my fires; I feel indifferent about this book (x)
C = This book is okay, and I finished it relatively quickly. It didn't blow me away, and something was definitely lacking (characters, plot, dialogue, etc.)
The "Coming of Age" genre focuses on identity. Who you are, who people think you are, and the multiple identities you walk in among your peers, family, and the larger circles around you. As the novel progresses, we get to see Reece transform from the new kid in school who's trying to find a way to fit in, to a young man who is starting to understand the complexities of life. Written by R. Dean R. Johnson, CALIFORNIUM had a lot of elements (pun unintended) that should have added up to something good, but in the end, it was a little lackluster. While I was compelled to keep reading because I wanted to see how it all turned out, I never felt truly connected to the characters. In some places, it felt like things were moving too fast, especially the post-DikNixon show climax. Other things, like the frequent calling out to elements or the way that Reece and his friends talked to each other, felt wildly off the mark. I found Treat to be way too forced a character, as if he was supposed to remind us that it was the 80s--a tactic that didn't really work. It honestly felt like this could have taken place in any era after the rise of punk music, so I wish there had been more to make me feel like it taking place in the 80s was important to the feel of the story.
Stunningly mediocre. A perfect 4 on the ph scale. No strong feelings one way or the other. The stereotypical thing you think of when you think of YA fiction.
♥♥♥♥♥
5 hearts: Doesn't particularly light any of my fires; I feel indifferent about this book (x)
C = This book is okay, and I finished it relatively quickly. It didn't blow me away, and something was definitely lacking (characters, plot, dialogue, etc.)
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