When She Woke - BOOK CLUB

Get ready for a great book group meeting! We are now reading:

RED: the color of blood, the color of murder, the color of sin...

Have you read The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne? This novel is a modern day retelling of sorts.

Hannah Payne wakes up in a cell after being injected with a virus that has turned her skin completely red -- her crime: she aborted her illegitimate pregnancy in a new American society where that is illegal. She will not name the father of her unborn child, a famous married minister, nor the abortionist, and is charged and convicted of murder. What happens to Hannah when she is released from the temporary post-chroming seclusion and is thrust back into a society where she is stigmatized and humiliated by everyone who sees her as a Red? Prevented from returning to her home by parents who will not allow her to live with them, Hannah must navigate a scary road to regain her dignity and make a new life for herself in a world where there is no longer separation between church and state -- and no protection for the Chromes.

 I  suggest that you obtain and read this book if you like dystopian, futuristic novels about family, religious controversies, crime and punishment, relationships, and self-discovery. The author weaves a very interesting tale -- yes it does have themes similar to those found in some of the classic literature, but it brings all of those together in a new and very thought-provoking way. This would be a fantastic book for a book group discussion.

I will be recommending this!



Discussion Questions - please post your answers in comment section

1.  Is this futuristic imagining of the direction of reality television believable?

2. What elements within this futuristic society have lead to the acceptability of the cruel treatment of those who've committed crimes?

3. Was Hannah's decision not to reveal the identity of either her baby's father or the abortionist justified?  What does this say about her character?

4. How do you feel about the baby's father and his decisions regarding not coming forward?

5. Discuss how the concept of religion is portrayed through the major characters: Hannah, her mother, her father, her sister Becca, the Henleys, Aidan and Cole.

6. Does Hannah change within the course of the novel? How?

7. What are your thoughts on Hannah's friend Kayla? In what ways is she different from Hannah?

8. How would you describe the halfway house run by the Henleys? Did it serve its intended purpose?

9. What aspects of Hannah and Kayla's flight struck you most? What experiences stood out for you?

10. Was the ending believable?
(Questions issued by publisher.)

Ms C.
Review originally published Sunday, August 19, 2012

Red Queen--reviewed by: Sarah Roberts

"In school, we learned about the world before us, about the angels and gods that lived in the sky, ruling the earth with kind and loving hands. Some say those are just stories, but I don't believe that. The gods rule us still. They have come down from the stars. And they are no longer kind."

Picture high school. It's ruled by two kinds of groups. There's the popular, almighty people, and then you have the unpopular, lowly people. Well that is the type of society that Mare Barrow lives in.

There are two kinds of people in Mare Barrow's society, except the thing that defines your place is the color of your blood. First you have the Silvers,which are the elite people "whose supernatural abilities make them gods". Then you have the Reds, which are the lowly servants of the Silvers.

Mare Barrow is a Red, who just so happens to be the best pit-pocketer in all the village. Mare lives with her mother, her war-disabled father, and her sister Gisa. Mare also has brothers but they are in the military, which Mare will soon join them...or so she thought. One encounter with a stranger leads Mare landing a job in the royal palace, filled with people she loathes the most. Mare works through rooms filled with Silvers, just simply serving and refilling drinks. Girls appear trying to win the affection of the two young princes, but only one of them is familiar. It's the stranger who got Mare the job.

As the night goes on Mare does her serving duties, and can't wait for the night to end. Suddenly, she is attacked by a girl in the pageant and thrown of the balcony landing on this lightening force field. The only problem is, Mare does burn but controls the lightening. This sets off a chain of events that will change everything.

I loved this book! It really made my imagination come to life. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family. Not only does this book have suspense, it also has betrayal and a hint of love. I love Mare's independent spirit, but also how loyal she is to her friends and loved ones. The storyline is absolutely spectacular! It will give you goose bumps. You feel everything the characters feel, and even feel afraid for some of them at one point. Join Mare in this fantastic tale, and "rise red as the dawn."

These Shallow Graves~ Reviewed by Hailey Hinrichs

"If you're going to bury the past, bury it deep girl. Shallow graves always give up their dead."

           Jo Montfort has always lived a simple life. Growing up in a rich, sophisticated family, Jo's life has mostly been laid out for her. She'll get married, have a family, and live the rest of her life in the shadows of her husband. But she doesn't want that kind of life. Reading the articles from world renowned Nellie Bly has made her strive to become a reporter. But when her father suddenly dies, the cops say it is due to him accidentally shooting himself in the head with a revolver while he was cleaning it, but Jo knows her father was too smart to make that mistake. When she meets Eddie- a handsome, young reporter- she pairs with him to solve the real cause of her fathers murder. As she uncovers more and more truths about his death, she learns no ones past ever stays buried.

    

            I LOVED this book so I gave it 5 out of 5 stars. I've never really tried to read many murder-mystery books, but this one grabbed my attention so quickly. I never wanted to put it down. The characters were amazingly developed, the plot was so interesting, and every time they uncovered some type of clue, it left you wondering what was going to happen next. I love Jennifer Donnelly's writing style and I'll definitely be looking into more of her books. I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers or mystery books. You will not be disappointed reading this book.

Need--Reviewed by Sarah Roberts

" A want is a desire to possess or do something. A wish. A need is something required because it is essential. Something very important that you cannot live without."

"What do you need?"

                   Social media is the most important thing to teens these days. So when a social media cite called NEED starts offering to send teens in the small town of Nottawa whatever they need in exchange for small tasks to be carried out, what could be sweeter. At first the tasks are as simple as inviting people to join NEED, and then everything changes. A fellow classmate is the first to die after cookies were "mysteriously" delivered to her containing the one thing that could kill her...peanuts. The culprit is a fellow classmate, and NEED member, who was just following through on the task given to them. As more teens begin to die off, there's only on teen who wants to end NEED for good. Follow Kayla, as she tries to find out who is behind NEED, and hopefully put a stop to them before more classmates meet their untimely deaths.
 

            I became obsessed with this book after the first chapter! This is why I rated the book a five out of five stars. This book will have you begging for more. I thoroughly enjoyed how each chapter was from a different point of view of each character. Just like every person has their own opinions and point of views, so do the characters. You really get to experience what goes on in every character's head through the progression of each chapter. The ending of this book will leave you breathless. It was also make you think that this story could possibly happen in real life today.



Damage Done-- Reviewed by Sarah Roberts

               
              Have you ever had something happened to you, where you just want to change your name and switch cities or even planets? Well that's exactly what happens to Julia Vann.

        When Julia Vann's brother does something that makes Julia and her family the talk of the town, she and her family pack up, change their identities, and move to a new town. Now living as Lucy Black, Julia has a chance at having a normal high school year. That is until, Dr. Spence, Julia's brother's therapist, comes to town with a plan to find Julia. When a sequence of events makes it hard to hide the truth about her past Julia is forced to confide in her best friend Alane and her high school crush, Michael. Julia tells them everything about her past life...or so they think. What Julia holds inside could be the key to unlocking what really happened that fateful day, which changed her life forever. One thing is clear the damage done can never be erased. It's only just the beginning.

         I thought this book was absolutely amazing. I gave it a five-star rating because i could not put it down for even a second. This book is twisted and touches on subjects that others are afraid to even hint at. It creates a feeling of numbness at the end, because you just can't process it at first. It makes you think about how the mind works and what really makes people the way they are. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone because it is a story worth experiencing.

The Killing Woods reviewed by Portia Rockers

The Killing Woods is about a girl named Emily whose father goes into the woods and comes out with a dead body. The dead body happened to be a girl named Ashlee Parker, the most popular and prettiest girl in the school. Emily's father gets blamed for the murder, and he confesses to it. Emily doesn't believe her father actually committed the crime and is determined to prove his innocence. Damon Hilary, who was Ashlee's boyfriend, puts most the blame on Emily for what her father has done along with the rest of the town. Damon and his friends, along with Ashlee play a game in the woods where they get high and try and find each other. The catch is when you find the person you beat then and take their dog collar. Did this game have anything to do with Ashlee's death?

I really enjoyed the plot of this book, the story had a lot of plot twisters that kept me turning the page and wanting to read more. I also really liked how descripted the author was with this book. When she described the dark woods, the place where Damon and his friends would play their game, I got chills and could picture it perfectly. Another thing about the book that I really loved was that it was written in two different point of views, Damon's and Emily's. One thing I didn't like about the book was the choices the characters choices. Damon despised Emily for what he thought her dad did to Ashlee, but the only reason he cared for Ashlee so much was basically for sex and her looks. Emily even though knowing Damon wasn't a good guy still continues to have a crush on him to the end. I enjoyed the book, because it was plot twisting and chilling with a shocking ending. I would defiantly recommend this to other who enjoy murder mysteries. If you like The Killing Woods you might want to  read Lucy Christopher's other book Stolen or a book called The Impossible Knife of Memory.









Reconstructing Amelia -- Reviewed by Stephanie Best

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
Reviewed by Stephanie Best

Fifteen year old, Amelia, and her mother, Kate, were all each other had. Amelia shared everything with Kate. That is, until the day she was “tapped” by the Magpies, an exclusive club only the select few were admitted into. Reluctantly, Amelia agrees to join, and her life is changed forever. Within weeks, she is found dead. According to the police, she jumped off her school’s roof committing suicide. In her clouded grief, Kate accepts this, until one day getting an anonymous text saying that Amelia didn't jump. Kate begins to realize that perhaps this text isn't just a cruel joke. Through the process Kate find out shocking things about her daughter and the people she knew. But with everyone telling Kate different stories, and continually gaining more questions than answers, will she be able to find out what really happened to Amelia?

I rated Reconstructing Amelia four stars because I thought the story was interesting, and I enjoyed trying to figure out how it was going to end as the story went along. I did not, however, like the fact that the story changed between characters, as well as time periods. More than once I was confused and would have to go back and figure out when it was happening. I do think that multiple views help give dramatic irony for the readers, but I thought sometimes it could add to the confusion. Overall I enjoyed the book. The genre is quite common so I think anyone that enjoys murder mysteries would enjoy this book.

Kiss Me Kill Me -- Reviewed by Stephanie Best

Kiss Me Kill  Me by Lauren Henderson
Reviewed by Stephanie Best     
       
     All teenager Scarlet wanted was two things: breasts and a kiss from her crush Dan McAndrew. She got what she wished for, but at a price. One day while waiting for a ride home after gymnastics practice with her two best friends Luce and Alison, Scarlet was signaled over to the popular group by Nadia, inviting Scarlet to her party that weekend. Betraying her friends, Scarlet agreed. Unknowingly, the action would come back to bite her in the back. At the party, she is falling head over heels with the popular Dan McAndrew, and it seems that he is falling for her as well. They quickly hit it off, and before she knows it, he is kissing her. Lost in the moment, she didn’t realize that he starts chocking. Minutes later, he was dead, and everyone thinks she did it. Now she at a new school, where she hopes she can finally forget what happened only a few months ago. But will her past come back to haunt her? And how did Dan McAndrew really die?    
       
     Kiss Me Kill Me was a pretty good book. I felt like I could relate to her to some extent. She reminded me a lot of myself in middle school, trying desperately to fit in with the popular crowd, resulting in abandoning friends for a period of time. I found her personality to be much like mine. I thought the story was well written and I enjoyed the plot. If other readers have liked Rosebush by Michele Jaffe, then I recommend this book.

The Phantom of the Opera - Reviewed by Stephanie Best

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

Reviewed by Stephanie Best

        The author claims that the “Opera Ghost”, Erik, was a real person. The story follows the real life happenings at the Paris Opera House, the Palais Garnier. Christine Daae, a chorus girl and daughter of a renowned fiddler, is only a chorus girl at the opera house, until one day she is given the opportunity to sing at the house’s managers’ retirement celebration. Under the guidance of the Opera Ghost, whom he tells her he is her Angel of Music, she sings extraordinarily beautifully and is an instant hit. Raoul, the Vicomte de Chagny, sees the performance and remembers her from their childhood together, yet, she at first does not remember him. Around this time, strange things are happening at the opera house, including deaths. Seeing Christine with Raoul, Erik becomes jealous and kidnaps Christine multiple times. Can Christine trust her Angel of Music? Who will she chose, her Angel of Music, or Raoul? Even with the help of the mysterious The Persian, can Raoul save Christine?

I rated The Phantom of the Opera three out of five starts because I often found it very hard to follow. I often have trouble reading novels with this kind of writing. Even though I have seen the musical, I did enjoy the plot, because the original story is somewhat different than the musical. I did, however, really enjoy learning more about the characters and their pasts as well as their relatives. If the reader enjoys other classic books, such as Les Miserables, which was also made into a popular musical, then I recommend this book. Personally, I would rather watch the musical version of The Phantom of the Opera than read the book.