tumblr blogging

hello out there to anyone who has read, or does read my posts here on blogspot
i have changed over to tumblr blogging, to open myself up to a bigger following (and less one subject dedicated) kind of blogging
the link below is where i will post from now on, and as of next week i will be shutting down this blogspot

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING WITH ME!

http://blissfully-boring.tumblr.com i hope to see some followers interacting with me over on tumblr!

Read of the Month | May | Aristotle & Dante

Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

☆☆☆☆☆

"Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be."




Plot/General Notes 

The plot line of this novel get me guessing throughout, and gave me "OH!" moments of surprise more than a few times. I really enjoyed the writing style, and the way the author let us get to know so much about the characters, including their family and close friends. This was a hard-to-put-down read, and I would recommend it to all readers; young and old. I don't want to house any spoilers here on this blog, but I will say this is much more than a coming of age tale.

Character Notes 

Dante: the eternal optimist, the dreamer ["escapism"], emotionally driven, loyal to a fault. Dante's character spoke to that little light in each of our souls that wants everything to end just the way we imagine in our dreams.

Aristotle: angry, disconnected, anxious about mostly everything. In the beginning Ari reminded me of a cornered dog acting very tough and untouchable but seems to be this way out of fear and anxiety.

Favourite Quotes

"I bet you could sometimes find all the mysteries of the universe in someone's hand."

"Words were different when they lived inside of you."

Other Books to Read by This Author

The House of Forgetting 
[Looking through the author's list of previous works, I wasn't struck by any of them really which surprised me because I loved this book so much. The synopsis of The House of Forgetting sounds pretty interesting however, and I'm sure I'll check it out sometime.]


Our next read will be Yours Truly by Annabel Pitcher. See you soon!

Fresh Start

Here marks the beginning of something beautiful!

A dear friend of mine, and one of her closest, have decided to involve ourselves in a book club. The long and short of it will be one book a month, pacing yourself as you see fit. Each member takes turns choosing the read monthly, as long as no other member is absolutely in objection to a suggested title. We have agreed (and thus far been unsuccessful) to meet after each novel to have discussion and choose the next read. 

So with that, the following will be a short review or "journal entry" on the book, as guided by Well-Read Women: A Reader's Journal. This is a fantastic tool if you are like me and tend to fly through books, without holding onto those small moments or characters that you cherished so much during the read. For the first novel, we all collectively decided upon Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. The review will be up today!

Thanks for reading!

winter: The Book Break

Hi all,

Yep! It is officially winter, there is some snow sticking to the ground and we are all bundled in our puffy NWO jackets. I have been on a hiatus with school being so busy, giving my all to my work.

Here's my thought.... My winter break is coming up (freeeeeeeeedom!) I will be reading and doing discussion (most likely alone) on a novel called Keeper N' Me. This is by Richard Wagamese, who is a local Ontario author and he focuses on incredible First Nations storytelling.

Hope to hear from some readers, and get involved in a novel that I think is quintessential Canadian literature.

Paper Towns: cover to cover

Regardless of lack of feedback (you're all just super shy right? totally) I will continue my efforts to Book Club (v.) this thing! Only a few things to discuss for final post on Paper Towns, and hopefully a decision thereafter on our September Fall read.

1. What main ideas—themes—does the author explore? (Consider the title, often a clue to a theme.) Does the author use symbols to reinforce the main ideas? 
(Has anyone Google searched the dog's surname? *hint hint*)

2. I know there will be different opinions on this one - Is the ending satisfying? If so, why? 
If not, why not...and how would you change it?

3. If you could ask the author a question, what would you ask?  
There's copious interview material that I can scan through to find any answers too!

4. Rate the book! 1-5 with 1 being hated it and 5 being loved it.

I love this read like crazy, with all it's ups and downs and copious amounts of "tip your hat" type of references. I look forward to hearing any input or feedback, especially as we come to a close on our first novel together. Thank you all so much for reading with me. 

On to the next! 

Paper Towns: coming to a close

Happy Monday, right?

As I went out of town (immediately after having family in town) I am assuming I will be the one furthest behind on our adventure through Paper Towns. As it is, I will open up some questions to start discussion and get things going!

The questions can be applied to the novel as a whole for those of you who are finished, or can be kept to each reader's current place and experience. We will do one more discussion with prompts and spoilers and all that good stuff on the last Sunday of the month to wrap up our first read!

Feet first... 

1. How did you experience the book? Were you engaged right away, or did it take a while to get into it? 

How did you feel reading it—amused, sad, disturbed, confused, bored...?

2. Let's talk main characters—personality traits, motivations, inner qualities. 

   • Why do our characters do what they do? (Margo, Radar, Ben, Q, Myrna Mountweasel)

   • Are their actions justified? 

   • How has the past shaped their lives? 

   • Do you admire or disapprove of them? 

   • Do they remind you of people you know?

3. Can we talk about Q's view of Margo and how it changes? It's pretty drastic, as he has realizes that Margo was not an adventure but a girl. 

Why did Q originally see Margo as solely an adventure?

4. What do Q's conception of Margo and Margo's conception of Q have in common? 

Where do they differ?

5. Have you read other books by John Green? If you have, how did Paper Towns compare? 

If you haven't, does this book inspire you to read others?

Keep in mind, these are things I've pondered and talk to myself about while reading. Please don't feel obligated to write essays on each question or stick to them at all! 

These are just prompts in hopes to open up the floor for discussion, big or small. 

Can't wait to hear from everyone!

Let's Meet the Author | John Green

There's so many wonderful things to say about John Green, but we'll keep it short and sweet.

A stint working in a children’s hospital, on his way to Episcopal priesthood, inspired Green to write The Fault in Our Stars and take his life in a different direction.

Green is YouTube famous, alongside his brother Hank, originally for issuing one another a challenge to correspond through video only for an entire year. These posts reached a wide audience who became enamored with their humour and antics and have followed the brothers since.

He knows he’s a huge nerd, and we mean HUGE. And he’s cool with that. We’re cool with that.

His childhood experiences are worn as a badge, not a cry for attention. He speaks to his young adult audiences about the effects of bullying, overcoming, and how much better life gets.

Just a few small tidbits about the author of this month's novel, in hopes that you are inspired and continue to support John Green - keep enjoying his books!