Fri Oct 13: what we talked about

  • Posted October 16, 2023
Fri Oct 13: what we talked about

Club news:

  • Freedom to Read Week in LMC Oct 16-20. Gallery walk to learn more about book challenges and book bans. Make a button. Grab a stuicker or bookmark. Leave your feedback.
  • Book or Treat at Aspen Drive branch library, until 4:30 p.m. Oct 29
  • Sign up for Cook Memorial Public Library's High School Book Club. Get a FREE copy of Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor. Dicsussion 7 p.m. Wed Nov 1

What we've been reading:

  • Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and Teens Whose Lives it Changed by Dashka Slater
    • Genre: non-fiction
    • Summary: When a high school student started a private Instagram account that used racist and sexist memes to make his friends laugh, he thought of it as “edgy” humor. Over time, the edge got sharper. Then a few other kids found out about the account, and pretty soon, everyone knew. Ultimately no one in the small town of Albany, California, was safe from the repercussions of the account’s discovery: not the girls targeted by the posts. Not the boy who created the account. Not the group of kids who followed it. Not the adults―educators and parents―whose attempts to fix things too often made them worse. In the end, no one was laughing, and everyone was left wondering: What does it mean to be held accountable for harm that takes place behind a screen?
  • The Honeys by Ryan La Sala
    • Genre: horror
    • Summary: Mars has always been the lesser twin, the shadow to his sister Caroline's radiance. But when Caroline dies under horrific circumstances, Mars is propelled to learn all he can about his once-inseparable sister who'd grown tragically distant. Mars's genderfluidity means he's often excluded from the traditions--and expectations--of his politically-connected family. This includes attendance at the prestigious Aspen Conservancy Summer Academy where his sister poured so much of her time. But with his grief still fresh, he insists on attending in her place. What Mars finds is a bucolic fairytale not meant for him. Folksy charm and sun-drenched festivities camouflage old-fashioned gender roles and a toxic preparatory rigor. Mars seeks out his sister's old friends: a group of girls dubbed the Honeys, named for the beehives they maintain behind their cabin. They are beautiful and terrifying--and Mars is certain they're connected to Caroline's death. But the longer he stays at Aspen, the more the sweet mountain breezes give way to hints of decay. Mars's memories begin to falter, bleached beneath the relentless summer sun. Something is hunting him in broad daylight, toying with his mind. If Mars can't find it soon, it will eat him alive.
    • Other books with honey/bees theme:
  • Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor
    • Genre: fantasy
    • Summary: All her life, Jani has dreamed of Elsewhere. Just barely scraping by with her job at a tannery, she’s resigned to a dreary life in the port town of Durc, caring for her younger sister Zosa. That is, until the Hotel Magnifique comes to town. The hotel is legendary not only for its whimsical enchantments, but also for its ability to travel—appearing in a different destination every morning. While Jani and Zosa can’t afford the exorbitant costs of a guest’s stay, they can interview to join the staff, and are soon whisked away on the greatest adventure of their lives. But once inside, Jani quickly discovers their contracts are unbreakable and that beneath the marvelous glamour, the hotel is hiding dangerous secrets. With the vexingly handsome doorman Bel as her only ally, Jani embarks on a mission to unravel the mystery of the magic at the heart of the hotel and free Zosa—and the other staff—from the cruelty of the ruthless maître d’hôtel. To succeed, she’ll have to risk everything she loves, but failure would mean a fate far worse than never returning home.
    • Wed Nov 1 Cook Memorial Public Library high school book club

Fun stuff:

  • New book blurb game
    • Mrs. Herbrand set us a fun challenge: match a new book to its blurb
      • "You do realize we are literally judging a book by its cover?"

  • Happy endings:
    • "As long as the plot is not predictable, or boring," Julia is OK with a happy ending
    • Sophia says happy endings are OK for relationships books
    • When Manha complained about the not-so-happy ending of Heartless by Marissa Meyer, Emma told her "With a title like that, what do you expect?"
    • Anaya says she needs a happy ending -- "always"