Online Book Club - Conversion - Final Discussion!!

Good morning readers!

We hope that your holidays went well...whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or anything else. As long as you got to spend some quiet time enjoying friends, family, and the extremely unseasonable weather we were having, that's all that counts, right??

You should also have had time to finish our Online Book Club read. We truly hope that you all enjoyed Conversion.

It’s senior year at St. Joan’s Academy, and school is a pressure cooker. College applications, the battle for valedictorian, deciphering boys’ texts: Through it all, Colleen Rowley and her friends are expected to keep it together. Until they can’t.

First it’s the school’s queen bee, Clara Rutherford, who suddenly falls into uncontrollable tics in the middle of class. Her mystery illness quickly spreads to her closest clique of friends, then more students and symptoms follow: seizures, hair loss, violent coughing fits. St. Joan’s buzzes with rumor; rumor blossoms into full-blown panic.

Soon the media descends on Danvers, Massachusetts, as everyone scrambles to find something, or someone, to blame. Pollution? Stress? Or are the girls faking? Only Colleen—who’s been reading The Crucible for extra credit—comes to realize what nobody else has: Danvers was once Salem Village, where another group of girls suffered from a similarly bizarre epidemic three centuries ago...

In the final chapters, Colleen tries to alert the Massachusetts Board of Health that she believes that Emma is responsible for creating the Mystery Illness in her grief and anger over the dissolution of her relationship with Tad (Mr. Mitchell). When no one believes her, it is diagnosed as Conversion Disorder and life seems to move on... Colleen knows better, though, and Emma's mother seems to trust her to keep their family's dark secret. Colleen also learns from Ms. Slater that like Ann Putnam and the girls from the seventeen hundreds, she assumed that the girls at St. Joan's were faking and that she'd been pushing Colleen to reveal that to the school officials.  The book closes with Ann Putnam's confession to the village of Salem about her part in the false accusations of witchcraft that led to so many deaths.

What were your final thoughts on the book?
Did you enjoy it overall?
Were there any points where you felt the characters or plot fell down from what you'd hoped? Did anything truly surprise you?

Online Book Club - Conversion - Week Five Discussion

Hello Readers!

Can you believe we're almost done with Conversion? 

We hope you've all been having fun reading along with us. 

It’s senior year at St. Joan’s Academy, and school is a pressure cooker. College applications, the battle for valedictorian, deciphering boys’ texts: Through it all, Colleen Rowley and her friends are expected to keep it together. Until they can’t.

First it’s the school’s queen bee, Clara Rutherford, who suddenly falls into uncontrollable tics in the middle of class. Her mystery illness quickly spreads to her closest clique of friends, then more students and symptoms follow: seizures, hair loss, violent coughing fits. St. Joan’s buzzes with rumor; rumor blossoms into full-blown panic.

Soon the media descends on Danvers, Massachusetts, as everyone scrambles to find something, or someone, to blame. Pollution? Stress? Or are the girls faking? Only Colleen—who’s been reading The Crucible for extra credit—comes to realize what nobody else has: Danvers was once Salem Village, where another group of girls suffered from a similarly bizarre epidemic three centuries ago...

In pages 262 - 321, we learn that in the seventeen hundreds, Tittibe is now being forced to name other witches in order to protect the local Reverend and his flock. Ann and her friends have become swept up in the drama, and though she feels horribly guilty, Ann cannot make herself speak the truth. Meanwhile, in 2012, Colleen has discovered Ann's true identity and the fact that Arthur Miller basically wrote her out of The Crucible. The Massachusetts Board of Health and a gaggle of scientists come to Danvers to try to determine the cause of the Mystery Illness, but Colleen makes a terrible discovery about Mr. Mitchell and her friend Emma and how it all might be connected.

Here are some questions where we'd love to hear your thoughts:
1. What did you think of Katherine Howe's description of Bethany Witherspoon? Did you draw a connection to anyone in the real world?
2. What did you think when Ann realizes "We're beginning to understand that our game has been wrestled awway from us. That in a way we cannot fully understand, it's nothing to do with us at all"?
3. What do you think about how Emma seems to be connected to the Mystery Illness?

Please, give us any thoughts that you have about the pages we've read so far, BUT...NO SPOILERS please!! If you read ahead, make sure not to give away any clues to things that may come ahead.

Online Book Club - Conversion - Week Four Discussion

Good Morning!

We hope you all enjoyed reading the fourth section of Conversion by Katherine Howe.

It’s senior year at St. Joan’s Academy, and school is a pressure cooker. College applications, the battle for valedictorian, deciphering boys’ texts: Through it all, Colleen Rowley and her friends are expected to keep it together. Until they can’t.

First it’s the school’s queen bee, Clara Rutherford, who suddenly falls into uncontrollable tics in the middle of class. Her mystery illness quickly spreads to her closest clique of friends, then more students and symptoms follow: seizures, hair loss, violent coughing fits. St. Joan’s buzzes with rumor; rumor blossoms into full-blown panic.

Soon the media descends on Danvers, Massachusetts, as everyone scrambles to find something, or someone, to blame. Pollution? Stress? Or are the girls faking? Only Colleen—who’s been reading The Crucible for extra credit—comes to realize what nobody else has: Danvers was once Salem Village, where another group of girls suffered from a similarly bizarre epidemic three centuries ago...

In pages 190 - 259, we learn that Ann and her friends become swept up in the drama and importance of their "affliction," accusing the slave Tittabe and several others in the village of hurting them through witchcraft. Meanwhile in Danvers, in 2012, Colleen's friends discover more and more girls are becoming afflicted with the Mysterious Illness. No one girl has similar symptoms...

Here are some questions where we'd love to hear your thoughts:
1. What did you think of Tittabe's confession upon the stand?
2. Are you, like Colleen, convinced that Emma had something to do with Mr. Mitchell's leaving St. Joan's?
3. What did you think of Anjali's symptoms?

Please, give us any thoughts that you have about the pages we've read so far, BUT...NO SPOILERS please!! If you read ahead, make sure not to give away any clues to things that may come ahead.

Online Book Club - Conversion - Week Three Discussion!

Good Morning!

We hope you all enjoyed reading the third section of Conversion by Katherine Howe. We're just about halfway done now!

It’s senior year at St. Joan’s Academy, and school is a pressure cooker. College applications, the battle for valedictorian, deciphering boys’ texts: Through it all, Colleen Rowley and her friends are expected to keep it together. Until they can’t.

First it’s the school’s queen bee, Clara Rutherford, who suddenly falls into uncontrollable tics in the middle of class. Her mystery illness quickly spreads to her closest clique of friends, then more students and symptoms follow: seizures, hair loss, violent coughing fits. St. Joan’s buzzes with rumor; rumor blossoms into full-blown panic.

Soon the media descends on Danvers, Massachusetts, as everyone scrambles to find something, or someone, to blame. Pollution? Stress? Or are the girls faking? Only Colleen—who’s been reading The Crucible for extra credit—comes to realize what nobody else has: Danvers was once Salem Village, where another group of girls suffered from a similarly bizarre epidemic three centuries ago...

In pages 125 - 189, we see the mystery illness of St. Joan's hit mass media aND she learns the number of affected girls keeps growing. Colleen's mystery texter keeps contacting her. She discovers her teacher is not returning to school, but has no idea why.  In the 1700s, we learn that Ann has become part of the scheme Abigail devised...

Here are some questions where we'd love to hear your thoughts:
1. Why do you think that the school nurse and others are convinced that Colleen is somehow involved with the mystery illness?
2. Why do you think Ann went along with Abby's scheme to scam the village elders?
3. What do you think has happened to cause Mr. Mitchell to leave the school?

Please, give us any thoughts that you have about the pages we've read so far, BUT...NO SPOILERS please!! If you read ahead, make sure not to give away any clues to things that may come ahead.

Online Book Club - Conversion - Week Two Discussion!

Good Morning!

We hope you all enjoyed reading the second section of Conversion by Katherine Howe.

It’s senior year at St. Joan’s Academy, and school is a pressure cooker. College applications, the battle for valedictorian, deciphering boys’ texts: Through it all, Colleen Rowley and her friends are expected to keep it together. Until they can’t.

First it’s the school’s queen bee, Clara Rutherford, who suddenly falls into uncontrollable tics in the middle of class. Her mystery illness quickly spreads to her closest clique of friends, then more students and symptoms follow: seizures, hair loss, violent coughing fits. St. Joan’s buzzes with rumor; rumor blossoms into full-blown panic.

Soon the media descends on Danvers, Massachusetts, as everyone scrambles to find something, or someone, to blame. Pollution? Stress? Or are the girls faking? Only Colleen—who’s been reading The Crucible for extra credit—comes to realize what nobody else has: Danvers was once Salem Village, where another group of girls suffered from a similarly bizarre epidemic three centuries ago...

In pages 63 - 124, we learn that more girls in Colleen's school have fallen mysteriously ill and that the school seems to be keeping secrets about whether or not they truly understand what is going on. Colleen has also begun receiving strange text messages from someone who will not reveal themselves.  In the seventeen hundreds, Ann has begun telling her story to the Reverend, revealing that Betty and Abby were faking their illness...

Here are some questions where we'd love to hear your thoughts:
1. What type of illness do you think the girls have in Colleen's school?
2. Who do you think is the person secretly messaging Colleen? What is the connection to The Crucible?
3. What do you think has caused Ann to suddenly start confessing to the Reverend?

Please, give us any thoughts that you have about the pages we've read so far, BUT...NO SPOILERS please!! If you read ahead, make sure not to give away any clues to things that may come ahead.

Online Book Club - Conversion - Week One Discussion!

Good Morning!

We hope you all enjoyed reading the first section of Conversion by Katherine Howe.

It’s senior year at St. Joan’s Academy, and school is a pressure cooker. College applications, the battle for valedictorian, deciphering boys’ texts: Through it all, Colleen Rowley and her friends are expected to keep it together. Until they can’t.

First it’s the school’s queen bee, Clara Rutherford, who suddenly falls into uncontrollable tics in the middle of class. Her mystery illness quickly spreads to her closest clique of friends, then more students and symptoms follow: seizures, hair loss, violent coughing fits. St. Joan’s buzzes with rumor; rumor blossoms into full-blown panic.

Soon the media descends on Danvers, Massachusetts, as everyone scrambles to find something, or someone, to blame. Pollution? Stress? Or are the girls faking? Only Colleen—who’s been reading The Crucible for extra credit—comes to realize what nobody else has: Danvers was once Salem Village, where another group of girls suffered from a similarly bizarre epidemic three centuries ago...

In pages XI - 61, we jump between two different time periods, the seventeen hundreds and 2012. In Salem, a young woman named Ann wants to confess her sins and in Danvers, a high school senior named Colleen finds herself in a school plagued by something strange that is making her classmates sick.  

Here are some questions where we'd love to hear your thoughts:
1. This book has a connection to the Salem Witch Trials - what do you already know about that time?
2. What do you think about the type of school that Colleen and her friends attend? Would you like to go to that type of high school?
3. How do you think that Ann and Colleen might be connected?

Please, give us any thoughts that you have about the pages we've read so far, BUT...NO SPOILERS please!! If you read ahead, make sure not to give away any clues to things that may come ahead. 

Stay Connected With Us While We’re Closed!

Stay Connected With Us While We’re Closed!

Join One of

WSPL’s ONLINE BOOKCLUBS!

How Do WSPL’s Online Book Clubs Work?

We’ve picked two books, one for adults and one for older teens, that we’ll all read together and discuss online. Simply read the pages suggested each week and then join us for the online discussion of that section.    

Week One: Oct. 19—24

Week Two: Oct. 26—31

Week Three: Nov. 2—7

Week Four: Nov. 9—14

Week Five: Nov. 16—21

Week Six: Nov. 23—28

On the last day of each week, we will post a link from the Library’s Website and Facebook page to our online blogs where the discussions will take place. You can discuss the events of the book so far, your favorite characters, and even try to figure out what might happen next… 

BUT NO SPOILERS PLEASE! 

If you read ahead, don’t give away what happens!!

Questions begin tomorrow, November 20th... Talk to you soon!

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

SUMMARY FROM PUBLISHER: (Simon and Schuster) Danger is hard to resist in this sexy thriller from Becca Fitzpatrick, the New York Times bestselling author of the Hush, Hush saga.

Britt Pheiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't  prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants €”but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

Britt is forced to guide the men off the mountain, and knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there ¦and in uncovering this, she may become the killer's next target.

But nothing is as it seems, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

Black Ice is New York Times bestselling author Becca Fitzpatrick'€™s riveting romantic thriller set against the treacherous backdrop of the mountains of Wyoming. Falling in love should never be this dangerous


REVIEW: First I must say that I enjoyed Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush Hush series. I recommend it to many of the teens coming into the library looking for a paranormal romance. When I saw she had written a realistic fiction thriller steeped in mystery and intrigue I knew I just had to read it.....  

I loved the first chapter! The story begins with the drugging, abduction and murder of a young woman, Lauren Huntsman, by a mysterious man she meets at a bar. Okay so this is a great set-up to a mystery. We know we will need to look at characters in the story for clues to who is the murder. 

Unfortunately after that first chapter, the rest of the story falls apart. The characters were shallow and two dimensional and many of the situations that occur in the story are implausible. 







SPOILER ALERT***






For example, 
1. Britt and Korbie decide to go to Korbie's family chateau on the Teton mountains for Spring Break when they are caught in an unexpected snowstorm leaving them stranded on the mountainside road. This snowstorm is still raging throughout the book. Britt mentions that she had checked the weather before the trip. But a storm that large doesn't "just appear". 
2. The two girls decide, in the middle of the snowstorm to abandon the jeep and all their hiking equipment to look for a safe place to go during the storm. What person with an ounce of brains does that?! 
3. They find a cabin with two men inside who we quickly find out are running from the law. Britt convinces them that she has been hiking the Teton's for year and can get them off the mountain and away from police. They decide to take her in the snowstorm instead of Korbie. Yet later one of the wanted men, Mason, also known as Ace also known as Jude proves to be a trained wilderness survivalist (then why did they need Britt in the first place) but insists they run when confronted with an aggressive bear. Britt keeps telling him she sure she saw that they aren't supposed to run when she was searching the internet.... wow! really!!! 



I also had an issue with the characters themselves. Britt Pheiffer's (the main character) friendship with her "best friend" Korbie is toxic. For example, Korbie actually keeps a tally of the ways she is better than Britt in her journal (yes, Britt looked) Britt also had a secret relationship with Korbie's brother.So secret he didn't even tell anyone and didn't allow Britt to tell anyone either. That's certainly not a healthy relationship.  Britt changes her mind over who she's in love with, Korbie's brother Calvin or the mysterious Mason/Ace/Jude, so often I thought I was going to have whiplash. The women are airheads and men are deviants. None of characters had likable personalities.; I found myself not caring what happens to any of them.

There are many who loved this story and gave it rave reviews. Those who love the catty relationships and LOTS of drama will love "Black Ice". Those who enjoy series like the Pretty Little Liars or Clique Series will probably enjoy this story. Honestly, this one was just not for me!  


FULL DISCLOSURE: Audio-CD from the West Springfield Public Library. 

Half Bad by Sally Green

Half Bad by Sally Green

PUBLISHER SUMMARY: Coming of age in a modern England where good and bad witches live among humans, the son of a powerful black witch father and a dead white witch mother struggles to escape a violent incarceration and claim three magical gifts in order to survive. A first novel

Book #2 - "Half Wild" published March 24, 2015

REVIEW: This book wasn’t half bad!! Ok, sorry for the cheesy response but its true, I thought it was pretty good story.

There are parts that seemed to fall into the “kinda close to other famous plotlines” category. For example, “Half Bad’s” setting occurs in present time England but, similar to Harry Potter, there is another subculture of white witches and black witches. Nathan’s parentage comes from a white witch mother (who is dead) but the most infamous of black witches for a father (who is absent). Nathan’s life has never been easy because of his father’s notoriety; there’s the fact that he is the spitting image of his father, and then there is the prophecy…   in it Nathan is destined to kill his father. Nathan, although he has never met his father, has no desire to kill his father or anyone for that matter. 

Almost all of this book is taken up with Nathan’s journey from “whet” or young witch-to-be up to his seventeenth birthday when he will be given three gifts and drink the blood of an ancestor to gain his “Gift” and a witch designation. Let's just say that it is a hard journey with most against him and only a few in his corner. 

 On the negative side: the characters weren’t as well developed as I’d like and one book seemed to be completely about the “set-up” for the real action in book two: “Half Wild” I’m willing to overlook both of those issues though. I liked Nathan’s attitude and thought process through the story. I could relate to his struggle to be accepted and his need to not be judged by the actions of his father; he just wanted to be free to live his life.

 This was an interesting and engaging story that will appeal to all those upper middle school to high school students looking for the next, “magic” series.

The Six by Mark Alpert

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Adam, crippled by muscular dystrophy, and five other terminally ill teenagers sacrifice their bodies and upload their minds into weaponized robots to battle a dangerously advanced artificial intelligence program bent on destroying humanity.

REVIEW: Two questions…

1.  If you were terminally ill but were given the chance to live forever as a robot – would you take it?  

2. What if we developed a super computer programed to learn from their mistakes who decided humans were expendable?

Both of these premises come together in Mark Alpert’s thrilling novel, “The Six”. Adam and five other teenagers are given the opportunity to cheat death by having their brain functions transferred into an android. The kids and their families have a massive decision to make. Will they lose their personality? What part of us truly makes us human?  

Adam’s father is also the computer expert who had developed the super computer who learns from its mistakes. Ahh, if only us human’s would too… The computer deducts that humans; infallible and emotional creatures that we are, can shut it down permanently. The computer’s self-preservation tells it that it needs to eliminate us as a potential risk. Thus we become its prime target. The government, who has funded both products, sees the teens as an unknown equation for the computer. Perhaps they are the only way to save humanity from the super-computer we’ve created.

I was intrigued by both plot scenarios and how the author was able to meld them into a thought-provoking, high-action story. The reader is kept on the edge of their seats as the teenagers struggle to adapt to their new forms and their mission. The teens acted like teens, sometimes rebellious, sometimes cooperative, and never predictable. The computer scenario reminded me of an updated version of the 1980’s hit movie called “WarGames”. I can tell that the author, Mark Alpert, who is the editor for “Scientific American” has done his homework! This is a great book I could easily recommend to anyone from middle school to adult. The story had a satisfying conclusion but left the door open for future adventures. I can’t wait to see if there are sequels! 

FULL DISCLOSURE: copy obtained through Sourcebook publishing. 

Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan

Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan

PUBLISHER SUMMARY:

Lost in the Black Forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and finds himself entwined in a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica--and decades later three children, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California find themselves caught up in the same thread of destiny in the darkest days of the twentieth century, struggling to keep their families intact, and tied together by the music of the same harmonica.

REVIEW:

Author Pam Munoz Ryan’s masterfully crafts a tale which is an enchanting combination of historical fiction mixed with folklore and a sprinkle of magic. The majority of the story is set against the backdrop of the 1940's when the fear and anxiety of World War II was on everyone's mind. But the common thread for each of the characters is a special harmonica, mysteriously crafted and marked with an “M” which seems to empower the owner with the strength to overcome the social inequalities and injustices they face. At first, I was frustrated at because the author leaves each of the stories of Friedrich, Mike and Ivy unfinished. A musical analogy would be listening to a song but having the last sentence cut off.  However, each story ties together well in the concluding chapters. All around a wonderful and satisfying story emphasizing the power of music and family in overcoming obstacles. Well done!! 

Full disclosure: Book obtained through the West Springfield Public Library Collection. 

The Bookcon Survey is now available!

Hi All,

As mentioned at the last High School Book Talk, Jackie and I will be attending Bookcon in New York in May. There we will have a huge group of publishers, authors and personalities to see. Guests include:

John Green; Paper Towns and the Fault in Our Stars

Marie Lu; Legend Series

Marissa Meyer: The Lunar Chronicles

Rainbow Rowell: Eleanor and Park, Fangirl

Jeff Smith: Bone series

Jenny Han: The Summer I Turned Pretty series, To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Ellen Hopkins: Crank, Burned, Tricks

Leigh Bardugo: The Grisha Trilogy

Meg Cabot: The Princess Diaries

Sarah Dessen: Saint Anything, etc.

Tom Angelberger: The Origami Yoda series

and the list goes on....

THERE ARE TOO MANY TO CHOOSE FROM!!! 

So, as promised, I've made a survey to get your input! Who should we see? Please help us decide!

https://rhodacrowell.typeform.com/to/RXS9EJ 

We'll post the results by Friday, May 22nd.

Thank you!!!!!!

The Countdown Begins to BookCon 2015!!

One of the biggest events for us "bookish" people is to attend BEA, or Book Expo of America.

This event extravaganza is the #1 book and author convention in the United States and has been held at the Javitz Convention Center in New York City for the past few years. Participants get to meet authors, learn about new books and talk with publishers. Unfortunately this year it's held during the week and schedule conflicts were preventing me from attending. BUT....  Jessica, informed me that weekend the Javitz center will hold Bookcon!

Bookcon also links authors and publishers with the book buying public. So.... after checking the calendar and talking my booknut friend and fellow WSPL staff member, Jackie, we're on board for attending Bookcon 2015!!
So who, in the literary world, is going to be there? No other than some of the best!! Like Marie Lu, Meg Cabot, Jacqueline Woodson, James Patterson, Rainbow Rowell, Gayle Foreman, Ellen Hopkins... and the list goes on and on! Sooo excited!! Check the website for the full list of guests! 
So Jackie and I are counting down the days with you until Bookcon 2015! We are going to try to highlight some of the authors attending this event!

Happy Reading!
Rhoda

Blackbird by Anna Carey

Publishers Summary - 

A girl wakes up on the train tracks, a subway car barreling down on her. With only minutes to react, she hunches down and the train speeds over her. She doesn’t remember her name, where she is, or how she got there. She has a tattoo on the inside of her right wrist of a blackbird inside a box, letters and numbers printed just below: FNV02198. There is only one thing she knows for sure: people are trying to kill her. 

On the run for her life, she tries to untangle who she is and what happened to the girl she used to be. Nothing and no one are what they appear to be. But the truth is more disturbing than she ever imagined. 

Review - (4 Stars)

The summary of this book was my biggest draw for choosing this title. I'm a sucker for a good mystery and this sure had all the ear marks for piquing my interest. In fact I read the book in one day.... it was that suspenseful! So why did I only give it four stars instead of five? 

I liked how author, Anna Carey chose to lure us into the story by using the second person point of view; put us in the center of Sunny's action. There was plenty of action throughout the story as well as a crazy amount of twists and turns. Nothing is as it seems. The more Sunny finds out the more questions there are. The one area that REALLY annoyed me though is the ending. Let's just say I spent as couple minutes looking through the last few pages to try to understand why it ended so abruptly. I actually thought I had missed something in the story line and kept flipping through the last few pages multiple times to make sure... that is sooo annoying. I felt like Wile E. Coyote when the Roadrunner tricks him into running off the cliff....

Perhaps it was the author's way of giving us a suspenseful end that makes us excited to read the next book. Personally, I just found it annoying. Kind of like singing a song and stopping three notes before the end. 

So, would I recommend the novel? Yes, it was exciting, non-stop suspenseful novel with plenty of plot-twists and deceptions to keep the reader guessing. But I will be warning them about the ending too.