Abby's profile

854 ratings | 60 reviews
avg rating: 3.43
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Abby's bookshelves

read (881)
currently-reading (5)
to-read (106)

1001 (124)
newbery (22)
started-but-haven-t-finished-yet (13)

teen (13)
comix (6)
dystopia (3)

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Abby is currently reading

	07/14 Abby is currently reading: Travels with My Aunt (Paperback) by Graham Greene bookshelves: currently-reading	my rating:
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	07/02 Abby is currently reading: We Think the World of You (New York Review Books Classics) by J.R. Ackerley bookshelves: currently-reading	my rating:
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	07/01 Abby is currently reading: A Warning to the Curious: Ghost Stories (Paperback) by M.R. James, Ruth Rendell bookshelves: currently-reading	my rating:
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Abby's recent updates (rss)

July 21

New comment on Sheri's review of Amy Butler's In Stitches: More Than 25 Simple and Stylish Sewing Projects

Abby wrote: "HA! I totally bought this book a year ago and have yet to actually make anything in it. I realized r...more "

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Abby gave

to:
Mongo: Adventures in Trash (Paperback)
by Ted Botha

my rating:

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July 18

Abby marked as to-read:
The Poetics of Space (Paperback)
by Gaston Bachelard
bookshelves: to-read

my rating:

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Abby marked as to-read:
Generation Dead
by Daniel Waters
bookshelves: to-read

my rating:

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New comment on Jen's review of Generation Dead

Abby wrote: "Did you read the review of this one in this past week's NYTBR? It sounds pretty good; I put a hold o...more "

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July 17

Abby gave

to:
Unwind (Hardcover)
by Neal Shusterman
bookshelves: dystopia, teen

my rating:

read in May, 2008

Abby said: "In the not-so-distant dystopian future, abortion is illegal, but parents can choose to have their unwanted children "unwound" (organs and body parts divided and donated to needy patients) when they are teenagers. When he discovered that his...more In the not-so-distant dystopian future, abortion is illegal, but parents can choose to have their unwanted children "unwound" (organs and body parts divided and donated to needy patients) when they are teenagers. When he discovered that his parents have decided to have him unwound, teenage Connor runs away from home and encounters Rita and Liam, two teens from completely different backgrounds who share his fate. Risa grew up in an orphanage and has just learned she isn't a talented enough musician to justify continued state support. Lev, on the other hand, comes from a large Christian family and has known since birth that he will be unwound as a "tithe" to the Church and society. Together, these unlikely compatriots travel across the country, meeting other Unwinds and trying to stay a step ahead of the police.

The premise of this book seemed completely far-fetched to me at first -- what parent would deliberately condemn their child to death, no matter how aggravating they might be? But then I thought about the rates of child abuse in this country, and how even well-meaning parents who love their teenagers send them to boot camps, electroshock therapy, gay "rehabilitation" centers, and other scary places because they are "difficult." With this in mind, the events in the book seemed more plausible. And I quickly become so engrossed in the story that I didn't really care. There are also some brilliant imaginative details in here -- unwanted newborns are left on doorsteps (and become the legal responsibility of the homeowners) in a practice known as "storking," terrorists known as Clappers are human IEDs, and so on. There are two scenes in particular that will stay with me for a very, very long time: one where Liam and a boy who has received part of an Unwind's brain as a transplant travel to the Unwind's hometown to confront his parents, and when one of the main characters is Unwound -- it is not explicitly violent, but it is truly one of most horrifying things I have ever read.

Throughout the narrative, Shusterman raises some very tricky, complicated questions about the sanctity of life, the balance between individual rights and societal needs, and the meaning of forgiveness. His subtle and sensitive treatment of these complex issues make Unwind a thought-provoking novel that will have readers rethinking their beliefs about human life. A great discussion book for teens and adults alike.
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July 14

Abby is currently reading:
Travels with My Aunt (Paperback)
by Graham Greene
bookshelves: currently-reading

my rating:

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Abby gave

to:
The Education of Hopey Glass (Hardcover)
by Jaime Hernandez

my rating:

read in July, 2008

Abby said: "You can never have too much Hopey. Indeed, this collection could have benefitted from more Hopey and less Ray/Frogmouth/Maggie drama. Just sayin'. "

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July 12

Abby gave

to:
Re-Gifters (Minx)
by Mike Carey, Marc Hempel, Sonny Liew
bookshelves: comix, teen

my rating:

read in May, 2008

Abby said: "One of the stronger offerings from this series. Good, believable character development (especially the main character), nice penciling style, smart and sensitive treatment of cultural identity issues and racial politics in post-Rodney King L.A. I wis...more "

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Abby gave

to:
Clubbing (Paperback)
by Andi Watson
bookshelves: comix, teen

my rating:

read in May, 2008

Abby said: "Certainly not my favorite from Minx, but it diverted me for a half-hour or so. "

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Abby's groups (recent posts)

Public Librarians — 103 members — last activity 1 hour, 14 min ago
Yet another way to connect and work on our Readers' Advisory.

Friends of Independent Bookstores — 22 members — last activity 17 days ago, 02:58PM
A group for people who have decided that they will patronize independent booksellers and other independent merchants to prevent the further homogoniza...more

iSchool UW — 51 members — last activity 03/03/2008 12:08PM
A place for iSchool students and alums to congregate and share a love of books.

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