Your Choice Reads || 3rd Quarter Read 2015 || Jul/Aug/Sep/Mystery-Paranormal-Supernatural

[Nina {ᴡᴏʀᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ}]

This thread will be used to discuss the two books that you chose from the Quarterly Reads Book Poll to read. It could be any book, so long as it filled the remaining two places of your Quarterly Read quota. So what did you choose to read from the list (asides from the two main reads)? What did you think?


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[Rinji]

I am reading these three books, one of them is because of the fact that I have only been able to get my hands on one of the top two books from the poll.

and

[Nina {ᴡᴏʀᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ}]

I'm thinking of reading Conversion as well!!

Bad Girls Don't Die and Paper Valentine are also books I hope to read too :)

[Rinji]

So my thoughts on Conversion right now:

Even though it is in first person I am really enjoying this book. It is really good so far and I am wondering how it will end. Eight girls at a private Catholic school get mysteriously ill and no one can figure out why. It is from the point of view of a student of the school Colleen, a senior. She is confused as no one will tell anyone what is happening to the girls. She is confused and it is interfering with her school work.

[Rinji]

Now that I am 90% of the way finished with Conversion I have found that I am enjoying it even more. I don't want the book to end but I only have about 5 chapters left. I don't know if I should spoil any of what has happened since I did an update six days ago or not. I will if no one minds. However, it has gone in a slightly different direction than I thought it was. I like it though. Is everyone okay with me giving out spoilers?

[Nina {ᴡᴏʀᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ}]

I totally don't mind spoilers! But others might so maybe put in in spoiler brackets?

[Rinji]

Good point. I forgot about the spoiler brackets... :D

[Rinji]

(view spoiler)[So, the spoilers that I was thinking of putting up are here: So, I thought that the person causing the mystery illness was the substitute teacher for the AP US class. However, it isn't. From where I am right now, Colleen thinks it might be her friend Emma. Her friend was dating the AP US teacher, the original teacher, that is why he is no longer teacher. Emma's parents found out about it and he quit because of it.

Colleen thinks it is Emma because while she was visiting with Emma, Colleen gets a sharp pain in her head and passes out. A second or so later she wakes and begins to speak backwards. No one believes her when she tries to tell the Health department, the substitute teacher, Spencer (a guy she has been hanging out with and really likes), and her friend Anjali (who she thought also had the mysterious illness but has pica).

The health department thinks it is conversion disease, which is where young adults get way too stressed out and start having physical symptoms to help counter act the stress. I don't know about this. I still think that someone is causing it. It might be Emma. (hide spoiler)]

[Nina {ᴡᴏʀᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ}]

Haha yeah they are quite forgettable! But infinitely useful!


While I'm here, I might as well comment on the book I've chosen to read as one of my 'Your Choice' books. I haven't gotten very far into it, since it's kind of really slow, slowly building up.

Paper Valentine so far is a girl who can see the ghost of her dead best friend. The mc also doesn't think too lightly of death either. But other than that, I haven't got any other opinions....yet.

[Rinji]

I was not sure what this book was about when I picked it up. I had never heard of it before and did not know what it was about before I picked it up. It was one of the two books on the list that I did not already own and could get from the library. However, when I started to read this book, I got hooked.

(view spoiler)[As the story progressed, I thought that it was the substitute of Colleen's AP US History class who was causing the mystery illness. However, she was the one who wanted Colleen to figure out that the students were faking, but they weren't. Colleen 'caught' the mysterious illness herself while she was at a friends house. It was then that Colleen thought that it was her friend Emma who was causing the illness. However, the health department said that the illness was actually conversion disorder. Conversion disorder is when young adults are under so much stress that the stress causes physical illnesses. I still think it was Emma because of the fact that at the end of the book Emma's mother stops Colleen from leaving the house to talk to her.

"I was at the bottom of the stairs and almost to the front door when a hand closed around my wrist. I stopped, finding myself held fast by Emma's mom.
"Mrs. Blackburn," I exclaimed. She was obscured by the shadow under the stairwell, and I could barely see her.
"Shhhhh," she whispered. The sound of it raised goose bumps on my arms.
"I was just--" I stumbled to explain myself, though I wasn't sure what I'd done wrong that needed explaining.
"Shh," Mrs. Blackburn said again, drawing me closer.
I swallowed, and let myself be pulled under the stairwell.
"My Emma's like me, you know," Mrs. blackburn said, so quietly that it almost sounded like her voice was happening inside my head.
I hesitated. "She is?"
"Yes."
I waited, unsure what I was supposed to say.
"It's better she stay here. For school," Mrs. blackburn's grip on my wrist tightened.
"She's delicate," Emma's mom continued, barely audible over the laughter of her family in the kitchen.
"She is?" I asked. Emma, who sailed and played field hockey?
"She's"-- Mrs. blackburn drew the words out with care-- "prone to spells. but it can be managed. Helps to have the family close by. I'm only telling you so you don't have to worry."

Then a few pages later:

"I turned and stumped back up the stairs, burst into my childhood bedroom, wrapped my fist around the phone I'd almost left on my desk, and turned to go, this time for good.
I spotted a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye.
On the tree branch just outside my bedroom window, almost invisible in the shadows of the summer leaves, perched a tiny yellow bird."

Now the reason I say that I still think that it is Emma is because during the Salem witch trials, the afflicted talked about a yellow bird perching on the shoulders of those accused of witch craft and attacking them. (hide spoiler)]

This is one book I really enjoyed (and I don't like first person books all that much). It is also one book I would recommend to others and will read again. I also don't usually write a book review. I just had to for this book.

[Nina {ᴡᴏʀᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ}]

Oh ho ho, it looks like Sam and I are close to changing your opinion on first person narration!!

Omfg Conversion sounds good based on those little snippets!

[Rinji]

I gave it five stars. I really liked this book. And maybe you two are. I have not decided yet.

[Nina {ᴡᴏʀᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ}]

I saw! I might consider reading it if I get my hands on it!

Haha we might just! since a lot of YA books are first person so maybe if we throw enough your way you'll get hooked too :p

[Rinji]

Lol.

[Nina {ᴡᴏʀᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ}]

:p haha

so what else is on your 'your choice' list of books to read?

[Rinji]

I am reading and as my choice reads.

[Nina {ᴡᴏʀᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ}]

Ahhh cool ^^ have you started them yet?

[Rinji]

Yes. I have. They are both good.

[Nina {ᴡᴏʀᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ}]

Ahh cool!

[Nina {ᴡᴏʀᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ}]

Just read Paper Valentine, it was actually quite an interesting read! Granted it I liked a lot more because the last book I read wasn't all that great.

[Nina {ᴡᴏʀᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ}]

Currently reading and I'm actually really loving it so far! I loved Schwab's (and while I still have to be read the second book though!) and want to read at some point. I didn't think about Vicious, but I'm kind of glad I decided to read it! (And finally read it too since really, it's due back at the library in a few days and I don't want to wait for it again!)

Between Victor and Eli, so far, there's so much history...and Schwab is doing a brilliant job layering the complexity of Victor's character, and also unravelling the history between him and Eli.

This book is also more adult fiction than YA, it's definitely more complex.

[Nina {ᴡᴏʀᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ}]

Finished Vicious--Amazing emotionally, I loved it. Antiheros and twisted ambitions. (The plot though is very generic, but I think it was still pretty clever if but a little predictable.) The highlight is the complex web of relationships and feelings!