A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness - Restarting July 27th 2019

[Tayla]

This book was really so great and I feel like it should be a required read

[Katrina G]

I didn't realize this was a buddy read, so I'm going to jump on in even though I'm a little late

[Katrina G]

Chapter 1 (I'll have to switch to percentage after this since the chapters aren't numbered)

(view spoiler)[ Patrick Ness' writing already has me sucked all the way in. I like that we see the monster right away. I have really high hopes for this book after this first chapter (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

12%
(view spoiler)[ I feel sorry for Lily. I understand where Conor is coming from, but he's mad about a lot of things and he's taking that out on her (hide spoiler)]

21%
(view spoiler)[ I don't like Conor's grandma. While she may be thinkin realistically, she's acting insensitivity to the situation and Conor's feelings (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

36%
(view spoiler)[ This understanding between Conor and Harry is odd and interesting. I'm curious to see where that goes. I really feel bad for Conor because I can see where he's coming from, but at the same time I know that teacher really does just want to help him (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

42%
(view spoiler)[ I think it's odd that Conor is in such denial about his mother dying. It seems everyone knows it but him. I'm assuming that Conor facing reality is going to be the final story that the monster wants from him (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

53%
(view spoiler)[ I loved this second story from the monster. I think it was pretty powerful, and there's definitely something to learn from it. (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

64%
(view spoiler)[ Seriously? Conor's father even said himself that the baby probably doesn't have anything serious. Why the hell would he leave the country for something that isn't serious when the mother of his teenage son is probably a couple days away from dying. I don't think I've ever disliked a parent so much in any book I've ever read (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

83%
(view spoiler)[ My heart hurts (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

Oh. My Gosh.
Seriously. The best book I've ever read.

[Sarah Elizabeth]

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆

Date Changed. Restarting February 16th 2017. Happy Reading ☺

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
*********************************************************************************************************************************************************

[Vivi]

Hi!

I'll try to read this in February :)

[Abby]

25%: (view spoiler)[His grandmother is just trying to help, poor lady. (hide spoiler)]

[Abby]

56%: (view spoiler)[Did the monster just trick him into destroying his grandmother's house? Oops! (hide spoiler)]

[Abby]

82%: (view spoiler)[Why is the treatment not working?! Ugh, so frustrating! (hide spoiler)]

[Abby]

Finished: (view spoiler)[Knew she'd end up dying. So sad. :( (hide spoiler)]

[Corrine]

@Abby You read fast, I've barely started. :)

[Corrine]

Abby wrote: "56%: [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I can't believe he touched the clock! Why?? (hide spoiler)]

[Corrine]

54% (view spoiler)[ I'm getting a suspicion that his mom is dying. Since his dad showed up. Why can't his grandma stay in his house while his mom is at the hospital? (hide spoiler)]

[Corrine]

67% (view spoiler)[I have to admire the blind faith Conner has that his mother is going to get better. (hide spoiler)]

[Corrine]

Finished (view spoiler)[I really enjoyed reading this book. I feel so sad for the boy loosing his mother. I loved how they showed the boy's knowledge of knowing what was going to happen. (hide spoiler)]

[Vivi]

24% - End of chapter "Gradma" (view spoiler)[

The gradma has come to help out... and the talk about going to live with her... Conor's mum is dying isn't she?! And both Gradma and her know it is in a terminal stage, maybe?!

I wonder what Conor's nightmare is... there's a secret there, one he does not wanna tell anyone... maybe that's what brought out the monster?!

I'm enjoying this book and I'm curious to know about the rest of the story :) (hide spoiler)]

[Vivi]

Abby wrote: "56%: [spoilers removed]"

Amanda wrote: "54% [spoilers removed]"

56% - End of chapter "The rest of the second tale" (view spoiler)[

I'm thinking his mother is dying too, ... and Conor's gradma and father are trying to "prepare" him for that.

It's really sad that his dad won't take him (with him to America). And he hasn't even met his almost 1 year old half-sister! ... it's like he has no space for his own son in his new family and life :(

The destroying of the gradma's house, that the monster led Conor to do, I'm guessing was a way to get Conor to deal with his anger at everything that's been happening the last year (Since his mother got sick).

And I liked the stories the monster told him... I'm guessing he wanted to show Conor things aren't always like they first seam to be, and that people arent all bad or all good, just human, a bit of both. (hide spoiler)]

[Vivi]

83% - End of chapter "100 years" (view spoiler)[

so, now we know! ... Conor's mum is going to die! T-T

Conor is going to be angry at the monster now, isn't he?! and he's gonna blame him...

I'm guessing the reason the monster came was for Conor himself, to help him grief, to help him express his anger, his hurt, his tears... to not let him hold it all in.

we'll see... I'm still curious about the nightmare! (hide spoiler)]

[Vivi]

Finished (view spoiler)[

I cried like a baby T-T ... but I'm glad the monster came to help Conor deal with his mother dying... such an horrible and sad thing for a 13 year old to endure and go through.

His father was not a good father, too absent, really! ... and the gradma, she really meant well, just didn't know what to do or how to help Conor deal with his hurt... and that's why the monster came.

This was a very, very, emotional and so, so well written book,,, but I would have liked to see more, to see after Conor mother died, to see the after (hide spoiler)]

[Jamie]

Up through Grandma (view spoiler)[Doestn't cook or clean and works all day, seems cold and distant. HOw does she plan to 'help' Conor. The mother she can maybe help but seems like Conor is holding his own for now. Based on they story he must tell, I think something horrible happened, maybe involving Dad? Or the fear his mother is dying?. (hide spoiler)]

[Corrine]

Jamie wrote: "Up through Grandma [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Yes in the beginning it seems that Conner is doing well taking care of himself. I wish we would get to see the back story with his dad and get to know his grandma a little better. (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah Elizabeth]

********************************************************************************************************
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆

Date Changed. Restarting April 15th 2017. Happy Reading ☺

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
********************************************************************************

[Susan]

Up to Understanding (pg 66)

The book certainly grabs you from the start. The one thing I love is the illustrations and the doodled drawings on the sides. Makes it kind of eerie and creepy.

(view spoiler)[ Conor is a young boy whose mom is sick with cancer. He has one really bad nightmare that we know nothing about other then it's really bad. He is bullied at school and his used to be best friend Lily tries to stick up for him. This monster appears every night at 12:07am and will tell Conor 3 stories and the last story has to be from Conor and the truth or the monster will eat him. (hide spoiler)]

[Susan]

(view spoiler)[ The first tale is one that confuses Conor because he is sure where the monster is going with the story and the ending ends up totally different and Conor hates the story. Meanwhile his mom is getting sicker and his grandmother is coming to stay with him because his mom can't do it any more.

Take #2 Conor isn't fond of either because he doesn't understand why the parson's house is being destroyed. The monster is in the middle of destroying the parson's home and encourages Conor to help. He tells him it's satisfying and fun. When the monster leaves he has discovered he has trashed his grandmother sitting room instead of the parson's house. (hide spoiler)]

[Susan]

(view spoiler)[
Tale #3 is about the invisible man and the monster is telling Conor how NOT to be invisible any longer. He ends up beating up Harry who has been his bully all that year. Conor is no longer invisible to everyone any longer.

His mom is starting a new drug made from the Yew tree which is what the monster is from. Conor is hopefully but his dad and grandma are not at all (hide spoiler)]

[Susan]

WOW, talk about a tear jerker. I kind of knew where the book was going but regardless it still broke me and reminded me of my mom when she was going through chemo.

(view spoiler)[
The 4th tale had to come from Conor and it was a rough one for him. Letting go of a parent would be so hard for anyone but I think terrible when the child is young. Conor had to come to grips with the fact his mom wasn't going to live and that he was ready for the pain she was in to be done. He didn't want her to die but knew she would be better off. Great book and the scary monster was his biggest support. (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah Elizabeth]

*******************************************************************************************************
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆

Date Changed. Restarting May 17th 2017. Happy Reading ☺

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
*******************************************************************************

[Ariel]

Starting early, I'll be here for the actual discussion!

20%
(view spoiler)[
Connor is definitely in denial about his mother not recovering and I wonder if that has something to do with the 4th story the monster wants from him. The plot so far is kind of all over the place... (hide spoiler)]

[Ariel]

Destruction
(view spoiler)[
This poor Grandma gets all of the crappy things. I was really hoping this was all in his head and the place wasn't actually wrecked. (hide spoiler)]

[Ariel]

Could it be?
(view spoiler)[
Weird connections between the medicine and the yew tree. I wonder if the mother has been visited by the monster. I cannot believe the dad freaking left again! Way to make Conor feel like he has your support "Buddy". (hide spoiler)]

[Ariel]

Finished
(view spoiler)[
I really liked the ending. I like that we don't actually get to see that final moment but know that Conor will be able to get there.
The only thing I still didn't like was the whole bit with school. I feel like there was still a lot unresolved. (hide spoiler)]

[Sharon]

6%: (view spoiler)[ Interesting start. My best friend recommended this book to me, but I did not have time to read it. I am happy I am reading it now. I am not sure what to make of Conor's character in this first chapter. Hopefully the story and the characterization gets better. (hide spoiler)]

[Sharon]

Finished this book. Here are my thoughts.

23%: (view spoiler)[ I feel bad for Conor. I cannot believe that his father left him and his mother to live in America with his new wife. Poor Conor...having to watch his mother got through all these treatments because she has cancer. Also, he is getting bullied at school. That is sad. I hope that he can cope well. Nwo, it seems like his mother may not make it. I hope that I am wrong, but it seems like he will be living with his grandma if his mother does not make it. (hide spoiler)]

[Sharon]

50%: (view spoiler)[ I am not liking Conor's dad. I do not like the fact that Liam is not there for Conor. If he does not act like a dad, how can he be a dad to any child? It seems like he is okay with not helping his family out. Selfish man. (hide spoiler)]

[Sharon]

62%: (view spoiler)[ Is it me or does it seem like Conor thinks that he deserves to be bullied by Harry? Can this kid ever get a break? I feel so bad for Conor. How does he stay strong? (hide spoiler)]

[Sharon]

Ariel wrote: "Could it be?

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I was so freaking mad when he left. He does not deserve the title of being a father. (hide spoiler)]

[Sharon]

Ariel wrote: "Finished

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ The ending was great. It's a pretty good book, but it was sad. It also left you with the hope that Conor was going to be OK. I thought there should have been more about the school issues as well. (hide spoiler)]

[Abi]

****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Reading from the 13th of July 2017

****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

[Maddie]

Reading this tonight/tomorrow.

[Maddie]

24% (view spoiler)[Oh wow poor Conor :( His mum with cancer, the guys at school teasing him about it, Lily standing up for him but him getting angry at her about something she did (or didn't do?) ages ago.

And now his grandma turning up and saying he'll live with her after. I assume his mum's terminally ill with the cancer? And that she won't get better? :(

This yew tree monster definitely seems interesting! Doesn't seem so terrifying. (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

46% (view spoiler)[I like the concept of this monster telling him 3 stories, and then asking for Conor's one as the 4th. Wonder what this terrible nightmare is!

I feel so sad for his mum :( I totally understand why he broke the clock. He just doesn't want anything to go badly, and he was angry.
Just sucks it had to be an expensive antique. (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

56% (view spoiler)[I like the lessons the yew tree has to teach. It really makes me think. I just assumed he would deal out punishment to the Apothecary, but when he explained I see how the parson was in the wrong. The way he just put down the Apothecary in every-day life, and then when he needed him he expected him to just come running.

And then that whole scene at his grandma's! Oh my gosh! But to be fair Conor didn't know it was the real house! (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

83% (view spoiler)[Oh no his mum's going to die and he's not even with her!! :( (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

Finished. Review (view spoiler)[I kind of thought the monster was all in his head. And maybe it had been, but I doubt it, what with the needles and the berries on the floor of his room at the start. I liked the personification of his conscience, who needed him to tell the truth for his own sake, to make himself realise the truth, if he was going to be able to survive afterwards. (hide spoiler)] I had no idea what this book was about, but I did enjoy it. I'm pleased I had the picture version, as it helped my imagination along a little. I loved the (view spoiler)[three tales the yew tree told, and the three morales they represented. And I'm pleased we finally found out about his nightmare, the one he'd had right from the start. (hide spoiler)] Pleased I've finally read this book, most impulse-read I've read for a while.