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A Monster Calls
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A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (Group Read October 2015)
i really liked this and highly recommend the audiobook if you can get it - its narrated by Jason Issacs
It does but it's one of those nice to have it equally powerful without - I said the same thing initially
Dee wrote: "It does but it's one of those nice to have it equally powerful without - I said the same thing initially"I agree. Go with the audiobook if you can. I went to the library afterwards and looked at the pictures. This is one of my all time favorite books EVER. My mother suffered from and passed away from breast cancer when I was 13 years old so this book holds a special place in my heart.
LOL, see I'm completely opposite. (Though I'm not a fan of audiobooks.) I can't imagine reading this book without the artwork of Jim Kay to accompany the words. It was simply stunning and added to the darkness of the story to see the stark images.
I bought the e book and am 25 % into it - I have not seen any artwork yet. Does this mean the e book does not include the art? I can read much better on e format because lighting and font size are not an issue I hope I am not missing out.
Mugzy wrote: "....I just bought both book and audio book. I think I have a problem :P"I wholly support this decision ;)
I'm pretty sure you have to have the physical book to get the artwork. (THere are pictures quite frequently, maybe a small picture on every 3rd page and a large picture in nearly every chapter.)You can find some of the pictures, however, if you go to Jim Kay's website. Like this one:
Ashley *Hufflepuff Kitten* wrote: "Mugzy wrote: "....I just bought both book and audio book. I think I have a problem :P"I wholly support this decision ;)"
Me too!
LOL, I bought the hardcover and it's so gorgeous. I'm not upset at all. (Plus the pages are glossy and the writing is larger, almost like an extra extra long children's book.)
I'll have to check that out because with larger writing I will not have to worry about the e-copy. Now the dilemma is I will not have time to get the print copy till the weekend and if I keep reading I will be done by then. Do I stop reading and wait or do I read on and enjoy the pix later. So many decisions :)
Kobo is the only thing that works in my phone for reading. I saw at least four different prices on this book with different covers (all same author) in kobo store. Does that mean they are different versions? Didn't buy it yet because it was confusing.
I don't think it matters, really. The words are probably all the same, some might come with the illustrations.
OK I went ahead and did it - I just finished reading A Monster Calls. OOOOhh the feels I am in between parent conferences today and hope not to be choked up when my next one comes in in about 15 min. This wasn't the spooky book I was hoping for but it was so good that I am glad it was the pick for the month. I will be thinking about this one for a while. I definitely am going to go get the hard back for the art work - the ones you posted were awesome.
Diane wrote: "OK I went ahead and did it - I just finished reading A Monster Calls. OOOOhh the feels I am in between parent conferences today and hope not to be choked up when my next one comes in in about 15 mi..."Yay!
Diane wrote: "OK I went ahead and did it - I just finished reading A Monster Calls. OOOOhh the feels I am in between parent conferences today and hope not to be choked up when my next one comes in in about 15 mi..."So glad you liked it Diane! I had similar feelings :)
IIRC she had (view spoiler) - Ness actually wrote this based on an idea from another author who died - Sioban Dowd and that was how she died...so maybe an homage
A Monster Calls is going to the top of my "Most Unforgettable Books of All Time" list. I could not put it down. I remember almost every line and the brilliant drawings are embedded in my brain. I will be thinking about this story for a long time.
Patrick Ness is an amazing writer. It's not surprising to me at all that he was chosen to be the writer for the YA Doctor Who BBC spin off.
Yay! As someone who has had breast cancer (twice) and had a mother pass away from breast cancer this book really holds a place in my heart that will never be replaced. I am so happy that new readers and reading this and loving it too. Gah! I so so so love this book.
yeah!! I lost my dad at 15 so this whole book I was like, "this was me!! why did I not have this book 10 years ago?!" btw, (view spoiler)
I think I always try to give Lex the truth without getting into the more gory specifics. That's always been my motto. If she was old enough to be curious and ask, then I should give her the truth.
I think you never know what you are going to do unless you are in the same situation (and hopefully never are). (view spoiler)
I was 9 when my grandfather died, my cousin was 12; I knew more than he did because family knew I could handle/understand it and my cousin not so much - so I think it depends on the kid
I think it's just really easy to underestimate what kids can handle, sometimes that sheltering can hurt them.
Heidi (Yup. Still here.) wrote: "Yay! As someone who has had breast cancer (twice) and had a mother pass away from breast cancer this book really holds a place in my heart that will never be replaced. I am so happy that new reader..."And what an important coincidence that we are reading it during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
I am finally going to get to this book today. I checked out the physical book but because of so many new releases this month I haven't gotten a chance to read it. This week I am driving out of town for a conference so I picked up the audiobook version for my trip. I still have the physical book so I will get to experience the pictures as well.
Christie wrote: "I am finally going to get to this book today. I checked out the physical book but because of so many new releases this month I haven't gotten a chance to read it. This week I am driving out of town..."Great plan!!! I think you will love the audiobook but I would have loved to look at the pictures while I listened (I looked afterwards).
I just finished the book! This is my first group read with this group so I feel very accomplished right now.
Stacia (the 2010 club) wrote: "What did you end up liking about the book, Day?"The book actually surprised me. Going by the title and description I thought the book was a horror tale that would keep me up in the night. I'm actually happy to find that the book was more than that. It was sad, angsty, and even heartfelt. I definitely appreciated the story more than I thought I would. Made me appreciate life and my family much more.
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