November BOTM - An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

[Tanya, Founder & Moderator]

Hello Everyone and welcome to the discussion for one of this month's BOTM, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing!

[Tanya, Founder & Moderator]

Glad to hear it! I'm almost finished with it and I am loving it!!!

[Tanya, Founder & Moderator]

Just finished it!! Oh wow, where do I begin?

I didn't really know much about the plot going in, so I really didn't know what to expect but I certainly didn't expect to love it this much especially as it isn't a genre I usually read!

(view spoiler)[ I loved the characters and how the whole story progressed. April May was such a relatable and realistic character and as someone that doesn't really use social media (I only have Facebook & Goodreads) I found it fascinating how fame and Social Media changed her. Even though she always kept her good intentions, they started to take a little bit of a back seat as her ego got bigger. I really enjoyed reading about the group's friendship and how everybody came together to try and solve all the puzzles (I REALLY loved the puzzles!). I really felt like I was a part of a SciFi movie and I loved it and also enjoyed the humour throughout the book (Password: donkeyfarts). (hide spoiler)]

I feel like I have more to say about the book but I think I am still digesting it - what did everybody else think?

[Kelsey]

I'm only about halfway through, so I didn't uncover spoilers yet for full conversation, but I just had to say I am LOVING this read. I got the audiobook (as it was the easiest to come by at my library) and it has had me laughing out loud at the narration. I love being in April's train of thought.

[Tanya, Founder & Moderator]

Kelsey wrote: "I'm only about halfway through, so I didn't uncover spoilers yet for full conversation, but I just had to say I am LOVING this read. I got the audiobook (as it was the easiest to come by at my libr..."

I also had the Audiobook version, loved the narrator!!

[Kelsey]

This book...it was so fast paced and funny, if it hadn't been my "car book" it would have been one that I finished in a day. I was literally coming up with excuses to drive more.
(view spoiler)[ I really liked the idea of the shared (contagious) dream, and I loved the puzzles as well, very Ready Player One, which I also loved.
I definitely appreciated that more than one viewpoint on the "Carls" was represented, the Defenders made the story more realistic to me.
April was such a great character, her inner dialog was so fun and down to earth. I liked that it gave the book a sort of sitcom vibe to me (although I couldn't decided if that was the dialog or the narrators voice who really reminded me of Mayim Bialik, if you've ever watched any of her youtube videos, the inflections and tone were just so similar to me, I could be crazy on that one, lol).
I had a great mental picture of the moment the hand fell off and ran away, Addams Family style. (hide spoiler)]
I could definitely see this becoming the next big "book to movie" trend.

[Tanya, Founder & Moderator]

(view spoiler)[ Ohh I LOVE Mayim Bialik! I definetly know what you mean about them having similar tones! I also thought the same about the hand, although I think I imagined the Carls and the Hand a lot bigger than how they are described in the book. (hide spoiler)] I would be curious to see how they would adapt it if they were to make it into a movie!