Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe [Feb 2, 2020]

[Jenna, I'd be free if not for Temper & Edgewalker]

Aristotle and Dante Discover the secrets of the universe - Benjamin Alire Sáenz

February 2, 2020.
Requested by Paritoshika.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

The title alone sounds interesting...

[Aakash]

In! Will start in afternoon.

[Narilka]

Timelord Iain wrote: "The title alone sounds interesting..."

Agreed. I'm going to watch this thread to see how people like it.

[Robin P]

Jenna wrote: "Aristotle and Dante Discover the secrets of the universe - Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Februa..."

Thank you so much!

[Robin P]

Aakash wrote: "In! Will start in afternoon."

Hey there! Sorry, I couldn't update anything yesterday. I haven't started reading the book yet but I will begin this evening.
How far have you read? Do you want to set a page limit for each day or do you want us to read at our own pace?

[Robin P]

Till page 33
(view spoiler)[
So, Dante and Aristotle seem too good to be straight, don't they? I mean I have read thirty pages and I already like Ari (that doesn't happen quite often in case you are wondering. In some books, it never happens). And Dante seems like a sweet-heart. I was like Dante till my sophomore year but then in my senior secondary, I felt more and more like Ari. Whom do you relate to-Ari or Dante?

I remember asking my friends about this book and they all said it is a book worth having on your shelf so I bought it. And I know after reading a few pages only that I will never regret that decision.

Anyway, this is my first book in LGBTQ genre. I have read Perks of being a wallflower. In fact, I read it last month but gay-love was a side theme so, I won't call it LGBTQ-literature. Have you read any other good books of the same genre? (hide spoiler)]

[Robin P]

I like the writing style. A couple of times I had a good laugh. I mean that scene when Ari goes to the swimming pool and they introduce themselves. Angel Aristotle. God. XD That name is a good ice-breaker though. And anyway, it's better than Chandler Muriel Bing...

PS: I am sorry but I have this incorrigible tendency to quote stuff from my favourite tv series and books. Do yourself a favour and overlook the references. ;)

[Robin P]

Till page 56
(view spoiler)[ I LOVE THESE BOYS! I love them!
OK, so i have started this new thing from this year- whenever I pick up a paperback book, I take my sticky-notes along with a pen, and when I come across something funny, touching or worth-noting I write a comment on the sticky note and attach it near the quote in the book. It takes a little bit of time but it's oddly satisfying. And I have already used around 20 sticky notes for this book. The last time I used as many so early was when I was reading A Man called Ove by Fredrick Backman.

I love the way Saenz has written this book. I really like short chapters. And don't you love the way they talk to each other? I mean those short, witty and funny one-liners and conversations they have and how they end them by repeating the last phrase. It's adorable! Do you think Saenz deliberately wrote such succinct chapters? While keeping the target audience of the book in mind? I mean these chapters are easy to read and teenagers who are not avid readers will not find reading such a book an exacting task.

What was your favourite part so far? I hope we get to read a few chapters from Dante's perspective too. I badly want to. I like the contrast in their personalities- how both of them are different from each other yet so similar and compatible. I like they are not those rowdy teenagers with the virulent fever of machismo and psuedo-masculinity-syndrome (don't ask me what that means because I totally made that up right now. Sounded cool. Maybe not so much. But it's still not worse than a girl is like a tree. I mean seriously, what the fuck was that? (hide spoiler)]

[Aakash]

Completed ' The end of Summer ' ( 35 chapters )

(view spoiler)[ I must say the author totally knows how teenagers ( or at least me ) feel. e.g The way Ari sometimes feels that he can never be happy or sometimes he likes to be alone and other times he hates himself for being alone.

Ari and Dante are very endearing charcaters. Their first meeting was so funny. I mean they just saw each other and started laughing and became friends. Although both have different apparel personalities but they are quite same at the core.

The whole drama around Ari's family is quite interesting, What had Ari's father done or seen in the war causing him to change so much? Or what happened with Ari's brother?

The accident changed so much things. Mostly affecting Ari and Dante's friendship. I don't exactly know how Ari is handling Dante's Love confession. (hide spoiler)]

[Aakash]

Paritoshika wrote: "Till page 33

So, Dante and Aristotle seem too good to be straight, don't they? I mean I have read thirty pages and I already like Ari (that doesn't happen quite often in case you are wondering. In..."

(view spoiler)[😂 I know, anyone can see that they weren't straight after some pages. Dante is surely a sunshine in winter for Ari.

I relate to Ari.... Mostly due to loneliness, duh! It happens when all the friends seperate to go to different schools after board exams. It is just a phase according to Ari's mother. It will pass hopefully.

I have read many books containing LGBTQ content but mostly they are minor theme in the books. I have read very few books with gay/lesbian as main protagonists. (hide spoiler)]

[Aakash]

Paritoshika wrote: "Till page 56
I LOVE THESE BOYS! I love them!
OK, so i have started this new thing from this year- whenever I pick up a paperback book, I take my sticky-notes along with a pen, and when I come acr..."

(view spoiler)[That's quite an interesting thing. I also once decided that I will underline interesting or funny quotes or new words for a book but after some pages I got so interested in the story that I forgot to carry on with the underlining and so I dropped the whole idea.

I don't have any problem with long chapters but I can definitely agree that short chapters are good to get into the book for the new readers.

I kind of laughed at the personification of a girl as a tree. I mean I have heard comparing girls to moon and stars and whatnot but tree. Those boys had very less brain cells. Their hormones were totally working full-time.

(hide spoiler)]

Also please use Chapter number as refrence not page. I am reading an ebook.

[Diana Stormblessed]

I'm going to try to join this one. It sounds fun.

[Diana Stormblessed]

I'm late to the party but I started it last night and finished it this morning. I couldn't put it down. It was so simple and beautifully written. I loved it. I didn't read the blurb or book reviews so I didn't know what it was about except that it was about 2 teenage boys. But I agree with the comments that said that (view spoiler)[it was very obvious from the beginning that they were going to wind up together. (hide spoiler)]Anyway, loved this book. Can't remember the last time I finished a book in less than 24 hours.

[Aakash]

Diana Stormblessed wrote: "I'm late to the party but I started it last night and finished it this morning. I couldn't put it down. It was so simple and beautifully written. I loved it. I didn't read the blurb or book reviews..."

Wow! Glad you enjoyed it. I might finish it today and share my thoughts.

[Aakash]

Just completed it.

(view spoiler)[It was a great read. Just loved how things ended. If I say I loved how Ari beat Julian would I be considered sadistic? I loved it.

I just have to say they both had very loving and supportive family. I wanted to see some interaction between Ari and his brother but we can't have everything, Can we?

This was kind of book which doesn't have any actual plot but you love it just because it makes you smile and teary eyed. Loved it. I hope there will be a sequel someday. (hide spoiler)]

[Diana Stormblessed]

Aakash wrote: "Just completed it.."

It's listed as book #1 so I'm assuming there's going to be another one. (view spoiler)[I also was hoping for some kind of interaction with the brother. I originally thought that when the mom went to the aunt's house she was secretly going to visit the brother in jail. But with him being an unapologetic double murderer I can see how the family chose to cut off contact instead. If there is a second book I really hope we get to meet the brother though. (hide spoiler)]