Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe #1) by Benjamin Alire Sáenz - Restarting July 26th 2020

[Maddie]

Chapter 6 (view spoiler)[Why doesn't his dad like the book? (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 7 (view spoiler)[How do people notice 'sad smiles'? To me all smiles look happy XD Maybe I've just led a sheltered life? (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 10 (view spoiler)[Yes it is fun to cuss :p Oh wow Dante said that he's going to 'discover the secrets of the universe', the book title :D (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

Chapter 11 (view spoiler)[I love how they have massive conversations about the Mexican race XD And his thing with shoes. That game does seem like a looot of work, but the way they argue and then forgive each other's awesome. (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 12 (view spoiler)[The way they defended that birdy <3 I love how he doesn't know he's gay, but that he really likes Dante.
They know each other on a deeper level, but it's sad when he leaves Dante sad. (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

Sparrows Falling From the Sky - Chapter 1 (view spoiler)[That's a really intense flu.
Such a crazy dream, and a weird thought of him thinking as his mum pretty when she was a child. (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 2 (view spoiler)[Probably shouldn't have smiled at his dad's dream sentence. (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 4 (view spoiler)[Lol 'maybe tears were something you caught like the flu'. When he realises that it's love he has with Dante, I feel like he'll be surprised. So far it's an interesting story about 15-year old teenagers contemplating life XD
So intense how Dante sees his sadness. (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 5 (view spoiler)[Horrible dream! (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 6 (view spoiler)[Where is his brother? Just left? (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 7 (view spoiler)[Why is he sick for so long?
Cool, I want a typewriter! I feel like I'd be terrible though because I'm such a fast typer on a normal keyboard, I'd mess up on a typewriter.
Wow other family members XD Love how his father listens to her.
Ah cool, his nickname messed up is Air. (hide spoiler)]

Sorry for all of these updates XD Just listening to my audio while I wait for sprints, so I may as well talk about my thoughts while I listen.

[Maddie]

Chapter 8 (view spoiler)[Oh wow his brother's in prison! That was a really random family summary... (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 10 (view spoiler)[Imagine being the brother in prison :( No pictures, no stories, no one even talking about him. What did he do? (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 12 (view spoiler)[Why would he say he wasn't sad when Dante said he was leaving??
And oh my gosh did the car crash into Dante!? (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

The End of Summer - Chapter 1 (view spoiler)[Yay Dante's alive! Their conversations are really weird, I'm not sure I like them. So blunt and to the point, but not emotional at all. They never say what they feel.
So strange. (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 2 (view spoiler)[Haha 'nurses gave you pills to make you sleep and then kept on waking you up at night' XD Accurate!
I don't like the writing style. Too choppy. (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 3 (view spoiler)[How are they never going to talk about the accident again??
What, he hates Dante now? (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

Chapter 8 (view spoiler)[Dante just casually announces that he wants to give Ari a bath... They're 15 year olds. Isn't that totally something that's never done?? (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

Chapter 10 (view spoiler)[Why is Ari such a dick? I don't understand. Not enjoying this book much. (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 11 (view spoiler)[How can sketches of people be full of things he'd felt? And he just assumed he could keep the sketchbook? (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

Letters On a Page - Chapter 1 (view spoiler)[Holy shit this girl can go jump! So annoying! It's none of her business! And then he tells the truth and they just get even angrier? Fuck them! They just made me so angry!
(hide spoiler)]
Chapter 2 (view spoiler)[Oh god not the icebreaker games! I hate them too! (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 4 (view spoiler)[Imagine having a whole class on Government! (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 6 (view spoiler)[Why does he want his brother back so badly?? He doesn't even know him. (hide spoiler)]

WAIT IS THIS BOOK SET IN THE 1980'S??

And are all of these chapters starting on new pages, or are there just breaks in the page? If so, that's a lot of page gaps!

[Maddie]

Chapter 13 (view spoiler)[They talk about such pointless things, especially in a letter. Love how he's mocking Ari about his rules :p Naw, no more 'miss you' :( (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 16 (view spoiler)[XD Thought he was getting close with that dog. (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 17 (view spoiler)[Oh my gosh called her Legs! Cool!
Yay he responded to his letter! (hide spoiler)]

I almost want to DNF this, but I'm halfway, so may as well keep doing. Don't care for the story though.

[Maddie]

Chapter 20 (view spoiler)[So he's okay with Dante learning to kiss girls? (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 22 (view spoiler)[So this guy randomly turns up on his doorstep and offers him drugs... How many Mexicans are there? Wait how did he buy the adult a 6-pack? I'm confused. (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 23 (view spoiler)[Wow he didn't open the envelope! (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 26 (view spoiler)[Wow they kissed? And why did he have fun with that bitch? (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 28 (view spoiler)[That's such a weird question Dante, masturbating! And really, he wants to ask his dad about it??? Yeah, that is a really weird thing. (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 29 (view spoiler)[Lol she has a bf. (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 30 (view spoiler)[He just casually said he wants to give Ari CPR... They're so chill about all of this relationship business. (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

Remember the Rain - Chapter 1 (view spoiler)[How is he so excited to work 8.5hrs Monday-Thursday during his summer? (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 2 (view spoiler)[Dante's back! (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 3 (view spoiler)[Demonstrative. That's a good word XD The first rule is 'no kissing boys?' Wtf. He actually just admitted he wants to kiss Ari and Ari doesn't even care..? (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 5 (view spoiler)[Really? A proper kiss? Weird. (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 6 (view spoiler)[How has he not even opened the envelope yet? I thought he was brave! But I do the same thing XD Go over arguments in my head with the other person (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

Chapter 8 (view spoiler)[True, he doesn't have the right to get angry. (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 11 (view spoiler)[XD Feeling guilty about an imagined conversation? Never!
Wow 5:45 for a run! Even for no reason! How do some people do that. I have no idea how I used to do it for 7 years at college. I survived on 7hr for 7 years of life, and I could never do it anymore. (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 15 (view spoiler)[Wow he got a house as inheritance! (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 16 (view spoiler)[I can't believe he said to his mother that he'd break the rules behind her back and she said 'okay'. (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 18 (view spoiler)[Crazy how his parents are telling him he doesn't have to work, and he's all like 'na algood'. (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

All the Secrets of the Universe - Chapter 1 (view spoiler)[How does a cold shower help males in that respect? (hide spoiler)]
Chapter 2 (view spoiler)[Wow Dante got beat up! (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

I really love Legs' name :p

[Maddie]

(view spoiler)[Wow he's a homosexual? But he's gay XD
Ari's a massive dick towards Dante! (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

Finished. Review: This book really wasn't for me. I was actually so close to DNFing this. I kind of had really high hopes for it due to the hype, but it was definitely nothing special. The choppy writing style, crap characters, no plot. It was terrible. I don't even want to write this review because it means I have to think about the book more. The only reason this book wasn't a 1-star for me is because of the introduction of Legs. First of all, what a cool name for a dog! Second, dogs just really know how to worm their way into people's hearts :) I actually can't think of anything else worth commenting on.

[Maddie]

Finally finished that trash book. I did not enjoy that at all.

[Enne]

Maddison wrote: "Different Rules of Summer - Chapter 3 [spoilers removed]
Chapter 5 [spoilers removed]"
(view spoiler)[ yesss, Dante's relationship with his parents is my favorite! (hide spoiler)]

[Enne]

Maddison wrote: "Chapter 11 [spoilers removed]
Chapter 12 [spoilers removed]
(view spoiler)[ I love the whole relationship between Dante and Ari. And Dante is such an interesting character! I can't wait to get to know him more! (hide spoiler)]

[Enne]

The Different Rules of Summer
through chapter 12 (view spoiler)[ I love Dante's character so much - he just deserves all the love ever! I'm not sure how I feel about Ari yet, but I love how he likes Dante, but he doesn't realize that he's gay yet! (hide spoiler)]

[Enne]

Sparrows Falling From the Sky
through chapter 12 (view spoiler)[ I love the relationship developing between these two boys! And I love Ari more now! This book feels so honest and raw, very unlike other contemporaries I've read. Also, did that car crash into Dante? and how is this going to affect Ari and the careful life he had built up for himself? (hide spoiler)]

[Enne]

The End of Summer
through chapter 11 (view spoiler)[ I'm not sure how to feel about this?? I feel like Ari is kind of being unfair towards everyone around him, but at the same time I get where he's coming from??
Plus, I'm enjoying the writing style - it feels very raw and unlike anything I've read recently. (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

I think I'm the only person who doesn't like this book. I was really disappointed by it.

[Enne]

Maddison wrote: "I think I'm the only person who doesn't like this book. I was really disappointed by it."

I didn't like it either - I feel like all the hype around it made it even worse than it could have been

[Maddie]

Yeah!

[Abi]

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Reading from the 8th of May 2018

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[Katrina G]

Starting!

[Katrina G]

The Different Rules of Summer
Chapter 3
(view spoiler)[ I already relate to Ari so much. Being the child of someone who goes to war is really difficult. I know what it's like to have a dad leave for war and come back a completely different person (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

End of Different Rules of Summer
(view spoiler)[ Ari and Dante’s friendship is super sweet. I think Dante is really good for Ari. They balance each other out with their different personalities (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

Sparrows falling from the sky
Chapter 4
(view spoiler)[ Dante sketching Ari felt like such an intimate moment in a way. I wish he’d show Ari more of his sketches (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

The end of summer
Chapter 2
(view spoiler)[ I love that Ari has a relationship with Dante’s parents too. He needs that kind of love in his life (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

The end of summer
Chapter 10
(view spoiler)[ I wish the accident wouldn’t have changed their friendship so much. Dante feels so bad and Ari feels so angry, and it makes me sad (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

Letters on a page
Chapter 6
(view spoiler)[ Not a fan of Iliana. I don’t want her to ruin everything (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

End of Letters on A Page
(view spoiler)[ That was a long chunk to get through. I didn’t like Ari too much in this section. I think he should have treated his friendship with Dante better. I like that Dante was able to come out to him though (hide spoiler)]

[Jammin Jenny]

I'm reading, actually listening to this one too I'll update at the end of each disk. There has been a lot of hype so I'm interested to see how it works out.

[Amaryllis]

I'll be starting this mid next week! sorry for the delay on my part.

[Jammin Jenny]

Disk 1 (view spoiler)[The two boys have met, and they definitely have a connection. Ari has been sick recently and isn't leaving his house. And he's having dreams about his dad, his brother (in jail) and Dante. (hide spoiler)]

[Jammin Jenny]

Okay. So I'm at the part where Dante has moved to Chicago and Aristotle is still back where he was. I'm enjoying it all right, but I'm not entirely into it. Not sure why exactly, but I'll keep with it. I think I was overhyped to read it and it isn't doing it so far for me.

[Jammin Jenny]

Just finished this and gave it 4 stars. I really liked how the author developed the characters, and especially the internal struggle Ari was having.

Is anyone else done? What did you think?

[Jammin Jenny]

@Katrina, (view spoiler)[I think Ari was feeling angry about it because it showed how much he really did love Dante, and he wasn't ready to admit that to himself. (hide spoiler)]

[Amaryllis]

13% in (view spoiler)[Ari's and Dante's friendship is sweet. I like how Dante teaches Ari how to swim and how they slowly get to know each other better. I wonder why Dante doesn't like his Mexican heritage though (hide spoiler)]

[Amaryllis]

20%in (view spoiler)[Maybe I'm just getting old, but this reads like the main character is a lot younger than 16 years old. Maybe rather 12 years old or so... I thought they were supposed to be 15 or 16? I liked the part about Ari and his father talking, about their bad dreams. (hide spoiler)]

[Jammin Jenny]

Marya wrote: "13% in [spoilers removed]"

I think he has problems loving himself, so anything that makes him "different" is something he doesn't like.

[Amaryllis]

Jammin Jenny wrote: "Marya wrote: "13% in [spoilers removed]"

I think he has problems loving himself, so anything that makes him "different" is something he doesn't like."

In a community full of Mexicans/half Mexicans it won't make him different to be a Mexican though. Not liking being Mexican will.

[Jammin Jenny]

True...although I thought he went to a private school so maybe not as many Mexicans there.

[Sarah Elizabeth]

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Date changed. Restarting June 1st 2019. Happy Reading ☺

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[Aly]

25% (view spoiler)[ The story is kind of random and the boys do weird things, but maybe that's how 15 year old boys are. It's weird that Aritotle's parents and sisters don't talk about his brother, they're ashamed I guess. That would be hard. (hide spoiler)]

[Rachael]

Hi! I would love to read this with you all.. I will start today, been on my to-read for ever!

[Aly]

Rachael wrote: "Hi! I would love to read this with you all.. I will start today, been on my to-read for ever!"
Yay!

[Aly]

50% (view spoiler)[ Woah, the accident was crazy! I'm glad Ari saved Dante, but his legs are both broken? That would be awful. I wonder why Ari wants to act like it was no big deal and not talk about it?
I'm also bummed that now Dante has to leave, I hope they keep in touch. (hide spoiler)]