Another excellent high school book club meeting in the books! This month Ms. Melinson kicked the meeting off by reminding us of the opportunity to read we all have coming up with Thanksgiving break just around the corner. The seniors in attendance replied that they’ll be a bit too busy with college applications. For those of us without major life changes looming ever-nearer, though, Ms. Melinson drew our attention to the Fall book recommendation Newsletter that Ms. Z-S just put out.
The newsletter features recommendations from the top 3 genres preferred by high school students this year: fantasy, mystery, and romance. Rachel was shocked to discover that romance has edged out humor for the bronze. Jordyn commented that she doesn’t particularly gravitate towards comedy books. Rachel then questioned her appreciation of Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, a markedly humorous novel. Jordyn explained that she generally avoids comedies because they’re rather entrenched in reality, and she prefers escaping into fantasy or science fiction, which criteria Good Omens fit. Jess questioned the appeal of fantasy, feeling that escaping into a whole different world goes a tad too far, but Jordyn retorted that she just doesn’t like reading “real life stuff.” Isn’t it wonderful how different genres can satisfy our different interests and desires?
Ms. Melinson told us about The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker. She’s enjoyed her slow read of this nonfiction book, as evidenced by the many annotation tabs she has added. The book discusses all the ways in which people gather (not just dinner parties as she first suspected), and emphasizes the importance of intentionality in such meetings.
Jordyn has been enthralled by Three Dark Crowns, which fantasy novel she picked up at Ms. Melinson’s recommendation during the October book club meeting. She felt that it had a slow start, but that’s to be expected when an author is setting the stage for an entire high fantasy series. The plot is intricate and, without giving away any spoilers, she emphasized that the book gets “really good.” Ms. Melinson questioned whether the triplets in the story reminded her of her own siblings, but as these triplets were separated at birth, Jordyn found little in common. Perhaps that was another point in the novel’s favor for escapism-appreciator Jordyn?
Rachel has been listening to The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, and she is loving it. “It’s like listening to a painting,” she explained of the intricate, beautiful, tragic prose. The language and structure have amazed her, and she has equally appreciated the time Dumas takes to follow the protagonist’s life across decades. “It’s a classic for a reason,” remarked Ms. Melinson, who agreed with Rachel that the structure, syntax, and diction of a work compel her just as much as (or sometimes more than) its plot. Chloe added that listening to the novel in its original French was a memorable experience for her.
The current read for Jess is a romance novel about a guy who never gets rejected and the girl who finally does. He seduces her just to prove to his mates that he really is that good, but soon begins truly falling for her. What happens when she finds out his ulterior motives for pursuing her? Jess recommended the book for any romance fans out there, of which we know there are plenty!
Mr. Comer told us about two books he read last weekend. The first was Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon by Nigerian engineer and novelist Wole Talabi. This Godpunk novel follows the story of two Yoruba gods liberating a Nigerian artifact from London’s British Museum. Mr. Comer highly enjoyed the novel and heartily recommended it. His second read of the weekend was the first of the Viriconium series by M. John Harrison. The Pastel City is set millennia in the future and follows the tradition of dying Earth stories. He felt that Talabi had a much better command of storytelling than Harrison, but enjoyed The Pastel City as well, and has begun the second in the series, A Storm of Wings.
Suketa revisited The Maltese Falcon, which students read in her English class this year. The murder mystery had a very surprising end that she really enjoyed. The blatant sexism of the main character put Jordyn off of the story.
Mr. Wells has started Last Bus to Wisdom by Ivan Doig. In the story, a 12-year-old boy who has been raised by his grandmother must take a greyhound bus across several states to go stay with different family when his grandmother falls ill. The novel so far reminds him of The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles, and he is greatly enjoying the wisdom the boy shares as he meets plentiful folk on his bus journey.
Ms. Melinson then turned the conversation towards the upcoming release of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes based on the Hunger Games prequel novel by the same name. Jordyn enjoyed the book when she read it, explaining that she thought Suzanne Collins did an excellent job of humanizing the villain of the trilogy, Coriolanus Snow.
Finally, we discussed our favorite independent and used bookstores, which included Capitol Books, Bookworm, and Ruby’s. Rachel concluded the meeting with a joke about a loyal dog and a poorly placed gravestone.
Books & Bytes 