April Book Club - That's a Wrap

April Book Club happy hour has come and gone, and it was great!  Much wine was had, much food was eaten, and the consensus on Reality Boy was …

Three Stars

Some people liked this book, some people didn't.  We all agreed that the subject matter was difficult and the characters weren't people we'd want to spend any time with.  But, for the most part people read it quickly because we just had to know what happened to Ger!

Reality Boy - April Book Discussion

Hello, intrepid Book Club readers! Hopefully by now you’ve gotten your hands on a copy of the April book, REALITY BOY. If not … well, you know, go do that.

(psst … if you must, Goodreads has reviews that have the basic plot)

I enjoyed this book. I don’t read much contemporary YA.  Contemporary, yes.  YA, yes.  Combined, no.  And I don’t know why … TFIOS should have been the first clue that I might enjoy this genre. Because, Gus.

I digress (but if this wasn’t about another book there would totally be a TFIOS .gif in this spot)

I found this book fresh and interesting. I’ve wondered about life post-reality TV for kids that are portrayed in a negative way. It can’t be good … not really. The author did a good job writing main characters that I wanted to know more about, which is always good. I didn’t always like the characters, but I did want to know more. I did find some of the secondary characters a little less dimensional. Not so much that it hurt the story, but enough that I noticed. 

The subject matter was uncomfortable, and because of that I struggled a little. I read a lot of fantasy for a reason … more fighting dragons, less family abuse. There were times I felt so sorry for, and angry at, Gerald I just wanted to stop reading. The boxing club scene was one of those moments, where I was like …

Below are questions to get you thinking about the story.  If you’re an online only member, feel free to comment (on these, or whatever you want!). Otherwise, think about these questions and I’ll see you on Thursday!

Book Club Questions: REALITY BOY

Do you think anger management helped Gerald, or not?

Was Gerald’s self awareness, seemingly brought out from therapy, reasonable for a teenage boy?

Gerald and Hannah both changed a lot by the end of the book; Ger more so.  Do you think such a large shift in a short amount of time is realistic, or sustainable?

Gerald’s improvement is hinged around his relationship with Hannah (although years of therapy set him up … maybe). How did you feel about love being the reason Ger was able to finally move forward with his life?

What were your feelings towards Gerald’s parents? Did you have sympathy for either?

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Okay, just one … 

The April Book Club book is ...

What a great novel to kick off Book Club! I had not heard about this one before it was suggested, but the Goodreads description sold me:

Gerald Faust knows exactly when he started feeling angry: the day his mother invited a reality television crew into his five-year-old life. Twelve years later, he’s still haunted by his rage-filled youth—which the entire world got to watch from every imaginable angle—and his anger issues have resulted in violent outbursts, zero friends, and clueless adults dumping him in the special education room at school.

Nothing is ever going to change. No one cares that he’s tried to learn to control himself, and the girl he likes has no idea who he really is. Everyone’s just waiting for him to snap…and he’s starting to feel dangerously close to doing just that.

In this fearless portrayal of a boy on the edge, highly acclaimed Printz Honor author A.S. King explores the desperate reality of a former child “star” who finally breaks free of his anger by creating possibilities he never knew he deserved.

REALITY BOY was written by Printz Honor author, A.S. King and has 4+ start rating at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Goodreads. It's available in paperback or ebook for under $10. Nook also has a free preview for those that want to check out a chapter before buying it.

Okay book nerds, GO … you got this!

Book Club: Ready, set, drink!

Now that the important stuff is out of the way—

Wait, you didn’t read the rules?  Do it!  Do it NOW and do not come back until you have. 

Done?  Okay.

Now that the important stuff is out of the way, a few Q&A’s to get things moving. Have a different question? Just leave it in the comments!

Q: What kind of books will we read?

A: Fiction of all kinds. But, many of the current members read YA—if you just can’t stand that genre this isn’t the club for you.

Q: How will you pick the books we read each month?

A: You read the rules right? Next question.

Q: No … I meant HOW will you pick randomly from the pool? Will you use a computer model? Draw names from a hat?

A: I can’t reveal my secrets.

Q: How/where will we meet?

A: We will have a Happy Hour once a month at a yet-to-be-disclosed location in the West End/Short Pump area. I will also create a blog entry for online participation.

Q: And at this Happy Hour, will we actually do bookly things, or just drink?

A: DRINK! No, wait. Both. I will create a blog entry with thought provoking (maybe) questions the day before Happy Hour. You can participate in one, both, or neither … but that last one basically means you aren’t part of the club. Just sayin’. I ask that at a minimum you give each book a rating from 1 to 5 stars. Email for privacy is fine. I will average out the stars and post results.

Q: So, when does all this awesomeness happen?

A: Third Thursday of each month, 4-6pm.

Q: Wait, that means the first meeting is March 20^th … that’s only like a week away.  I can’t read a book before then.

A: No worries. The first meeting is all about getting to know each other … naw, just kidding. It’s about drinking. Also, we’ll all come with a book suggestion (onliners – please submit your choice early) and we will pick the April book. 

Q: Am I going to have to buy all these books?

A: Negatory. First: library. Second: This group is going to have some fast readers and we should all be open to sharing books.

Q: This sounds like a lot of awesome for no cost. Is there a catch?

A: You want booze, you buy it. You want snacks, you buy them. You want to give back to others? I am considering the option of collecting $1 from anyone interested each month to go into a pool to buy books for kids who can’t afford them. Still looking into it, for now …

So that’s all I’ve got, people. As we get settled, I’m open to suggestions or changes. I also think it could be fun to take turns hosting at people’s houses—but, baby steps. Let’s just read a book!

The Rules of Book Club

1^st rule: You do not talk about book club

2^nd rule: You do NOT talk about book club

3^rd rule: You must submit at least one book into the pool

4^th rule: One book will be chosen randomly each month from the pool

5^th rule: You have to read at least one chapter of the book  

6^th rule: You must discuss and/or rate the book online or at the monthly Happy Hour

7^th rule: No spoilers

8^th rule: Ignore the first two rules

9 out of the 10 Tyler Durdens in my head recommend this book club.