The Outsiders
Plot Summary:
The Outsiders follows the unraveling of a story following the adventure of Ponyboy Curtis, and showcases a lot of character development. This book focuses on two groups of teenagers : the Socs and Greasers. The greasers come from a poor and, stereotypical rowdy gang of thugs, while the Socs are rich and portrayed to be much more civilized, in the eyes of the citizens due to bias in newspapers representing the greasers as the bad ones, even though the Socs usually instigate a fight with the Greasers most of the time. Ponyboy Curtis falls under the category of Greasers, but he is very academically inclined. He is raised by his elder brothers, Sodapop and Darry, who both did not continue their education in order to work and provide food, as well as shelter for themselves. This is due to the death of their parents in a car accident, making them live independently. Ponyboy, and his friends, who are all very close, are shown to partake in numerous fights with the Socs.The turning point of this story occurs when Darry slaps Ponyboy after coming home far too late, resulting in him running away along with his friend, Johnny. They get jumped by greasers, leading Johnny to kill someone. They then run away to an abandoned church in Windrixville, where they live for a very long time. In this church, Johnny and Ponyboy eat very little, and usually starve. They also often get very bored. They cut and dye their hair, so that when/if someone comes to find them, they will not be recognizable. A fire breaks out in the church, while the boys were out. There are many kids inside. so Johnny and Ponyboy run inside to save them. As a result, Johnny is severely burned. as well as Ponyboy. They are rushed home to their hospital. and Ponyboy reunites with his friends and family, while Johnny is still in critical situation. Soon after he returns, a massive battle between the Greasers and Socs occurs, leading to everyone being injured, but the Greasers still win. When they visit Johnny at the hospital, Dally (a Greaser) and Ponyboy are miserable after seeing Johnny die. Dally, who is in shock due to this, robs a store and gets shot by the police, as he becomes depressed.
Ponyboy, in the beginning of the story, disliked Darry due to him being too strict on him, realizes how Darry was right the whole time, and that he just didn't want Ponyboy to end up in danger, by the end of the story. In addition, Johnny went from barely speaking in the start, to killing someone, and opening up more to Ponyboy while they were at the church alone. At the end, Ponyboy decides to start a project on his experiences throughout the story, and how they impacted him.
What did you think about the book?:
Personally, I loved this book, due to how the characters were around my own age, and how they all had a strong bond amongst one another. My favorite part was when the Greasers won their brawl against the Socs, as it was basically long awaited for them to get revenge on the Socs that have been mistreating them for far too long. My least favorite part of the book was when Johnny died in the hospital, because I wanted to see all the Greasers unite and have a very happy ending. This scene also made me very emotional. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to someone.
K-Pop Confidential
Plot Summary:
This book is about a Candace, a Korean-American teen who gets chosen to attend a K-pop training camp in Seoul. The story follows her journey from getting past the audition stage to training with others in hopes to become part of the next big girl group. While training she meets many obstacles from learning to dance to juggling the no dating rule and Candace begins to question if becoming an idol should mean risking her friendships and her future.What did you think about the book?:
I think the book was well written. Even though I don't know much about K-pop trainee life, I think the struggles the main character experienced were what I would have expected if it were real life. Like how there was competition with other trainees, secretly eating snacks that the trainees weren't supposed to, struggling with dancing and learning Korean. Overall, I liked reading the story and the cover of the book is pretty cool as well.
Brown Girl Dreaming
Plot Summary:
In the book “Brown Girl Dreaming” there is this girl named Jacqueline Woodson, her nickname is Jackie and she was born February 12th, 1963 on a Tuesday at University Hospital Columbus, Ohio.Jacqueline lived in the times where white people were racist to black people which made her and her family’s life really hard, there were marches, you were only supposed to sit in the back of the bus or even stand, different restrooms, different water fountains, low payed for hard work, and being treated horribly, but slowly things started to change.
During Jacqueline's childhood, her sister Odella Caroline was known for being really smart and advanced but Jacqueline also wanted to be the best. Jacqueline wanted to be a writer and she wrote a lot of poems, people around her didn’t truly believe she was going to become a writer because she read lots of picture books and struggled in school but she did not let that stop her. Jacqueline had a strong passion for writing, making up stories and finding her voice through writing is something that she loves to do.
Jacqueline is a Jehovah’s witness and so are her siblings, they have to follow certain things that other people didn’t follow. Jacqueline was knocking on neighbor’s doors spreading the gospel. At the end we can learn from her that the hard times will come but we have to confront it. She showed us to be strong and independent.
What did you think about the book?:
This book was enjoyable to read. This was because there was a lot of thought and emotion in the book. I would love to recommend this book “Brown Girl Dreaming” to different friends and family.
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke
Plot Summary:
A fictional documentation of the conversations between two women. It starts off with an add for an antique apple peeler on an LGBTQ website from the protagonist. Someone emails the protagonist for the apple peeler, setting off the dominoes for future horrifying emails.What did you think about the book?:
I liked it! The email formatting helped add a layer of horror (As the readers can't clearly tell what's happening). And the descriptive writing made me uncomfortable, helping with the horror. The only thing I have to complain about is the pacing. It felt a bit rushed, but I don't know why exactly. And the ending unfortunately fell flat.Overall: I liked the book, but the pacing made it fall flat.
The Button War
Plot Summary:
The whole story revolves around a group of 7 boys named Raclaw, Drugi,Jurek, Makary, Ulryk, Wojtex, and Patryk who hand out together most of the times in village. Patryk is the narrator of the story. All of the boys used to hang out in the forest as Jurek said the ruins in forest belong to the castle of a polish king and he is descendant of that king. So the forest belongs to him. One day Patryk found a button in the forest and Jurek got extremely violent as he wanted that button. He was surprised by the unexpected reaction of Jurek. Few days later Patryk witnessed an airplane that bombed the school in their village. Germans had attacked the village as the town was still a part of Russia. In the rubble Jurek finds the cane of the teacher who used to beat them up. Suddenly he gets an idea and tells everyone that whoever will have the best military uniform button will be the winner “Button King” and will get the cane as a prize. The Russians in the village decided to leave. That’s when Jurek decided to come up with a button contest whoever gets the best button will be button king and will get the cane they found. They all agree to it and they hear that the Germans are coming so they wait for them to arrive for them to steal the buttons. Raclaw has a better button from German uniform as compared to the one that Jurek has from Russian uniform. Jurek doesn’t like it. Patryk gets a bright metal button with cannon on it and shows it to his friends. They all meet at pimp even though they were all stopped by Germans on their way but they all made excuses. Jurek even thinks about going to fight Germans so taht he can find some good buttons and win the contest. Drugi got beaten up by an Austrian solider staying at his house as he tried to get his button. So the 6 of them decided to continue the game without Drugi. Jurek wanted to win at any cost but Patryk realized it wouldn’t be good and wanted to defeat Jurek. They went to the forest to get buttons from the dead soldiers and ran into Russian soldiers who asked Jurek about Germans and Austrians in village. Jurek was giving them information in exchange for buttons.The boys told Germans about the four Russian soldiers in the forest, exactly the way Russians told them to do. Boys get to know that Drugi died. The Germans took Raclaw with them and he tells them on the way that there are more than 4 Russians. Raclaw gets shot in the crossfire which doesn’t bother Jurek even a bit. Patryk helps him get back home. Wojtex was declared as a spy and was shot dead. Finally the button contest is between Makary, Jurek and Pataryk. Later Makary got shot by Jurek and he declares himself as the button king. Patryk and his family leave the town.What did you think about the book?:
It is a nice book which effectively showcases the effect of war on the soft hearts of little kids and how war plays a role in shaping the lives of so many people who might not be involved in war directly. During the quest to find buttons all boys had to complete the dares given by others. They did try to compete the date but many of them lost their lives. It should be lesson for everyone to think about consequences before agreeing to do something. Patryk did realize that they need to stop it but it was too late. It also teaches that one shouldn’t always follow the leader of the group especially when you know they aren’t a good person and doesn’t consider the well being of others around them. I found it interesting the way author added historical fiction about how the Germans and Russians fighting in the war. It also tied a story of rowdy boys wanting to get more and more buttons just to become Button King, a title which was so irrelevant and meaningless. Though the actions of boys during the button chase are as irresponsible as the violence of war.
The Escape Room
Plot Summary:
Four ruthless Wall Street finance workers, Vincent, Sam, Jules, and Sylvie, are living their best deceptive lives. They don’t care what they have to do—or who they have to ruin—to make the big bucks, they want to get rich and they want to get rich as fast as they can. In this lucrative world of finance, nothing else matters but money. A mandatory team-building exercise is thrust upon them one night, making them put everything else on hold, but since it’s only supposed to last an hour, they jump on board—anything for Stanhope and Sons. The exercise is presented as an escape room, and as they board the elevator, they soon learn that they had entered the escape room without even realizing it.As the clues begin to press forward, they are faced with several questions. What happened to the “dead but not forgotten” Sara Hall? What was the truth behind what happened to Lucy? Not only do they need to solve each riddle, but they have to survive being stuck in such a tight space with each other. As time passes by, the four become desperate to escape. Tensions are high as each member begins to turn on another, leading them to an even more dangerous game then what they had intended. Was this truly only a game or something much darker? Now they must bust out of there before it’s too late and they end up dead.
What did you think about the book?:
I found "The Escape Room" to be a gripping read that I couldn't set aside. Despite a significant portion of the novel delving into the unscrupulous practices in the finance industry, I found the overall story enjoyable. The most challenging aspect for me was navigating through the financial scenes. I can't quite put my finger on why those parts felt like a bit of a grind, but it's safe to say a career in finance might not be my calling. Nevertheless, I persisted through the less engaging sections because I was eager to uncover the truth. In the initial chapters of the book, I struggled to comprehend the identity of Sara Hall and her connection to the elevator group.
The Guest List
Plot Summary:
The Bride who is immaculate in everything she does but recently there is something on her mind.The plus one,a loving wife and mother who suspects the relationship between her husband and the bride who are very good friends.The best man whose life hit a all time law and who shares a dark past with the groom.The wedding planner who has her heart set on making the wedding a success,but what is she are her intentions?Last the bridesmaid,who is not really in her right mind as grief takes over her.They all have a secret,they all have a motive,and they all have connection to the groom,but only one is the murderer.What did you think about the book?:
The Guest List by Lucy Foley is the best thriller book I have read in 2023,let me tell you this book had me at first reluctant to start and by the end of it not being able to put it down.I thought this book would have a similar plot to other thriller books I have read but I was so wrong.This book was so well structured,it had been guessing at every page,once you start reading this book I can assure you that you will never be able to put it down.I for one do you not a slow paced book it often gets boring but this book was the exception,I loved the slow building tension it was one things that let me finish the book in just 2 days and that's saying something as I almost never can find time for .Another thing that I have to commend the author for is how well she connected all the characters together,the small context clues that was laid out in the book just fits so well with the ending of this book,I found myself so proud when I figured out something about a character only later in the book find myself completely oblivious about the new revelation about the same character and finally thinking how i could have missed this previously.
The Dutch House
Plot Summary:
"The Dutch House" is a novel written by Ann Patchett, published in 2019. The story revolves around the lives of two siblings, Danny and Maeve Conroy, who grow up in a lavish and enigmatic mansion known as the Dutch House, located in the suburbs of Philadelphia. The house becomes a symbol of their family's complex history and their mother's abandonment. As they navigate their tumultuous upbringing and estrangement from their stepmother, the novel explores themes of love, loss, and the enduring bonds of family. "The Dutch House" is a poignant tale of resilience and the indelible imprint of a place on the human heart.What did you think about the book?:
"The Dutch House" is a must-read that will leave a lasting impression and a deep sense of nostalgia long after you've turned the final page. It is a testament to Patchett's talent as a writer and her ability to create a story that lingers in the hearts of its readers.
Three Body Problem
Plot Summary:
The story starts with the reveal that multiple physicists have committed suicide around the world. It is very hard not to explains the book without any context but and alien civilization is revealed and plan on making Earth their home, and the civilizations around the world try to save themselves without losing hope. The main characters of the Three Body-Problem are Ye Wenjie an astrophysicist, Wang Miao a nanomaterials researcher, and Da Shi a police detective.What did you think about the book?:
I favorite part of the book is how it sees that humanity has to work as a whole species to help save Earth. My least favorite part of the book is that there isnt really any personal connection with any character specifically.
The Book Theif
Plot Summary:
"The Book Thief" is a novel by Markus Zusak set in Nazi Germany during World War II. The story is narrated by Death, who takes an interest in a young girl named Liesel Meminger. After her brother's death and her mother's inability to care for her, Liesel is adopted by Hans and Rosa Hubermann, a couple in the fictional town of Molching.Liesel struggles with her new life, but she finds solace in books, particularly after stealing her first book, "The Gravedigger's Handbook," which she took at her brother's burial. With the help of Hans, Liesel learns to read, and their bond deepens. Liesel also befriends a boy named Rudy Steiner and becomes close to Max Vandenburg, a Jewish man hiding in their basement.
The novel explores the power of words and storytelling as Liesel, with the help of Max, starts stealing more books and sharing them with others, even during the dangerous time of Nazi censorship. Liesel's life is marked by both small acts of kindness and the ever-present threat of war. She experiences the horrors of air raids and the loss of loved ones, including Rudy.
As the war intensifies, Liesel continues to steal and share books to provide comfort to herself and others. Max's life is in constant danger, but he survives thanks to Liesel's friendship and the Hubermanns' protection.
The story reaches its climax with a bombing raid that destroys Molching and claims the lives of many residents, including Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Liesel is one of the few survivors and is taken in by another family.
The novel concludes with Liesel's life after the war, as she continues to live and grow, always cherishing the memory of her time in Molching and the power of words to connect and heal in the face of unimaginable hardship.