Second Grade Physical Science Reading Comprehension
Education and Book
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- The ONLY app that allows the users to CREATE their own stories, questions and add their own...
The Trinity: How Not to be a Heretic
Book
"Trinity" is Christianity's most basic description of who God actually is-and who he needs to be in...
FlashAcademy - Language Learning
Education
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Think language learning is boring? Think again. FlashAcademy is changing the way we learn...
education
Advocate for Music!: A Guide to User-Friendly Strategies
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Across the US, school budgets are tightening and music programs, often the first asked to compromise...
The Alex Crow
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From the critically acclaimed author of cult teen novel Grasshopper Jungle, Andrew Smith, comes a...
Duncan MacMillan: Plays One
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Monster: "He's got zero empathy. You could be having a conversation and start choking to death and...
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Madam in Books
Jul 1, 2021
I found the narrative of this book mysterious and very enjoyable. Rose is trying to find out more about the events happening in this school, but everything is so secretive, she gets only bits of information. I am not surprised she feels so frustrated. All of that creates a perfect mystery and suspense because I was so keen to find out, what was actually happening there. This book has plenty of issues to be discussed. It portrays only Rose’s perspective, she is from a lower class and has no idea how rich and influential people operate. So what seems outrageous to her, might seem very normal to rich people. I really enjoyed the ancient mythology that was in this novel, I loved the stories of powerful women from the past. The topics discussed in this book are arranged marriages, suicide, mental health issues, ignorance, friendships, homosexuality, teenage manipulations, lack of feminism, various secrets, and many, many more. This novel really highlights a very wide variety of topics.
The whole story is set in 1993, so it does show the struggles people had during those days, especially when it comes to technologies and communication. I enjoyed the writing style of this book, it was very atmospheric and dark. I really can see this novel as a film, it would be brilliant! The chapters of this book have medium length and it had me very engrossed in this story. I don’t really know what I think of the ending, it rounds up the story nicely, but for some reason, it didn’t really leave me satisfied.
So, to conclude, it is a very gloomy and dark novel, filled with unique characters and a plot filled with secrets and mystery. This book is perfect for discussions, it has a very wide variety of topics. I think it would be great for reading groups or readalongs. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys gothic novels, or books set in strange boarding schools.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated The Manifesto on How to be Interesting in Books
Jun 24, 2019
The general idea of this book is Bree trying to become "interesting" enough to write something that publishers won't reject. She decides the way to go about this is by infiltrating to posse of popular girls at school, while anonymously blogging about it the whole time.
Bree has her issues; she's always been a bit of a loser, she's kind of falling in love with her English teacher, she has way too many rejection letters, and she self harms when she feels low. She has to make a lot of sacrifices for the sake of her new blog, one of which is her best friend, Holdo. She reminds herself that "it's all material" while she acts like a bitch, spends hundreds of pounds on new clothes and hairstyles, befriends with queen-bee Jassmine and even when she sleeps with Jass's boyfriend. Besides, her crush told her she wasn't interesting enough, so surely this is what she's supposed to be doing?
But things get a bit more complicated than she first anticipated, and things end up worse than before for Bree. Yeah, she's spent time with her mother and she's become a social princess, but things start to fall apart. There's a sex tape, and her teacher's realised his mistake, and she can't help but cut herself like she's always done... But this time, she takes it a little too far.
I love the way Holly Bourne incorporates painfully real issues into her novels, mainly revolving around mental health and feminism. Bree's issue with self harming isn't looked down upon, or brushed aside, or made into the main plot. Instead, it's just part of the story, like it is for most people who struggle with it.
My only real problem with this book is that I just can't believe that a makeover can get you into the posse of populars. Like, really? If I got a haircut and some new lipstick, would I really become best friends with the most popular girl in school? I highly doubt it. I did like how Bree actually became rather attached to the girls, and how she realised that they really are just normal people underneath all that bitchiness and foundation.
This was a nice, easy read though, and I did enjoy it. It combats some common thoughts that go round teenagers' heads, and although it is a little cheesy in some places, I think it's mostly rather realistic. Although it isn't quite one of my favourite books, I do think The Manifesto on How to Be Interesting could just about earn 4.5 stars from me.
Yogaia: Live Yoga Classes
Health & Fitness and Sports
App
Take your studio with you wherever you go with Yogaia + Manduka, the only live-streamed and...
Nota for iPad
Music and Entertainment
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As seen on Apple's iPad TV commercial, Gizmodo, CNet, TUAW and Smoking Apples! Nota is a set of...