Crazy for Young Adult Books discussion

Please join Vicki, Nicole and me if you can!

I'm really nervous about this one. I'm not a fan of school shooting stories but this idea intrigues me and I heard a few of the authors talk about their part is how this was written.

I'm so interested to see how this turns out.

It should be a good one with short stories!

Thank you for making the thread, Trisha.

Yeah and thanks Trisha!

My book isn't even on its way yet...ugh! If I buy it, it's $10.99 ebook or over $13 to get the hardback. What to do!! I hate how long my library takes for newer books.

YIKES! Don't pay that amount for it!!

let's kick the date out! November? December?

let's do December :)

AWESOME!!! How is December 1, 2 or 6?

Perfect, thanks! :o)

I am not going to have this book until I don't know when. I had originally gotten it when we were planning to read it earlier but had to take it back and request it again from Link+ but so far it just says "Requested" but it's not in transit.

Can you wait until I get it? I'll post when it arrives.

Sure. want to give it a week and then we'll check back in? I can reset the date for Sunday or Monday

We can try that, but it's not even in transit yet...so frustrating! Thank you.

My book is FINALLY in transit as of today, so I think I should have it within 3-4 days.

Sorry, I hate to do this
but I have to start it tonight and kind of breeze through it.
I need it for a couple challenges (one I have a whole team depending on me....Yikes) so I have to go quick...

it's my only white cover right now :(

It's all right. I just don't know why it said requested for so long but they didn't send it until finally today. It is what it is.

I just hope that you enjoy it! Good luck on your challenges!

Is the white cover challenge for one in this group? If so, I might be able to use it.

Have you begun it yet? If so, how far have you gotten? Mine is still in transit as of now.

No, it's for another group and I switched books
this isn't a book you can race through
I've started it....still in the first story...it's just so hard to read :/

I'll get farther today and start posting but I won't be racing through

Okay, I hope I get it fast. Sometimes I do and other times it takes forever!

Woo hoo! The library just called me and it's here, so I'll pick it up after work! YAY!!

This is going to be a very tough book for me

Miss Susie(view spoiler)[ awful
she blamed him for what the other boys did
she hurt Kirby because he was weaker than the others and she could
Poor Kirby
Poor Susie - what an awful birthday. (hide spoiler)]

Violent Beginnings(view spoiler)[ Oh man....poor Teddy
what a different view of Kirby
but we're definitely seeing a theme - the kid who was ruthlessly mean was Kirby's personal hell
and losing the ability to go to that private school (hide spoiler)]

Survival Instinct(view spoiler)[ I'm so sad. Kirby didn't stick around long enough to know that.....she made it. She DID It. He inspired her to be strong.
But all Kirby saw was another victim who couldn't stop the abuse. If only he'd waited one more day..... (hide spoiler)]

this is truly sad so far. so sad. :(

I'm sorry. Some books/subjects are so difficult to read!

The Greenest Grass(view spoiler)[ this is another horribly sad story
but again, Kirby giving redemption to someone. finding that even those 'at the top' aren't really at the top
he saved her life - by that, I mean he chose not to shoot her (is that really the same? I don't think so)
(hide spoiler)]

Feet first(view spoiler)[ again. another survivor story only because he graced "living" on her
and sure, he made her be stronger - he literally forced her to grow up
but gah, wasn't there a better way (hide spoiler)]

The Perfect Shot(view spoiler)[ and here we finally have it
a story of someone who was also bullied along side of Kirby
someone that was tormented and someone who...it sounds like is possibly transgender MTF.
I'm so sad that Kirby took her young life and snuffed it out.
I want to cry for her and all that she could have shown the world - all that she could have been - and he killed her first. she tried to find the beauty and him and he killed her instead (hide spoiler)]

I think three stories is about my max at a time for this one

Okay, I'll try to catch up or at least get 3 or so read a day. I didn't have a good reading day today or yesterday actually. I won't go in to the gory details but suffice it to say I am disappointed in what I was not able to get done, but I spent time with family and dealt with a health issue so I had no choice.

awww, no worries :)
I'm waaaay behind too! I'm just stumbling along....
I hope you are well, my friend!

The Girl Who Said No(view spoiler)[ "Morgan is haunted..."
I think that sums up this book. it's haunting to read these stories in the after of a school shooting (hide spoiler)]

Pop(view spoiler)[here's a bully story....it sucks because, of course, he's just a kid making a mistake
even though he's probably terrorizing Kirby....and part of the reason he got even (hide spoiler)]

Presumed Destoyed(view spoiler)[ interesting, that little tidbit about the gun and how it change hands and where it went and HOW LONG kirby had it.
he'd had that gun for a while before he did anything with it (hide spoiler)]

The Second(view spoiler)[I loved this metaphor with the dog and Reba
that's exactly like a gun. It's job is to shoot (keep me safe, defend me), MY job is to use it responsibly - respect it. (hide spoiler)]

I read 4 because this set were really short and one was less emotionally charged.

Astroturf(view spoiler)[ wow. I'll call this one "be careful what you wish for"
I wonder what Kirby was upset about....there seems to be something very wrong with his family
he's destroying/tossing pop tart breakfasts every morning
he's going back to the spot they eat dinner but eating alone and not liking it (hide spoiler)]

Grooming Habits(view spoiler)[ OMG that was a TEACHER???!!! Ugh!!! Sleeping with her students?!? What did she do to push Kirby even farther over the edge?? (hide spoiler)]

Hypothetical Time Travel(view spoiler)[ Carah breaks my heart
their whole family, so changed
so I still don't get it...what was going on with Kirby?
he's collecting coins?
he's asking girls that won't say yes.
he's MEAN to his sister and her friends
he drops the girls that seems really into him

what happened....was it just the bullying...?? (hide spoiler)]

All's Well(view spoiler)[ more collateral damage. the poor kid. he could have been kirby...but no, he gets the difference
STILL begs the questions. WHAT HAPPENED?! (hide spoiler)]

Bruning Effigies(view spoiler)[ I couldn't help but think of Kirby's family, seeing their house broken into and his clothes burned
but it's just so....tough
I don't blame Alice for being mad
or the stoners for being mad...or anyone really
there's not 'right way' here (hide spoiler)]

Holes(view spoiler)[ I think it's interesting. that little girl, still keeping the bad things that happened to her - still keeping them as secrets.
clearly, Kirby did awful things to her
and she could sensationalize all those moments. but she's choosing not to.....Not to protect Kirby I assume...but so she doesn't admit they happened to her? huh, I guess maybe? (hide spoiler)]

Okay, I'm on the last story
I'm expecting some good info out of it....

I'm starting this one today.

and I'm done

I'm oddly (view spoiler)[ sad we don't know what was going on with Kirby. what he hid so much from everyone
did they find a pile of quarters he left?
did they find a note?
did they.....did his room show them anything?

I know it's completely irrational to want to know why

but we know so many little pieces of Kirby but I"m so far from a full picture
like him killing the bugs in the jar
and the times he WAS cruel as a kid
but then he also saved people and tried to protect people....in the end, none of it makes any sense. (hide spoiler)]

Nate(view spoiler)[ he's a user. He uses everyone and bleeds them dry (hide spoiler)]

Miss Susie: (view spoiler)[She was so young when this all began, and yes her birthday was just horrible. (hide spoiler)]

Violent Beginnings (view spoiler)[Oh gosh, Teddy would obviously be associated with "the murderer" and people are shunning him. He hardly even knew Kirby. I feel for Teddy. (hide spoiler)]

Survival Instinct (view spoiler)[Your spoiler is spot on! If only...how many times has one more minute or hour or day or week made the difference!! It's just so tragic that Kirby couldn't see a way out other than killings. Ugh! (hide spoiler)]

I'll get back to this after the marathon.

Trisha, I'm commenting on your posts up through #24 POP.

Not sure what I can add but you said how (view spoiler)[ haunting the after stories are to read, and I agree. But I was just thinking prior to reading your comment that the before stories are what make the people so real, if that makes sense. It's like, when a real-life shooting happens we know "someone" was shot or a "9th grader girl" or whatever, but the before stories kind of build up to what happened and the type of person they are. It's like they became "real" if you will. They became the daughter, the friend, the cheerleader, etc. I don't know if I explained that all right, but their thoughts are something that makes it so hard to read when they got killed too. (hide spoiler)]

Mark (view spoiler)[is AWFUL!! He's really a bully. He's the one who put the pop-tarts all over Kirby's locker. What a jerk. (hide spoiler)]

Yes, that makes perfect sense....it does make them more real

Up through Grooming Habits...

Presumed Destroyed: (view spoiler)[How very clever and unique. The way the chapters have new POV's but you don't know who they are right away makes for interesting writing/reading; however, at the start of this chapter I was a bit confused. At first I thought someone was adopted, then possibly being purchased for sex slavery, LOL and then the convo about the gun purchases was confusing me. Finally, the gun "said" something like "he was putting a bullet in my chamber," and I thought...wait a minute...I went back and re-read and then it all made sense. (hide spoiler)]

OMG!! (view spoiler)[Is this the reason, or one of the main reasons, Kirby is so angry and messed up? I was NOT expecting that one at all! At the beginning of the chapter when I wasn't sure whose POV "Grooming Habits" was told from, I kept trying to figure out who the girl was. When she said something about not opening her legs for so mamy boys anymore, I thought how sad it was that such a young girl could talk that way and that she'd slept round what sounded like a LOT. But it still never dawned on my until the VERY end that it was his TEACHER!!! I literally had to go back and, SAY WHAT??? I had to re-read it to make sure I'd read it right. Ugh...disgusting. That makes the chapter title disgustingly meaningful. Just ugh!! (hide spoiler)]

Vicki wrote: "OMG!! [spoilers removed]"

Right?!?! (view spoiler)[ UGH! That one was just awful - but it was a string of awful moments in Kirby's tough life (hide spoiler)]

Yeah, that's so true. UGH!!