Noah? > Recent Status Updates

One thing I thought was funny was Liesel's reaction to trying champagne. "She was bitten bu the fizzy, sickly sweet taste of champagne. Her reflexes forced her to spit straight onto her papa's overalls, watching it foam and dribble." (357). When I was little, I downed a full glass of vodka thinking it was water. My reaction was a lot more dramatic than hers. I just found it funny how differently she reacted from me.

One thing I found incredibly saddening was when they gave Max a place to stay. "Thank you. For Max Vandenburg, those were the two most pitiful words he could possibly say, rivaled only by I'm sorry. There was a constant urge to speak both expressions, spurred on by the affliction of guilt" (208). For this to be the case for Max due to his religion alone... I just think it's so depressing.

One thing I found interesting was her father's reaction to Liesel saying she hated Hitler. Since he was introduced, the author made it abundantly clear that Hans didn't like Hitler, though as soon as Liesel says it, "He slapped Liesel Meminger squarely in the face. 'Don't ever say that'" (116). He hates Hitler, and he's glad that Liesel does too, but he's aware of the dire consequences of their opinion.

One part I found funny was when Liesel became the "Heavyweight Champion of the school-yard" (73). She was being so quiet, then suddenly she snapped and just started beating up Ludwig Schmeikl. "'She's going to kill him!' Liesel did not kill him. But she came close." (79). Liesel got so angry that she almost beat a kid to death. If a bit of teasing got her that angry, I'm curious what'll happen in the future.

One part I thought was interesting was when Knox asked Maeve to hack his mom's computer. "'Are you suggesting we... hack it?' 'No,' I say. That's ridiculous. I'm suggesting you hack it.'" (219). His mom wouldn't give him information, so he took matters into his own hands. Knox strikes me as a character who would never really step out of line, so it's cool that he's opening up and allowing himself to break the rules.

One thing I didn't expect was Emma drinking. Phoebe finds Emma drinking in their room, but decides not to press the issue, "She swipes at her face, upsetting her balance enough that liquid from the cup sloshes over her hand." (206). Emma is never clumsy until this, so it's made pretty clear she's drunk. That being said, I'm making a prediction. Emma is one of the villains. I don't have proof, It's just a hunch.

One thing that surprised me was what "Anonymous" revealed about Maeve. With everyone else, his revelation put the target as the butt of the joke/the person most affected by it. This however, left her ex-boyfriend as the unlucky one. "No. No way/ The entire school did not just read about the most humiliating moment of my life" (150). Knox was exposed and made fun of when it should've been Maeve. I wasn't expecting it.

One part that surprised me was when Phoebe received the first text from the unknown caller. This anonymous mastermind is creating a game of Truth or Dare, in which you either do the dare or he reveals a secret. "Phoebe Lawton, you're up first! Text back your choice" (33). At the time, the story was being told from her perspective, so I wasn't expecting her to be the one to get the first Truth or Dare.

One thing that surprised me was when Nate showed up to see Bronwyn play piano. He seemed like he wanted nothing to do with her after the other events of the book, and I didn't see it coming at all. "A line of sleek cars pulls forward, and I watch them even though it's too soon for my father to be among them. A Lexus. a Range Rover, a Jaguar... a motorcycle." (353). It was an interesting twist, and I didn't expect it.

One part that surprised me was when they found out that Simon was his own murderer. He'd killed himself and taken down 4 "lemmings" with him. "Simon did this to himself, didn't he?", "How did you know?" (320). It really surprised me, but now that I think about it it makes a lot of sense. Also, a little bit unrelated, but 4 and a half weeks ago I guessed that Jake had something to do with it, and I was right.

One part I found surprising was when Vanessa was bullying Cooper and Nate stood up for him. Nate seems like he would be the one getting bullied, not standing up for the strong, "popular" jock. "Nate zeroes in on Vanessa's smug face without a trace of self-consciousness. 'Really? You've got something to say?'" (260). It was a fun interaction, but it caught me off guard and I'm curious to see if more will come of this.

One part I was surprised by was when Addy cut her hair. Up until that point, the only thing she really had going for her was her hair. It was her pride, and it always looked good. "Her eyes widen in alarm. "Oh, you don't mean that. Your hair is beautiful!" (173). Cutting her hair off really made her look like an outsider, and getting rid of it distanced herself from the social ties she had previously had.

One part I have a feeling will be important is when Bronwyn called Nate. He'd shown up to her house 3 times, and this call was the first time she chose to contact him. "Like I said. I lie whenever it's convenient. Bronwyn's quiet for a minute. "I should go. At least try to sleep."" (124). They have such an interesting dynamic, and I have a feeling they're going to interact more with each other more later in the book.

One part I found intriguing was on page 378. Peter decided to give Tris the time, which she'd been asking for constantly up to that point. It was a small act of betrayal that came out of left field. "But then he stops at the door frame and says, 'It's 9:24.'" (378). It completely caught me off guard, and it's plot twists like this that make me enjoy reading.

One thing that surprised me was how Jeanine handled Tris breaking out of the simulation. Jeanine had worked so hard to create something that could withstand her, and she failed. "She was like a machine; she was cold and emotionless, bound by logic alone. And I broke her." (375). I found this whole mental mind game to be very interesting, and it really surprised me when Tris broke free from it.

One part I found interesting was Eric's request before he was executed. He asked that Tobias kills him. I think he didn't really care who did it, he just knew Tobias would suffer the most from the guilt of it. "And all I want is for Four to be the one who fires that bullet" (273). The mental mind games he's playing, even while facing certain death, are extremely interesting to me.

One part I was shocked by was when everyone was moving and fighting,
and Tris just sat there. "Everyone dives under the tables or crouches next to the benches. Everyone except me" (81). In the first book in the series, she was always the first to act; the first to move, to ignore her fears. It really surprised me that she couldn't move a muscle.
(Side note: I'm reading on a kindle, so the page # might be messed up)

One part I found very interesting was when Citra was told to glean Rowan. Instead of gleaning him, she found a sneaky way to keep him alive while making it all seem like an accident. "I was fully prepared to glean him. It was your own parliamentarian who stopped me. It never occurred to me that hitting Rowan would grant him immunity." (431). Forcing his blood onto the ring is genius, and I found it very interesting.

One trait to describe High Blade Xenocrates is childish. Throughout the book, he's made decisions that just struck me as immature. A prime example of this was on page 330. Things didn't go exactly to plan, (though it wouldn't have changed much anyways) and he basically threw a tantrum. "But he didn't want to calm down. he just wanted to scream and scream and scream." (330). This shows how childish Xenocrates is.

One part I found very interesting was the excerpt from the gleaning journal of H.S. Curie at the end of Chapter 26. She talks about the publicity side of gleaning, and how she wished it were different. "I am a legend. Yet every day I wish that I was not" (271). This shows that while some scythes are in it for the fame or notoriety, some of them don't want the recognition that comes with what they do.

One part that shocked me was on page 185 when Scythe Curie gleaned the man in the town. It just came out of nowhere. One second she was scanning the area, and the next..."Then he suddenly gasped- because Scythe Curie's blade had already been thrust up beneath his rib cage and into his heart" (185). I figured that it was to imitate real death, random, instantaneous, and her explanation on Page 191 confirmed my theory.

One part I found shocking was when the lead Scythe announced that the entire flight had been selected for gleaning. The story had been focusing on a particular businessman, so when the Scythes appeared, I expected them to only glean him. "Or maybe this was Scythe humor," or "'This entire flight has been selected for gleaning'. That couldn't be possible." (71) It all just seemed too cruel, and it really surprised me.

One trait to describe Citra is temperamental. On page 11, Scythe Faraday insulted her parents and she yelled at him without thinking, even though disrespecting a scythe easily could've gotten her killed. '"Citra, what are you doing!" Now her mother's voice was quivering. "Show respect!"' This shows that she has outbursts at times where they could easily get her in a lot of trouble. Citra needs to control her Temper.

Mrs. Jones is a very generous and forgiving character. When Roger tried to steal her purse, she didn't turn him in to the police or anything, she just picked him up and took him home. Not only that, but she made sure he was fed, cleaned, and she gave him money for shoes. "And your face is dirty. I got a great mind to wash your face for you." This proves her generosity and kindness, as well as how forgiving she is.

One important part of the story was the moment he saw the jacket sitting on his bedpost. There were so many ways he could have reacted to it, and he took it like a champ and didn't react in a way that would make his mother feel bad. "I slipped it on and went out to the backyard, smiling a "thank you" to my mom as I passed her in the kitchen" (2). It really proves how much he cares about his mother.