"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Thursday, February 7, 2019

Review and Quotes: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City ReaderShare the opening quote from the book.
Th
e Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's VoiceFind a quote from page 56.

Review to follow. Warning this post may contain spoilers!

This is the book I'm highlighting right now---





Title: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green


Book Beginning:



Friday 56:

Summary (Again, I warn you about spoilers):
Roaming through New York City at three a.m., twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship—like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor—April and her friend, Andy, make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. April names the sculpture Carl. The next day, April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world—from Beijing to Buenos Aires—and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight. Seizing the opportunity to make her mark on the world, April now has to deal with the consequences her new particular brand of fame has on her relationships, her safety, and her own identity. And all eyes are on April to figure out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from us. – Book blurb
Review: 
     This is my kind of book: quirky, even a little snarky at times. It grapples with themes and topics that are very relevant for today. One theme is how social media changes the definition of fame and how some people become radicalized. It shows how people can become dehumanized in other people's eyes. It also shows how we are trained to fight on one side of issues or the other and then communication is generally among the people who agree with you. I kept thinking of politics, though this book wasn't political at all.

     April May and Andy become victims of their fame, yet they both strive for a sense of their humanity. Carl (here comes the spoiler) is an alien. Even that topic gets people on one side or the other. April May fights for the Carls and for finding out why they are here. This puts her in the cross-hairs of those who want to vilify them.

     In the last chapters we are showed a few of the dragon's teeth that author Hank Green hid throughout the text, most I missed along the way. Now I want to go back and reread the book looking for those little gems hidden throughout the text. And then the ending. Oh, the ending. So perfect.

     I am told by my daughter, who visits Hank's vlog more often than I do, that there is a sequel. I don't think one is necessary, because I don't mind books which end in an open-ended way.

     Now here is the funny note. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Kristin Sieh,and the last chapter by Hank Green himself. In my usual fashion I bumped up the speed of the narration to 1.25 which made the book move along at a fair clip. When I read the reviews on Goodread many people commented about how fast and furious the plot progressed. Well, guess what? It unfolded even faster for me. Ha! But I still loved it! In fact, I loved it a lot!



21 comments:

  1. I want to read this book after reading your review which makes it sound mysterious.

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  2. I so wanted to love this book, but I couldn't do it. I feel like I am the only one on the planet who feels that way.

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    1. Maybe you should try it again in audio sped up to 1.25. Ha! It was like a roller coaster ride.

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  3. It sounds fascinating, but I have SO much reading right now. Lots of good books came in at the same time. Remind of this one next time I see you.

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  4. Sounds entertaining, but the cover is one I would have passed by. I'd love for you and your readers to check out mine. https://tinyurl.com/LisaKsBookReviews2819

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  5. I really like the snarky, casual tone that the opening is written in. It reads just like listening to someone chatting.
    My Friday Memes for this week.

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  6. This book is on my wishlist. It does sound good. This week I am spotlighting Say You're Sorry by Karen Rose - a thriller from my review stack. Happy reading!

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  7. This one does sound like fun. Thanks for sharing, and for visiting my blog.

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  8. I enjoy the few videos I've seen of Hank and John Green together. This sounds like a lot of fun--and a great listen. I enjoy quirky from time to time. :-) I am glad you enjoyed this one. Have a great weekend!

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  9. I'm quite curious about April. She sounds like a cool character. Happy weekend!

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  10. Love the excerpts! Will have to dig up my ARC of this one.

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  11. I added this to my TBR list on GoodReads but let it get bumped down. I think it's gonna have to move up the list now.

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  12. I found myself fascinated with the commentary of social media and fame more than the mystery of the Carls. I'm glad there will be a sequel especially with that ending.

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  13. I like the 'feel' open that opening narrative!

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  14. Thanks for sharing this.

    I have seen this book around, but haven't read it yet.

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  15. I was kinda on the fence about this book, but your review makes me want to pick up a copy. Thanks for sharing! Hope you have a great weekend! :)

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  16. Not sure this would be my kind of read, but it sounds like you really enjoyed it. Happy weekend!

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  17. I like to be surprised by books, so I browsed quickly through your review and read enough to inspire me to go ahead and read this book. Thank you!

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  18. Hi Anne,

    Whilst this probably isn't a book for my TBR pile and the cover isn't particularly appealing, the opening lines you shared really hit the right note for me.

    Whilst I am also not a fan of audio books, as I don't enjoy being read to, the notion of you listening to the narration in 'fast forward' mode, had me chuckling to myself!


    Thanks for sharing and Happy Reading in the coming week :)

    Yvonne xx

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