reading recommendations
In all of its unedited, uncut glory. Lack of grammar, urban vernacular, and all.
QUESTIONS:
1. What book?
2. Who would you recommend it to? (Maybe what genre. What kind of people would like this genre?)
3. If this book were an ice cream flavor, what flavor would it be and why?
4. If you could be a character from this book, what character would you be and why?
5. How many times did you reread this book? If you only read it once and you really liked it, why didn’t you read it again?
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1. death by black hole by uh whats the dude’s name okay yeah my mom borrowed the book so i don’t have it. anyway it’s the curator of the hayden planetarium.
2. people who like science. no, actually. people who want to LEARN SHIT.
3. books are not ice cream. no. this is a stupid analogy. i don’t even LIKE ice cream that much. i know like. four flavors. i’m picking uh. chocolate. cause it’s a decent flavor.
4. there are no characters. this book is about LEARNING. not ‘omg look at me i’m so deeeeeeep cause i think one thing but do anoootheeeeer’ character shit. also i pick rarified helium. cause i mean. it tripped up mad scientists into thinking it was another element. but it was just helium being weird out there in deep space.
5. read it once. i SHOULD read it again, cause some of the science was confusing, but i got distracted by other books.
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1. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
2. It’s a detective novel, so I’d say detective fiction fans, but it’s so beautifully written that I think anyone would enjoy it.
3. Coffee ice cream. It’s got a bold, powerful flavor, but it’s still smooth and easy to digest.
4. I wouldn’t want to be any of the main characters in this book, because everyone important is either murdered, or executed by the sate. But I’d probably want to be the squirrel that befriends Perry and visits him in his cell.
5. I read it once. I only read it a year ago, and I’m still not ready to reread it.
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1. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
2. Apparently this book is considered science fiction, but it emphasizes more on the psychological transformation of the protagonist more than the typical sci-fi read.
3. Mint chocolate chip. Because. um. it’s a refreshing new perspective with moments of sweetness.
4. oh snap. I can barely even remember the characters in the book. uhhh. I’d want to be Algernon, the cute genius mouse. Because he was the only true homie that Charlie (the main dude) could relate to. ’cause they were experimental geniuses.
5. I didn’t read it again because I don’t own the book. I read it for an eighth grade reading class. Also, I don’t reread books.
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1. Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut
2. It contains a series of short stories, most of which are science fiction, a few historical fiction. It is great for people with short attention spans like me. Each story provides a taste of something different, exploring some familiar science fiction concepts and some unfamiliar.
3. It would be rocky road because of the bits and pieces of variety that still manage to blend together into something enjoyable. There is also a dark undertone… um chocolate? With light-hearted moments scattered within it (the marshmallow bits).
4. I can’t remember one specific character…. I do remember the Hostesses who ran suicide booths. I wouldn’t want to be them. Nor would I want to be anyone in that story because they are all forced to take birth control pills.
5. I avoid rereading books, especially short stories. I usually don’t remember them either, but some of these short stories have stuck with me. Which means Vonnegut must have beasted them.
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1. The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
If books with no words were acceptable, I’d have given you a different answer.
2. Amazon says it’s juvenile fiction / sci-fi. It involves drug lords, illegal immigration, and clones. What’s there to dislike?
3. It would be cancer ice cream. Because the milk would come from genetically engineered cows, the flavors would come from genetically engineered plants, and the entire thing would be spiked with opium. And if you stopped consuming the stuff for a moment to think, you’d probably realize there are ethical questions to be considered.
4. Matt. Because if I were a clone created to have my organs harvested and transplanted into a drug lord, I’d like to be a smart clone.
5. I reread it all the way through once. I reread parts of it multiple times.
Book recommendations by Stuyvesant students for Stuyvesant students and readers around the world. Also known as Stuy Bookshelf/Book Box. Submissions are open—click on register below!