Book BFF Melissa

The Harley Bear Post #3

Don't forget to link up your review, discussion, giveaway, etc. below!

Classics Retold is a project hosted by Alison @ The Cheap Reader, Alyssa @ Books Take You Places, Charlene @ Bookish Whimsy, Wendy @ Excellent Library, and Brittany @ Book Addict’s Guide.

How You Participate:

1. You will choose a classic you’d like to read.
2. You read your classic and read or watch as many retellings, spin-offs, sequels or adaptations of the classic as you can.
3. You will post reviews or your thoughts on your blog for each one during September.
4. 1-4 bloggers can work on a “main” text. You can work independently or work together. You’re allowed to all read/watch the same things or split the work up.
5. To participate in this project, you only sign up for one classic (and its adaptions).
6. Optional: If you’d like to work on another classic (or adaptation), find the bloggers “in charge” of that text and ask to do a guest review/post.
7. Optional: Do other posts about your classic: character analysis, where else to find the characters, the book’s influence on culture, memes, etc. It can be literally anything involving your classic.
8. Optional: Do a sign up post after I clear your classic. It will help spread the word about the project and you’re able to bounce your ideas off of your readers. They may even give you ideas of books/movies to use for your classic!
For a classic to be useable for this project, it should have at least 2 adaptations, spin-offs, sequels, or retellings.
Alyssa @ Books Take You Places is in charge of Ancient to Renaissance Lit Classics. (Sign up post)

Brittany @ Book Addicts Guide is in charge of Mythology. (Sign up post)

Charlene @ Bookish Whimsy is in charge of 19th Century & Gothic Classics(Sign up post).

Alison @ The Cheap Reader is in charge of Children's Classics. (Sign up post)

Wendy @ Excellent Library is in charge of American & Misc. Classics. (Sign up post)

Rachel over at The Annex talks about how we should blog for ourselves and not to make other people happy.

"IRL I tend to be a really judge-y person. I kind of live in a world of black and white, right and wrong. But for some reason, when it comes to books and all things book-related, all that goes out the window. I appreciate people who are different. I appreciate reading about their differing thoughts about books, their different styles for their reviews, their different ways of running their blogs.

And I kind of believe that being a book blogger has made me a better person." -Rachel

What's Next is hosted by Icey Books really comes in handy when you have a bunch of books and aren't sure which to start next.

Icey Books needs help picking between:

*The Wicked and the Just

*Shadow and Bone

*Life After Theft

Go vote for which book you think she should read, help others find their next book, and join in the fun!

10:29 AM
2 Comments

Number of Pgs.: 532

Publication date: February 19, 2013

Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Genre: YA, Contemporary

How I got the copy: library

Rating: 2.5-3 stars

From Goodreads:

On April 21, 2008, Steven "Crash" Crashinsky saved more than a thousand people when he stopped his classmate David Burnett from taking their high school hostage armed with assault weapons and high-powered explosives. You likely already know what came after for Crash: the nationwide notoriety, the college recruitment, and, of course, the book deal. What you might not know is what came before: a story of two teens whose lives have been inextricably linked since grade school, who were destined, some say, to meet that day in the teachers' lounge of Meadows High. And what you definitely don't know are the words that Burn whispered to Crash right as the siege was ending, a secret that Crash has never revealed.

Until now.

Michael Hassan's shattering novel is a tale of first love and first hate, the story of two high school seniors and the morning that changed their lives forever. It's a portrait of the modern American teenage male, in all his brash, disillusioned, oversexed, schizophrenic, drunk, nihilistic, hopeful, ADHD-diagnosed glory. And it's a powerful meditation on how normal it is to be screwed up, and how screwed up it is to be normal.

Plot: 6/10

Characters: 7/10

Setting: 4/10

Pacing: 2/10

Style: 3/10

Cover: I love this cover. The matches look like the twin towers and go perfect with the title and story. I remember seeing it at #TeaTime and immediately adding it to my goodreads.

22+50=72 (3 Stars)

Imagine The Perks of Being a Wallflower and the movie Remember Me had a baby, but they were smoking crack during the pregnancy...the result is Crash and Burn. While it realistically captured High School and mental illness like Perks, I felt the drug use, sex, and f bombs were a little excessive. We get it Crash, you're a stud. I think the reason I didn't let myself DNF it was because it's told from his POV like a conversation and he is very conceited so it would make sense that he'd try to make himself seem cool every five seconds. But if any of that bothers you, you might want to skip this book.

Crash's verbally abusive relationship with his dad reminded me of the one in Remember Me. I wished I could reach through the pages and bitch slap his dad multiple times. I was kind of frustrated though because their relationship never truly develops. In fact, it felt like none of the characters really developed or changed. Felicia was my favorite character. I pictured Sophia Vergara every time! David reminded me of this kid I went to elementary school that threw desks, kicked the principal, and snapped highlighters. So I understood Crash's fear. Crash has ADHD and he just accepts that he has a hard time learning and struggles through life. I liked that the author showed how hard school can be fore kids with this and how dr.s and teachers just pump them with meds these days.

Each chapter rotates between the past (starting from elementary school: Crash meeting David Burnett) to the present (Crash trying to write the book about the siege). But I think because the author and his character have ADHD his story was very scattered. It was hard for me to focus and keep things straight. I felt like I had ADD to be honest. And it didn't help that the font is extremely small and there are 532 pages. At least there were constant surprises I wasn't expecting that keep me reading. Still, I went into the book thinking it would be all about the siege when really that was only like two chapters worth of the book at the very end. I felt like I was reading forever--like I was running towards a mirage in the desert...never getting any closer to the end.

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