Welcome to Litsy!

Happy April, #WithTheBanned readers! Our book this month will hopefully be a change of pace. I‘ll post some discussion questions the last week of the month

I was told by my coworker today that I had to watch this movie. My other coworker then got involved and said I had to read the book! I know this story is loved for many reasons, but I know next to nothing about it. I'm gonna watch the movie tonight.... sorry! I promise I'll read the book soon. 😄

Anyone else watch/read this story? Thoughts?

I related to this one so much. I‘ve felt the same way Charle‘s. Lost in your own head and trying to understand the world The book shows the importance of having people around to help ground us to this world. Also the importance of reaching out when we do need help

Absolutely loves this book and can‘t recommend it enough!

Hello old friend! This book was and still is infinite!

Dear friend,

As I start a new school year, this book reminds me of the infinite scenarios and situations students have experienced, both celebratory and devastating. And I think how many of them are going to make it regardless, just like Charlie. And that‘s inspiring.

“So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I‘m still trying to figure out how that could be.”

I bought this back when the movie was about to come out (I have a compulsion to 'read the book' before seeing the movie), but I never watched the movie or read the novel until now. I don't know what made me finally pick it up and read it, but I'm glad I finally did. I don't feel I can say much without giving spoilers, so instead, I'll just say that Perks was really well written, thought-provoking, and insightful.

I know this is a beloved book and, frankly, I‘m perplexed. I found the depiction of the main character to be wildly inconsistent and far younger than his stated age. Also, everything a teen might struggle with was depicted, but not in any detail, almost like a checklist. I do think the afterword/thinly veiled author‘s note is really worthwhile, which saves this from being a pan. #unpopularopinion

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 5

Just couldn‘t get in to this one

I stopped reviewing books bc during thanksgiving break I read 6 books in 3 days to catch up to my goodreads goal and I wasn‘t sure if I wanted to review those books. I do. This book is basically a classic. A realistic and honest look into mental health struggles and the overall introspection of being an adolescent. Love this book, would use it as a future English teacher too

My most favourite part of the book was when Charlie called the exercise machine hotline just to tell the lady on the phone to have a good night.

My least favourite part of the book was when Charlie was seeing Mary Elizabeth. She was too much for him, there was no balance at all in the courtship.

What I will remember most about this book was whenever Charlie resorted to his books when he felt like not doing anything else. I would do the same too.

#two4tuesday

1. My oldest, who attends community college, started classes yesterday. My 9th grader starts school on the 28th. 📓✏️
2. Loved the tagged book! 📚

If you want to play, consider yourself tagged! 😊

~23 July 2023~

“We accept the love we think we deserve.”

#2023reads #currentread

IMAGE: A hand holding the book showing the cover page

Oh, man, I love this book. I think this is my 3rd or 4th reading…. But it had been 6 years? So it took a bit for some me parts to come back to me. But I will always love Charlie, this year in his life, and his friendship with Sam and Patrick.

A coming of age story. Charlie has been discharged from a mental healthcare hospital. He has suffered from depression since childhood. As he begins high school, he is uneasy. Two seniors, Sam and her stepbrother,Patrick, like Charlie and bring him into their group. Charlie details his freshman year through letters to an unnamed friend. Realistic high school experiences. Touching and bittersweet. #bannedbook

Latest Banned Book Club choice. I never saw the movie. #bannedbook

It was such a lovely book and super relatable. Loved the writing style and that it seemed like you were his friend it made me feel really attached to it.

Es realmente uno de los mejores libros para adolescentes que leí.
Este libro trata del amor, de la amistad y las adicciones, la familia, la felicidad.
Stephen es capaz de hablar de drogas, adicciones y sexo con tanta naturalidad que te sorprende y después hablar de abusos, muerte, depresión y traumas tocándolo de maneras que te ponen genuinamente triste y te parten el alma.
Recomiendo mucho este libro para adolescentes de 15 años para arriba.

A solid February! My overall favorite was my #reread of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. A recent book challenge in our county brought on the revisit.

#FebruaryReads #FebruaryWrapUp #RightToRead

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Loved this 10 years ago; still 5 stars now. Thank you, book challengers, for igniting this #reread. This epistolary representation of high school is undoubtedly one of the best YA stories I‘ve ever read. Charlie is coping with the tragic death of a friend, yet he finds beauty in new experiences and friendships. An important story that lets teens know they‘re not alone during these stressful, formative times.

#RightToRead

This lovely book is currently being challenged in our Tennessee county. It‘s been 10 years since I first read it, but gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ back then, so I‘m relishing this #reread. We‘re at indoor soccer training and I quite like being seen in public reading this right now. This book banning bullshit is relentless, but we‘ll keep fighting. #RightToRead

PS. Boo for movie tie-in covers. 🫣

This was a cute book. I was a bit confused at times, but the message of the story was great.

reading this in one setting is the way to go fr

2001 Me was unimpressed with this much-lauded YA novel. I found Charlie, with his naïveté and his stilted prose style, unconvincing as a supposedly gifted English student, and that coloured my whole take.

It was still an issue for 2022 Me, but this time I did get caught up in its portrait of intense teenage friendship and self-discovery. It‘s an often beautiful book, even if Charlie does read much younger than 15-16, and I‘m glad I revisited it.

#ManicMonday - The Tuesday edition 😉
@cbee
📕Tagged
✍🏻 Ann Patchett 💗
🍿 Princess Bride
🎤 Prince 💜
🎵 Pepas https://open.spotify.com/track/5fwSHlTEWpluwOM0Sxnh5k?si=

#LittensWantToKnow

Yes!
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - close to 10x
The Count of Monte Cristo - 2x
Pride and Prejudice - 2 or 3x

Missed this #littenswanttoknow question yesterday, so I‘m catching up. There are many quotes from books that I love so it‘s hard to pick a fave, but this book and this quote are at the top of the list!

This was one of my favorite books in high school. I think it came out my junior or senior year and a bunch of my friends read it. It really reminded us of us. I‘m heading back to my HS for my 20 year reunion next month and listened to the audio as a refresh of the infinite feeling of youth. I enjoyed the narrator, he felt like the voice Charlie should have. The 20 year follow up letter from the main character was heartwarming.

I was not the target age for this when it was released, but it was a fave of former students. I found it to be an innovative and goodhearted book.

This was heavy but great. It makes me a bit sad that I didn't read it years ago. #20in4

I plan to keep track of hours read. If I make it to 20 hours, great, but a more realistic for me would be 12 hours. #20in4 @Andrew65

I met 3 of the 6 #JoysOfJune goals. I am happy though. Life got in the way but all were good reasons. My best friend came to town. My teenager actually wanted to have conversations with me. So I am considering this readathon a success. @Andrew65

#bookmoods #aboutaddiction @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs
I‘ve not watched the movie but the book was an awesome read!

“I am very interested and fascinated how everyone loves each other, but no one really likes each other.”

“Sometimes, I read a book, and I think I am the people in the book.”

“I want to sleep for a thousand years. Or just not exist. Or just not be aware that I do exist. Or something like that. I think wanting that is very morbid, but I want it when I get like this. That‘s why I‘m trying not to think. I just want it all to stop spinning.”

Everyone in the world needs to read this book and the quotes in it.

“I think that if I ever have kids, and they are upset, I won't tell them that people are starving in China or anything like that because it wouldn't change the fact that they were upset. And even if somebody else has it much worse, that doesn't really change the fact that you have what you have.”

“I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be.”

“I would die for you. But I won't live for you.”

“So, I guess we are who we are for alot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.”

“Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn't stop for anyone.”

“We accept the love we think we deserve.”

I read this book early in the year, before I started Litsy, and it was too impactful on my life to not write a review here. It‘s a heartbreaking coming-of-age story with a main character I relate to so much that it physically hurt at times. It lacks the usual cringe found in novels like these and instead has a dreadful and tragic but realistic plot and ending.

Book 25

I listened to The Perks of Being a Wallflower, a book I should have read by now. It's a coming of age story about a high school boy who struggles with depression. Similar to the movie made after it, the book reads like an iconic 80s film. 3.5 stars