The Forbidden Book Club: Looking for Alaska - Day 1 Discussion

January's Book: Looking for Alaska by John Green

January's Host:  Once Upon a Twilight (that's us)

January's Posts: Click Here

Hey everyone!!! So glad to be hosting this month's book club pick. We are reading Looking for Alaska by John Green. So let the discussing begin!

This discussion concentrates up until the we reach the part that says "One Hundred Twenty-Six Days Before."  I am reading a hardcover and that part is on pg. 29. So before I get deep into the book, I just want to say I had never heard of this book before until now. So this means I enter it with a clean slate. Our last book we knew tons about it before we even began reading it. So I'm excited to discuss a book that is new to me in all its essence.

Summary: It rare that a book in the first 20-30 pages will give enough content that you are stoked for it. That being said Looking for Alaska starts off introducing the BEFORE gray page at the beginning. This has me curious already, because its before what?? What are we now counting down too. I have no clue, is it the destruction of the character or is the world ending? I guess as we continue to read we will begin to get a clue maybe?

We meet Miles Halter, who later a few pages in will become "Pudge" (<~~~ Not a fan of that name BTW). Miles is your less than ordinary student in high school about to begin his junior year. Miles has decided he wants to go to boarding school in Alabama away from his public school life in Florida. How do I feel bout Miles already, well I think he is a bit depressed and running from something? maybe. The fact that his parents threw him a going away party and no body really showed up, this just makes me think, that Miles might be a bit emo? I remember high school ad yes their are clicks you belong too. You have jocks, nerds, drama and rockers. Those were some of the groups in my school long time ago (I'm not saying how long ago, lol). Even though if you belong to the lowest of the low in terms of popularity. You have friends within your groups. So the nerd can have friends, so the fact that Miles had none, it makes me wonder what is really up with him. Even though he says its because of what he read in a book that he is leaving, I want to peel away more layers because something else feels like the motive.

Speaking of books, miles tells his dad he is choosing to leave to boarding school because of a line he read in a famous book. Miles only reads biographies and loves to memorizes the final words of that author or famous person. Creepy? I think just a tad. So Miles reads to his family that line from the book "I go to seek a Great Perhaps." from poet "Francois Rabelais". I do like that line from the poet's biography, but I still stay their is more to Miles leaving that that line.

Finally Miles has made it to the boarding school in Alabama, and its probably as hot or hotter than Florida. OK I'm from Florida and I think Florida had to be hotter than Alabama, just saying! Miles folks help him move in and his dad even brought some biographies for Miles so he could read while in school. They finally leave and Miles is finally all alone. He now has to wait for his roommate to arrive. Which when he does Miles meets him in a towel after coming out of the shower. Cracks me up every time Miles is describing his showers. I don't know what it feels like to be 6 feet tall but its sounds uncomfortable. So we finally meet all 5 feet of stocky Chip Martin aka "Colonel". Why does this paring sound like a really bad idea. You have the short cocky guy and the emo tall guy and together, not sure what kind of mix it will make. So when Miles begins to follow Chip's lead, I'm not surprise. Smoking, I'm not a smoker and so I'm not a fan of it. The fact that kids always end up smoking, doesn't make sense. Why would you like something burning your throat that smells bad and makes your teeth turn yellow then in the long run gives you cancer? anyone? Buehler? OK back to the story so "Colonel" and "Pudge" go and see Alaska. Miles is completely dumb struck with her beauty. Alaska also sounds like their is something hiding inside, waiting to leap out. She sounds fun and wild and she is the one who sells the cigarettes on campus. They seems to get along OK the 3 of them.

Let me tell you I'm was laughing at the whole part of Miles and the "befriedo" experience which is describe as a culinary orgasm. After reading all that was said about the befriedo, tell me you don't want to eat one, i know I did. So from Befriedo we jump to Miles getting kidnapped out of his room in the middle of the night in his boxers by 3 people. Colonel says to go with it and Miles does, he is assuming its some kind of prank for being new. Well that prank escalates into getting tied up with duct tape all over his body like a mummy, then being thrown into the lake. We know that Kevin tells Miles he shouldn't hang with the Colonel and that's why this is happening to him. So OK, I started freaking out at this point going, is this kid going to die, I know nothing of this book to even figure it out. Of course since Miles is the main character, he can't die. Miles is able to somehow float and swim to shore all tied up like he is. OK anyone else sees this a bit impossible? I don't float when I'm in the water. Haven't since I was a little kid. So if this was me in the lake all tied up with duct tape, I would be dead at the bottom. So Miles visits Alaska after the prank and she basically shrugs him off and he gets pissed and goes back to his room and wakes up Colonel in the process. Colonel gets mad when he finds out it was more than the usual prank of just throwing someone in the water in their underwear. He says they will get back at them. Th one rule though that Miles must follow is never, no matter what can you rat someone out. that is the one code everyone at the school lives by.

So that's were we reach the end of the first section we read. I'm super curious about this story, I will try and read the section mentioned each time. Not like I read Forbidden in one sitting. Let me know if I discussed to much or what I should mentioned more or less of. I'm trying hard to follow in the awesome Andye's footsteps.

Next meet up will be on Friday January 20th right back here. I will have the post scheduled and ready since Friday I leave to Dallas for ALA midwinter. We will be reading up until the section "FIFTY-TWO DAYS BEFORE" (Pg. 80 hardcover). Make sure you don't skip ahead and make notes so you remember what to discuss. Remember on twitter we are using the hashtag #ForbiddenBookClub for all things mentions or discussions on twitter. Then on Reading Teen, you can find the post that contains buttons and the sign up for the yahoo email group by clicking HERE.

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