Help! P.E. has been kidnapped! Well, who's the kidnapper? P.E. herself.

I recently read Reality Boy by A.S. King and it wasn't the read I wanted it to be, but there is one theme it explored quite well that is sticking with me, days later in all situations. It's the idea of demanding what you should rightfully have.

This idea makes me quite uncomfortable because I think as a person, I feel guilty a lot. I live somewhere peaceful in a decent family and have friends and will be going to university. I have a great life, and I feel guilty sometimes because I wonder if I'm not living it to the fullest because I really ought to for all the people that want to be in my position but can't.

So demands are not things I'm very comfortable with, but it's something I know I can do. So, let's talk about some of my bookish demands.

1. I demand my right to love what I love.

This is a quite general demand that is true in numerous ways. First of all, there are people that are slightly rude when they find that I'm a reader. It's totally a nerdy thing to do, and you know what? Nerds are great. Nerds are just people that really love something deeply, and I'd rather be a nerd in love with the world than someone that enjoys condemning other people's interests.

Furthermore, there are the people that are snobs about what types of books I read. What I've noticed thus far is that there are ALWAYS people that don't look well upon what you're reading. Some books are too pretentious to read. Some are for boring people. Some are not mature enough.

I really give no shits about what people think about what I'm reading (books make me too happy for that) so this is more aimed towards the people that enjoy just shitting on what you love. Stop that.

2. I demand to read what I want.

Oh, the blogging pressure. No one will outright say that certain books needs to be read (well, we all say it but not seriously!) but absolutely, there is an undercurrent that the best blogs have ARCs of the most hyped up books first. There's pressure to stay on the curve and keep up with your audience: new books.

The fact that I'm writing on a YA blog now doesn't mean I'm not allowed to read books on philosophy or memoirs. I'm allowed to grow as a reader.

This pressure doesn't exist for everyone, and it's probably self made, so I'm going to demand this of myself: I have a right to read whatever the hell I want. I don't need to read a review book because some author seems very sweet and the synopsis might possibly work for me. I don't need to force myself to try ARCs to keep my blog going. I don't even need to stick strictly to YA. I demand that my life is too short to spend doing what I don't want to do, and I will read what I want.

3. I demand that I stop feeling guilty for not liking something.

I am sad whenever I don't like a book. Especially when other people whom I respect immensely like the book. I always wonder, what am I missing? It can make reading a strange experience because I'm wondering if I'm not empathizing enough, or if I expect too much from a certain book.

I've been told my ratings for books are quite harsh because as soon as I remember a book with negative feelings, it gets a 1 star and five stars are quite rate. 2 stars is my average read. Just as I am capable of loving books, I am equally capable of clearly not liking a book, and I shouldn't feel so incredibly guilty at the thought of an author looking at my review. They're grown-ups  (for the most part!) and they can handle it. It's not like I'm shoving my opinion in someone's face, either.

I'm sure there are more demands I'm probably forgetting, but three works for me. Reality Boy made me remember that demands aren't always selfish, and it's important to be kind to oneself.

-P.E.

Author: A.S. King
Date Published: October 22, 2013
Pages: 368
Source: Library Ebook

Gerald Faust knows exactly when he started feeling angry: the day his mother invited a reality television crew into his five-year-old life. Twelve years later, he’s still haunted by his rage-filled youth—which the entire world got to watch from every imaginable angle—and his anger issues have resulted in violent outbursts, zero friends, and clueless adults dumping him in the special education room at school.

Nothing is ever going to change. No one cares that he’s tried to learn to control himself, and the girl he likes has no idea who he really is. Everyone’s just waiting for him to snap…and he’s starting to feel dangerously close to doing just that.

In this fearless portrayal of a boy on the edge, highly acclaimed Printz Honor author A.S. King explores the desperate reality of a former child “star” who finally breaks free of his anger by creating possibilities he never knew he deserved.

My Review

This was a book I didn't hear too much about in the blogging world, but I knew about A.S. King since Lauren Oliver recommended her book in an author event. The majority of the reviews for Reality Boy are sparkling, and I'm sad to say that I don't feel like I really "got" the story.

My biggest comment is that this was not a book that ever interested me. Gerald never resonated with me. His character is traumatized from the time he spent on reality TV on one of those nanny shows, Network Nanny, but also his life with his family. Gerald's family is screwed up and I guess my major issue is that while I saw Gerald as a real character, he wasn't someone I could really relate to. Not even because of the experiences, but I feel like we act differently. I couldn't understand why Gerald did what he did for so much of the novel, and rather than enthrall me, his character confused me over and over again.

So Gerald didn't really work for me. I can't say he's a bad character. He's well fleshed out with interests and hobbies. He has a lot of background and that plays a role in who he has become. His family is awful, and there were points where I was absolutely outraged at them for what they did. He even had a pretty nice narrative style, with some wit here and there and an overall realistic portrayal of teen-speak. I just didn't feel like his story resonated with me, and that could be a complete personal issue and that's okay.

The plotline in Reality Boy was again, not my type. It's so slow and a lot of the story comes through the details rather than specific events. There's a lot of conjecture about the past, and frankly, the recollections of Network Nanny were my favourite parts to read. So much of the story is character development which can sometimes work for me, but in this case didn't. I just felt like the characters didn't endear themselves to me.

The other thing is that the story made me really sad. There's a lot of really horrible issues that are touched upon, and it was just so bad to go read about how some people can feel so trapped by the life they live. A lot of emotions from Reality Boy are meant to be inferred. The entire story is well written (if not over-written) and has a lot of showing. It's pretty easy to see why so many people like Reality Boy because all the technical aspects are there.

I kind of feel sad that it didn't work for me. I think it's because I never really bonded with Gerald. Sure, I felt sad for him, but also incredibly distant because he's so different and I had a hard time understanding his personality. I didn't feel very much through Reality Boy and because I was so disconnected to Gerald, who is really an essential to this story, every other part of the book suffered. The other characters didn't interest me too much although their interactions with Gerald seemed real. The whole story was so awkward with so many events happening just like life and I would recommend taking Reality Boy slow and really thinking about what is being read.

I did think the plot was not interesting. In fact, I was pretty bored by it. I didn't have any epiphanies like Gerald and I find the ending of the story kind of strange because it seems like I never realized at what point everything changed.

Although I wanted to like Reality Boy, the store has done very little for me except force me to reconsider those shows with the nannies I used to watch. I think there's a reason why Reality Boy has so many fans, but because this is my review, it is about my enjoyment. And that is 2 stars, which is neutral/average.

-P.E.

The Weekly Progress is a type of wrap up post that happens every Sunday on The Sirenic Codex looking on the week that was.

Okay, let's say it: I'm bored out of my freakin' mind. It's driving me crazy because there are so many things I want to do, and there are always so many reasons I can't. I can't afford some things, I have NO mode of transportation, and I'm honestly developing some sort of cabin fever thing. My family is becoming too much too- it's like, people are content to stay home all day doing nothing and that drives me insane. I can't just watch tv all the time. I need to move and see and do. That's probably why I made the blog design- I was so incredibly bored with the status quo. So do you guys have any recommendations? Ever feel this way? Also, it's raining all the time, which sucks because I want to go bike riding so badly. It's one of the only things that kind of relaxes me.

Books Read

Control was a pretty good read. Blackout was pretty forgettable. Reviews are upcoming for both. 

Currently Reading

I know this book has been getting some phenomenal reviews, but it just hasn't captured me the way I wanted it to. I can't exactly put a finger on why, except that to some extent the story is really not that interesting for me. It's a bit too real, which a lot of people love, but I like speculative fiction for a reason. 

On the Blog

Mari reviewed a book that touched on the topic of homelessness, which is something we both seem to care a lot about. 

Dove Arising was Mari's WoW.

I did what I always do when I can't think of stuff to write about: make a list. So here's some of my favourite male authors.

Reaction post for our new lovely blog design! I'm glad you guys like it so far.  

Mari tries #FridayReads and writes about the two books she's currently reading: Before You & Let's Get Lost. 

And to finish the week, I reviewed In The After which I liked, but it was slow.

The Week That Was

Nothing happened. Well, that's not true. I went to the library and had a pretty nice day just exploring downtown with my sister. I'm going to try to make an effort to get out of the house more in the upcoming week. I'll force my family to come with me too.

Song of the Week

This song is one that captures my mood a lot. I guess it's because I've been thinking a lot about the world, in particular trying to understand what is happening in Palestine and Israel. It makes me so sad because there is so much senseless death, and I want to be one of those people helping in some way, but I don't know what I can do. I guess I'll start by trying to contact my local Member of Parliament because I kind of hate Canada's policy towards the violence. This song is exactly about what I feel- trying to reach things that I can't see. 

Anyway, hope you guys all had a great week! Here's to next week being better!

-P.E.