Now that you have chosen your book and have started to read it, please share the reasons why you chose either Stotan! or Chinese Handcuffs. Please give specific reasons as to why your chose the book you did. Also, please include your initial thoughts on the book, as you have started to read it. Are you finding the book enjoyable? Is the reading interesting? Are you making connections?
**A Reminder. Please remember to include your name within your blog, so I can give you a grade. Please respond not only to this blog topic, but also please write a comment or a response to two of your classmates' responses. Only respond to those students who are reading the same book as you are. Happy Blogging!!
I chose to read the book Stotan. I chose to read this book because I am interested in books that deal with sports. Another reason I chose to read this book is before I chose to read either book I read each of their summary's and found that Stotan had a more interesting story line and it appealed to me more than Chinese handcuffs. I have only made it through the first four chapters of Stotan but I have already started to enjoy this story, I found this story very interesting. The book is very descriptive and gives you insight on each of the main characters which helps you connect and better understand each one of them. I am intrigued to read the rest of the story, and find out more about stotan week. I am also excited to see what happens throughout this book.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you because Chinese handcuffs didn't draw me in like Stotan did. I have also made it threw the first 4 chapters and I agree that the book has gone into great detail about all 5 characters it has displayed so far.
DeleteI like it so far
DeleteI'm also really intrigued to learn more about Stotan Week, and how the strong relationship between this boy will continue.
DeleteI'm more interested in the relationship between walker and Elaine. their relationship is really interesting and i wanna see how it turns out
DeleteGood, Spencer.
Deletei chose to read this book because just by rading the back and knowing that it deals with suicide. i can connect to this on a personal level about my dad. so far i belive that it is a very well writen book and worded the way that 17-18 year olds want it to be.
ReplyDeleteyou spelt reading wrong
Deleteso what if he did?
DeleteNeeds more detail, Nathan.
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ReplyDeletei think that its writen like that so you know the past events before the future events that relate to it
Deleteyou are right you do like drama.... but anyways i do agree on how you think it is confusing
DeleteGirls do like drama
DeleteI agree with you!!
DeleteGreat review!!
DeleteI have chose the book Chinese Handcuffs. I kinda just flipped a coin and chose this. I like how it is kinda all over the place with where and when they are. this book also reminds me of a gold fish because its dumb.
ReplyDeletei disagree i think this book is good
DeleteI disagree with your goldfish because I think this book is good.
Deletedont be dissing the gold fish there great listeners
DeleteIn my opinion i am a fan of both, gold fish and Chinese Handcuffs
Deleteyou dont even have a goldfish
DeleteI don't think the book is that bad.
DeleteI think the book is very good so far
DeleteI also think the book is very good
DeleteNeeds more, Tristan. Not enough details. I do appreciate your honesty.
DeleteI chose the book Chinese Handcuffs because i thought it was a cool title and it made me wounder what the book was about. As i read the book i can connect to the charecters Presten and Dillon because when i was little i can remember killing a few cats like they did. I am interested in the book and i find it enjoyable. Because the book relates to me and when i was younger.
ReplyDeleteyour a monster
DeleteThat scares me because hearing there story they could grow up to be killers and that would throw off all of my thoughts on the book
DeleteYou lost a member to drugs? im here for u
Delete<3
DeleteInteresting connection.
Deletei chose to read the book Chinese Handcuffs. I chose read this book because after reading the summary of both books i found Chinese handcuffs more appealing because i didn't really want to read a book just about sports. it is a interesting, a little bit confusing, and straight to the point. it is interesting the way the author writes and the type of words he uses. it is confusing the way it goes from journal to real world.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is a bit confusing and straight to the point. I really enjoy this book as well.
DeleteI also totally agree that it is confusing to go from journal to real world.
DeleteI think that the reading to journal parts in the book are confusing to.
Deletesa due
DeleteI also like to read drama books, they're interesting.
DeleteI agree it gets confusing not knowing what is part of journal and what is happening now
DeleteYou will get used to the journal concept.
DeleteI chose to read the book Chinese Handcuffs because I thought it sounded pretty interesting. It sounds like there is drama in the book and I like reading books like that. The first two chapters were pretty good. I like how Dillon writes letters to his dead brother. It shows he cares about him.
ReplyDeleteGlad you are liking the book so far.
Deletei chose it because alot of other people chose it and im better working with friends then people who arent. i also liked the title which drew me in alittle more. the book got off the a good start right away and like it
ReplyDeleteI agree the book started off good also. I like how Dillon writes letters to his brother.
Deleteim glad you like it!!!!
DeleteYou need to include more specific details.
DeleteThis book is compelling, and grabs me right by the arm and pulls me into the story!! it is also sad how he lost a brother to drugs, and couldnt save him from the bad world of drugs.
ReplyDeletei agree i was sad when the brother died
Deleteit is very sad how he lost him :*(
DeleteNot enough for 20 points. Needs more details as to why?
DeleteI chose this book because the title, it really pulled me in!
ReplyDeleteit trapped me
Deleteit just grabs you by the finger
Deletehand crufted me
DeleteWhy? A weak posting. You need to give specific reasons if you want full credit.
Deletedoes anybody else think that wanting to kill the cat could have foreshadowed that Preston had psychological problums
ReplyDeletei agree with that. i think it showed some serious foreshadowing.
DeleteYes and for that Preston has lost all respect for me you kill a cat and a a part of me dies with it.
Deletethat does make the part of the brother killing himself easier to understand and the other things because of the guilt he could have felts.
DeleteI chose Chinese Handcuffs as my book. I chose this because Stoten just seemed like a cliche sports book, like another Tim Green or Mike Lupica book. I decided against reading that and chose Chinese handcuffs because it seemed like it had another element to it rather than just a life lesson that you have to analyze the book to find.
ReplyDeleteGreat Review!!!
DeleteI agree, Chinese Handcuffs seems like it will have a deeper message than Stotan!
DeleteI also agree. There is more meaning in Chinese Handcuffs.
DeleteVery true, and I do not think that Stotan! will get as deep as this one.
DeleteTrue dat, I love that you used cliché to describe Stotan, even though it probably is a great book. Bro, I understand why you chose Chinese Handcuffs instead.
DeleteI agree with that about Stotan because of the review. I think there's more meaning in Chinese Handcuffs.
DeleteGood analysis.
DeleteI chose Chinease Handcuffs because I didn't really find Stotan interesting when I read the bio for Stotan. I really like how the book Chinease handcuffs started off and It helped to get a good detail about what the rest of the book will be about. It started off with Dillion writing to Preston his dead broher who killed himself after taking drugs and losing a leg in a car accident. I'm excited to see what comes next :-)
ReplyDeletesame <3
DeleteSame...just same...I also enjoyed how the book started out. It took me a little bit to realize what was going on, but that's just because I'm not the brightest crayon in the box...but nonetheless, same.
DeleteSame Prutha! It shows a deep meaning on a teenage life. Kenz you're not the only one who is not the brightest crayon in the box, it took me a bit.
DeleteGood! Glad you like the book.
DeleteI chose the book Chinese Handcuffs, I don't know why but I'm kind of starting to like this book. Reasons why I am likening this book is because there is some violence, and creepy stuff included. Examples of the violence is the killing of the cat. Creepy and weird part is Jenifer's dad tuches her in places her mom call privet places. I am starting to read more and more of this book it is very unlike me to read this much.
ReplyDeleteliking not likening
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DeleteFirst off Mathew Demmer, it is *liking, *private, *calls and *touches.
DeleteSecond off I do not like the fact they kill the innocent cat. A cat to claw at a dog is just an instinct. I thought that beating the cat to death was a very immature for the characters to do. Although they were young kids at the time, they still should have known better. They found that it was wrong to do that after the guilt set in. It is kind of like how you will learn to spell from the mistakes you made above.
That's the whole plot to the story, An abusive parent. It's not creepy compared to some of the stuff you do. Can't wait to read together!!!!
DeleteKeep reading Matt!
DeleteI chose the book Chinese Handcuffs because it looked more interesting than the book Stotan. In the beginning of this book it talks about Dillon and his dead brother Preston killed this cat. I am excited to read more and see what will happen next.
ReplyDeleteMe too!! Can't wait to read together!!!
Deleteyour excited to read about a dead cat? what kind of freaky stuff you into?
DeleteTruuuuuuuuueeee^^^^
DeleteWhy did it look more interesting? Needs more.
DeleteI chose to read Chinese Handcuffs because the review sounded more interesting than Stotan. I feel I can get into this book more than the other. The book is very interesting because I get into the basketball scenes and has had a rough past and It's easier to relate to. I enjoyed this so far. I just am not understanding some words.
ReplyDeleteThe first basketball scene was pretty exciting.
Deletei agree with the basketball scene being exciting. I can also relate to jen a bit because she plays basketball too.
DeleteEnjoy reading, Ryan!
DeleteThe basketball part was the best part for me too because it made you think that it was your favorite team playing so I couldn't stop reading it
DeleteI chose chinese handcuffs because i i thought the reviews seemed more interesting than stotan. Im glad i chose chinese handcuffs, it has turned out to be even more interesting than i first expexted, im enjoying it, the two main charactors Jen and Dillon havr very deep and relatable backgrounds which i was able to connect to.
ReplyDeleteKeep reading, Andrew!
DeleteI chose Stotan because when I read the overview of it, it caught my eyes by the bond the 4 main characters have had since middle school swimming. The title also caught my eye because the word really popped out to me and the fact it had an exclamation point at the end. And because the book is about sports made me want to read it even more.
ReplyDeleteSame minus the sports
DeleteI agree with you Greg, the title and the cover of the book pulled me in right away. And the fact that this book had something to do with sports makes it even better.
DeleteI also agree. This book also got my attention because of the bond that the 4 main characters have had together for so long. I can't wait to read more of it.
DeleteGood analysis.
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ReplyDeleteI chose chinese handcuffs because of the reviews seemed they would pull me emotionally more than Stotan!. At first it was a little confusing but later on it got more emotional. I like the very deep relationships and the troubles that occur. I relate to the pain.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain Rusty hang in there bud!
DeleteRusty, I thought it was confusing at first too. I was not really sure who he was writing too but later caught on. I also agree to the high emotion in this book. That is what makes this book so interesting though. You have my condolences Rusty, you've got this.
DeleteHow do you relate to the pain, Rusty?
DeleteI chose to read Chinese Handcuffs because the cover of Stotan didn't look very interesting...I also thought that I might enjoy the book.
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way about wanting to read Chinese handcuffs over stotan.
DeleteI didn't really think Stotan was the book for me considering I'm not a sports person.
DeleteWhy did you think you might enjoy the book? Be more specific please.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI chose to read the book Chinese Handcuffs. I picked this book because I thought it would be an interesting read and I found in more appealing than Stotan. I think by adding in the letters that Dillon writes to his brother, Preston, after his passing is a unique way to get a readers attention. I'm glad I chose this book. I can't wait to read more.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the book!
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ReplyDeleteI agree with you, the plot of the book is very easy to connect to.
DeleteI think plot is very close to what we talk about today as teenagers. like drama and who is dating who.
DeleteI chose to read Stotan because while reading the overview i felt it had a sense of humor
ReplyDeleteI agree the overview really stood out to me. especially the strong bond and the emotional response the reviewer had to this book.
DeleteI also thought stotan had a good sense of humor in the overview and had a little more energy to it than Chinese handcuffs did. I'm excited to see what happens next and how the story will be throughout
DeleteYes the overview did have an awesome sense of humor. I can't wait to find out more about swimming that pulled this friend group together.
DeleteWhy did you find the overview humorous?
DeleteI chose Chinese handcuffs because,when I was reading the reviews of the books I thought that Chinese hand cuffs would be as more interesting book than stotan. I felt that I would get more into the book and that would make me want to read the book. the beginning is already interesting and I can wait to see what happens through out the book.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the book.
DeleteChinese Handcuffs looked like a enjoyable read. The story line also pulled me in because this book I feel had more of a knowledge with compared to sports. I think this book is enjoyable because it starts out in a letter to his brother that took his own life. It reveals who the characters are right away, and i like that. Also I like how he shares memories and stories of his brother that is now diseased to give us an idea of what his personality and physical characteristics were. I overall like the book and will enjoy reading.
ReplyDeleteGood analysis.
DeleteI chose Chinese Handcuffs, because i read that Stotan ended on a cliffhanger. When books end like that the adrenaline makes me want to jump out a window. Chinese Handcuffs is a great book so far, but i prefer not to hear about the sad death of a cat. The basketball game was bomb though.
ReplyDeleteI loved the basketball part! It just makes you want to get into it more!
DeleteThe cliffhanger in Stotan is more like a "you know how it ends; I'm not going to write it".
DeleteStotan, is a very deep book with a lot of meaning. From the beginning every friend is introduced, and all of them deal with serious family problems. I love the fact that this group of friends are really close to each other, and they consider this their true family. I'm enjoying this book, it demonstrates that nothing is perfect, but at the same time they don't let themselves down.
ReplyDeleteNice connection.
DeleteI chose Stotan because playing sports and being competitive is something I can relate to and I like reading about overcoming hardships.
ReplyDeletesame reason as to why I chose this book
DeleteNeeds more for 20 points.
DeleteStotan so far has done a great job keeping my attention. Which is also the main reason I choose the title in the first place. After reading the summary and a few reviews. The book came a across as smooth and simple to read while still providing a hook to keep your attention and make you ask questions. And that is exactly what I have gotten out of it so far. I am also enjoying the amount of dark humor found in the book as i'm reading
ReplyDeleteIt does have some dark humor.
DeleteI chose Stotan because the book really caught my eye. i am not really into sports but recently i have been on the fence about watching a swimming sport anime called "Free!". i don't know if Free! is the same as Stotan but because its a swimming sport I'm pretty sure it is. I know next to nothing to sports but Stotan has really caught my eye. I like the characters interactions in it to, the way they immediately go into telling about the characters is also really good
ReplyDeleteGood connections.
DeleteI chose to read the book Chinese Handcuffs because it sounded like a good teenage book with drama and I like drama. So far I think this book is really good but It is very intense at first. It comes right out and talks about Dillon's brothers death which kind of hit me. I am very excited to read more of this book and find out what will happen next. I don't really like how the book goes from letters to his brother then back to real life. I don't like it because it is hard to understand for me, especially when it goes like back to when they were kids.
ReplyDeleteIt does jump around a bit. I struggled with that. But it makes sense later.
DeleteI chose Chinese Handcuffs because of the reviews I read of the book were good.I thought it would be interesting to read about this high school kid who is training for the Ironman Triathlon. I also like how Chinese Handcuffs comes in hardcover and Stotan! did not.
ReplyDeleteA good, honest response!
DeleteThe reason why i chose to read Chinese Handcuffs because it pulled me in more than Stotan! did. Yeah i am competitive, but i felt more of a deep connection with Chinese Handcuffs. It deals with a suicide and how Dillon reacts and deals with his emotions. I think it had more of an interesting plot, and the book cover pulled me in. I am really enjoying this book because it is very easy to understand the situations that take place. The emotions poured into the book are remarkable! I can not wait to see what happens next.
ReplyDeleteNice connection.
Deletei chose to read Chinese handcuffs because i found the title more interesting then stoltan and the summary was able to draw me in with it's secrets.
ReplyDeleteWhat secrets? Why did it draw you in? Need more details.
DeleteThe reason I chose to read Stotan! is because it got my attention a lot more than Chinese Handcuffs. It got my attention because I like books that seem like they are going to have a lot of action and this book seems very action packed. I also love sports so that is another reason I chose this book. Sports take a lot of heart, focus, and intensity to be able to perform well. I am not a competitive swimmer myself but I know it takes a lot of energy, skill, and endurance to be able to compete at a high level. The book also talks about how these swimmers are a group of friends and typically friends can have a lot of drama and drama keeps my attention and focus at a high level. Chinese Handcuffs seems like a great book to read but this one pulled me in just slightly more.
ReplyDeleteWell done!
ReplyDeleteI pick Chinese Handcuffs because it reminds me of how different me and my brother are he is more athletic and sometimes better with people and I just sit back and don't care much. When I continue to read the book I see how it can relate to my life and it just makes me want to read more.
ReplyDeleteGood comment. Try to be as specific as possible.
ReplyDelete