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2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge
Showing posts with label Brittney Morris. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brittney Morris. Show all posts
Monday, December 30, 2019
Thought-Provoking SLAY an Intriguing, But Conflicting Tale
2:30 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
As one of only a few Black students at her Seattle charter school, 17-year-old Kiera Johnson is used to being the "authority" on things like rap music, dreadlocks, gangstas, and slavery—even if she doesn't know a thing about the subject. Unbeknownst to her classmates, or anyone really, Kiera actually is an expert on a popular Blacks-only virtual reality video game called SLAY. In fact, she's the one who created it. Longing for a protected space where she and other people like her could go to "celebrate Black excellence in all its forms," (31) she's spent the last three years designing and moderating the game. In secret. Her parents would be outraged that she's a gamer at all, let alone the maker of a controversial game. And her Black boyfriend? He'd lose it if he had any idea she used up so many hours on a time-waster like video games.
When a real-life murder occurs between two SLAY players fighting over game currency, Kiera is appalled. She's even more disturbed when her beloved creation is labeled racist and violence-inducing. As much as she longs to stand up for her game, Kiera can't risk exposing her identity. But, when push comes to shove, she's forced to take action. Will those actions unmask her as the creator of SLAY? What will happen if it does? Can Kiera defend and save her game or will her safe haven be shut down forever?
SLAY, a debut novel by Brittney Morris, asks some intriguing questions about online gaming, racism, Blackness, fitting in, and standing out. As a white woman raising an adopted bi-racial child, I found the book's exploration of Blackness particularly eye-opening and insightful. I'm not a video game fan, so that part of the novel struck me as as dull and headache-inducing as watching someone play a game. Not gonna lie, I was tempted to skip all the in-game sections. I didn't, but those scenes just didn't engage me at all. Kiera was likable (in spite of her constant self-centeredness) as were her friends (other than racist, manipulative Malcolm). The plot was compelling enough to keep me turning pages, but it contained a lot of illogical actions and weird dichotomies that drove me crazy. For instance: The recurring theme of being one's authentic self is an important one, but I couldn't understand how that works in a video game where everyone is hiding behind a false name, appearance, and a lot of times, personality. That makes no sense at all. I was also confused about why Kiera's addiction to gaming had to be a big secret. My kids brag about being gamers! I especially didn't get why it had to be kept from Kiera's parents—if they're "cool" with their underage daughter having sex with her (racist, manipulative) underage boyfriend in their house and they're not at all worried that their daughter spends endless hours cooped up in her room, are they really going to care that she's a gamer? Again, totally illogical. I could go on, but I won't. Suffice it to say, I had some big issues with the plausibility of SLAY's whole setup, which took away from my enjoyment of the book. Overall, I liked it enough to finish, but the novel
irritated me for a lot of reasons. People's opinions seem to really vary on this one—it would make for a lively book club discussion!
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. You?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (a handful of F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, innuendo, and references to sex
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Top Ten Tuesday: FALLing for New Books
2:05 PM
A lot of fun Top Ten Tuesday topics come up during any given year, but my hands-down favorites are the seasonal reading prompts. It's always fun to think about what I want to read in the upcoming months and it's even more enjoyable to see what books other bloggers are excited about. The more the merrier, guys, so why don't you join in the fun? All you have to do is click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl, read a few guidelines, make your own list, and then sit back and enjoy wandering around the book blogosphere checking out other people's posts. Warning: keep Goodreads open because you'll be adding a lot of great-sounding reads to your "I Need to Read it NOW" list.
I'm thrilled to have been selected as a YA fiction judge for the first round of The Cybils Awards. I've never done this before, so I'm not exactly sure what it entails besides reading a lot of teen novels! I assume that's what I'll be doing for most of the Fall, but since nominations don't open until November 1st, I don't have any specific titles to share. In the meantime, then, here are the Top Ten Books on My Fall TBR List:
YA/Middle Grade
1. The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys (coming October 1, 2019)—I love Sepetys' historical fiction, so I've been eagerly waiting for this one to come out. It's a love story set in Madrid after the country's Civil War. I can't wait!
2. Slay by Brittney Morris (out today, September 24, 2019)—When a conflict inside the Black Panther-inspired video game she secretly designed causes the death of a player, 17-year-old Kiera Johnson is thrust into a real-life battle that threatens the safe world she thought she had created for herself and other Black gamers. Billed as Ready Player One meets The Hate U Give, this YA novel sounds intriguing and timely.
3. The World Ends in April by Stacy McAnulty (out now)—As the granddaughter of a doomsday prepper, Eleanor knows she will survive the apocalypse just fine. But what about her BFF, Mack? Before she knows what's happening, Eleanor has become the president of an End of the World club at her school. No matter what happens with the approaching apocalypse, her life is definitely changing. This MG offering sounds fun. Count me in, for sure!
4. Color Me In by Natasha Diaz (out now)—I've always been intrigued by stories about struggles with racial identity, even before my husband and I adopted our bi-racial daughter ten years ago. Now I'm especially drawn to them and this YA novel, about a bi-racial teen finding her way around her Black and Jewish roots, sounds exceptional.
5. The Grey Sisters by Jo Treggiari (out today, September 24, 2019)—A trio of friends head to the mountains to visit the site of the plane crash that took their siblings' lives in order to find closure. While they search for answers, they meet a mountain dweller searching for help. Their meeting will change all of their lives. I love a good survival tale; The Grey Sisters sounds like that and more.
Adult
6. The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes (out October 8, 2019)—This historical novel, about an Englishwoman living in small-town Kentucky during the Depression who decides to become a book deliverer for Eleanor Roosevelt's traveling library campaign, sounds compelling.
7. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (out today, September 24, 2019)—This sweeping rags-to-riches family drama sounds like one I will really enjoy.
Of course, I can't make a TTT list without including a few mystery/thrillers:
8. The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell (out November 5, 2019)—On the day she turns 25, Libby Jones finds out not just who her biological parents are, but also that she has inherited their posh home in London. She soon discovers that the house has a dark, haunting history ... I love a ghostly story, especially around Halloween time. This one sounds like it will fit the bill perfectly!
9. One Night Gone by Tara Laskowski (out October 1, 2019)—When a woman is offered a house-sitting gig at a luxurious beach home, she jumps at the chance. The more she learns about a 30-year-old mystery connected to the home, the more intrigued she becomes ... Another creepy house story - yaaassss! I want them all!
10. Before the Devil Fell by Neil Olson (out October 8, 2019)—This is another novel that sounds like a great spine-tingling Halloween read. It concerns a man who returns to the hometown he fled in the wake of disturbing rumors about his mother and her "coven." His assumption that his mother's interest in witchcraft was just a passing hippie phase is dissolved as he finds disturbing clues in his family history that hint at a much lengthier association with New England witchcraft.
There you have it, ten books I'm looking forward to reading this Fall. How about you? What's on your list? I'd truly love to know. Leave a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on yours.
Happy TTT!
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