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Weave

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    Pets ~ Part Two

    in General Chat

    Posted

    Tammycat as ever, rules this house and was so impatient today with OH because he apparently wasn't getting the woodburner lit fast enough for her to lay by.

     

    That's so cute wiccibat, cats totally rule :)

     

    I love my dog Bella! She is a cavachon, about 7 months old (half bichon frise and the other King Charles Spaniel) and she is loving, fun and her fur is almost sheep like! The only picture I have is my profile picture but she loves posing for the camera and I can say that she is the best dog I have ever had! Cheesy smile! :D

     

    Aw Bella sounds gorgeous Christie :)

    ~Weave's World of Books 2011~

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    Hi Weave, glad you liked Chocolat, I saw the movie for the first time a couple of weeks ago & although I enjoyed it I thought the book was better so I was glad I'd read that first. I 've got quite a few Joanne Harris books on my TBR pile but so far I've only read Chocolat , Blackberry Wine & Lollipop Shoes all of which were good.

     

    Thanks Kidsmum :)

    Unwind by Neal Shusterman

    in Children's / Young Adult

    Posted · Edited by Weave

    Title of Book: Unwind

    Name of Author: Neal Shusterman

    Number of pages: 352

    Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books (4 Aug 2008)

    ISBN-10: 1847382312

    ISBN-13: 978-1847382313

     

    bookcover-62.jpg

     

    Synopsis ~

     

    Connor's parents want to be rid of him because he's a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev's unwinding has been planned since his birth as part of his family's strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together through desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing all the while that their lives are hanging in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthdays, they can't be harmed. But when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away...

     

    'Unwind' is the story of three very different teenagers, Connor, sixteen, who is constantly in trouble at school because of his temper, Risa, fifteen, an orphan who was raised in one of the many state homes all over the USA and Lev, thirteen, who has been raised to believe he must make the ultimate sacrifice. Connor, Risa and Lev have one thing in common, they are about to be unwound.

     

    Following the second Civil War, also known as the Heartland War twenty years ago, a war between the Pro-life and Pro-choice armies, the Bill of Life was created, which states that a human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen, this means that between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, a parent or guardian can 'abort' their child on the condition that the child's life does not 'technically' end, this process is known as 'Unwinding', the child will not die, parts of he/she will harvested for transplants, which has become normal within society, every part of your body can be replaced at the price of ending another person's life.

     

    Connor is being unwound because of his behaviour, Risa is being unwound because the state home she lives in can no longer afford her and due to the vast amount of abandoned babies who have been 'storked' unsuccessfully ('storked' is when a baby is abandoned at a person's house, under the law, the person must accept the baby, if the baby is ignored they eventually arrive at a state home) there is no place for Risa. Lev has been preparing to be unwound since birth because he is a tithe, he been taught that his unwinding will be a contribution in the greater scheme of things, Lev is happy to be unwound the day after his thirteenth birthday. Connor and Risa take the opportunity to run and Lev is forced to run with them, now the three of them are on the run, all they can hope is that they keep running or hidden until they are eighteen. In a world where all teenagers are at risk of being 'unwound' by their own parents/guardians, who can they trust?

     

    What I thought of 'Unwind' ~

     

    I went through various emotions reading 'Unwind', I could not understand how a bill like the Bill of Life could be passed but given the situation within the society and the 'need' for transplants, it was acceptable to society, I also found it cruel that all the children who are unwinded are put forward for various reasons, behaviour, lack of money and with such a lack of conscience, what would possess a parent/guardian to do such a thing while telling their children that effectively they will still be alive in someone else, and in some ways they are but the person they were is gone with only parts left.

     

    'Unwind' is a strong story with characters who are faced with death before their time, there is so many discussions surrounding the nature of human transplants but with 'Unwind', the majority of children are not given an option or are taught to believe it is the right thing to do, there are so many questions raised within this book but it leads back to the same thought, well for me it did, that no one has the right to decide when someone should die. Each character has their own story and as you read you learn more and about them, and the cruelty of their situation, and how they are lied to by people they trust, none of them deserve their fate.

     

    Neal Shusterman has wrote a story with the subject of an future that could happen, which makes it more frightening, at times, sad and in one particular part, heartbreaking, you will care about Connor, Risa, Lev and the rest of the children about to be unwound.

     

    'Unwind' is an excellent story, its heartfelt, insightful, and definitely gives you something to think about.

     

    An excellent book, highly recommended and I hope to read more books by Neal Shusterman.

     

    Rating ~ 10/10

    ~Weave's World of Books 2011~

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    Hi Paula, Happy New Year to you.

     

    Thanks Shin, Happy New Year to you and yours hen :)

     

    Hi Weave, I agree with Janet those two books are good especially Blackberry Wine I thought it was great! I'm glad you enjoyed Chocolat I know I did. :)

     

    Thanks pip and I am glad to hear you enjoyed 'Chocolat' :)

    Pets ~ Part Two

    in General Chat

    Posted

    Sorry hen, I missed the point :blush: definitely when they are kittens keep them in the one room, we did that with Quinn because she was into everything! and yes indeed a squirt bottle is a good idea, it worked wonders with Quinn during her 'I can eat electric wires' phase! (which she still does occasionally) :rolleyes:

    Huckleberry Finn re-edited to make it "P.C."

    in General Book Discussions

    Posted

    This is not an easy one. The title of an Agatha Christie book was changed to remove the same word; is that any different?

    Also I think there is a line somewhere. If you look at the German propaganda about the Jews in the 1930s; could this be published as stand alone "literature"? I know this is not literature in the same way Huck Finn is; but ... who makes that decision?

    On the whole I would not be in favour of changing it. Interestingly my wife would be (she is black). She came to this country in 1976 and says that before then she never realised that the n word referred to her; until it was used against her on the streets of this country. To her it is a more personal issue.

     

    Which is very understandable, what a horrible thing to happen to your wife, I am so sorry :hug:

    Pets ~ Part Two

    in General Chat

    Posted

    Hi Kylie, how are you? :) I am so excited for you, cats are the best pets :) I got Dylan from a pet store, something that I would not advocate because I don't think cats or dogs should be sold from pet stores but that's just me, so please excuse my soap~boxing, I took Dylan because he was the only one left and because the owner of the shop told me that 'the white one was giving him nothing but trouble' :lol: I grew up with cats, and if a cat knows its safe, the trust builds quickly, with Dylan it took ages and he attached himself to me more than my husband at the time. We got Quinn from a neighbour of my Mum's, Quinn was just happy she was getting attention :lol: and love :), anyway I am waffling on, don't go by anything I say hen because when you have the cat, it all changes.

     

    Dylan had to be trained to go to the litter box, every so often, I would carry him and put in the litter box, so he knew the location, Quinn didn't because like Jamie, her Mum had taken her to the litter box.

     

    I wouldn't leave a cat in the one room for one day because you would have to move the litter box, therefore confusing them, as long as they have plenty of toys, access to a window, plenty of food, they are happy, are you planning to let your cat out or will he/she been a house cat?

     

    Getting a cat from RSPCA is a good idea (they need more people like you) there is a lot of cats out there in need of homes, if we ever get another cat, we will go to the RSPCA or the Cats Protection League (I think that is their name). I am sorry for waffling on Kylie and I hope some of this was helpful, my best advice is, remember your are the cat's pet not the other way around :lol:

     

    ^awww, the cutest. What is it with cats and tv? jamie too, watches telly, yesterday there was this show on some documentary channel mom watches, called "cats of claw hill" and you should have seen him, he recognized the cats and birdies, even when they didn't make any sound. Dogs just don't do that, ours never showed any interest in telly.

     

    More Jamie pic spam.

     

    Buy a new roll of carpet, see what he does? He crawls in there, with his toy.

    jamievloerbedekking.jpg

     

    Him on his radiator cat bed. Snooze much?

    jamiebedje.jpg

     

    Jamie vs. my unmade bed. No, I did not put him there, he crawled in there alll by himself. Can he BE more lazy?

    jamiebed050111.jpg

     

    Oh Jamie is adorable Univerze, I love the one of him on the bed, they just plant themselves anywhere, Quinn does it all the time especially after I have just made the bed and gives me a look that says 'I dare you to move me' (but I never do) :)

    Pets ~ Part Two

    in General Chat

    Posted · Edited by Weave

    I know I am such a cat Mum! :giggle: :giggle: Quinn watching a pre Studio Ghibli movie (Lupin III~The Castle of Cagliostro), she's tuned into the car chase scene ~ :)

     

    QuinnwatchingStudioGhibli-1.jpg

    'This is much better than Gothika' :lol:

    Huckleberry Finn re-edited to make it "P.C."

    in General Book Discussions

    Posted

    I think this is another example of political correctness going mad, I don't like a lot of the words in the story but they have their place in the story, 'Huckleberry Finn' is a classic and loved by many people and I don't think its fair to change the story, you have to ask yourself, where does it stop? how many more books can this happen to?

     

    Thanks for the links Ceinwenn :) very interesting indeed :)

    ~Weave's World of Books 2011~

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted · Edited by Weave

    Hi Paula! When I saw the subtitle of your new reading blog, I thought to myself: "'Good books and bad books, they are all here', but no bad reviews in sight!" :lol: I can't wait to see which books you'll be reading this year, you have this incredible talent to find all the literary gems. :smile2:

     

     

     

     

     

     

    I'm no Janet but I have to say I agree with her, Gentleman and Players was really excellent. A good thriller, a boarding school (or was it a private school? can't recall) as a set which I always find intriguing, and likable characters. If you ever decide to read it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did :)

     

    I will add 'Gentleman and Players' to my wishlist, thanks Janet and Frankie :friends3: I am going to try to be more tough with my book reviews this year, I have read books that I don't like but I don't have the heart to moan about them (sad I know :giggle: ) Thanks for your lovely compliment Frankie :friends3:

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