Though we decided yesterday we still managed to be late a day in posting. For shame. That being said, let's get on with the show. I admit that I thought this was a done deal....Bomb was just that good and this was a bracket in my house - the home of the Mighty, where all opinions are my opinions. What can I say- too much House of Cards, damn you Netflix!
As we sat at our pd session, I called role: Donna in absentia voted Blood and Shadow (What, she teaches Social grrrr), Tristin Blood and Shadow, Arlene (say it isn't so) Blood and Shadow. Briefly Jeff Probst stopped by to remind me 3 votes Blood and Shadow. Come on Holly...Bomb, Dia Bomb Annabel...couldn't vote didn't finish. Andrew....Bomb. All tied up and waiting on the TD Baker two who boldly voted for Bomb. Phew.
Reasons you ask. Tristin liked the junior DaVinci Code plot but the rest just felt meh about Bomb and that was the cruelest cut of all. Those of us that loved Bomb felt that this book did an excellent job of making history accessible and exciting for the reader. We hope it goes on, as it has in other similar contests, to dominate; but what do I know...booktator no more.
I would like to add that although I did vote for Bomb, and yes I am a social teacher who tends to drift towards historical works by default, I was not as attracted to this book as others in my bracket. I did enjoy the first few chapters of Bomb, where the story is outlined and the characters introduced. However, as the book continues I felt that some points of history were glossed over too quickly, while others were examined in far too much detail. I found that the motives for some peoples actions were not fully presented to the reader and as such it was hard to accept why certain decisions were made.
ReplyDeleteI know that there is a growing section of readers - mostly boys - that are seeking out nonfiction as their reading preference. I hope that Bomb might be a gateway book back into the world of fiction.
For my part, I was fascinated by Bomb (and somewhat surprised to be so, because yes, I judged the book by it's cover... and genre... and subject matter). It's not the best book I've read in this year's Smackdown, and I wonder how many students would pick it up for themselves, but even with those issues, I just found it head and shoulders (and torso) better than The Book of Blood and Shadow.
ReplyDeleteThe premise of Blood and Shadow was great and intriguing and all, but the book probably would have been a lot better if the author had cut it down by a hundred pages or so. Honestly, by halfway through I didn't even really care whether or not Nora figured it all out. I did a lot more eye rolling than eager page turning.