#susan beth pfeffer

[annmariemo]

#bookworm #book review #spotify #playlist #book soundtrack’s #february book #book 2 #life as we knew it #susan beth pfeffer #Spotify

[nevinslibrary]

Weird & Wonderful Wednesday

Oof… now I can’t look at the moon in quite the same way. In this novel the moon is knocked closer to the Earth by a meteor, and suddenly, the world is forever changed, coasts cease to exist in their previous places, there are earthquakes upon earthquakes, not to mention the volcanic ash that is blocking out the sun.

It’s the story of Melinda, a sixteen year old, told through journal entries. How she and her family (two brothers and their Mom) try to survive it all in Pennsylvania as the apocalypse seems to slowly inch towards them.

It was an interesting and different take on dystopia and on apocalypse. So often in the dystopian novels it is totally catastrophic right at the beginning and then there’s the ‘aftermath’, but, in this, it’s more like a slow decline.

You may like this book If you Liked: We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach, Tumble & Fal by Alexandra Coutts, or Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

#weirdandwonderfulwednesday #nmlRA #nevins memorial library #life as we knew it #susan beth pfeffer

[rjalker]

I said it before but I'm saying it again:

It is exactly fucking typical for the author, who thinks humans are inherently selfish and violent creatures who never help anyone out of the kindness of their hearts, to go "well, this kid had had people helping him out of the kindness of their hearts, so to show why that's wrong, because you should never help anyone, he's a bigoted, classist, self-entitled rapist now, because that's what happens when you help people"

it is so fucking typical. Of course that's what she thinks happens when you're kind to people. Of fucking course.

#insert the smoking man meme here #Life As We Knew It #Susan Beth Pfeffer #is a shit writer and a shit person #rape mention #ask to tag #what do I fucking call this #besides #conservatism #what do you fucking call this stupid as fuck mindset

[editorauthoranna]

THE LAST SURVIVORS: THE DEAD AND THE GONE (Book 2) Review

The Dead and the Gone

By Susan Beth Pfeffer

So far, The Dead and the Gone is my favorite of the Life as We Knew It series. It was marketed as a companion book, but I feel it surpasses the original story Pfeffer wrote. Remember when I compared Life as We Knew It to Cormac McCarthy’s The Road? I take it back; this book is much more similar—but still for a younger audience.

The Dead and the Gone features the same premise as Life as We Knew It, but there are some big changes that have a powerful pull: the setting is New York City, a place which suffers immediate, direct, and deadly consequences after the moon disaster. Your narrator is still a teenager—Alex, a boy this time. However, he suddenly finds himself alone with two younger sisters to care for. Alex is constantly pitted against morality versus survival. What is he willing to do to survive in a city ravaged by tragedy with no help coming? The stakes in The Dead and the Gone are much, much higher.

Religion comes back full force in The Dead and the Gone. This time, it’s devout Catholicism. It fits into the story pretty well as Alex and his family are all of Puerto Rican descent. (The majority of Puerto Rico identifies as Catholic.) While religion of any type isn’t necessary to wrestle with morality, I do think Catholicism was a good choice to frame the story from. The three characters we see the most in The Dead and the Gone are each Catholic, but one is extremely devout, one is somewhere in the middle, and one struggles with their faith. (You can find out who’s who if you read the book!) The good framework comes from the dependencies and concessions Alex is shown to have with the church, confession, and education. Science versus religion isn’t really a problem in this book.

There are, of course, some plot points that I wish had been better formed. One point was why Alex didn’t break into more homes—because he does enter other people’s deserted homes to search for food, blankets, and items to trade. After months, Alex knows with something very close to certainty that he and his sisters are alone in their apartment building. Yes, yes, stealing is wrong, and that does come up, but possible starvation should overrule the fear of being found out when 90% of New York City has already been looted for the food sources it may be hiding.

Another was the fact a few schools stayed open under the pretense of education when it was really to feed the few kids left some lunch. I’m not saying this was a bad thing, but in a major United States city that’s been flooded, has no power, and millions of people living in it with no food trucks coming in and a single, weekly government handout that is unreliable and dangerous to be in line for—how do these two little schools find the resources to feed twenty or so kids lunch every day for months? Are adults starving so the children can eat? I’d believe it, but the answer the book gives us was no less than an unsatisfactory, “The church provides” or “God provides.” Annoying explanation, to be frank. Not actually an explanation at all.

That said, The Dead and the Gone still functions as a great book. It’s heart-wrenching, and can be scary, and, fantastical apocalypse aside, quite realistic in its portrayal of a broken humanity.

There’s two more books in this series, and I’m very curious about where Pfeffer plans to go next. Personally, I’m hoping for a continuation of events as the first two books quite thoroughly covered the immediate consequences of the moon disaster. Fingers crossed! Next up: This World We Live In.

~ Anna

#book review #science fiction #dystopian #YA fiction #susan beth pfeffer #the dead and the gone #the last survivors #life as we knew it #books #writing

[alley-cat777]

Book Review: Life As We Knew It (Last Survivors #1) by: Susan Beth Pfeffer

Book Review: Life As We Knew It (Last Survivors #1) by: Susan Beth Pfeffer

I guess I always felt even if the world came to an end, McDonald’s would still be open.Life As We Knew It by: Susan Beth Pfeffer Initial Thoughts: I found this book for sale at a book sale. It was among 25 other books that I bought at that time. Fill a box for $10. Not a bad price at all. However, when you buy so many books at once, suddenly you realize that 1) you lack the space on your…

View On WordPress

#Book #Book Blog #Book Blogger #Book Review #books #Fiction #Last Survivors #Life As We Knew It #novel #review #Susan Beth Pfeffer #Young adult

[yourcoffeeguru]

Devil's Den by Susan Beth Pfeffer 1998 Vintage Hardcover DJ Book

#vintage books #childrens books #devils den #susan beth pfeffer #novels

[ghost--bot]

autistic bitches will get attached to a minor character and find him the only one who was interesting in the mediocre dystopian book they read in middle school and then be reminded of his existence nd be like ........ kevin 🥺

#read the dead and the gone by susan beth pfeffer. was kinda boring but kevin daley is. #my babygirl #he and alex were gay and in love. btw. if you even care. #bitches will still think about their mid middle school books they half assed assignments about

[best-childhood-book]

#best childhood book #poll #preliminary round #song of the lioness #last survivors #bartimaeus #shadow children #septimus heap #princess academy #tiffany aching #when you reach me #swiss family robinson

[pr0ximamidnight]

tag game: 3 books, 3 movies, and 3 songs

that changed your life or you just love 💗

thanks for tagging me @bastardmandennis and @chaotic-mystery

Books:

The Martian by Andy Weir

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood

Movies:

Legally Blonde

Practical Magic

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

Music:

This Is the Best Day Ever by My Chemical Romance (my first tattoo!)

The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows by Brand New

Green Eyes by Coldplay (my wedding song!)

np tags: @atticrissfinch @undrthelights @cannolighost

#these are always so hard #i get tagged and i’m like….i have never seen a movie #or read a book #or listened to a song #tag games

[ethereal-bumble-bee]

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

For Jack Kelly please!

Ooh okie dokie!

Hm… if I could put Jack into any other media, I would put him into the book Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Basically, the plot of it is that the moon is hit by an asteroid and it causes a world-wide apocalypse, and this girl named Miranda and her family are trying to survive. I would absolutely love to explore how Jack would handle a situation like that- the tough decisions he’d have to make, the difficulty of surviving in a now-hostile landscape. I just think it’d be interesting!!!

#newsies #newsies musical #jack kelly

[callmewishful]

Tagged by @recurringwriter! I love these things!

Three ships:

- Rodriguela (I’d never considered but now they’re one of my favs!!)

- Dimileth (I feel basic saying it but I love them)

- Lambrigue (Rodrigue has two hands. Can you tell i think about old men a lot?)

Last film:

- Oh boy. I watched the amazing spiderman a few weeks ago? Or was it last week? I’m pretty sure that was the last movie I’ve seen. I’d only seen the Tom Holland spiderman before that

Currently watching:

- Unfortunately nothing :( It is difficult for me to sit and watch things. But I love cooking shows or action/dramas. Always willing to add to my list of things to watch when the small child is sleeping

Currently reading:

- I’m studying for my CISA certification, so currently that textbook lol but before that I was rereading the Life as We Knew It books by Susan Beth Pfeffer. My favorite books are dystopian ones and one of her books (can’t remember which) makes me cry.

Currently playing:

- Pokemon Scarlet. My SO saved his birthday money to buy them for us to play together :)

Currently consuming:

- so much coffee and the various ways I can torment Matthias in my writing. I have so many things I want to write

Currently craving:

- The writing bug. Someone give it me please

I have been absent this weekend so I’m not sure who on my dash has done this but if you haven’t and want to, then consider yourself tagged by me! It’s fun to see everyone’s answers! :)

#Thank you for the tag I seriously love these #It’s nice to stop and think about stuff #like how I should read more lol #and by seeing other’s responses I get Ideas of stuff to watch and read and play #l talks

[annmariemo]

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book. It was written like a journal and that thoroughly appealed to me. Since I also journal it gave me a way to connect with the main character Miranda. That connection is what kept me interested and eager to continue reading.

I loved how all the characters went through an evolution of who they were before everything began to how there experiences now molded who they became. There was a tone and a few lines in the beginning of the book that rubbed me the wrong way but I am glad that I didn't let that sour the whole book for me and I continued to read.

I am going to rate this book 3 out of 5 apples. It was a very intriguing book and it was also very well written. There were a few things that urked me but I was able to look past them. This is the first book in a series of four and I can't wait to read the other three and see how the story continues to progress. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read YA or end of the world type books.

#book club #bookworm #book review #February book two #february book #February 2024 #2024 reading challenge #reading goals #book lover #end of the world #life as we knew it #Susan Beth Pfeffer

[prismicabstraction]

My urge to write ROTTMNT fanfiction grows ever stronger, yet my brain refuses to write until I can get the characters to a "T", which is why I haven't been posting at all! 😭

I HAVE MADE A WHOLE SPREADSHEET AND I AM RE-WATCHING THE WHOLE SERIES AGAIN!

THank THE PIZZA-SUPREME IN THE SKY for all the wonderful ROTTMNT fans that have noticed little details and consistencies, you have inadvertently maintained my sanity during these troubling times (I plan to hopefully put all my sources at the end when I finish the doc).

Here's a sneaky peak at my doc.

This is just DONNIE. HELP ME. I'M NOT EVEN DONE! (I will most likely post this once it is complete along with visual references for any ROTTMNT fan that needs a easy access to resources in terms of cannon and design).

I have been brainstorming fanfiction plot points and AUs I could write, but it will be a long time to finish. I kinda wanna have the chapter outline and summaries done first because I deal with motivation issues that not even coffee can help.

Here are a couple of my ideas for fanfictions I have had (inspired by many fanfics I have read and ideas I have seen in comment sections):

Donnie's Misadventures - a series of events where Donnie does the most absurd, mad scientist shenanigans as his brothers attempt to keep him from dying. Very light-hearted and silly, I don't want this to be angst.

Leo's Escapades - a fanfiction with emotional hurt/comfort. I don't think there are enough fanfics with Leo having a sort of "secret life" away from his family. Those (alleged (I forget if this is true or not)) two years between the last season and the movie have such potential for Leo development 😤

A "Life as We Knew it" (by Susan Beth Pfeffer) inspired fanfiction - I want to make an AU based on this book because it has really good plot points between family during an apocalypse and the hardships they suffer during the extreme weather conditions and their own home as people they knew slowly die, only having each other to stay safe. This has a LOT of potential, especially with their turtle traits.

I hope I manage to see this through because I really do feel passionate about this!

#rottmnt #rise of the tmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #fanficion ideas #rottmnt leo #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt raph #rottmnt mikey #I MUST HAVE MAXIMUM ACCURACY #my post #abstraction's text posts

[halcyone-of-the-sea]

wait i saw you said you’re more of a book person so book recs???

I got you.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Sci-Fi)

Stardust by Neil Gaiman (Fantasy)

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (Fantasy)

Novice Dragoneer by E. E. Knight (Fantasy)

The Death House by Sarah Pinborough (Romance/Dystopian)

Beren and Luthien by J. R. R. Tolkien (Fantasy/Romance)

Star Wars: Death Troopers by Joe Schreiber (Horror/Sci-Fi) - the only horror book that genuinely made my skin crawl

East by Edith Pattou (Historical Fantasy/Norwegian Fairy Tale Retelling)

Dante's Inferno

The Summer Dragon by Todd Lockwood (Fantasy with a twist)

Red Rising by Pierce Brown (Sci-Fi/Dystopian) - MORE PEOPLE HAVE TO READ THIS SERIES IT'S SO GOOOD

Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler (Fantasy) (check warnings for this series - heavy stuff) - also one of my all-time favorites

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson (Fantasy)

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (Fantasy)

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (Fantasy)

Life as we knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer (Sci-Fi with an interesting premise & told through journal entries)

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman (Fantasy)

The Girl From the Other Side by Nagabe (Manga)

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (Historical Fantasy)

The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Post-Apocalyptic)

Mythology by Edith Hamilton (Collection of stories from different mythology)

The Illiad

Edgar Allan Poe as an author in general

This is all I can come up with off the top of my head!

#halcyone answers

[editorauthoranna]

THE LAST SURVIVORS: THE SHADE OF THE MOON (Book 4) Review

The Shade of the Moon

By Susan Beth Pfeffer

{Warnings for The Shade of the Moon: bigotry and sexual violence}

Alright, I’ll come out and say it: I didn’t enjoy this book. You won’t find a glowing review here. You won’t even find a dim-ray-of-hope review here.

The Shade of the Moon takes place three years (ish) after This World We Live In. This time, your narrator is Jon, Miranda’s younger brother. So this character has been around for a while, but we’ve never gotten to know him besides very basic traits and interaction through Miranda’s eyes in Life as We Knew It. Which would be fine if Jon turned out to be a likable character on his own. He is not.

By the time The Shade of the Moon comes along, Jon is about 16 years old. It’s apparent he is entitled and bigoted just a few pages in, and this makes him incredibly hard to like. Jon believes anyone living outside the main town where the “elites,” including himself, are undeserving of the very little they have. He and his friends burn down a school. He contemplates beating one of the “grubs” working in his household, essentially a slave. He treats his own family like trash for giving up their passes to allow him to live with the elites and be given an education and nutrition and opportunities they’d never see for the rest of their lives. “Grubs” he calls them.

But it gets worse. Much worse. Half of the book is spent with Jon agonizing over his guilt for “what I did to Julie,” who (spoilers for book 3 ahead) died at the end of This World We Live In. It’s implied that Jon raped Julie just before she died. And then, a few chapters later, Jon recounts the full story: no, he didn’t actually rape Julie, but that’s only because she got away. He says, in retrospect, that he would have stopped. That he loved Julie.

I don’t believe that for a second. A toddler knows what the words “no” and “stop” mean. There is absolutely no excuse for Jon’s behavior and I 100% blame him for Julie’s death. Julie, a 13-year-old girl, ran into a bad storm to escape Jon. This storm formed a tornado and the damage ultimately killed Julie.

Then we have Jon’s “friends.” They’re much worse than Jon. A good portion of Jon’s problematic behavior stems from inaction rather than direct action, but who you’re friends with reflects back to you. What behavior are you willing to condone? Apparently, Jon will condone a lot.

So, you have a main character and side characters that are absolutely impossible to like. The only reason I bothered finishing the book? It’s on my bookshelf, and I promised myself I’d read everything there. That’s it.

Let’s forget about bad characters for a moment and talk about the plot. That should be better, right? Nope, not really. The plot of The Shade of the Moon is . . . predictable and boring. Some of it makes sense, but the main resolution of the plot point is unbelievable and borders on ridiculous. The book really boils down to “entitled teenager finds out the whole world didn’t destroy itself to spite him.”

If I had to pick one book from this series that stood out from the rest, it would be The Dead and the Gone. It’s not even required to read Life as We Knew It to understand the plot. Personally, I’d recommend the first two books in the series: Life as We Knew It and The Dead and the Gone. The third, This World We Live In, is just okay and doesn’t add all that much. But The Shade of the Moon is unnecessary and you may genuinely be happier without it. I know I would be.

~ Anna

#book review #science fiction #dystopian #YA fiction #susan beth pfeffer #the shade of the moon #life as we knew it #the last survivors #fiction #books #writing

[wounderful-chaos]

“I never really thought about how when I look at the moon, it's the same moon as Shakespeare and Marie Antoinette and George Washington and Cleopatra looked at.”

-Susan Beth Pfeffer, Life As We Knew It