7/31/11

Day 14: AtU Read Along Wrap Up!


Well, it is finally coming to an end.  We're sad to see the AtU Read Along ending but tomorrow starts the wait for A Million Suns which is due out on January 10th of 2012.  It's like 5 months away!  BUT we have tons of events and such coming in those five months while we prepare for the release of A Million Suns.  Promise!

Now for our wrap up.  We'll start with Mindy's wrap up sentiments:

Across the Universe by Beth Revis gave us the experience of a life time. To think that someday our Earth may require this same type of evacuation of great minds and leaders to a new Earth beyond the planets and stars. It has been an ongoing story for many, many years. Beth Revis actually brings this story to life. She has given us Godspeed, the ship to take the generations through the stars to find the new Earth. She has given us the technology to preserve the body and mind’s of those needed to help make sure that the new Earth thrives. Given the nature of the ship and knowing now how the ship has functioned for hundreds of years, makes you wonder who is actually right and wrong here. How will Elder step up to the Eldest position. Will Amy influence his leadership skills and responsibility? Will the residents of Godspeed accept the “real world” aboard a ship that may never land? I have a funny feeling that we are going to get the answers we seek in the next book in the Across the Universe series “A Million Suns”. Thank you for joining our read along. We have had a great time. Discussing a book a few chapters at a time is a lot of fun for me. I get to “see” things from other minds besides my own. Thank you all so much and see you in the read along for “A Million Suns” (but STAY TUNED here for for all things Across the Universe!!


Megan's Turn:


Thanks so much for coming along for the ride with us!  I super appreciate it!  I love Across the Universe.  It was one of those books that keep you up all night because you just HAVE to know what happens.  I loved meeting Elder and Amy for the first time.  Elder is just so cute and sweet.  I love to read his chapters.  He falls for Amy because she is different and he embraces different.  He thinks he knows so much when in reality, he can be pretty childlike sometimes.  He begins to fall in love with Amy but has been raised to not believe in love so he tries to put his feelings into a frameworks that he understands.  His mind sometimes strays into the gutter (but not nearly as much as most teenage boys' minds would).  I'm totally in love with him.  Amy is great because she's one of those YA heroines who doesn't whine the entire book and I dig that.  Amy's a strong woman who makes the best of her situation when she finds that she can't change it.  (After she whines a bit.)  I also adore Harley.  Harley is so ... sweet and genuine.  I love that Harley likes Amy even though she's different.  He trusts people (even when he shouldn't) and he loves Kayleigh even after she has been gone for a while.  Harley goes all in with everything he does.  Everyone should have a friend as true as Harley.  The thing I love about dystopians... well, there are lots of things.  I love that you get to look at a situation outside of current political structures and see it for what it is.  The world in a dystopian is not like ours so you can't use the standards of our world to judge the dystopian world.  I think it makes seeing right and wrong much easier, personally.  You aren't concerned with left or right, conservative or liberal just right or wrong.  And in a perfect world, that's how it should be.  I also like that love seems to always find a way in the dystopian worlds.  Trella and Riley in the Insiders.  Peeta and Katniss in the Hunger Games. Cassia and Ky in Matched.  Lena and Alex in Delirium.    You'd think that in these unsettled worlds, love would be pushed aside to deal with the bigger issues but love always seems to find a way.  I'm a hopeless romantic so I eat that up.  Overall, I am thankful for the copy of Across the Universe that I was given and for Beth who created this world and this boy that I just love.  Thanks again for joining us!


Please give us your overall impressions of Across The Universe and what parts you loved or hated.  And fill out the form below if you have questions for Beth.  We'll be letting her pick and choose what to answer.  She'll also be choosing the best question to win a signed swag pack including a signed bookplate for your copy of AtU!  Enter as many questions as you like before August 7th! 



6 comments:

Unknown said...

Well This was my first Dystopian Novel and I loved it. I really enjoyed the world that Beth created both unique and one of a kind.

I am not normally a sci fi reader but read such great reviews for this book I had to read it. The read along was a fantastic idea, I was able to absorb and write my thoughts for every 5 chapters but found it hard to hold back. lol

The parts I enjoyed the most was the suspense, not knowing, who what where or why !! Beth certainly had us on the edge of our seats eagerly anticipating an outcome.

The fact that Elder was intrigued with differnce was a lovley added bonus. No matter if you look different talk different you can still be loved and of course special amoungst a world of difference.

I must say the whole idea of the season was an eye opener lol.. I found myself slightly embarrased for the people humping like rabbits !!

grins

Harley - I enjoyed his creative character, Beth created all her characters well, letting us grow with them as we read. No matter what happened in this Dystopian world love surfaced and found a way.
I disliked Eldesst, but somehow now Im concerned about Elder having enough knowledge within the ship.
** yuk** the part where Eldest died, ! that was kinda freaky. I bet it was the only time Eldest was at peace despite the circumstances.

Overall, Thanks ladies for the wonderful Read a long - and Beth for a wonderful insight into the world of the Godspeed. I eagerly await A million suns..

** In support of Operation Elder this week on my blog Im giving away a paperback copy of Across the Universe for one lucky winner !!
I enjoyed the book that much Id like to share the experience.. ;)

Thanks Ladies and Beth
Kat
kittee_cat@bigpond.com
(( my blog for anyone interested who has popped in to win a copy of Across the Universe ))

www.pageflipperz.blogspot.com

Shelby Rodewald said...

I am so sad that this story has ended for now :( I finished reading the book last night, and I couldn't shut my mind off to go to sleep. I kept wondering what else was to come. Now I have to wait 5 months? U.G.H.

I loved so much about this book. I loved it much more than I thought I would. Amy and Elder are such real characters. I felt their emotions as I read them. I loved Harleys beautiful story and I'm going to miss him terribly.

The world that Beth has created is so outside the box for me. I can't imagine how much effort it took to piece all those ideas together.

Five months from now I will be here waiting, like everyone else who has read this book, to see what happens next.

Thanks Mindy for another great read :)

Melissa/welachild said...

I'd been wanting to read AtU for a while now, since I started following Beth's blog. I just love her voice. The book has a distinct voice and then each character was really well done. There was a little bit of humor sprinkled throughout to balance the drama, which is important to me.
Amy is on my list of fav characters! She was strong and smart but not so much to be unbelievable. I can't wait to see how she handles the Ship running behind schedule. She'll be racing against the clock if she ever wants to see her parents again. I myself would not want to be older than my parents, so I would have a 21 yr. deadline. I guess I will have to wait patiently for 5 months to see what happens next!
Thanks for hosting the read-a-long!

Maidenveil said...

this is an excerpt from my review of AtU: "I loved the mystery vibe of the story. As I have mentioned before, everyone is suspicious - anyone can be the murderer. In a society of devoid of emotions, the way the characters expressed their emotions are heartbreaking. It's like seeing a multitude of colors, strewn across a black and white canvas." <3 I'm excited to read more about the fate of Godspeed and everyone aboard it!

Litza said...

I have had such a blast with this read-along. Thanks for giving me a chance to re-read Across the Universe!

I've never been a fan of sci-fi, but when I won an ARC of ATU, I was ecstatic (it was the first time I'd won anything, ever!) & intrigued. Once I got over my hesitance about reading a sci-fi, I dived right in... & become captivated by the story & characters! I absolutely LOVE this book. Amy is such a strong, smart & mature heroine. Though things seemed terrible & emotions were high, she was able to push through it all. Elder was charming, to say the least. There was so much riding on his young shoulders but he was still willing to fight for what's right and stand up for those who couldn't stand up for themselves. I really hope he is able to be as good a leader as I feel he can. And Harley... oh Harley! I felt quite attached to him & I was devastated when he flew out the hatch. I am going to miss him terribly. *sniff*

The heroes were wonderful, the villains, awful & the story mesmerizing! I CAN'T WAIT until A Million Suns is in my greedy little hands. Beth Revis is a master storyteller & I'm eager to see where she takes us next.

IdentitySeeker said...

I am so grateful for the chance to have participated in my very first read-along and, if it wasn't for this read-along, life would have gotten in the way as usual and I wouldn't have taken the time to sit down and read. I'm so glad to have participated.

The most memorable scene in the book, for me, is the scene in which Harley is introduced when Elder enters the Ward and notices traces of paint on the walls and thinks that Harley must be nearby because the paint smears are a mark of his presence. It was at this point that I knew I'd love Harley right away! Like everyone else, I was terribly sad to lose Harley to the stars towards the end of the book but I also think it was incredibly sweet of him to have always loved Kayleigh and to never have gotten over her.

The second scene I loved in the book was when Elder and Amy kiss in the rain. I think my heart stopped beating for a second at that point. It was just beautiful and so innocent, especially when contrasted against the backdrop of all those people mating like wild animals in the background.

The third most memorable moment was when Amy met Steela and walked her up to the hospital and (unknowingly) to her own death. When Amy realised what was being down to Steela, I imagined how I would feel if someone I'd just been speaking to had been turned into a vegetable before my eyes.

The fourth most memorable moment for me is the moment when Elder walked in on Amy crying over the information she learned from Doc regarding the Phydus and such. I thought it was just so sweet the way Elder comforted her and told her to rest while he took over the watch on the cryo level for the night. I found it particularly touching and sweet when he touched her cheek lightly before leaving. That gentle sign of affection and caring nearly did me in. Elder is just so sweet. *stars in my eyes*

Lastly, I will never forget the image that I've formed in my mind of a waving Harley, floating against the backdrop of the stars, and the feeling I experienced of not being able to believe that this was happening because it was the last thing I expected.

I would just like to finish off by saying that reading Across the Universe (especially as part of this great read-along) has been an amazing experience and I look forward to January next year, when I can finally get a copy of A Million Suns in my hands. Thanks once again for hosting this read-along! It's been a wonderful experience:)

Sarah
sarahDOTsetarATgmailDOTcom