Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why
Author: Jay Asher

Series: Not a series
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: October 18, 2007
Pages:  288 pages - Hardback
Age: Mature YA
Website Amazon Goodreads

                   Synopsis:

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and  crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.
On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.
Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, author Jay Asher weaves and intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

My Thoughts:
This books is crazy because this is such a real life story. We all know this is a fictional story, but it could have just as easily been a true story. It really touched me.
The entire time I read this book I felt so bad for Hannah. I truly wanted for something to go right & stay right in her life. Every time something seemed to be good, a negative consequence would come from it. Then she pushed away the one thing that could have stayed good in her life, Clay.
I couldn't imagine being Clay. Listening to tape after tape and hearing all the stories, wondering where you come in and how. I don't know about those of you who read the book before me, but I could connect with Clay and feel the emotions that he felt as he went through the tapes.
This book may just make you look at people, and yourself, in a different way from now. Do you see yourself in one of the characters? Did you have the power to stop something bad but didn't? The book makes us look at ourselves and how we treat others. You never know how something that seems so trivial could be something so monumental to somebody else.

Recommend:
I recommend this book to everybody. It's a great reason to start a discussion about real life topics.

Other Reviews:
Good Books & Good Wine
One Librarian's Book Reviews
The Book Swarm

Wordy Wednesday #8

This is a meme I'm doing where I literally open the dictionary to random pages and post words. I figure every reader has had a few times where we come across a word in a book that we have no idea what it means. So every week I'll be posting  new words, until I complete the whole dictionary. If you do your own Wordy Wednesday post, please link back to mine since I created this.



Diatribe - n - : biting or abusive speech or writing

Plantar - adj -: of or relating to the sole of the foot

Xeriscape - n -:  a landscaping method utilizing water conserving techniques

Review: Tiger's Curse by Eileen Houck

Title: Tiger's Curse
Author: Eileen Houck

Series: Tiger Saga #1
Publisher: Splinter
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Pages:  456 pages - Paperback
Age: YA
Website Amazon Goodreads

                   Synopsis:

The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she'd be doing this summer was trying to break a 300 year old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world.
But that's exactly what happened. 
Face to face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together and ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.
Packed with magic, action-adventure, and romance, the epic Tiger's Curse series will keep you breathless and yearning for more.

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed Tiger's Curse. It sorta kinda reminded me of Alladin, in the sense that Princess Jasmine had a pet Tiger and Ren, the tiger in the book, is somewhat of a pet. He's actually a circus tiger, and Kelsey helps to take care of him. I thought this book was pretty funny. It had lots of funny moments and kept me wanting to turn the page. The romantic side of this book was also interesting. Could you imagine building a connection with a tiger and finding out later that he's actually a man?? Well that's what happens to Kelsey. Ren slowly start developing feelings for Kelsey but it's hard for her to return them because she can't really see past the tiger Ren and see the man Ren.
I also liked the sneaky, educational characteristic of the book. You got to learn a few Italian words & phrases from the circus owner and you get to learn some Indian ones from Ren and Mr. Kadam. I thought that was very cool. Especially since I'm in the process of learning Italian right now.
The overall plot of the story was interesting to me. The fact that Ren is this extremely old tiger and has been that way for decades is crazy! He hasn't been able to change into human form in so long and now that he has that ability again he's on a quest to break the curse that was placed on him & his brother. They way that they get Kelsey to come help is kind of mean. She gets tricked into coming along before she really gets to know the truth, but once she does know the truth about things she agrees to help.
The adventures that kelsey and Ren go on in this book are nuts. They spend days in the jungle, search through old places for things & clues they don't fully understand, get chased by weird creatures and so much more. I'm honestly not sure I'd be willing to go through all of that. I'm not much of an outdoors girl.
Overall, the book was a great read and I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

Recommend:
I would definitely recommend this book! It's full of mystery, adventure and of course there's a budding love in there. Who doesn't love a story like that?

Other Reviews:
The Book Bind
Reading Coma
BookNook

Review: Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Title: Infinity
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

Series: Chronicles of Nick #1
Publisher: St. Martin Griffin
Release Date: May 25, 2010
Pages: 464 pages
Age: YA
Website Amazon Goodreads

                   Synopsis:

At fourteen, Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything about the world around him. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is the stuff of legends... until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immoral vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity.

Nick quickly learns the human world is only a veil for a much larger and more dangerous one: a world where the captain of the football team is a werewolf and the girl he has a crush on goes out at night to stake the undead. But before he can even learn the rules of this new world, his fellow students are turning into flesh eating zombies. And he's next on the menu.

As if starting high school isn't hard enough... now Nick has to hide his new friends from his mom, his chainsaw from the principal, and keep the zombies and the demon Simi from eating his brains, all without getting grounded or suspended. How in the world is he supposed to do that?

My Thoughts:
I had a great time reading this book, the main character Nick has a pretty interesting life to read about. You get a nice laugh over the struggles & interactions that he has with other people around him and himself. I have never read a book with such a sarcastic teen & it was nice. He had a comeback for anything anybody would say to him. You could never catch him off guard.
Since the book is essentially a zombie book I guess I should say a bit about them haha. Honestly, I thought they were kind of cool. Not your typical, nasty, smelly, living dead zombies. They were average teens who... well, played a game. And because the zombies came about, that opened the door for Nick to come in contact with other creatures he never even knew existed. The crazy part was that they were always in his face.
The characters and storyline together make a wonderful book and I can't wait to finish the second book.

Recommend:
I'd recommend this book to pretty much anybody. It's pretty engaging and funny with lots of sarcasm. Not your average zombie book.

Other Reviews:

Bloody Bookaholic
Mindful Musings
Dark Faerie Tales

Wordy Wednesday #7

This is a meme I'm doing where I literally open the dictionary to random pages and post words. I figure every reader has had a few times where we come across a word in a book that we have no idea what it means. So every week I'll be posting  new words, until I complete the whole dictionary. If you do your own Wordy Wednesday post, please link back to mine since I created this.



Magnanimous - adj - : showing or suggesting a lofty and courageous spirit

Petiole - n -: a slender stem that supports a leaf

Barbarous - adj -:  lacking culture or refinement

Library Rediscovery

So over this weekend I have rediscovered my local library. I honestly haven't been to my local library since 10th grade & I'm now going into my final year of college. Sad I know, but better late than never. I had a great time walking through the young adult section and seeing several books that I have wanted to read for a while now. I have a list of books that I want to check out. Today I checked out Hex Hall & Graceling. Demon Glass, Tricks, Impulse & The Magician are some of the books on my list of books to borrow. Borrowing from the library will surely help me save money since I'm always buying new books.
Do you borrow from your local library?

Stacking the Shelves #7

This feature is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.It's a weekly meme where we can show off the books we have gotten over the past week no matter how you got it or when you plan to read it. For more info go here.

Free for Kindle:
Life Knows No Bounds: One Who Loves You More By: Andrea Clinton
The Binding By: L. Filloon
Protector By: Vanna Smythe
Chance Encounters By: J. Sterling
Here By: Denise Grover Swank
Stirring Up Trouble By: Juli Alexander
Traitor By: Megan Curd
The Forever Contract By: Avery Sawyer
Become By: Ali Cross






To see how much I've saved in free kindle books this week, check out my Kindle Savings page!

Spotlight of the Week #5

Title: The Girl of Fire and Thorns

Author: Rae Carson

Publisher: Greenwillow

Release Date: September 20, 2011

Pages: 424 - hardcover

Age: YA

Author Bios:

I write books about teens who must do brave things. I'm originally from California, but I moved to Ohio to marry my husband, who is the smartest and therefore sexiest man I know. We live in Columbus with my teenaged stepsons, who are awesome. My books tend to contain lots of adventure, a little magic and romance, and smart girls who make (mostly) smart choices. I especially love to write about questions I don't know the answers to.

Synopsis:

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.

Elisa is the chosen one.

But she is also the younger of two princesses. The one who has never done anything remarkable, and can’t see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs her to be the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he’s not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies, seething with dark magic, are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior, and he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do.

Website Amazon Goodreads

Stacking The Shelves #6

This feature is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.It's a weekly meme where we can show off the books we have gotten over the past week no matter how you got it or when you plan to read it. For more info go here.

Free for Kindle:
Darkest Before Dawn by Arlene Brathwaite
Music City Dirt: Rags to Riches by Blake Eccles
Music City Dirt: Innocence Shattered by Blake Eccles
Music City Dirt: Blown Away! by Blake Eccles
Exiled by J.R. Wagner
7 Folds of Winter by Carolyn McCray


PulseIt:
The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse



To see how much I've saved in free kindle books this week, check out my Kindle Savings page!

Wordy Wednesday #6

This is a meme I'm doing where I literally open the dictionary to random pages and post words. I figure every reader has had a few times where we come across a word in a book that we have no idea what it means. So every week I'll be posting  new words, until I complete the whole dictionary. If you do your own Wordy Wednesday post, please link back to mine since I created this.



Rubidium - n - : a soft silvery metallic chemical element

Lief - adv -: gladly; willingly

Dysprosium - n -:  a metallic chemical element that forms highly magnetic compounds

Review: Spirits of Glory by Emily Devenport

Title: Spirits of Glory
Author: Emily Devenport

Release Date: October 24, 2010
Pages: 145 pages
Age: General
Amazon Goodreads

                   Synopsis:

One morning, the people of the North woke up and the people of the South were gone. That's the first thing every child learns on the colony world of Jigsaw. But for one girl, knowing about The Disappearance is not enough. Hawkeye wants to know why. That's why she spent half her life researching The Disappearance. And that's also why eight Nieghbors show up on her doorstep, demanding that she accompany them into the Forbidden Cities rules by the Southern Gods - to speak with the Spirits of Glory. Everyone thinks Hawkeye is an expert on Neighbors, these almost-humans who move, talk, and think as if they were born inside one of the Time Fractures. But she can't imagine what they want to ask the ghosts of their ancestors, or why they need her to go along. The Southern gods caused every human inhabitant of the Southern cities to disappear overnight - what else might they do?

But the Northern gods say Hawkeye should go - and her curiosity won't let her refuse, even though she's going into more danger than she can imagine. Pain & puzzlement wait along the broken interstate, along with scavengers who want to kill them all. Hawkete's questions only generate more questions as they move farther & farther into the South, right into the heart of the Disappearance, until Hawkeye's questions have all been answered.
Even the ones she was afraid to ask.

My Thoughts:
This was not a standout book to me. I got confused on some things and had to go back and reread parts to understand. Even though the overall story was okay, no part of this book really jumped out and grabbed my attention. There were aspects I liked, such as the two pets that could somewhat speak and the concept of the Time Fractures. I thought that was pretty cool.
I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't get into it.

Recommend:
I personally wouldn't recommend this book to people. I finished it but it didn't really grab my attention.

Other Reviews:

Val's Random Comments

Pages Unbound

Wordy Wednesday #5

This is a meme I'm doing where I literally open the dictionary to random pages and post words. I figure every reader has had a few times where we come across a word in a book that we have no idea what it means. So every week I'll be posting  new words, until I complete the whole dictionary. If you do your own Wordy Wednesday post, please link back to mine since I created this.



Goad - n - : a pointed rod used to urge on an animal

Mellifluous - adj -: sweetly flowing

Sphagnum - n -: any of a genus of atypical mosses that grow in wet acid areas where their remains become compacted with other plant debris to form peat

Spotlight of the Week #4

Title: Starcrossed

Author: Josephine Angelini

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: May 31, 2011

Pages: 487 - hardcover

Age: YA

Author Bios:

Josephine Angelini is a Massachusetts native and the youngest of eight siblings. A real-live farmer's daughter, Josie graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in theater, with a focus on the classics. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband.

Starcrossed is her first novel.

Synopsis:

Set on the island of Nantucket, STARCROSSED tells the tale of Helen Hamilton, a young woman whose destiny is forever altered when she meets Lucas Delos and tries to kill him in front of her entire high school. Which is terribly inconvenient, not only because Lucas is the most beautiful boy on the island, but also because Helen is so achingly shy she suffers physical pain whenever she is given too much attention. 

Making matters worse, Helen is beginning to suspect she’s going crazy. Whenever she’s near Lucas or any member of his family she sees the ghostly apparitions of three women weeping bloody tears, and suffers the burden of an intense and irrational hate. She soon learns that she and Lucas are destined to play the leading roles in a Greek tragedy that the Three Fates insist on repeating over and over again throughout history. Like her namesake, Helen of Troy, she’s destined to start a war by falling in love. But even though Lucas and Helen can see their own star-crossed destiny, they’re still powerfully attracted to each other. Will they give up their personal happiness for the greater good, or risk it all to be together?

Website Amazon Goodreads

Review: Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Title: Crank
Author: Ellen Hopkins
Series: Crank #1
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Release Date: October 5, 2004
Pages: 537 pages
Age: Mature YA and Adult
Website Amazon Goodreads

                   Synopsis:

This is a story about a monster. Not a dragon or a mythological beast, but a very real, very destructive monster--crystal meth-- that takes hold of seventeen-year-old Kristina Snow and transforms her into her reckless alter-ego Bree. Based on her own daughter's addiction to crystal meth, Ellen Hopkins' novel-in-verse is a vivid, transfixing look into teenage drug use. Told in Kristina's voice, it provides a realistic portrayal of the tortured logic of an addict.

My Thoughts:
I personally loved this book, I read it in two days! I've passed this book a million times in the bookstore but never bought it because of how it's written. Seeing that it was written in verse turned me off, but I went to a friends house and she raved about the book so I borrowed it. I'm so glad I did, the book is great!
Kristina is an interesting character, in the sense that she's really two people. Kristina is good girl who makes good grades and doesn't do anything risky. Bree is her alter ego who thrives on danger & fun. It's interesting to see how Bree emerges and takes control of Kristina's life. How her choices affect Kristina's relationship with her friends & family and affect her schoolwork. This book gave me an inside look into how people get started on drugs and how they think they can control it while their lives are falling apart around them. We get a look at Kristina/Bree's relationships with guys and how those relationships lead her further down the wrong path. We also see how she makes friends that aren't the best people to hang around. I've always wondered why people who are on drugs can't seem to get off them and this book gave me a window into the life of an addict. To know that this was based on a real person's life made it that much more real to me.

Recommend:
I would recommend this book for older teens & adults. The book is about drugs and there is some sex in it as well so I'd say this is a book for more mature teenagers who can handle the subject matter.

Other Reviews:

Proud Book Nerd

Books With Bite

Good Books & Good Wine

Stacking The Shelves #5

This feature is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.It's a weekly meme where we can show off the books we have gotten over the past week no matter how you got it or when you plan to read it. For more info go here.

Bought from Books A Million:

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
Specials by Scott Westerfeld
Extras by Scott Westerfeld
(I decided to buy the rest of the series since BAM had the b2g1 sale)


Bought from Ingles Supermarket:
Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Free for Kindle:
Frost Arch by Kate Bloomfield
BrookLyn's Journey by Coffey Brown
Feathermore by Lucy Swing
Eden by Logan Rutherford
A Week At the Beach by Virginia Jewel
Lost Girls by Bob Mayer


NetGalley:
The Demon Catchers of Milan by Kat Beyer


PulseIt:
Between The Lines by Samantha Van Leer & Jodi Picoult



To see how much I've saved in free kindle books this week, check out my Kindle Savings page!

Book Bloggers Recommendation Challenge Update

So I've decided to join a few challenges this year. In March I decided to join this one. The Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge hosted by: Reading With Tequila.

I started out choosing to do level 1: read 5 books from the list

Here are the 5 I chose:

• Rot & Ruin by Jonathon Maberry (changed from Jane Eyre)
• Delirium By Lauren Oliver
• Tiger's Curse By Colleen Houck
• Divergent By Veronica Roth 
• Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

But I went back over the list today and saw more books that I want to read fairly soon so I decided to add them to the challenge list. 

I have chosen:

• City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
• Graceling by Kristin Cashore
• Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
• The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
• Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
• Wither by Lauren DeStefano
• A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
• Infamous by Sherrilyn Kenyon
• Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
• Matched by Ally Condie

If I complete all these books by the end of the year, then I would have made it to level 3 which is 15 books. I have 5 months to go, I'm sure I can do this.

Wordy Wednesday #4

This is a meme I'm doing where I literally open the dictionary to random pages and post words. I figure every reader has had a few times where we come across a word in a book that we have no idea what it means. So every week I'll be posting  new words, until I complete the whole dictionary. If you do your own Wordy Wednesday post, please link back to mine since I created this.



Devoir - n - : duty; a formal act of civility or respect

Circuitous - adj -: 1) having a circular or winding course :2)not being forthright or direct in language or action

Querulous  - adj -: constantly complaining; fretful; whining