Book Review: Thirteen Reasons Why

When I did my July book review, I forgot to include this book because I read it at the end of the month. That turned out okay, though, because I feel like this book deserves it's own review. 

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Book Description:

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.


My Review:

This is one of the best books I've read this year. First of all, the idea of having someone commit suicide and leave behind tapes to tell their story is haunting. I like how even when the book is finished, we haven't been given the full story. This makes it more realistic to me. In life, we don't always know everything about every situation. I also liked the main character, Clay, and empathized with him right away. I liked how his thoughts were interjected right into Hannah's narrative. This also added to the realness of the story.

*Possible Spoiler* One thing I didn't like was that the tapes were supposed to go to the people who played a vital role in Hannah committing suicide. Yet, she says that Clay didn't really do anything wrong. I liked Clay and he did seem like a good guy, but I think she could have at least blamed him for being nice to her, liking her, yet not trying hard enough to help her. Clay blamed himself for that, so it would have fit. *Possible Spoiler Over*

I read some reviews that didn't like the story because they said Hannah's reasons weren't "good enough" for committing suicide. Obviously, I'm 100% against killing yourself, but who are we to say whether someone's reasons are "good enough." Until we've walked in someone else's shoes, we don't know what things are like for them. People interpret and handle situations differently. That is why some people can go through hard times, persevere, and come out stronger while other people crack under the pressure.

I think this is an important book for teenagers (and adults for that matter) to read because I believe it teaches the lesson that your words and actions matter. Things you may think are insignificant could have a big impact on someone. We never know what other people are going through and how a small unkind word or action could impact them. On the other hand, you never know what a positive impact a kind word or action could have on someone.

Fittingly, the sermon that was preached at my church on Sunday was about our words. It reminded me of this book. One of the verses that was focused on was Proverbs 18:21 which beings "Death and life are in the power of the tongue..." This is so true. Be careful with your words because unlike the playground rhyme we used to say (you know about sticks and stones...) WORDS DO HURT.

I give this book an A. Read it! :)

I thought I'd close with some quotes about kindness I found on Pinterest.

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think? Do you have any thoughts to share on kindness and the power of our words?

Something Had to Give

If anyone is paying attention...you may notice I haven't been blogging consistently at all. I admit, I've considered stopping altogether. But...I do enjoy writing when an idea comes along or the mood strikes. I've just had to resolve myself to the fact that I'm not now or will probably ever be a big blogger.

Shortly after finding out I was pregnant, I didn't blog a lot because I was SO. EXHAUSTED. When my energy picked up a little, I'd tried to get back into blogging but my heart wasn't in it anymore. I couldn't keep up with the demand of having a successful blog. I had new priorities.

Now that a new school year has started, I'm busier than ever. I'm trying to stay on top of things at my job and do the best that I can there. I'm also trying to keep our apartment clean and cook dinner on a regular basis. I'm trying to do things to prepare for our baby's arrival. I'm trying to get back into a routine of spending time reading my Bible and praying. I'm getting back into one of my favorite hobbies-reading. Plus, I have to have some relaxing time. Most days...I don't care to try and write a blog post, promote a blog post, or read other people's blog post.

Working full time, being a wife, and preparing to be a mom is no joke. It's time consuming, energy consuming, and stressful. I can't do it all. I'm not superwoman. I have to give myself some slack in some areas. One of those areas I decided to back off on was blogging.

It's been a battle because I decided I didn't want to give it up completely; but if you're not consistent, you lose readers. I read the advice all the time that you need to blog several times a week and promote yourself on social media several times a day and you need to write engaging posts. I don't know how people do it! It's exhausting just to think about.

With my life changing, I know I don't want to be a mom blogger. There's nothing wrong with mom bloggers, it's just not the direction I personally want my blog to take. I also have decided that I want to keep some things private and guarded. I don't want to share all about my child on my blog. Again, I have no problem with people who do that...that's their choice. I, however, am choosing not to do that. So, I know that when our baby arrives, she'll consume much of my time. This leaves little time for blogging and I'll probably have little else to talk about in the beginning.

So, I've accepted the fact that my blog may not have the best posts, the most readers, and the most comments. I'm not writing my blog to build up an audience or have a business. I'm writing for me. I'm writing to share my thoughts and ideas when I have them. I'm writing because I do enjoy it and don't want to completely stop. I've noticed that in some bloggers "advice to bloggers" type posts, they make it sound like this is the wrong way to blog. Why does their have to be a "right" way? Why are their rules? Why shouldn't we be free to blog how and when we want to?

So, if you read this rambling post, thanks! If you still read this blog, thanks! I really do appreciate it.

What do you think? Do you think there is a certain or right way you should blog or should it be up to the individual person? What's your blogging philosophy?

July Book Review

*Be sure to check out my Bookshelf for more information on my rating system as well as the Book Challenges I'm currently participating in. You can also follow me on Goodreads.*

About a Boy by Nick Hornby

Book Description:
How cool was Will Freeman?'Too cool! At thirty-six, he's as hip as a teenager. He's single, child-free, goes to the right clubs and knows which trainers to wear. He's also found a great way to score with women: attend single parents' groups full of available (and grateful) mothers, all hoping to meet a Nice Guy. Which is how Will meets Marcus, the oldest twelve-year-old on the planet. Marcus is a bit strange: he listens to Joni Mitchell and Mozart, looks after his mum and has never owned a pair of trainers. But Marcus latches on to Will - and won't let go. Can Will teach Marcus how to grow up cool? And can Marcus help Will just to grow up?

Book description and image via Goodreads

My Review: 
After reading 2 Nick Hornby books now, I just don't think I'm a fan. This book wasn't bad, but it wasn't really enjoyable for me either. I've never seen the movie based on this book, but I have seen the TV show that recently started coming on NBC. Let's just say, I like the TV show a lot better. It's a lot more upbeat and happy. I guess that's what I went in expecting and that's not what I got. It was a lot more depressing and I didn't find the characters nearly as likeable as I did on the show.

I give it a C.

Enchanter by Joanne Wadsworth

Book Description:
To love and protect...across worlds. On planet Magio war rages between Peacio’s protectors and Dralion’s warriors. Friendships and soul-bonds are forbidden, yet deadly secrets lurk within a high-ranking inner circle. Eighteen-year-old Peacian Silvie Carver’s worst problem is completing finals until her best friend receives forewarning that Silvie is the key to keeping her enemy king from making a decision that will escalate the war. Silvie must save her loved ones’ soul-bonds from being torn apart, and all without revealing her emerging and rare fire skill during the mission. Dralion warrior and enchanter, Guy Moyer, has been fighting his soul’s demand to find his mated one…who also happens to be his enemy. Except Silvie shows up on Dralion’s off-world Australian Outback station and though they renounce their bond, his soul demands he aid and protect her. When Silvie finds herself impersonating a warrior, she’s pulled to the fiery edge of her control as she seeks to influence the king’s decision. Can the mated pair turn the tide of the war and find their place with each other?

Book Review and image via Goodreads

My Review:
I came across this series thanks to the author following me on Twitter. This is the third book in the series. Each book centers on a different couple. Little pieces of the overall story are revealed in each book, but they mainly center around a mated couple. All the stories are very similar and I admit I'm ready to see what's going to happen with the war between the two countries that keeps being alluded to. My favorite in this series is still Warrior, but this one takes the spot of my second favorite (with Protector being my least favorite so far). A brief scene in this book set up the couple for the next book. Overall, I enjoy these. I would recommend to people who like YA fantasy type books.

I give it a B.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Book Description:
Libby Day was just seven years old when her evidence put her fifteen-year-old brother behind bars. Since then, she had been drifting. But when she is contacted by a group who are convinced of Ben's innocence, Libby starts to ask questions she never dared to before. Was the voice she heard her brother's? Ben was a misfit in their small town, but was he capable of murder? Are there secrets to uncover at the family farm or is Libby deluding herself because she wants her brother back? She begins to realise that everyone in her family had something to hide that day... especially Ben. Now, twenty-four years later, the truth is going to be even harder to find. Who did massacre the Day family?

Book description and image via Goodreads

My Review:
I liked this one a lot more than Gone Girl. Gillian Flynn has a knack for writing page turners. This book not only switched between narrators, but it also switched between the past and present. I had a hard time putting it down. I was trying so hard to figure out who the murderer was. As the title suggests, it is a dark book and some parts were rather disturbing. They're making this one into a film as well, so I look forward to seeing it.

I give it a B.

One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

Book Description:
Suppose your life sucks. A lot. Your husband has done a vanishing act, your teenage stepson is being bullied and your math whiz daughter has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you can’t afford to pay for. That’s Jess’s life in a nutshell—until an unexpected knight-in-shining-armor offers to rescue them. Only Jess’s knight turns out to be Geeky Ed, the obnoxious tech millionaire whose vacation home she happens to clean. But Ed has big problems of his own, and driving the dysfunctional family to the Math Olympiad feels like his first unselfish act in ages . . . maybe ever.

Book description and image via Goodreads

My Review:
I have seen Jojo Moyes name around the blogging world for a while now. Everyone seemed to love her books, so I finally got around to reading one and I agree. I really enjoyed this book. It had multiple narrators (which I'm learning is one of my favorite types of books). It had imperfect characters who were relateable and likeable. I will definitely be reading more of her books.

I give it an A.

The One and Only by Emily Giffin

Book Description:
Thirty-three-year-old Shea Rigsby has spent her entire life in Walker, Texas—a small college town that lives and dies by football, a passion she unabashedly shares. Raised alongside her best friend, Lucy, the daughter of Walker’s legendary head coach, Clive Carr, Shea was too devoted to her hometown team to leave. Instead she stayed in Walker for college, even taking a job in the university athletic department after graduation, where she has remained for more than a decade. But when an unexpected tragedy strikes the tight-knit Walker community, Shea’s comfortable world is upended, and she begins to wonder if the life she’s chosen is really enough for her. As she finally gives up her safety net to set out on an unexpected path, Shea discovers unsettling truths about the people and things she has always trusted most—and is forced to confront her deepest desires, fears, and secrets.

Book description and image via Goodreads

My Review:
No...just no. I have enjoyed all of Emily Giffin's previous novels. They were perfect summer/beach/light reading. I did not like this one at all. *The rest of this review may contain potential spoilers. I'll try not to give too much away.* Here were my problems: I never really connected with any of the characters. The hero worship of "Coach" was a bit much. I'm from Alabama where football is also a really big deal and I love football, but all the football talk was TOO much. The eventual love story was hinted at in the beginning and I kind of laughed and said to myself 'you have got to be kidding me...this cannot happen.' Um...yeah...it happened. Creepy! The age isn't what bothered me it was the fact that the man was a father figure in her life and her best friend's father. Lastly, I found the abuse story line just too convenient instead of realistic. I can't end this review without mentioning that I also didn't like how Walker (the small, private college featured in the book) beat my Alabama Crimson Tide in the championship game. Please... She could have at least made it realistic with them beating Auburn. :)

I know this is harsh, but I give it an F. 

Have you read any of these books? What are your thoughts?