Book review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Book: Thirteen Reasons Why

Author: Jay Asher

Genre: Young Adult, romance, fiction, drama, mystery

Rating: 4/5

Format: Audio Book

Favorite Character: Clay, I suppose. Hard to have one in this book

Website

Goodreads

Well this book was incredibly depressing. It was also incredibly difficult to listen to due to the content. I'm not sure why I feel that it would have been easier to read. I think that It made me feel like I was listening to the tapes along with Clay. I don't have much to say about this book aside from I think everyone should read it. The only reason it got a 4/5 from me is that I found the character frustrating at times. Mostly Clay, but also Hannah. It brings up some important points about bullying and how some people can be terrible.

Book review: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Book: Attachments

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Genre: Romance, fiction, contemporary

Rating: 4.5/5

Format: Paperback

Favorite Character: Beth
Website
Goodreads



This book had been sitting on my TBR for a while. I had read Fangirl, Eleanor & Park, and Carry On. I was excited to branch off into Rainbow's ealier books aimed at adults.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I think it was made better that I read most of it in my cubicle at the bank I work for. There is a team of Lincolns somewhere that go through out emails and report to HR if anything is inaapropriate. And just like Beth and Jennifer my friends spend a lot of time saying things we shouldn't be....shh... I found the characters to be realistic and I liked that it took place on the eve of the millennium. I feel like the story would not have been the same if it took place today. 

My only complaint and the reason it didn't get a five star rating from me is the ending. I really didn't like the ending. I felt like the entire book was build up and then at the end it felt rushed and like suddenly everything was perfect and happily ever after. But I found it to be awkward and unrealistic. Other than that I was pleased with this book and look forward to reading Landline as well.

Am I...

Books Read In 2015

January
1. Rumors by Erica Kiefer (3)
2. The Story of Awkward by R. K. Ryals (3)
3. The Selection by Kiera Cass (3.5)
4. The Elite by Kiera Cass (3.5)
5. The One by Kiera Cass (3.5)
6. The Guard by Kiera Cass (-)
7. The Prince by Kiera Cass (-)
8. The Queen by Kiera Cass (-)

February
9. Ever Day by David Levithan (5)
10. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline (5)
11. (reread) Looking For Alaska by John Green (5)
12. (reread) Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone by J K Rowling (5)

March
13. Parallel by Claudia Lefeve (3)
14. Paradox by Claudia Lefeve (3)
15. Paradigm by Claudia Lefeve (3)
16. Hitched by Claudia Lefeve (3)
17. Hold Me Closer by David Levithan (5)
18. Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld (3.5)

April
19. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey (4)
20. Peeps by Scott Westerfeld (2.5)
21. Evermore by Alyson Noel (1.5)
22. Mind Games by Kiersten White (2.5)
23. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (4)
24. Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick (4)
25. Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination by JK Rowling (5)

May

26. Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick (3.5)

27. The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld (4)

28. The Heir by Kiera Cass (3.5)
29. Atlantia by Ally Condie (3)

30. The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart (3)
31. Sister Slam and the Poetic Motormouth Road Trip by Linda Oatman High (2.5)
32. Stolen by Lucy Christopher (4)
33. Red Queen by Victoria Ayeyard (4)

34. Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen (5)
35. Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige (4)
36. The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige (4)

June
39. Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher (4)
38. No Place Like Oz by Danielle Paige (-)
39. Cinder by Marissa Meyer (4)
40. Glitches by Marissa Meyer (-)
41. 1984 by George Orwell (5)
42. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (4)
43. The Queen's Army by Marissa Meyer (-)
44. Lumberjanes Volume 1 by Noelle Stevenson (3.6)
45. The Hues Volume 1 by Alex Heberling (5)
46. Cress by Marissa Meyer (4)
47. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (5)
48. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (4.5)
49. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (5)

50. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (5)

July
51. You Deserve a Drink by Mamrie Hart (5)
52. Vicious by V.E. Schwab (4.3)
53. A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall (4.5)

August
54. Pieces Of Me by Amber Kizer (3.2)
55. Becoming Chloe by Catherine Ryan Hyde (4)

56. The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi (4.5)
57. More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera (3)
58. Warm Up by V.E. Schwab

September
59. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (4.5)
60.  Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (4)
61. Interview with the Vampire: Claudia's Story by Anne Rice and Ashley Marie Witter (4.4)
62. The Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo (-)
63. The Witch of Duva by Leigh Bardugo (-)
64. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (4)
65. The Tailor by Leigh Bardugo (-)
66. The Too-Clever Fox by Leigh Bardugo (-)
67.  Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo (4)

68. Little Knife by Leigh Bardugo (-)
69. I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest
70. Queen Song by Victoria Aveyard (-)

October
71. Yes Please by Amy Poehler  (5)

72. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (5)
73. Binge by Tyler Oakley (5)
74. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews (4.5)
75. The Lost City of the Jedi by Paul and Hollace Davids (2)

76. So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld (4.5)
77. The Time Being by Antonia Honeywell (4)

November
78. Signs Point To Yes by Sandy Hall (4.5)

79. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (4.5)

80. Uglies: Cutters by Scott Westerfeld (4)

81. The Invention of Hugo Cabinet by Brian Selznick (5)
82. Stupid Perfect World by Scott Westerfeld (5)
83. The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury (4)
84. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell (4.5)
85. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (4)
86. The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness (3)
87. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (4.5)
88. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (5)
89. Never Stop Shutting Up by Mike Falzone (5)
90. We Were Liars by E. Lockhard (2.5)
91. Egghead:  Or, You Can't Survive on Ideas Alone by Bo Burnham (4)

December
92. The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra (4)

93. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (4)

94. My True Love Gave to Me by Various Authors (4)

95. Maleficent by Elizabeth Rudnick (4)

96. Trouble Is a Friend of Mine by Stephenie Tromly (4.5)

97. The Chimes by Charles Dickenson  (2.5)

98. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger  (4)

99. Star Wars: Smuggler's Run by Greg Rucka (4)

100. 21st Century Tank Girl by Alan. C Martin (4)

102. Darth Paper Strikes Back by Tom Angleberger (4)

103. Star Wars: Moving Target by Cecil Castellucci and Jason Fry (4)

104. Star Wars: The Perfect Weapon by Delilah S. Dawson (4.5)

105. Star Wars: The Crimson Corsair and the Lost Treasure of Count Dooku by Landry Q. Walker (4.5)

106. Star Wars: Before the Awakening by Greg Rucka (4)

107. Star Wars: All Creatures Great and Small by Landry Q. Walker (5)

108. Star Wars: The Weapon of a Jedi by Jason Fry (4)

109. These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner (4)

Total: 109

Book review: Stupid Perfect World by Scott Westerfeld

Book: Stupid Perfect World

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Genre: Young adult, fiction, dystopian, romance, science fiction

Rating: 5/5

Format: E-book

Favorite Character: None.
Website
Goodreads


This was a nice short novella by my favorite author. This was a good follow-up to my review of So Yesterday because this book was also SUPER Westerfeld-y and I loved it. Once again his use of creating a mirror culture and using language to build his story.

Loved this. Everyone should read it.

Book review: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Book: The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Author: Brian Selznick

Genre: young adult, fiction, historical fiction, childrens, fantasy, graphic novel

Rating: 5/5

Format: Hardcover

Favorite Character: Hugo
Website
Goodreads

I have been meaning to read this book for a long time, and I was not disappointed. I watched the movie a long time ago and as I was reading bits and pieces started to come back to me. I kept remembering scenes of the movies being described and trying to remember if it was the Hugo movie I was thinking about.

This was a very quick read, and I was able to get through it in a few hours. The art is amazing and I could stare at his drawings all night. There was a nice balance of text and art that made for a nice progression of the story.

Book review: Uglies: Cutters by Scott Westerfeld

Book: Uglies: Cutters

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Genre: Young Adult, fiction, graphic novel

Rating: 3.5/5

Format: Paperback

Favorite Character: None.
Author Website
Goodreads

To start, Uglies is one of my favorite series' and Scott Westerfeld is my favorite author. I had read the first graphic novel but did not realize there was a second one until I saw this on Amazon. Overall I enjoyed this. It's nice to see the story from a different perspective and to get new information on what was happening while Tally was off being main-character-y. It took me a moment to get into, just because it's been so long since I read Uglies.

I would recommend this and the first graphic novel to any Uglies fan, even if they didn't like Shay as a character.

Book review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Book: Six of Crows

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Genre: Young Adult, fiction, fantasy

Rating: 4.5/5

Format: Hardcover

Favorite Character: Kaz Brekker


So when this book came out, I had just finished the Grisha trilogy and was excited to read something in the same universe. For some reason though it took me forever to finish this book, though. Most of the difficulty came in the first third of the book when everything was being set up. I just could not get into it and ended up setting it aside ans reading several other books. Finally after finishing Signs Point to Yes I picked it up again. And boy I don't know what happened because I couldn't put it down.

(Spoilers)
I feel like all the interesting things in this book happened at once. Kaz and Inej and their adorableness. An explanation of Nina and Matthias and back story for everyone. Also just the adventure of the heist. I could not stop reading. I feel like there was a lot of depth put into all of the characters, and each one was always facing something new. Inej had to deal past in the Menagerie, her feelings for Kaz, and her future; Al while climbing a hot-as-hell ventilation shaft. Jesper has a serious gambling problem and makes some serious mistakes, but he is also gay and totally into Wylan. The thing I like most about that is that it does not define him as a character in any way, like in most stories these days. Its mostly just a string of off-handed comments and actions that make you realize. Matthias makes me angry, but I can understand why he is that way, and he comes around in the end. Nina ties this story to the Grisha trilogy which I thought was pretty cool. As a character, I hated her for what she did to Matthias, but settled down after she explained herself. I have no real opinion on Wylan, other then I hope him and Jesper get together. 

I knew right away Iw ould like Kaz. He is just the type of character I swoon over. Calm, calculating, clever, always a step ahead, but with a dark past and flaws just like anyone else. I liked that he was played more than once, as it made him more human.

Overall this book was awesome and I'm anticipating the second one. Slow start, but totally worth it.

October wrap-up

 

   

I didn't read as much in October, but I did read some good books. A lot of good books came out this month as well so that is awesome. By far my favorite book I read this month was Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. Yes Please and The Time Being were both audio books. Overall not a bad month. I still think I can make 100 books this year, it will just be a busy two months!

Book Review: Signs Point To Yes by Sandy Hall

Book: Signs Point To Yes

Author: Sandy Hall

Genre: Young Adult, fiction, romance

Rating: 4/5

Format: Paperback

Where I got the book: Target. Really liked her first book.

Favorite Character: Teo.


When I saw Sandy Hall was making a second book, I got excited. I randomly picked up A Little Something Different one day because I thought it looked adorable and ended up loving it. I was not disappointed by Signs Point To Yes. Hall's books are adorable, quirky, realistic romances and quick to read. They are nice breaks from highly intense or dramatic books. I did not like this book as much as her first book, though. There were parts where I thought it tried a little too hard to be relevant to too many things and it got overly complicated. Overall it was enjoyable and made me smile.