Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Synopsis:  Clay Jensen arrives home one day to find a box at his front door.  Inside the box are several tapes that were recorded by Hannah Baker, a girl and previous crush interest from his class who committed suicide a few weeks earlier.  He learns that he is somehow connected to why Hannah killed herself.  In order to find out how he must listen to all the tapes.  Along with the tapes is a map he found in his school locker.  As he listens to the tapes and follows the map he begins his quest of understanding how something terrible like this could happen and how he could possibly be involved.  Each tape is the story of someone who directly or indirectly was involved with Hannah's decision to kill herself.  Thirteen tapes and thirteen reason why...

My review:  I read this book in honor of banned books week.  Personally I do not think that any book should be banned, ever.  But is some cases I understand why the book was banned, at least to a select audience.  According to Amazon the age range of this book is 12 and up.  I do not agree with this.  While this book is considered to be YA, young adult, I feel 12 is a bit young for someone to read this book.  First of all it's about suicide and the events that lead to a suicide.  In this book there are several situations that have pushed this book into the banned books list for 2013, peeping toms, bullying, rape and of course suicide.  With all that said I think everyone should read this book, eventually.  I loved the way the book was written with Hannah speaking over the tapes and Clay's thoughts and actions mixed right in.  I really felt both Clay's and Hannah's emotions reading this book.  I also loved how the ending of the book brought the story all together.  Book clubs, reading groups, High School Juniors and Seniors, and all ages above should read this book.  There are lessons here about how a simple act of teasing or joking may be just enough to push someone over the edge and actually consider doing something like taking his or her own life.  I think we can all learn something from this book, I know I did.

My rating:  9
Pages:  336
Author website:  http://jayasher.blogspot.com/

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks

Synopsis:  Max is a special boy, he may be Autistic or someone just with special needs but he has only one friend, Budo, his imaginary friend.  One day Max goes missing and no one knows how or why.  Has he been taken by someone, has he wandered off in the woods near school?  Budo, as Max's best and only friend makes it his goal, his mission to find Max at any and all cost.

My review:  I decided to read this book at this time due to some recent events in my life and wanted something light and easy to read.  Little did I know about this story.  While this book is about a boy and his imaginary friend it is also very much about death.  Budo is constantly wondering if one day he will die if Max stops believing in him.  Once I got into this book, more than 50 pages or so I could not put it down.  It was fantastic.  Not what expected from a book about an imaginary friend.  Few books have ever made me tear up but the very ending of this book was moving for me.  I felt the same emotion Budo felt when trying to save Max.  The author does an excellent job of putting you inside the head of both Max and Budo.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend this to anyone in a book club.  I think you will love it as well.

My rating:  9
Pages:  311
Author website:  http://matthewdicks.com/

Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk

Synopsis: There is a poem that if read aloud or even thought about in full will kill whoever hears it or whoever is thought about while thinking about the poem.  Carl Streater learns about this poem while investigating a string of sudden deaths.  As a reporter he is focusing specifically on sudden infant death syndrome and soon determines that these deaths are related to this poem from a book called Poems and Rhymes from Around the World.  He also learns that he is not the only one that knows about this poem and it's abilities.  Once he meets Helen Hoover Boyle, they set out to destroy all copies of this ancient book so it does not end up in the wrong hands but end up leaving behind a slew of deaths behind them.  Once Carl learns the poem he has a hard time controlling the power that comes with this knowledge.  Someone bumps him in the street, someone annoys him on the radio, someone looks at him with the slightest bit of unpleasantness ends up dead.  He and Helen both must learn to control their thoughts or they may end up dead themselves.  

My review: I am not sure why I have been on a dark and dreary reading kick here recently but this is definitely the icing on the cake.  Chuck Palahniuk is probably one of the weirdest people out there, his books are beyond strange and I have loved them all.  If you have never read a Palahniuk book, they are different, they are not prose on a page they are more like the thoughts and ramblings of a madman.  Reading his books is like listening to his thoughts in your mind, and he is an expert at his craft.  While the stories are dark and disturbing his ability to transport you into the minds of his characters is unparalleled.  Try reading Choke or Fight Club, if you don't believe me.  These books are as crazy as the author.  Great job Chuck, I look forward to more!!

My rating: 7

Pages: 260

Author website: http://chuckpalahniuk.net/

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Synopsis: Billy Pilgrim is unstuck in time.  He randomly travels through time into different periods of his life from the bombing in Dresden to his time with the aliens on Planet Tralfamdore.  He is constantly running into random characters on his adventures, some of which appear in other Vonnegut books, even Vonnegut himself.  Because he can time travel he has already seen all the events in his life before they actually happen, the bombing of Dresden, his children, the death of his wife, even his own death.  So it goes.  All of these events converge together randomly throughout paragraphs of writing to form a story...

My review: I am having the hardest time putting the synopsis of this book into words.  Maybe I just don't get it but I am at a loss.  I did not find a point to this book at all.  Yes it's kind of cool about the time travel but more than anything I had a hard time following it cohesively.  One paragraph Billy is at war in 1945 and the next he is at his daughter's wedding, being abducted by aliens.  I can appreciate a "weird" book as much as the next guy but I don't see what all the hype is about with this book.  I wanted to, I really wanted to like it, but I didn't.  I have heard nothing but good things about this book for years.  I am glad that I have read it so I know for myself what it's all about but I will not be recommending this book to anyone in the future, either here on on Tralfamdore.

My rating: 3
Pages: 215
Author website: http://www.vonnegut.com/

Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig

Synopsis:  Miriam Black knows when you will die.  Well she does once she touches you, this knowledge requires skin on skin contact.  Her life has been a roller coaster ride since she found out about this "gift" eight years ago.  She has been living on the streets to motel rooms to local bars all using this knowledge for her personal gain.  She uses these individuals for money, cars, sex, whatever it is she needs until they die.  She only takes what she needs though, that's a rule.  On one of her adventures she gets a ride from Louis, one man who is actually nice to her and Miriam gets very upset after shaking hands with him and learning how he will die.  She knows that she cannot change fate and she is troubled with the knowledge of his death.  She is hunted by some drug dealers after getting involved with a con artist named Ashley, yes his name is Ashley.  She may be falling for Louis and will do whatever she can to save him but can she actually change what she has already seen in a vision or will she die trying?

My review:  I read this book in about in four days.  A quick easy ready but thoroughly enjoyable.  This book is not for the faint of heart.  It's dark, disturbing, and disgusting at times.  There is sex, drugs, death obviously but all of these ideas come together quite well.  I heard about this book on a suggestion from Amazon.  I actually find a lot of my book suggestions from there and this one did not disappoint.  There is already a second book in this series called Mockingbirds also all about Miriam and some more of her story.  I will definitely be continuing my journey with her.  I look forward to see what she has in store.

My rating: 7
Pages: 358
Author website: http://terribleminds.com/

The Hurricane by Hugh Howey

Synopsis:  Daniel Stillman is a loaner, one friend, no life and a massive Hurricane is coming that will change everything.  The book starts out with Daniel going to a party, one in which he was invited by someone who was invited by someone else.  He does not want to go but is eventually pressured into it by his one friend.  Due to the digital age we live in no one has been watching the news or staying up on current events, apparently with this info so constantly accessible no one actually pays any attention to it.  So while this party is in full effect, the cops show up but not to breakup the party they are there for Daniel.  He is informed that the cops are friends of his stepfather and that he has sent for Daniel because there is a massive storm coming.  When finally home the family endures the storm together, less the eldest brother who is spending the night at his girlfriends house.  Once the storm passes they realize the full extent of the damage, not only to their house but to the rest of the neighborhood as well.  While out surveying the scene a girl asks Daniel for help hooking up a charging station for the rest of the neighbors to use once cell service is finally restored.  Her name is Anna, oddly enough the same name as the Hurricane that just came though.  Together with the rest of the family they seek out the lost older brother, try to restore some sort of order to the house and deal, as best the can with a life altering storm.

My Review:  First of let me say that I pretty much love all things Hugh Howey so maybe I am a bit biased but I absolutely loved this book.  With only being 200 some pages it was a quick read and an absolute page turner.  And since the main character is a high schooler I may even consider this to be a young adult book.  Such a fantastic story of love and life.  I was rooting for Daniel from the first few pages.  I loved how Hugh incorporated Anna (the girl not the storm) into the story, I truly felt a connection between her and Daniel.  Well done Hugh, you have managed to blow me again yet again.  My only issue with this book is that now I have one less Hugh Howey book to read for the first time.


My Rating: 8
Pages: 218
Author website: http://www.hughhowey.com/