Wednesday, September 23, 2009

"13 Reasons Why" Book Review

When Hannah commits suicide and sends out a set of tapes explaining why, Clays life changes forever. Jay Asher's book Thirteen Reasons Why grabs any readers attention by the first sentence. The book is an emotional and intense joyride. I loved it!

Each character in the story is definitely unique and interesting. One of my most beloved characters in the book is Clay. He is a quiet, lovable guy who developed a crush on Hannah the first day he saw her. His life starts to fall apart once he learns of her suicide. Hannah, with a wrongly accused bad reputation, is another very important person in the story. She sends out two sets of tapes explaining her reasons for ending her life. Hannah hopes that these tapes will effect the people so that they understand why her life was so difficult.

After finishing Thirteen Reasons Why, I began thinking about all of the rude, hurtful comments I might have made to people in the past. How rude comments could effect them in the future, and how mean those comments could make me look. The theme of the story is to not believe everything you, and to respect even your worst enemies.

The town where this book takes place is a lot like our little town of Batesville. The main hangout is a movie theater, there aren't very many restaurants, and little neighborhoods can sometimes hold the biggest parties! While reading the book, I enjoyed comparing their town to my own and making connections.

Like I said previously, I made many connections between the book and real life. I used to know someone who committed suicide. Reading this story gave me a whole new perspective on the concept. I had to not only worry about my feelings but also about what the suicidal person must have thought.

The main plot of the story revolves around clay, who spends the whole night listening to Hannah's tapes. He follows her words and goes to the places that meant most to her. he learns about himself, and about the people he used to think were alright.

I recommend this book for any type of reader. The plot, characters, and concept of the story make Thirteen Reasons Why an excellent page turner! This story is impossible to put down!

About 340 pages...

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

My Crazy, Average Life

Well, it took me a while to finally decide on a topic that was most appropriate for my very first blog entry. So I chose to just base mine on the present, my crazy life. This is the most hectic part of the year me right now. I have marching band, babysitting, homework, and tons more to think about all at the same time! It pretty much overtakes my entire life.
Most of the time I enjoy marching band but having to practice after-school for two hours twice a week, AND playing at games is kind of a bummer. Babysitting is my sane time. I "sort of" get to relax for a few hours and play with some easy going kids. The most time consuming activity of all this time of year is the piles of homework. We are just starting to get into the year, and I am trying to get into my normal routine.
That basically sums up my life this time of year, wish me luck!