Book Review: "This is Where I Leave You" by Johnathan Tropper

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This book is on my 2014 TO READ LIST. I purchased this book on my iPad in the Seattle airport when we getting on the plane to go to LA for the LA Marathon. Thank goodness for airport WiFi, because I totally had forgotten to download a book beforehand. I read nearly the whole book during the 2 plane rides, there and back.

My rating (via GoodReads): 4/5 stars
Kobo Price: $13.99

This book had the sarcasm and dry sense of humor that I'm drawn to and that made it the perfect escape from a very bumpy plane ride!

The story surrounds a main character by the name of Judd Foxman, who is mourning the death of his father with his family and is also currently going through a separation from his wife who had a ridiculous affair with his boss. The whole thing is totally crazy and hilarious at the same time. Judd's late father who was Jewish, but didn't observe the religion on a very consistent basis, has chosen for the family to sit Shiva after his passing. Judd gets to know his mother and 3 siblings and their perspective relationships on a more intimate basis than he ever thought possible...

I loved it, the only thing stopping me from giving it that 5th star is the ending... but I will let you figure that one out for yourself!

Book Review: "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher

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This book was a tough read, not technical wise but subject-matter wise. High school is such an uncomfortable phase, and this certainly brought back some of those memories for me. Quick worthwhile read.

My Rating (via GoodReads): 4/5 stars
Kobo Price: $10.99

Thirteen Reasons Why is about a girl named Hannah Baker and the impact she leaves behind after committing suicide. The story is told from the perspective of a fellow student named Clay who receives a box of tapes. Yes, tapes, as in cassette tapes. He plays the first tape unaware of what he will hear, only to find the voice of a dead girl telling her story. She leaves a map literally and figuratively of how she arrived at her life-ending decision. Only the people named on the tapes are the ones who receive them. Clay spends the majority of the book baffled as to why he could be one of the people named, all of whom seemingly indirectly caused her to kill herself.

It is disturbing, truthful, and makes me terrified to know that I too, will one day have a teenager living in my house.

What are you reading this week?

Book Review: "Labor Day" by Joyce Maynard

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This book is on my 2014 to-read list and has also been made into a major motion picture, in theaters now. I have not yet seen the movie, but when I do, I will add a short comparison to the end of this review.

My Rating (via GoodReads): 3/5 stars
Kobo Price: $11.99

I'm sort of ashamed to admit I liked this book. It's not the type of book I would normally go for. The writing intrigued me though, even though it was simple. It is told from the perspective of a thirteen-year-old boy named Henry who lives with his mother. His mother Adele appears to be extremely odd from the start of the book.

On one of their rare trips to the grocery store, Henry meets a strange and injured man who asks to go home with them... Yea, would you say yes? Well, they did. I know right, who does that? Anyways, they find out as time goes on that he is an escaped convict which seems quite obvious to me. He stays with them for all of Labor Day weekend, through which Henry learns a lot about himself, life, and those around him. Yup, totally cheesy statement, but it's true.

The premise was so outrageous and unrealistic, it fueled my need to know how it ended. It's a nice quick easy read and though I find it unlikely to happen in real life, I enjoyed the book nonetheless and the ending was less depressing than I pictured which is always a nice surprise.

It's pretty much made to be turned into film... I'm interested to see how they translated it to screen and whether it's any good. So why 3/5 stars, well I liked it, I didn't LOVE it. Would I have read it, if not to compare it to the movie? I'm not sure, but likely not.

2014 To-Read List

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I read this article and it inspired me to make a 2014 To-Read List in which I must read all of the following books from start to finish and review them before the end of the year. I've added some of my own picks to this list for some variety. Also, for those that apply, I will discuss how the movie compares to the novel.

1. Labor Day by Joyce Maynard

I'm mostly finished with this one, so you can expect a review soon.

2. The Monument's Men by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter

3. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Honestly, I'm not really looking forward to this one. I guess I skipped the whole vampire fad because it doesn't interest me at all. Yea, I didn't like Twilight... so sue me. But I'm a stickler for lists and if I'm going to set out to do this, I think I should read every one.

4. Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin

5. A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

6. Divergent by Veronica Roth

7. The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais

8. This is Where I Leave You by Johnathon Tropper

9. The Maze Runner by James Dashner

10. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

11. Serena by Ron Rash

12. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

13. The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

14. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

15. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

I've already read Gone Girl, Dark Places, The Giver, Wild, and the Fault in Our Stars from the original list, all of which were great reads by the way! I like the idea of doing this because it's forcing me to step out of my usual reading genres and try something different.

Have you read any of these? What did you think? What other books make the grade for your 2014 to-read list?