November 2015 Wrap Up

This month wasn't the best month of reading. I only read three books when I normally read about five to six. I had at least two speeches to do this month and a bunch of tests which didn't leave that much room for reading. Also I got into a reading slump which I thought would be the death of me. Hopefully December will be a better reading month.

1.  Sing You Home, Jodi Picoult 5/5

One miscarriage too many spelled the end of Max and Zoe Baxter's marriage. Though the former couple went quite separate ways, their fates remained entangled: After veering into alcoholism, Max is saved in multiple senses by his fundamentalist conversion; Zoe, for her part, finds healing relief in music therapy and the friendship, then romantic love with Vanessa, her counselor. After Zoe and Vanessa, now married, decide to have a baby, they realize that they must join battle with Max, who objects on both religious and financial grounds.

It’s no secret that I love Jodi Picoult. She truly is a gift to the literary world. This book was no different. Jodi has never shied away from an uncomfortable topic and again this book is no exception. I loved this book. It made me want to cry, throw up, laugh, scream. Basically I felt all the feels. The characters were so complex and wonderful. Some of them I wanted to throw a brick at but characters don’t have to be perfect to be good characters. It was amazing to see that the information that Jodi got for the ‘Eternal Glory Church’ from a six hour interview with “Focus on the Family” which is a place that tries to make gay, bisexual people straight. That greatly impacted the way that I read this book. To know that the people from the church was information that people actually said. The hate that the LGBT community is given is a bunch of crap. A lot has changed since this book was written in 2011. At the same time I know that there are people out there who hate and feel the need to change someone based on their sexual orientation. I just don’t even want to be around those people. Whatever happened to loving people?
I would also say that there were subplots in the book that were wrapped up and honestly raising more questions but overall this was a great book that more people should read.

2. Slammed, Colleen Hoover 4/5

Layken's father died suddenly, leaving her to gather every ounce of strength to be a pillar for her family, in order to prevent their world from falling apart. Now her life is taking another unexpected turn. Layken's mother gets a job which leads to an unwanted move across the country. However, a new home means new neighbours... and Layken's new neighbour is the very attractive Will Cooper. Will has an intriguing passion for slam poetry, and a matching passion for life. The two feel an irresistible attraction but are rocked to the core when a shocking revelation brings their romance to a screeching halt. Layken and Will must find a way to fight the forces that threaten to tear them apart...or learn to live without each other.

I loved this book but I didn’t love, love it like most of colleen’s books. At the same time though this book is another beautiful story. I was once again surprised by the story and the characters. This book deals with the topic of death and tragedy. It was somewhat comforting since I lost my uncle last month. The fact that these people deal with their problems with poetry is beautiful. It seems like something that may be overdone but Colleen makes it fresh and real. I was crying and clapping throughout this book. Her characters are realistic and believable. They make mistakes and they have to learn from them. I cannot wait to read more of Colleen’s books. #November9

3. Ask the Passengers, A.S. King 4/5

Astrid Jones desperately wants to confide in someone, but her mother's pushiness and her father's lack of interest tell her they're the last people she can trust. Instead, Astrid spends hours lying on the backyard picnic table watching airplanes fly overhead. She doesn't know the passengers inside, but they're the only people who won't judge her when she asks them her most personal questions--like what it means that she's falling in love with a girl. As her secret relationship becomes more intense and her friends demand answers, Astrid has nowhere left to turn. She can't share the truth with anyone except the people at thirty thousand feet, and they don't even know she's there. But little does Astrid know just how much even the tiniest connection will affect these strangers' lives--and her own--for the better.

Fiona read this book almost in one sitting on the way to the Newseum she said it was pretty good. Since I’ve been in a reading slump lately I didn’t think that I would pick up another book but I knew I wanted to try. This is a beautiful book about a girl trying to figure herself out and what she believes in. I really did like this book, it was somewhat refreshing to read a book about a girl who is truly relatable. She’s not a raving beauty or doesn’t have anything special about herself. At the same time she’s a beautiful person. I don’t know how Fiona read the book in one sitting. It was to heavy and somewhat heart breaking. There were times when I wanted to cry and other times laugh. I don’t really know how I feel about the characters and the relationship that she has with one of them. Of course with most contemporaries you usually want one or two more chapters. With that being said some of the book did seem like it wasn’t needed. It was all about philosophy and I got a little tired of it. Overall it was a good book and I’d recommend it. 

DFTBA

-AB