November Wrap Up

I felt like I read a lot more this month and made time for myself to read so I actually did petty good with my TBR. I squeezed in a few books that were also not on my TBR but that I was dying to read. 

I also got caught up on my reviews. I was so behind it was crazy but thankfully I am caught up now.

This month I read;

The Secret Keeper- Kate Morton

Rage Within- Jeyn Roberts

Love Anthony- Lisa Genova

The Bridge- Jane Higgins

The Time Keeper- Mitch Albom

Ballads of Suburbia- Stephanie Kuehnert

You Better Not Cry- Augusten Burroughs

34 Pieces of You- Carmen Rodrigues

Karma- Cathy Ostlere

The Old Man and The  Sea- Ernest Hemingway

Scarlet- Marissa Meyer

Barefoot Gen, Volume One: A Cartoon Story of Hiroshima-  Keiji Nakazawa, Art Spiegelman

13 Little Blue Envelopes- Maureen Johnson

Bitter End- Jennifer Brown

Guys Read: Funny Business- Jon Scieszka

34 Pieces of You- Carmen Rodrigues

Title: 34 Pieces of You
Author: Carmen Rodrigues
Source: Borrowed from the library
Series: No
Rating: 5/5 














A dark and moving novel—reminiscent of Thirteen Reasons Why—about the mystery surrounding a teenage girl’s fatal overdose.

There was something about Ellie... Something dangerous. Charismatic. Broken. Jake looked out for her. Sarah followed her lead. And Jess kept her distance, and kept watch.

Now Ellie’s dead, and Jake, Sarah, and Jess are left to pick up the pieces. All they have are 34 clues she left behind. 34 strips of paper hidden in a box beneath her bed. 34 secrets of a brief and painful life.

Jake, Sarah, and Jess all feel responsible for what happened to Ellie, and all three have secrets of their own. As they begin to confront the darkest truths about themselves, they will also find out what Ellie herself had been hiding all along....

This book made me feel like I did after I finished reading Thirteen Reasons Why. I felt so emotionally drained in a good way. I read this in one sitting, I could not physically put this book down. It was so amazingly good. This was a mix of Ballads of Suburbia and Thirteen Reasons Why which are both amazing books.

This books switches between the main characters point of view.  Jake and Sarah have a rocky past together while Jess is treated like Sarah's little sister and nothing more for the majority of the novel. Ellie seems to be the person who is holding them together. Once she is gone, Sarah struggles with her own issues, while Jess seems to fade into the background. Jake moves away to school and avoids Sarah. 

These characters all had secrets, even Jess. I loved them all, especially Jess. I thought she was going to be a quiet background character who would only be seen as Sarah's sister and nothing more. Once more is revealed about Ellie, we see a new side of Jess and find out how close her and Ellie really were.

The plot was really good, but really sad. I was devastated that  Ellie died. I know it happens in the beginning but to see the people she left behind and how they were affected by her death. 

This book is just so good and I really cannot put into words how amazing it was. The only thing I can say about it is read it as soon as possible. It is just so good. I hope that Carmen Rodrigues writes more books soon.

Birthday Post!

I was going to do a book review today but then I decided since it is my birthday I am just going to announce this fact instead. I have to work on my birthday since I am still in training for my new job but my boyfriend promised that after work I get to do whatever I want since it's my birthday so I am thinking I am going to Chapters and maybe even the used book store after work if I can squeeze it all in.

We are planning on actually having a birthday party of sorts on the weekend which I hope means more books! I will hopefully have some awesome birthday books to show you on Sunday on my stacking the shelves.

In the mean time. Happy reading!

Stacking the Shelves (48)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

I got lots of books this week and they all look fabulous. 

Bought Used (Value Village)

Four Blondes- Candace Bushnell

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time- Mark Haddon (I had a copy which is MIA)













Bought Used from the Book store 



 High Five- Janet Evanovich

Cross Bones- Kathy Reichs

I am Number Four- Pittacus Lore

Prom and Prejudice- Elizabeth Eulberg 










Bought New (Kobo)

Destroy Me- Tehereh Mafi (Finally! :P )
Endurance- Ann Aguirre
Remembrance- Michelle Madow
Vengeance- Michelle Madow

Borrowed from the Library

34 Pieces of You- Carmen Rodrigues (Sooo good. I will have my review of this one up shortly).















What did you get in your mailbox?

The Bridge- Jane Higgins

Title: The Bridge
Author: Jane Higgins
Source: Bookurious review book
Series: No
Rating: 3/5














The City is divided. The bridges gated. In Southside, the hostiles live in squalor and desperation, waiting for a chance to overrun the residents of Cityside.

Nik is still in high school but destined for a great career with the Internal Security and Intelligence Services, the brains behind the war. But when ISIS comes recruiting, everyone is shocked when he isn’t chosen. There must be an explanation, but no one will talk about it. Then the school is bombed and the hostiles take the bridges. Buildings are burning, kids are dead, and the hostiles have kidnapped Sol. Now ISIS is hunting for Nik.

But Nik is on the run, with Sol’s sister Fyffe and ISIS hot on their trail. They cross the bridge in search of Sol, and Nik finds answers to questions he’d never dared to ask.

The Bridge is a gritty adventure set in a future world where fear of outsiders pervades everything. A heart-stopping novel about friendship, identity and courage from an exciting new voice in young-adult fiction.

This book catches the eye. The cover is really dark and creepy and the pages have the bevelled edges on it. I really liked the cover and the synopsis matched it. 

Nik is a high school student who is destined for a great career with ISIS who are the brains behind the war between the two sides. The Cityside and the Southside. Nik has been groomed into becoming a member of ISIS but when they do not choose him everyone is shocked and an explanation as to why is not given to him. The school breaks out into confusion when a bomb goes off and now ISIS is looking at Nik as a criminal.

Once I started to read the book I felt almost like parts were missing from the story. I would read a chapter and I felt like someone had taken pages out of the book, at times things jumped around really fast with no explanation and it was very confusing. 

I liked the beginning, but once Nik and Fyffe were separated from the others it felt like they took it too well. Two high school students are separated from there friends and family and they seem to take it in stride and there friends seem ok to let them go.

The main story line is this I am assuming country is divided by the Cityside and the Southside who are at war with each other.  The cityside teaches them that the Southside is the enemy and the Southside says the same about the city side. Where the story left off it felt like there should be a sequel which as of right now there is none. The ending seemed to open ended and I felt like nothing was answered only that the story was laid out and now the second book will go further into the history of this society. 

I felt like I missed a lot of the story which was not there. I enjoyed the plot but I found it hard to connect with the characters which took away from the great  plot. I enjoyed it but I seen so much potential that was not tapped into.