Soundtrack Saturday (62)

Happy Saturday, everyone! Most of you might know that Soundtrack Saturday was once a pretty prominent feature here on The Hardcover Lover. But life and crappy people got in the way, so I stopped doing the posts for a while. Now I'm ready to start tacking the meme that I've invested so much time in, and it starts today! 

In case you aren't familiar with Soundtrack Saturday, it's a bookish meme that I created a little bit after starting my blog to blend my love of books and music together. Each Saturday I'll choose a book and create a playlist that captures the essences of the plot, themes, and characters. 

But that's not all! You can participate, too! I'm inviting all interested book bloggers to participate in this meme! Each week, I'll be posting a linky at the bottom of my post so that you can share your Soundtrack Saturday playlist for other bloggers and blog readers to find.

Want to participate? Awesome! Just follow these simple steps below to join in on the fun!

• Choose a book that you've read or are currently reading - any book is fine as long as you can create a playlist for it
• Create a full (10+songs) or a mini (four songs) playlist for the book of your choosing
•  For more detailed instructions on the different types of soundtracks and how to make them, please visit the meme's homepage.
• Please credit me somewhere in your post. It can be as simple as "Soundtrack Saturday is a weekly meme that was created by Erin at The Hardcover Lover."
• Leave a comment on my blog post if you enjoy the feature
• Add your name to the link-up tool at the bottom of the post

Book Review: What Light

Title: What Light

Author: Jay Asher

Publisher: Razorbill

Publication Date: October 18, 2016

From Jay Asher, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Thirteen Reasons Why, comes a romance that will break your heart, but soon have you believing again. . . .

Sierra's family runs a Christmas tree farm in Oregon—it's a bucolic setting for a girl to grow up in, except that every year, they pack up and move to California to set up their Christmas tree lot for the season. So Sierra lives two lives: her life in Oregon and her life at Christmas. And leaving one always means missing the other.

Until this particular Christmas, when Sierra meets Caleb, and one life eclipses the other.

By reputation, Caleb is not your perfect guy: years ago, he made an enormous mistake and has been paying for it ever since. But Sierra sees beyond Caleb's past and becomes determined to help him find forgiveness and, maybe, redemption. As disapproval, misconceptions, and suspicions swirl around them, Caleb and Sierra discover the one thing that transcends all else: true love.

What Light is a love story that's moving and life-affirming and completely unforgettable.

Waiting on Wednesday (80)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly, bookish meme created and hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. The meme helps book bloggers and readers shine a spotlight on some of the many upcoming releases that we are all patiently (but most likely impatiently) waiting on. Get it? You can find out more information on the meme on her blog, Breaking the Spine.

So you're interested in sharing some of the books you're waiting on with your readers!? That's great! To participate in Jill's meme, all you need to do is:

• Create your own Waiting on Wednesday post that features an upcoming title (or titles)
• Be sure to credit Jill in your post
• Link up to the Linky on Jill's blog

Review: Thirteen Reasons Why

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why

Author: Jay Asher

Publisher: Razorbill

Publication Date: October 18, 2007

Source: Purchased

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

My Review

I've been seeing this book everywhere for a while, but I never really looked into it because I had a lot on my plate. Finally after seeing about twenty paperback copies at Half Price Books and another ten or so paperbacks at Target, I decided to look for it. I went to the YA section at Half Price Books and found a copy without a dust jacket. Ready to leave, I found another used copy with a dust jacket, so I took it home.

So here it goes...

I was eager to start this book and was told by many that it was great. Apparently it should have been a book that I should have loved. I really did not like this book. I felt like a lot of the ideas were being pushed too hard on the readers, and because of this, I found myself confused. I am never a confused reader, but there was just way too much going on in this book for me to make sense of it all.

First of all, the book is supposed to be narrated by Clay. He's listening to Hannah's suicide tapes, so I knew their text would be prominent. I wanted to know Hannah's story. I found myself agitated by how disconnected it feels at times because a thought by Clay is thrown in before he actually hits the stop button.

I'm never one to say this about books, but I also think there are way too many characters in this book. It is so hard to remember who someone is when they make another appearance in a later chapter.  I also had a hard time connecting the reason behind their tape to another person's tape.

Now for the important part. I commend Asher for writing about suicide. I really think the first-hand account of Hannah's is something unique, and I like that he chose to reveal her reasons behind her suicide that way, but I think the way it was presented was just wrong. I felt like it was actually promoting bullying because Hannah bullies the people she addresses in her tapes. It could all spiral out of control for the other characters in the book.

This is an important subject. Too many teens are taking their own lives, and I love how in the back of the book, he offers every possible number and website for anyone who needs help. That being said, those are the reasons behind my rating being three stars. This is a subject that needs to be talked about.

I guess this book just wasn't for me. The whole time I was reading it, I was thinking that Asher should have just written a screenplay for a movie with this idea. I really think this book had the ideas and the potential to be great with the subject matter, but there were too many flaws in it for it to be a superb read for me.

Mini Book Haul: July 31, 2014

So yesterday, after an exhausting day of riding rides at an amusement park, my friend and I called it a day and headed for the comforts of home. We rode rides, we ate food that was bad for us, and we were tired. We decided to go get dinner, and ended up at Half Price Books.

I got lucky because the hardcover of The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling that I saw a few days ago was still there, so I snatched it up and took it home. I was so happy. And then I did a little happy dance because I bought a book by Jo on her birthday. I'd say that one will be a memorable purchase.

I'd really wanted to buy it the other day, but some lady was sitting on the stool for like fifteen minutes and would not move when I went to grab it. She just sat there and texted! Who does that in a bookstore? She blocked two entire shelves just because she wouldn't move. It annoyed me, but at least she didn't cost me the book.

Then I went over to the YA section and found Thirteen Reasons Why. I've been wanting to read this too, and even though they are selling a ton of brand new paperbacks of it there, I wanted the hardcover version. Also, I really love how the title is stylized. It is interesting (TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY). I know I'll get annoyed by typing that.

I'm really excited to have both of these books. It might be a while because I have so many books to read, but I'll get to them soon.

Happy reading.