The Book Bit: November 2016 Ed.

Not writing from my usual spot on the couch today; I'm actually home for the holidays!  Yep, left the kiddo at my parents house, stuffed my laptop in my bag and came to a fave coffee shop that I frequented during my college years.  It actually is a little nice, coming back to this old comfort that college memories give me.  Of course, the actual workload of college never sparks any fondness, but all the other stuff does; and being back in the town where I spent four years extending my education always makes me a little nostalgic.  So, no #blogtunes today, instead I'm soaking up the sounds of coffee being made, computers humming and some light chit chat between friends.  Loads better.

  You all remember last month was my horror edition; a tip of the hat to Halloween, and I mentioned that this month would (jokingly) be filled with young adult books.  So, it wasn't a joke, I actually did read all young adult this month; completely by accident!  Seriously, put the numbers in my randomizer and it spit out not only one YA title, but three.  So, I did what I always do and read them.  Let's get started.

"Gone, Gone, Gone" by Hannah Moskowitz

  This book was so sweet; that's seriously the best way to describe it.  Let me just come out, full disclosure, this is a gay YA.  I'm not even sure if that's the PC term, but it's what I'm going with and it was wonderful.  You know how every story has a beginning, a peak and an ending?  This book is all peak, all the meat of the book.  It is short and an easy read because you just simply can't disconnect from it. We meet Craig and Lio in the midst of high school, when dating is hard enough let alone having to deal with being gay.  In a post 9/11 D.C. area, these kids are surrounded by a serial sniper shooter while they work through the issues of coming together.  Lio, having a past so riddled with sadness that even his therapist says he's "a little fucked up" searches for love in Craig who is dealing with his first broken heart and the earth crushing feelings that accompany losing your first love.  This book is set not long after 9/11, maybe a year, and hearing that youth voice of dealing with it was quite wonderful; and you get that whole "invincible teenager" complex that we all had at that age; which also made it an interesting read.  You won't regret reading this little love story.

"Exit, Pursued by a Bear" by E.K. Johnston

Ok, so, so good.  In my very humble opinion.  This book addresses a subject we so very rarely discuss, actually we tend to avoid it because it makes us uncomfortable; rape.  We follow Hermoine Winters as she begins her senior summer at cheer camp, finally as head cheerleader.  And I know what you're thinking; ugh, a cheerleader book.  It's not what you think, I promise.  It opens on the first day of cheer camp and Hermoine has her whole future ahead of her, all those butterflies of starting senior year and the unpaved road ahead.  Until one night, someone drugs her punch at a get-together and changes her life forever.  We live the aftermath of her attack as she struggles to put her life together and get back those few hours, such vital hours, back.  And Johnston, in the acknowledgments section (does anybody else read those?) openly admits she wrote in a very strong friend, Polly, to help Hermoine navigate, but that most victims feel very isolated and unreachable and that's what leads to overly destructive behavior and in a lot of cases, suicide.  Have your eyes opened as Hermoine regains her life back and struggles as she realizes she wasn't the only one who's life was changed that night, even though she was the one attacked.  Such an interesting read, men, women, boys and girls alike should all read this book.

"Sever" by Lauren DeStefano

  This is book three of the "Chemical Garden Trilogy" (yes, I finished another series, finally!) I never wrote a review for the first book, but the review for the second book, Fever, can be found here.  So we finally get that nice closure that we're always looking for in a finale book.  As I mentioned in the review for Fever, it was sort of blah, but despite the negative reviews for this book, it delivered for me.  All the doors were shut, everything rectified, and that's what I want in a third book.  We follow Rhine as she searches for her brother and for Gabriel and escaping the tangled web that is Housemaster Vaughn.  We meet some new and interesting key characters and find some answers behind the deadly virus that plagues every person born to live a shortened lifespan.  There is love, death, heartbreak and lots of tears (at least for me), but this series worked for me.  I found another trilogy she wrote and I've already added it to the list to explore (you guys know I can't resist a good series!)  This is an dystopian YA you'll want to pick up at your library asap.


That's all for this month!  I hope you found something new to read.  Btw, I read a bonus book this month, one I've read maybe five times, but hadn't thought about in awhile.  "Dreamland" by Sarah Dessen; another YA, but equally wonderful.  As if I don't recommend enough as it is!  Don't forget to like, follow, subscribe and share!  Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving!