K.J.’s Comments (group member since Feb 28, 2013)

K.J.’s comments from the YAholics Anonymous! group.

Brittany wrote: "Okay, so now that I've finished the book, I guess I wont rant quite as much as I thought I was going to.

I've always been a little leery of books about suicide. When I was going through high schoo..."

Great rant, Brittany! Sharing your story is not easy, but you did it well, and I totally agree with your wise decision that to end things would be selfish - you thought of others, which shows incredible depth of character. All of us in life are 'munted' (kiwi word for damaged)! in some way or other - and we all have to choose how much hurt we will inflict on others with our decisions. You chose right. Hannah chose wrong. It was like during the book she was shutting herself down, one decision after another - but she had already decided at the beginning that no-one could help. It says in the Bible that no-one can truly understand another's pain...but what we can do is listen, grieve with, and walk alongside, through the pain. Hannah never really gave anyone that opportunity, until after her death when it was too late.

13 Reasons was a thought provoking book, but I also have to agree that the spa pool scene killed it for me - it didn't make sense and seemed 'weak' within the context of the whole story. I was gripped whilst reading it, but frustrated at the same time. But wow, the power of words and how we use them in every day life. If it reminded me of anything, it was to use words wisely - to bring life, not death.

Hi, I didn't really enjoy 'Unwind'. It felt a bit silly - I thought it would have been better as a 'black comedy' or something. The idea of dismembering teenagers seemed ludicrous and I just couldn't take it seriously. I also felt it was disjointed in parts and the links to real life stories seemed tentative at best.
However, it was an original story, and deserves some kudos for that :) hope I'm not offending anyone - it is good that we are all different and enjoy different books I think!

Cassie wrote: "I definitely enjoyed The Book Thief. I liked the writing, but I have to agree with Brittany. Wish Death hadn't spoiled the ending. It's still a very powerful read and I can see why many people like..."

I liked the writing too - the way Zusak uses words is so refreshing, it made me stop and think and re-read phrases just because I enjoyed them so much. Probably a book you need to read more than once to fully process - I wasn't as 'into' the story as I was the language!

wow, The Book Thief is a great read - the writing is brilliant - you will love it :)

Thanks Brittany - it's quiet during the day - my sanity time...although as i type the two older students are having one last black-ops sesh before uni starts on monday!!
I will certainly take a look around - I am looking forward to discovering some great books to read, as well as churning through the good old classics as well :)

Hi there, I'm Kate - not a ya, but a mother of 5 teenagers! I enjoy many different genres, including ya and kids books - i always read what my kids are reading, and in return they read what i write!!
I would LOVE some more young minds to review my novel. It is called 'Emospherica' (The Destiny of Jasmine Blade Pt.1) and is available on Amazon Kindle for $2.99 US. If I get enough interest, I may set up a free download week :) I have also nearly completed a novel for boys called 'Volcanoes Suck' - dedicated to my 4 crazy sons. Nice to find this group :)