Rumble by Ellen Hopkins

Synopsis: 

Matthew Turner doesn’t have faith in anything.

Not in family—his is a shambles after his younger brother was bullied into suicide. Not in so-called friends who turn their backs when things get tough. Not in some all-powerful creator who lets too much bad stuff happen. And certainly not in some “It Gets Better” psychobabble.

No matter what his girlfriend Hayden says about faith and forgiveness, there’s no way Matt’s letting go of blame. He’s decided to “live large and go out with a huge bang,” and whatever happens happens. But when a horrific event plunges Matt into a dark, silent place, he hears a rumble…a rumble that wakes him up, calling everything he’s ever disbelieved into question.

Another great novel by Ellen Hopkins. As always, she doesn’t shy away from tackling tough, controversial topics. In Rumble, we find storylines about religion and suicide. Both of which are difficult topics to look at objectively by some.

I thought she did a good job. This book was full of heart-wrenching moments along with some humor from the protagonist.

Rumble also dealt with loss and underage drinking in a very real manner. It almost felt like this book could be someone memoir when made it even more interesting to read and it was easy to get sucked into it.

I found myself staying up way too late reading this book because I just could not put it down.

5/5 stars

Memorable Quotes: “See, the thing about the barreling-into-you kind of love is, it leaves deep, wide scars. I tried, but never stopped loving her.”

“’Too many parents don’t have time or inclination to observe what their children are reading, and far too many parents don’t raise their children to respect their decisions. That is why we, as a community, must assure that every book our children can access meets high moral standards. That is what God would have us do.’

Apparently, God is into banning books.”

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'E' is for Evidence by Sue Grafton

Synopsis:

Kinsey Millhone, P.I. is a 32-year-old, twice-divorced ex-cop with an irreverent, wise-cracking style reminiscent of Philip Marlowe - and a great pair of legs - who piles her trade in the small Southern Californian town of Santa Theresa.

Make no mistake about it, Kinsey Millhone is one tough cookie. When a routine insurance claim she's investigating turns into non-routine trouble - someone has put $5,000 in her usually not-too-flush checking account and made it look like she's on the take - Kinsey sets out to discover who has set her up and why.

The trail of evidence leads to the wealthy Wood family, which includes the three quirky sisters Olive, Ash, and Ebony. But she's not counting on the involvement of her long-departed ex-husband #2, who's gorgeous, seductive and also a junkie. And she's certainly not counting on murder . . .

This installment of the Kinsey Millhone series was basically a story about a severely messed up, wealthy family. Full of emotional damage and backstabbing, it was a ride from start to finish.

There was plenty of mystery to go along with the fast-paced story line.

I also liked that we got a little more of a look into Kinsey’s past by meeting on of her ex husbands. She talks about them sometimes, but actually getting to meet one of them just added to the story.

‘E’ is for Evidence was full of mystery and action. I didn’t guess the twist until the actual reveal. I LOVE when that happens. Figuring our the main plot twist early in the book makes for a boring reading experience.

‘E’ was a very solid installment in this series.

5/5 Stars

Memorable Quotes: “In my experience, banks are the least helpful institutions on earth, and the notion of having to stop what I was doing to straighten out an error was nearly more than I could bear.”

“I won’t admit to depression, but I was in bed by 8:00 P.M. . . . Not cool for a hard-assed private eye waging a one-woman war against the bad guys everywhere.”

“You can’t argue with people who fall in love with death.”

“Being with him had brought back the pain in fossil form, evidence of ancient emotional life, embedded now in rock. I studied the sensations as I would some extinct subspecies, for the curiosity, if nothing more.”

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Non-Finished November

November will be all about:

1. Finishing books that I have started and not finished
2. Reading books in the series that I have not completed yet.

I have been working on the Kinsey Millhone series by Sue Grafton, the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson and the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.

Those are just some of the reviews to look forward to! This is going to be a fun month, and I hope you all enjoy it as well!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Synopsis:

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

I figured I had to pick this book up when I saw it because it is so well liked throughout the book community. I didn’t really know why, and I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t even know what it was about.

Normally, I shy away from books about the holocaust, because I was forced to read so many during school and I just needed a break. But . . . I bought this book without reading the synopsis, so I didn’t really have a choice. I am glad that I broke my rule for this book.

It was gripping. It was sweet. It was heartbreaking. It had a little bit of everything including a really unique POV.

All of the characters in The Book Thief are great. They are all central to the story and really make it work.

This book made me cry harder than any book has in a really, really long time.

This is just a beautiful book that I would label as a must-read.

5/5 Stars

Memorable Quotes: “When she came to write her story, she would wonder exactly when the books and the words started to mean not just something, but everything.”

“Even death has a heart.”

“He must have longed for it so much. He must have loved her so incredibly hard. So hard that he would never ask for her lips again and would go to his grave without them.”

“One was a book thief. The other stole the sky.”

“Humans, if nothing else, have the good sense to die.”

“She was still clutching the book. She was holding desperately on to the words who saved her life.”

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