Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher

I found this book in the Oxfam shop where I work for £1.99. It wasn't a Gift Aid, so I don't know who donated it but considering the fact it's a relative new released book to the UK. So anyway, I finished it this morning.


When Clay comes home from school, he finds a shoebox full of thirteen audiotapes on his front step. Thinking nothing of it, he gets them out and starts to listen, soon finding out that they are audiotapes made by his first love, Hannah Baker. The Hannah Baker who commited suicide two weeks earlier.
As Clay listens to the tapes throughout the night, he discovers the thirteen reasons why Hannah killed herself. The Thirteen people who influenced her descision to kill herself. The thirteen people which includes Clay.



I don't quite yet know what I think of this book. It was done in a way so we read Hannah's tapes and got Clay's reactions to them as well. It also was done this way so you as a reader have to keep reading to know where Clay comes into the story. And even after you hear his, you want to read on. I must admit, I was more into the book after I found out how Clay came into it.
I think the reason why I'm not sure is because, it was so damn depressing. I mean, you're reading the script of a dead girl's suicide tapes that include 13 people's names for doing something completely idiotic to this poor girl. And also, I didn't get the end. The end was good and I like how there was a 'The Next Day' so you have an idea how Clay coped with it afterwards.
Now, I'm not saying I thought the book was bad. No way. I'm just unsure about my feelings and enjoyment of it. It's an incredible powerful, hard hitting book about a topic a lot of teenagers may go through.

The reasons relate around reputation and as a teenager myself, I know what it's like to try and uphold a decent reputation around school. It's hard. Everything you do is judged. That time you slipped over in the corridor, laughed about for weeks. The time you told a 'friend' something and they just go around a tell everyone else: you feel insecure for weeks. And although, an adult reading this might think that then, schools are messed up and the school I go to is terrible, it's life. Let's face it, everyone has 'those' moments. You just try and not have too many.
This is a gripping book for older teenagers due to the content within it and the references made.

I give it a 3 out of 5

Author's Website: http://www.thirteenreasonswhy.com/book.php

Want books that are cheaper? CHARITY SHOP TIME!

So while I should be doing some looovely Statistics coursework (Dear god. Someone help me. I think it has something against me). Seriously, you should see me right now surrounded by Maths book, numerous sheets of paper, pens, drink, calculator....urgh, I'm slightly further than I was.
So before I bore you with my wonderful description of spreadsheets and medians, I shall get to the point.

Today, I was in Oxfam tidying the books (I work there for anyone that didn't know) and I noticed a copy of Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. £1.99! Normal price, £6.99! So of course, I grabbed it and got it. But that isn't the first time, I got a copy of The Knife of Never Letting Go by the amazing Patrick Ness for just £1.99. I've seen lots of great books in there that I would buy if a) I hadn't read them yet or b) I wanted.
That's not it. I've seen lovely clothes in there. And I even bought a vintage style belt in there once for £2.99.

Looks gooood :) (UK Verson)

 Some people think that charity shops are smelly and have crap stuff in that were other peoples. But to be honest, from my experience in working in charity shops, they wouldn't take things that were like that. Got a stain on it? Throw it away. Needs steaming? Let me get the steamer and iron out. It's just that people don't realise these kind of things.

So. Moral of this post? If you're passing a charity shop that has a big selection of books in and have a bit of time and money, go in and have a look because I'm sure there might be something that might interest you. :)