Julie's Review: A Spark of Light

Author: Jodi Picoult
Series: None
Publication Date: October 2, 2018
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 384
Obtained: publisher via NetGalley
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.5/5
Bottom Line: Humanizing a very polarizing subject matter
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab

Summary: The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center—a women’s reproductive health services clinic—its staff offering care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then, in late morning, a desperate and distraught gunman bursts in and opens fire, taking all inside hostage. After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, sets up a perimeter and begins making a plan to communicate with the gunman. As his phone vibrates with incoming text messages he glances at it and, to his horror, finds out that his fifteen-year-old daughter, Wren, is inside the clinic. But Wren is not alone. She will share the next and tensest few hours of her young life with a cast of unforgettable characters: A nurse who calms her own panic in order to save the life of a wounded woman. A doctor who does his work not in spite of his faith but because of it, and who will find that faith tested as never before. A pro-life protester, disguised as a patient, who now stands in the crosshairs of the same rage she herself has felt. A young woman who has come to terminate her pregnancy. And the disturbed individual himself, vowing to be heard. Told in a daring and enthralling narrative structure that counts backward through the hours of the standoff, this is a story that traces its way back to what brought each of these very different individuals to the same place on this fateful day. One of the most fearless writers of our time, Jodi Picoult tackles a complicated issue in this gripping and nuanced novel. How do we balance the rights of pregnant women with the rights of the unborn they carry? What does it mean to be a good parent? A Spark of Light will inspire debate, conversation . . . and, hopefully, understanding. ~amazon.com  

Review: A Spark of Light is no different than Ms. Picoult's other novels; she takes a sensitive subject and adds humanity to it. In this novel it's abortion and a shooting at a Center that performs abortions.  The story is told backwards so we are left with wondering what happens until the end of the book. This can be confusing at times but once you get into the characters and their stories you'll start to forget the backward timelines.

She gives each of the people in the Center a story and a reason for them being there. We meet Wren who is there for birth control with her Aunt because she didn't want to tell her father. Now her father is negotiating with the man who is holding them all hostage. We meet Dr. Ward who flies around the country performing abortion despite (or because) of his strong Catholic faith. He helps women who he feels have exhausted all the options. Then there is Joy who was there to have an abortion and was recovering from it. Perhaps the most shocking is Janine and her backstory or maybe it's not shocking at all. We have a nurse, Izzy, who is the real hero of the story due to her ability to jump in and save lives.

It is quite evident even before the authors note that she did her research for this subject matter. I don't really think that she aimed to change views but wants to make people understand the dangers of a world that thinks extremely on either end. It is dangerous for women to even walk into one of the clinics regardless that abortions is minor compared to all the other medical offerings.

 I highly recommend A Spark of Light for fans of well researched and complicated fiction.

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Julie's Review: Small Great Things

Author: Jodi Picoult
Series: None
Publication Date: October 11, 2016
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 480
Obtained: publisher via Netgalley
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: Her best and most insightful book to date
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab!

Summary: Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years’ experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she’s been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don’t want Ruth, who is African American, to touch their child. The hospital complies with their request, but the next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she obey orders or does she intervene? Ruth hesitates before performing CPR and, as a result, is charged with a serious crime. Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender, takes her case but gives unexpected advice: Kennedy insists that mentioning race in the courtroom is not a winning strategy. Conflicted by Kennedy’s counsel, Ruth tries to keep life as normal as possible for her family—especially her teenage son—as the case becomes a media sensation. As the trial moves forward, Ruth and Kennedy must gain each other’s trust, and come to see that what they’ve been taught their whole lives about others—and themselves—might be wrong. ~amazon.com  

Review: Small Great Things is a book that will make you uncomfortable. It will make you question your own biases, because let's be honest we all have them. I find that biases are based on experiences, either negative or positive. You will experience strong feelings while reading it and you SHOULD. This is one of those books that I felt the need to give my husband updates about, even if he wasn't going to read it. The interesting thing is a couple times he wanted to know what was going on, which he really never does.

Ruth is a great nurse, she knows her stuff, she's been doing it for 20 years. So she's not sure what she did to piss off  new parents after examining their newborn son when they ask to speak to her supervisor.  She's immediately pulled off the case and not to have any contact and then she see that there is a sticky note on the baby's file "No African-Americans". Which pissed her off and rightfully so. So when the baby has a medical emergency and Ruth is the only one in the room, she does what she's been trained to do, be a nurse.

Turk, is the father of the baby and the requester that Ruth be taken off their case. So it's easy to understand his distress when his baby dies and he's looking for someone to blame. Who easier to blame than Ruth, the black nurse. When tragedy happens, we look for someone to blame. Now don't get me wrong he's a despicable human being but he suffered a great loss and is grieving. The way he lashes out it horrific and eye opening. It is how the white supremacist movement operates now that is perhaps the scariest thing of this book. They aren't in your face, burning crosses (well some still do) but they could be your neighbor or your co-worker. They spew hate without thinking twice and it's not just if you are of a different race these days, they hate anyone who isn't like them. 

One of the things that has stuck with me since closing the novel is when Kennedy says that she now sees color instead of saying that she doesn't. Once we acknowledge there are difference based on race, perhaps that's when real talk, healing and change can happen. Until we try to walk in the shoes of those that are different than us and open our eyes to their struggles or challenges, we won't move forward.

We have made great strides in the last 50 years and I believe that we will continue to make those strides but only if we each make a conscious effort to understand each other. I highly recommend Small Great Things because it will make you think, pause and want to understand.



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Jenn's Review: Between the Lines

Summary: What happens when happily ever after... isn’t?

Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.

And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.

Delilah and Oliver work together to attempt to get Oliver out of his book, a challenging task that forces them to examine their perceptions of fate, the world, and their places in it. And as their attraction to each other grows along the way, a romance blossoms that is anything but a fairy tale.

Review:  I must confess, this is my first Jodi Picoult book, and it will probably be my last. That is, unless she plans to do more collaborations with her daughter because this is so ingenious! No knock on Ms. Picoult, it's just that her books are usually a little too serious for me, so I was surprised at how light this novel is.

Who hasn't imagined a happily ever after with a fictional character or imagined themself as the hero/heroine of the story? Here, the cloncept is explored in full. The novel is written in three voices, the children's book in which the characters live, Oliver, and Delilah. Though it has great potential to be confusing, it is cleverly set in three different fonts in three different colors interspersed with gorgeous illustrations and little cameo silhouettes which make things brilliantly clear. The story itself is nothing like I've read before. I loved the way the reader gets insight into both characters as the novel goes along. Delilah discovers that who she sees on the page is not exactly who each character is when the book is closed and that though she sometimes thinks she'd rather be anywhere than where she is, that's not really true. Oliver discovers that life outside the pages is more complex than he imagines, especially when you have to start considering others.

While I found the twist of the ending fun, I also thought it was rather abrupt. There was no real denoument to speak of and there were loose ends that could have been tied. I was left wondering about what was going to happen with several characters. Also, I felt a bit like some of the other characters, such as Delilah's best friend Jules, were filler, but I think that is more to do with the fact that the style in which it was written limits the amount of story you can tell.

All in all, Between the Lines is a brilliant concept and I sincerely hope that mother and daughter attempt to write together again. It's a creative, fun read and I highly recommend it.

Final Take:  4/5

Book to Movie: Salem Falls

Summary: Based on the best-selling Jodi Picoult book, former teacher Jack McBradden moves to Salem Falls after a student's crush led to false accusations and a wrongful conviction for sexual assault. He finds a job and settles into a new routine, but everything turns when a trio of teenage girls with dark secrets (lead by manipulative Gillian Duncan) maliciously target Jack with accusations of assaulting Gillian in the woods. Now at the center of a modern day witch-hunt, Jack must once again proclaim his innocence to a town searching for answers and the woman who has come to love him. ~mylifetimemovies.com

Review: Salem Falls is one of my favorite books by Jodi Picoult. I read it before I began blogging or I'd link you to my review. I think why I liked it so much is that the characters were so believable and genuine. Do I remember the details of the book, not really but I remember enough to say that the movie is pretty close to it. I think that's because Ms. Picoult is a Executive Producer on this one. I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan of James Van Der Beek but I don't dislike him either. He was definitely convincing as Jack and gave an understated performance. Sarah Carter was also excellent as Addie.

I definitely remember disliking Gillian and that doesn't change here either. For me, there was nothing redeeming about her until the end when the big reveal happened. Although even knowing that revelation, I still didn't have much sympathy watching the movie.

The movie is slow-paced and it doesn't really leave a lot of time to develop the relationship between Addie and Jack. You pretty much have to buy into it within 30 minutes. Perhaps this is because most of the viewers will have read the book and it's assumed you know all the background.

I was happy that Lifetime didn't shy away for the taboo subject matters that Salem Falls deals with because they could have easily swept it away.

All in all I enjoyed the movie, but if you haven't read the book, go pick it up. You won't regret it.


Final Take: 3.75/5

Julie's Review: House Rules

Summary: Jacob Hunt is a teenage boy with Asperger's syndrome. He's hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject--in his case, forensic analysis. He's always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do...and he's usually right. But then his town is rocked by a terrible murder and, for a change, the police come to Jacob with questions. All of the hallmark behaviors of Asperger's--not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches, flat affect--can look a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel. Suddenly, Jacob and his family, who only want to fit in, feel the spotlight shining directly on them. For his mother, Emma, it's a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. For his brother, Theo, it's another indication of why nothing is normal because of Jacob. And over this small family the soul-searing question looms: Did Jacob commit murder? Emotionally powerful from beginning to end, House Rules looks at what it means to be different in our society, how autism affects a family, and how our legal system works well for people who communicate a certain way--and fails those who don't. ~amazon.com

Review: Jodi Picoult is always good for plucking out a current issue and writing a book around the subject. House Rulesis no different as it concentrates on Asperger's Syndrome, which is on the Autism spectrum. We are introduced to 18 year old Jacob Hunt who has Asperger's and his family. Emma Hunt is a single mom since her husband walked out after Jacob's initial diagnosis. Theo Hunt is Jacob's younger brother that doesn't know what it's like to act like a younger brother.

While I enjoyed the book, I didn't love it. Believe me as a huge Jodi Picoult fan I wanted to love it. I liked all the characters but I didn't love them. I found Jacob profoundly funny at times and then I found extremely frustrating at others, which is no different that how his mom felt about him. I found the case interesting but I felt that the court case dragged on a bit and unlike most of her books, this ending left me with more questions than answers.

The book follows Picoult's typically successful formula but I don't think it worked as well with this book. Instead of getting a story about a family and their struggles with someone who is different; I felt that at times I was reading a book about Asperger's. Now I know the condition is critical to the story but at times it felt that the symptoms of Asperger's told the story instead of the reverse.

I did like the aspect of the forensic science playing an important part of the story. Jacob could definitely solve crimes but he wouldn't be able to identify with the victim or the victim's family.

I'm hoping that with her next book she moves away from her current formula and tries something new. Don't get me wrong I don't want her to totally abandon her style, maybe just tweak it. You already know that when you start her books and there's a sibling something serious is going on with them as well.

I will keep reading and buying Jodi because I do believe she's a gifted storyteller.

I also want to say that I'm not feeling the cover this time. Jacob is 18 in the novel, yet the boy on the cover seems between 8-10 years old. Doesn't seem to match the story.

Final Take: 3.75/5

An Hour with Jodi Picoult...again

On Wednesday my sister and I went to see Jodi Picoult read from her new book, House Rules and then answer questions. The only question she won't answer is about the end of any of her books. She doesn't want someone to ruin it for other fans.

She read 3 chapters from House Rules, each in a different character's voice. I love hearing an author read. It makes the characters even more real than they are when they already jump off the page.

After she read she took questions for 30 minutes and then she signed books. Of course, authors are like rock stars to me, so I wasn't going to miss out on this opportunity even though I did the same thing 2 years ago.

If you have an opportunity to see her or any author in your local area. I highly recommend it.

I was able to take some pictures as well.






Myself, Jodi and my sister, Rebecca

Book Alert: New Jodi Picoult Book

Ok, I know I always jump the gun with her books but I just can't resist. At this time there is no art work or but the title, House Rules and description definitely means that I will be reading it.

Synopsis: HOUSE RULES is about Jacob Hunt, a teenage boy with Asperger’s Syndrome. He’s hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject – in his case, forensic analysis. He’s always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do…and he’s usually right. But then one day his tutor is found dead, and the police come to question him. All of the hallmark behaviors of Asperger’s – not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches, inappropriate affect – can look a heck of a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel -- and suddenly, Jacob finds himself accused of murder. HOUSE RULES looks at what it means to be different in our society, how autism affects a family, and how our legal system works well for people who communicate a certain way – but lousy for those who don’t. ~jodipicoult.com

As always, she takes a very relevant social topic and puts an interesting spin on it. It's already on my wish list. As the book art becomes available, I'll keep you guys updated.

The book is set to be released on March 2, 2010.

Book to Movie: My Sister's Keeper

I'm going to start out by saying My Sister's Keeper is one of my all time favorite books. I bawled like a baby. So if you've read this blog with any regularity, you'd know that Lisa and I weren't very excited that Cameron Diaz was picked to play the matriarch, Sara. I will admit I was impressed with her performance. She actually made me feel more sympathetic towards Sara than I did while reading the book. I couldn't stand her in the book. I have to say all the performances were excellent. It was cast perfectly. Now, onto the book vs. movie.

I do think it's rare when the movie outshines the book and My Sister's Keeper was no different. Granted it's been about 2 years since I've read the book but it sticks with you. They definitely change it to suit the movie, but it's not all bad. They add a love interest for Kate which to me made her character more true to a teenager. Where the book was heavily centered on Anna, it wasn't in the movie and I do feel that some of the power of the book was lost because of that change. They also left out a couple of plot points that I thought were pertinent to the storyline, eg. Jesse's issues with drugs/alcohol. They also moved the setting of the book from New Hampshire to LA. Not that it's a big deal but I did spend sometime wondering how they afforded their house when Brian was a Firefighter. That's just me being nit picky.

Of course the ending was changed. Now it's not a bad ending, it's just not the ending of the book which I loved/hated. They did keep one major plot point consistent with the book which was appropriate.

I do have to say I loved Alec Baldwin as Campbell Alexander. He was perfect even if his role was diminished from the book to the movie. To me, they should have used him more.

All in all, it's entertaining, heart wrenching, family drama that's worth the price of a movie, even if it isn't the book. Now, I understand why Jodi was a bit disappointed with it.


Book to Movie: 3.75/5

Julie's Review: Handle With Care

Summary: Perennial bestseller Picoult (Change of Heart) delivers another engrossing family drama, spiced with her trademark blend of medicine, law and love. Charlotte and Sean O'Keefe's daughter, Willow, was born with brittle bone disease, a condition that requires Charlotte to act as full-time caregiver and has strained their emotional and financial limits. Willow's teenaged half-sister, Amelia, suffers as well, overshadowed by Willow's needs and lost in her own adolescent turmoil. When Charlotte decides to sue for wrongful birth in order to obtain a settlement to ensure Willow's future, the already strained family begins to implode. Not only is the defendant Charlotte's longtime friend, but the case requires Charlotte and Sean to claim that had they known of Willow's condition, they would have terminated the pregnancy, a statement that strikes at the core of their faith and family. Picoult individualizes the alternating voices of the narrators more believably than she has previously, and weaves in subplots to underscore the themes of hope, regret, identity and family, leading up to her signature closing twists.

Review: Last year I had heard Jodi Picoult speak on her new release for 2008's Change of Heart and she mentioned what her newest book was about and it sounded intriguing. Handle with Care doesn't disappoint. Parrallels have been drawn between this book and My Sister's Keeper. While there are similarities the books are very different. That being said Handle with Care is pretty close to being up there with My Sister's Keeper.
One thing I like about Ms. Picoult's writing is that she's consistent. Meaning you know how the story is going to be told and that it'll end up in a courtroom. If she changed that formula, I'd wonder who she had assigned to write her books. I know some people think this is getting old but I like it. As with most of her books I've read she doesn't disappoint. We are introduced to the O'Keefe family: Sean, Charlotte, Amelia and Willow. We see the story through their eyes which allows the reader to get the full story instead of one side. We also see the story through Marin and Piper's eyes. Marin is the attorney set to sue Charlotte's best friend, Piper for wrongful birth. Unlike My Sister's Keeper where I couldn't STAND the mom, I really felt for Charlotte. She loved Willow and couldn't imagine her life without her but at the same time she put her life on hold forever to care for this little girl.

My favorite character was Amelia. My heart definitely went out to her through the course of this novel. She was the forgotten kid. Sean and Charlotte were so focused on Willow that Amelia would be left to fend for herself. Amelia began to feel like since she wasn't physcially disabled that she didn't belong; so she begins to hurt herself. One thing Jodi always does well is bringing one main issue to light but then there's always subsequent issues that are highlighted in the book as well. This one is no different. All that Amelia wants is to be noticed and out of her sister's shadow.

I can't give too much away but there are a couple good twists right at the end. While this book didn't make me cry like many of her's do. I felt that the ending was fitting. It's tragic but not in the same way that My Sister's Keeper was tragic.

I can't say how I would handle having a special needs child but I'd like to think that I would rise to the occasion. What would you do if you knew at 17 weeks that you were going to have a disable child? Would you want someone to at least offer you the option of terminating? That's really what this novel comes down to, not if she loves her daughter or not. As with all Jodi's book, she makes you think out of your comfort level and for that I thank her.

Final Take: 4.5/5

To Re-Read or Not to Re-Read? That Is The Question.

I went to see a movie Friday night and I saw two trailers for movie adaptaions of popular novels. I have a love hate relationship with movie adaptions, as I am sure most avid readers do, and I struggle with whether to see a movie that's been adapted from a novel. I often struggle with something else - whether to re-read the book before going to see a movie, or not. It's a big investment of time to re-read a book and lately I haven't a lot of time to keep up with and read the things I usually want to (I still have no idea what Stephanie was up to in Fearless Fourteen). With 5 major adaptations coming to the theatre this year, I am seriously wondering whether to invest the time. For some I already know the answer to this question, but for others, I still really don't know. Perhaps you all could offer up an opinion?

The Books/Movies

Angels & Demons
(May 15) - I vaguely remember the plot of this book. Yeah, I remember the big themes, the ending and I absolutely remember this book being really good, however the details completely escape me. Knowing what I know about adaptations in general and remembering how extremely pissed off I was at the cop-out that was The DaVinci Code movie, I wonder if a re-read is warranted?

My Sister's Keeper
(June 26) - This was one of the trailers I saw the other night and I can already tell you there are departures from the book. I still believe this will be a major tearjerker, though, that's not my issue. This book was so very good and so heartbreaking that I knew when I was done that I couldn't never read this book again. I want to, but I'm not sure I can.

The Lovely Bones
(December 11) - Umm, I haven't read this yet, so I guess I'll be reading it.

The Time Traveler's Wife
(August 14th) - Have you read this book yet? Seriously, this is a must read. I read it when it first came out, and like Angels and Demons I can't recall a lot of the details. I have some serious love for this novel, so I really won't mind another visit.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
(July 15) - There's no question. Oh wait! Just one - Have you seen the new trailer?

Book to Movie: The Tenth Circle

When Julie alerted me to the fact that The Tenth Circlewas adapted as a Lifetime movie, I set my TiVo with decided ambivalence. Since then, it has taken me a little over a month to finally sit down and watch it. My expectations were low and as it happens I was smart not to expect much.

I will admit that it is quite unfair to judge a movie sight unseen, however history has taught me not to expect too much when I learn a book, especially a favorite, has been adapted. I have always firmly believed that there is no real way to adapt 400-odd pages of plot development, emotion and character development into 2 hour movie, a picture being worth 1000 words or no.

Jodi Picoult always packs her novels with twists, fills her characters with depth and emotion, giving us insight to their motivations, while leaving us with some questions. I read The Tenth Circle, when it was first released and haven't again since then, so I didn't remember much. Once the movie started, I was able to recall the larger plot points, which the movie seemed to follow, until three quarters of the way through, where the plot diverges. The juxtaposition of Daniel's comic and Dante's Divine comedy, central to the novel, is merely mentioned in the movie thereby stripped of it's importance.

Far more important than plot, is the emotions a book makes you feel, which is lost in the movie. You don't feel any of the confusion, desperation and despair, even though Kelly Preston and her co-stars do an adequate acting job.

This movie will be repeated continually giving you ample opportunities to view it, but I suggest you pick the book up and spend the two hours getting engrossed in Picoult's writing.

Final Take: 2/5

Julie's Review: Change of Heart

Summary: Picoult bangs out another ripped-from-the-zeitgeist winner, this time examining a condemned inmate's desire to be an organ donor. Freelance carpenter Shay Bourne was sentenced to death for killing a little girl, Elizabeth Nealon, and her cop stepfather. Eleven years after the murders, Elizabeth's sister, Claire, needs a heart transplant, and Shay volunteers, which complicates the state's execution plans. Meanwhile, death row has been the scene of some odd events since Shay's arrival—an AIDS victim goes into remission, an inmate's pet bird dies and is brought back to life, wine flows from the water faucets. The author brings other compelling elements to an already complex plot line: the priest who serves as Shay's spiritual adviser was on the jury that sentenced him; Shay's ACLU representative, Maggie Bloom, balances her professional moxie with her negative self-image and difficult relationship with her mother. Picoult moves the story along with lively debates about prisoner rights and religion, while plumbing the depths of mother-daughter relationships and examining the literal and metaphorical meanings of having heart. The point-of-view switches are abrupt, but this is a small flaw in an impressive book. ~amazon.com/Publisher's Weekly

Review: When I first read a brief summary of this book on Jodi's website about a year ago I wasn't sure what to think since a novel about the death penalty didn't seem too appealing but I will pretty much always read Jodi's books and I'm glad I didn't doubt this one. Jodi has a way of writing a book that in most cases you sympathize with the villain in the story. I have always enjoyed the way she writes the story from various points of view and I feel that in the case of her novels it always works well.

Change of Heart: A Novel is a novel about Shay Bourne and his quest for redemption and salvation by donating his heart. He believes that this is the only way that he will atone for his unforgivable crime(s). Strange occurrences start to happen to the people around Shay and to say he becomes a media frenzy would be to put it lightly. There are a whole cast of characters in this book that are all very pertinent to how the story is told and executed. My favorite character was either Maggie or Father Michael. They both seemed so real to me and went through a good amount of change during the story. Now I must say there are a few things I did see coming but I don't feel that they took away from the story, in fact I think they added to it. There are a couple of good twists that move the story in a different direction.

I grew up in a Christian home and have always found religion very interesting. This book talks about the Gnostic Gospels and how they were left out of the Bible because the Catholic Church felt they didn't follow the doctrine the church was preaching. The Gnostic Gospels seem to be more along the line of doing good things will make you more like Jesus. Now I think that obviously this was and is still controversial and I love that Jodi worked it into her book and it became very relevant. Now if you are looking for a profound take on the death penalty and religion this isn't the book for you but if you want to read a novel that will make you think about things in a new way Change of Heart: A Novel is a must read.

Final Take: 4.5/5

And the Winner is.....

Congratulations to Kierra & Sherry for winning a copy of Jodi Picoult's new book Change of Heart: A Novel

Want to know how I did it? I listed each commentor sequentially, with the second entry being the next in the sequence. Then I visited the handy dandy Random.org and voila!

Thank you all for participating in our giveaway! Surely there'll be more books to giveaway, so please keep your eyes peeled to this blog.

Kierra & Sherry, just send us an email and we'll sort out getting your book over to you ASAP!

An Hour with Jodi Picoult

Today was the day when I got to meet Jodi Picoult. Granted it wasn't one on one but in a local auditorium with about 100 other fans. She is fantastic! She is very down to earth and real. She was there to promote her new book Change of Heart: A Novel.

I've never been to an author symposium before so this was fun for me. My sister came with me for a day without the kids (OK the 5 week old was with us but we were toddler free).

Jodi read an excerpt from Change of Heart, which was absolutely wonderful to hear an author read their own work. How personal the characters are for her makes the reading all that more intense. She then took questions from the audience about her books and research she does for each of her books.

I did find out that she and 3 friends do children's theatre in her hometown. She writes it and the lyrics for the music, her other friend writes the music and the
3rd friend directs it. She stated that there is more humor in her plays than in her books but they deal with issues that are important to kids. I thought this was awesome.

The audience was comprised off all ages but mainly women, although there were a few men there. There were some young adults there also, which speaks to her ability to grab an audience of all ages with her subject matters.

I was able to get my 5 copies of Change of Heart autographed and 2 of those copies will be given away tomorrow. It was originally 1 copy but due to the response, we decided to do 2.

In May they will be having Chris Bohjalian in to talk about his body of work and his new book Skeletons at the Feast. I might have to take a long lunch to go to that one.

Win a Copy of "Change of Heart"

We have a copy of Change of Heart to give away. Please leave a comment here by midnight EST time March 12, 2008 to be automaticaly entered.

There is a great possiblity that this copy will be autographed by the author herself seeing that I'm going to go and see her speak next week.

For an even better chance to win, post about this contest on your own blog (linking back to this post) and your name will be entered twice! The winner will be announced on March 13, 2008.

ETA: I was able to get 2 autographed copies of Change of Heart to giveaway. So there will be 2 winners in this contest!!

Julie's Non Review: Songs of a Humpback Whale

I'm not even going to post the summary and all that jazz because well I'm not doing a review of this book...right now. I'll probably come back to it in a couple months but I wasn't feeling it.

I know I'm not into it when I've been reading it for a week and am only on page 50. Yes the new fall season of tv doesn't help but I've always found time for my reading before when tv has been this invovled.

So I'm going to reserve the right to call it back from the depths of my bookshelf and read at a later date.

Julie's Book Review: 19 Minutes

Summary:Set in Sterling, New Hampshire, Picoult offers reads a glimpse of what would cause a 17-year-old to wake up one day, load his backpack with four guns, and kill nine students and one teacher in the span of nineteen minutes. As with any Picoult novel, the answers are never black and white, and it is her exceptional ability to blur the lines between right and wrong that make this author such a captivating storyteller.

On Peter Houghton's first day of kindergarten, he watched helplessly as an older boy ripped his lunch box out of his hands and threw it out the window. From that day on, his life was a series of humiliations, from having his pants pulled down in the cafeteria, to being called a freak at every turn. But can endless bullying justify murder? As Picoult attempts to answer this question, she shows us all sides of the equation, from the ruthless jock who loses his ability to speak after being shot in the head, to the mother who both blames and pities herself for producing what most would call a monster. Surrounding Peter's story is that of Josie Cornier, a former friend whose acceptance into the popular crowd hangs on a string that makes it impossible for her to reconcile her beliefs with her actions.

At times, Nineteen Minutes can seem tediously stereotypical-- jocks versus nerds, parent versus child, teacher versus student. Part of Picoult's gift is showing us the subtleties of these common dynamics, and the startling effects they often have on the moral landscape. As Peter's mother says at the end of this spellbinding novel, "Everyone would remember Peter for nineteen minutes of his life, but what about the other nine million?"

Review: This is my 6th Jodi Picoult novel and I love her style of writing and the realism of her stories. She yet again tackles a very real and troubling current issue but from a different point of view than I was expecting. The book starts off a bit slow for me but it picks up the pace as the story progresses. There are many different issues at play in this book: guns, bullying, coming of age, drugs, emotional abuse, parent/child relationships and popularity. I don't think that one out weighs the other and Ms. Picoult weaves them splendily into her story.

She brought back Jordan McAfee who was in her previous books The Pactand Salem Falls as a defense lawyer. As with most of the stories I've read the climax of the book happens in the court room and it's a suitable climax and a suitable ending.

What struck me was how isolated teenagers can feel even when they have a strong support system. I think that all of us have been teased at one point or another but to resort to that kind of violence, it makes you wonder at what point someone snaps and that point is different for everyone. Another issue is bullying and how someone feels after being tormented for their whole lives.

As a parent this book scared the crap out of me. How do you reach out to your teenager? How do you keep the lines of communication open? How do you keep yourself knowing what they are upto/into without invading their privacy? It's a very thin line. One thing I know is that kids needs parents because they have friends.

I would recommend this book for every parent and child to read this book before they enter high school. If your child isn't getting bullied, there's a chance that they are doing the bullying.

The biggest lesson from this book is that our actions not only affect us but they affect other people.

Final Review: 4.5/5