Please reply to this post if you would like to see a favorite book be discussed in this online book club. I originally had a list of books I wanted to review for the summer, but have unfortunately deleted that post without meaning to. I have a few that I've recently read and wanted to review. I will list them below. As for suggestions- I'm ALWAYS open!!
The Tenth Circle- Jodi Picoult
Nineteen Minutes- Jodi Picoult
These Is My Words- Nancy E. Turner
The First Hour I Believed:A Novel- Wally Lamb
The Last Summer (of you and me)- Ann Brashares
The Help- Kathryn Stockett
What the Dead Know- Laura Lippman
The Lace Reader- Barry Brunonia
Plain Truth- Jodi Picoult
The Poisonwood Bible- Barbara Kingsolver
Outlander- Diana Gabaldon
The Sleeping Beauty Proposal- Sarah Strohmeyer
Sarah: Women of Genesis- Orson Scott Card
That should keep me busy for awhile. I do appreciate good book suggestions.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Next Book to Review...
Still Alice
By:Lisa Genova
Synopsis: Fifty year old Alice Howland, a world-renowned expert in linguistics and a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Still Alice is the story of the unraveling of Alice's life as her disease progresses.
By:Lisa Genova
Synopsis: Fifty year old Alice Howland, a world-renowned expert in linguistics and a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Still Alice is the story of the unraveling of Alice's life as her disease progresses.
"Good in Bed" Book Review
1. With Good in Bed, Jennifer Weiner has garnered a lot of early praise for her alternately hilarious and poignant dialogue, and also for her pitch-perfect ear in rendering the conversational rhythms of Cannie's first-person narrative voice. Looking back through the novel, what is it about the dialogue that works so well? In what ways does it serve to subtly develop each character's motivations and idiosyncrasies?
The dialogue of this particular novel is what makes it an easy read. You feel as though you are Cannie's best friend, seeing into her life more so than her actual best friend in the novel, Sammantha. You feel like Bruce broke up with YOU...he called YOU fat. You literally step into Cannie's life and it is refreshing to escape from your own life to do so. Yes, Cannie has problems...(big problems- and no, that's not a pun). As I tried to figure out how Cannie felt, I realized I was actually figuring out how I felt. Overall, it really worked for Weiner to tell this story from Cannie's perspective.
2. Discuss, in connection with the previous question, the specific tone and quality of Cannie Shapiro's voice. What techniques does Weiner employ to make Cannie's musings and descriptions come across so intimately? What sets the author's style apart from that of other contemporary authors? To which novelists would you say Weiner bears the closest comparison?
To put it simply, Weiner doesn't hold anything back. Cannie messes up just like we would. She speaks freely which is so refreshing. The vocabulary didn't require the reader to pick up a dictionary. She was a down-to-earth character with real-life issues/problems. Of the recent books I have read, Jennifer Weiner most closely resembles the work of Adena Halpern who wrote, "The Ten Best Days of My Life." Although I like Jennifer Weiner's work much better.
3. Cannie Shapiro is, among other things, a woman struggling to emerge from the shadow cast by her father's emotional abuse and aggressive abandonment. How successful is she, finally, in doing so?
Throughout the novel, I felt as though Cannie never really played the "victim". She did not have "victim mentality" which was delightful to see. She goes through some pain. She holds onto the past. In the end, she forgives and moves on from her past. It is truly refreshing.
4. In what ways do we see the painful legacy of Cannie's early relationship with her father (whom she dubs "the Original Abandoner") at work in the action of this novel, affecting the tenor of Cannie's relationships, choices, and/or motivations? To what degree can we view Bruce as a stand-in for her father?
When learning of her "abandonment" from her father, I felt as though Cannie was a typical person. She was not Cinderella nor a "wicked stepsister". She was a normal person with normal problems and normal outcomes. Some days were harder than others. I do not feel that Cannie will EVER abandon her daughter although when her daughter was in the hospital for such a long period of time, I felt like she abandoned her a bit. She also abandoned hope for her daughter. In the end, she learned how to live life without holding the past responsible for the future though. It ended well. As far as Bruce goes, I feel like Cannie actually abandoned Bruce before he abandoned her. It was a good lesson to learn. You cannot always get what you want when you want it. Cannie had to learn this the hard way. Bruce did not come back to her, even though she needed him badly. He abandoned the baby but he did not abandon Cannie.
5. "Maybe," Bruce writes in his notorious Moxie debut, "it was the way I'd absorbed society's expectations, its dictates of what men are supposed to want and how women are supposed to appear. More likely, it was the way she had. C. was a dedicated foot soldier in the body wars....C. couldn't make herself invisible. But I know that if it were possible -- if all the slouching and slumping and shapeless black jumpers could have erased her from the physical world, she would have gone in an instant." With these lines, from the novel's opening chapter, Weiner begins to lay the framework for the larger themes that temper, texture, and lend weight to the comedy and romance propelling Cannie's story. What are these themes and issues, and how are they developed throughout the rest of the novel?
Accepting larger women, accepting yourself as a larger woman, depression and trying to disappear, and confidence and the lack thereof are the themes that I felt portrayed throughout the novel. In the beginning, we learn that Bruce noticed Cannie's lack of confidence in herself. She was a bright, successful person who didn't see anything in herself except a fat girl who could never be loved. She ends up going through quite a depression towards the end of the novel, which needed to happen in order for her to become the person that she could ultimately love herself and allow Dr. K to love in return.
6. The real-life specter of the Lewinsky-Clinton debacle looms in the background of this novel's fictional landscape. How does the Monica Lewinsky scandal -- and, more to the point, the witheringly cruel and petty reception that accompanied Lewinsky's emergence in media stories -- speak to the novel's portraits of male-female relationships in a body-obsessed culture?
I'm sure that I'm not the only one who thought, "What would a fat person NOT do in today's society to feel loved," when I heard of what Monica Lewinsky did with Bill Clinton. In today's society, larger women are looked down upon. I don't think it has anything to do with their confidence, their intellect, or whether or not they are well-off financially. Society cannot look past the fact that they are large. They automatically assume that they are lazy and just "do not care" about their bodies. That couldn't be farther from the truth. (At least in my perspective!)
7. How accurate is it to say that body fat has become, as Bruce writes in his column, "the only safe target in our politically correct world," the last "acceptable" object of societal prejudice? Where do we see this sort of prejudice at work? And in our advertising-drenched, consumer-driven society, where beauty and youth seem to be the chief signifiers of power and happiness, what are the implications and consequences of this prejudice?
It is EXTREMELY accurate to say that the last "acceptable" object of societal prejudice is based on how someone looks as far as body fat is concerned. Alot of companies offer "gym money" as a perk. They don't want someone "fat" representing their company. Fat=lazy and who would want to depend on a "lazy" person for anything in business? As far as the later part of this question- have you ever seen a "fat" person on the cover of any magazine unless it is making fun of them or commenting on how much weight someone had gained? I sure haven't.
8. How do Cannie's understandings of and feelings about her mother's relationship with Tanya evolve over the course of this story?
This was a hard part for me to tolerate in the story. I have nothing against people who are gay, but when you are affecting a family including children, or dissolving a marriage to be with your "partner," that is when I have a problem with it. Cannie comes around in the end as far as tolerating Tanya and the relationship she has with her mother, but I still don't feel as though Cannie absolutely comes to terms with it and is just fine with everything. She will always have feelings of confusion when it comes to her mother. It is just life. I would react the same way- so I completely understand Cannie's position on the matter.
9. Are Tanya's cloying penchants for therapy-speak, rainbow flags, and "tofurkey" enough to justify the hostile attitude and relentlessly barbed humor Cannie directs toward her? Why or why not? In what way might the absence of Cannie's father be contributing to her animosity? What else?
Yes, Cannie had every right to deal with Tanya the way she did. Of course we are not to judge others...that's God's place. However, Cannie dealt with hardships by using humor. I found it hillarious and not at all offensive. Cannie is obviously still upset about her father's absense in her and her siblings' lives. She blames Tanya for this because it is the easiest way to deal with the circumstances.
10. Recalling a lecture from Psych 101 on the behavioral effects of random reinforcement, Cannie realizes that she's "become [her] father's rat." What is going on here? Unpack the meanings of Cannie's metaphor, and discuss how it relates to her subsequent relationships with men.
Her father always told her she was a second-class citizen because she was fat. It got to the point where her father actually left her and her family to pursue another family in hopes that he could just "quit" the old one. Cannie's metaphor means that she was the experiment for her father. He tried with her and succeeded with his new family. She was the trial run. Because she had such a difficult time with her father, she shut out men before they could leave her. That's what happened with Bruce.
11. Rate this book on a scale of 1-5. Write any comments below.
I would rate this book a 3. It touched me as I deal with some of the above-mentioned issues that Cannie dealt with. I laughed with her, got depressed when she did, and totally understood her every move. I really related well with her. I am not much of a chic-lit type of girl. That is why only a 3. However, this book is probably one of my fave chic-lit books I have read. Hope you enjoyed!!
The dialogue of this particular novel is what makes it an easy read. You feel as though you are Cannie's best friend, seeing into her life more so than her actual best friend in the novel, Sammantha. You feel like Bruce broke up with YOU...he called YOU fat. You literally step into Cannie's life and it is refreshing to escape from your own life to do so. Yes, Cannie has problems...(big problems- and no, that's not a pun). As I tried to figure out how Cannie felt, I realized I was actually figuring out how I felt. Overall, it really worked for Weiner to tell this story from Cannie's perspective.
2. Discuss, in connection with the previous question, the specific tone and quality of Cannie Shapiro's voice. What techniques does Weiner employ to make Cannie's musings and descriptions come across so intimately? What sets the author's style apart from that of other contemporary authors? To which novelists would you say Weiner bears the closest comparison?
To put it simply, Weiner doesn't hold anything back. Cannie messes up just like we would. She speaks freely which is so refreshing. The vocabulary didn't require the reader to pick up a dictionary. She was a down-to-earth character with real-life issues/problems. Of the recent books I have read, Jennifer Weiner most closely resembles the work of Adena Halpern who wrote, "The Ten Best Days of My Life." Although I like Jennifer Weiner's work much better.
3. Cannie Shapiro is, among other things, a woman struggling to emerge from the shadow cast by her father's emotional abuse and aggressive abandonment. How successful is she, finally, in doing so?
Throughout the novel, I felt as though Cannie never really played the "victim". She did not have "victim mentality" which was delightful to see. She goes through some pain. She holds onto the past. In the end, she forgives and moves on from her past. It is truly refreshing.
4. In what ways do we see the painful legacy of Cannie's early relationship with her father (whom she dubs "the Original Abandoner") at work in the action of this novel, affecting the tenor of Cannie's relationships, choices, and/or motivations? To what degree can we view Bruce as a stand-in for her father?
When learning of her "abandonment" from her father, I felt as though Cannie was a typical person. She was not Cinderella nor a "wicked stepsister". She was a normal person with normal problems and normal outcomes. Some days were harder than others. I do not feel that Cannie will EVER abandon her daughter although when her daughter was in the hospital for such a long period of time, I felt like she abandoned her a bit. She also abandoned hope for her daughter. In the end, she learned how to live life without holding the past responsible for the future though. It ended well. As far as Bruce goes, I feel like Cannie actually abandoned Bruce before he abandoned her. It was a good lesson to learn. You cannot always get what you want when you want it. Cannie had to learn this the hard way. Bruce did not come back to her, even though she needed him badly. He abandoned the baby but he did not abandon Cannie.
5. "Maybe," Bruce writes in his notorious Moxie debut, "it was the way I'd absorbed society's expectations, its dictates of what men are supposed to want and how women are supposed to appear. More likely, it was the way she had. C. was a dedicated foot soldier in the body wars....C. couldn't make herself invisible. But I know that if it were possible -- if all the slouching and slumping and shapeless black jumpers could have erased her from the physical world, she would have gone in an instant." With these lines, from the novel's opening chapter, Weiner begins to lay the framework for the larger themes that temper, texture, and lend weight to the comedy and romance propelling Cannie's story. What are these themes and issues, and how are they developed throughout the rest of the novel?
Accepting larger women, accepting yourself as a larger woman, depression and trying to disappear, and confidence and the lack thereof are the themes that I felt portrayed throughout the novel. In the beginning, we learn that Bruce noticed Cannie's lack of confidence in herself. She was a bright, successful person who didn't see anything in herself except a fat girl who could never be loved. She ends up going through quite a depression towards the end of the novel, which needed to happen in order for her to become the person that she could ultimately love herself and allow Dr. K to love in return.
6. The real-life specter of the Lewinsky-Clinton debacle looms in the background of this novel's fictional landscape. How does the Monica Lewinsky scandal -- and, more to the point, the witheringly cruel and petty reception that accompanied Lewinsky's emergence in media stories -- speak to the novel's portraits of male-female relationships in a body-obsessed culture?
I'm sure that I'm not the only one who thought, "What would a fat person NOT do in today's society to feel loved," when I heard of what Monica Lewinsky did with Bill Clinton. In today's society, larger women are looked down upon. I don't think it has anything to do with their confidence, their intellect, or whether or not they are well-off financially. Society cannot look past the fact that they are large. They automatically assume that they are lazy and just "do not care" about their bodies. That couldn't be farther from the truth. (At least in my perspective!)
7. How accurate is it to say that body fat has become, as Bruce writes in his column, "the only safe target in our politically correct world," the last "acceptable" object of societal prejudice? Where do we see this sort of prejudice at work? And in our advertising-drenched, consumer-driven society, where beauty and youth seem to be the chief signifiers of power and happiness, what are the implications and consequences of this prejudice?
It is EXTREMELY accurate to say that the last "acceptable" object of societal prejudice is based on how someone looks as far as body fat is concerned. Alot of companies offer "gym money" as a perk. They don't want someone "fat" representing their company. Fat=lazy and who would want to depend on a "lazy" person for anything in business? As far as the later part of this question- have you ever seen a "fat" person on the cover of any magazine unless it is making fun of them or commenting on how much weight someone had gained? I sure haven't.
8. How do Cannie's understandings of and feelings about her mother's relationship with Tanya evolve over the course of this story?
This was a hard part for me to tolerate in the story. I have nothing against people who are gay, but when you are affecting a family including children, or dissolving a marriage to be with your "partner," that is when I have a problem with it. Cannie comes around in the end as far as tolerating Tanya and the relationship she has with her mother, but I still don't feel as though Cannie absolutely comes to terms with it and is just fine with everything. She will always have feelings of confusion when it comes to her mother. It is just life. I would react the same way- so I completely understand Cannie's position on the matter.
9. Are Tanya's cloying penchants for therapy-speak, rainbow flags, and "tofurkey" enough to justify the hostile attitude and relentlessly barbed humor Cannie directs toward her? Why or why not? In what way might the absence of Cannie's father be contributing to her animosity? What else?
Yes, Cannie had every right to deal with Tanya the way she did. Of course we are not to judge others...that's God's place. However, Cannie dealt with hardships by using humor. I found it hillarious and not at all offensive. Cannie is obviously still upset about her father's absense in her and her siblings' lives. She blames Tanya for this because it is the easiest way to deal with the circumstances.
10. Recalling a lecture from Psych 101 on the behavioral effects of random reinforcement, Cannie realizes that she's "become [her] father's rat." What is going on here? Unpack the meanings of Cannie's metaphor, and discuss how it relates to her subsequent relationships with men.
Her father always told her she was a second-class citizen because she was fat. It got to the point where her father actually left her and her family to pursue another family in hopes that he could just "quit" the old one. Cannie's metaphor means that she was the experiment for her father. He tried with her and succeeded with his new family. She was the trial run. Because she had such a difficult time with her father, she shut out men before they could leave her. That's what happened with Bruce.
11. Rate this book on a scale of 1-5. Write any comments below.
I would rate this book a 3. It touched me as I deal with some of the above-mentioned issues that Cannie dealt with. I laughed with her, got depressed when she did, and totally understood her every move. I really related well with her. I am not much of a chic-lit type of girl. That is why only a 3. However, this book is probably one of my fave chic-lit books I have read. Hope you enjoyed!!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Next Book to Review...
It is a chic lit book with a trashy title...however not a trashy chic lit book (if that makes sense!!)
Welcoming... "Good In Bed" by Jennifer Weiner
Welcoming... "Good In Bed" by Jennifer Weiner
Is Anyone Out There?
Please comment and leave your name so I know if anyone at all is reading this blog... Thanks!!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
TOP TEN REASONS TO READ...
10 Benefitsof Reading...
1) Reading is an active mental process:
2) Reading improves your vocabulary:
3) Gives you a glimpse into other cultures and places of the world:
4) Improves concentration and focus:
5) Builds self-esteem:
6) Improves memory:
7) Improves your discipline:
8) Improves creativity:
9) You always have something to talk about:
10) Reduces boredom:
So, bottom line is:
1) Reading is an active mental process:
2) Reading improves your vocabulary:
3) Gives you a glimpse into other cultures and places of the world:
4) Improves concentration and focus:
5) Builds self-esteem:
6) Improves memory:
7) Improves your discipline:
8) Improves creativity:
9) You always have something to talk about:
10) Reduces boredom:
So, bottom line is:
READ!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
First Official Review... "Change of Heart" by Jodi Picoult
"Change of Heart" by Jodi Picoult
This review will contain spoilers. If you have not yet read the book, please DO NOT READ until you are finished. Then share your thoughts and review of the book by posting a comment!!
1)If you were June Nealon, would you have accepted Shay's heart for your daughter?
Although I believe it would be terribly difficult, I would accept Shay's heart for my daughter. I believe that it would give her a prolonged life which would also be of good quality. I don't believe that the fact that the heart belonged to Shay would change the person that her daughter already was.
2)Why were so many people quick to believe that Shay was a messiah? Did you find the fact that people would deify someone on death row believable?
This question can really bring about alot of debate. It is controversial. That doesn't mean that we're not going to answer it though. This is a forum for stating your beliefs and your convictions. If you feel like you can't do that, isn't it similar to not having freedom of speech? Just a thought. As far as the question goes- I believe that people were so quick to believe that Shay was a messiah because they were looking everywhere for hope. Hope is a powerful thing. It can change people's lives. I believe that those that believed that Shay was a messiah were looking for an answer to their problems on Earth- whether that be their sick child or their own discouragements. Without hope there is fear. They are equal opposites. You cannot fear for death, yet be optimistic about fighting a fatal disease. Fear and hope can not coexist.
As far as people deifying someone on death row, I believe it is possible. Just because someone was convicted of a crime punishable by death, does not mean they are necessarily guilty. As Picoult showcases in this novel, Shay Bourne was NOT guilty in his mind. He was hung unnecessarily. It does go to debate though- Do you think we as mortal humans have the right to decide whether we are helping someone by killing them? Tough question to ponder.
3)Did June ever forgive Shay? Do you think she came to believe he may have been innocent?
I absolutely think that June forgave Shay. I know it did not come easy, however I also believe that she came to the realization that he was innocent.
4)Do you think Picoult did a good job developing the characters? Were they believable?
One of the many reasons I adore Picoult's novels is the mere fact that she wraps you into the characters as if you are actually in their shoes. She has a real knack for getting inside their heads no matter who the character is. The beginning of the novel was not quite believable. I later found out that the characters in "Change of Heart" were from a previous novel in which makes more sense. To think that June Nealon had gone through so much in the first chapter or two of the book was a stretch. I kept telling friends of mine that I feel as though she could have written a novel just about the first chapter. Apparently she actually did. Good.
5)What do you think about the death penalty? Did Change of Heart make you question your beliefs?
I am not for the death penalty. I believe that we cannot take the place of God and do not have the power to determine life. I have always felt this way. I feel the same about abortion. Who are we to choose to end a life. That's God's job. Also, I feel that we have free agency for a reason. It is to test us here on Earth so that we can learn to make the correct decisions. If there were no consequences for bad decisions, then why would anyone choose the tougher (and righter) way? Change of Heart did not make me change or question my beliefs. I did happen to think that Picoult was going to make Shay Bourne a saviour in the book. I was ecstatic with the way she chose to end the book. I truly hope they make this into a movie. It would be a great and suspenseful one!!
6)What role did Lucius play in the story? Do you think Shay healed him?
Lucius was an odd character. I didn't agree with his actions. I believed he did belong in jail. I think the way we see what goes on behind bars is through Lucius. Without his character, we wouldn't have been able to see the conflict amongst the other inmates, the remorse that Lucius had for Bourne, and the "miracle" that Bourne performed. As far as that goes- I think Shay healed him in the sense that he gave him hope. Again, without hope all is lost. Shay performing "miracles" allowed the inmates to have hope that he would help them. The mind is a very powerful thing. Lucius believed that he could be healed in the depths of his mind and was able to do so, temporarily. OR, another way to think could possibly be that everything was just awesome timing. Lucius was in a temporary remission that coincided with Bourne being an inmate. With the human mind, I truly believe that if one honestly told themselves that the sky was really white,(not blue) that they could believe it as if it were the only way for the sky to be. You can talk yourself into anything, which is what I think the people who believed that Bourne was a saviour did.
7)Picoult says she tried "to write about religion responsibly". Do you think she succeeded? Did Change of Heart make you question your beliefs?
I think Picoult wrote a terrific novel. It makes the reader question what they believe in. It talks about controversial topics such as the death penalty, rape, and social injustice. It speaks of the Bible amongst other "scripture" that I wasn't familiar with. She truly is a gifted author who researches her topics quite extensively and it shows.
8)Why do you think June invited Shay's sister over at the end?
I think June inviting Shay's sister over at the end shows her compassion toward Bourne and her forgiveness of the situation that took her daughter's and her husband's lives. It was her way of making the wrong, right. She was redeeming herself and it made for a terrific ending.
9)Rate Change of Heart on a scale of 1 to 5.
On a scale of 1-5, I would give "Change of Heart" a 4 1/2. I thought it was thought-provoking, well-written, and an honest-to-good suspenseful read. I would recommend it to anyone over 18. I thought the topics were not meant for a younger audience. Anyone who is going through trials would enjoy getting lost in this book, realizing that their trials are far less than others written about in this novel. Overall- Great job Picoult!! I will continue reading your books. You are my favorite author.
This review will contain spoilers. If you have not yet read the book, please DO NOT READ until you are finished. Then share your thoughts and review of the book by posting a comment!!
1)If you were June Nealon, would you have accepted Shay's heart for your daughter?
Although I believe it would be terribly difficult, I would accept Shay's heart for my daughter. I believe that it would give her a prolonged life which would also be of good quality. I don't believe that the fact that the heart belonged to Shay would change the person that her daughter already was.
2)Why were so many people quick to believe that Shay was a messiah? Did you find the fact that people would deify someone on death row believable?
This question can really bring about alot of debate. It is controversial. That doesn't mean that we're not going to answer it though. This is a forum for stating your beliefs and your convictions. If you feel like you can't do that, isn't it similar to not having freedom of speech? Just a thought. As far as the question goes- I believe that people were so quick to believe that Shay was a messiah because they were looking everywhere for hope. Hope is a powerful thing. It can change people's lives. I believe that those that believed that Shay was a messiah were looking for an answer to their problems on Earth- whether that be their sick child or their own discouragements. Without hope there is fear. They are equal opposites. You cannot fear for death, yet be optimistic about fighting a fatal disease. Fear and hope can not coexist.
As far as people deifying someone on death row, I believe it is possible. Just because someone was convicted of a crime punishable by death, does not mean they are necessarily guilty. As Picoult showcases in this novel, Shay Bourne was NOT guilty in his mind. He was hung unnecessarily. It does go to debate though- Do you think we as mortal humans have the right to decide whether we are helping someone by killing them? Tough question to ponder.
3)Did June ever forgive Shay? Do you think she came to believe he may have been innocent?
I absolutely think that June forgave Shay. I know it did not come easy, however I also believe that she came to the realization that he was innocent.
4)Do you think Picoult did a good job developing the characters? Were they believable?
One of the many reasons I adore Picoult's novels is the mere fact that she wraps you into the characters as if you are actually in their shoes. She has a real knack for getting inside their heads no matter who the character is. The beginning of the novel was not quite believable. I later found out that the characters in "Change of Heart" were from a previous novel in which makes more sense. To think that June Nealon had gone through so much in the first chapter or two of the book was a stretch. I kept telling friends of mine that I feel as though she could have written a novel just about the first chapter. Apparently she actually did. Good.
5)What do you think about the death penalty? Did Change of Heart make you question your beliefs?
I am not for the death penalty. I believe that we cannot take the place of God and do not have the power to determine life. I have always felt this way. I feel the same about abortion. Who are we to choose to end a life. That's God's job. Also, I feel that we have free agency for a reason. It is to test us here on Earth so that we can learn to make the correct decisions. If there were no consequences for bad decisions, then why would anyone choose the tougher (and righter) way? Change of Heart did not make me change or question my beliefs. I did happen to think that Picoult was going to make Shay Bourne a saviour in the book. I was ecstatic with the way she chose to end the book. I truly hope they make this into a movie. It would be a great and suspenseful one!!
6)What role did Lucius play in the story? Do you think Shay healed him?
Lucius was an odd character. I didn't agree with his actions. I believed he did belong in jail. I think the way we see what goes on behind bars is through Lucius. Without his character, we wouldn't have been able to see the conflict amongst the other inmates, the remorse that Lucius had for Bourne, and the "miracle" that Bourne performed. As far as that goes- I think Shay healed him in the sense that he gave him hope. Again, without hope all is lost. Shay performing "miracles" allowed the inmates to have hope that he would help them. The mind is a very powerful thing. Lucius believed that he could be healed in the depths of his mind and was able to do so, temporarily. OR, another way to think could possibly be that everything was just awesome timing. Lucius was in a temporary remission that coincided with Bourne being an inmate. With the human mind, I truly believe that if one honestly told themselves that the sky was really white,(not blue) that they could believe it as if it were the only way for the sky to be. You can talk yourself into anything, which is what I think the people who believed that Bourne was a saviour did.
7)Picoult says she tried "to write about religion responsibly". Do you think she succeeded? Did Change of Heart make you question your beliefs?
I think Picoult wrote a terrific novel. It makes the reader question what they believe in. It talks about controversial topics such as the death penalty, rape, and social injustice. It speaks of the Bible amongst other "scripture" that I wasn't familiar with. She truly is a gifted author who researches her topics quite extensively and it shows.
8)Why do you think June invited Shay's sister over at the end?
I think June inviting Shay's sister over at the end shows her compassion toward Bourne and her forgiveness of the situation that took her daughter's and her husband's lives. It was her way of making the wrong, right. She was redeeming herself and it made for a terrific ending.
9)Rate Change of Heart on a scale of 1 to 5.
On a scale of 1-5, I would give "Change of Heart" a 4 1/2. I thought it was thought-provoking, well-written, and an honest-to-good suspenseful read. I would recommend it to anyone over 18. I thought the topics were not meant for a younger audience. Anyone who is going through trials would enjoy getting lost in this book, realizing that their trials are far less than others written about in this novel. Overall- Great job Picoult!! I will continue reading your books. You are my favorite author.
Monday, June 8, 2009
New Blog Site for Book Reviews!
I wanted to start this website so viewers can see my reviews on certain books. I would love to see lots of followers to this site. I have recently become an avid fiction reader and wanted another outlet to vent about books and review them as well. I am a member of Goodreads.com which I would recommend to everyone. It is a great site similar to facebook where you can find your friends and post what you are planning to read, what you have read, and what you are currently reading. It also has the capabilities for users to read book reviews and rate the books that they have read. It will send you updates as your friends update their profile/status. I plan on using this website as a forum for a summer bookclub. If interested in joining, please reply to this post or email me at staceyro@insightbb.com. I will publish a post and then other book club members will be able to reply to the post with their thoughts and reviews. We can then have an ongoing conversation through post replies. Now that I have told you about the site, I am going to get together a group of books that would be fun summer reads. Look forward to hearing from you!!
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