Read Real Books!

Change of Heart, by Jodi Picoult. So far it’s about this guy who kills a little girl and her step father. He’s sentenced to death, waiting 11 years on death row, and decides he wants to donate his heart after he is put to death. The kicker is that the little girl he wants to donate it to just so happens to be the sister/daughter (unborn at the time that it happened) of the little girl and man that he murdered. I’m about to the middle and so far it’s really good. A series of unexplainable events occur in the prison where the murderer is locked up, to include a piece of chewing gum he passes along to his cell mate which subsequently cures the man’s AIDS like magic. The whole town becomes convinced that the guy is the Messiah and have come from all over seeking his apparent healing powers. It’s all very, “The Green Mile,” but as with all Jodi Picoult novels… I’m sucked in, and I look forward to finishing it.

What are you guys reading?

Finished this book a few weeks ago and it was an interesting read. The beginning and the end held my attention most as the middle got pretty bogged down in scientific history. I was much more interested in the ethical/sociological aspects. The story of the Lacks family was very interesting, though it was hard to not think Deborah Lacks is a bit crazy.

It was a fairly quick read for being non-fiction, but you can tell it was written by a scientist, not a writer. Interesting stuff though.

I’ve hardly had time for reading. I tried to get started on yet another Jodi Picoult novel. (Yes, I WILL read all her novels. She’s coming out with another one soon. Eek!) Is anyone else reading something good right now? I’d love to see a review, or some submissions. What are y’all feedin’ into your brains lately?

Just finished another awesome Picoult novel called Second Glance. A ghost story… I couldn’t put it down. Review to come soon.

This blog is a little, um, slow with the posts, so I was thinking if people aren’t reading a ton right now could you maybe post about books you’ve already read that you’ve loved or hated? Always looking for fresh book meat!

I’m just going to preface this by saying… I love Jodi Picoult. 

This was one of my favorite novels by Jodi Picoult that I’ve read. The story follows a woman, Zoe, a music therapist who struggles with infertility with her husband, Max. The book opens with a very pregnant Zoe about to attend her baby shower. During the shower, Zoe experiences cramping before she starts bleeding, and subsequently loses her baby, a son, at 28 weeks. She learns after the birth that she has a rare blood clotting disorder that will make any future pregnancy very risky for her. After years of fertility treatments, and now a stillborn, her husband Max decides he’s ready for a divorce when Zoe would rather risk her life to be a mother than pay attention to her failing marriage. 

After her divorce, Zoe finds a friend in Vanessa, a guidance counselor at a local high school who hired Zoe to work with an autistic student. Their friendship surprisingly blossoms into a romance, then a marriage, then talk of starting a family. Zoe has the idea to use the three leftover frozen embryos from her fertility treatments with Max to start her family with Vanessa. But there is just one problem. Max is a recovering alcoholic turned Evangelical Christian. 

Max unintentionally turns the embryos in question into a court custody battle. The issue being who is more fit to raise these unborn children? Will a heterosexual, strictly religious couple be better parents than a lesbian, open minded couple? Will one be able to afford better opportunities over the other? The court case turns into a battle of morals, and the ending is a satisfying surprise.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Jodi Picoult has the uncanny ability to hook you into her stories. Her writing style is brilliant, albeit repetitive, but you’ll find that each novel surprises you with the outcome. She always throws a twist in the story at just the right moment. Basically.. read this book. It rocks.

Rebecca Woolf’s blog was one of the first mom blogs I ran across when I began looking for interesting parenting blogs last summer. I liked it right off the bat, but something about it sat with me funny. As time went on, I really started to dislike her, but I couldn’t put my finger on why. It took a full year and reading her book to figure it out: she is perfectly imperfect. She is the mother I aspire to be.

When I ran across a copy of Rockabye at the used bookstore I couldn’t help but buy it. Quick synopsis: free spirit Rebecca unexpectedly finds herself pregnant at age 23 and marries her then boyfriend Hal. Both grow up fast to become parents. The book chronicles her pregnancy through the first few years of Archer’s life.

The book is so well written and candid. Woolf is not shy to share not only her joys, but her struggles as well. She fully admits that she’s not the perfect mom or the perfect wife. Her unique views of parenting and marriage are refreshing and inspiring. [For example, a few months ago she let her 2 year old daughther Fable pick out anything she wanted from a museum gift shop. Fable picked up a pocket size Kama Sutra book loving that it was so tiny. Woolf bought it, much to the chagrin of the saleswoman.]

I would recommend this book to any young parent, whether your pregnancy was planned or not. It’s an enjoyable, relatable read with some humor sewn in as well. Here are a few of my favorite passages:

I know there are probably thousands of like-minded moms out there, but where do I go to find them? It isn’t like dating. You can’t just meet some hot piece of mom bff at the local bar. You can’t just slip a phone number and pull the ole over-the-shoulder hair toss and wink wink, nudge nudge. I’m a fantastic flirt but a god-awful girlfriend-maker. I suck at making friends with women. I’m awkward and shy and say all the wrong things. I’m perpetually the new girl who no one invites to the slumber party.

Becoming a mother means splitting yourself in two. Squeezing new life from between two walls and becoming half mother, half self. But I believe there is room enough in every woman for passion and work and dreams and her children, for everything she wants with room for desert. Life is long.

To be completely honest I don’t fully believe the last quote, but I do hope it’s true. It’s given me something to strive for at least. And check out her blog. She’s 26 weeks pregnant with twin girls and her pregnant humor is my favorite so far.

Oh, and I want to be Rebecca Woolf when I grow up.

Despite the fact that I have TWO Jodi Picoult novels to work on, Tina Fey’s book to finish, and a few other informational type books that perked my interest to read… Today I could not help myself. I went to the bookstore. I purchased FOUR BOOKS. 

I don’t plan to read until I finish Jodi’s new novel Sing You Home. I just started it last night and I’m already hooked. But I’ll list the books a bought today.

First up: Lies Chelsea Handler Told Me

I’m a sucker for books by comedians. Female comedians in particular, which is why I also purchased: 

The husband started reading this one today. He was actually the one to pick it out. He’s already halfway through, and the dude doesn’t prefer to read all that much, so it must be good. Sarah Silverman is also smokin’ hot. 

I got this one, by Dan Abrams:

Couldn’t resist, because the cover of the book says why women are better at everything. 

And finally, a Chuck Palahniuk novel. Because Fight Club rocked:

I really don’t mind that I dropped 70 bucks on books today. I’m going to read them all, and they will be delightful. 

Finished this up last night and LOVED it. I didn’t realize it was a YA fiction book, but it was still good. Mattie Gokey is a 16 year old girl at the turn of the last century. As she is coming of age she has to choose between her current life on the family farm or the opportunity to go to college and become a writer. She struggles throughout the whole book with the decision. The murder of Grace Brown was really played up in all reviews of the book, but it was only a huge part of the plot for the first part of the book. The author didn’t mention it nearly as much in the last half.

Good book, quick read.