House Rules

I love Jodi Picoult. This love started a few years ago when Lifetime aired the movie The Pact. I didn't even really like the movie so much but I saw at the beginning that it was based on a book and I could see how it would have been a good book. I looked it up to see who the author was, Picoult, and then bought the book from Borders the next time I was up there with my dad. It was amazing, and so much better than the movie. After reading it I really didn't like the movie at all. Anyways, that's how my love of Jodi Picoult novels began. I immediately starting reading all her other novels. At some point I caught up and now I have to wait till March to get the newest book. All that said, this year I was pretty disappointed.

I still think Picoult is an amazing author, but House Rules was just not my cup of tea. It would be a lot of peoples though. The story follows the trial of Jacob an 18 year old with Aspergers which is a disorder that falls on the autism spectrum. Jacob is obsessed with CSI work and ends up being the suspect and on trial for the murder of his tutor. The concept is still amazing to me and the book is well written and interesting as all of Picoult's novels are.

The problem for me is that I am one of 5 people in the world who hate CSI and turn the show off if it ends up on my tv screen by accident. The details and CSI info were a bit much for me since I am not into this stuff at all. Anyone who is though would probably love the book. Although I didn't enjoy this book as much as her other novels, I will still continue to list Picoult as my favorite author and continue to eagerly await a new book each March.

Secret 2

I had the last post secret book on my to read list but when I went to look it up I found out there was an even newer one. PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death, and God by Frank Warren. I actually liked the format of the newer one much better than the last few. It was smaller and more to the point and had some blurbs in between with interesting stories.

I guess the thing that draws me to this community and its books, is that its so universal. I look at some of the secrets and they make me think wow that is so sad, wonderful, unusual. Then there are others that I look at it and I think, hmm did I send that one in and forget? I've never sent one in, possibly because I'm so indecisive I could never really decide which secret to send. Either way I recommend the books and website, they are thought provoking.

Current Read: House Rules by Jodi Picoult (LOVE HER! new book every March!)

Secret

So Postsecret came about when I was in undergrad if I'm remembering correctly. At the least that is when I started to notice it. The concept is pretty cool, write down your deepest darkest secrets and send them in to a PO box. I recently read the two most recent post secret books. The Secret Lives of Men and Women by Frank Warren is one from 2007.

Overall a quick easy read and shows some fascinating secrets. Was more or less like the first two books though so slightly disappointing. If you've never checked out the website, it's pretty cool.

Save a Life

I promise I am not as far behind in books as I am in blog entries. I thought once finals were over I would have more time but somehow I am more busy than ever. Okay so the first one I finished awhile ago was To Save a Life: Stories of Holocaust Rescue by Ellen Land-Weber. It's a pretty amazing book. It was mentioned in my Jewish Studies class last quarter and I was curious enough about it to add it to my list.

It was tough to read and I found myself having to take long breaks from it. The stories are amazing but also heart breaking. I've had losses but I can't imagine losses such as the ones described. It was tough to read to and realize that there were some incredible survival stories, but mixed in there were some pretty horrifying details.

Rise and Shine

Finished listening to Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen. I have read other books by this same author and I enjoy the author, but I didn't really enjoy this book as much as I was anticipating I would. It wasn't terrible by any means but there was no real substance to it. The story never really went anywhere and then went to four years later in the last 15 pages to sum it all up.

I did enjoy that the main character was a social worker. I related to her work and found just listening to her work stories kept my attention. I also enjoyed that it took place in New York. The characters were interesting as they always are in Quindlen's books, but I just never really got into the book.

It tells the story of two sisters who lost their parents at a young age. One of the sisters is a world famous New York tv personality and the other is a social worker. The sister in tv says something on air she should not have and the book explores the way it changes the life of the family. I guess I didn't quite get what I expected to based on the summary. It was a good read, just not a great read and took some time to get into.

Current Listen: A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown

Singlehood

Finished laughing my way through Couplehood by Paul Reiser. I was a big fan of Mad About You and that might be why this book made it's way on the list. The book is very funny and I laughed at something on almost every page. I will say it's a bit outdated which is strange to say. The author discusses his frustration at new technology, the VCR, which would now be blue ray or DVD issues. The other thing that shows how outdated the book is, is that it is all about male female couples. I think had the book been written ten years later there might have been some same sex couple jokes included as well. Perhaps not but it was noticeable to me that it was written without these.

I recommend the book whether your in a couple or not. As I said it is a bit dated, but it's still a fun read that will keep you laughing.

Current Read: To Save a Life Stories of Holocaust Rescue by Ellen Land-Weber