BSchultz19

I finished Plain Truth today and due to some pushing and suggesting that I should really give it a go, I will be starting 11/22/63 sometime today.

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult Summary Jodi Picoult has touched readers deeply with her acclaimed novels, such as Keeping Faith and The Pact. Gifted with a remarkable ability to make us share her characters' feelings (People), Picoult now explores the complex choices of the heart for a young Amish woman -- the compelling journey of discovery for an urban lawyer who befriends and protects her. The small town of Paradise, Pennsylvania, is a jewel in Lancaster County -- known for its picture-postcard landscapes and bucolic lifestyle. But that peace is shattered by the discovery of a dead infant in the barn of an Amish farmer. A police investigation quickly leads to two startling disclosures: the newborn's mother is an unmarried Amish woman, eighteen-year-old Katie Fisher. And the infant did not die of natural causes. Although Katie denies the medical proof that she gave birth to the child, circumstantial evidence leads to her arrest for the murder of her baby. One hundred miles away, Philadelphia defense attorney Ellie Hathaway has achieved an enviable, high-profile career. But her latest court victory has set the sands shifting beneath her. Single at thirty-nine and unsatisfied with her relationship, Ellie doesn't look back when she turns down her chance to make partner and takes off for an open-ended stay at her great-aunt's home in Paradise. Fate brings her to Katie Fisher. Suddenly, Ellie sees the chance to defend a client who truly needs her, not just one who can afford her. But taking on this case challenges Ellie in more ways than one. She finds herself not only in a clash of wills with a client who does not want to be defended but also in a clash of cultures with a people whose channels of justice are markedly different from her own. Immersing herself in Katie Fisher's life -- and in a world founded on faith, humility, duty, and honesty -- Ellie begins to understand the pressures and sacrifices of those who to live plain. As she peels away the layers of fact and fantasy, Ellie calls on an old friend for guidance. Now, just as this man from Ellie's past reenters her life, she must uncover the truth about a complex case, a tragic loss, the bonds of love -- and her own deepest fears and desires. Moving seamlessly from psychological drama to courtroom suspense, Plain Truth is a triumph of contemporary storytelling. Jodi Picoult presents a fascinating portrait of Amish life rarely witnessed by those outside the faith -- and discovers a place where circumstances are not always what they seem, where love meets falsehood, and where relationships grow strong enough to span two worlds (from goodreads) Opinions Fun fact: This is only the second book in the last six that I've read that doesn't begin with the word "the," which I found interesting. Anyway, this book was good and very different but also similar to the other books that I've read by Picoult. Once again she explores a facet of our society that is often not easily discussed in literature. This one happens to involve the Amish and neonaticide, which is the killing of a newborn baby. Also once again she goes out and does large amounts of research to learn about the world that she is placing her story in. I loved how this story dived right into the lives of the Amish people and how their view of the legal system is so entirely different from the American legal system, yet they fall under the jurisdiction of the Constitution and local and state laws. It was interesting to see this two legal worlds collide. Not only did this book discuss the story of one mother and whether or not she murdered her newly born child, it also follows the life of a big city lawyer that ends up learning a lot more about Amish culture and herself than she ever expected. I liked that this story was laced into the main plot of the book because it helped make the lawyer seem more real and placed in a more compassionate light than most attorneys tend to be. I would probably rate this as one of the higher on my list of favorites by Picoult. In the Q&A with her in the back of the book, she says that this book is similar to The Pact, so if you have read and liked that book I guess this would be a good place to go next. It is different but has some of the same themes. When is doing something wrong actually okay? Is it? And then also the way the lawyers go about defending difficult psychological cases. Rating

That sounds really interesting! And a great way for indie authors to get there name out there without publishing too much free work.

I really enjoyed your review of The Memory Box. It sounds creepy and weird, in other words extremely interesting and a book I'm definitely going to look into.

But then again I think that's what makes their relationship so interesting. They are so clearly incompatible, but yet they actually love each other. A very unconventional relationship and unconventional love story.

Thanks for the help Athena! Even if you don't have exact titles, that is alright. Just knowing the author and then looking up synopses should be sufficient to finding something I like

The shelf part of the desk is all literary books. Then on the desk part I have textbooks. They wouldn't all fit on one shelf obviously. And my room is teeny tiny. Too tiny for an actual book shelf Yeah I found that there were times when I wanted to wring her neck. Not so much in TRP, but in TRE. In the first one I just didn't like certain aspects of her personality but she was also trying to date a guy who has a lot of trouble doing normal things so it was somewhat understandable. In the second book I liked her less. I agree. But then I found myself

A picture of my recent purchases. I also bought Heart of Darkness, which came today and I took the picture yesterday but forgot to post. edit: I'm hoping to post an updated picture of my school bookshelf soon

*Goes and looks this up* this sounds like something I would be really interested in. Any favorite books?

I'm amazed myself at how quickly I was able to read both. I mostly got lucky that I was at home a lot with the better library. I'm sure the library here probably doesn't have either book

Very true. I find that period of history very interesting and that period of literature even more so interesting because of the way it reflects what was happening. The modernistic view of life that it is pointless. The naturalist that feels he or she cannot stand up to the forces of nature. All of it derived from one war that changed the world. Literature is amazing like that. It not only tells the story in the novel or story, but it tells the story of the people who wrote it and the world they lived in.

And new release books are so expensive. My wallet is not very deep I'm hoping my library buys a few copies. I'm sure I can request it... I finished The Rosie Effect last night and I'm continuing where I left off with Plain Truth now.

Well I was way off So maybe that's why it isn't as good. She might have mastered her craft over the years. The one thing I like most about her books is the amount of research she does for each one. And I find that the books where there was more research involved are the books that I like better.

I thought TRE had a lot more moments that I actually laughed out loud at than TRP, which I definitely liked.

Thanks! I will definitely consider it for my next read

I'm excited for you to read it! If you liked the first one, this one will not disappoint you.

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion Summary None because it contains spoilers from the first book of the series. Opinions After falling in love with Don Tillman in the first book, I didn't think that I could appreciate and understand him anymore. I was wrong. The Rosie Effect once again shows Don trying to fit into a world that he doesn't quite understand. It's admirable how hard he tries to make things work and throughout the novel I kept feeling his pain as he tried and failed to express how he was feeling. I thought this one had a little more humor than the first. I especially found the last 1/3 of the book funny even though it was painful at times. I found myself saying "NO NO NO" as he made mistakes. I'm really just blown away at the excellent job of characterization by Simsion. Not only with Don, who is a fantastically well-rounded character that is easy to love, but with other characters too. They all culminate in a very real world that I, as a reader, appreciated. So often novels exist in such an unreal world, but I really felt like the characters in this book and the first book could have been real people. That's always a sign of a great book. One of my favorite series. I wish he would write more, but I'm not sure where he could take the story from this point. Rating

I looked this one up because I was interested and a lot of people were talking about it and it isn't available in the US as a physical book until May 12

I still haven't finished series 3. I have seen episodes 1 and 2, but it is so hard to find time to watch one hour and a half block of TV. I'm hoping to finish watching the last episode at some point... So far I've thought that there has been less crime solving in the last series than the other two. It is more about their personal lives and advancing the plot. I felt like series 1 included so much more crimes and Sherlock solving those crimes.

I have 11/22/63 checked out from the library right now, but it's so long and I'm not sure if I should read it or not. Is it really good or waste of time? Also when I think of The Shining all I can picture is how Joey on Friends keeps it in the freezer because it's too scary I haven't read any King books yet.

I would say he is number one or two on my list of tv/movie character crushes. Not just that John Krasinski is cute and awesome, but Jim the character is also perfect.

Here's a good one

I'm not sure but I think she wrote that with her daughter or something. I know one of her books if not two of them are written with her daughter

Haha how considerate. But it showed Jim's beautiful face

Which one did you abandon? Maybe I should avoid it