BSchultz19's Reading 2014

[BSchultz19]

Perfect Match

 

BLURB:

What happens when you do all the right things for all the wrong reasons? As an assistant district attorney in York County, Maine, Nina Frost prosecutes the sort of crimes that tear families apart. She helps clients navigate their way through a nightmare – even though the legal system is not always the faultless compass they want and need it to be. She learns that the easiest way to cross this devastating minefield time and time again is to offer compassion, battle fiercely for justice, and keep her emotional distance.

But when Nina and her husband Caleb discover that their five-year-old son Nathaniel has been sexually abused, that distance is impossible to maintain. The world Nina inhabits now seems different from the one she lived in yesterday; the lines between family and professional life are erased; and answers to questions she thought she knew are no longer easy to find. Overcome by anger and desperate for vengeance, Nina ignites a battle that may cause her to lose the very thing she's fighting for.

MY TAKE:

This book will make you question everything. It is a humongous moral question all rolled into one book. The description is amazing (as I have found while reading Picoult) because she does tons of research before every book she writes. The main character is a prosecutor and some of the arguments that are made in this book during court cases have me convinced that Picoult could be a lawyer. I love the characters in this book, because each one is different but also interconnected to the storyline and very well developed. I loved reading this book because it was tense, interesting, and unpredictable. 

 

RATING:

9.5/10

[BSchultz19]

My Sister's Keeper

 

BLURB:

Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate--a life and a role that she has never challenged. . .until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister--and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves. A provocative novel that raises some important ethical issues, My Sister's Keeper is the story of one family's struggle for survival at all human costs and a stunning moral parable for all time. 

 

MY TAKE:

I really enjoyed reading this book. I love how the author makes an ethical question that at the time was heavily argued into something more personal that a reader can relate to. Rather than think of ethics and the world as black and white, the reader is brought into the life of a family that is anything but black and white. No matter which decision the family makes, there could be very serious consequences. I would recommend this book to anybody, because it really makes you think about people rather than issues. Although the stem cell research, human genome project, etc. has not been in the news lately, other issues have that can be looked at better by thinking of everyone involved as people. Everybody needs love and struggles with the decisions they make everyday. 

 

RATING:

10/10

[Anna Begins]

Yes!  Great review!  I will probably read this one before The Pact.  I've never read anything by her before, but always get recommendations and she is so highly recommended here, I will definitely try her out.  But it might have to be next year   I'm "booked" for the rest of the year lol

[Athena]

Great reviews ! I'm so glad you liked both Picoult books. I love My Sister's Keeper. I have Perfect Match on my TBR.

[BSchultz19]

Yes!  Great review!  I will probably read this one before The Pact.  I've never read anything by her before, but always get recommendations and she is so highly recommended here, I will definitely try her out.  But it might have to be next year   I'm "booked" for the rest of the year lol

I'm going to get to The Pact sometime this week hopefully. I've heard good things about it and I've enjoyed the three Picoult books I have read so far this year. 

[Athena]

I hope you enjoyed it! I read it earlier this year and loved it.

[bobblybear]

Great reviews. I've read a few Jodi Picoult books and enjoyed them all. I do find they can be a bit overwhelming though, so I kind of have to prepare myself before starting.

[BSchultz19]

Great reviews. I've read a few Jodi Picoult books and enjoyed them all. I do find they can be a bit overwhelming though, so I kind of have to prepare myself before starting.

I found myself not wanting to read Perfect Match late at night because it creeped me out so much that I couldn't go to sleep. 

[BSchultz19]

The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud

 

BLURB:

In a snug New England fishing village, Charlie St. Cloud tends the lawns and monuments of an ancient cemetery where his younger brother, Sam, is buried. After surviving the car accident that claimed his brother's life, Charlie is graced with an extraordinary gift: He can see, talk to, and even play catch with Sam's spirit. Into this magical world comes Tess Carroll, a captivating woman training for a solo sailing trip around the globe. Fate steers her boat into a treacherous storm that propels her into Charlie's life. Their beautiful and uncommon connection leads to a race against time and a choice between death and life, between the past and the future, between holding on and letting go--and the discovery that miracles can happen if we simply open our hearts. 

 

MY TAKE:

I enjoyed this book, because I'm a sap for love stories and this was a great one. Although, one of my friends had already spoiled the book in a way because she had seen the movie I enjoyed reading it and waiting to get to the part I knew was bound to happen. Sometimes it's just as exciting that way, because you are screaming at the characters to figure it out. The main theme in this book was to enjoy life and I love how the author made it very clear through a narrator in the first and last chapters. 

 

RATING:

9/10
 

[BSchultz19]

The Longest Ride

 

BLURB:

Ira Levinson is in trouble. At ninety-one years old, in poor health, and alone in the world, he finds himself stranded on an isolated embankment after a car crash. Suffering multiple injuries, he struggles to retain consciousness until a blurry image materializes and comes into focus beside him: his beloved wife, Ruth, who passed away nine years ago. Urging him to hang on, she forces him to remain alert by reminiscing about their lifetime together--how they met, the precious paintings they collected, the dark days of World War II, and its effect on them and their families. Ira knows that Ruth can't possibly be in the car with him, but he clings to her words and his memories, reliving the sorrows and joys that defined their marriage. A few miles away, at a local bull-riding event, a Wake Forest University senior's life is about to change. Recovering from a recent breakup, Sophia Danko meets a young cowboy named Luke, who bears little resemblance to the privileged frat boys that she has encountered at school. Through Luke, Sophia is introduced to a world in which the stakes are high: Reward and ruin--and even life and death--loom large in everyday life. As she and Luke fall in love, Sophia finds herself imagining a future far removed from her plans--a future that Luke has the power to fulfill. . . if the secret he's keeping doesn't destroy it first. Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke. Two couples who have little in common and who are separated by years and experience. Yet their lives will converge with unexpected poignancy, reminding us all that even the most difficult decisions can yield extraordinary journeys: beyond despair, beyond death, to the farthest reaches of the human heart.

 

MY TAKE:

I have now officially read every single Nicholas Sparks book. Whew. I liked this book, but as I have found over the years of reading his work, I predicted exactly what would happen. The one thing I really enjoyed was that the book was in two different periods of time until the two timelines finally converge. Maybe it's because I have read so much Sparks that I can predict the ending of his books, but it has become almost less enjoyable to read his books because of this. I still enjoy the romance and the occasional suspense, but he has become predictable and gone away from his more tragic books. I like a little tragedy, just so I don't always expect a happy ending, but in some of the more recent books of his I've read there hasn't been tragedy. I'd like to see him go back to that. 

 

RATING:

8/10

[Athena]

Quite a feat to have read all of his books!

[BSchultz19]

Quite a feat to have read all of his books!

Well I've been reading them for quite a few years. I would guess around 4 or 5 years.

[BSchultz19]

I'm finally getting around to reading the fifth ASOIAF book, A Dance With Dragons. 

 

It's good so far, but it's been awhile since I read the fourth book, so I don't quite remember everything that's going on which in this series makes it very difficult to fully understand. 

[Athena]

You could re-read what happens in book four on Wikipedia? That's what I did , with book two.

 

I hope you enjoy the book .

[BSchultz19]

You could re-read what happens in book four on Wikipedia? That's what I did , with book two.

 

I hope you enjoy the book .

That's a good idea. Mostly its just character names. I read a name and feel like there is a connection somewhere, but I'm not certain. So maybe I can just look up a list of characters with descriptions. 

[BSchultz19]

NEW BOOKS!!!! :D 

 

Books 1-6 of the Patterson Women's Murder Club books. 

True Blue by Luana Rice

Dance with me by Luana Rice

Message from Nam by Danielle Steel 

The Murder Book by Jonathan Kellerman

 

Each book was $0.25 so the total was only $2.50!!

[frankie]

Bargain! Way to go, BShcultz!  

[BSchultz19]

Bargain! Way to go, BShcultz!

It was the best deal I've ever gotten on books. I was so excited afterwards I just wanted to read them all

[Athena]

That's an excellent deal! I hope you enjoy the books !

[BSchultz19]

A Dance with Dragons

 

 

Writing or copying a spoiler-free blurb for this book is basically impossible. Read the entire series to get an idea of what happens. 

 

I really enjoyed this book. I love Martin's ability to write 1000 pages of action-packed and suspenseful writing. Granted, there were some slow chapters, but the next chapter after never disappointed. I disliked certain plot choices, but it definitely surprised me. I love that I never know what is going to happen in these books. I know that someone will most likely die, but I never know who or why. I can't wait for the sixth book to come out. 

 

8.5/10

[BSchultz19]

Picture Perfect

 

To the outside world, they seemed to have it all. Cassie Barrett, a renowned anthropologist, and Alex Rivers, one of Hollywood's hottest actors, met on the set of a motion picture in Africa. They shared childhood tales, toasted the future, and declared their love in a fairy-tale wedding. But when they returned to California, something altered the picture of their perfect marriage. A frightening pattern took shape--a cycle of hurt, denial, and promises, thinly veiled by glamour. Torn between fear and something that resembled love, Cassie wrestled with questions she never dreamed she would face: How could she leave? Then again, how could she stay?

 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and found it hard to put down. The surprising suspense kept me turning the page even late into the night. It's a great story and, like Jodi Picoult always manages to do, talks about something difficult and painful. I love the realness of all her books, especially this one. 

 

9.5/10

[Athena]

I'm glad you enjoyed both ADwD and Picture Perfect. The former I've read and liked, the latter is on my TBR.

[bobblybear]

I think I have Picture Perfect on my TBR pile. Glad you enjoyed it.

[BSchultz19]

I have read quite a few books since I was last on and I can't remember them all. Most of them were library loans so I have no way of tracking them. I should probably write these things down... 

 

I know for sure that I read Pride & Prejudice and I enjoyed it. The other books were mostly Jodi Picoult which are always great for an easy and interesting read. 

[Athena]

Hey !

 

I'm glad you're enjoying your reading . I like Jodi Picoult's books, I might read one by her later this month (maybe).