[Your Book Activity - March 2015]

It's stunning. He is just a brilliant, brilliant, storyteller  

 

I agree  Have you read Grapes of Wrath? It's another very good story 

[Vodkafan's 2015 reading list]

Murder On The Verandah Love and Betrayal in British Malaya    3/5

 

Eric Lawlor

 

Picked this one up from a charity shop. It was very similar in layout to the Road Hill House murder book I read earlier this month. A married woman, Ethel Proudlock, one day in 1911 shot her lover in the chest twice when he ended their affair to be instead -horror of horrors- with a Chinese woman.  After he staggered out onto the verandah Mrs Proudlock was witnessed standing over him with the revolver before putting another 3 bullets into his head at point blank range.

She pleaded self defence.

Like the other book, it examines and tells all that is known in retrospect of all the main characters both before and years after the murder, and shines a light around the society of the time. It was interesting and an easy read.  

 

 Sounds like an interesting book.

[Your Book Activity - March 2015]

I'm now on page 500 of East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I'm loving it .. I just haven't had the time or concentration to commit to reading this week but I've got back into it now and expect to finish it later today.  

Started listening to Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Not keen on the narrators and Nick and Amy are both irritating me but it's early days .. I expect I'll get drawn in. 

 

I loved East of Eden! It had such a powerful message and the storytelling and plot was fantastic as well 

[Athena's Reading List 2015]

That makes sense ! I'm usually hesistant too unless I didn't really enjoy the book at all. Usually though, I enjoy most of the books I read, so most of the books I read get good ratings because I enjoyed them (my average rating is about 8.7 out of 10 at the moment I think). Out of the books I've read so far this year, less than 10% of them got a 6 / 10 or a lower rating. Here's my rating summary for this year so far (dated 24-03-2015, see first page of this thread):My rating1: 02: 03: 24: 15: 36: 27: 68: 159: 3310: 32Not Rated: 1 (Brandon Sanderson's Extra Material from his website)Average rating: 8.7I haven't abandoned any books yet this year. Last year though I did abandon a couple but I didn't rate them because I didn't finish them (they were too terrible to do so). Last year's ratings: 1 (0 books) (0% of books read), 2 (0) (0%), 3 (3) (~1%), 4 (1) (< 1%), 5 (3) (~1%), 6 (8) (~3%), 7 (16) (~6%), 8 (50) (~20%), 9 (77) (~30%), 10 (96) (~38%); Average rating: 8.8 (so these ~5 abandoned books would have been rated 1 / 10 but aren't included in the statistics)EDIT: Wow, I'm such a geek / nerd.

You are not a need! Or if you are then I am too because I think your stats are so cool and I wish I could keep track so well and do stats on the books I read

[Your Book Activity - March 2015]

I am 39% into reading Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. It is an amazing book and almost broke my heart reading it so far. I need to finish the book before recommending it but at this point I would say that it is a must read for most of us.

 

Is that what the somewhat newly released movie is based on? I've only seen the previews, but the story sounds amazing. I would obviously love to read the book before watching the movie 

 

Yeah!!  I am so glad you are liking the book!  I  Louie!  We can talk about it in one of our threads when you finish, if you want.  I'd love to tell you my favorite part, but right now, it would spoil it.

 

I started my first Jodi Picoult book last night, staying up to read nearly 100 pages in one go!  It is called Plain Truth, about an Amish murder.

 

Those are the best books. The ones that you lose sleep because of. That happened to me while I was reading Plain Truth as well. I kept saying next available break I'll go to sleep and then I would keep reading...

[Anna reads in 2015]

Thanks!  Much appreciated!

 

I think you would enjoy it, I had you in mind as I read it!

 

  It was unreadable.  Which is annoying because I have liked some of Jason Gurley's other work.

I am really liking Plain Truth- thanks!  I love that it centers around the Amish.  When we went to Lancaster, Pennsylvania (oddly the news pronounce it LAY- cay- ster), we saw lots of Amish.  Of course, we went down a few side streets and ended up near their farms. All over Penn. are true and rip off goods from the Amish- quilts, chairs, benches, carvings, etc.  We even saw yellow signs with a buggy and horse silhouette on it, to warn motorists to use caution. 

 

I'm just wondering about your library haul  

 

Awh good! It is definitely the type of book that would make me think, which I love 

 

I'm so glad you're enjoying Plain Truth, because I liked it a lot as well 

[What TV series would you bring back?]

I wish The Office was still on the air, but I also think that towards the end it was just headed towards nothing so they had to finish. I wish they would have had more seasons like seasons 2-5. Those are by far the best, funniets, and most emotionally rewarding. 

 

I think sometimes shows end up going too long and the bad ending leaves you feeling like you don't really like the show. So as much as I wish I could watch more of my favorite shows that are no longer on the air, I'm glad they stopped before my opinion of the show totally changed. The Office got pretty close in season 8 and One Tree Hill got close towards the end too. 

[Interview: Louise O'Neill]

Wow. Thanks for snagging this interview. Very interesting answers that only make me want to read the book even more. Now I just have to wait for it to come out in the US

 

Her second book sounds like it will be fantastic as well judging from the title and the topic it explores. 

[While at the dentist...]

I didn't even see the second question that Athena posed. For that one definitely eyes closed. It's creepy if you both have your eyes open so best way to avoid that is keep them closed 

 

Frankie, it was very awkward that he asked me. I felt like I had been doing something wrong and then it made me worry what he was doing that I couldn't have my eyes open. Add onto that that I already loathe going to the dentist and it was an overall terrible experience. The one good thing is that my mom buys me a smoothie and mcdonalds fries after I get a filling because that's the only food I can eat with a numb mouth 

[Athena's Reading List 2015]

Thanks! Haha ! Thanks, I really like the cover too . I specifically waited for this edition to be released, because it matches the cover and size of my edition of the first book in the series. 

 

 

Thanks! It's nice to hear read your opinion as well . I agree with what you say, it seems we have some similar feelings on the book . Thanks! I waited for this specific edition with this cover to be released as it matches the edition of book one that I have.

 

P.S. I'll be posting a review now.

 

I agree, we have a lot of similar feelings about the book. I just almost never give a bad review about a book because I like them all so much even if there are some things I didn't like. All books are great!! Not saying that you don't feel that way, but I'm just very hesitant to give a bad rating. 

[While at the dentist...]

When I go in for the routine checkup part, I keep my eyes open most of the time because I think it must look weird to the hygienist that my eyes are closed. Maybe I alternate? I don't even really know. It's weird to have your eyes clothes because a lot of the time they try to converse with you, at least in my experience. 

 

However when I got a filling I had my eyes open for like the first half and then the dentist actually asked if I could close my eyes. Not sure if I was creeping him out or he just didn't want me to see what he was doing. 

[Anna reads in 2015]

I really enjoyed the review of Gilead. It might be extra interesting for me because my school is in an area where the bushwackers and jayhawkers fought a lot. I'm guessing that's what is meant by fighting for abolition in Kansas. If not, still interesting. 

[Athena's Reading List 2015]

Great review! I agree with some of the points you made about the book. It was almost hard to believe how terrible the relationship was in the book. Almost unrealistic because of how easily certain things could have been avoided. I kept  the whole time because things could have been done so much simpler. 

 

I'm glad you enjoyed the second part of the book better. I did as well, and I thought it had a lot more irony and funny moments whereas in the first part there was a lot of I don't even know how to describe it other than "blah". I really like the cover of your edition! The one I read is much different and hardcover. 

[Schultz Reading 2015]

I should've seen this earlier!  Great Hemingway section  and I loved 1776.  Did you read the Four stories?  What did you think?  (forgive me if I missed the review).

 

I stepped in to tell you I started my first Jodi Picoult!  I picked Plain Truth but was this close to Nineteen Minutes.

 

Yeah I like my Hemingway. The short story book actually belonged to my dad. Hemingway is one of the few fiction writers he'll actually read 

 

I did read the Four stories. They were pretty good. I don't think I posted a review because I read them just before the new year, so if there is one at all it would be in last year's thread. I remember liking the more information, but also thinking that they weren't really as good as Divergent or Insurgent.Speaking of Insurgent, I saw the movie this past weekend and it was good, but missed a few things of course. 

 

I hope you like your first Picoult! I think Plain Truth is a good starter, but I really did like Nineteen Minutes as well. 

[Your Book Activity - March 2015]

Also reading Lois Lowry's Anastasia, Ask Your Analyst (Kindle edition)  . What a hoot to read, for Anastasia is turning 13 years old, and her 3 year old brother Sam seems to be a genius  , but still in wet nappies, and with tomato ketchup everywhere   .

I will have to finish this book in the next week, as I have cancelled the Kindle Unlimited subscription, as it doesn't really work out for me. It's okay if I was a YA who reads mostly fantasy and SF run of the mill books, but it's not worth it for me.

 

Yeah I had it for the trial month and there were maybe 10 books that interested me. Definitely not enough to pay the $10 a month. I've never heard of that Lois Lowry book. I've read The Giver and Number the Stars. Would you recommend it?

[Anna reads in 2015]

Thanks to your reviews we all know that if we read this collection we should skip the first four stories  

[Schultz Reading 2015]

P.S. 

 

I know I am very messy. I have so many little trinkets and so I tend to put them on my shelf Also I have trouble sleeping and chronic knee pain, so advil PM is a necessary part of my life

[Schultz Reading 2015]

And this is the actual desk part which contains text books and some library loans and some personal loans from friends. I'm not really sure if you can see all the titles in the stack very well, but the bottom two are school library then two borrowed books from friends then three local library while at school loans. 

 

[Schultz Reading 2015]

Finally getting around to posting some pictures of my bookshelf at school

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Your Book Activity - March 2015]

Pushed through and finished Witches abroad by Terry Pratchett tonight. I'm looking to start Persuasion by Jane Austen tomorrow. I decided that this year I wanted to read more classics so every fifth book in the month will be a classic - so I'll have at least 12 read this year. It's working well so far.

 

I'm interested to see how you like Persuasion. It has been on my TBR for awhile now and I hope to get to it soon

 

I'm about 200 pages into 11/22/63 and I'm really liking it. I'm amazed at how quickly I have read it in such a small amount of time that I've had to read. It's such an intriguing topic and quite a pageturner. 

[Athena's Reading List 2015]

Yay for finally getting The Rosie Effect in the mail!  I hope you're enjoying it!! 

[Anna reads in 2015]

Another really neat thing, is that at the end of each story, there is a link to the author's site, most indie authors I am finding, have some free short stories on their websites, so I can just click on the link and it automatically brings it up on my Fire   I am a tab- a- holic though lol so I can go back to read them at my leisure.

 

I'm a tab-a-holic as well, at least on my tablet. I have like 10 open at once because I like to use them as references or be able to easily get the website I want at any time. I keep wanting to read some of these indie authors, but I have such a large stack of reading I plan to do already. Too many books. A good problem to have  

[Schultz Reading 2015]

Nice review of Plain Truth. Everytime I read a review of a Jodi Picoult book, I always think to myself that I must read more of her work. But I never seem to get around to it!

 

I have that same problem with other authors. It's so hard to get around to reading something new or different when there are so many books that you already know you love the topic/author of that you want to read. If you do read any, I hope you enjoy them! 

 

Great review! I haven't yet read this one. Do you think I'll be able to follow it well, not knowing much at all of Amish people? I don't think there's any such thing in the Netherlands. The only way I know of Amish people is through a film and via a talkshow on TV (both American).

 

I actually knew barely anything about the Amish when I read it. I was thinking that I would be able to understand some of the German in the book without the author saying what it was, but then I realized they speak their own very different dialect. So basically I knew minimally more than you do about the Amish when I began to read it. The nice thing is that some of the characters in the book are not Amish, so they are learning about the culture themselves, which means the reader gets to learn as well. It requires zero background knowledge, but by the end you will know a lot about Amish culture. 

 

I think you will really like it. Like Picoult said it has sort of the same feel as The Pact.

 

Is there a lot of Amish culture in it?  That sounds interesting.  Great review!

 

Yes! There is a lot of Amish culture in it. Because of the supposed murder, the two worlds, Amish and normal American, collide and we as the reader get to see the similarities and differences. 

[Your Book Activity - March 2015]

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.

[Schultz Reading 2015]

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