Absolute Chaos Discussion Boards
Miscellaneous => Chatterbox => The AC Book Club => Topic started by: mare on January 25, 2009, 01:02:40 PM
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So, the last two months have been kind of unproductive. Do we still want to do this? I do think it's a great idea but I have to admit, I haven't had the kind of time I would have liked to read these books plus read the ones i'm currently reading now.
Since I have been reading most of her books, February is Jodi Picoult month so pick from one of these choices.
Nineteen Minutes: This one is on my all time favorite books list.
In this emotionally charged novel, Jodi Picoult delves beneath the surface of a small town to explore what it means to be different in our society.
In Sterling, New Hampshire, 17-year-old high school student Peter Houghton has endured years of verbal and physical abuse at the hands of classmates. His best friend, Josie Cormier, succumbed to peer pressure and now hangs out with the popular crowd that often instigates the harassment. One final incident of bullying sends Peter over the edge and leads him to commit an act of violence that forever changes the lives of Sterling’s residents.
Even those who were not inside the school that morning find their lives in an upheaval, including Alex Cormier. The superior court judge assigned to the Houghton case, Alex—whose daughter, Josie, witnessed the events that unfolded—must decide whether or not to step down. She’s torn between presiding over the biggest case of her career and knowing that doing so will cause an even wider chasm in her relationship with her emotionally fragile daughter. Josie, meanwhile, claims she can’t remember what happened in the last fatal minutes of Peter’s rampage. Or can she? And Peter’s parents, Lacy and Lewis Houghton, ceaselessly examine the past to see what they might have said or done to compel their son to such extremes. Nineteen Minutes also features the return of two of Jodi Picoult’s characters—defense attorney Jordan McAfee from The Pact and Salem Falls, and Patrick DuCharme, the intrepid detective introduced in Perfect Match.
Rich with psychological and social insight, Nineteen Minutes is a riveting, poignant, and thought-provoking novel that has at its center a haunting question. Do we ever really know someone?
My Sister's Keeper - Another excellent book
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 preimplantatio n genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate - a life and a role that she has never questioned… 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. My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life… even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less?
Change of Heart - This one was good to. Really makes you think at the end
Shay Bourne - New Hampshire’s first death row prisoner in 69 years – has only one last request: to donate his heart post-execution to the sister of his victim, who is looking for a transplant. Bourne says it’s the only way he can redeem himself…but with lethal injection as his form of execution, this is medically impossible. Enter Father Michael Wright, a young local priest. Called in as Shay’s spiritual advisor, he knows redemption has nothing to do with organ donation – and plans to convince Bourne. But then Bourne begins to perform miracles at the prison that are witnessed by officers, fellow inmates, and even Father Michael – and the media begins to call him a messiah. Could an unkempt, bipolar, convicted murderer be a savior? It seems highly unlikely, to the priest. Until he realizes that the things Shay says may not come from the Bible…but are, verbatim, from a gospel that the early Christian church rejected two thousand years ago…and that is still considered heresy.
Change Of Heart looks at the nature of organized religion and belief, and takes the reader behind the closely drawn curtains of America’s death penalty. Featuring the return of Ian Fletcher from Keeping Faith, it also asks whether religion and politics truly are separate in this country, or inextricably tangled. Does religion make us more tolerant, or less? Do we believe what we do because it’s right? Or because it’s too frightening to admit that we may not have the answers?
The Pact - I'm reading this one right now and so far it's really great!
In this contemporary tale of love and friendship, Jodi Picoult brings to life a familiar world, and in a single terrifying moment awakens every parent's worse fear: We think we know our children… but do we ever really know them at all?
For eighteen years the Hartes and the Golds have lived next door to each other, sharing everything from Chinese food to chicken pox to carpool duty-- they've grown so close it seems they have always been a part of each other's lives. Parents and children alike have been best friends, so it's no surprise that in high school Chris and Emily's friendship blossoms into something more. They've been soul mates since they were born.
So when midnight calls from the hospital come in, no one is ready for the appalling truth: Emily is dead at seventeen from a gunshot wound to the head. There's a single unspent bullet in the gun that Chris took from his father's cabinet-- a bullet that Chris tells police he intended for himself. But a local detective has doubts about the suicide pact that Chris has described.
The profound questions faced by the characters in this heart-rending novel are those we can all relate to: How well do we ever really know our children, our friends? What if…? As its chapters unfold, alternating between an idyllic past and an unthinkable present, The Pact paints an indelible portrait of families in anguish… culminating in an astonishingly suspenseful courtroom drama as Chris finds himself on trial for murder.
With this riveting psychological drama, Jodi Picoult explores the dynamics of intimate relationships under stress-- from the seemingly inexplicable mind of a teenager to the bonds of friendship and marriage. Few writers have such a gift for evoking everyday life coupled with the ability to create a level of dramatic tension that will keep you up reading late into the night. The Pact is storytelling at its best: wonderfully observed, deeply moving, and utterly impossible to put down.
Vanishing Acts - Haven't read this one yet
Delia Hopkins has led a charmed life. Raised in rural New Hampshire by her widowed father, Andrew, she now has a young daughter, a handsome fiancé, and her own search-and-rescue bloodhound, which she uses to find missing persons. But as she plans her wedding, she is plagued by flashbacks of a life she can’t recall. And when a policemen arrives to disclose a truth that will upend the world as she knows it, Delia must search through these memories – even when they have the potential to devastate her life, and the lives of those she loves most. Vanishing Acts is a book about the nature and power of memory; about what happens when the past we have been running from catches up to us… and what happens when the memory we thought had vanished returns as a threat.
Songs of the Humpback Whale - Haven't read this one yet either lol
In this novel, Jodi Picoult interweaves five rich narrative voices to tell a story of love, loss, and self-discovery. The voices belong to a mother, her daughter, and three very different men.
Jane had always lived in somebody's shadow. Escaping a childhood of abuse by marrying oceanographer Oliver Jones, she finds herself taking second place to his increasingly successful career. However, when her daughter Rebecca is slighted, Jane's dramatic stand takes them all by surprise.
Leaving Oliver and his whale tapes behind in San Diego, Jane and Rebecca set out to drive across America to Uncle Joley and the sanctuary of the Massachusetts apple orchard where he works. Joley directs Jane across the United States in a series of letters waiting for her in designated post offices. Each letter gives concise directions to the next post office; each letter provides Jane with a chance to reflect on her forgotten past.
Oliver, used to tracking male humpback whales across vast oceans, now has the task of tracking his tantalizingly unpredictable wife across a continent. To do so he must learn to see the world-- and even himself-- through her eyes.
Songs of the Humpback Whale is a powerful and sensitive novel of family life that questions how songs are passed down from male speaker to male speaker, but also examines the female tradition of listening that women unconsciously pass on to their daughters
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They all sound good, but I voted for "My Sister's Keeper." That one has been recommended to me before, and I've been meaning to check it out anyway.
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I can see you really enjoying that one.
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I don't know which one to vote for... :-[ I still have to think about it.
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ok, I need help! Which one should I pick?
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Personally, out of them all I think Nineteen Minutes is the best one.
That being said, I think you might enjoy The Pact more because of the love story in there. I think Nineteen Minutes is a must read for everyone who has a child or wants to teach.
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Ok, I was trying to choose between The Pact and Vanishing Acts, so, I guess The Pact, it is. Though, my sister's keeper sounds interesting as well as Nineteen Minutes... hmmm.
Are they all by Jodi Picoult? I have a friend who owns like all of her books. She's one of her favorites.
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They are all Jodi Picoult. lol I figured since I love her so much I might as well just limit things to her this month.
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That's cool. I need to read something by her anyway.
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All of her books are amazing...alth ough My sisters Keeper and The Pact are my favorites so far! Nineteen minutes was amazing also, but I thought it was slow in parts.
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Nineteen Minutes sounds good too. Although that's pretty funny that you said it was slow in parts when it's called "Nineteen Minutes" LOL.
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The only book of hers I haven't liked is Mercy. I didn't even finish that one, but probably will at one point.
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So, did we ever make a decision? I am going to the library tomorrow, and I need to know which one I'm picking up!!!
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It's a two way tie between the Pact and My Sister's Keeper and if I vote Nineteen Minutes as well.
Maybe someone else will vote to break the tie.
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Mine was for 19 Minutes, though Change of Heart sounds really intriguing, too...sadly that does not help break the tie. (sorry!) lol
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Well it's your month, so why don't you break the tie and I'll read whichever you chose.
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I would pick Nineteen Minutes. But I guess out of those two we'll go with my next favorite which would be My Sister's Keeper. So, unless anyone has any objections I guess we'll do My Sister's Keeper.
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Ok, I thought that one sounded interesting too, so I'll go ahead and pick that one up! Thanks!
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I just started an 1100+ page book LOL, but I did vote for My Sister's Keeper, so I'll plan on buying it too. When do you think we're going to start discussing it? (As in, how long do I have to get it? Should I order it online or see if B&N actually has a book I want in stock in the store?)
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The books for this month looked good, but I have the same question as Julie lol.
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I would say we'll start discussing it in about a week or so to give everyone enough time to get it. So let's say i'll start assigning chapters on the 16? Does that work for everyone?
I have to get my copy back form my sister as well lol
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I'll order mine later today then :)
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Eeks. Sure you can get it back in a week? I think one of my sisters still has several of the cds she borrowed from me during the 1990s....
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She lives around the block so I can always just go to her apartment and steal it back! lol
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I went to my library and it was checked out. I had them put it on hold for me and she said it was supposed to be returned on the 12th. If it doesn't, then I'll just go over to the other branch where I know they have it. (I was too lazy to drive over there the other day) But that date sounds good for me. So, does this mean that other people are going to read it this time? I do believe I was completely ALONE in the last one. I'd love to actually have a "discussion" this month!
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I have read it, so i'll be talking about ti with you. Oh and I just got American Gods for my birthday. Mike's parents bought it for me but I haven't started to read it yet. I'm almost done with yet another Jodi book, then I plan on starting on that one so maybe we can resurrect that thread form the dead as well lol
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I didn't get to do this last month because of work, so I'm looking forward to it this month. I am in the middle of Nineteen Minutes right now (so that's what I voted for) -- so far it's very good.
I read My Sister's Keeper in November and it's probably one of my alltime faves.
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Nineteen minutes was awesome! We are going to have a month for that book at one point as well. I am Oprah and I say it must be so! lol
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I didn't even get last month's book LOL, but I'm planning on getting this one and hopefully participating. If I slack, blame it on Stephen King, cause I just started reading The Stand too, and it's over 1100 pages long... so I'll have to put it on hold to read this, but if I get too into it before I start My Sister's Keeper, that probably won't happen LOL. That's kinda what happened with The Lovely Bones, although I did eventually finish that one. I've been bad about reading multiple books at once lately.
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The Stand is one of my all time favorite Stephen King books! Eyes of the Dragon is great too!
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Cool! I'm liking it so far, but I haven't had enough time to get very far into it yet. If it's like his other books, though, once I do, I won't be able to put it down! I think that's what happened with The Lovely Bones; I was reading Salem's Lot again then, and even though I'd already read it once, I couldn't stop once I got into it again LOL.
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Yup, you'll be doing that with this one as well
Which I guess means see you in March! lol
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LOL!
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This is a really good book! I might have to join the discussion.
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Yay, more people to talk with! I started last night!
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If I slack, blame it on Stephen King, cause I just started reading The Stand too, and it's over 1100 pages long...
That's one of my absolute favorite books. Just curious, do you have the Original version or the Unabridged? I'm thinking that sounds like the longer one, but all his books are so long it's hard to tell!
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What's this book about? I'm too lazy to look it up on Amazon or something lol
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The US Military accidentally releases a "super-flu" virus into the world and it wipes out 99+ % of the population. It's mainly about 2 seperate societies that emerge out of the survivors--one group is drawn to Mother Abigail, a 104 year old woman who each person in the group has dreams/visions about. They form a "Free Zone" society in Boulder, CO and are essentially considered "good" (though aren't always...). The other group of people dream of Randall Flagg, who is kind of an anti-Christ figure, and they form a seperate society in Vegas. And essentially it becomes clear that the "good" society has to either destroy Flagg's society OR be destroyed by them.
Lots more to it than that, but it's a really hard novel to describe. LOL. If you read it, I highly recommend trying to find a copy of the original version to read first. The unabridged is really fascinating to read later, but IMO it's a little slower to get to the action and harder to get into. I almost gave up on it until someone handed me the original version to read. And then later, I went back and read the unabridged and it's really great added stuff so I'm glad I went back to try it again; it was just harder to get into the book at first (for me, anyway...)
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I've read The Stand and it was good though I don't know which version I have. I didn't notice your post above but I meant the book for book club lol
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LOL. Gotcha.
I haven't read it, but from mare's description:
My Sister's Keeper - Another excellent book
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 preimplantatio n genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate - a life and a role that she has never questioned… 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. My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life… even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less?
I haven't ever read anything from this author, but she sounds like she picks some great controversial topics to work with. Should be interesting!
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She is awesome! Next to Wally LAmb and Stephen King, she's my favorite author. ALthough the last book I read by her I hated ALL of the characters! lol
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Hmm, it does sound interesting but I don't know if it is my kind of book. I have to be REALLY into it in order to finish it, otherwise it becomes a distant memory of a book I once picked up and got 5 chapters into lol Perhaps I will venture to the bookstore today and if it's reasonably priced I'll pick it up :P
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Yeah this particular one doesn't sound like one I'd get into as much as some of the others, but I'll give it a shot if I can get my hands on a copy. And I defintely have added a couple of the other ones mentioned in the original post as books I want to read if/when I ever find time. LOL.
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I'm telling you guys, her best one by far is Nineteen Minutes. You must read it! You have no choice! lol
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Yeah, that's the one that I'm most likely to pick up and actually read (I have a *horrible* habit lately of picking up books and essentially using them for shelf decoration...*sigh*)
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That's one of my absolute favorite books. Just curious, do you have the Original version or the Unabridged? I'm thinking that sounds like the longer one, but all his books are so long it's hard to tell!
It's the Unabridged. I haven't read the original, so I won't know the difference, but might as well read the longest version LOL.
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I ordered My Sister's Keeper last night, so it should be here within a week... just in time for me to get into it NEXT weekend.
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Yay! lol we already have four pages in this thread and we haven't even started discussing the book yet.
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I wasn't sure I was going to like this book at all. (My Sister's Keeper) It just didn't sound like the kind of book I would usually read. I opened it expecting to be bored and give up but I'm 150 pages in already and can't seem to put it down. I freaking HATE the mom, and want to chop her head off, but so far, I'm loving this book. It actually makes me want to check out other stuff by her. Which is strange because I didn't realize Mare and I were capable of loving any of the same things lol. Thanks for the recommendation Mare!
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I hate the mom too! That's the thing i love about this book. The characters are so flawed, all of them but you find something to like and dislike about them all. I avoided this book for the longest time because for some reason I thought it was about taking care of a mentally disabled person lol I have no idea why.
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I found myself hating the mother too... but then I thought, if it were my family and my daughters would I ever really think that I were giving up the quality of life for one by wanting to save the other?
It's one of the controversial topics of which there really is no real answer. I found myself siding with the daughter most often... but that's because having not been in the mother's position, I simply can't put myself in those shoes.
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Yup, I agree with what you said as well. There are points in the book (albeit small ones) that I do sometimes feel for the mom. Thinking that if I were in her position I might do the same thing. I guess it really is a hard thing to gaugue unless you happen to be in a position like that.
The thing is, if my younger child felt so bad about things that she felt she needed to get a lawyer, I would probably rethink my methods. I feel for Kate, is has to be a rough thing for her and she's kind of in the middle of it all.
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The first thing I don't like about this book ... I paid $20 for it! Highway robbery! It's paper and ink!
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lol julilly. I wouldn't like that either.
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I like this little pay guide on the back "$13.50 US $19.99 CDN" HOW DO YOU FIGURE!? lol Okay, I bought it, it's over, time to move on :P
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yeah the prices listed on the back are almost always more expensive for Canada. Couldn't tell you why? Sorry.