Handle with Care (2009)

Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Probably not the best Jodie Picoult but still an engrossing read that makes you question what you would do in a similar situation. Picoult uses a familiar structure of voicing the characters in their own words in their own chapters. It is very effective in presenting the why of actions that we would ordinarily condemn outright.

This time we are presented with a child born with OI (Osteogenesis Imperfecta), a debilitating and life threatening condition, and a lawsuit claiming "wrongful birth". With complication on top of complication, how will this family survive?

Nobody tells a story like Jodi Picoult. Besides the ethical questions, the reader is apt to learn something new. Picoult seems to even-handedly present each side and leave it up to the reader to decide where their sympathies should reside. For me, the message continues to be "judge not".


View all my reviews.

Life Sentences (2009)

Life Sentences: A Novel by Laura Lippman

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I've read one of the Tess Monahan crime books, but this is the first novel I've read by Laura Lippman.

Cassandra Fallows grew up in a racially diverse neighborhood in Baltimore. She has made her name as a writer of memoirs and is lost as to how to proceed with her work. Remembering a court case that has personal connections, she decides to investigate the story.

What follows is about our memories and what we perceive and what the facts may really be. It touches on the question of who's story is it? Who has the right to tell someone else's story and what if they get it wrong? Does it matter?


View all my reviews.

Libraries Are What's Happening!

See more funny videos and Funny Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Say You're One of Them (2008)

Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was not an easy book to read. It was on the list of ten best books put out by Entertainment Weekly for 2008. I am slowly reading my way through the list but I seriously thought about putting this down in the first half. It was difficult for me to understand the dialogue with its mix of English, french and native words. But I persevered and am glad I did.

These stories all concern children, brothers and sisters, trying to live in countries like Rwanda and Kenya where unspeakable things are happening. The juxtaposition of innocence and the banality of evil is frightening. I learned things I wish were not true.

Uwem Akpan is a Jesuit Priest and got an MFA from the University of Michigan in 2006. The title is advice on how to survive ethnic conflict and so much more. This is an unforgettable book.

View all my reviews.

Head Over Heels: Literal Video Version

I stumbled over this literal version that takes place in a library and wanted to share it.