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The Help by Kathryn Stockett
I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy Kathryn Stockett’s debut novel when I first started reading it, but quickly became involved with the characters as they unfolded. The story is told in first person by the three main characters, Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter, and tackles racism in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s. I couldn’t stop reading and didn’t want it to end.
When I searched for more information about Kathryn Stockett, I discovered she was born in and raised in Jackson, Missisppi and moved to New York to work in magazine publishing. Wow! I can’t wait for her next novel. Will there be a sequel?
My Rating: 
By Linda
Hold Tight by Harlan Coben
There were several seemingly unrelated story lines in the plot that intertwined as the novel progressed and came together in the end. It reminded me somewhat of Jodi Picoult with a mystery thriller twist to it. I enjoyed the intricacy of the story lines as they intertwined and joined to make sense in the end.
My Rating: 
By Linda
The Memory of Running by Rob McLarty
I wasn’t too sure I was going to like this novel when I first started it. But I hung in there and was glad I did. Smithy Ide is an emotionally disfunctional adult male who starts out in Rhode Island and travels across the country on a bicycle to retrieve his sister’s remains at a funeral home in California. As the story progresses, the author uses the flashback technique to cover Smithy’s life and illustrate how he became who he is.
The tone, theme, and style of this book reminds of the tragedy novels Oprah tends to pick. I listened to the Audible version of this novel, which was narrated by the author himself. He does an outstanding job.
My Rating:
By Linda
Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
No doubt about it, I’m partial to Jodi Picoult’s books. I love her formula of writing in first person and switching between the major characters of the novel. I love her choices of subject matter…they always provoke thought after the last page is read. But this one left me somewhat disappointed. The characters were not as likeable and more emphasis was placed on the ACLU lawyer and the priest than necessary and not enough emphasis on Claire (the heart transplant recipient) and her mother, June. Still a very good read that I would recommend.
My Rating:
By Linda
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
This is one of those rare novels I just didn’t want to end. Edgar Sawtelle is born mute into a family that breeds and trains dogs. If you love stories about the companionship of dogs, this is a must read. But be forewarned, it’s a tear jerker! I’ve rewritten the ending a dozen times in my mind trying to put this novel to rest….
My Rating:
By Linda
The Pact by Jodi Picoult
This disturbing novel covered teenage depression, suicide, and pregnancy. As always Picoult’s novels are thought provoking and this one was no exception!
My Rating:
By Linda
Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult
Wow. This novel delves into several different topics for thought…rape, small town dynamics, wicca and witchcraft, drugs, and incest. I don’t know how much more Picoult could have crammed into this novel!
Disturbing as some of it was, yet again I couldn’t find myself putting it down. A very good read!
My Rating:
By Linda
Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult
Faith is a 7-year-old girl who develops an imaginary friend while her parents are going through a divorce. She becomes a custody battle when she claims her friend is God and female and throngs of believers start camping outside the door. When she develops stigmata, heals her grandmother and an aids baby, her father jumps into action suing for custody from her mother.
Frankly, I did not enjoy this novel anywhere close to the previous Picoult novels I’ve read. It was just too unrealistic and, unlike her other novels, not very thought provoking. The ending: a disappointment, but a relief.
My Rating:
By Linda
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Wow…what a thought provoking novel. Jodi Picoult tackles bullying and its deadly results. As upsetting as it was to read, I couldn’t put it down.
My Rating:
By Linda
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
What a wonderful book…I didn’t want it to end. It’s a story about a 93-year old man living in a nursing home and remembering his days back in the ’20s and ’30s when he worked in a travelling circus! Somewhat upsetting to listen to at times because of the cruelty to animals (which I suspect actually happened back then).I highly recommend this book and plan to look for other work by this author!
My Rating:
By Linda
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