Jodi Picoult

10 MEMORABLE BOOKS

January 16, 2017 by Little Miss Honey 1,348 Comments

I came across an old Facebook status update which is sort-of a chain-letter tagging another person to do specific tasks. I rarely participate on those. But on one occassion, it was about books. I am a sucker for books, a 100% bookworm. I was asked to state 10 of my memorable books, explain why and tagging another book-lover friend.

Here are mine:

1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott- women, sisterhood and family – I love themes like this.

2. Nothing Last Forever by Sidney Sheldon- it is a story about three women doctors. One of them is named Honey who doesnt want to be a doctor. Hmmm….

3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte – I discovered this book in a pile of junk in a box. I enjoyed reading about her life in boarding school and her unconventional love story with her employer.

4. The Nancy Drew Series “The Haunted Showboat” – This is the first Nancy Drew book in my collection which my mom bought for me because of my high grades. It is all about adventure, New Orleans and mystery, so exciting!

5. Sweet Dream “Exchange of Hearts” – This is another discovery in the junk of pile in a box. This got me started in my love for teenybopper love stories and turned me (unfortunately) into a hopeless romantic.

6. Veronica Decides to Die by Paolo Coelho – stimulated my love for psychology, psychiatry, crazy people and second chances in life.

7. Love in Times of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez – one of the best lovestory ever told. It is about a love that stood the test of time.

8. The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult – This got me started in my Jodi Picoult addiction. Jodi Picoult is a gifted storyteller. Her words are lyrical, intelligent and unique.

9. Erroneous Zones by Dr. Wayne Dyer – one of the best self-help book out there. I discovered this in my mom’s old books collection.

10. The Secret Woman by Victoria Holt – a friend of mine in Saudi Arabia gave this old book to me. I thought it was a historical lovestory fiction but I will not like it. I was so wrong. It is a romantic suspense story. It’s like a Tom Clancy novel in the older century spoken in a woman’s voice.

How about you? What are your 10 memorable books?

BOOK REVIEW: CHANGE OF HEART BY JODI PICOULT

October 22, 2014 by Little Miss Honey 1,159 Comments

I am still a Jodi Picoult fan, always will be. Sometimes being a breastfeeding mom, you will get tied in bed with your little hungry one and nowhere to go, so it helps to have a book nearby. My sister gave me this book for the longest time and it was only during my maternity leave did I get to ‘sink my teeth’ into this enthralling book.

SYNOPSIS:

June Nealon is a mother who had a tragic loss. Her daughter and her new husband were murdered by their carpenter, Shay Bourne while she was pregnant. Shay Bourne was sentenced to death by lethal injection. Fast forward eleven years after, the baby June was carrying during the tragic death,is on the news. Claire Nealon is sick and needs a heart donor. While Shay Bourne inside the prison was making news himself. He suddenly was performing miracles like turning water into wine and resurrecting a dead bird and some people thinks he is the new Jesus Christ. Shay, upon hearing the news of poor Claire’s heart, is adamant to give his heart to Claire after the lethal injection. Shay was given a spiritual mentor, the young Father Michael, to prepare him for his death. While single mother, June, is in a dilemma if she will accept the offer of her other daughter’s murderer to give a new life to her ill daughter.

REVIEW:

Change of Heart is definitely a page-turner. Like most Jodi Picoult novels, it is narrated in different voices: June – the mother; Father Michael – the spiritual director; Lucius – the gay prison mate of Shay, and Maggie Bloom – the atheist lawyer that will help Shay in bringing justice to his death wish. A little trivia, Jodi Picoult, tailored the narrators to the Bible’s gospel of Matthew, Luke, Mark and John hence the first letter of the names of the narrators. Some Catholics will find the novel to border into anti-Christianity because of trying to model the convicted Shay into the new Jesus Christ and the reference to the gnostic gospels. Is he or isn’t he the new Messiah? It wasn’t really that clear in the end. I love the character of Father Michael in the book. He was a voice of reason for most part of the novel however in the later end, he became a bit gullible to Shay’s charm. Being a new mother myself, it would be tough to be in June’s shoes. Would you take your daughter’s murder’s heart to save your other daughter’s life? There is a surprise revelation in the end which would make you cringe a bit. But this one is definitely an entertaining and interesting book that Jodi Picoult’s fans would love.

POINTS FOR DISCUSSION:

1. If you are June, would you accept Shay’s offer to give your daughter a new heart even if it means that she will be living with the heart of a murderer?

2. Are you in favour of the death penalty?

3. Can you forgive someone in your past if they ask for forgiveness, even if their previous actions lead to permanent ‘scars’ in your life?

4. How can you differentiate religion and faith?

LITTLE MISS HONEY BOOK CLUB: NINETEEN MINUTES BY JODI PICOULT

July 17, 2013 by Little Miss Honey 387 Comments

I know, I know. I have written three posts about Jodi Picoult books. My sis and I are obsessed with her right now. Here is another recommended book from her.

Synopsis:

17 year old Peter Houghton has been suffering from bullying in his high school for years. One fateful day, he went to his school and started shooting everyone in sight especially the popular kids, very reminiscent of the Columbine High School Massacre. He was tried for murder. Involved in this heartbreaking story is his old friend turned popular kid, Josie Cormier who became a star witness to the trial much to the apprehension of her mother, Alex Cormier who is a respected judge. You will find a familiar character in this story that is in one of Jodi Picoult’s Perfect Match. Police officer, Patrick Duchrame transferred to Sterling and is the one who captured Peter Houghton after the shooting spree.

REVIEW:

I think Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult is one of her best novels alongside Storyteller. It depicted a heart-crunching story of bullying, loyalty, friendship and motherhood. I couldn’t help but shed a few tears when reading this. I feel for Peter. Most parents might not be aware but high school or elementary for that matter is a battlefield. You need to pass a certain criteria to be accepted by your peers. Acceptance and belonging are core needs of an individual at this age. If you are not pretty, rich or intelligent by your classmates standards and displaying a certain weirdness that put people off, the “mean” girls and boys of your school will bully you to their hearts’ content. Unfortunately, people who are being bullied cannot run to their teachers or parents and exposing their bullies. If their teacher will defend them, once the teacher’s back is turned, they will be getting more abuse. If they tell their parents, their parents’ will tell them to toughen up and stand their ground against their bullies. But apparently due to generation gap, parents has no idea of the psychology of cliques in high school and how it works. So the bullied child will suffer in helpless silence. The bullying will send a scar on his/her soul. So when he/she grows up to be a rich CEO, a pretty model or a intelligent IT consultant, his/her esteem will leave fragments of insecurity that cannot be erased. I stand strong against bullying. It is the worst thing that can happen to any child. It is horrible to wake up in the morning and wishing you are sick so you can’t face your aggressors. It is horrible to force yourself to be like everyone else so you wont get picked on and you hide your uniqueness. They say, “Stick and stones might hurt your bones but words will never harm me“. Apparently that so untrue. Yes they do. Yes, they do,

POINTS FOR DISCUSSION:

1. If you were being bullied in your school, what is the best revenge you can think of towards your bullies?

2. What is the best way or solution to stop bullying in elementary & high schools?

3. Do you believe that if a person was bullied in school, most likely he/she would seek out relationship that allows them to be bullied also, following a familiar pattern in their life?

4. Do you think spoiling a child or wrong parenting can cause triats of a child that would court bullying from his /her peers?