Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Synopsis

Jodi Picoult, bestselling author of My Sister's Keeper and The Tenth Circle, pens her most riveting book yet, with a startling and poignant story about the devastating aftermath of a small-town tragedy.

Sterling is an ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens--until the day its complacency is shattered by an act of violence. Josie Cormier, the daughter of the judge sitting on the case, should be the state's best witness, but she can't remember what happened before her very own eyes--or can she? As the trial progresses, fault lines between the high school and the adult community begin to show--destroying the closest of friendships and families. Nineteen Minutes asks what it means to be different in our society, who has the right to judge someone else, and whether anyone is ever really who they seem to be.

My Comments:
I loved this book. I really enjoyed how the author was able to tell the story from many different perspectives. Also the ending is not what you think it will be when you start. I like being tricked... It makes it feel like reading the book was worth while.

Queen Esther & the Second Graders of Doom by Allie Pleiter

Teaching Sunday school at her brother’s church in the Bay area was supposed to help former champion athlete Esther “Essie” Walker understand boys—the better to raise her newborn son as a stellar example of manhood. Fat chance! Enter the eight-year-old male psyche: awful jokes, disrespectful behavior and general mayhem. Essie, the queen of control, finds herself in a brand new world of chaos.


The pressure builds on all fronts—Sunday school class, husband’s job, church dramatic pageant, aging parents, finances—until Queen Esther has one royal meltdown. God, it seems, has makeover plans for Essie’s competitive nature. Her characteristic control is in very short supply as she gains a better understanding of the nature of imperfection, the value of motherhood and the virtues of a messy but connected life.

My Comments:
This book will have readers laughing out loud at the silly antics of the second-grade boys in Essie’s class. Highly recommended for anyone who is in the mood for some comic relief from their chaotic life, if only for a few short hours.

Bygones by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc (April 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1597894044



Good book. Great for a fast read. There are funny parts and parts that anyone can identify with. There are also parts that make you cry. It is an inspirational story and I can not wait for book #2.

Gods In Alabama by Joshilyn jackson

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (June 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446694533


The book is well written, and a real page turner. There are many laugh out loud funny lines, and it's one of those books you can easily read from start to end in one sitting.

Bygones by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Publishers Info:

Widower Marie Koeppler and her grown daughter Beth reluctantly return to the Mennonite community Marie abandoned twenty-three years ago. Soon after their arrival in Sommerfeld, a series of mysterious thefts raises the community's suspicions against the ""outsiders."" Can Marie prove their innocence, or will she be forced to flee once more? Henry Braun thought he'd gotten his love for Marie out of his system, but soon begins to wonder if she's stolen more than his heart. When it's all said and done, can Henry and Marie let bygones be bygones, or has their love been doomed from the start?

My Review

Great Amish story by a "new" author. Not a typical Amish story which makes it a breath of fresh air.

4 out of 5 stars

God's in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson

Publishers Review:

For 10 years Arlene has kept her promises, and God has kept His end of the bargain. Until now.
When an old schoolmate from Possett turns up at Arlene's door in Chicago asking questions about Jim Beverly, former quarterback and god of Possett High, Arlene's break with her former hometown is forced to an end. At the same time, Burr, her long-time boyfriend, has raised an ultimatum: introduce him to her family or consider him gone. Arlene loves him dearly but knows her lily white (not to mention deeply racist)Southern Baptist family will not understand her relationship with an African American boyfriend. Reluctantly, Arlene bows to the pressure, and she and Burr embark on the long-avoided road trip back home.
As Arlene digs through guilt and deception, her patched-together alibi begins to unravel, and she discovers how far she will go for love and a chance at redemption.

My Review

Great book! I can't wait to read another one by Jackson. This book will help men relate to women and women to better understand themselves. Beautiful book!

4 out of 5 stars