Book Morsels

A morsel is a tasty bite of something…teasing you to try more or to say “no thanks” but it gives you an idea of what it’s all about.  I have a backlog of books to review and the task is overwhelming what with homework, drama camps, and all the other fun things of summer getting in the way I thought this would be a perfect way to share the last four books I’ve read.

Tasty morsels-all delicious in their own way!  They are in order as to how I read them not by my enjoyment level.

My dear friend Jess in Little Rock introduced my to Picoult a few years ago and I’ve enjoyed most of her collection.  This one is about a mother, June, whose husband  dies unexpectantly  leaving her alone with their young daughter, Elizabeth. June later marries Kurt, the police officer, who helped her out of the car wreck that killed her husband.  And one day 5 years into the future June and Kurt are expecting a second daughter when Shay Bourne arrives to help them out of a construction mess.  Picoult’s tales are complex and I’m not going to give you much more but the story is told through alternating voices; June’s, Michael’s, a young priest, Maggie’s, a ACLU lawyer-(my favorite character) and Lucius, a vibrant man with a few regrets.  I thought the death penalty issues were well done and the whole mystical idea that Shay Bourne may or may not be Jesus was an interesting concept.  This one was predictable though-I could see Kurt’s flaw pretty quickly but not a bad read.

I loved this little book and sat right on my comfy sofa and read almost the whole thing in one sitting.  Cried quite a lot.  Has some similar themes to Before I Fall without all the mean girl stuff.  This one has a cast of characters to love: Mia, her rock and roll family and Adam, the to-die-for-boyfriend.  Mia plays the cello and loves classical music contrasting with her father who played drums in a  hipster band and her boyfriend who plays in an alternative band.  It has lots of musical references and I enjoyed Mia’s non-traditional family. This one is really well-written and I could easily read it all over again.  Now I need to get my hands on the second one, Where She Went.