Another Picoult novel that pits the American justice system against true justice. In this story, a young boy named Nathaniel is raped by someone he knows. His mother, Nina, is a prosecutor for the state of Maine that works to convict child molesters and rapists and knows the criminal justice system from front to back - including how it often takes advantage of the young and weak. Knowing this, and faced with the fact that this time it's her child on the witness stand, she decides to take matters into her own hand. Nina shoots the man she believes did this to her son.returnreturnThe story then spirals into a role reversal. Nina, used to being the prosecutor, is now the defendant. How does she and her legal team prove that she did this out of undying and unstoppable love for son? And does this even justify the act of murdering a man? And how does this affect those around her? Her husband, her best friends, her own child... Especially when Picoult throws in twist after twist. And once again, leaves her reader thinking about themselves in that situation.returnreturnAt times, the roads Picoult took seemed a tad outlandish and thrown in for drama's sake, but it was still a very enjoyable read. Good for anyone interested in the legal system and ethical dilemmas.

The Overlook hotel has a long and twisted past, much of which we learn about bit by bit. Jack, Wendy, and Danny Torrence take up the caretaker post for the winter after a hard couple of years. Jack recently lost a promising teaching job for losing his temper and, as a recovering alcoholic, he is still battling for inner peace and is attempting to kill the demons that have been inside of him since a small child.returnreturnDanny is an interesting child with the ability to sometimes see things that others cannot. Whether it's when Daddy will get home, where Daddy's trunk is when no one else can find it, or the terrible things that what will happen at their stay at The Overlook. returnreturnWhat happens in this hotel was horrifying to me - so if you're not a fan of scary books to start with, you may not want to pick this one up. The upside is that this

I believe that this is the best Picoult book I've read yet! It's the story of a woman who finds out that she was kidnapped as a child by her own father! There are twists and turns in the story as we travel from cool, comfortable New Hampshire to hot, dusty Arizona for his trial. We see the ins and outs of being in jail, of battling alcoholism, meeting people who profoundly impact others in the story, and struggling with accepting that things aren't always as they seem.

This is my second Picoult book and it sucked me in. The storyline is somewhat similar to the first I read (Salem Falls), but I think that was luck of the draw. The story of a young girl (and her family) that was taken advantage of by a boy at a party. Her dad is a comic book writer, so his drawings are interspersed throughout the book, with little clues that lead to a final message.

This is the story of a school shooting from everyone's perspectives. It was painful to read because I could truly empathize with all sides - which is what Picoult is so good at having the reader do.returnreturnIt also marks the return of Jordan McAfee, an attorney we met in an earlier Picoult novel. returnreturnWonderful book with lots of thought provoking details.

The story of Wilhemina Upton, a girl who comes home from school in "disgrace," and sets out to find out who her true father is. It's set in a small village in upstate New York and there is an interesting cast of characters.returnreturnI kind of had a hard time keeping up with all of the ancestors even with the all of the family trees provided - but maybe that was just me.

This book was set in my favorite time period and favorite location: Europe during WWII. More specifically, it begins on Guernsey Island right as German soldiers are beginning their occupation. It is the story of Vivienne, a mother of two daughters, who is taking care of her children, aging mother in law, and her home as her emotionally distant husband is away at war.returnreturnI loved reading about the life on the island - Vivienne works hard around the home to make sure her daughters are provided for by planting vegetables in place of her beautiful flowers, getting creative in the kitchen with the rations she has, drinkings lots of tea, and eventually chopping down her fruit-filled orchard in order to have fire for heat. Vivienne's youngest daughter befriends a man who is captive in the concentration camp on the island and, although it is very dangerous, Vivienne works hard to keep him fed and as safe as possible. This book reminds us that we are all connected in the world and we mustn't be complacent about what happens to others around us. Excusing ourselves with, "I was just doing my job," or "I had no idea what was really going on" is not good enough. It is particularly relevant with the wars that the US is fighting now and with the political/economical climate the US is facing.returnreturnWhat I didn't enjoy about this book was the love story. Vivienne has an affair with a German soldier that took over the house next door. Moving beyond the fact that she slept with a Nazi is the feeling that this storyline didn't need to be added - I think there was enough opportunity to add drama and unpredictability to the story of life on the island. We didn't really need the predictability of a doomed relationship. Another piece that bothered me throughout the book was the choppy sentence structure, but I believe the author was intending the book to read as though we were witnessing Vivienne's day to day thoughts and not reading artful, thoughtful prose. returnreturnAll in all, I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for an easy, quick summer read or who enjoys reading about Europe in WWII.

The main parts of this story flash back and forth between present day (or the late 90s) and the 1920s. It is mostly told by Grace, a young girl who worked at Riverton as a housemaid. Grace shares with us the events that lead up to the death of a young poet at a party on the shores of the lake at Riverton. Grace's story touches on wealth and privilege, the lives of soldiers after they've been to war, feminism and the role of women, and how love touches our lives.returnreturnRiverton is like many of the wealthy English homes in the 20s - it is beautiful, it is full of beautiful people, it almost seems to have a life of it's own, and it is full of secrets. These secrets are whispered about in town by the commoners and are rarely mentioned within the house's own walls.returnreturnThe mysteries of this novel unfold beautifully, as does Grace's story, which shows us the importance of living our lives fully and surrounding ourselves with those that we love. I definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading about the effects of war on Europe and who enjoys tragic mysteries.