Book Review: Handle with Care - Jodi Picoult

Handle with Care Jodi Picoult's latest novel is about a family struggling to afford the cost of raising a child with brittle bone disease (OI) and the decision to file a lawsuit against their obstetrician (a close family friend) for wrongful birth. Picoult allows the reader to empathise with each character and as a parent can feel for all parties involved.

Handle with Care was an easy read filled with emotion, relationship struggles, questioning and ended with an unexpected turn left me feeling sort of incomplete and not ready to move onto another book just yet. However the unexpected ending was fresh and not predictable like so many others.

I have read all 16 of Picoult's novels and again enjoyed this book with similar style yet not repetitive. I especially loved the recipes added to the book a clever way of separating segments and inspiration to get ionto the kitchen.

Book Review: Towel Head

I purchased this book at the same time as my last book review- "Does my head look big in this?" both from the young adult/older children's section of the book self from K-Mart. I was surprised by it's extremely graphic sexual content and was somewhat disturbed by a fiction children's book being so graphic. Jasira is a 13yr old mixed American Lebanese girl who is shipped off to live with her father because her mothers boyfriend -pays a little too much attention to her. Her father is strict and Jasira is unable to understand his boundaries. Jasira is a 13yr old who is lost in a world of adults whom she does not understand - she feels love through the unnatural affections of her mother's boyfriend, the neighbour - father of the boy she babysits and then a African American boy from school whom she is baned from seeing because he is "black"

The title of the book "Towelhead" is what the neighbours young son calls Jaira and her father.

I felt a little disturbed after reading this book there is an extreme amount of sexually graphic images portrayed as well as racism. (Not a view of the Author rather a portrayal of life a troubled 13 year old - which I am sure is more common that I would like to think).

I do not think this book should be placed on the shelves where young girls can read without any warnings ot it's strong sexual content or language. This book has been made into a motion picture which I would be curious to see - no where near my daughters. Thankfully it does have an R rating with Strong Disturbing Sexual Content and Abuse involving a teen and for language.

To Alicia Erian's credit the book was well written, easy to read and believable.

I have done some sewing lately but much more reading - stay tuned for my sewing pics and book reviews for the Twilight series.

Book Review: Does My Head Look Big in This

What better place to be reading a book than sitting on the beach whilst the kids are being kept busy in the sand and sea on a loveley warm sunny day.

OK so I did not get through this whole book while at the beach and I did get into the sea for a dip but I was able to get through a substantial amount of this book whilst we were on the coast for a week.

Does my head look big in this? was an easy fictional read about 16year old Amal Mohamed Nasrullah Abdel-Hakim an Australian-Palestinian- Muslim and spans a over a period of approx 1 Australian school term (11weeks) and the dilemmas she faces as a teenager going to McCleans Grammar School in Melbourne.

Whilst on holidays Amal makes the decision that she would like to return to school wearing a hijab (head scarf) on a full time basis, not just part-time. That means she will be wearing her hijab in all public situations outside her family home including to school each day. Even if she may encounter negativity from others. Amal goes through the process of all teenagers wanting to wear the right clothes, looking nice and fitting in.

In the end Amal finds that through the support of her family, her old school friends and current school friends she gets through in tact and feels comfortable with the person she is.

This book whilst raises some serious issues is easy and lighthearted to read and a great recommendation to any teenager/young adult trying to fit in to their world whilst trying to be true to themselves even if it means sticking out a little.

I have been very fortunate to be brought up in a society which was so rich in diversity as a child my dad had a Lebanese friend and from a young age we were eating Lebanese foods, my mum worked in hotels and had friends who were Yugoslav, Thai, Japanese, Polish. At school I was friends with Muslims who would pray at lunch, Greeks and Chinese so for me I have a great respect for all humans who ultimately have respect for others. I am however Anglo and have not experienced discrimination due to race so I can not fully understand the dilemmas faced by making a choice to wear something which really makes me stand out but I guess as a teenager I faced many of the challenges of fitting in and belonging - in the end it is about surrounding yourself with a few friends who love and support you for all you are and ignoring those who choose to put you on the outer for whatever reasons they may choose.

Book Review: Marley & Me

I thought I would start a new meme - Book reviews of the latest books on my night stand so here is the first completed book for 2009 Marley and Me By John Grogan transformed into a motion picture out now in cinemas.

I bought this book on Christmas day whilst waiting to board the plane to mum's - not the cheapest place to be buying a book but I was on the last few pages of my book and was in need of a new one.

Marley and Me is a book about Marley and his 13 years with the Grogan family. Marley is a very anxious, energetic and very large lab who failed to pass puppy obedience due to his over enthusiastic outlook on life. He costs the family many trips to the vet and repairs to the family house and sees the family through 3 births and 3 moves 2 in Florida and 1 to Pennsylvania. Marley whilst his antics created chaos in the home was really loved by his family.

Marely and Me was an easy read and made me happy and surprisingly made me cry at the end of his life. It made me glad to have a cat (who in the last months has cost a small fortune in vet bills repairing war wounds), and a real reminder about how important it is to choose a pet very carefully but also how much love they bring into a family.

Whilst I enjoyed the book I would not run off to see the movie - I can wait for it to come out on DVD. However if you are not a book reader Marley and Me may prove a light movie to see for any pet lover.

We are heading down the coast "to the blue house" for a week along the water, some books and outdoor fun.

Lookout for my next book review coming in the near future.