Jodi Picoult is amazing

OK, so I know these two posts are going to be back to back, but I wanted to share the reason why I haven't posted anything in a couple of weeks.  Last week, I got an email that my turn for a book that I had on my hold list had finally came!  I went to the library and found out that since this book is still new and the hold list is long (I had been on it for at least four months!) that I only had a week to read it and return it.  Well, challenge accepted and accomplished!  I just returned the book today, but I had finished it a couple of days ago.  Now that it is returned and completed I have been able to rejoin you all and share my wonderful experience with this novel.

As you probably have guessed from the title, the book is by one of my favorite authors, Jodi Picoult.  I have read a good number of her books and I have the ones I haven't read on my to be read list.  She is amazing and has a way of writing that just hooks me in from the first paragraph.  The first book I ever read by her was Nineteen Minutes as an assignment for one of my first teacher school classes.  This book was so amazing and I recommend it to anyone, but be warned that it is very sad and can be intense.  I especially recommend this book to teachers and parents because it offers a view into a high school shooting, the aftermath, and the events leading up to it that will help you better connect with your students and children in a way I didn't think a fiction book could do.

On to the book of the hour.  The newest book that she wrote is called Leaving Time.  This book is written in the classic Picoult style of many narrators.  This is one of the things that I love about her novels.  She is able to bring you into the story by showing you the plot points from the various characters view points.  She also does a lot of reflection and flashbacks that allow the reader to get a sense of the background along with the current story line.  I love that the reader is able to be immersed in the story like that.  This book does not disappoint.  There are many twists and turns that I was not expecting, and the ending was truly unexpected.  I won't reveal any of the plot points here because I don't want to spoil this wonderful story for anyone who hasn't read it yet.  I do want to post a quote from Jodi Picoult's website that I think completely encompasses the story well:
         "Leaving Time explores the mother-daughter relationship, be it elephant or human, and the idea that those we can't forget are never truly gone."

This book really resonated with me.  As a lover of animals, it frustrated me to read about the treatment of elephants in certain arenas.  As a mother, it really made me think about the relationship I have with my daughter and what I hope that it grows into as she grows older.  I really think she hit the jackpot on this one and I hope that everyone gets a chance to read this one soon.  I will be back to the grind and next week I will update you all on my progress in reading!