Book Review: Between the Lines

I currently have several book reviews on my old blog. I want to get rid of completely (since it's been nearly two years since I've used it), but many of my links are still to that blog. To transition completely away, I am going to be re-sharing some of my book reviews here once or twice a week. If you love reading, this is for you! If not... I'm sorry, and I promise to keep the words "book review" in all of the titles so you know!

Today's review features Between the Lines by Jodi Picout.

A couple years ago, I heard that my favorite author, Jodi Picoult, would be writing a book with her teenage daughter, Samantha. When I read about it, I was ecstatic. In true Janelle fashion, I bought the book (the actual book, not the e-book, as I have all of Picoult's books in hardcover, taking up nearly an entire shelf in one of my bookcases). I was nervous because this book was said to be unlike any other she'd written to date. Well, I was nervous for no reason because Between the Lines is a fantastic piece of literature, and I couldn't put it down.

Between the Lines tells the story of Delilah, a high school girl, who is obsessed with a children's fairy tale. She doesn't have many friends, and she loves reading by herself. The story she becomes smitten with is about a prince named Oliver. He is brave and strong and everything she feels like she isn't. One day, Prince Oliver begins talking to her. Yes, a character in a story is talking to the girl who is reading it. Maybe Prince Oliver isn't just a character after all... maybe he is trapped inside the book. 

Delilah desperately wants to help him, but along the way, her mom and one best friend think she has gone crazy. In an attempt not to ruin the book for anyone who wants to read it (and this one comes HIGHLY recommended, guys!), I will just say that I found the concept of the novel to be brilliantly creative and that I haven't looked at the characters in any given book the same way since finishing this one. If I could give this book 20 stars out of 5, I would. THAT is how much I loved Between the Lines. Jodi Picoult strikes again, this time with her daughter as co-author. 

To read more about the author, check out Picoult's website here! 

Book Review: The Storyteller

Can anyone name my favorite author? No? Okay, I'll tell you, but only because I want to share this amazing woman with the rest of the world. If you haven't been living under a rock, however, you probably are already familiar with Jodi Picoult. She takes current issues, asks herself a 'what-if?' question, and tells the story beautifully... every single time. The Storyteller, her most recent novel, is certainly no exception.

Goodreads gives the perfect synopsis for The Storyteller:

Sage Singer befriends an old man who's particularly beloved in her community. Josef Weber is everyone's favorite retired teacher and Little League coach. They strike up a friendship at the bakery where Sage works. One day he asks Sage for a favor: to kill him. Shocked, Sage refuses… and then he confesses his darkest secret - he deserves to die, because he was a Nazi SS guard. Complicating the matter? Sage's grandmother is a Holocaust survivor.

What do you do when evil lives next door? Can someone who's committed a truly heinous act ever atone for it with subsequent good behavior? Should you offer forgiveness to someone if you aren't the party who was wronged? And most of all - if Sage even considers his request - is it murder, or justice?

Now, doesn't that sound compelling? Or not, if you're not like me. I have an odd fascination with books about the Holocaust. It started in seventh grade, when I read The Cage by Ruth Minsky Sender in class. I felt so deeply for the characters, and ever since, I haven't been able to avoid books about this subject. And with Jodi Picoult being my favorite author, reading The Storyteller was a no-brainer.

I don't want to give too many details about the book. This is one you simply have to read. Be prepared to stop and think. Be prepared to cry. Be prepared for this book to stay with you for a long, long time after you finish reading it. But most of all: just read it. It's brilliant; I promise. I haven't been this straight-forward about recommending a book in a long time (probably since I read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, also a Holocaust book). Do yourself a favor, and pick up a copy of this book soon. 

• If you've read The Storyteller, what did you think?
• If you haven't read it yet, do you plan on it?
• Are you fascinated with a certain time period in our history?
• What is YOUR favorite book?