I’m reading “Nineteen Minutes”by Jodi Picoult right now. As I mentioned in a previous post, I really loved her latest novel, “Change Of Heart”, but wasn’t sure what to expect with this one. I had doubts going into this book as well as high hopes. I lived in Denver, CO from August 1998 to July 1999. The morning of April 20th, 1999 I was at work and looking forward to dinner with my boyfriend at the time and his roommate and his girlfriend Kristen, when the news broke that a shooting had occurred at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. The whole country stopped in it’s tracks and the Denver area fell to it’s knees in despair. Two teenagers had gone on a shooting spree and then killed themselves in their high school. Kristen and I attended the memorial at the high school a couple of days later. Kristen and I couldn’t tear ourselves away from the news that whole week. I actually kept the Vans sneakers I wore that day that became covered in mud for years an years without washing the mud away.
I understand that Picoult did a massive amount of research for this book including interviews with people affected by the Columbine Massacre. So far I don’t like the flow of “Nineteen Minutes” as well as “Change of Heart” but I am happy that though I am reading the same author’s work I feel like it’s a very different book. I have stopped reading James Petterson for the sole reason that all of his books read the same and just flow together into one long story after awhile. I do feel like I need to be taking notes as I read “Nineteen Minutes” because there are so many characters and with the flashbacks and I find myself having to look back to what I already read for clues. I’m about a quarter of the way done so far so I’ll let you know how it’s going as I continue.
What are you reading right now? Are you happy with it or are you regretting picking it up? Please leave a comment below if you care to.
Planet Books 
I’m reading THE VENETIAN MASK by Rosalind Laker. I was in the mood for a good historical fiction book, and it’s been sitting in my TBR pile for a few months. I’m about 100 pages in and I’m enjoying it!
I’ve just started THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN by Garth Stein. I’m only on page 35 and I love it already!
JP~ I love historical fiction but haven’t read any in forever. Maybe I’ll have to revisit that genre this summer too.
Lisa~ Is that book the one about the dog wanting to be reincarnated? I’ll have to check that out on Borders.com.
I just finished The Wishing Year and I’m about 2/3rd through Songs for the Missing. Pretty soon I get to decide what to pick up next, and I’m excited about that. I have a big stack of books I’m supposed to read and review, but I also have a big stack of books I’ve bought for myself and others people have given me as gifts. I think I’m going to choose one of those-possibly Peony in Love or A Thousand Splendid Suns. They’ve been waiting a long time for their turn!
LMM~ Good luck with your decision making! I have both The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns on my TBR shelf among others.
Karen, today is the day that they are discussing Matrimony over at Every Day I Write the Book. There are some excellent comments there. I haven’t added my thoughts there yet (still sort of thinking it over) but I thought you’d want to go check it out.
Here’s the link: http://everydayiwritethebook.typepad.com/books/
I just finished The Alchemist for my next book club meeting, and am currently reading A Family Daughter by Maile Meloy, which is off to a very good start – a family drama without a lot of melodrama.
I just started The Color Purple. I ‘m going to post about it soon. The preface blew me away!
I have a hard time with Patterson knowing that he has a ‘team’ write his books for him. WT?! (What? there’s fudge?)
ANyway, same with Grisham imo and I have yet to read any Picoult cuz I get confused which one to try first.