Aspergers, patient mother, and murder. Dun dun dunnn

The title: 

House Rules

Who penned this work?:

Jodi Picoult

How did this piece find it's way to your nightstand?:

I'd heard she was a good author.  That's all there is to it.

Number of pages:

532

Time passed from start to finish?:

Two weeks, maybe?

Describe the cover:

A boy crouching near a lake, writing in the sand.

In what section of the bookstore would a reader find this?:

Fiction  

Summary of the basic plot:

Jacob is an 18 year old with Aspergers, he has a 15 year old brother, and his mother who works from home.  He's obsessed with forensic criminology, and likes to crash crime scenes to tell the police what happened to the victim.  It's all harmless until a victim is someone he's close to, and the crime scene makes every clue turn into making him into a suspect.  So most of the book is finding out what really happened to the victim.  Each chapter is from the perspective of a different character, which I thought was neat.

Background information on the story/author:

She is also a #1 bestselling author, who lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three kids.  Is that good enough?  

What did you think of it? (your general response, what you liked or didn't like, what you learned, anything else you want to share about it):

I actually liked it.  I wanted to turn the pages to find out what happens next! I didn't know much about aspergers, so it was neat to learn about something. 

Which page was your favorite? Share why:

I need to remember to keep track of that kind of stuff when i'm reading. because i couldn't tell ya. 532 pages is a lot to go back and find out which was my favorite.

If the story was made into a movie, who would you cast as the main characters?

i bet leonardo dicaprio, back in the day when he was in gilbert grape, would have been good as jacob.  I don't know many 18 year old actors that could pull off that right now.  

Share a quote that was worth reading twice. Explain why:

Again, i forgot to take notes, but looking one up online, here's a good one:

"I don't know what he means by that, but I nod and smile at him. You'd be surprised at how far that response can get you in a conversation where you are completely confused."   It shows how Aspergers works in his mind.  The line before that was most likely a metaphor, and Aspie's take everything 100% literally.  

           Choose your rating:

          - Changed. My. Life.
          - I laughed, I cried, I want you to read it
          - A definite page-turner
          - Good to check out but don't spend the cash.
          - Why did I waste my weekend on this?
          - A disgrace to paper everywhere

Flip to page 2, 22, or 202. Share the 7th sentence on the page. 

It's the child who's supposed to cry, and the mom who makes it all better, not the other way around, which is why mothers will move heaven and earth to hold it together in front of their own kids.

I can't come up with a creative title for this waste of time book

The title: 

Fearless Fourteen

Who penned this work?:

Janet Evanovich

How did this piece find it's way to your nightstand?:

At Target every Tuesday we all head to electronics to see what the new releases are.  This author had a new book come out and my manager said she had read a different book by her and said it was "hilarious." So I head to the library, which is the smallest library in the world, and find a book by her.

Number of pages:

310

Time passed from start to finish?:

Three weeks or so, only reading it at work on my breaks. 

Describe the cover:

It's hot pink.  With the author and the title on it. Boring.

In what section of the bookstore would a reader find this?:

Fiction  

Summary of the basic plot:

(I had to steal this from a website because I couldn't come up with anything good to say)

bounty hunter Plum finds herself caring for a gaming-obsessed teenage boy, and embroiled in the middle of a bungled bank robbery.

Background information on the story/author:

She is somehow a #1 best selling author based on the books that are about this bounty hunter.  I'm pretty sure I won't read any more of these so called #1 books. 

What did you think of it? (your general response, what you liked or didn't like, what you learned, anything else you want to share about it):

obviously I've stated my dislike for this book enough.  It felt like i was listening to a boring acquaintance tell me a story, that really doesn't have a point, and even if it does have a point, it's a very very boring story that I try and find a way to get out of listening.  But since I can't do it, I listen to the very terrible end. 

Which page was your favorite? Share why:

Umm the last page. Because it meant I was done. 

If the story was made into a movie, who would you cast as the main characters?

Hmm who is an actress I don't really like?  Probably the mom from Weeds because I've watched 9 episodes of the show and still don't like her.  She could do this stupid role. 

Share a quote that was worth reading twice. Explain why:

Sorry, I can't do that to anyone.  Especially myself, opening that book again.

           Choose your rating:

          - Changed. My. Life.
          - I laughed, I cried, I want you to read it
          - A definite page-turner
          - Good to check out but don't spend the cash.
          - Why did I waste my weekend on this?
          - A disgrace to paper everywhere

Flip to page 2, 22, or 202. Share the 7th sentence on the page. 

They are all stupid sentences.  I won't do it.

A boy and his dogs

~ Tell us the title: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
~ Who penned this work?: David Wroblewski
~ Number of pages: 561
~ Time passed from start to finish?: Too long, like 6 weeks
~ Describe the cover: Farm setting, with a boy and a dog walking towards a barn
~ In what section of the bookstore would a reader find this?: Fiction
~ Summary of the basic plot: Without giving anything away, it's about a mute boy (he can hear, but uses a made up sign language) and his parents who live on a farm but they raise dogs, and train them to a great extent before selling them.  
~ Background information on the story/author: This was his first book. It takes place in Wisconsin in the 50's, and the author lives in Wisconsin.
~ What did you think of it? He is a great writer, in his phrasing.  He had some excellent thoughts, but holy cow was the ending horrible.  I thought that, then looked online and almost all reviews said the same thing.  He wove a wonderful story, but left so so many of the storylines unfinished.  As one review said, it was almost like he was on a time crunch and just threw an ending together.  It was not satisfying in the least.

~ Which page was your favorite? Share why: I couldn't tell you.  There were a lot. of pages.
~ If the story was made into a movie, who would you cast as the main characters? Well, since the main character is 14 for most of the book, I don't know many 14 year old male actors.
~ Share a quote that was worth reading twice. Explain why: I'm sorry, I returned the book to the library before doing this.  So I have nothing to tell you.
~ Choose your rating:
- Changed. My. Life.
- I laughed, I cried, I want you to read it
- A definite page-turner
- Good to check out but don't spend the cash.
- Why did I waste my weekend on this?
- A disgrace to paper everywhere
~ Flip to page 2, 22, or 202. Share the 7th sentence on the page. That spring their dog, Violet, who was good but wild-hearted, had dug a hole under the fence when she was in heat and run the streets with romance on her mind. (sorry that is not sentence number 7, because that sentence sucked. but this one was good on that page)