Book Review: Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult

This book review is a few weeks late in the making but I'm still trying to decide what to say about this book to the average reader. When I say average reader I mean someone who is not reading it because it deals with subject of OI.

My thought truly is that if you aren't reading it because of the OI subject matter it really is not a great book. It's long and it just ends. You have read 400+ pages of a book that just ends. I guess I do see the irony of the ending but it just made me mad.

Now, if you are reading the book because you know me or someone else who has had first hand experience with OI it really is a great book for sheer informational purposes. Truthfully, she did a great job researching the condition as well as many issues surrounding the condition and for that I appreciate her work.

It almost seems her writing style is more suited to Non Fiction because she does a great job of researching the topic at hand and writing about it in greatly accurate detail.

Would I recommend this book? The jury is still out on this one. I'd say yes for sure if you know me or someone else who has experience with OI in some way, shape, or form. If not, then I don't think I'd urge you to read it.

Book Review: Resilience by Elizabeth Edwards

The day this book came out I reserved it at the library and have been waiting for a copy to become available ever since. Personally, I thought it was worth the wait. This woman has been dealt a lot of adversity in her life and has shouldered it all with great strength.

In the book, she spends a lot of time talking about her first born son Wade who was killed in a car accident back in 1996. Honestly, I thought she might not discuss this topic at length because she has faced so many other difficult life situations since then but she does and I was glad considering my own situation.

It was very interesting to read as she outlined how she grieved and how she feels now. Not long ago as I was watching her interview on the Today Show with Matt Lauer he questioned something she discusses in the book. At the time I thought it was inappropriate and today having now read the book and lost my own child it actually makes me mad that he asked the question at all especially in the tone that he did.

The discussion was with regard to how she handled Wade's "stuff" once he passed. The fact was she didn't. She left it as was. Matt Lauer took her to task during the interview asking whether that was an appropriate way of grieving. The answer: Yes, Mr. Lauer it is thankyouverymuch.

It left me wondering how he would feel that we are making somewhat of a memorial to Megan Grace in the room that would have been hers with all of her "stuff". It's comforting to me as I'm sure it was to Mrs. Edwards.

She does briefly touch on the affair, her battle with terminal cancer, and her faith. It seemed to me a lot of the book was about the loss of Wade but she uses that to discuss how that situation made it easier for her to overcome these other life changing situations.

Basically, she sums it up when she discusses her faith towards the middle of the book. Her belief is that God gave us life and the world we live in along with free will and it's up to us to "fix" things as we are able. My beliefs do not exactly jive with hers but I can appreciate her thoughts on the subject as I'm sure she has questioned her faith many times over the years.

All in all, this is a good book. It is inspirational even if you have never been in any of the situation. She also throws in a few anecdotes about her life prior to fame that relate to the book as well that make it an easy read. So easy that I read it in four hours while sitting in my garage "helping" Steve paint.

Enjoy!

Two things

1) Last night I started reading Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult. You can read the synopsis here. One of the character's in this book is living with Megan's condition, Osteogenesis Imperfecta. The form she has is Type III which is the most severe form a child have and survive. Megan Grace has Type II which is not survivable however this books gives a glimpse into the hardships faced by those who do survive.

It has been a good read so far because it is like taking a look into our life in a way.

2) Today is the one year anniversary of the day I started with this company. This is only the second longest amount of time I've stayed anywhere and in 8 short months it will be the longest.

Have a good day everyone!

Review: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

I've officially been added to the list of people who have read this book and think it is worth reading again and again. Normally, I just borrow books from the local library such as in this case but every so often if the book is good enough I'll buy it to read again.

This is one of those books.

Many times while I was reading the book, I'd come across points that really made me stop and think while at the same time applying them to my own life.

One of the lessons that stood out the most to me also happens to be one he references a few times throughout the book. The Brick Wall

The ultimate lesson of The Brick Wall is:

"Brick walls are there for a reason. They give us a chance to show how badly we want something."~ Randy Pausch

He goes back to this analogy a couple of times while reflecting on his life. Once was in reference to obtaining permission from the Deans at UVA to go to Disney on a sabbatical and the other was in reference to courting his wife Jai.

Neither of these examples are related to each other and they are a far throw from my own situation but that just shows that this analogy can be used in all of our lives to stretch across many situations.

At one other point he is reflecting on the story of the birth of his first child, Dylan. His birth was of the very complicated variation and many times things were very uncertain for both the life of the child and his wife.

He goes on to discuss how they handled things and even before reading this book he sums up pretty much how I try to think about our own situation with Megan Grace.

"Dylan's birth was a reminder to me of the roles we get to play in our own destinies. Jai and I could have made things worse by falling into pieces. She could have gotten so hysterical that she'd thrown herself into shock. I could have been so stricken that I'd have been no help in the operating room.

Through the whole ordeal I don't think we ever said to each other "This isn't fair." We just kept going. We recognized that there were things we could do that might help the outcome in positive ways...and we did them. Without saying it in words our attitude was, "Let's saddle up and ride." ~Randy Pausch

Enough said. I'm going to buy this book and read it again and again. Sooo many lessons to be learned that apply to so many of life's situations.

What a great book!

The Generosity Factor

Last Monday at the Junior League Annual Dinner to close out the year our new President gave her first official speech. In her speech, she referenced this book.

Over the weekend, I picked it up from the library and from start to finish I think it to me and hour and a half to read. The story itself will probably follow me around for a lifetime though because I really believe in the main premise behind the underlying moral.

It is a good yet quick read that just might change how you view life. For me, it simply reinforced my how I try to live my life for others it could be a real eye opener.

Enjoy!

Books

As I've said before in this blog I love to read. My husband thinks I'm nuts because I could literally spend hours in the library or any bookstore.

Ever since I was small it has been one of my favorite things. It is something I've always hoped to pass down to my children hence the reason that I even read to Megan Grace fairly regularly. You can never read too many books and you can never read all the books that have been written. So much to read and learn!!

In a previous post, I had mentioned the book Losing Malcolm. I'm done with it and it was a great book written by a mother who lost her child and her journey through grief. I'll be posting a full review in the future so be on the lookout for that post.

The reason for today's post surrounding books is to bring your attention to another book that has been shared with me a couple of times now. Our genetic counselor in Baltimore originally shared it with us but just yesterday a friend told me she read it while in Jamaica (yes, you can hate her) and said it was really good.

The book is called Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult. Based on what I've read and been told the main character has OI Type III which is the same condition Megan Grace has only hers is very clearly more severe.

My reason for sharing this information with you is 1) She is a very good writer 2) This book may help you understand more clearly what we are dealing with if you are curious and want to read a good book at the same time.

The friend who read it commented on my blog post a few posts back about balance and I've talked to her since she commented. It seems it really helped her see the situation through our eyes in a way.

I'm looking forward to reading the book and thought I would pass it along. Along the same lines, I've also reserved Resilience by Elizabeth Edwards and hope to read it soon as well. She has been through a lot and is still trudging through so I'm interested to see things from her perspective.

Have a great week!

Book Review: The Wedding

This was a good follow up to The Red Tent since it was more of a lighter read that I knew I could finish quickly. It was exactly what a expected from Nicholas Sparks, a well written love story.

This book is the story of a couple who has been married for many years and have hit a rough patch. To make up for it the husband plans an elaborate surprise. I'm not going to say much more because I didn't see the ending coming and I don't want to spoil it. Enjoy this book while laying on the beach :)

Book Review: The Red Tent

What a wonderful book! It did take me quite a few pages to decide it was worth finishing but I'm really glad I did. This books follows a young girl through life as she knows it. It outlines what it is like to grow up in a culture filled with sacred Gods, rituals, and family.

The book can be hard to follow at times because there are many characters but she does a good job of keeping them all differentiated for the reader. Throughout the book you will follow along as she falls in love, loses family members due to heinous crimes, and moves with her family from one part of the land to another.

Very good book!

The Time Traveler's Wife Book Review

So, I had read the raves about this book and I'm going to say up front I totally don't think it was all it was cracked up to be.

There was no real suspense involved in this story and it really wasn't that great of a love story because of the fact that the main character was a time traveler. Due to this you knew what was going to happen way in advance so there was no real "wait and see" because you were told what would happen.

Oh well, I'm reading The Red Tent and it has gotten off to a slow start so far but it seems to be getting better. Here's to hoping!

Books On My To Read List

• Water for Elephants
• The Secret Life of Bees
• Molokai
• The Red Tent
• Eat, Pray, Love
• The Kite Runner

According to the library website just now three of them are in transit. I'm excited!

Book Review: The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd

This book was written by the same author as The Secret Life of Bees. Before reading it I had gotten mixed reviews but all in all I *think* it was a good book. The jury is still out for me in a way because I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. On one hand I feel like I read the whole book just to get to the end and it sort of just ended but on the other I think there was a really good underlying moral to the story for married readers.

The book really has two different storylines going the whole time. One storyline is about a woman who has to go stay with her mom on Egret's Island where she grew up because her mother seems to be mentally ill. For some reason he mother has chopped off her finger. When the daughter arrives she finds her mother planting her finger in the soil. At the same time this occurs the daughter meets a very striking monk who also lives in a monastery on the island.

This is where the two storylines begin. The daughter (the whole book is written from her point of view) is married but has recently felt very distant from her marriage. Once she meets this monk she decides to tell her husband she wants to take some time apart. The majority of the book is then spent detailing her short lived relationship with the monk.

At the end of the book her mother chops off another finger and then everyone intervenes to discuss with her why this was done. She was trying to repent for helping her husband commit suicide many years prior because he did not want to succumb to a debilitating illness he had. The daughter then ends her relationship with the monk and she goes back home to her own husband and daughter.

All in all, I guess it was a good book if you consider the underlying morals but the ending sort of left something to be desired.

Book Review: The Innocent Man by John Grisham

At work I'm involved in a book club and this is the book we were to read for September. I'm a huge fan of books by this author and this one did not disappoint even though it was one of his only non-fiction works.

The book was about the investigation, trials, and outcomes of two murders in a small town in Oklahoma. It also delved into the corruption in the criminal justice system that was trying to solve these cases.

The main suspects were a group of men but it really focused on one or two throughout the book. As you read the book you knew these men were innocent but it really showed how the police wanted the crimes solved so they were doing everything in their power to make it look like these men had murdered these women. They went to the extreme of ignoring evidence and even confessions that did not make sense which caused these men to spend a large portions of their lives on death row when they should not have.

Through my life I have heard and read stories of this happening and I truly can't imagine. Once it was all over and the men were proven innocent they were just released from prison. That was basically it. No compensation, no apology, no assistance in getting their lives back together...just set free.

As citizens, we should be ashamed that this is even allowed to occur in this day in age but I'm sure somewhere, somehow, in America this is occurring as I type this. It's very sad to know that innocent until proven guilty is not the case the majority of the time.

This was a thought provoking book for anyone interested in this topic. It really makes you think about what you think you "know" in many aspects of life.