Really Random Tuesday #41: A Beautiful Library, a Book Winner, and some Special Giveaways

I was expecting a hole in the wall, a tiny, creaky library with few books, reached by a narrow row of steps. Instead, I was treated to grandeur. While in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, earlier this month, I visited the library, and was seized by its great beauty and charm. La Biblioteca de San Miguel de Allende is a cultural center, where you can read, learn conversational Spanish (or English), linger with a cup of coffee or tea, or even watch a movie (I saw a very touching documentary, Buck). These photos are not as sharp as I wish they were, and do not do justice to this magnificent library, but at least they'll give you a sense of the place. I could spend hours in this library!

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Congratulations to Parrish Lantern, the randomly selected winner of Beyond the Scent of Sorrow, a new collection of powerful poetry by Sweta Srivastava Vikram. Thanks to everyone who participated in this giveaway--how would this blog exist without my faithful readers? If you didn't win this time, keep your chin up, as I have other giveaways listed on the right side of my blog, and a couple of brand new, generous giveaways to mention in this post.

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In February of this year, I reviewed Half in Love, a startlingly honest memoir by writer Linda Gray Sexton. Just recently, I was contacted about an upcoming giveaway for this book.

Half in Love Giveaway Contest

In celebration of the upcoming paperback release of Half in Love in January 2012, author Linda Gray Sexton is sponsoring a giveaway contest for signed copies of her book. Starting Monday, December 5th, readers who join the reader board on Linda's website to share their thoughts and stories will be entered in the giveaway. Winners who belong to a book club will also have the chance to meet the author for a club event in person, or over Skype, depending on location. Please stop by Linda's website for more details and to enter the giveaway.


This past April, I posted about The Note by Mike O'Mary, which was named Best Gift Book of 2011 in the Living Now Book Awards. The O'Marys would like to extend their thanks and appreciation this holiday season by offering free Note Project eKits to family and friends. Send free Note Project eKits to up to 10 people by visiting this Note Project page. Each eKit includes an e-book edition of The Note, along with free bonus gifts from Note Project sponsors. You don't have to sign-up or subscribe to anything to receive The Note (and you won't get any unsolicited email as a result)--simply download the free e-book and enjoy it!

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Appearing on random Tuesdays, Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to copy the button and use it on your own blog. Please leave a link in the comments if you’re participating and I'll add it to this post. For another Really Random Tuesday post, please visit Naida's blog, the bookworm. As always, thanks for reading!

The Pact: Intense Fiction by Jodi Picoult

"There was nothing left to say."
~The Pact, Jodi Picoult

Whew! It took me forever to read The Pact: A Love Story, published in 1998, by Jodi Picoult. I started it about a month ago, and although I found the writing forceful, and read about fifty pages or so, I set it aside for at least a few weeks. It's a very intense book, and it was difficult for me to read it for any length of time. It would upset me greatly, and I had a hard time returning to it, even though I wanted to. Needless to say, suicide is not a light or pleasant topic, and this book, whose chapters alternate between the past and the present, revolves around an apparent suicide pact between two high school students, Chris Harte and Emily Gold. As Jodi Picoult states in the notes at the end of the book, she doesn't write books that are easy to read (or write, I'm sure!). The subject matter of this book is very disturbing, and as a parent it was even more harrowing for me to read. Still, that being said, I did eventually return to this book, and became thoroughly engaged and invested in The Pact, a story about two close friends who grew up together and grow to love each other in a romantic sense, which leads to tragic consequences. The families of Chris and Em were also very close, and although the relationship between the kids seemed desirable and inevitable, in hindsight there were grave problems caused by this very closeness, as well as from the outside world, and what happens is quite disturbing and profound. While reading, I knew that such a story could happen in real life, especially during the teenage years when every emotion seems to be greatly amplified. That is what is so frightening--this book is very realistic!

I wanted to know what really happened, I wanted to hear the truth, and I wanted Chris to have a chance to tell his side of the story, so I kept on reading, and was absolutely transfixed. Jodi Picoult handles many topics with aplomb--young love, ambivalent feelings, and taboo topics (in the book, Chris meets a remorseful young dad, Steve, in jail, who has allegedly shaken his baby to death in a moment of anger, an example of the author's ability to write honestly and sensitively about very difficult subjects)--and makes readers think deeply about tough questions, such as: how well do we know our own children, and who do we trust?

Kudos to Jodi Picoult! In spite of taking so long to finish reading this novel, I was rewarded by a book that is well-researched, believable, and full of suspense. The Pact is a must-read for tried and true Jodi Picoult fans, or for those who want a truly intense introduction to this prolific author, who writes so well that you are pulled into the story despite any initial resistance. I am now on a roll (well, sort of), and plan to read House Rules next for The Jodi Picoult Project. If you want to join this challenge, commit to reading at least one novel by this author before the conclusion of October 2012. Feel free to "grab" the button and use it on your own blog. I've just added a Page for this reading challenge, with a Mister Linky, so please submit any review links to that. Thanks!


As always, I welcome your comments.