I can’t believe it’s time again for “What’s on your Nightstand?” held by 5 Minutes for Books.  This month has flown by!

On last month’s post I had just started reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.  My thoughts on the book were up in the air and I wasn’t sure I could read it in it’s entirety.  Well, I’m proud to say I persevered to the end but it took me a month to do so.  I just finished it last week.  The story is about a family from Greece that migrated to the United States in 1922.  There is a family secret that manifests itself a couple of generations later in the birth of Calliope.  Once Calliope hits puberty she starts to realize that she is not like other girls and eventually the discovery is made that Calliope is a hermaphrodite.  Calliope becomes Cal and the reader follows her life after that decision is made.

The story of the grandparents held my attention.  The story of Calliope’s birth and childhood is fairly boring and there were many times I just about stopped reading the story.  After we learn she is a hermaphrodite and is taken to a specialist the book becomes somewhat interesting again.  Enough to get me to the end of it anyway.  And there were some plot surprises near the end that I didn’t see coming which made it worth hanging in until the end.  I’m proud of myself for finishing the book but I couldn’t wait to dive into another.

I dove into Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult.  I picked this book for two reasons.  1) I really enjoy her writing and 2) I am meeting her on September 11th at the Scottish RIte Cathedral in Reading and I can’t wait!!  It’s basically a Meet the Author session.  I haven’t read one of her books in a while so I wanted to familiarize myself again with her writing style before I go.  Her books usually pull me in from the beginning and this one proves to be the same.  I like how each chapter continues the story from another character’s perspective which helps to create a connection between the reader and each character.

However, her writing has also made me realize that I can not read the same author back to back.  I did that with two of her books and I became frustrated because there were many similarities between the stories.  While I enjoy her books, I need to throw some other authors in the mix to break the monotony.

I’m not that far into Change of Heart yet so I have provided the synopsis from inside the cover.

Can we save ourselves, or do we rely on others to do it? Is what we believe always the truth? One moment June Nealon was happily looking forward to years full of laughter and adventure with her family, and the next, she was staring into a future that was as empty as her heart. Now her life is a waiting game. Waiting for time to heal her wounds, waiting for justice. In short, waiting for a miracle to happen. For Shay Bourne, life holds no more surprises. The world has given him nothing, and he has nothing to offer the world. In a heartbeat, though, something happens that changes everything for him. Now, he has one last chance for salvation, and it lies with June’s eleven-year-old daughter, Claire. But between Shay and Claire stretches an ocean of bitter regrets, past crimes, and the rage of a mother who has lost her child. Would you give up your vengeance against someone you hate if it meant saving someone you love? Would you want your dreams to come true if it meant granting your enemy’s dying wish? Once again, Jodi Picoult mesmerizes and enthralls readers with this story of redemption, justice, and love.

Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?  So hopefully for next’s month “What’s on your Nightstand” post I’ll be able to tell you about my evening with Jodi Picoult!!