Plain Truth

Hm, it appears that I'm slacking on my reading, but I'm not.  I'm just slacking on my blogging.  I'm going to have to post my rants in rapid fire style to catch up here.  

Plain Truth is the first Jodi Picoult book that I read instead of listened to.  I was hoping that my enjoyment of her writing wasn't just because I was hearing it instead of reading it, and that her stories would entertain me from the page as well as while being read.  Pleasantly, it did.  This is one of those books I don't want to say too much about, because what I really like about reading her books is that it's hard to guess the ending.  Contrary to my usual nature, I don't try to.  I really enjoy her writing and I want to know the actual ride she wants to take me on, so I don't try to spoil it by obsessing about the ending and wondering what's going to happen.  Instead, I let this author unfold the narrative as she sees fit, and appreciate that there's not a lot of ingratiating dialogue and ridiculous love stories messing it up.  

Of course, this particular book has a little bit of ingratiating dialogue and a ridiculous love story or two... but nobody's perfect.

Anyway, a big-time defense lawyer needs a break from the horror of getting dirty perverse criminals off the hook and a meaningless romantic relationship that is going nowhere.  She leaves the hustle and bustle of the city to seek solitude in the middle of Amish country (with her aunt, a former Plain person), and predictably a horrible crime is committed and she is forced to defend a distant relative for the murder of her own newborn child.  Chaos ensues, the book gets done.  It's a good one... go ahead and read it.  Thanks for the lend, mom!