When Shay Bourne killed June Nealon’s husband and daughter, she didn’t think things could get any worse. Eleven years later her other daughter is desperate for a heart transplant and Shay is the one offering it to her when he is killed for his actions. How as a mother and a wife supposed to except a heart from the man who killed the two of the people you love the most, to save another? Change of Heart is a very touching story and it really wasn’t what I expected at all. The blurb on the cover doesn’t really give the novel justice. Shay isn’t the cold hearted killer that you expect and hetruly has reasons to give his heart away to June’s little girl. The story is based a lot around religion as Shay keeps performing ‘miracles’ and many people think he may be the Messiah. I actually enjoyed reading about the religion even though I am not a religious person myself. Once again Jodi brought in a character - Ian Fletcher - from a previous book, Keeping Faith like she did with Nineteen Minutes which I really enjoyed. I did think his character had got slightly annoying though, I didn’t like him as much as I did in Keeping Faith. It has a nice ending which rounds everything off and also ends with the character Claire - June’s daughter- speaking which she hadn’t throughout the book. I’mthoroughly looking forward to reading another Jodi Picoult book. I just hope I don’t have to wait too long.

Today marks the end of my keeping a list of every single book I read during a year. I only realised this morning that it has been a whole year and it shocked me to be honest. I remember reading that first book on my list - Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone - and it didn’t seem like a whole year ago at all. In a year, I have read 29 books which in my eyes isn’t that impressive but when you break it down, its just over two books a month. Six of those books were by Jodi Picoult (I’m now on my seventh in the year), three were from last years Richard and Judy’s Book Club and four were part of my ‘Must Read Before I Die’ list. Out of them all, there were only three that I didn’t really like that much - Apples by Richard Milward, My Swordhand is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick and Zenith by Julie Bertagna. There we lots of favourites over the year, many that I will read again or buy, since most of them were from the library but I think my favourite overall has to be The House at Riverton by Kate Morton. I’ve talking about this book a lot and I still think everyone should read it. It was actually the book I gave away on my first book contest over at Faster The Chase. I plan to re-read it at some point this year when I get time.

I liked keeping a list of what I read. There have been many times where I’ve forgotten what I’ve been reading. I’ll keep at it again for another year and I think this year, I’m going to try and make it to 40 books. Wish me luck!

I took a trip to the library yesterday mainly to get Meghan some new books as I was sick of reading the same books over and over every bedtime. I managed to come home with six books for myself as well. Three of them (part of the Georgia Nicolson series) I will read in no time and are pretty much just fillers in between books. I also brought home Diary by Chuck Palahniuk, Atonement by Ian McEwan and High Fidelity by Nick Hornby. I did plan on reading some of my own books but when your faced with shelf upon shelf of books, its rather hard to not get anything.

I’m throughly enjoying Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult. I really like the character Lucious who is a prisoner in the cell next to Shay - pretty much the character surrounding the story. I like the way it is written; four characters, all in first person and the chapters are very short swapping from character to character within a matter of pages. It makes for a very easy read. I find myself taking a lot longer to read books with long chapters compared to books with short chapters, even though I read the same amount at one time. I think its the fact that I can pick it up and put it down all day rather than having to read such a large amount in one go. As soon as I come offline, I’m off to read some more. I’m hoping to have it finished before next weekend. Lets make it the goal for this week.

Peter Houghton walks into high school morning with four guns and the intention of killing as many of his classmates as he can. Peter was bullied from his very first day of school when he was a child. When you get bullied and humiliated that much you just want it to stop. I guess its either yourself or them. I was bullied at school. Not badly, just enough for me to wish I wasn’t there and enough for me to fake being sick a lot. One lad made me dread every single maths class because I knew he would be there. If I saw him now, I’d tell him where to go but at the time, he made me feel so small, I couldn’t even say anything back to him without blushing the colour of a tomato. I understand Peter’s want to end it all, either way but to be honest, being bullied didn’t feel like a good enough reason, in my opinion for him to kill ten people. I just don’t think the bullying was deep enough. Some of things that happened to him were terrible and the way it was prolonged could have pushed him over the edge but… I don’t know, there was something missing. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. The ending was a nice little shock and also slightly sad. Its a Jodi Picoult book and I am rarely disappointed with any of her books. And if I ever was, I’d still read another.

I can’t believe its been over a week since I last blogged here. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry to myself really but I’m sorry to any of you who actually visit. I need to work harder at my reading and my blogging. I’ve decided that from now on, I have to make sure I read for an hour a day. A good hour will get me a through a chapter or two a day which will get me through things faster than I have been doing up to this point. I’m just really frustrated that literally the week before I bought this domain, I read three books in a week and now I can’t even manage one in a month. I promise this next book - Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult - will finished in a matter of weeks not months. I’ll probably finish it sooner anyway since its a library book and its due back some time next week. I’m thinking it may be reserved by someone else after me and that if I take it back to renew it, they will take it off me for the next person.

I finished Nineteen Minutes yesterday and I did enjoy it. I’m just sorry it took me so long to read it. I guess the internet seems to be taking over a little bit too much at the moment. I don’t know why because I don’t feel like I’m on it more than I used to be. I guess having three blogs and being a member of four message boards really does eat my time up.

I’m finally up to the arraigmment which means if I carry on reading at the rate I’m reading at now, I’ll be on the trial by tonight. I love the trial part of Jodi Picoult’s books. I’m looking forward to this one specifically because to be honest, I haven’t really been told enough of Peter’s intentions. The next chapter is based one month before the shooting so hopefully that will shed some light on things. I still have over 200 pages to go so I’m sure that will give me enough time to be satisfied with the story. At first I loved it but its going no where fast at the moment. I suppose its not helping that I’ve not really been reading it properly since I first started but for the past day or so, I’ve been doing pretty well. My DS has been put on a shelf for the time being until I finish the book because thats whats been keeping me from reading. As soon as I’ve finished I’ll be here to do a full review so keep an eye out.

I can’t read fast enough at the moment. I’m currently round 200 pages in and I’m trying to hurry up so I can get to the trial but I’m just not having much luck. The internet seems to be taking over again even though when I get on here I’m not actually doing anything. I need a cure for this addiction. I’m currently getting rid of another so once thats out of the way I might start on this one! Anyway, the book. I’m enjoying reading about the past life of each character. Its nice to see how the kids grew up and grew apart but I want to hear about Peter right now. I want to know why he decided to do what he did and how he feels about it. I know its coming but its not coming fast enough and its getting me frustrated and wanting to just race through the book.

Since my blogs are fairly boring at the moment (you don’t need to lie to me I know they are), I’m going to do a top ten books thing I think. I know my top three but its the others that I need to organise before I can start it. I’ll give me something to blog about if nothing else.

I’ve finally gotten started on Nineteen Minutes. I’m only around 120 pages in but I’m really enjoying it. Its about a shooting in a high school done by Peter who’s been bullied at school from the beginning who suddenly snaps. The last part of the book I read was his lawyer coming to see him (which is a character from The Pact and I love that fact) and as he left the room, he asked “How many did I get?” I get the feeling he’s not all that bothered by what he did, he’s just more worried about himself and what’s going to happen to him now. I feel sorry for his mother Lacy as she didn’t see it coming at all. I like the way the book flashbacks to when the kids were younger. You get to see how Peter was treated at school and also the way him and Josie used to be inseparable yet he hurt her during the shooting. I think I may spend a day away from the internet and just read my book. I have one thing that I don’t like about it. Something that’s really annoying me. I shouldn’t have bought a hard back because I can’t read in bed :(.

Reese kindly make me this custom theme and I absolutely love it. Its just what I wanted. I couldn’t find a pre-made that I liked and then I saw the one that she had up on her website and I emailed her telling her I loved it, asking her if she could make me something similar. Hopefully since I now have a decent layout, it’ll make me more active here. Here’s to hoping!

(No I haven’t read any of my book. I might read in bed as I’m heading there now.)

I do have a valid reason for not blogging - I haven’t been reading. I got a new memory card for my R4 for my Nintendo DS and since that came on Saturday, I’ve done nothing but go on there. Its even taken over my internet time. I’m hoping to limit myself to only going on it for a certain amount of time tonight. I’m also not coming back online until tonight Meghan’s in bed so I can get some reading gone. Plus I’m falling behind with my penpals so that needs to be sorted out. Give me a couple of days and I’ll have a real blog for you. I promise.