Private, a novel; Entry 1.

Recently, I have read Private, a Novel. The story begins with Reed Brennan's story. Reed is the typical 15-year-old girl, who lives in Croton, Pennsylvania, and attends Croton High School. She has no girlfriends, has never had a real boyfriend, and hates her family. Her mother is a pill-popping alcoholic, and her brother isn't around. Basically, her life sucks. The only friend she has is her father. Her father only wants Reed to have the best life she can have, so he has her apply for a scholarship at Easton Academy. Lucky for Reed, she gets the full scholarship. Both her and her father are excited that she may get out of the home that brings her down. unfortunately, it is not all that either of them expected. Reed is put into classes 5 times more advanced than her honor-student schedule at Croton high. AP Calc. French 3. Art history. All subjects she has never been exposed to. But the Billings Girls could help, if only they would notice Reed...
Reed promises herself that she will get in with the billings Girls, the most "popular" girls at Easton....

Handle With Care; Entry One

I recently finished Keeping Faith, which I will not reveal the ending of... You'll have to read :)
I really wanted to read Jodi picoult's newest book, so I am :)
I'm already half way through it! This book is about a little girl named Willow, her mother Charlotte, her father Sean, Sister Amelia, and mother's best friend Piper (who happens to have been Charlotte's OB/GYN for her pregnancy with Willow). Willow has a disease called Osteogenesis Imperfecta, more commonly known as Brittle Bone Disease. Willow's bones break very easily. Lifting milk jugs cause her wrists to break. Willow's family cannot afford to pay for her disability and life. After a trip to disney World gone bad (which involved Child services...), Sean attempts to sue the police station. While doing this, the family finds out that it is possible for them to earn damages for wrongful birth, which involves suing her OB/GYN... who happens to be her best riend.

Keeping Faith; Entry Five

Recently, Mariah and Ian have fallen in love. This is very, VERY ironic. After Mariah learns that Colin is suing her for custody of Faith, Her and Ian decide to fly Faith back home, so it won't look bad in court (although it still does...). This is hard for Ian and Mariah, because they still have to act like they dislike each other in front of all the critics outside the White's lawn.
Before the three leave for home, Ian wants to say goodbye to Michael. He goes to the assisted living center, sure that Michael will get angry at him for being out of routine. But when Ian gets in his room, he's sleeping. He touches his shoulder, which startles the man awake. Ian braces himself for the eruption, but it doesn't come. Instead Michael looks at his brother and says, "Ian? Brother? Is that you?" Ian is incredibly confused, but he is so astounded, he rushes to savor this moment. Michael goes on. "Don't you have someplace better to be than visiting you're mental brother in the middle of the night?" Ian describes his moment as a gift... From God. Ian says back, stuttering "Well, I suppose, but how are you Michael? Have you had any dreams?" and suddenly, Michael's eyes glaze over again. He says "Dreams. Dreams. Ian wants to know if Michael has dreams. Wednesdays. Just Wednesdays, alone, at 3 O'clock. Just Wednesdays!" And just like that, Michael is gone again. Ian is so terribly disappointed, but he knows that Faith is to thank for the connection he had with his brother. Faith performed a miracle , and she gave Ian his brother, if only for a moment.
Ian rushes out when Michael begins to gets upset again. Faith and Mariah and he board their plane and fly back. and so begins the custody battle...

Keeping Faith; Entry Four

So much has happened! After realizing that she has very little chance of keeping custody of her daughter (Title! Keeping Faith! Ahh I get it!), Mariah runs, asking Millie to "hold down the fort". Mother and daughter board the first plane out of their state, which winds up to be going to Kansas. We also find out, during Ian's point-of-view, that he is on the same plane. He gets nervous when he realizes that they'll probably think he's following them, when really he's just trying to visit his autistic brother (He does this every week, same time, same day, same place. His brother Michael's "survival strategy" in life is to live routinely, and he gets very upset when this is broken). Really though, Ian also sees the chance to get up close and personal to the White, and Expose Faith. When Mariah and Faith see Ian, they obviously think he's following them, but Ian tells them he's helping them, and he rents them a cabin to stay in.
I see Ian believing Faith's story more and more each time they encounter each other. He's obviously falling in love with Mariah, whether he admits it or not, and he is "falling in love" with Faith too. Ian has never had much of a family, and this is as close as he's had in a long, long time. I also can tell he's beginning to believe Faith, because he thinks up a plan for her to heal his brother's autism...

Keeping Faith; Entry Three

Recently in Keeping Faith, the news/media is getting extremely worse. Ian Fletcher is the "head honcho", so to speak. Although, he is getting progressively friendlier and considerate of the family. He has no idea why, but I predict it's because he is developing feelings for Mariah.
Millie's resurrection has only caused the media to absolutely swarm the White's home. People around he world seeking Faith's healing touch are camping out at the end of the White's driveway. One day, Ian is on his way up to the White's door, when he sees Faith playing with a doll. The doll is moving. As he gets closer, he realizes that it's actually a very small baby boy. A mother is standing off to the side of the yard weeping as Faiths makes the baby laugh and giggle and
bounce around. Several weeks later, a story on Good Morning America! appears about a mother whose infant was born with AIDS, and was given days to live by doctors. She publicly claimed on live television that the famous visionary (Faith...) had healed her poor baby boy.
We found out that colin, Faith's father, is marrying the woman he cheated with. Her name is Jessica, and she finds herself pregnant by Colin. They decide to go to Vegas and marry right away. Colin agrees, but internally, he is struggling with the idea of a family that does not involve Faith, a baby that is not Faith, and this person, who was a simple love interest, as his wife and child's mother. On their honeymoon in Vegas, Colin cannot sleep. He gets up to watch television and flips to Good Morning America! Colin is shocked by how much has gone on in the home since he left, that he flies home right then and there, worried for Faith's well-being.
When Colin arrives at his past home, it is very late. Mariah refuses to open the door, but finally does when he tells her he's married (he does not mention the pregnancy...). Colin tells Mariah that he is uncomfortable with Faith living here with her and that he wants custody. Mariah bulks, and so the custody battle begins.

Keeping Faith; Entry Two

since I last started reading Keeping Faith, a lot has happened. Mariah takes Faith to see her psychiatrist, afraid that her "Guard" could be a mental issue. The psychiatrist, Dr. Keller, assures Mariah that this is normal for someone of Faith's age, that children make imaginary friends for the purpose of having someone to "vent" on 24/7. Dr. Keller tells Mariah that the only time they would need to worry is if the friend started telling Faith to do dangerous or harmful things, and if she actually listened and did them. Mariah doesn't tell her about Faith's Guard guiding her on top of the swing set in the middle of the night.
Meanwhile, Faith's friend is actually protecting her. She tells Faith stories, which she likes to make into songs and sing (She is singing "Adam, Eve and the Apple" when Mariah finds her on the swing set). Faith also experiences strange pains in her feet and wrists. Mariah begins to worry about this, and contrary to her mother's advice, she decides to have Faith see a Rabbi.
The White's are non-practicing Jews, but they are Jews just the same. While Mariah and Faith are entering the temple, an arguing couple are leaving from their marriage counsel. It does not look good for them. The Rabbi confirms on this trip, too, that Faith is talking to God.
Ian Fletcher, a famous national Teleathiest, gets ahold of Faith's story and is determined to prove it false (He supposedly proved that statue of the Virgin Mary crying blood drops was a chemicle reaction). He gathers news groups, onlookers, and those seeking God outside the White's home.
Everyone's lies are turned upside when Millie, Mariah's mother, has a heart attack. She is rushed to the hospital but cannot be saved. An hour goes by, and Mariah wills her to sit up. Faith sees her mother's need, and going over to her grandmother's body, she hugs it, kisses it, and wills it to sit up. Millie sits up........

Keeping Faith; Entry One

After about a week of reading Brother Odd, I decided I didn't want to finish it. My favorite author is Jodi Picoult, so I looked for one of her books. I have never read Keeping Faith, so I chose it. I am about 1/4 of the way through it.
So far, Keeping Faith is a story about Faith White, who is 7-years-old, and her mother (Mariah) , grandmother (Millie), and father (Colin). During a flashback, we learn that Before Faith was born, her father was caught cheating. Mariah went into such an extreme depression that she was admitted and committed to an institution. It was here that she found out she carried Faith. Colin and Mariah decided to stay together for the sake of the baby and supposedly, Colin changed. Mariah gave birth in the institution, naming the baby Faith, because she was the one thing she could truly have faith in.
The beginning of the book, we are introduced to the present-day White family. Colin's on a business trip, and Faith and Mariah are at ballet class. When the ladies get home, they stumble on another woman and Colin coming out the shower.
We're not told much about the next few days that follow, except that Faith will not talk to anyone in any way (and is very tempermental), and everything is in Mariah's perspective from bed. We know Millie is at the house, Colin is not, and Mariah's depression is spiraling again.
After officially divorcing colin, Faith begins to talk about her "Guard". She tells everyone that her Guard is a girl with white robes. More next time :)