Book Reviews
by Entertainment Columnist Janine Slayton

Janine Slayton is very important to the Fabulous Woman Team. She is not only one of our most popular writers she is a Copy Editor, Assistant Editor, Reporter, and Entertainment Columnist. Janine considers herself to be your typical mid-twenties struggling English major. She graduated from Roosevelt University in 2006 with her BA in English and Secondary Education. While not currently teaching, her passion for English finds her reading and writing in much of her spare time. Her other passion is music, so when her head isn't in a book, it is usually lost in a melody.

The Lucky One
By Nicholas Sparks
Reviewed by Janine Slayton

Nicholas Sparks has done it again. He's managed to create another love story that tugs on our heart strings and bring us into a world that is like our own, but so much more magical and romantic.

In his newest release, The Lucky One, Sparks takes the reader on the journey of former U.S. Marine Logan Thibault as he searches for a woman in a photograph that he found in the sands of Iraq. The picture leads him to North Carolina and a woman named Elizabeth, a young, single mother. Once Logan meets Elizabeth, he realizes that she's more special than he ever could have imagined, but he cannot bring himself to tell her about the picture of her that led him there.

Soon, the lives of Logan and Elizabeth, as well as those of Elizabeth's son and devious ex-husband become entwined and things get complicated. No love story can ever be too easy or simple, right? Nicholas Sparks makes sure he throws a few bumps and curveballs in the way, but still ends up telling a beautiful story full of love, loss, heartbreak, and hope. If you're already a fan of Nicholas Sparks, this is another must-read. If you're not, but are just in need of a good love story, pick this one up. It won't disappoint.

Change of Heart
by Jodi Picoult
Reviewed by Janine Slayton

A good book can make us laugh, and it can make us cry. It can make us angry, it can remind us of our own lives, and it can make us think. A good book allows us to get lost in a world that someone else has created and makes us fall in love with people who aren't even real. An exceptional book does all of these things, and sometimes more. Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult is one of those exceptional books.

Jodi Picoult is known for choosing controversial topics in her novels, and Change of Heart is no exception. The story revolves around Shay Bourne, a prisoner on death row who was convicted of killing police officer Kurt Nealon and his step-daughter, Elizabeth. As Bourne's day of execution nears, he expresses his desire to donate his heart to eleven-year-old Claire Nealon, the sister of his young victim, who is in desperate need of a heart transplant. Thus begins a wild ride for Shay and those involved in his plight, a ride that involves a very closeinspection of religion and what it means to know and find God.

Don't be frightened off by the idea of religion, though. Picoult tackles the touchy subject in a very introspective, unbiased, and thought-provoking way, and makes sure that she covers a fairly broad spectrum of religious beliefs. While religion is obviously a touchy subject, those touchy subjects are Picoult's forte, and she takes on the topic with a fierceness and finesse that it is hard not to be impressed by.

One of Picoult's greatest strengths is her ability to bring her characters to life. The story is told from the perspectives of four different characters, which alternate throughout the novel. Although this might seem as though it would take away from each character, it doesn't. Picoult is unbelievably talented at painting her characters so beautifully and intricately that you feel you know each of them intimately through the end of the novel. You don't just get to see the characters' reactions to what is happening at any given time in the novel, but you learn just enough about their lives and their pasts to see what makes them the people they are.

At times in the novel, there is almost a lecture-like tone as certain religious aspects or ideas are mentioned, but in the end these points are necessary for Picoult to make the reader see the point she is trying to make and ensure that her readers (and her characters) are on the same page. These moments definitely do not detract from the overall effect the book has on the reader.

I think Picoult's magic-aside from her complex, relatable characters-is her ability to continuously surprise her reader. As anyone who has read other novels by her can tell you, just when you think you have things figured out, Picoult usually throws a curveball. Change of Heart is no exception. Although at times the novel may seem predictable, it is usually at those moments that something unexpected rears it's head and makes you even more eager to keep reading.

Overall, if you're looking for a book that will get you thinking, questioning, and make you want to keep reading, Change of Heart is one you'll want to pick up at your local bookstore or library. It has all the elements great fiction should have, and it's just another great addition to the repertoire of one of the most talented writers in existence today.

Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea.
by Chelsea Handler
Reviewed by Janine Slayton

 Have you been looking for a good book that can literally make you laugh out loud? Then look no further than Chelsea Handler's Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea.
 
Comedienne Chelsea Handler has become more popular recently, now having her own show on E!, Chelsea Lately, in which she incessantly pokes fun at celebrities, even to their faces. In Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea, she brings her witty, sharp brand of humor to written form, creating a book that is hard to put down and will have you laughing out loud to yourself as you read.

No one is safe from Handler's sharp tongue, including herself. She pokes fun of her own quirks and shortcomings just as often as she does those of her friends and acquaintances. At times her stories will seem familiar, while at others they just sound downright outrageous. Perhaps it's fitting that the first essay in the book is about a lie that spun out of control and caused everyone in her grade school to believe that she was going to star in the sequel to Private Benjamin and Goldie Hawn was like a mother to her. Maybe her nine-year-old tendency to lie compulsively should color the other stories to some extent.

Regardless of how true every detail in the book is, it is still absolutely hilarious; from her descriptions of her family life and adventures in babysitting, to her day spent in the LA County Women's prison and her love of midgets, Handler constantly surprises the reader with her unique outlook on life and the people in it. With a comment and an answer for everything, there is not a boring moment while reading the book. So, if you're already a fan of Handler, this book is definitely for you. If you've never heard of her, but you're a fan of good, sometimes dirty, humor, then go find yourself a copy of Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea. You'll be laughing so hard, you won't even notice all the odd stares people are shooting your way.


The Host
by Stephenie Meyer
Reviewed by Janine Slayton

Sometimes, it is possible for even the most outlandish-seeming storyline to seem more honest and real than anything you could encounter in real life. And that is exactly what Stephenie Meyer does in her newest novel, The Host. Meyer is already well-known for her best-selling Twilight series which has been a hit among teens and adults alike. Now, with The Host, her first adult novel, she proves that she doesn’t just write kid stuff.

The premise of The Host has to do with an alien invasion--yes, this may sound far-fetched, or like a really bad movie on the Sci-Fi channel, but bear with me. A parasitic alien race, known as Souls, has taken over the human race. When a Soul is implanted into a human body, the soul takes over that human, keeping all of its memories and characteristics, but assuming control over its actions. The human no longer has any control over its body. As the story opens, a soul by the name of Wanderer—who, by the way, has lived on 7 or 8 other planets previous to coming to Earth—is implanted into Melanie Stryder, a captured human who was a part of the resistance.

Wanderer is no ordinary soul, and Melanie is no ordinary human. The Seekers—Souls whose job it is to hunt down renegade humans so they can be taken over by other Souls—believe that Wanderer’s extensive experiences on other planets will make her ideal to take over the mind of a rebel human to get the information they need, like where the other humans that Melanie was with are hiding. Melanie is stronger than Wanderer anticipates, though, and her secrets are blocked by walls that Wanderer cannot break through.

As the story progresses, the relationship between Wanderer and Melanie begins to take an unexpected turn. Rather than remaining staunch enemies, with Melanie an unwilling prisoner in her own body, the two start to become…well, not friends exactly, but allies. Wanderer is fascinated by this new planet she is on, by all of the emotion and sensation that goes along with being human. When Melanie begins to leak parts of the secret she is hiding by accident, Wanderer has a decision to make. And the path she chooses to take leads her on a long, unexpected journey.

Stephenie Meyer writes a surprising and fascinating tale of what humanity looks like through the eyes of an outsider. Seeing humans through Wanderer’s eyes is enlightening, frightening, heartwarming, and heartbreaking. All of the characters in The Host are so intriguing and complex, that it is difficult to put the book down. I think that is what makes Meyer’s writing so great. It is not necessarily the basic storyline that drives the book, but the characters themselves. They are what make the book fascinating. Because no matter who you are, you can find pieces of yourself in the characters. Yes, Wanderer is an alien, but she is also a very complex, interesting character, that is able to show the reader the best and worst of humanity through the eyes of the truest kind of outsider.

The Host is a magical book that should not go unread. As easy as it is to go out and watch a movie nowadays, this book is more captivating, exciting, and interesting than just about any movie out right now. So take a break from the television set, put down your Xbox controller, and pick up Stephenie Meyers’ The Host. I promise you, you won’t regret it. ooHost

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