Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Currently Reading...

I was selected to be a June Juror (huge smiles) for Elle Magazine. While my May Juror duties involved three fiction novels, this venture involves non-fiction titles.

I have chosen to start with If I Am Missing or Dead: A Sister's Story of Love, Murder, and Liberation by Janine Latus. The memoir begins with a heart-wrenching phone call involving the disappearance of Janine's sister, Amy. Janine immediately proclaims, "He killed her....that bastard killed her". And thus we move into Janine's past. Janine takes the reader on a journey into her childhood, where we meet her family and slowly piece together the experiences that are soon to shape her.

Janine's memoir thus far is heart-wrenching. She is brutally honest with her thoughts and experiences. From what I know of the premise, the memoir delves into abusive relationships, particularly the survival from one and the ultimate result of those who stay.

I honestly cannot put this memoir down. I will post my final comments once I have finished. As of now, this is a captivating read.


BTW,
Danielle & Judytta - you had both asked which books I read for the May Jury. I responded in the previous post's comment section.

14 comments:

Joy said...

It's difficult to say "Great!" when a memoir is a heart-wrenching one, but what good would an awful read be? So...I'm glad it's captivating and I'm looking forward to reading your review in it's entirety.

AND, "smiles" for being chosen. That's always a good feeling. :)

Kailana said...

Wow, how cool! And that book sounds interesting. :)

Anonymous said...

It will be interesting book:))

Booklogged said...

Congrats for being a chosen juror. That's pretty darn cool. This book sounds very interesting and very sad. Look forward to your final review on it.

Anonymous said...

That's great you are a juror again! This NF sounds really interesting (though in a sad way).

Literary Feline said...

Congratulations on being selected as a juror, Amelia! The book sounds very interesting. I'll be curious to know what you think when you are finished.

Anonymous said...

So,um, what's a juror? Sounds cool, but the book sounds intense!

Anonymous said...

Congrats on being selected as a juror!

I agree with Nancy, the book sounds intense - probably a bit too much so for me.

nessie said...

what does a June Juror do?

Kagemusha said...

I just wanted to write and tell you that this is a great blog... whether you post every day or not, this is an excellent effort! Keep up the good work!

Amelia said...

Joy - Thank you! And you're right...I found myself about to mention that it was great but realized that there is no particular way to express my pleasure in enjoying such a sad book. My review will be coming shortly!

Kailana, Judytta, Booklogged, Danielle, & Literay Feline - It definitely was interesting. It should open a lot of eyes in regards to how pervasive abuse is to this very day. And thank you soo much for the congrats :) :)

Nancy & Nessie - A juror is sent several books in a particular category. You're given a little over a month to complete them. Then you have to decide which one you liked the best, rank them, and provide Elle with your thougts on the book. Elle uses your ranking to help decide the read of the month or the year. It's very cool because they let the readers decide what is a good pick as well as express their likes and dislikes on a book. I love unbiased opinions on books! :) I hope this answered your questions! If not, let me know.


Lesley - It definitely was intense. Much more than I needed at the time I read it, though.

JCR - Why thank you! I was really touched by your comment. I will be "visiting" you shortly! :)

Bookfool said...

I was going to ask what it meant to be a juror, but I see you've answered. Very cool!

Amelia said...

Bookfool - I honestly felt so ecstatic when I was picked

Anonymous said...

I am currently reading that book now. It's hard to put down!

J. Kaye

http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com/