The Pact - touching novel about teen suicide

There aren't many interesting and well written novels about suicide, especially among teenagers. That's why I decided to tell you about The Pact: A Love Story by Judi Picoult, a good novel, where author with sensitivity and tact has addressed this issue.

Judi Picoult is a bestselling writer, she is an author of Nineteen Minutes, House Rules, My Sister's Keeper (which is an excellent novel in my opinion). You can see her full bibliography on Wikipedia.

"I wanted to write the anti-Romeo and Juliet story: the families that are too close, insteady of enemies" - as the author explains on her website an idea for this novel.

Summary from Amazon: "Until the phone calls came at 3:00 a.m. on a November morning, the Golds and their neighbors, the Hartes, had been inseparable. It was no surprise to anyone when their teenage children, Chris and Emily, began showing signs that their relationship was moving beyond that of lifelong friends. But now seventeen-year-old Emily has been shot to death by her beloved and devoted Chris as part of an apparent suicide pact."

We deal with the drama of two families - one family has to deal with death of their daughter, the other one - with son that was arrested and accused of murder. The novel tends to reflect on how well we known people, who live with us. Do we really know another person, even if is our daughter, son or partner?

It turns out that almost everyone expected that Chris and Emily will be together. With time, however, Emily felt worse and worse - the pressure from the environment that they will be a perfect match was unbearable. Especially that Emily has treated Chris more like a brother than a lover. All these problems caused that she began to have suicidal thoughts. She shares her thoughts with Chris, and he attempts to prevent her from committing the act.

I have mixed feelings about The Pact. On the one hand is an interesting idea and subject, on the other - some parts in the novel are simply unbelievable. Yes, it's a painful book, with dramatic moments, but - in my opinion - it should be written more fairly, with more dramatic and surprising story, because it is hard to resist the impression that from the beginning Picoult favors Chris and she in on his side, which leads to the conclusion that he didn't do it. Besides, many chapters in the book are unnecessary and only slowing down the plot.

It might not be the best novel Picoult wrote (I recommend everyone to read My Sister's Keeper - great novel), but because of the subject and many various and interesting information about the phenomenon of suicide among teenagers, I think this book is worth reading. 

I think you will be moved by The Pact: A Love Story and you'll long not be able to forget it.

Guide: Kindle - which version to choose?

Reading books with Kindle is becoming increasingly popular. Everywhere you can see people bent over a small device - in parks, at school, bus or on the plane. If you also would like to become an owner of e-book reader, but you don't know which one would be the best for you - I encourage you to read my arguments, which can help you decide which version of Kindle you should choose.

Kindle (Wi-Fi) - $109 NOW it costs $69 with special offers, $89 without it (see description)
This is the cheapest and lightest Kindle. Ideal version for whose who just want to read. If you do not plan to play games, watch movies, browse the web or listen to audiobooks and reading e-books is the only purpose of buying Kindle I would recommend you this version. 

 

Kindle don't have speakers (so no audiobooks supported), multi-touch (has 5-way controller) or 3G, but their big advantage is the weight and price. It has also less internal memory (2GB instead of 4GB), but it doesn't matter to me – I never read so many books at once :). The battery lasts for one month, without using a Wi-Fi.

Kindle Touch (Wi-Fi) - $139 (see description) - (currently unavailable)
If you would like to listen to the audiobooks (also in MP3 format!), have a full-touch screen, more memory (4GB) and longer battery life (two months instead of one) – this is a great choice for you.

Kindle Touch 3G - $189 (see description) - (currently unavailable)
As above, except that in this version you will also receive free 3G, so you don't need to look for Wi-Fi in order to use the Internet. So if you care to always have access, this model will be perfect for you.

Kindle Touch is currently unavailable, but Amazon has introduced two new e-book readers - Kindle Paperwhite for $119 and version with 3G for $179. I don't have an opinion about them. You have to check details on Amazon page, where it is written that this is "World's most advanced e-reader - higher resolution, higher contrast touchscreen with built-in light and 8-week battery life".

Kindle Keyboard (3G) - $189 NOW it costs $139 (see description)
It is worth to buy this version only if you plan on doing a lot of notes and would rather have buttons instead of using the keyboard screen. The downside is the larger size and weight of the device.

Kindle DX - $379  NOW it costs $299 (see description)
I think this version is only good for people, for which 6' is a too small screen, because Kindle DX is the only model that have 9.7' screen. But it is also the heaviest model (weighs two times more than the Kindle Keyboard and over three times more than the Kindle Classic). 

Buy Kindle with special offers or not?
Another question is whether to buy a version with the advertisements or not? Is it worth to save some dollars and get the ads? They are not invasive, never appear when reading, but I still think that it is worth to spend a little more to have peace and do not see any advertisements. Especially since you are buying the Kindle for years. It is Better to do a one-time expense, than watch the ads at all times when the screen saver turns on.

So which Kindle you should buy?
I think everyone should first consider what do they need the Kindle for. I've done some looking at the specifications on the Amazon website. Comparing the versions I had in back of my head the thought that I will use it only for reading. So - as I said above - I chose Kindle for 89 dollars. Why? Because of it's size, weight and price :). And I do not regret the decision. Kindle as a e-book reader works great!

Stephen King - top 10 best books

I waited a long time to write about one of my favorite writers, because I love most of Stephen King's works and it's very difficult to pick his best works from over fifty books which he wrote. 

Almost all of them I read with great pleasure and I think that most deserves attention. But to encourage people, who don't know his books at all or are wondering what to read next - this is my top ten Stephen King's best novels.

I think that each book written by Stephen King have memorable characters, excellent atmosphere and dialogues and great plot. Without hesitation I can even say that some of his works (such as The Stand) are the most important novels of the twentieth century.

Why I love King? For his passion, hard work and that he always surprised me, because each book brings something new. That's why I encourage everyone to read his books!

After a long struggle with myself and looking over and over his bibliography, here is the list of top ten best novels by Stephen King:

1. The Stand (see description)

2. Misery (see description)

3. The Shining (see description)

4. It (see description)

5. The Green Mile (see description)

6. The Dead Zone (see description)

7. Duma Key (see description)

8. Under the Dome (see description)

9. Carrie (see description)

10. Salem's Lot (see description)

And special mention: The Dark Tower series.

Of course, it would be easier to write which King's novels you shouldn't read (for example: The Regulators, Dreamcatcher or Roadwork), than which ones you should, because where are so many good books written by Stephen King – e.g. I didn't mention the Firestarter, Pet Sematary, Lisey's Story, Bag of Bones, The Long Walk, Cujo or 11/22/63, which I recently finished reading. All whose titles you should also read, because they are great!

My list also don't include collections of short stories (I recommend them all, but especially Night Shift, Nightmares and Dreamscapes, Skeleton Crew, Full Dark, No Stars, Hearts in Atlantis and Different Seasons). In my list of best books I chose only between the novels. 

About non-fiction - Danse Macabre and On Writing - I will write in in the future, because these titles require "special treatment" :).

If you are looking for full Stephen King's bibliography – visit his official website :). 

Which is your favourite book by Stephen King? And those of you who haven't read any book written by this author I encourage to do so. Check the Amazon website which Stephen King's books are available today!