Throwback Thursday: 'Handle with Care' by Jodi Picoult

Five years ago, Jodi Picoult's Handle with Care was at the top of the New York Times Bestellers list. 

Charlotte and Sean O'Keefe's daughter, Willow, was born with brittle bone disease. Although their lives are made up of sleepless nights, never ending bills, the pitying stares of other parents, and the constant thought of what life would be like if Willow had been born healthy, they feel it is all worth it because their love for Willow is endless.

A series of events forces Charlotte and her husband to confront what they would have done if they had known of Willow's illness while they were still pregnant. What if their beloved daughter had never been born? To do Willow justice, Charlotte must ask herself these questions and one more - what constitutes a valuable life?

Jodi Picoult's novels are beautifully written stories about family, friendship, romance, and real situations that you can imagine yourself being in. The last seven of Picoult's twenty-one novels have debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list. 

Click on the books covers below for a plot description and/or to place a hold.

The Storyteller (2013)	Between the Lines (2012)	Lone Wolf (2012)	Sing You Home (2011)
House Rules (2010)	Change of Heart (2008)	Nineteen Minutes (2007)	The Tenth Circle (2006)
Vanishing Acts (2005)	My Sister's Keeper (2004)	Second Glance (2003)	Perfect Match (2002)
Salem Falls (2001)	Plain Truth (2000)	Keeping Faith (1999)	The Pact (1998)
Mercy (1996)	Picture Perfect (1995)	Harvesting the Heart	Songs/Humpback Whale

Just released: 'Lone Wolf' by Jodi Picoult

If you enjoy tales of families torn apart by controversial legal issues like designer babies (My Sister's Keeper) and teen suicide (The Pact), you've probably already heard of Jodi Picoult.  With her new book Lone Wolf, Picoult tackles the issue of siblings making difficult healthcare decisions for a parent.  Estranged son Edward and his sister Cara now have their father's life in their hands.  Given his extremely poor prognosis, Edward wants to remove their father from life support, while Cara wants to keep waiting for a miracle.  You'll have to read it to find out how it ends!

What to read if you like Jodi Picoult

Did you notice the library's new Jodi Picoult read-alike book display downstairs in the fiction section?  Jodi Picoult writes about suburban, middle class families who are torn apart by controversial issues such as designer babies (My Sister's Keeper), organ transplants (Change of Heart), and teen suicide (The Pact).  For fans who can't get enough of Picoult (a Suffolk County native), the display of spotlighted read-alikes include Lisa Unger's Fragile, about a woman whose rebellious teenage son's girlfriend goes missing under suspicious circumstances, Barbara Delinsky's Not My Daughter, in which a pregnancy pact between three teenaged girls puts their mothers' love to the ultimate test, or Lisa Genova's Left Neglected, about a career-driven young mother who struggles through an uncertain recovery after a traumatic brain injury.  In Anna Quindlen's Every Last One, an ordinary suburban family is shattered by the unanticipated, violent consequences of seemingly casual decisions, while in Debra Ginsberg's The Neighbors are Watching, the dark side of suburbia is revealed, showing a place where everyone has something to hide.  Got any other read-alike suggestions?  Please comment!