Nights in Rodanthe

Title: Nights in Rodanthe

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Pages: 212

Genre: Romance

Grade: B

Synopsis: Adrienne Willis is a recently divorced mother of three who heads out to Rodanthe to watch her friends Bed and Breakfast before it closes down for the season. There is only one scheduled guest, Paul Flanner, who is a recently divorced workaholic looking to make some changes in his life. Adrienne was expecting time to relax and enjoy herself, but conveniently there is a hurricane force storm coming in from the ocean which requires them to board up the windows and doors and spend the weekend inside all alone together.

My Review: This was a fairly typical Nicholas Sparks love story. I had heard that it was a good book club book so I recommended it to Alison for her book club - and she didn't like it. Sorry Al. I think that I liked it better than she did, but there was still something about it that made it almost awkward (maybe because it's a love story featuring people like our parents...).

True Believer

Title: True Believer

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Pages: 9 discs

Genre: Romance

Grade: B

Synopsis: Jeremy Marsh is a scientific reporter from New York City. He investigates ineffective antidepressants, cults and television clairvoyants discrediting the claims that they make. He gets invited to investigate mysterious lights in a cemetery in the deep south by Doris, a diviner who also claims to be able to determine the sex of babies before they are born. While researching the history and cause of the cemetery lights, he meets Doris' daughter, the beautiful librarian that helps him with his research.

My Review: This was a pretty good book. It seemed a little forced at times, but I enjoyed the story. There were times that the story was a little ridiculous and I was a little disappointed with the ending.

The Notebook

Title: The Notebook

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Pages: 216

Genre: Fiction

Grade: A-

Synopsis: This is a love story set in the South, mainly in the latter half of the 1940's. Noah Calhoun has returned from the War and is restoring an old plantation home with money that he inherited. The whole time that he is working he is dreaming about a girl and the summer, 14 years ago, that they spent together.

Why I Chose This Book: I was between library visits and looking for something to read. Alison had just finished this book and she convinced me to pick it up.

My Review: I'm not sure that I've ever really read a book like this. I've never really been interested in "love stories" and all that mushy stuff. This is one that I would recommend though. I enjoyed the progression of the book and the unique way that it is written. The story is a display of unconditional love that we should all be striving for. Although sad at times, it can be classified as a "feel-good" story. (disclaimer: This is a book about love and there are some lovin' scenes included as well)

From the Book: "(p. 4) I sit just for a second and stare at her, but she doesn't return the look. I understand, for she doesn't know who I am. I'm a stranger to her. Then, turning away, I bow my head and pray silently for the strength I know I will need. I have always been a firm believer in God and the power of prayer, though to be honest, my faith has made for a list of questions I definitely want answered after I'm gone."

"(p. 102) She couldn't think of anyone else who remotely resembled him. He was complicated, almost contradictory in so many ways, yet simple, a strangely erotic combination. On the surface he was a country boy, home from the war, and he probably saw himself in those terms. Yet there was so much more to him. Perhaps it was the poetry that made him different, or perhaps it was the values his father had instilled in him, growing up. Either way, he seemed to savor life more fully than others appeared to, and that was what had first attracted her to him."

"(p. 180) We sit silently and watch the world around us. This has taken a lifetime to learn. It seems only the old are able to sit next to one another and not say anything and still feel content. The young, brash and impatient, must always break the silence. It is a waste, for silence is pure. Silence is holy. It draws people togerther because only those who are comfortable with each other can sit without speaking. This is the great paradox."