This morning I finished True Believer and just loved it....And then I finished At First Sight a couple hours later! I only discovered Nicholas Sparks this past summer when my sister gave me "The Wedding" to read. Of course I couldn't start reading that without going back and reading "The Notebook". I had not done that as I'd seen the movie - which I loved. I'm always so disappointed when I do that, this was definitely the exception. Actually I guess it's the other way around, the movie is always a disappointment when you've read the book! Again - not in this instance. So I've now read all of his books and have to say he's a favorite for me. His books are so easy to slip into. For me True Believer was fun to read as it had a sequel in At First Sight. I enjoy sequels for that reason - you get the rest of the story. I'm anxiously awaiting the release of Twelve Sharp from Janet Evanovich for the same reason - coming June '07! Yeah!

So the rest of the story...I have to say I was surprised and a little miffed with the ending. Not what I was expecting. At First Sight had me in tears at the end. Though they were mixed tears - full of sadness and joy. I'd absolutely recommend them! And I've already started The Sunday List of Dreams....

I just came home from the Chiropractor and found myself sitting in the car reading the last few pages of this book by Anita Shreve. I just bought the book at Costco a week or so ago and thought it was a new book. But it turns out it's actually a book she wrote back in 1989, her first novel. Which I think is interesting because I read The Pilot's Wife years ago and didn't care for it that much. Maybe I should try it again. This book was good. It's hard to recommend a book that has a difficult story line. It wasn't graphic in anyway, just a difficult story. And of course the ending was wonderful and that's a great thing. That's what I think about now that I've finished the book. Actually wanting the rest of the story. So when a book grabs you that way I think it's safe to say it was a good one...

Well by the title I had expected something else - but knowing it was James Patterson I should have known better! I really like him as an author. I've read nearly all of his books. This one was good - but somewhat predictable.... I force myself to wait for books to come out in paperback as they are so much easier to read in bed - and so much better on the forehead! I was really tried last night and must have dropped the book 3 times on my face before I gave up! And then ended up finishing the book in the wee hours of the morning when I couldn't sleep. So good book.....3.5 stars!

Here are some thoughts on a book I read a while back and posted on my other blog...

I've been having thoughts lately of writing - maybe this will be the starting point. My thoughts on writing have stemmed from all of the reading I've been doing lately. Not necessarily reading more than usual, which is probably on average 4 to 5 books a week, but it's gotten me thinking about what it takes to write a book. Could I do something like that? I've read a couple of memoirs in recent weeks (not my usual) - one by Nicholas Sparks, which I found to be a very enjoyable book. And the other by??? Ah, Augusten Burroughs, Running with Scissors. I've tried to erase it quickly from my mind as I found it to be completely vile. Ironically it's about to become a major motion picture starring Annette Bening and others. And it was also #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List. How can that be? Am I the only one who didn't get it? I found myself turning the pages and actually saying out loud "Why am I reading this book". I felt obligated to finish it as I had started it. Which is just crazy, no one was holding a gun to my head or forcing me to read it. And even more crazy was each time I'd finish a chapter I would go to the back of the book and re-read the reviews, I guess to try and encourage myself to keep reading. The one review I read over and over described the book/author as "Wickedly, ridiculously funny". I could not for the life of me get that. It was truly disgusting. Maybe I should stick to my mystery, thriller, and happy books and steer clear of the memoirs....

I just finished reading this book by Lisa See and it really left me with a feeling of appreciation. It was a book about friendship but also about a very different culture. I learned so much from this book that I had no idea ever existed. There were many parts of it that were incredibly cruel, yet is was continually passed down to each generation. I had a hard time in the beginning because there was so much I didn't understand. And then when I got about a 1/3 of the way into it I couldn't put it down. I'd recommend you read it. I'll give it a 4.5 on a scale of 1 - 5, 5 being best!