Mailbox Monday

Last week, four books arrived in the mail. On Tuesday, I received The Last Songby Nicholas Sparks, which I won on Darlene's book blog, Peeking Between the Pages. As a fan of Sparks' romances, I was very happy to win this book. On Friday, I found two books in my mailbox, The Art of Racing in the Rainby Garth Stein from Terra Communications, a book I've been interested in since reading about it on Stephanie's Written Word, and Live a Life You Love, an inspirational book by Dr. Susan Biali from Online Publicist. Last but not least, on Saturday I received The Life O'Reilly from and by Brian Cohen, which has gotten many excellent reviews on Amazon. I'm looking forward to reading all of these books.

Mailbox Monday is one of my favorite memes, where readers share the books they've recently acquired, hosted by Marcia from The Printed Page. Feel free to join in the fun, but be forewarned: "Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists". What books arrived in your home recently, by mail or from elsewhere?

Message in a Bottle, Embroideries, and The Friday Night Knitting Club

Friday night I watched Message in a Bottle, the movie based on the novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. Now I've seen all four of Sparks' books which have been made into movies. This movie was a bit slow to takeoff but eventually does. The setting is supposed to be the Outer Banks in North Carolina, but apparently this was filmed in Maine. (I prefer a bit more authenticity, although the scenery is stunning. ) Of course, the movie is another romantic drama, ignited by love letters in bottles washed ashore which lead to a new romance. I thought Paul Newman's performance as Dodge Blake, the crusty father, was outstanding, and Robin Wright Penn's as Theresa Osbourne was also quite good (she has a remarkable crying scene). Kevin Costner's acting in Message in a Bottle was low-key but believable as Garrett Blake, the widower paralyzed by the loss of his wife.

Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi arrived in my mailbox sooner than expected--on Saturday--and I read it on Sunday. It's a graphic novel and doesn't take long to read. This is definitely a book for mature audiences only, preferably women. It's outrageously funny, and quite candid about marriage and the sex lives of Iranian women, who're often caught between tradition and modern times. The contents and illustrations are absolutely hilarious. Marjane Satrapi is also the author of a comic book style autobiography comprised of two books--international bestsellers--Persepolis and Persepolis 2.

I also had the opportunity to start the book The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs on Sunday evening, and am already very taken in by this book. (I just learned that Kate Jacobs has a new book due out on Nov. 25, Knit Two, obviously a sequel to The Friday Night Knitting Club.) Let me start by saying that I don't knit, nor do I desire to, although I do crochet (I was obsessed with crocheting scarves a couple of winters ago but that's a story for another day). Anyway, the action takes place in Georgia's knitting shop in NY, Walker and Daughter, where customers form an informal knitting club that meets regularly. As a former New Yorker I can easily picture the shop, customers, and characters who come by for more than yarn--for help with their knitting, as well as coffee and cookies, conversation, and companionship. This is the type of book to read on cool evenings, snuggled up indoors with a steaming beverage. I'm looking forward to spending time in this manner soon.

The Lucky One: A Sense of Destiny

I think The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks would make a good movie because this romance is filled with action and suspense. But I 'm getting ahead of myself here. I've just finished reading Sparks' latest book, which is a real page turner. Each chapter in The Lucky One is titled by the character whose perspective is featured, or by the characters the chapter focuses on, Clayton, Thibault, and Beth. Other characters are also important, Ben, Nana, Victor, Drake, and the dog, Zeus, but they are supporting characters rather than main ones. In this book, a strong sense of destiny leads U.S. Marine Logan Thibault out of Iraq and into the romance of his life in (where else?) North Carolina. Needless to say, it's not without problems, mainly in the form of Beth's ex-husband, Deputy Keith Clayton. Without revealing too much about the book, I'll say that while reading this book, I really wanted Thibault to be honest about everything from the start, to avoid future complications and misunderstandings, but knew it wasn't possible given how "unexplainable" things seemed. You can read more reviews of The Lucky One on Amazon.

I've now read every published book written by Nicholas Sparks, fourteen in all!

The Secret Life of Bees

"It takes honeybee workers ten million foraging trips to gather enough nectar to make one pound of honey."
~Bees of the World, The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd

Each chapter of The Secret Life of Bees begins with a quote about bees, a tidbit of information about these humming, hovering honey-makers. I loved this NY Times bestseller--it's warm, radiant, and one-of-a-kind--and when I read it a couple of years ago, couldn't help but think that it would make a great movie. Judging from the movie trailer, it will be. It's coming to theaters on Oct. 17 and stars Queen Latifah (who better to play the queen bee?), Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, and others. Set in South Carolina in 1964, the film is the story of Lily Owens, a 14 year-old girl haunted by the memory of her late mother, who comes to live with May, June, and August, a trio of beekeeping sisters. I can't wait to see it.

I'm still reading The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks and will post about it soon. Last night, I had another dose of Sparks, in the form of the movie, The Notebook, which was shown on TV on ABC Family.

The Lucky One

Yesterday mid-morning I made a beeline for Barnes & Noble and there it was, an entire display devoted to the new book by Nicholas Sparks, The Lucky One. I hadn't called the bookstore to check if it was in so I wasn't sure they'd have it--the book was due out on Sept. 30th but I don't know what time of day books are delivered to bookstores--but I ran in and saw it. I hadn't pre-ordered the book but took my chances that it would be available, and it was.

Last night I began reading Sparks' fourteenth and latest book, The Lucky One. I've only read the first two chapters and am still meeting the characters, so I don't have much to "report" about the book just yet. I have some general comments, though. For people who haven't read much by Nicholas Sparks, I advise you not to write him off too quickly. These books are not fluffy romances, but deal with serious issues such as illness and aging, and in The Lucky One, the war in Iraq, and include tragedies of all sorts (expect to cry). The characters struggle to find not only love but strength and some kind of redemption (not usually in a religious sense). The language may be simple (meaning clear, and I think that's very important as writing is, after all, about communicating), but the stories and characters are complex, interesting, and modern, and several of these books are international bestsellers.

Year of Wonders: Portrait of Plague Village

"Dear friends, here we are, and here we must stay. Let the boundaries of this village become our whole world. Let none enter and none leave while this Plague lasts."
~Year of Wonders, Geraldine Brooks

In the book Year of Wonders, the charismatic rector Michael Mompellion implores the villagers to stay and not spread "the seed of the plague" outside of the village, and most agree to this self-imposed quarantine. But they are ill prepared for their fate and the depth of how all this hideous sickness and death will affect them. The descriptions of the plague are riveting; I knew so little about the particulars of this dreadful disease before reading this book, which starts as a fever or cough, "marks" victims with a large, painful, grotesque boil that appears suddenly, and progresses so rapidly that many victims would die within a couple of days. It's a very moving novel, based on the true story of the English village of Eyam, although the book blends historical fact with fiction. Some believed that the plague was God's judgement on the sinful world, and pleaded for forgiveness or self-flagellated; others questioned this, and looked to science for prevention and cures. The 1660s were the beginning of the age of modern medicine and the Age of Enlightenment, and in England, there was a shift from Puritanism to the ideas of the Restoration, so many questions about the role of faith are featured in this book. Year of Wonders deals with a most horrific subject and presents an unforgettable portrait of an isolated village outside of London during 1665-1666, which lost two-thirds of its inhabitants to the plague. The effects of all this loss are as widespread as the plague, causing some villagers to become more selfish, fearful of ghosts and witches, hateful, and murderous, while others, such as Anna Firth and Elinor Mompellion, become herbalists and healers who help ease the suffering, or Michael Mompellion, who serves those afflicted untiringly. I'm finished reading this haunting book, and may read more from this author, such as her book March, the fictional story of the father of the girls in Little Women, who leaves his family to fight in the Civil War.

On a different note, today's quest will be to obtain a copy of Nicholas Sparks' new book, The Lucky One, which is being released today. Wish me luck!

Nights in Rodanthe, the Movie

Yesterday I saw the movie I've been waiting all summer for, Nights in Rodanthe, starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane, based on the book by Nicholas Sparks. It's definitely a tearjerker, like all of Sparks' romances. If you see Nights in Rodanthe, unless you're really unemotional, expect to cry a bit, or at least to fight back the tears. Even the trailer for the movie starts to chokes me up. The scenery is breathtaking and features the wild beauty of the Outer Banks in North Carolina, and the romance is, as always, bittersweet.

Here's a list of Sparks' best-selling books that have been made into movies so far. Click on the titles to view the movie trailers.


Message in a Bottle, 1999: stars Kevin Costner, Robin Wright Penn, and the late, great Paul Newman A Walk to Remember, 2002: stars Mandy Moore and Shane West The Notebook, 2004: stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams Nights in Rodanthe, 2008: stars Diane Lane and Richard Gere

I've seen all of these movies except for Message in a Bottle, which I'll try to find on DVD.

As far as my reading goes, I'm still reading Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks, but will finish it before Sept. 30, when Nicholas Sparks' new book, The Lucky One, will be released. You can bet I'll dash to the bookstore on Tuesday in hopes of getting a copy.  It'll be the next book I read. I suppose I'm a hopeless romantic.

Sparks Notes

Sunday night I saw the movie A Walk to Remember with Mandy Moore and Shane West, a movie I was interested in seeing that I just happened to find on sale at the supermarket early Sunday morning. I read the book a few years ago so I don't remember every detail from the book, but I don't think the movie followed the book all that closely. An important difference between the book and the movie is that the book takes place in the 1950's, whereas the movie is supposed to be the 1990's. At certain moments, I had to fight back the tears. (I may see it again more privately and allow myself to cry freely.) The leads are excellent in their roles. While watching A Walk to Remember I thought maybe Nicholas Sparks' brother, Micah, played the part of the cardiologist, but it turned out to be David Lee Smith when I checked the credits. (Does Sparks ever cast family members in his films? Or friends? Or fans? Heck, I'd settle for a walk-on part.) I really enjoyed seeing the lush landscape of North Carolina, after hearing descriptions in the books of Nicholas Sparks. All the wild storms in North Carolina create such beautiful settings--no wonder all these romances take place!

I'm almost done reading The Rescue, and should finish it today.

More Book Talk

Today I finished Bloomability, another charming book by Sharon Creech, and just in time, too, as The Rescue arrived in my mailbox this afternoon, neatly packaged by an Amazon.com marketplace seller. Tonight I hope to begin The Rescue, the remaining published book by Nicholas Sparks that I haven't yet read (unless I've mistakenly missed one). This one's sure to be a dud. Just kidding, of course! I wanted to see if you were paying attention, and hopefully made you laugh. I don't doubt that The Rescue will be as engrossing as all the rest of Sparks' books. Of course, you may not care for romances, but obviously I do. (Preferences in reading are so personal. I'm curious in this regard, perhaps even nosy, and like to to learn what other people read, and things related to reading, which is why I've had various surveys in this blog. If you've participated in these polls, including the current one, thank you. I appreciate your input and am open to ideas for future surveys, and of course general comments.) In late September, you know I 'll be on the lookout for Sparks' brand new book, The Lucky One.

Summer Joys

We have beautiful grapes! It's an absolute thrill, a real joy, to grow grapes on our property, after waiting two years for the vines to produce this sweet fruit! (You'll have to excuse me please, I get excited about this kind of stuff. Don't ask me about the tomatoes!)


The last section of Eat, Pray, Love, when Elizabeth Gilbert ventures to Bali, is extremely funny and had me laughing out loud. If you go to her website, you can even see photos of the people in her book, which is pretty amazing. I'll finish this marvelous book tonight, most likely.

Yesterday I ordered two books from Amazon.com marketplace sellers, The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks, and also Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith. I was happy to find these books at very low prices and don't mind at all that they are used. In fact, I like the fact that they 're being recycled, and that you can buy books from people all across the United States. (As I've mentioned before, I also sell some books on Amazon; if you're interested in a link to my storefront please send me an email). Anyway, The Rescue is the only book published by Sparks that I haven't yet read (some of you may already know this), and I'm looking forward to reading it. I really don't like to tell people what to read but would eagerly recommend any of Sparks' books to those with an interest in bittersweet romances. A friend just mentioned that she's read The Notebook and The Wedding as well as a couple of books by Sharon Creech as a result of my blog--I'm happy to share this joy with others!

More Summer Reading

One of the best things about vacations is that when there's not that much to do, you really get a chance to read and relax. I finished The Choice by Nicholas Sparks. Guess what? It's another great romance by Sparks. I don't want to spoil the story for anyone who might read it, but will just say that there are actually a few important choices to be made. Now I've read all of Sparks' books, except for The Rescue and The Lucky One (out this September).

For a couple of years now I've been hearing about these books by Alexander McCall Smith. To be honest, I didn't really have much interest in them, because I've never been a big fan of mysteries. However, I found a copy of the first in this series, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, and am already about halfway through this intriguing book, which features Mma Precious Ramotswe of Botswana, known as Mma Ramotswe. It's not really a mystery per se but a novel about a detective. The real mystery is why it took me so long to give these books a chance!

A Short Break

Greetings! Technically I'm "on vacation" right now. I'm back from a weekend at Disneyland and California Adventure; both were a lot of fun. On the way home I bought The Choice by Nicholas Sparks and I can't wait to begin reading it. I found the book at an electronics store and it took about half an hour to purchase due to a computer snafu of some sort! I'll be taking a short break from this blog, but will be back soon.

The Notebook

For those of you that haven't read my profile or early posts, I'm a fan of author Nicholas Sparks. I didn't expect to enjoy his romances as much as I do. I never read Harlequin romances or those sort of books as I have no interest in them. I started by reading Sparks' first book, The Notebook, which I absolutely loved. It's a fabulous introduction to his bestselling romance novels, which are well written, believable, love stories with poignant endings. After reading The Notebook, I hesitated to read other books by Nicholas Sparks--frankly I didn't think they'd be as good as The Notebook--but then gradually found and read several others by him. They're all first-rate romances! I'm ready to pack my bags and move to--or at least visit--North Carolina, the setting for most of Sparks' NY Times bestsellers.

Here's a list of books written by Nicholas Sparks, with the dates they were published:

1. A Bend in the Road (2001)
2. A Walk to Remember (1999)
3. At First Sight (2005)
4. Dear John (2006)
5. Message in a Bottle (1998)
6. Nights in Rodanthe (2002)
7. The Choice (2007)
8. The Guardian (2003)
9. The Notebook (1996)
10. The Rescue (2000)
11. The Wedding (2003)
12. Three Weeks With My Brother (2004)
13. True Believer (2005)

I've read all of these except for The Choice and The Rescue. According to Nicholas Sparks' website, he has a new book in the works, The Lucky One (due Sept. 2008). Three of his books have been made into movies, The Notebook, Message in a Bottle, and A Walk to Remember.  Nights in Rodanthe will be released as a feature film in September 2008.

More about Mom

Nicholas Sparks credits his mom for starting his lucrative writing career. When an injury threatened to end his running career at Notre Dame, his mom suggested he try something else. She told him to write a book. In Three Weeks With My Brother, Sparks describes his initial reaction:

"Until that moment, I'd never considered writing. Granted, I read all the time, but actually sitting down and coming up with a story on my own? The very notion was ridiculous. I knew nothing about the craft, I had no burning desire to see my words in print. I' d never taken a class in creative writing, had never written for the yearbook or school newspaper, nor did I suspect I had some sort of hidden talent when it came to composing prose. Yet, despite all those things, the notion was somehow appealing. . ."
~Three Weeks With My Brother, A Memoir, Nicholas (and Micah) Sparks

It's a good thing Sparks took her advice! How many best-sellers has he written?

My own mom is also a source of encouragement. She has ambitions for me! No matter what I attempt, she's my greatest supporter. Her infectious, unquenchable optimism helps me to see the glass as half full nearly all of the time.

As always, I welcome and thank you for your comments.

Happy Mother's Day!

"My mom's attitude made it hard not to like her. She was always upbeat, no matter how terrible things were, and she made light of things that most people would have found unbearable. For instance, my mom worked (as many mothers did), but she had to ride a bike to work. Whether it was pouring rain or 105 degrees, my mom would dress for work, hop on the bike, and start pedaling the four miles to the office. Her bike had a basket on the handlebars and two more behind the seat; after work, she's ride the bike to the grocery store, load in whatever she needed, then ride home. And always--I mean always--she beamed when she walked in the door. No matter how hard the day had been, no matter how hot or wet she was, she made it seem as if she were the lucky one and that her life couldn't get any better."
~Three Weeks With My Brother, A Memoir, Nicholas and Micah Sparks

This passage by Nicholas Sparks could describe my own mother, who was also unfailingly cheerful after a hard day's work. While she rode buses and the subway to work rather than a bicycle, she was energetic and uncomplaining every day. She walked to the supermarket and lugged home bags of groceries after work up the steep hill to our apartment. My mother, who raised four daughters, seemed to thrive on hard work!

Happy Mother's Day!