A Lazy Saturday...

Apparently my town has a really awesome book store that I knew nothing about! Okay, I lied, I did know about it because the owners of this bookstore fly planes over the local college campus every semester to advertise their text book selection. There is also a huge semi truck south of town with their name on the side. (There are also ads in the local paper and groups dedicated to the place on everyone's favorite social networking site.) So, I knew this place existed but I'd never been to the University Book & Bean until today.

My friend Mark and I met up to enjoy our caffeine enriched beverages and talk about life and literature. Mark won't mind me saying this but I cannot tell you how great it felt to simply have a nerd day! First we started talking to the barista about Jodi Picoult- my favorite author. Turns out the paperback version of her latest book House Rules comes out on November 9th! That is exactly one day after this girl's 26th birthday and if I don't receive a copy I will be incredibly disappointed. We then did a tour of the shelving and compared notes on other authors we did and did not enjoy.

Several books stopped us in our tracks and led to some pretty in depth discussions:
The first shocker was The Idiots Guide To Adoption. Really, America? Really? First of all: If you are an idiot, please do not adopt a baby. They already probably had idiot parents and you are not doing them a service. Secondly, if you seek out the Idiot's Guide versus the counsel of a legally trained professional you should probably be adopting a dog instead of a kid. It just seems completely wrong and weird and creepy that this book even exists, much less that anyone buys it. This book literally made us have a ridiculously long laugh at the insanity of it all. It just doesn't make much sense.

After we got over the shock of the Idiot's Guide we notice another horrible theme lurking on the bookshelves... many, many books began to pop up that make it seem as though women need to sell themselves short to achieve happiness in this life. We talked about this for hours- and it was nice to have a guys's perspective AND backing on the issue: Women really do think they have to change themselves for love and fulfillment and popular authors are doing nothing to stop this nasty, negative trend. Check out these ridiculous books:

The Man Plan. This one said that women need to change the way they dress, smell, sit, act, etc... to appeal to a man's senses. The inside cover clearly stated that the smallest things- down to what kind of movies you like and what kind of sheets you prefer really could be what is keeping men from dating you. What happened to being yourself and having common interests with a guy? Why do girls need to change every little detail about their lives so that someone will love them. Why can't you just like what you like and hop you find someone who likes the same things? Now, I'm not the greatest authority on this subject due to my current relationship status but I do know that the happiest I've ever been in relationships is what I was free to be myself and those are the relationships that ended on fantastic terms. I did not feel like I needed months to find myself again. I did not regret things during those relationships and I was quickly able to discover the things that went wrong and the lessons learned. I can't tell you how bad this book and it's message grated on my nerves- hence the thumbs down. Bad book. VERY bad book indeed.

The next book was even worse. Can you read that title? Marry Him: The CASE for Settling For Mr. Good Enough. ARE THEY FREAKING SERIOUS!?!?! This book left me seething mad. I have dated plenty of "Mr. Good Enoughs" and I thank God every day that I had enough sense to not marry one of them. Why must women settle just because they are lonely? Why is being alone considered worse than marrying someone just because they like you, make a decent living and meet your basic needs? Call me a hopeless romantic but I believe everyone can have phenomenal love if they hold out for it. Why make yourself miserable with mediocrity just because it's easier?!?! Don't worry, you'll never hear an actual review from me of it's actual contents contents- the back was enough to make me sick to my stomach and I absolutely won't be reading it.

The third book that really irked me was this one: Committed by Elizabeth Gibert. If you think her name sounds familiar it is because she's the author of that book everyone is freaking out about called Eat, Pray, Love... a book that I absolutely abhor. I read it during a very difficult time in my life and according to everyone who recommended it- I should have found a greater sense of self, I should have been stronger and happier in my decisions. I should have loved it. Truth is- Elizabeth Gilbert learned absolutely nothing in her first book and her second left me shaking my head in disbelief. See the tag line? It says "A skeptic makes peace with marriage" Let me tell you the truth about this book: inside the front cover this book clearly tells of how the author ONLY married her husband because the U.S. Government told her she had to or he was being deported and how they spent MONTHS in southeast Asia trying to decide if they wanted to or not... but for the sake of their relationship and their ties to America they chose to do so. After reading the dust jacket I found so many things wrong with this book I had to put it down and walk away.

***SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU INTEND TO READ EAT, PRAY, LOVE DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH***

In the end of her first book Elizabeth Gilbert, who had previously said she was going to be celibate in the year following her divorce and spend time finding herself again, ends up in bed with basically the first guy who pays her any attention. I found this cruely disgusting. After all the truly beautiful growth she'd gone through in the beginning I really felt like she just caved the second a guy told her she was pretty. I felt so sad for her and totally disappointed in the outcome... and here in her second book, she tells America that she committed to the sanctity of marriage again out of sheer necessity... if she'd not married the guy- he couldn't continue to reside with her in her country... Why are all these authors teaching girls to settle? If you love someone- marry them and write a book about that... but don't marry someone out of spite for the government, clearly declare it on a dust jacket and call it a rebuttal for what you said in your first book.

These books that I saw today are really just a sampling of what's out there and I admit- I am a girl who purchased her fair share of self help books once upon a time but here's the truth: We don't need them. Girls should truly be who they are and not feel the need to change for anyone. Where are the books for girls who want to be strong and funny and quirky and themselves? Why do authors feel the need to buy into the insecurities of women? Basically it comes down to the bottom dollar and the knowledge that women will pay someone to tell them whats wrong with their lives and how to fix instead of doing just open and honest soul searching and taking action themselves. (Like I said- I'll be the first one to stand up at a meeting and say that I got caught up in these books once upon a time too but I'll tell you, Ladies, they do nothing but make you feel bad about yourself when you don't reach the author's goals in the end. Does the author know you and your circumstances? No. Don't take it so personally when you don't have the same outcome as someone else!) I just wish it wasn't this way. I wish more women felt comfortable in their own skin and could see they are beautiful. I pray that my own daughters (if I ever have any) can see that it's not necessary to change who they are to be loved... and I hope any future sons learn to appreciate the women in their lives for why they are.

What a rant that was... I think I've had to much caffiene today! Man, I think I might be coming across as a bitter Betty, but I think if you consider what I've said- you'll see it to be true. And today wasn't all bad...

The comic relief came in the form of Steve Harvey. While I read through a silly teen novel from the lovely Lurlene McDaniel (yes, a review is coming soon!), Mark skimmed through Harvey's Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man... and after all the crap we flipped through on the shelves, it was the most real thing I heard all day. I don't know if I'll actually read that book this year- but more than once Mark chuckled to himself and then turned to me and repeated a line about female behavior that made us both crack up. He had it pretty point on... turns out ladies try too hard (DUH!) and tend to go a little overboard (Ya think!?!?) and women really should just be themselves (Haven't I been saying this all along?!?!). Like I said earlier, it was really interesting to get a male perspective on the ladies in their lives and their (sometimes completely ridiculously insane and irratic) behavior and then it was super validating to have Mr. Harvey himself back up everything we'd discussed!

All in all it was a wonderful way to spend my lazy Saturday... even if I did get a little more than worked up. Now that I know this little gem of a store exists, I will definately be going back and hope to have many more open discussions about popular literature. Does your town have a local book shop or a library you can spend some time in? Take your friends, grab some books and discuss! I highly recommend it!

Don't forget to look for the highly rediculous ironies in literature. Also seen today: The biographies of Cleopatra and Miley Cyrus resting side by side... I'm sure Cleopatra loves that!!!

18. A Girl and Her Money

We spend money we don't have
to buy things we don't need
to impress people we don't even like.
-m.scott page

My name is Lindsey and I am a shopoholic. Granted, I do not drop thousands in one day, and I don't even have a credit card - I still find myself grabbing that cute yellow purse and tossing it up on the counter to be paid for just because I've always wanted one... It's a sad condition really- loving things and buying things and then having a closet full of things that you wear only once or twice and then trade off with your mom cause you decide you like her things better and she yours... and then after a year or two said things end up in a yard sale for a fraction of what you paid for them because you just never used that thing you just had to have... We're women. It's a curse.

Sharon Durling- the author of A Girl and Her Money, says that unwisely wanting things and getting them happened the second Eve ate the fruit and realized she needed new clothes... and we've been working to shop ever since. We've buried ourselves so deeply in debt that we can't possibly imagine pulling ourselves out. It's so frustrating.

My main problem isn't exactly shopping its the fact that I don't spend the extra money I have wisely. It's hard to pay all my bills and then not treat myself with what is left in the bank. I can justify anything (just ask my parents!) and spending that little extra money doesn't seem so bad when I REALLY need a new pair of jeans or must have new mascara.

This was the perfect book for me to read right now because I've been taking some time to sort out my finances. I recently came to the realization that I'm not promised a spouse. I'm not always promised a job. I'm not guarenteed any extra income and I'm certainly not sure I'll be given retirement compensation (RETIREMENT!!??!?! I'M ONLY 25!!!!) But it's up to me to sort all this out and prepare for the future that I can't see.

Last summer I broke my foot and had no insurance. I'm still paying those bills and will be for quite some time.. then I got h1n1 and had to pay out of pocket plus lose 8 days wages.. It cost me nearly $500 to lay on the couch for a week. Not knowing the future can take a serious bite of out what little money I have so I think it's a wise choice to go ahead and start scraping together those few extra cents I have every month.

However, the author clearly defines that financial freedom is freedom from money, not freedom to spend money like a mad man just cause you have it. I want to be in a place where I can enjoy lifes little perks because I know I have it saved away and can allow myself to have a few fun things here and there- not spend with wreckless abandon because I've got plenty and I won't miss a few dollars- and can always make more later.

The idea of a retirement plan sounds scary now, but what about the other stuff I clearly need to be focusing on- I don't want to rent forever. I want a house that is all mine that I can nail countless holes in the wall or paint fun colors. I want a deck I can grill on without my neighbors standing three feet away. I want to not be worried about the car blocking mine when I leave my drive in the mornings. I very much want a house! But for now- I've got to figure out a way to lower my rent. My lease is not up until February but I have every intention of finding some place that is more economically feasible (hopefully with no other homes attatched to it.) and start saving the hundred or even 50 bucks I get to keep every month.

I've also taken up couponing lately. It's not the easiest thing to do and sometimes I have to pay full price for an item- but I've gotten much better about which brands I buy and watching for sales. Its saved me quite a bit lately and hopefully I'll only get better at it- I want to be a pro by the time I have more than one mouth to feed! My friend Laura is a genius at couponing and knows how to stock pile and have reserves of items... I hope to get to that point sooner rather than later.

I'm by no means Dave Ramsey, I think Ms. Durling made quite an impact on me. Her approach to this subject matter was head on: Men are from Home Depot and Women are from Macy's! We have these desires and a need to keep up with the Joneses and we spend before we think. It's a universal problem and we and our bank accounts and our future selves are suffering for it.

If you need a boost to start looking at your money differently- I'd definitely recommend this book. It's light and airy with alot of bibilical references to show that this isn't a new issue. People have been gaining and losing fortunes for thousands of years and even though we can't take our wealth with us to heaven- God gives it to us to manage wisely. Check this one out! It gets 5 stars from me.


18/52 Books (Currently 10 behind... Oops!)
5519 Pages Read.

17. Between, Georgia

"Do what you feel in your heart to be right-
for you'll be criticized anyway.
You'll be damned if you do,
and damned if you don't."
Eleanor Roosevelt

I came across this quote earlier in the week and it's odd how it's come into play more than once. I've been feeling a little frustrated lately. It seems no matter what I say or do or how I try to smooth over a particular situation- I'm going to lose a friend anyway... which sucks because I don't know what happened in the first place- many months ago - to make this friend angry. For the life of me I can't figure out where things went wrong and how we ended up at odds with one another... it seems like this has been festering for a long time and came to a head at a very inopportune time for both of us.

I don't like unresolved spats. If you've been around me for much time at all- you know I'm a talker. I like to sit down and talk to the person, hash out any outstanding issues. I like to figure out what we can do to work together to find a resolution.

Years ago I had my heart broken by someone who is now my best friend. I know that sounds completely weird- but it's not. He loved me.. just not in the capacity I wanted him to. Just a few days after his honesty, and my broken heart, he came to my apartment and sat opposite from me and told me that he'd do what he could as my friend to keep me in his life. I think that's true friendship and since that day I've not taken him for granted and I try to use that same attitude in fixing problems I have in other relationships. I feel icky and sad until I do.

I think this is why I could not put down this novel. It was shocking how the feelings of the lead character, Nonny Frett, mimicked my own recent emotions so closely. I desperately wanted a clean ending for her. I had to see her through.

Nonny comes from the tiny little town of Between, Georgia. Nonny is birthed by a Crabtree- a member of the most redneck and backward family in the area, but is quickly stolen and then raised by the Fretts- a family of wealth and religion. Her whole life a battle for her love causes the townspeople to bicker and stir up an all out war.

Nonny's "Damned if you do, Damned if you don't" attitude will almost break your heart. She can't take sides. She can't smooth over one family, for the other getting their feathers ruffled. She can't make decisions because someone will find fault with them and blame the other side's cursed family bloodlines. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction in her world. She's trapped in the constant struggle between two families who want her to pick them.

This is almost painful to read because she is trying to start her life over. She has a husband who's always got one foot out the door and a young family member who looks to her like a mother. She also has her own mother, who has lost both her hearing and sight and depends on Nonny to communicate to her all that is going on in the world. She has her own issues to work out and cannot due to the overwhelming emotions of those around her.

I have this buddy, we'll call him MB, who likes good lit as much as I do... maybe even more. His picks are pretty deep and often make me feel a little dizzy but even so, I recommended this book to him... that probably doesn't mean anything to you but it should... GO GET A COPY!


17/52 Books (Currently 11 behind... Oops!)
5353 Pages Read.

16. The Measure of a Lady

I will, without a doubt, read this book again and again. It was so simple and pure and heartfelt that I had trouble putting it down. Even weeks after reading it (read post #14) I can't help but feel that there is so much I missed- so much I can gain from reading this novel again. I don't know if I have any other books by Deeanne Gist but I will scour my shelves and possibly scour the book store to find more!

Set in San Francisco in 1849 The Measure of a Lady is the tale of Rachel Van Buren, a young woman who travels to California with her father and younger siblings with the hope of finding wealth during the great gold rush. During the journey Rachel's father passes away, leaving her to care for her brother and sister and make a life for them in a muddy, male dominated city. Finding adequate housing is the least of her worries as she must protect the innocence of her 15 year old sister in a city where the only other women are prostitutes and teach her brother an honest trade where gambling is the norm, all while she maintains the decorum of a proper lady.

This story was a breath of fresh air in a time where literature tends to thrive on a juicy sex scene or be dominated by love triangles (I know I've said I like a good love triangle in my books... but sometimes ya just need a good honest love story!) Rachel's tale really made me think about the things that our society doesn't focus on - how beauty isn't in sexy clothes or in a provocative pout, but rather in the subtle ways a woman can show her femininity without being blatenly obvious... Unfortunately for Rachel- she ends up taking her convictions and her demands a little too far and ends up in a world of hurt.

I felt a closeness with Rachel- who hasn't thought that their way was so right only to be knocked down a notch or two? I greatly indentified with her character and felt so horrible for her the second I realized what road she was headed down. I can't wait to go back and reread this story and look for signs I might have missed before- things that might have changed the outcome. I want to warn her!

I won't tell you the ending... I never do... but I will say that this is a story you should read. I don't know where this book came from or where to buy it (although I think this might be something that came from the christian book store) but you should get a copy. It will remind you of all the things that are unique and amazing about being female! (If you're a female reading this of course!)


16/52 Books (Currently 11 behind... Oops!)
5059 Pages Read.

15. Lucky Stars

I don't even want to think about how far behind I am. I'm almost frightened to check. So much has happened since I last wrote and honestly, I think it's because reading makes me go inside myself for a while and for quite a few weeks now I've been avoiding just that. Going inside myself meant dealing with some things that I wasn't quite ready to deal with but I'm back. In the course of this vacation from blogging I have managed to read two books (which in all honesty, I read weeks ago on the same day so I'm not as fantastic as I'd like you to believe.) but even so, I guess I'm not an entirely hopeless cause.

I will also say in my defense that a few weeks ago I attempted to give a review but my computer had a stupid moment and deleted everything I'd said. It did not make me happy, in fact- My computer crashed for about twenty four hours and left me with a feeling that bordered on a panic attack. Crisis averted- I found out how to upload firefox in safe mode and I saved the day. No male hero needed... which is freaking fantastic if you ask me considering I do not have a technology savvy bone in my body.

On to the task at hand- a book review.

Lucky Stars was a good book. It wasn't fantastic and it wasn't mind blowing and it didn't leave me aching for more but it was good. It did make me think a little bit though about roles we play in our lives and how we react to those roles and the roles of those around us changing. In this novel Jane Heller presents a very interesting plot twist: What if you and your mother switched places. What if you had an insane dream and you wanted it to come true so badly you could taste it... but in an odd twist of fate it came true for your mom?

I think I'd be jealous... at least that's my first thought. It really does irk me when someone gets what I want. It bugs me. It pisses me off. I think if I wanted to be a movie star like Stacey and suddenly my mother was thrust into the spotlight it would really hurt me. But then I thought about it- as an American twenty-something I have it made and my mom loves me more than I'll ever know so I think if something amazing happened to my mother- I wouldn't be jealous at all. I'd be 100% supportive. I'd be so happy and proud of my momma and I'd let the whole world know about her success- afterall, she's done that for me for years.

Back to the situation I mentioned early in this post... the one where I said I didn't want to go within myself and deal with things... Ya see... there was this boy... and now there's not. That's all you really need to know. You can figure out the rest on your own but you know what? The second my mom realized how hurt I was, she packed a suit case (And some pizza, bless her heart!) and drove an hour and a half to spend the night with me. She put up with having to share the lone bed in my apartment (a bed that she says is entirely too hard). She even put up with me when I couldn't sleep and tossed and turned for hours (She fed me a sleeping pill) and THEN she put up with me when in my sleeping pill induced slumber I had a dream about the boy who shall not be named and starting hitting her... (Sorry Mom!) But even so- My mom did that for me. I'm 25 (I mean twenty-something) And I should not be needing my mom to come get me out of situations or just be there for me when I'm upset but sometimes I do. Sometimes I need my mom and she's there for me. I have the best mom in the world so if my mother became the face of the number one tuna fish manufacturer in the world- you better believe I'd tivo all her commercials!

It's a cute book. You should read it.

15/52 Books (Currently 12 behind... Oops!)
4745 Pages Read.

14. Goodnight Nobody

I read Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner several years ago and really enjoyed it. Somehow (though debatable whether this was a mom or BFF Katy purchase) Goodnight Nobody ended up on my bookshelf. I had to read this book simply because had an Ugly Doll on the cover! (I fell in love with Ugly Dolls when I was working one summer in upstate New York. I thought they were quirky and awesome and fantastic and all things whimsical and childish but I knew my siblings would never understand and I couldn't justify spending that much money on something they'd put in a yard sale so my niece and nephew did not get Ugly Dolls upon my return. I hate it for them. Those dolls are AMAZING!)

Anyway, the Ugly Doll hooked me. The dead suburban housewife reeled me in. I loved a good murder mystery but not the creepy kind. This story was lighthearted and funny and romantic. There were screaming kids, and dirty houses and the quirky best friend who'd do anything to mend a loved one's broken heart. It had the necessary villains that you weren't sure you didn't actually love and the good guys who could have just been villains in disguise!

One of my favorite aspects to this novel was the fact that the characters were real. Kate was an overworked, stay-at-home mommy who had 3 little ones and a husband who just didn't get it. She wanted more. She wanted to not look frumpy. She wanted to impress the mom's on the play ground. Just once she wanted to be the mom who picked her kids up on time. She never dreamed she'd be the one to find the body of one of those women she'd tried so desperately hard to impress. I greatly identified with her need to be something more, to show those around her she had potential. Just today I knew I was going to be in a room full of women who wouldn't have cared if I smelled like a wet dog (okay, probably that's going a little far) but I still spent an hour picking out the right outfit and stressing when my hair simply sucked.

Women want so badly to have perfection. We compare ourselves to our neighbors and our friends, and, whats worse, our enemies. We desperately want to be what they are. We make ourselves miserable trying to lead someone else's life. Several years ago my mom bought me a little plaque that I have in my kitchen. It reads: You Were Born An Original. Don't Die A Copy. I think it speaks to women everywhere who just want something a little more. Don't want what other women have, it's already taken. Fight for what YOU want. I think Kate, against her husbands wishes, and against her common sense, did just that. It almost killed her, but she did it.

Stories like this are hard to read when the plots are so thick you can't see the end in sight. I honestly did not guess the murderer until the author revealed the answer to me. That rarely happens. It would have been so easy to get lost in the twisted lives of those affected but this book wasn't like that. It wasn't heavy at all... This gem defines chick lit!

I think its absolutely wonderful that an author can take such hard-hitting subjects and present them in such a lighthearted manner. Not only did Ms. Weiner discuss murder, evil and feminine insecurities, she also presented a frank discussion on the roles of women and scars of infidelity. Having a frank, to-the-point novel could have been too much for the reader to handle. It certainly would have lost my interest but I think she did an incredible job of opening up a line of discussion on such taboo subjects in such a girly book.

In the Conversation with Jennifer Weiner at the back of the book, (yes I'm a nerd that reads those sections!) the question is asked:

"In the book Kevin Dolan says to Kate: "I think it was kind of the usual thing. Bad boyfriends, bad bosses. Aren't there a whole bunch of books with pink covers about stuff like that?" And when Kate traveled to London to see her mother, she purchased "two paperback novels with candy pink covers." Was the reference to these pink book covers intended as a statement about chick lit?"

Jennifer Weiner's response is spectacular!

"Heh. Yes.... The point I wanted to make in these two more direct references to chick lit is that yes, these books are accessible and entertaining, and that accessible, entertaining books have a place in the world (like when you've just been dumped, your mother isn't helping, and you're stuck next to an over-inquisitive stranger on a transatlantic flight). This doesn't seem like such a crazy idea, but at this particular moment in time, believe it or not, if a book is "merely" entertaining- especially if the book concerns young women who care about their shoes, clothes, and love lives- it is seen as somehow morally questionable. An infamous recent book review began with its author opining that calling another woman's work "chick lit" is sort of like saying someone is a slut. To which I, as both the author and longtime fan of entertaining books starring smart, funny women who care about their appearance and their romantic futures, said, "Huh?" And "ouch." And "Oh no, she didn't!" Hence, the little shout-out to the books with bad boyfriends, bad bosses, and pink covers. Long may they wave!"

I agree Ms. Weiner and as long as you're writing them, I'll keep reading!

14/52 Books (Currently 5 behind... Oops!)
4439 Pages Read.

13. The Last Song

I'm obviously vocal enough about my disdain of Nicholas Sparks' writing that my aunt called me out on it last week when she saw I was reading this book. It's true. I find his writing style very elementary and his story lines very cliche and sugarcoated. I HATED The Notebook. I felt that the sentences were too short and the descriptions way too over the top. This led me to be anxious while reading. I HATE being anxious. I liked the storyline and the cute twist at the end of the The Wedding a little better, but not much. The ending of Dear John pissed me off and the rest of the books are all so similar they bleed together and I can't think of their titles nor their plots.

If you haven't heard me rant about this before, chances are you aren't around me that much. Anytime I have a literary discussion I find myself throwing in my dislike of Mr. Sparks. I'm sure he's a great guy. I'm sure he's encouraging people to read who might have never read before, but after having read so many books in my lifetime, he's not really one of my favorite authors. He doesn't really dig as deep as I'd like him to and, honestly, I really think he writes like a girl.

Now, before you yell at me about that, hear me out. Men are men. They don't react to situations like a female would. In general they aren't emotional. They aren't in touch with their sensitive side. Usually its easy to tell a male's writing style from that of a female. I won't go into specifics but we all know males and we all know females and we all know how they'd talk and express themselves and describe certain things. I simply think that Mr. Sparks is a little over the top and girly for a male. It's hard for me to see his feminine characters as really feminine because they are almost too good to be true. He almost has the womanly touch down pat and ,really, I think his male characters are too girly. It bugs the living daylights out of me! One instance in The Last Song drove me so mad I called my mother into the room to discuss it with her. The father in this story comments to his daughter that it's a "lovely" evening. I'm almost 26 years old and I have never once heard my father use that word, much less any other man I know. It's not a word men say! Use masculine words, man! It's just not right!

Now that I've successfully bashed the author (sorry about that, I guess...) I have to say this story wasn't so bad. It had an interesting plot, although it was quite easy to guess how it was going to end. The characters were also pretty likable, although I think he over explained their situations and over analyzed their flaws. I think a good author should allow his/her readers to draw their own conclusions in some instances but this book didn't really allow me the opportunity to do that.
I guess this issue came to be because this story is based on a screen play, which was then made into a movie which was released before the book was published. Normally this happens the other way around.

I always like read the book first so I can enjoy the story as a whole before it is crushed into a 2 hour and 14 minute time frame. Like I said, I like to be able to draw my conclusions and form my own opinions about the characters but for some reason (those pesky movie previews) I had to envision Miss Cyrus throughout this entire story. I had to picture her stomping around the house. I had to think about her sleeping with the turtles and her sobbing at the end... and oddly enough- throughout this whole book I didn't just see her playing the part- I saw her playing the part badly.

Granted, I did cry at the end (its just cause I'm emotional) I don't think this was one of his better works, In fact I have one request for Nicholas Sparks: Do not release a book again after the movie has been made. It REALLY ruined this story for me. I think I could have enjoyed it much more if I didn't have snippets of Hollywood's vision to blur my thinking.

I give it a 4 out of a 10. If you like Nicholas Sparks, you'll love it. I on the other hand needed something more.

13/52 Books (Currently 6 behind... Oops!)
4068 Pages Read.