Safe Haven (Nicholas Sparks)

I spent the beginning of my long weekend completely consumed in my most recent read, "Safe Haven" by Nicholas Sparks.  I'd seen the movie when it came out in theatres, so I was doing this one backwards (with the book before movie or movie before book debate!)  (I'm also a bit late on this post - my apologies!)

Let's start with the book.  It's the story of Katie, a girl who moves to a small town to get away from her past life.  In her old life, she was in an abusive relationship until she finally gathered the strength to leave.  Her husband, also a police officer, is doing everything he can do to find her now that she has disappeared.  In her new life, she meets attractive and friendly Alex, who is a single father to two kids.  They hit it off but she is still reluctant to start anything new because of her past. 

 

Now remember, I'm a sucker for love stories.  I loved the book - it's such a cute love story and the characters are so easy to get attached to.  Going back and forth between Katie's story and her husband's search for her kept the book suspenseful for the readers.  I motored through it, and, like I said, spent my entire sunny Saturday sitting outside with this book. 

 

Now, flash over to the movie.  I saw the movie first in this case and loved it.  Another great Nicholas Sparks book turned movie.  After reading the book, though, I wonder to myself why they had to change some of the things from the book while making the movie.  I know that movies often have to seem more "Hollywood", so they add and change things to make the story more "big screen" friendly and suspenseful.  I did feel like the story in the book would have been equally as good on the big screen.  (But what do I know about film-making, right?!)  All in all, the themes are basically the same and I would have to say that although they are slightly different, I liked both separately and tried not to compare them to each other too much. 

 

If you're the love story type like me, or if you're a fan of Nicholas Sparks, this one won't disappoint.  It's a good summer read and I'm quite happy that my relaxing weekend was spent with this one. 

Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn)

I need to be careful what I say about Gone Girl, because I don't want to give anything away!

Nick and Amy are about to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary when Amy suddenly disappears.  We don't know what happened to her - is she missing, was she murdered - but we do know that Nick is the prime suspect in the police investigation.  This book alternates between Amy's past diary entries and Nick's current experiences to lead the reader to the outcome of this scenario. 

This book had me in a reading spell and I loved reading the ups and downs of the investigation and of Nick and Amy's relationship.  There were no lack of twists and turns in this book, and it was another example of an author truly allowing the readers to get into the heads of the characters in the book. 

The only thing that I wasn't too fond of was the ending (*sigh*).  I'm going to pretend that I'm reading it all over again - and this time, I'm going to forget that the last three chapters ever happened and turn the book into a "create-your-own-ending" book. 

So, while this blog post about "Gone Girl" is quite short, I highly recommend this one.  (I kept it short because I assume everyone will want to go out and read it - no spoiler alerts!)  It was a good read, it kept me guessing, and it captured me in the world of some truly twisted characters. 

Caper (Lawrence Sanders)

What a great book to start my 2013 bookstack!

This Lawrence Sanders novels is by no means a new release.  Published in 1980, it's another one of those books that you should judge by the cover when you say, "It looks worn out and old - lots of people must have read this!"

"Caper" is a mystery/suspense novel.  Jannie Shean is a mystery writer who is told that her writing is starting to seem unrealistic.  She's given the advice of getting back into touch with reality and reading about real experiences in the news before starting on her next novel.  Jannie figures she's got an even better idea - Why not plan a whole crime and then pull out at the last minute?  Jannie decides that, along with help from her friend Dick Fleming, they are going to learn what it really involved as they plan a robbery.  They must do everything from figure out how to get hold of firearms and who to recruit as extra bodies in the mission to how to cover up their identities so that once all is said and done, none of this can be traced back to who they really are.

From the very first chapters, this book grabs your attention.  As one of the characters says in the book, we are all set in our routines and we live our lives knowing that we probably have a tomorrow and that we most likely have a good idea of what will happen in our 'tomorrow'.  These two characters show you how their lives transform when they start to live outside of their comfort zone.  This unknown territory that they are "adventuring" is a place that many of us have never been (and will likely never be!).

I don't want to ruin anything at all about the book.  But I really liked it.  I loved the characters (even the bad ones that you're not supposed to like) and I loved how it kept you guessing.

If you're a fan of the mystery genre, I would highly recommend this one.  Even if you're not a fan of the mystery genre, I would recommend it.  It's not a scary one, I promise - it's not the type of mystery that keeps you up at night thinking that something bad is going to happen to you.  (You just think to yourself instead, "I'm glad I'm not in their position...")

One Day (David Nicholls)

I loved "One Day" by David Nicholls.  I was actually a little sad when I finished it because I just wanted it to keep going.

This book is the beautiful story of Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley.  Each chapter in the book happens on July 15th of a different year.  The book explores how the friendship and relationship between Dexter and Emma has changed and evolved each year from 1988 to 2007. 

"How might she say that?  She couldn't of course.  Faint-hearted as usual, she had left it too late.  In the future, I'll be braver, she told herself.  In the future, I will always speak my mind, eloquently, passionately." (p. 429)

Emma and Dexter met each other at college, but only really started to become friends when they graduate.  They're faced with the challenging question of whether they should keep in touch or pretend that it never happened...  This novel really touches on the importance of timing, persistance, and following your heart.  What happens to a friendship when one person feels more than another?  What happens to a friendship when other relationships become involved?  What happens when you are just in different places emotionally?

"'Live each day as if it's your last', that was the conventional advice, but really, who had the energy for that?  What if it rained or you felt a bit glandy?  It just wasn't practical. Better by far to simply try and be good and courageous and bold and to make a difference.  Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you.  Go out there with your passion and your electric typewriter and work hard at... something.  Change lives through art maybe.  Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well.  Experience new things.  Love and be loved, if you ever get the chance."  (p. 433)

I loved this book because I really think it speaks to the reality of so many readers.  In the movies, there are so many romances where people are just "meant to be together."  In real life, it's sometimes hard to know with some friendships and relationships whether you should carry on or let it go.  Whether you should remain friends or try for something more.  Whether you should take a break and see what happens or take a break and never speak again.  Relationships are complicated and this book stresses the importance of timing and speaking what's on your mind. 

I'm sure we can all think back to past relationships and remember a time when you maybe should have said more than you did or taken a risk for something.  Or when you look back now and wonder why you waited so long to start something or end something.  You can relate to the characters this book.

I thought David Nicholls' writing did a wonderful job showing the inner thoughts and conflict of the characters.  As a reader, you sometimes felt like you knew a lot more about the characters than they knew about themselves. 

I would definitely recommend this novel.  It may be more of a girly book, but the issues are ones that any reader could relate to. 

The movie "One Day" starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess is already available to own on DVD - I am reading this book a bit late, based on the movie release date. And now, honestly, I am just about to start watching the movie.  (So that I can relive the magic of the book one more time...)

Devil's Waltz (Jonathan Kellerman)

This book had been sitting on my shelf for quite some time.  About a year ago, my mom put this book in my room and said, "I read this a long time ago and it was good."  Of course, I judged the cover and thought the book looked weird and old. 

So my lesson of the week: Don't judge a book based on the fact that it was written a long time ago.  And just because a book looks a little torn up doesn't mean it's bad - it probably just means that lots of people read it, therefore likely making it a good book (right?  I'll believe that logic).

Enjoying one of the last few
warm days of fall...

Jonathan Kellerman's book Devil's Waltz was written in 1993 - at least I was alive when it was written, unlike some of the other published books by Kellerman.  Despite the fact that the book was written nearly 20 years ago, I found it was still dealing with a topic that would be interesting to today's audience.  I was a young child when the book was published, and now, as a 20-something-year-old, I found the book exciting. 

The book is about a case that is going on at a hospital.  A two-year-old girl, Cassie Jones, is brought to the emergency room frequently with different symptoms.  By the time they get to the hospital and run tests each time, the doctors can't find anything wrong with her.  The doctor on the case, Stephanie, begins to suspect that this could be a case of Munchausen by proxy, which is basically when a parent does something to the child to cause them to be sick.  Alex Delaware, the main character in the story, is introduced to the case as a psychologist and is trying to figure out the mystery behind Cassie's illness.  Is the child actually sick or is someone purposely trying to harm this young child?

Throughout the book, I think I suspected just about every character at one time or another.  Is it Cassie's mother, Cindy, who is doing something to her own daughter, or could it be the father, Chip, who always seems very cooperative at the hospital.  Maybe it's the lead physician or the nurse dealing with Cassie, trying to advance their careers by bringing attention to her case.  Or possibly, it's Cassie's grandfather, who is actually the head of the hospital. 

It deals with such a complicated topic and analyzes the characters in so much depth.  There is so much more to the story than what it looks like on the outside and you really find yourself trying to figure out the mystery.  I would read a chapter and say, "It's definitely Cassie's mom, she's been acting a little weird lately."  Then, twenty minutes and a couple chapters later, I'd say, "No, scrap that, it's actually got to be the doctor.  She's hiding something, I can feel it."  It was a continuous guessing game and you keep finding out new information that keeps the story exciting. 

I loved the book and would recommend it to everyone.  It's very much a mystery book, but not a scary mystery - no one dies (well, almost no one) and it's not the type of novel that will keep you up at night.  (Well, it might keep you up at night since you won't want to put it down, but it won't keep you up with scary thoughts.)

Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) (Jenny Lawson, The Bloggess)

Where do I start with this book?  I have been following Jenny Lawson's blog, The Bloggess, for about 3 years now.  A friend introduced me to the blog and I loved reading it because it was so funny. 

Jenny Lawson has now written her Mostly True Memoir called Let's Pretend This Never Happened.  It was hilarious.  I was sitting outside reading and probably getting weird looks from my neighbours because I was laughing by myself.  They clearly hadn't read the book and just didn't understand how funny it was. 

To get a sense of her writing style and to have a few laughs, maybe check out the picture that cost her $300 to take, how she never dug up a human corpse, her metal chicken named Beyonce, or the time she saw a sasquatch on the road. (Seriously, you should read them.)

I read the book in two days.  I just couldn't put it down.  Her writing is easy to read, not to mention hilarious, and you just want to keep reading.  It made me smile so much and I was honestly laughing out loud and reading excerpts to whoever was in the room with me.  Her stories are so ridiculous and you start to think, "How can all of this stuff happen to one person?" or "If this happened to me, my re-telling of the story wouldn't be quite so funny" or "I have led a boring life compared to hers."  (Well, ok, I haven't led a boring life, just a different life.)

Hamlet von Schnitzel doing a little fishing.
He caught a fish.
It was bigger than he is. 

I almost feel as if I read the book too fast and that I need to re-read it.  Although I think it would be better to get the audiobook for a second-round of the stories because I feel it would be SO AWESOME to hear her expressions as she tells the stories in the book. 

I honestly hope she's not kidding when she says, throughout the book, "That story will be in the second book," because I really do want to read a second book by Jenny Lawson.  But for now, her updates on her blog will have to do...

And now, in the name of being ridiculous (which Jenny Lawson is a fan of), I have taken some pictures of Hamlet von Schnitzel visiting my place in Northern Ontario. 

Hamlet von Schnitzel enjoyed the sunshine at the lake. 
He may have gotten a sunburn, hence the pink-ish colour.
Either that, or my printer was low on ink.

For my Ontario friends, specifically those in the Toronto area, Jenny Lawson (aka The Bloggess) will be at Indigo Manulife Centre (55 Bloor Street West... The Indigo at Bay/Bloor) on Tuesday, August 7th, 2012 at 7 pm.  Please go.  She is hilarious.  I wish I could go.  (I, however, already have tickets to the Roger's Cup... I'll have to catch her on her book tour for book number two!)

Fifty Shades Darker (E.L. James)

Despite the fact that I didn't think I would make it through this book until at least next week when my course was done, I was glued to the pages and motored through it... On nights when I should have been sleeping, I stayed away for an extra hour or two, knowing that I would be tired for my early class... I just needed to know what was going to happen next.

"Fifty Shades Darker" is the second book in the Fifty Shades trilogy by E.L. James and it most definitely did not disappoint.  The story continues right where book one left off.  Without giving anything away, I will just say that this book continues with so much more information about the two individuals involved, Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey.  You really start to understand why each of them is the way they are.  I enjoyed the second book more than the first one.

Based on the two books I have read so far, I am very much looking forward to the final book!  With the end of my summer course only one day away, I will enjoy spending the beginning of my "real" summer holiday on the deck, with a beautiful view, reading "Fifty Shades Freed."

The Girl Who Played With Fire (Stieg Larsson)

This post won't be a long one because I cannot wait to start the next (and final) book in the Millenium trilogy. 

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson definitely met my reading needs this month!  While the book is a giant one, with 724 pages, it was so worth it.  Lisbeth Salander, who is the girl with the dragon tattoo, is wanted by the police for the murder of three people.  Her fingerprints were found on the murder weapon.  These three murder victims are all linked together by a book and article that were to be written about sex trafficking.  Mikael Blomkvist, who is the other big star in "The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo" books, knows Salander and doesn't believe that she's guilty of these crimes.  He uses the resources and staff available to him to help out Salander, even though she can't be found.  Anywhere. 

I remember when I was a couple hundred pages into the book, saying, "I don't understand why there are so many little stories here.  There is so much going on and I just don't get how it's all linked together.  I feel like they've talked about so much but that it doesn't really mean anything."  I was reassured that it would all come together soon and that the excitement would start.  And did it ever.  (I will admit that at times, I felt that the book was a bit wordy, but I think it just gives you a good description of everything that is going on.)

All of these little stories from journalists, police officers, Salander and Blomkvist come together wonderfully and you just keep saying, "Oh my goodness..." as you start to realize how things are playing out and how different parts of the story are fitting together. 

The ending of the book leaves you wanting more.  Hence the need to start the third book.  Tonight. 

You definitely need to have read the first book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, in order to fully understand this book.  The relationships built between characters in the first book are really important to some of the events that occur in this one. 

On to book number three!

The Book of Awesome (Neil Pasricha)

Let's start this post with something that is NOT SO AWESOME: Being sick.  Which is exactly what I am today.  I decided to brighten up my day today by finishing off "The Book of AWESOME." 
"The Book of AWESOME" by Neil Pasricha has been my bathroom book for the past month or so.  (Embarrassing, right?  The reality of my life with Crohn's, since I do spend a little more time than the average person in the washroom!)  This book has been perfect because what better way is there to start a day than reading about things that are AWESOME.  (The answer is: There is no better way to start the day.)

Seriously, it was in the bathroom!

Reading through  "The Book of AWESOME," I was reminded of so many things that are AWESOME, like nailing a parallel parking attempt on the first try, getting gas just before the price goes up, finding your keys after looking forever, and returning to your warm and comfy bed after getting up to pee in the middle of the night.  (They're all from the book, FYI.)  

At one point, I felt like I should document all of these AWESOME things in a scrapbook since they honestly are all AWESOME and I've personally experienced most of them.  We just forget to think about them.  A few weeks ago I was sending an email to a few friends I went to university with.  I had had a pretty quiet week, so I thought instead that I would tell them another piece of information: the fact that I was able to successfully peel an orange in one piece.   It made all of them smile.  (AWESOME, right?  A couple days before, I had read this one in The Book of AWESOME.)

There's just something about flipping through a book like this one that makes your day seem a little bit better.
A month ago I was in the hospital waiting room, waiting to go for yet another colonoscopy for my Crohn's Disease and I decided that I would bring "The Book of AWESOME" with me.  At a time when I was not in the happiest of moods, it was great to be reminded that my colon is actually pretty AWESOME, despite what I was going through at the time!

So, while I haven't spent an hour of my "sick day" today watching The Price is Right (it's in the book), I have spent it finishing this book and thinking about things that have made my day a little bit more
AWESOME.
 
Thank you, Neil Pasricha, for reminding me of the simple things in life and making me smile.  
Your book is AWESOME.

Check out the video of Neil Pasricha at TEDxToronto.

The Lucky One (Nicholas Sparks)

I loved this book.  I know some people are not into Nicholas Sparks and his style of writing, but I couldn't put this book down. 

"The Lucky One" is basically the love story between Logan and Beth.  Logan was a marine and while he was in Kuwait, he found a picture of this beautiful girl, which from that point on, his friend Victor claims is his "good luck charm."  Logan survives many dangerous moments, which they both believe is because of the photo.  In an attempt to "balance" everything, Logan goes in search of this beautiful woman when he is back home in the United States.  He finds Beth and starts working for her family.  He decides it's better to not tell Beth about the photo he finds.  As he becomes closer to the family (and to Beth), both of their pasts start to come forward.  Add to this the fact that Beth's ex-husband, Keith, is a police officer in the town (and kind of a bully) and it makes a really interesting story!

Each chapter focuses on the thoughts of a different character.  It was nice to see what was going on in everyone's heads and I found that it all fit together really nicely.  Nicholas Sparks does a great job developing the characters and reveals specific pieces of information at really good times throughout the book. 

Like I said, I couldn't put the book down once I started it.  It was an easy read and it really kept me interested throughout.  (I came home after the 9:15 p.m. Hunger Games movie and read this book until the wee hours of the morning!)  There was just something about the relationships between Logan and Beth, and Logan and Ben, and Keith and Beth, that kept me intrigued.

My book had the steamy picture of Zac Efron and Taylor Schilling, who are the stars of the upcoming movie.  (I love Zac Efron from way back in his "High School Musical" days... Don't judge!)  After watching the preview again, I notice that there already seem to be a few things that are different from the book.  (But I'm sure it will still be good!)

The Lucky One hits the big screen on April 20th.  I hope I enjoy the movie as much as I enjoyed the book!

The Night Circus (Erin Morgenstern)

I'd heard about The Night Circus from a few different sources.  It made numerous "Top 2011 Picks" lists last year and I also really take to heart recommendations from friends.

It took me way longer to read The Night Circus than it should have.  I found when I picked it up and started reading, I couldn't put it down... Yet for some reason, I had put it on hold for a bit there. 

Here is my list of excuses:

• I have been supply teaching more than I was in January, so that has left me with fewer days to lounge around and read.
• I've been preparing for my 'future.'
•  I may have watched all of Season 4 of "Chuck" and Season 2 of "Modern Family".  (Ok, I definitely did.)
• "The Bachelor" has recently started back up again, so that takes up 2 hours of my week, every week.
• Other shows have now picked up again after a short Christmas break - such as Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Glee, The Biggest Loser, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, and I could go on...

Basically, there has been more TV watching in my free time recently than there has been reading.  This all changed when I went, "Wait!  I borrowed The Night Circus from the library and it's due in 2 days?! Gotta get on it!" 

I really enjoyed The Night Circus by Erin Morgernstern.  The circus arrives in any given town on any given day.  This circus runs only at night and is black-and-white themed.  This isn't just any circus.  Here, two magicians (Marco and Celia) are in a dual and neither one of them is aware that there is to be only one winner (survivor) at the end of it.  When they fall in love (and find out the reality of their situation), they must play out the dual. 

When I first read what the book was about, I immediately thought, "Like The Hunger Games?  It's a fight to the death?"  However, this book is very much not like that, so if that's what you're expecting you won't see it.

Morgenstern uses such good descriptions that you can imagine being there and being part of the experiences.  It was wordy, but not in an annoying way, because you really get kind of mesmerized in the words (and their magic).

The book moves between different times and places, so my suggestion to those who are going to pick up this book (which I would highly recommend) is to make special note of the date and place of each chapter.  You start to make some great connections between characters as you're reading the book. 

I loved it and I would recommend it to anyone (again, if you're down with the whole magic thing, because I know that this isn't everyone's style).  It's a love story mixed with the magic of an entirely different world than we're used to. 

Seriously... I'm Kidding (Ellen Degeneres)

I've been waiting for a while to read this book.  I kind of knew that I was getting "Seriously... I'm Kidding" as either a Christmas or Birthday gift (shh...) so I had to hold off on reading it.  I was super excited when I finally received it for my Birthday and it made it on top of the pile of books that are on my "to-read" list!

I LOVED this book.  Loved it.  I thought Tina Fey's book was funny, but I thought Ellen's book was funnier.  This could be because I am a huge Ellen fan (and didn't know much about Tina Fey when I read her book), but regardless, this book was Hilarious with a capital H. 

I was laughing out loud even as I read the flaps in the book and the back.  And then I was laughing out loud when I was reading her message to readers and her acknowledgements at the beginning of the book.  And so on... The laughing continued.

It's such a random book, with chapters about anything and everything.  A chapter about Meditation?  Yep.  A chapter about Stretching?  Yep.  A chapter about Pros and Cons?  Yep.  She includes something for all ages!  Colouring pages for children, a chapter for the older audience and a chapter for the teens.  It's all there! 

It's like a standup routine, but you're reading it instead of listening to her say it.

One part I thought was particularly funny was a chapter where she suddenly says that she bets you're thinking about how you're thirsty for tequila.  She writes, "So that reader is going to take to their Twitter account and tweet, 'Reading Ellen's hilarious new book.  Thirsty for tequila.'  And if that makes people want to buy the book, I think that's great." (Seriously... I'm Kidding, Ellen Degeneres, p. 139)  Well, I decided to sign onto Twitter and search for this phrase.  Yep, it was there.  In fact, at the exact moment that I made it my most recent tweet, 10 other people also tweeted the exact same sentence.  Awesome.

I suggest you go out and buy this book.  Read it as fast as you can (because I know once you start it, you won't want to put it down).  Then make everyone you know read it by talking about how funny and great it was.  Then once everyone has read it, keep it as a coffee table book or a bathroom reader.  Because it's that funny that you will want to reread sections of it over and over again.  Seriously... It's funny.