Will Get Back Into It

Reasons Why This Blog Has Been Neglected:

1. I started teacher's college in September, and have been crazy-busy!

2. See reason "1".

I have still been reading like a fiend, and will return with proper, regular updates when I have a moment to breath...

The Wonder Worrier (and Wonder Reader!),
Stephanie

Dear John

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Publication Year: 2006

Synopsis: (courtesy of Nicholas Sparks online)

An angry rebel, John dropped out of school and enlisted in the Army, not knowing what else to do with his life--until he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Their mutual attraction quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting for John to finish his tour of duty, and John wanting to settle down with the woman who has captured his heart. But 9/11 changes everything. John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else. "Dear John," the letter read...and with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives were changed forever. Returning home, John must come to grips with the fact that Savannah, now married, is still his true love—and face the hardest decision of his life.

Thoughts:

Very soon after writing my previous post about my love for all books by Nicholas Sparks, a co-worker loaned me this novel. I nearly read the entire thing in one evening. Having already recently gushed about Nicholas Sparks in general, I will just say -- READ THIS BOOK. The calibre of this love story, and the way it draws you in, is very reminiscent of The Notebook. I was engrossed by the characters and the story, and even found myself crying throughout the ending of the book.

Dear John is available for purchase online here:

Amazon (Can.)

Amazon (U.S.)

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Note from The Wonder Worrier: I apologize for my previous lack of updates on this blog; I am trying to update more steadily now. I have read a good batch of novels recently, so I'm updating frequently this week with novels that I didn't get a chance to update as soon as I finished reading them. The end of my office job and beginning of teacher's college had me distracted for the past couple of weeks. Keep checking in, and happy reading!!!

The Importance of Being Married

Author: Gemma Townley

Publication Year: 2008

Synopsis: Jessica Wild always had a sensible head on her shoulders. Raised by her no-nonsense grandmother, Jessica didn't have time for relationships and frivolity. However, after creating a less-than-thruthful story of her romantic life for an elderly friend, she finds herself in a mess of a situation after finding out she was left a massive inheritence by said elderly friend -- made out to a Mrs. Jessica Milton. Hilarity ensues as Jessica tries to figure out how to collect the inheritence -- by trying to marry the CEO of her company in 50 days.

Thoughts: I really enjoy Gemma Townley novels. In real life, she is sisters with my favourite Chick-Lit author, Sophie Kinsella. Her books are of a very similar calibre to her sister's writings. This is Gemma Townley's most recent book, and I gobbled it up in two days. I was pleasantly surprised to read on the back cover that this is the FIRST in a "Jessica Wild Trilogy"; so I'm eagerly anticipating the next two books in this series. For Sophie Kinsella fans, I see the Jessica Wild character as Gemma Townley's "Becky Bloomwood". A must-read for Chick-Lit lovers!

You Can Find The Importance of Being Married online here:

Amazon (Can.)

Amazon (USA)

The Guardian

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Publication Year: 2003

Synopsis:

Young widow Julie Barenson was left a special gift when her husband passed away, a Great Dane puppy with a special note that said he'd always watch out for her. A few years after his death, Julie begins dating again. She finds herself choosing between suave, rich and handsome Richard Franklin and her husband's best friend and nice guy, Mike Harris. As Julie chooses to accept the love of another man into her life once again, she's thrown into a nightmare ordeal caused by a jealous rage that finds her, and the people she cares about, fighting for their lives and sanity.

Thoughts:

I've read quite a few Nicholas Sparks novels. For those of you who don't feel familar with his written work, have you seen The Notebook? A Walk to Remember? Message In A Bottle? All three of those movies were based on Nicholas Sparks books (three books I've read). Something I like about Nicholas Sparks is that he is in the romance genre, however he's different than what I classify as "chick-lit". I like to alternate between my usual funny, light chick-lit reads and a Nicholas Sparks story. Perhaps it's because his books often involve more mature characters, and not as quirky comedic plotlines as the other books I tend to read. Another positive side to Nicholas Sparks: even though he's written quite a few novels already, so far his writing has never been "cookie-cutter" as some other author's have been after they start coming out with a whole slew of novels (Danielle Steele for example, pure cookie-cutter storylines that are obviously written just to release more and more novels). Each Nicholas Sparks story, all taking place in some part of North Carolina, have a unique storyline and characters you can easily fall in love with.

After all this gushing about Nicholas Sparks in general, you can obviously tell by now that I enjoyed The Guardian. It was greatly different than his other books, in that it included an element from the thriller genre that adds a little more "spark" (no pun intended!) to this romantic tale. The romantic relationship in this story, while still important, is not a fairy tale romance like his other work and almost sits on the backburner for a good part of the storyline. I think that this is a novel that can be enjoyed by a wider range of female readers because of that extra element -- it's not just for the hopeless romantics like me!

I will admit, I found the beginning of the book a little slow. But in the end it was an enjoyable read, so I do say stick with it and you won't be disappointed!

The Guardian is available to purchase through Amazon here:

Amazon (Can)

Amazon (US)

If you've enjoyed Nicholas Sparks in the past as I have, make sure to check out some of his other titles! The following are Nicholas Sparks I've read so far:

• The Notebook (classic, wonderful, I can read this one in a two-hour sitting!).
  
• The Wedding (sequel to The Notebook in that its the son-in-law of Noah & Allie as the main character! Sweet, short romantic tale with a twist ending!).
  
• A Walk To Remember (similar length to The Notebook, and similar type of story. The movie was dramatically different from the book, and I highly recommend you read this book!).
  
• A Bend in the Road (one of my favourite Nicholas Sparks' stories so far! Connected very well to the characters, excellent story line).
  
• True Believer (another more current read for me, and I really enjoyed it. Found the characters easy to get attached to, liked the story line a lot).
  
• Nights in Rodanthe (this is coming out as a feature film this September; it wasn't my favourite of his stories but that's because I read it as a teenager and its about a middle-age couple so I just didn't connect too well to the characters)
  
• Message In A Bottle (I read this one quite awhile ago; I remember liking the story, but I wasn't a huge fan of the ending. I never saw the film version of this book).
  

Brady Brady

Ever heard of Brady Brady? The kid so wrapped up in hockey that his family has to call his name twice to get his attention?

This is one of my most favourite kids' series. My youngest brother (Scottie Scottie; he's as hockey obsessed as Brady!) owns 7 of the 11 hockey-themed stories written by Mary Shaw and Illustrated by Chuck Temple.

These stories are bright and colourful, and are fun to read. Kids love them from my experience (I read them to a kindergarten class I was working with last year, and to a foster child I was recently providing support services for)! If you read the stories in order you are introduced to some of the main characters, and the storylines do sometimes build upon what was read in the earlier books.

Now that I see there four more books that my little brother doesn't own, I'll be on the hunt to complete his collection - even though he's getting a tad old for children's books, it's a nice collection to have. I've also noticed on the website that there's a baseball themed Brady Brady and a football themed one; so perhaps this is a new direction the author is going in. These books are great for little boys (the recommended ages are grades 1 -3, but children younger than 6 can enjoy them too), who love sports and as an added bonus for parents or educators: they have a positive message in them too!

You just can't go wrong with Brady Brady!

Where can they be found online?

Brady Brady Official Website

Amazon (Can.)

Amazon (U.S)

P.S. As is now a little more clear, this blog isn't just for novels; I'm going to review kids' books, non-fiction, anything I read and think I should share!

Agent Provocateur

Author: Faith Bleasdale

Publication Year: 2004

Synopsis:

Betty writes for Modern Woman magazine. Grace works for a detective agency that specializes in infidelity through "honey trapping"-- that is, tempting men whose wives hire her because they believe their husbands are unfaithful. When Betty's boss (Fiona) sends her on an assignment to profile Grace's unusual job the women clash. They seem to clash because they are incredibly similar -- that is, incredibly insecure, and bitchy.

Grace and Betty end up entering into a completely pointless bet that neither wants to do. They bet that Grace cannot trap Betty's perfect husband, Johnny. Betty's boss (Fiona) puts her up to it (after already enticing Grace to take part). Then Fiona regrets the bet. Then Fiona "has her reasons" for the bet. Then Fiona regrets the bet again. And at the same time Grace and Betty regret the bet. But they also feel they have to fight to win the bet. Then they regret it again... and.. CONFUSED ARE YOU? Me too.

Thoughts:

This book was pointless. Do not waste your time and money.

Okay, I'll elaborate...

I'd never read Faith Bleasdale before, but when I was perusing the reduced fiction at Chapters (my favourite way to buy books - I get them cheaper than at the used bookstore!), I thought I'd give her a shot. The cover of the book and the synopsis on the back sounded alright, so why not?

I'll now tell you why not.

Horrible, horrible, utter crap writing style.

Even Dawson's Creek had less pointless "character feelings" exposition than this book. Every time a character spoke, the author wrote out their feelings and oh-so-important inner-thoughts. Often repeating things A BILLION TIMES. I get it, Nicole is very maternal. Nicole has maternal feelings towards Grace. Nicole is weirdly maternal. GOT IT, Faith. GOT IT.

The characters came across as the following:

a) Drunks

b) Idiots

c) Stupidheads

On the back cover of the book Cosmopolitan reviews it as, "A sharp, funny read that will make you fight for the cause of love".

You know what, Cosmo? Stick to what you know. What's he REALLY thinking about your moves in the bedroom? is not enough to qualify you for reviewing pieces of literature. Otherwise you might recognize that this book is CRAP.

Sadly I bought two Faith Bleasdale books at Chapters that day (from now on I'm going back to my old routine; start with ONE book by a new author and if I love it then read everything they ever wrote). I'll probably give the other book I bought a chance, but first I need to get back to some skilled writers before my brain melts out of my ears from lack of quality stimulation.

I'm not even going to give you links for where you can buy this book. If you're willing to waste your time reading this book, you can waste even more time by first finding it on Amazon all by yourself. So there.

Love The One You're With

Author: Emily Giffin

Publication Year: 2008

Synopsis:

Ellen Dempsey is a photographer in New York City. She's happily newly-wed to Andy, yet an unexpected run-in with her first-love (Leo) years after their intense relationship came to an end makes her question her past and the choices she's making in her present. Ellen finds herself at a crossroads as she must choose between her stable life with her husband - or finally finding closure between her and Leo.


Thoughts:

This is Emily Giffin's fourth novel. I've read all four, in order, and each one is as good as the last. Giffin writes in the first-person narrative, meaning that the main character narrates the story. Giffin artfully weaves her character's pasts and presents together, creating an emotional connection between the main character and the reader. I highly recommend this to all chick-lit lovers, but also to any woman looking for a page-turner.

I mentioned the first three Emily Giffin Novels here on my other blog. Briefly they are:

Something Borrowed
Something Blue
Baby Proof

I highly recommend that her books are read in order. The first two stories are a series, and while Baby Proof and Love The One You're With each have new main characters all four stories take place in New York City and as a little treat to faithful readers Emily Giffin's New York City is an interwoven place in which some characters from her other books are very briefly mentioned in the other novels.

Emily Giffin is a favourite author of mine, and definitely worth checking out!

Love The One You're With is available for purchase through Amazon here:

Amazon (Canada)
Amazon (U.S.)