Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

Reading Level: Adult Contemporary
# of Pages: 335 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: December 1st 2009 by Grand Central Publishing (first published October 30th 2006)

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 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.

This book is yet another great one from Sparks. His books are easy reads for me, so I love picking them up and being able to finish them within a day! John and Savannah have a summer romance that we all have either experienced, dreamed about, or some may even still dream about it! Dealing with a dad whom he thinks is absent by choice and a life in which he has never felt a true sense of belonging has cause John to become hardened on the outside... or so it seems. Savannah changes all of that and shows him what true love his and what sacrifice is all about. John is not used to having people around who care about him in outward ways, so when Savannah comes along and literally shakes him to the core, he has to look deep inside to see who he really is and what he wants out of life. I loved the dynamics between these characters because they are such opposites and yet they are completely entwined with each other in a matter of weeks. Great, easy read that leaves you feeling a multitude of emotions but satisfied none the less.

I wanted to read the book before I went to see the movie because that is just how I am. The movie was good... as a movie. There were some major differences that, to me, should not have been tampered with. I love the actors and they did an amazing job with the movie and I definitely wouldn't mind seeing it again! Here is the trailer for Dear John:

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Reading Level: Adult Contemporary

# of Pages: 480 (Mass Market Paperback)

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1 Mti edition (February 23, 2010)

Seventeen-year-old Veronica 'Ronnie' Miller's life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, especially her father ...until her mother decides it would be in everyone's best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie's father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church. The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story about love in its myriad forms - first love, the love between parents and children - that demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that deeply felt relationships can break our hearts ...and heal them.

I have always enjoyed Sparks’ books but we all know that we can only read his books at certain times (at least for me) because we CRY! I have heard about this one because I don’t live too terribly far from where it is filmed (my great pal Kathryn lives super close!!) and it was taunting me at Target last week. I bought it on Thursday, picked it up on Friday night to start reading it, went to bed reading it, picked it back up on Saturday and finished it!

This is probably my favorite out of all of his books. I have read almost all of them and so far, this one takes the cake. Ronnie is such a relatable character to me on many levels and the whole first love/coming of age story is something that we have all experienced. I fell in love with the characters, cried when they cried (of course), got mad when they did stupid things, and was rooting for Ronnie the entire time. Throughout the novel, you see Ronnie’s complete transformation and realization as to who she is as defined by herself and not by those she surrounds herself with. So often we tend to adapt to those around us and do our best to fit it at any cost (emotionally, physically, etc.) and for the past few years that is what Ronnie has done. It is not until she is forced to come see her dad that she finds out who she is and what is truly important in life.

This is Sparks’ longest novel and he couldn’t have done any better with it in my opinion. I highly recommend it to teens and adults alike and will definitely be going to see the movie at the end of March.

Miley Cyrus, Kelly Preston, Liam Hemsworth, and Greg Kinnear star in The Last Song due out March 31, 2010. Check out the trailer below and visit Nicholas Sparks here for more information and fun facts about his books!

In My Mailbox (15)

Thanks as always to Kristi at The Story Siren for putting this lovely ditty up! My apologies for not having one last week, so this one will be LARGE!!

For Review:

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games
with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

How to Steal A Car by Pete Hautman
Some girls act out by drinking or doing drugs. Some girls act out by sleeping with guys. Some girls act out by starving themselves or cutting themselves. Some girls act out by being a bitch to other girls.

Not Kelleigh. Kelleigh steals cars.

In How to Steal a Car, National Book Award winner Pete Hautman takes teen readers on a thrilling, scary ride through one suburban girl's turbulent life - one car theft at a time.

How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standford
New to town, Beatrice is expecting her new best friend to be one of the girls she meets on the first day. But instead, the alphabet conspires to seat her next to Jonah, aka Ghost Boy, a quiet loner who hasn't made a new friend since third grade. Something about him, though, gets to Bea, and soon they form an unexpected friendship. It's not romance, exactly - but it's definitely love. Still, Bea can't quite dispel Jonah's gloom and doom - and as she finds out his family history, she understands why. Can Bea help Jonah? Or is he destined to vanish?

Good Neighbors Book Two: Kith by Holly Black
Rue Silver's life is not what it appears to be. Her mother is a faerie, and has been taken back to the faerie realm. As Rue goes to bring her back, she must travel deep into an inhuman world. At the same time, the faerie realm is venturing into our world too, and taking its toll on those Rue loves. When her grandfather's plans threaten Rue's city, she realizes that she's the only one who can stop him. But is Rue a human or a faerie? Where does she fit? How does she know the difference between love and enchantment?

Borrowed:

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
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 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.

Bought:

Can I Have and Do it All Please? by Christine Caine
More than ever before, women are navigating through increasing amounts of responsibility, activity, scheduling and multi-tasking...and we need some answers about how to have and do it all in life!

For years, we as women have been told we can have it all, be it all and do it all. Inevitably, we too have aggressively set out on a pursuit to achieve this utopian "all." We roll up our sleeves in true "Rosie the Riveter" style (to reveal our femininely chiseled arms of course) and belt out the lyrics to "I Am Woman Hear Me Roar" in our best Helen Reddy voice.

We get up one hour earlier to exercise, another hour earlier to get the kids ready and packed for school and yet another hour before that to pray. We are consummate organizers, jugglers and problem solvers as we manage husbands, children, church commitments, friendships, finances, groceries, mealtimes, child taxi service, quiet time with God and whatever else is on the agenda.

Then, we go to bed one hour later to ensure the house is tidy, or another hour later to read a chapter of the latest best seller and another hour later to have time with our husband. It almost gets to the point where we should forego sleep altogether because the moment our head touches the pillow, it's time to rise and shine.

Sound familiar? Well, this book is for every woman looking for answers on how to truly have (and do) it all!

Stop Acting Like A Christian and Be One by Christine Caine
Many of us make great efforts to ACT like a "Christian," but how many of us actually realize what it means to BE one? Too many times we see faith as an external behavior modification program. If we just stop [fill in the blank], then we ll be good Christians. Instead, we need to see faith and our witness to those around us stemming from an internal heart transformation, living from the inside out and not the outside in. In Stop Acting Like a Christian, Just Be One, Christine Caine shows how allowing God to change us from the core of our being gives us freedom to stop trying to ACT like a Christian and to just actively BE a Christian. Learn how allowing the Holy Spirit to do His work in us gives us the power to BE witnesses, not to do witnessing. This empowering book will make readers laugh and challenge them about what truly Being a Christian is all about.

Christine is from the amazing church Hillsong Church in Australia and my church (Newspring) is lucky enough to have her for not one, but two weeks speaking and rocking our worlds! Today's message was amazing and challenging and just what I needed. Check back later this week and I will link her message!

Follow Christine on Twitter here and visit her at Equip & Empower Ministries here.

Non-Book Related:
Oh yes... I am now the proud owner of these lovlies and they are worth every DANG penny!!
Lady Gaga Heartbeats by Monster... simply amazing!

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