The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks

rating: 5 of 5 stars


I don't know if it is because my anniversary is tomorrow and I am feeling nostalgic or if it was this book but I am an emotional mess right now....

The Wedding is a love story following Sparks earlier book The Notebook. The story is told through Noah and Allie's son-in-law, Wilson and is about his relationship with his wife over the past 30 years.

I enjoyed reading this from Wilsons perspective and seeing that he noticed he made mistakes in his relationship. It took him 30 years to correct them and start a new beginning with his wife. I also enjoyed the stories of Noah and Allie that were captured in the book. I loved The Notebook and it was nice to see the story come alive again.

Although the book was very predictable I felt it was more enjoyable this way rooting for Wilson and hoping that he could patch up his marriage and have Jane fall in love with him all over again. A wonderful love story.

Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult

rating: 4 of 5 stars


I loved this book but could admit it's not a book for everybody. This book involves lots of different religious doctrine including the Gnostic Gospels and many points of views on religion all together (A Catholic priest who is questioning his faith, a Rabbi, an Agnostic, an Atheist, a Televangelist and not to mention the possible next Messiah....who also happens to be an inmate on death row.) I felt she did an amazing job with the characters and their views on religion but I personally don't follow an organized religion so i was able to look at it with an open mind and enjoy the very well researched history of the various doctrines. I can see how some could get upset because Jodi Picoult does tread on a pretty thin line with it but I believe she did it tactfully and with grace. As for me, thanks to this book I am going to pick up the 'Gnostic Gospels of Thomas (and maybe even Mary Magdalene) and read more about them.

On another note, I don't feel we learned a lot about the victims family and feel it lacked a lot on the actual plot. The book is advertised to be about a mothers loss and a mans need for justice but the plot continually gets lost in the big religious debate and then lacks on the other details.

Although it was very predictable and more of a religious history lesson then a book about capital punishment and loss; I enjoyed it thoroughly and had a hard time putting it down. (Not to mention it left me in tears at the end.) All-in-all a great quick read. =)

The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow! It's been a long time since I read a book in a day but this book is smooth reading and before I knew it I was finished!

This is the story of Jack and Laurel who died in each others arms one Wednesday night. Their three children come together for the first time in 2 years and they discover letters that their father has written their mother -- every Wednesday since their wedding day.

I thought the story would be told mostly through the letters but it wasn't -- it was more than that. The children had flashbacks of their childhood, they shared stories with friends and neighbors, they grieved, they laughed and they discovered secrets about their family and the power of forgiveness and faith.

Although I didn't really like the twist at the ending (sorry don't want to give the book away) the book was very heartwarming with a wonderful message.

I know the book caught a lot of criticism because the views throughout the book are very Christian-Conservative and the book preaches the same messages over and over again; but put that aside and pick it up anyway. You won't be disappointed.

On a side note, I just wanted to add that the author is not by any means a good writer. His writing reads like a teeny-bop book with poor writing skills and too much "detail" but the story is still worth the read.

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There's not much you can share in a review about this book without giving away the story. This is a heart-aching story about a controversial topic and the struggle one family goes through.

Throughout the book you can feel the emotions of everyone involved in the story whether you liked the character or not -- they came to life and made you look at the situation as if you were walking in their shoes. Picoult did an amazing job at showing you the situation from every angle and wrote every character very well.

The ending was a huge shocker for me. But I could understand where Picoult was coming from when she wrote it. This was sadly the only way to end this story to give us all a good lesson. Sometimes we live in the "What Ifs" and days, months and years fly by us without us even realizing it. We tend to find ourselves living more on rainy days and waiting for sunshine instead of jumping in the puddles and enjoying the little things. That is what the ending was trying to show us...it's not until we lose what's really important in life that we change our ways and realize what blessings we truly have.