The Kari AnnAlysis

Posts Tagged ‘Books’

Logan is a lucky man, or so his fellow soldiers believe. And he gives credit to surviving three tours in Iraq to a picture. He found the picture during a morning run. It was of a beautiful woman. He tried to find the owner, a picture like that must belong to someone. When no one claims it, he takes it with him and is soon dubbed “The Lucky One” and the one who others want to stay close to for survival.

When Logan returns, he doesn’t think much of the photo until a fateful day when his best friend is killed in an accident that should have also killed him. That’s when he makes up his mind… he must find the woman in the photo.

His journey leads him across the country, on foot, with his dog to a small South Carolina town where he finds Beth, the woman in the photo. He begins working at the family’s dog training/grooming business and tries to tell Beth why he came, but never gets it out.

He becomes close to Beth, her grandmother and her son, but his secret taunts him and eventually comes to light starting a war that may be bigger than the ones he fought as a soldier.

I have been a Sparks fan for a while, dating back to The Notebook days, which made its way across Europ with me. I remember riding on our chartered bus, always wearing my sunglasses to hide my tears. Since then, I’ve read a few Nicholas Sparks books, but never keep up with new releases. I saw the preview for The Lucky One when I went to watch the Hunger Games and knew I had to read the book quickly to catch the film release. I would love to see how book sales went up when the previews for this movie started. The book has been out since 2008, and I’m sure it did well with the Sparks faithfuls when it was released, but I guarantee the numbers skyrocketed with the ads.

Once I started the book, not meeting the release date wasn’t something I had to worry about. I started it one weekend and had it done before the weekend ended. I couldn’t put it down! I had to know what happened with Logan and Beth. It also helped that everytime I saw Logan’s name in the book, I thought of Zac Efron *Swoon*.

I never thought I was a girl to love love stories and I don’t choose them off the shelves very often, but every now and then, a good love story is just what I need and Nicholas Sparks can always do the trick. How he writes such an amazing love story, I’ll never know.

I have seen some reviews about this book being “predictable” and that kind of shocks me. 1. You kind of know what you are getting into when you pick up a love story. Don’t you want the predictable to happen and the couple to fall madly in love? If that’s not what you are looking for, then you are not going to pick up a love story. 2. While the first 300 or so pages are a smidge predictable because you’ve read the back cover and have seen the preview to the movie, the last dozen pages are anything but predictable and you have to read until the very end to find out how everything turns out. I always hate seeing the word “predictable” with a negative tone. If you don’t want predictable, go for a genre that you aren’t used to and try something new.

So I loved the book. I loved the story line and thought it was very creative. I loved the characters, for the most part, and felt like I could connect with them in some way, shape or form. I really liked Logan in the book (even if I wouldn’t have imagined him as Zac Efron, I would have liked him). Sparks did a great job building his story out and going from the present to the past. I thought all of the characters did well at playing their roles in the book and worked well together, even the jerk that Beth’s ex was.

I give the book 5 bookmarks and think that I need to kee

The movie however really surprised me! I also really liked it, but it was only loosely based on the book. I thought both of them stood well alone, but you have to remember when going into a theater that the book and the movie, no matter what they are, will not be word for word or scene for scene. There are things you have to jazz up for the big screen and things you have to cut out to save on time. In the movie version of The Lucky One things were definitely different, but it worked. Logan does find a picture, does go to meet Beth, and the characters are the same, but that’s about it. There are lots of scenes that were left out and lots of others that were added in. I give the movie a 4 out of 5 rating, just because I liked the book better. but seeing Zac Efron for two hours wasn’t bad either

Did you read the book or see the movie? If so, what did you think when comparing/contrasting them? Which one did you like better?

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Released: September 30, 2008
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Hey guys! Happy Friday! To wrap up the work week, I am happy to welcome Shannon Greenland to the blog. I recently read, loved and reviews Shannon’s new book The Summer My Life Began which is the great kickoff to summer book! If you haven’t read my review, scroll down to the previous post and take a gander. We will wait to get started until you come back.

Welcome back! Let’s see what Shannon has to say today.

KA: The setting of this book is dream worthy, from the beach to the B&B. I’ve always been fascinated with B&Bs. Was the one in this book based on one you’ve been to, or did this come straight from your imagination? I want to go there
SG: Yes, the Pepper House is loosely based on a B&B I stayed at in Bermuda. Full of inspiration.

KA: When did you know you wanted to write?
SG: I was a late bloomer and actually dreaded reading/writing in school. This is my 12th year writing and I’m still amazed to be doing it.

KA: I am kind of a creature of habit and a bit of a scaredy cat. I don’t know if I would have been able to make the decisions that Em makes in this book, especially at such a young age. What is the biggest life altering decision you have made?
SG: Becoming a writer. I hadn’t been trained to do it, had no formal education, and had barely read any books other than text books. It was a huge leap for me.

KA: What is the next book on your plate?
SG: I’m writing one right now that takes place in Florida. It’s a YA romantic suspense.

KA: If your book was picked up to be a movie, which actors/actresses would you choose to play your characters?
SG: Hm, for Cade I’d say the teen version of Scott Speedman. For Em, I’ll go with Camilla Belle.

KA: What are you currently reading?
SG: Simone Elkeles’ Fuentes trilogy.

To check out the blog tour for The Summer My Life Began, click here.

To learn more about Shannon and her books, click here.

Em has had her life planned out for as long as she can remember. As she graduates high school, her summer will be spent working in a law office before heading to the Ivy League school of her choice. Her life has always been lived by the book. The only thing she has ever done out of line was sneak into the kitchen with the family’s cook. She would never tell a soul other than her sister, but cooking is her passion and she is really good at it.

But then Em gets a letter from her aunt, inviting her to spend the summer on the beach. Em didn’t even know she had an aunt and her mom and grandmother are very stern and secretive when asked. Em decides for once in her life that she is going to do what she wants rather than what is expected and will have the summer of her life learning more in a month than she has in 18 years.

Along the way she meets a cute boy, finally gets to cook as she pleases and learns a deep dark family secret that will change her life forever.

Shannon Greenland has written an awesome kickoff to summer book! It’s fun and summery and there’s love and secrets and a B&B! Who doesn’t love a B&B? That’s actually one of the things that I am so in love with about this book. Since watching Gilmore Girls for years, I fell in love with bed and breakfasts. They are so charming and unique. I’ve never stayed in one, but it’s on my list of things to do. Excited list, huh?

From the beginning of this book, I was one with Em. She grew up in a good family, worked hard and as a teenager was preparing for her future. My parents weren’t nearly as strict as Em’s and with help a little guidance, they let me make all of my big decisions from school to career and job. But I understand where Em is coming from. She has a name to live up to and wants to succeed. Failure is not an option in her family. There are very high expectations and she will meet them, because that’s who she is. She will go into law because that is what is expected of her, although her passion is cooking. Growing up, other than sports, I never really had a passion that I had to put down to pursue a career. At this stage in my life, I would love to write and open a little shop and do crafts for a living, but like Em feels, that is not really an option.

This is definitely a book about following your heart and following your passion no matter what road is already paved ahead of you. Granted, it may cause some heartache and you may no make it, there is no guarantee you will fail unless you don’t try.

This book has kind of given me a little hope this spring. I’ve been writing for a couple of years now and have been sending out letters to agents, with no luck. But this book urged to keep the fire going and even work on some of my other passions, like crafts and knitting and see where they take me.

This is a great book for teenage girls who are trying to find their way in life and figure out who exactly they are and who they want to be as women.

I give The Summer My Life Began 5 bookmarks.

Stop back by tomorrow to see my interview with Shannon!

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Released:
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Kari got this book as part of a blog tour 

From Gooreads.com
Like many couples, Michael and Jolene Zarkades have to face the pressures of everyday life—children, careers, bills, chores—even as their twelve-year marriage is falling apart. Then an unexpected deployment sends Jolene deep into harm’s way and leaves defense attorney Michael at home, unaccustomed to being a single parent to their two girls. As a mother, it agonizes Jolene to leave her family, but as a solider she has always understood the true meaning of duty. In her letters home, she paints a rose-colored version of her life on the front lines, shielding her family from the truth. But war will change Jolene in ways that none of them could have foreseen.

When tragedy strikes, Michael must face his darkest fear and fight a battle of his own—for everything that matters to his family. At once a profoundly honest look at modern marriage and a dramatic exploration of the toll war takes on an ordinary American family, Home Front is a story of love, loss, heroism, honor, and ultimately, hope.

Man Kristin Hannah sure knows how to write an awesome book and every single one of them I read/listen to proves this even more. In every Hannah book I have read/listened to, there has always been an awesome female lead, or two. Her books always push the limits on friendship, strength, family and even life. They are always tear jerkers and always make you sit back and think, whether it be about making sure your marriage doesn’t take the same path as one that is troubled in these novels, or whether you would make the same life altering decisions that some of these characters had to make. If I can relate to a book in any way, shape or form and it makes me think about my life at any time, I am in.

Now when it comes to relating, I have not much of anything in common with Jolene in this book and I mean throughout the entire book. Her parents died, she became a soldier, she spends her days flying helicopters and taking care of her children, she and her husband have a very strained relationship….oh and she goes overseas to fight in a war. So, as I said, nothing in common. But I felt a very strong connection with her. She is such a strong woman that you cannot help but admire her and then when “tragedy strikes” it completely changes and you have already grown so close to her that you want nothing more than that strong wall to crumble.

Jolene isn’t the only one your heart breaks for. Michael is a working man. He spends several hours a day at the office and a couple of hours a day on the road to and from work. He gets home late and really has no idea what all his wife goes through on a daily basis. I am not saying this to be biased about a woman’s job at home. This proves to be true and Michael admits it when he becomes the mom and dad of the household when his wife fights for freedom. I think there is much to be said about a man who can learn and grow and that is exactly what Michael does in this book and my heart grows for him throughout it.

We have all seen the commercials and news stories about soldiers leaving or coming home. You may even know a family or two who has been through this. But since this isn’t something I see often in my personal life, I don’t necessarily think about the mothers going overseas and leaving their children behind. This book definitely opened my eyes to a world that I have heard about, but have not seen with my own eyes or heard first hand. Although I know this is fiction, it was so real and so heartbreaking, you can’t help but want to hug a soldier when you are done.

I give Home Front 5 bookmarks.

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Released: January 31, 2012
Author Website
Kari got this audio book from the Bossard Memorial Library

Coming up on the 5th birthday of her son Alexandra “Xan” Moreland is haunted day in and day out by his disappereance two years ago. Xan is an interior designer and left Matthew with a babysitter to go to a job. The babysitter took Matthew to the park, she fell asleep and someone took Matthew from his stroller. Matthew was gone without a trace. After spending nearly every dime she had to find him, Xan is focusing on her career, because it’s the only thing that is keeping her going.

But when a new picture surfaces from the park the day that little Matthew was taken, Xan is in for a very unpleasant surprise. It’s looking more and more like Xan herself is the one who took Matthew. Now strange charges keep coming up on her credit card including clothing purchases, trips and merchandise for her business.

Xan will not give up though and as any mother would do, will go to the end of the Earth to find her little boy.

I think this might be my favorite MHC book yet. Don’t we all fear that one day we may be in the wrong place at the wrong time and become a suspect in a crime we know we didn’t commit? I read on a blog the other day that one girl said this was one of her biggest fears. I had never really thought about it until I read this book, but what would you do? People think I’m borderline crazy anyway, imagine if I tried to get out of something like this. Oy vey! While all of her books are believable and could potentially happen, this was the one that creeped me out the most because it was so realistic.

I really, really like the story line of this book. It kept me on edge the entire time and I actually found myself driving around a little more than necessary just to get in another chapter or so. I couldn’t put it down (or turn off the cd player in this case).

MHC has this magical way of weaving a story together. They are all so intricate and involved but all so perfectly pieced to make a maginificent puzzle.

I give I’ll Walk Alone 5 bookmarks.

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Released: April 5, 2011
Author Website
Kari got this audio book from the Bossard Memorial Library