The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright

Title: The Wednesday Letters

Author: Jason F. Wright

Ships Launched: 637

Pages: 282

Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group

Year Published: 2007

Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Tragedy, Christian

Synopsis: Their story begins with one letter on their wedding night, a letter from the groom, promising to write his bride every week—for as long they both shall live. Thirty-nine years later, Jack and Laurel Cooper die in each other's arms. And when their grown children return to the family B&B to arrange the funeral, they discover thousands of letters. The letters they read tell of surprising joys and sorrows. They also hint at a shocking family secret—and ultimately force the children to confront a life-changing moment of truth . . .

Even though this book is not really YA, I thought it looked cute and decided to pick it up.

It wasn’t really my type, but it was an entertaining read. It kind of reminded me of a Nicholas Sparks book, but not as dramatic or romantic.

The Wednesday Letters is about an adorable and sweet old couple who peacefully pass away one night at their bed and breakfast. Their children come together and discover the letters that Jack, the husband, had written his wife every Wednesday since their wedding day. As they read the letters, they happen upon an old family secret that could change their lives.

Jack and Laurel, the old couple, were the kindest, sweetest people. The stories of their marriage were so hilarious and heartbreaking; I wanted to meet them in real life.

A&P was so generous. She spent all of her time at Jack and Laurel’s bed and breakfast, and she tipped outrageously for every little thing they did. Little did she know that the couple was sending all of her money to a children’s shelter in Washington D.C.

Jack and Laurel’s children were all so flawed, but yet so charming. Each of them - Samantha, Malcolm, Matthew – they all had their redeeming qualities. Malcolm’s unfailing sense of humor, Sam’s spunk, Matthew’s intelligence. Even with all their mistakes, they were good people.

Rain was such a sweetheart. Nathan never deserved her, that jerkface.

I liked the story, but it wasn’t all that exciting. It wasn’t supposed to be, of course, but it kind of seemed boring.

The Wednesday Letters was a decent book, but unless you like slow drama and tragedy, I wouldn’t necessarily read it.

            +25 – Cameron – Such a sweet boy. To me, his story was the saddest part of the book.

            +63 – A&P – Can’t there be people as generous, steadfast, and kind as her in real life?

Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult

Title: Lone Wolf
Author: Jodi Picoult
Ships Launched: 571
Pages: 421
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre:Tragedy/Contemporary Fiction
Synopsis: Edward Warren, 23, has been living in Thailand for five years, a prodigal son who left his family after an irreparable fight with his father, Luke. But he gets a frantic phone call: His dad lies comatose in a NH hospital, gravely injured in the same accident that has also injured his younger sister Cara. Cara, 17, stll holds a grudge against her brother, since his departure led to her parents’ divorce. In the aftermath, she’s lived with her father – an animal conservationist who became famous after living with a wild wolf pack in the Canadian wild. It is impossible for her to reconcile the still, broken man in the hospital bed with her vibrant, dynamic father. With Luke’s chances for recovery dwindling, Cara wants to wait for a miracle. But Edward wants to terminate life support and donate his father’s organs. Is he motivated by altruism, or revenge? And to what lengths will his sister go to stop him from making an irrevocable decision?

Ahlorha: Honestly, I picked up this book because I had to. I was doing a speed book dating activity with my English teacher, where you read a book for five minutes, checked the "Yes, it was interesting" box or the "No, I hated it!" box, passed the book down, and read another. Honestly, I never would have read this book if it wasn't for that. Not that I have anything against Jodi Picoult, or anything; I just am more of a dystopian person than a sob story person. 
Like almost everyone else, I have heard of Jodi Picoult before. How could I not, what with My Sister's Keeper being so famous? But Lone Wolf was the first book I read of hers, and, well...
Let's just say I wasn't too excited about it.
I really liked the beginning of the book. I loved the descriptive and beautiful writing, and the plot seemed rather unique and interesting. The characters were somewhat likeable. Overall, the beginning was good.
See how I said the beginning? 
Then came the middle. And the end. And everything went wrong.
Cara turned out to be whiny and really reckless. She did not think about the consequences of her actions; she just went right out and did whatever she wanted to. Yes, she was determined, but she was also ignorant and selfish. I did not like her. 
Luke seemed like a really awesome dad and nice guy, but then you keep reading and you're like, "What?" The new, scandalous info that gets revealed seems like the it's about a completely different person than the Luke you get to know in his first person accounts throughout the book. 
And let's not forget Edward! I'm not going to give away any spoilers for those of you who have not read the book, but he was reckless too. And, well, no. Just no. I did not like him. 
The only character I can honestly say I liked was Helen Bedd. And she was in maybe ten pages. 
And when the end came, the end that was supposed to make you cry, I just went "Really?" I could not feel any empathy for any of the characters. Not even Luke. I don't know, I was just really disappointed with this book. SHIPS LAUNCHED: 541 

 Gemma:
         Usually, I love Jodi Piccult and her heart-wrenching novels. However, this novel spurred intense emotions in me. Not the good kind. In the beginning I loved the book. The first person wolf accounts from Luke were inspiring and beautifully written. His relationship with wolves was unbelievable and he seemed like a wonderful person. 
     As the story progressed, Cara and Edward (Luke's children) were introduced and everything went downhill. Cara acted like a bratty child in a serious situation and I really wanted to shake her and tell her how stupid she was. I thought Edward would be better but sadly not by much. 
      Then it got even worse. Slowly information was revealed about Luke that proved he was not who everyone believed he was. 
      Although when I finished reading the book I wanted to scream, the novel was good in some ways. Even though the feelings I had of the story made me angry and frustrated, I imagine that when Jodi Piccult wrote this book, her goal was to make readers feel the anguish, the shame and the regret that the characters feel in the novel. In the end (after screaming for awhile) I came to the realization that even though the characters made dire mistakes, they were still a family and they had to stick together. SHIPS LAUNCHED: 600

The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks

Title: The Guardian

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Ships Launched: 584

Pages: 382

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Year Published: 2003

Genre: Romance/Thriller/Contemporary Fiction

Synopsis: Julie Barenson’s young husband left her two unexpected gifts before he died – a puppy named Singer and the promise that he would always be watching over her. Now, four years later, twenty-nine year-old Julie is far too young to have given up on love. She may be ready to risk caring for someone again. But who? Should it be Richard Franklin, the sophisticated, handsome engineer who treats her like a queen? Or Mike Harris, the down-to-earth nice guy who was her husband’s best friend? Choosing one of them should bring her more happiness than she’s had in years. Instead, Julie is soon fighting for her life in a nightmare spawned by a chilling deception and jealousy so poisonous that it has become a murderous desire . . .

Eh. I don't know. Was this book amazing? Did it tug at my heartstrings? Did it make me cry with heartbreak and laugh with joy?
Um... No. Not really.
I picked up this book because, well, it's Nicholas Sparks. Mr. Tearjerker Romance Writer. And I'm a girl. Do the math.  
But unfortunately, this book didn't really work for me. The beginning was really, really slow. I actually found myself doing other things, namely cleaning, to avoid reading the book. I think that's a bit sad. 
But then things picked up a little, and I got a bit more interested in the story. There was more romance. I was happier.
Then Mr. Creeper revealed himself. For those of you who haven't read the book, I won't disclose his identity and spoil it for you, so we'll just call him Mr. Creeper.
Mr. Creeper horrified me. He was, well, creepy. Terribly so. He was a stalker sociopath murderer who didn't seem like one. 
Sparks has this very unique writing style. He writes in third person, mostly in one or two characters' points of view, but he also writes some passages in the supporting character's views. He lets you into their heads and see what they are thinking.
Being in Mr. Creeper's head freaked me out. He was so evil, but he believed he was doing the right thing! It was insane. He made me want to scream. 
When you read this book, the romance resolves pretty quickly, and you'll be wondering how the book is so long if the love mystery is already over halfway through.
The other half of the book is all Mr. Creeper. I'm glad I read this book in the daytime, because otherwise I would be peering out my bedroom window, freaked out that someone could be out there with a camera. 
The other characters are okay, I guess, but they all seem kind of flat. None of them really change, and none of them are really that original. 
Overall, this book was okay at best. I don't know, it just wasn't really that interesting. When I think about this book, the first thing that comes to mind is how creepy Mr. Creeper was. I don't think that was Sparks intention when he wrote this book. If you don't mind slow books and like to read about creepy stalkers, then try it out! Otherwise, I wouldn't put this at the top of your TBR pile.

+5 – Humor – A few parts in this book made me smile.
           -50 – Mr. Creeper – Yes, I know 50 points is a lot. But unfortunately, Mr. Creeper was too sick minded for me to just let slide. He will haunt my dreams for days.
           -20 – Slow Plot – If you feel a sudden desire to do laundry or do the dishes rather than read a book, you know something's wrong.