The Lucky One

By Nicholas Sparks

I have to admit...I heard about this book because I saw the preview for the upcoming movie starring Zac Efron. For those of you who don't know, I have a serious crush on Zac Efron and I had to know the plot of the movie before it comes out this spring! I ordered this book on my Kindle (thanks mom, dad, Emily and Lee!!) and was able to start reading it over Christmas break. I've only read one or two Nicholas Sparks books before due to the fact that they are always made into movies (i.e., Dear John, The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, Nights in Rodanthe, and Message in a Bottle).

The novel follows a marine through combat in Iraq and then as he tries to adjust to life back home in the United States. While on tour, the marine found a photograph of a young woman and comes to believe that the photo brings him luck. After his tour is over, he vows to find the woman in the photo. The story that follows is one of love, fate, and redemption. I highly recommend reading this novel BEFORE the movie comes out. Trust me...its worth it!!

Similar Novels: Last Song by Nicholas Sparks and The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Length: 336 Pages

Copyright: 2008

The Book Thief

By Markus Zusak

It took me forever to read this book, but not for the reason that immediately comes to mind. I got so into this book and wanted to never put it down. For that reason, I would only read this book when I had some serious time (which is hardly ever!!). With that being said, it is a seriously sad book so I want you all to grab a box of tissues before you read it. No, by saying that, I'm not giving away the ending, I'm just preparing you! The conclusion of this novel caught me by surprise and that rarely ever happens.

The book is told from death's point of view, which I must say was a pretty catching beginning to the novel. Death narrates that he rarely has time to pay attentions to the lives of his charges. When a small young girl crosses his path numerous times, he is captivated by her story and eventually her death. The book takes place during WWII in Germany so you can imagine death is fairly busy. Liesel (a.k.a. the book thief) stands out among the rest as she deals with loss, love, family, and eventually death.

Similar Novels: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Length: 257 Pages

Copyright: September 2007

The Passage

By Justin Cronin


Ummmmm...when is the sequal coming out for this novel and where can I get a pirated copy beforehand??? Seriously...this was the best novel I've probably read all year. It was a lengthy novel that I couldn't wait to finish. Then, they left it as a cliffhanger because it's the first in a trilogy. So...not...fair!! I would call this novel a cross between a military and a science fiction novel. It was captivating and unique all wrapped together.
The book started out as letters (or e-mails, I'm not quite sure which) between two co-workers who are civilians working with the military. They are searching for a lost tribe in South America who are rumored to live extended lives and have no illness. What they find is the basis for the rest of the novel as a war breaks out and few survive. The story is told from many points of view and leaves you salivating for the next in the series. Trust me...you WANT to read this book!!

Similar Novels: I Am Legend by Richard Matheson and Congo by Michael Crichton
Length: 766 Pages
Copyright: June 2010

The Zookeeper's Wife

By Diane Ackerman

This was the One Book/One San Diego selection for 2008. I decided to join in the reading and purchased a copy at the Barnes and Noble After Christmas Sale. I'm sooooo glad that I did! This book is excellent. It's written from historical documents and the main character's actual diaries. The novel is based on a true story of a husband and wife who hid Jews during the war. They accomplished this by using the buildings in their Zoo to house the refugees.

The Warsaw Zoo is heavily damaged during the invasion of Hitler's army, but the Zabinski's still manage to stay open and stay alive. By forming friendships with influential people, the Zabinski's are able to smuggle people out of the guarded slums of Warsaw. These people are hidden in the Zoo until other arrangements are made to keep them safe. This novel is excellently written with quotes from Antonia Zabinski's diary. The author is a non-fictional writer who took this opportunity to highlight a family of heroes who risked everything for their less fortunate countrymen.

Similar Novels: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry and Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene

Length: 368 pages

Copyright: 2008

Alas, Babylon

By Pat Frank

So I guess lately, I've been on a post apocalyptic/dystopian society book kick. This novel is the first one. It centers on the population of one town after a nuclear war devastates the United States. It focuses mainly on a small group of people and their struggle to survive as electricity, phones, and food supplies are cut off. It also tries to show what happens to a society when rules fail to be enforced and it's every person for themselves.

As I said before, I'm really into a post-apocalyptic/dystopian society novel phase. Most of the books I'm reading in this category, I've read before, either as assigned reading in school or on my own as "light" reading. I'm talking about books like The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson, The Giver by Lois Lowry, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and Strange Tomorrow by Jean Karl. These are books that I've read and re-read over the years. This is the first time I've ever read or heard of this novel, but it really turned into a page turner! It shows that Frank has written a few other novels and I'm off to the library to hunt for them!

Similar Novels: The Slynx by Tatyana Tolstaya and Z is for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien

Length: 352 pages

Copyright: 1963

Five Quarters of the Orange

By Joanne Harris

Have you ever read the novel or seen the movie Chocolat? This novel is written by the same author, Joanne Harris. This novel is similar in the fact that the main character is centering her life around recipes. The novel is stingingly sweet and full of descriptions of places, people, and, of course, food. She gives food such a realistic touch, that you can't help but wish you were in the novel to be able to taste such creations.

The novel takes place in France shortly after the end of the German occupation. Framboise Simon returns home to take care of the estate of her estranged mother. Her mother was blamed by the townsfolk for a tragedy that occurred during the occupation. While taking care of the estate, Framboise discovers a scrapbook of recipes that also doubled as a diary for her deceased mother. While reading the diary and duplicating the recipes, Framboise recalls memories associated with each recipe and comes closer to discovering the truth of what really happened so many years ago.

Similar Novels: Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris and Julia's Chocolates by Cathy Lamb

Length: 307 pages

Copyright: 2001