Author: Nicholas Sparks
I decided to read this novel after seeing a preview for an upcoming movie rendition. I don't know about you but I love reading the novels before I read the book simply because I feel if you work the other way around, it limits your imagination.
The Lucky One was a pleasant surprise. I was scared that it would be too sappy, or too melodramatic such as the case with some of his novels (don't kill me!). However, The Lucky One was great in that it did not lead to waterworks until the end of the novel. I feel you have to be in the mood to read a tear-jerker and this book was not one until the very last chapter. But that was okay because reading a Nicholas Sparks novel has to lead to a couple of tears.
I enjoyed the character development and the interactions between the characters. I felt they were believable. I also enjoyed the portrayal of the antagonist (even though I hated him as a person) simply because he did not act out of spite but instead he honestly felt his actions were justified. The storyline is sweet although a little unbelievable.
I really don't want to go into specifics and spoil the novel simply because the movie is set to release sometime this year. I know a lot of people who would rather watch the movie than read the book (although I don't understand why!), so I don't want to ruin it for them. I'll just say that this book is not a hard read as it doesn't make you think. But rather, it is a sweet love story that makes a feel-good novel. I expect the movie will be the same.
Rating: 7/10
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Good Reads
My current obsession: Good Reads. Don't you agree that it is so hard trying to find a good book/series to read sometimes? Unless it's a recommendation, or a movie has been announced, it is very hit-or-miss trying to find books that you actually like.
During the winter holidays when I had time off from work, I found myself trying to find a new book series to read because I had a lot of free time on my hands. Ultimately, there comes a point when I need to move on from re-reading the Harry Potter series for the umpteenth time. After convincing myself I should create a website that takes the books you've read and gives you recommendations based on your likes and dislikes. Imagine my surprise then when Google introduced me to Good Reads.
This website asks you to rate up to 20 books that you've read (more if possible) and it gives you recommendations based on ratings. It then sorts the recommendations by genre so you can pick and choose what you'd like to read more specifically. Want some light reading? Choose a Chick Lit. In the mood for some Comedy? Classics? Romance? Just go to the appropriate "bookshelf". What I also like about this site is that you can also review books, and read reviews before you go out and get the book. If you're like me and buy books on impulse, you won't have to shell out money for a book before you get an idea on what it's like.
During the winter holidays when I had time off from work, I found myself trying to find a new book series to read because I had a lot of free time on my hands. Ultimately, there comes a point when I need to move on from re-reading the Harry Potter series for the umpteenth time. After convincing myself I should create a website that takes the books you've read and gives you recommendations based on your likes and dislikes. Imagine my surprise then when Google introduced me to Good Reads.
This website asks you to rate up to 20 books that you've read (more if possible) and it gives you recommendations based on ratings. It then sorts the recommendations by genre so you can pick and choose what you'd like to read more specifically. Want some light reading? Choose a Chick Lit. In the mood for some Comedy? Classics? Romance? Just go to the appropriate "bookshelf". What I also like about this site is that you can also review books, and read reviews before you go out and get the book. If you're like me and buy books on impulse, you won't have to shell out money for a book before you get an idea on what it's like.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
30 Things About Me - Part 2
I know this is longgg overdue.. but I have finally finished my 30 things!
16. My writing style changes every day. If someone were to do one of those tests on me where you can recognize a person by their handwriting, I would fail.
17. Before last year, I had been to a gym maybe twice in my life. I hate working out in a gym setting as it just seems boring to me. I’d rather go hiking, snowboarding, biking, or whatever the weather permits but that won’t be as consistent. However for about nine months now, I have been consistently going to the gym twice a week and scheduling one or two other fitness activities each week. If there’s one good thing that came out of my accident, it’s this.
18. I have a slight obsession with shoes. It’s not that bad, I swear. Let’s just say that my dad told me that if I buy another pair he’ll beat me with them. Gotta love brown parents and their sense of humor!
19. I also have a slight obsession with nail polish. Giving myself a self-manicure while watching a movie on the weekend is one of my best relaxation techniques.
20. I live in British Columbia, Canada. I have been to India 4x, Florida 2x, California 2x and have random trips to Washington State as I live about 20 minutes away, sometimes just to pour gas in my car. However, I have never been anywhere in Canada outside BC except for a short 3 hour stay at Toronto International Airport on my way to India. Strange eh?
21. I once went to Camp with my grade in Grade 7 and twisted my ankle the very night. It happened not once, but twice on the same foot minutes within each other. Imagine me falling, getting up and falling again. Because I chose to stay and not come home (it was the first night of my first time camping ever!) I had to be carried around by the Principal. True Story.
22. Because getting carried around by the Principal was not an option for more than two days (and that too because I was forced), on my last day at camp I decided to pretend I was okay and started walking around “normally” to make it seem like I was fine. Big mistake as now I still have problems that flare up with my ankle from time to time. This was a little over 10 years ago.
23. My dream is to one day live in an apartment in Downtown Vancouver, and work for a Publishing Firm or as an English/Humanities teacher at a high school. I would love to be able to do both, probably not at the same time though. Let’s see where I am in 5 years. Oh and have Canucks Season Tickets. Considering there’s a 5 year waiting list on those, I should probably apply now.
24. I love dogs. I have a 2 year old Husky Cross named Bowser who is not going to be pleased when he finds out he’s #24 on this list. We really don’t know what he is crossed with as we were told Australian Shepherd when we got him, but we think there’s at least one other breed. His breed isn’t important though as it was love at first sight with the little monster.
25. I’m also allergic to dogs. I used to have a Boxer named Tyson but I learned the hard way that I had allergies about a month after we got him. He now lives with my friend. With Bowser I’m okay though because he only sheds twice a year, and for those two weeks I stay far, far away.
26. I wish I had a penguin. Now I realize it’s not possible because they need ice and ocean and all that great stuff. But they are just so cute! Don’t worry though; I have the next best thing: a (stuffed) Penguin named Hugsy who guards my room from my sister (he’s never really liked her).
27. I went to a high school where the initials were PMS. There’s a reason why I didn’t buy any school sweatpants. Its claim to fame was that Jazzy B, a famous Punjabi singer, was a former dropout many years before I was there, and a former Physics teacher was charged with murdering his wife. I never personally had this teacher, but he was the “adult supervisor” on a school snowboarding trip I went on. Scary stuff.
28. My memory skills are strange. Recently I’ve been horrible at memorization especially with vocabulary terms (for my Latin class!), but give me a song from 12 years ago and I’ll be able to sing all the words no problem.
29. I love, love, love Vampire Diaries! In recent TV history, it’s the only show (that I’ve watched) that has continuously gotten better over time. Usually shows begin going downhill after their second season, but Vampire Diaries is in its third season and still going strong. My favorite part is their ability to add cliffhangers to the end of every episode because it keeps you interested in waiting for the next episode, but it’s also my least favorite part for obvious reasons.
30. One of my biggest pet peeves is ppl who talk lyke dis. Does it really make a huge difference in the time it takes to type if you take out one letter! And the worst is when the new version of the word is the same length or longer than the original (see: lyke). By no means am I the grammar police, but let’s just say, when I read something written in that style I can feel my brain cells dying.
16. My writing style changes every day. If someone were to do one of those tests on me where you can recognize a person by their handwriting, I would fail.
17. Before last year, I had been to a gym maybe twice in my life. I hate working out in a gym setting as it just seems boring to me. I’d rather go hiking, snowboarding, biking, or whatever the weather permits but that won’t be as consistent. However for about nine months now, I have been consistently going to the gym twice a week and scheduling one or two other fitness activities each week. If there’s one good thing that came out of my accident, it’s this.
18. I have a slight obsession with shoes. It’s not that bad, I swear. Let’s just say that my dad told me that if I buy another pair he’ll beat me with them. Gotta love brown parents and their sense of humor!
19. I also have a slight obsession with nail polish. Giving myself a self-manicure while watching a movie on the weekend is one of my best relaxation techniques.
20. I live in British Columbia, Canada. I have been to India 4x, Florida 2x, California 2x and have random trips to Washington State as I live about 20 minutes away, sometimes just to pour gas in my car. However, I have never been anywhere in Canada outside BC except for a short 3 hour stay at Toronto International Airport on my way to India. Strange eh?
21. I once went to Camp with my grade in Grade 7 and twisted my ankle the very night. It happened not once, but twice on the same foot minutes within each other. Imagine me falling, getting up and falling again. Because I chose to stay and not come home (it was the first night of my first time camping ever!) I had to be carried around by the Principal. True Story.
22. Because getting carried around by the Principal was not an option for more than two days (and that too because I was forced), on my last day at camp I decided to pretend I was okay and started walking around “normally” to make it seem like I was fine. Big mistake as now I still have problems that flare up with my ankle from time to time. This was a little over 10 years ago.
23. My dream is to one day live in an apartment in Downtown Vancouver, and work for a Publishing Firm or as an English/Humanities teacher at a high school. I would love to be able to do both, probably not at the same time though. Let’s see where I am in 5 years. Oh and have Canucks Season Tickets. Considering there’s a 5 year waiting list on those, I should probably apply now.
24. I love dogs. I have a 2 year old Husky Cross named Bowser who is not going to be pleased when he finds out he’s #24 on this list. We really don’t know what he is crossed with as we were told Australian Shepherd when we got him, but we think there’s at least one other breed. His breed isn’t important though as it was love at first sight with the little monster.
25. I’m also allergic to dogs. I used to have a Boxer named Tyson but I learned the hard way that I had allergies about a month after we got him. He now lives with my friend. With Bowser I’m okay though because he only sheds twice a year, and for those two weeks I stay far, far away.
26. I wish I had a penguin. Now I realize it’s not possible because they need ice and ocean and all that great stuff. But they are just so cute! Don’t worry though; I have the next best thing: a (stuffed) Penguin named Hugsy who guards my room from my sister (he’s never really liked her).
27. I went to a high school where the initials were PMS. There’s a reason why I didn’t buy any school sweatpants. Its claim to fame was that Jazzy B, a famous Punjabi singer, was a former dropout many years before I was there, and a former Physics teacher was charged with murdering his wife. I never personally had this teacher, but he was the “adult supervisor” on a school snowboarding trip I went on. Scary stuff.
28. My memory skills are strange. Recently I’ve been horrible at memorization especially with vocabulary terms (for my Latin class!), but give me a song from 12 years ago and I’ll be able to sing all the words no problem.
29. I love, love, love Vampire Diaries! In recent TV history, it’s the only show (that I’ve watched) that has continuously gotten better over time. Usually shows begin going downhill after their second season, but Vampire Diaries is in its third season and still going strong. My favorite part is their ability to add cliffhangers to the end of every episode because it keeps you interested in waiting for the next episode, but it’s also my least favorite part for obvious reasons.
30. One of my biggest pet peeves is ppl who talk lyke dis. Does it really make a huge difference in the time it takes to type if you take out one letter! And the worst is when the new version of the word is the same length or longer than the original (see: lyke). By no means am I the grammar police, but let’s just say, when I read something written in that style I can feel my brain cells dying.
Friday, February 3, 2012
TGIF
What a crazy week! I started feeling sick on Sunday, and missed two days of work this week all because I had the aches/shakes/chills. Horrible! In good news though, I finished a unit on each of my three classes at work.. so no homework to do at home!
TGIF.
TGIF.
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