SPARKing Your Interest

Unfortunately, I don’t read any magazine consistently enough to have a favorite writer, so I am going to write about one of my favorite novelists, Nicholas Sparks. Whenever I walk into a bookstore or library, I immediately search for his books.

The thing about Sparks’ writing that keeps me interested in his work is that it is super detailed, but not to the point that it gets boring to read. The detail he provides paints clear images in my mind as I read his books, and the characters that he creates are so realistic and easy to relate to.

If I remember correctly, the first Sparks’ book I read was The Notebook. Cliché, I know. While I was not able to relate so much to the characters in the book, because a) it is not the 1940s and b) I am not 80-something years old looking back at my life, the words Sparks used made the book read like an old-fashioned movie would play—very smoothly, yet engaging.

As I read his books, I sometimes feel like all of his books are the same, but then there is some unexpected, or maybe expected, twist and I want to keep reading more.

I make it a rule to not see the movie-versions of books that I haven’t read but plan to. I read The Last Song this past summer, so then, over winter break, I reluctantly watched “The Last Song” movie. I wondered if Miley Cyrus would live up to my expectations of a Nicholas Sparks book-turned-movie and I was hoping that her acting would not ruin The Last Song book for me.

While I was not all that impressed with her acting, I think I have decided that Nicholas Sparks’ books translate well into movies. I could not relate to Veronica, aka Ronnie, aka Miley’s situation—okay, I take back my comment about Sparks creating characters that are easy to relate to. What I really mean is that Sparks creates characters that allow the reader to experience a different life or lifestyle and live vicariously through these characters formed out of words.

So when you feel the urge to read a good romance novel, check out a Nicholas Sparks book. You won’t be disappointed. Promise!

Oh, and try not to watch the movies before reading the books; Sparks' books are so rich with description that is lost in the transition from book to movie.