A Walk to remember by Nicholas Sparks

"Runs in 1958. Landon Carter is the typical high school student. The only thing you are interested in is going out with his friends, spend the shortest possible time in school and enjoy the last years of freedom before going to the University. Jamie Sullivan, on the other hand, is not an ordinary girl. Does not come out at night, does not go to parties or makeup as do the other girls of her age. Daughter of the pastor of the village, you pass the lunch time reading the Bible, the afternoons as a volunteer in an orphanage and summers at the camp of the parish. There could be two more different people. Until one Christmas night, everything changes. In barely a month, Landon will discover things that leads a life learns to learn truths about the nature of beauty, the joy of living, the pain of loss and, above all, the real and miraculous power of first love..."

Summary

Fifty-seven-year-old Landon Carter narrates the novel, reflecting on events from 40 years in the past. The novel opens with a Prologue, in which the older Landon, living in the same North Carolina town as he did at the age of 17, stands near the Baptist church that figures prominently in the novel and gets himself in the mindset of his 17-year-old self. The story begins in 1958 and is, Landon tells us, both joyful and sad.

Writing

Sparks wrote the manuscripts for A Walk to Remember, his third novel, in the summer of 1998. He wrote it in North Carolina, which is the setting of the novel. Like his first published novel The Notebook, the prologue to A Walk to Remember was written last. The title A Walk to Remember was taken from one of the tail end pages of the novel: "In every way, a walk to remember." The novel is written in first-person, and its narrator is a seventeen year-old boy, living in the 1950s.

The novel was inspired by Sparks' sister, Danielle Sparks Lewis, who later died of cancer in June 2000. Although the story is largely fictional, certain parts were based on real experiences. For example, his sister, just like Jamie, was never popular at school and always wore an ugly sweater. And just like Jamie, she always carried the Bible around with her every where she went. And just like Landon and Jamie, never in a thousand years did anyone think he would ever deeply fall head-over-heels for her. His sister's husband proposed marriage to her despite her sickness. After her death, Sparks said in the eulogy: "... I suppose I wrote this novel not only so that you could get to know my sister, but so that you would know what a wonderful thing it was that her husband once did for her."

Review

"A Walk To Remember, written by Nicholas Sparks is a truly wonderful love story that will touch many reader’s heart just like it did to me. After watching the film version of the book, I just had to pick up the book and I could not put it down. This book has become one of my favourite books. This romance story had really touched everyone’s heart about the true nature of love. This story is about a fifty- seven years old man looking back at his past which he will never forget. This man is Landon Carter. He takes there ader back to 1958 in the town of Beaufort, North Carolina when he was just 17 years old. In high school he chooses drama class than chemistry class thinking it will be easier for him. In the class there was a girl called Jamie Sullivan, a minister’s daughter. He and Jamie grew up together but were never really friends. Jamie was a good girl. She prefers going to the orphanage to help the kids and reading her Bible to socializing and going to the movies. Jamie asked Landon to be the lead role of the play since no one wanted to do it. Since the play was very important to Jamie and not wanting to hurt her, he agreed. They both became closer to one another. Being the president of his high school, Landon must find a date to the dance to fulfill his duties. After desperately searching for a date, he came to a conclusion that he had to ask Jamie Sullivan since there was no one left. Jamie accepts his proposal to the dance. Landon slowly realises that he has fallen in love with the most unlikely girl. After many dates, Landon finally learns that Jamie had terminal leukemia and has stopped responding to treatment. Landon wants to fulfill Jamie’s wish list example by building a telescope so she can see a comet. Through this process,

Landon and Jamie learn more about the nature of love. The book ends with Jamie's death, but only after the couple are married in the same chapel as was Jamie's deceased mother, the event that topped Jamie's wish list. This book has taught me a lesson that with love and support you can go through anything. I will recommend that everyone should pick upthis book and trust me that you won’t regret it. Now I will end this phrase “Love is like the wind. You can't see it but you can feel it.”

If you want to know about its author, Nicholas Sparks, Clic here!

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

"When Charles Bingley, a rich single man, moves to the Netherfield estate, the neighborhood residents are thrilled, especially Mrs. Bennet, who hopes to marry one of her five daughters to him. When the Bennet daughters meet him at a local ball, they are impressed by his outgoing personality and friendly disposition. They are less impressed, however, by Bingley's friend Fitzwilliam Darcy, a landowning aristocrat who is too proud to speak to any of the locals and whom Elizabeth Bennet overhears refusing to dance with her."

 Summary 

 Pride and prejudice was written two hundred years ago by Jane Austen and it describes a year in the life of an small group of young people who live in the coutry near London in a period of change ( XVIII and XIX century).

In the middle of this society we are able to find some special and funny people: The Bennet, who live with their five daughters: Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Catherine and Lydia. Mr Bennet is nice and intelligent and he dislikes the frivolity of his wife and his three young daughters but he has a good relation with Jane and Elizabeth besides he is very close to them.

Mrs Bennet is not as clever or educated as her husband. Her only aim in life is to find husbands for her daughters and her pleasures are visiting, talking and clothes.

However, their situation was worse than it seemed because of a lawyer's agreement, since Mr. Bennet had no son the property, when he died, would pass to a distant cousin, Mr. Collins. His daughters would not have nothing unless they married.

 Style 

Pride and Prejudice, like most of Jane Austen's works, employs the narrative technique of free indirect speech. This has been defined as "the free representation of a character's speech, by which one means, not words actually spoken by a character, but the words that typify the character's thoughts, or the way the character would think or speak, if she thought or spoke". By using narrative that adopts the tone and vocabulary of a particular character (in this case, that of Elizabeth), Austen invites the reader to follow events from Elizabeth's viewpoint, sharing her prejudices and misapprehensions. "The learning curve, while undergone by both protagonists, is disclosed to us solely through Elizabeth's point of view and her free indirect speech is essential ... for it is through it that we remain caught, if not stuck, within Elizabeth's misprisions."

 Publication history 

Austen began writing the novel after staying at Goodnestone Park in Kent with her brother Edward and his wife in 1796. The novel was originally titled First Impressions by Jane Austen, and was written between October 1796 and August 1797. On 1 November 1797 Austen's father sent a letter to London bookseller Thomas Cadell to ask if he had any interest in seeing the manuscript, but the offer was declined by return of post.

Austen made significant revisions to the manuscript for First Impressions between 1811 and 1812. She later renamed the story Pride and Prejudice. In renaming the novel, Austen probably had in mind the "sufferings and oppositions" summarised in the final chapter of Fanny Burney's Cecilia, called "Pride and Prejudice", where the phrase appears three times in block capitals. It is possible that the novel's original title was altered to avoid confusion with other works. In the years between the completion of First Impressions and its revision into Pride and Prejudice, two other works had been published under that name: a novel by Margaret Holford and a comedy by Horace Smith.

Austen sold the copyright for the novel to Thomas Egerton of Whitehall in exchange for £110 (Austen had asked for £150). This proved a costly decision. Austen had published Sense and Sensibility on a commission basis, whereby she indemnified the publisher against any losses and received any profits, less costs and the publisher's commission. Unaware that Sense and Sensibility would sell out its edition, making her £140, she passed the copyright to Egerton for a one-off payment, meaning that all the risk (and all the profits) would be his. Jan Fergus has calculated that Egerton subsequently made around £450 from just the first two editions of the book.

Egerton published the first edition of Pride and Prejudice in three hardcover volumes in January 1813, priced at 18s. Favourable reviews saw this edition sold out, with a second edition published in November that year. A third edition was published in 1817.

Foreign language translations first appeared in 1813 in French; subsequent translations were published in German, Danish, and Swedish. Pride and Prejudice was first published in the United States in August 1832 as Elizabeth Bennet or, Pride and Prejudice.The novel was also included in Richard Bentley's Standard Novel series in 1833. R. W. Chapman's scholarly edition of Pride and Prejudice, first published in 1923, has become the standard edition from which many modern publications of the novel are based.

 Jane Austen 

Jane Austen (December 6, 1775 - July 18, 1817) was a prominent British novelist. It is a model of a writer with a seemingly wealthy life but knew that faithfully reflect the drama in his novels.

Born in a rectory in the town of Steventon, Hampshire County. She was the daughter of Reverend George Austen and his wife Cassandra. He spent most of his life in that area. He had six brothers and one older sister, Cassandra, which was very close.

The only portrait is without doubt true of the writer is a drawing done by his sister and currently can be seen at the National Gallery in London. His brothers Frank and Charles were sailors and ended up being admirals.

In 1783 a relative took charge of his education, placing it first in Oxford and then Southampton. Between 1785 and 1786 he attended school for young ladies at the Abbey of Reading in Berkshire County. He received an education level higher than the women of his time.

In general, his life was calm and happy, despite a broken heart. In 1801 the family moved to Bath, the scene of many of his works, after the death of his father in 1805, Jane, his sister and his mother lived with his brother Frank and his family until, in 1809, moved to Chawton .

Jane never married but was engaged to a young man, Harris Bigg-Wither. Jane finally decided not to marry him. Already established as a novelist, continued to live relatively withdrawn and his health began to decline. It is believed he suffered from Addison's disease the cause is unknown. He traveled to Winchester for medical attention but her illness began to progress rapidly and died two months after his arrival in the city. She is buried in Winchester Cathedral.

The order in which they began and ended his novels does not correspond to the dates of their publications. Her novels with:

Sense and Sensibility (published in 1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1815), Northanger Abbey (1818) posthumously, and Persuasion (1818) posthumously.

Austen also wrote three short pieces: Lady Susan, The Watsons (unfinished novel), and Sanditon (unfinished novel).

 Review 

"Pride and prejudice is one of the most exciting and fascinating books I have ever read. Although it was written two hundred years ago by Jane Austen, the ideas it gives to the reader and the problems which our main characters have to face are real and apply to moden life. Every single teenager their day-to-day life has experienced how first impressions can affect in our personal lifes and how the family can influence our decisions. I am sure that fifty or sixty years ago the idea of marriage was really important and with it, its social status. Many women neither loved nor respected their partner, but they wished to escape the terrible fate of becoming maid (the same happened to Chalotte Lucas, Elizabeth's best friend at the beginning of the novel) . To sum up, what I like most about Pride and Prejudice is that it shows us real situations, real problems and it tells us their possible consequences.
This book, like most of Jane Austen's works, employs the narrative technique of free indirect speech and by using narrative which adopts the tone and vocabulary of a particular character, Austen invites the reader to follow the events from the speaker's point of view, sharing opinions, sadness or happiness.
I would recommend this book to those ones who love reading good literature or spending a good time learning how our ancestors lived and thoght and what aims in life they had."

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

"During his third mission in Iraq, Logan Thibault American soldier is a photograph of a smiling young woman half-buried in the sand. At the base, no one claims it and he just saving it. Logan suddenly starts to get lucky: winning in poker games, survives an attack that killed two of his companions? Back to the U.S., women seek Logan portrayed but certainly not expected to strong but vulnerable person with whom he meets in Hampton, North Carolina. The attraction to her catches him off guard and just keeping the history of photography, his charm, a secret. A secret that can end up destroying the wonderful love story that just begun."

 Summary 

U.S. Marine Logan Thibault finds a photograph of a smiling young woman half-buried in the dirt during his first tour of duty in Iraq. He carries the photo in his pocket and soon wins a streak of poker games, then survives a battle that kills two of his closest buddies. His best friend, Victor, seems to have an explanation for his good fortune: the photograph, his lucky charm.

Back home in Colorado, Thibault begins to believe that the woman in the photo somehow holds the key to his destiny. He sets out on a journey across the country with his dog Zeus to find her and eventually encounters Elizabeth Green, a divorced mother with a young son Ben, in Hampton, North Carolina.

Caught off guard by the attraction he feels, Thibault keeps the story of the photo and his luck a secret. He and Elizabeth begin a passionate love affair, but the secret of the photo will soon threaten to tear them apart—destroying not only their deep and true passionate love, but also their very lives.

 Themes 

The novel deals with the themes of fate and destiny. Despite the allusions to such themes made in the novel, Sparks admitted that he does not necessarily believe in either. He adds, however, that he is "a big believer in the fact that people have the ability to influence the future in a way that seems coincidental and when that happens, the feeling of fate or destiny is amplified. [...] In the end, when writing The Lucky One, I wanted to explore the subject of fate or destiny, but in a way that reflected the reality of the world."

 Review 

"Over the past few years I have have come to realize that I am a hopeless romantic. I love reading stories about two people having a chance meeting and just knowing from that moment that they were meant to be together, no matter how much their relationship gets tested. That is why this week's selection happens to be from the man that I like to call the King of Romance Novels, Nicholas Sparks.

I liked this book. I have read several books on it, "A Walk To Remember", "Dear John", "The last song", "The notebook" and enjoyed them, even though they both had sad endings. And although they all have sad endings, I have loved so much.
The book drags in certain spots because there is a lot of back story about each character that needs to be told, but there are also moments of action. Now, keep in mind because this is a romance novel the action scenes are few and far between, but the few that do exist leave an impact on the reader, especially the ending.
Sparks writes from the perspective of the main love triangle - Logan, Beth, and Beth's ex-husband, Keith. As I've mentioned before, I am not the biggest fan of multiple points of view, but this method helps push the plot along. It also shows the readers how the characters are connected. This book is great for anyone, especially those who love a great love story every now and then. I enjoyed reading it and I hope you do too. Maybe someday we will have that chance meeting where we meet the right person."

To learn more about this author click here!

Ten things you read is healthy

Reading not only provides information (instruction) but is (education) creating habits of reflection, analysis, effort,  concentration... and recreates, does enjoy, entertain and distract.

1. Reading increases your vocabulary. 
2. Reading increases your imagination. 
3. Read improve your spelling. 
4. Reading helps to express themselves better. 
5. By reading you exercise the mind. 
6. By reading and wake up to feed your brain. 
7. When reading entertain you. 
8. Reading makes you a very educated person. 
9. Read eliminates stress on people. 
10. Read enough prevents you from mental illnesses such as Alzheimer's.

All suns lie (Todos los soles mienten) by Esteban Valentino

The sun goes out, and Earth is dying. There isn't future for humanity. Rats earned the streets, young people are responsible for exterminating them. Amid the desolation, a group of teenagers find a place, and a Stone to challenge fate, but also uncovers a terrible secret plan and no one will ever be the same. Maybe I just left them the hope of preserving his message to the distant future and different.

 Summary 

A science fiction novel that transcends the paradigm of the devastation of the planet to delve into feelings such as loneliness, friendship, death and love.

Valentino realized something that other authors who are in the business of children's literature in Spanish doesn't seem to notice or simply don't care. Valentino realized that his readers are, besides those little (or not so little) things that fill the coffers of the publisher and authors, people with similar interests, problems, wishes and desires so common in the rest of humanity to might think that teenagers are part of it. 

Having this knowledge will serve, among other things, to build strong stories themselves without recourse to mythologies of others, such as those created by Bram Stoker or Anne Rice, but simply dedicated to creating from scratch. One world, one story, characters, with enough complexity to be very credible, and not only that, but these same characters, out of the book, could pass for real people. How many authors of books and endless series understand these details about your readers? 

While the story of All suns lie resorts to certain topics classic science fiction (the end of the world, a select, plagues and strange socioeconomic status), these resources aren't better, but are part of the landscape . The main thing in the story are the characters, young (of course), and their activities in a world that is approaching it's limit. From a triggering question, what would you do if it were the last generation born in the land?, The author takes the story to the world. 

Of course, while the plot unfolds involving the children, the main characters, takes place another story, another interpretation of the facts, which will eventually converge, as in any good mystery novel, in a final of such unexpected calls into question whether this is really a book for children-young-teens or not. An ending worthy of the best movies, and not say much more because the interesting thing is that a book doesn't tell you about it, but read it yourself. 

On the other hand, to be read by parents, the story of Valentino, awaken resentment own ignorance, to address issues such as death or sex (yes, young people also have sex), and will put aside other issues that are present in the text, such as friendship beyond all circumstances lie incorporated into everyday behavior and disinterest of adults for generations to come, by looking only at the anecdotal and not based on what the decision to attend to certain aspects speech and not all of it. For this reason, we can assume that no adult will have taken the trouble to see what their children are reading for compulsory schooling and for pleasure, but, carried away by the picture on the cover, say nothing, continue with their routines without worrying about anything but their own problems.

 Narrative Resource 

One can see a way of separating the texts somewhat rare, so rare as it is divided into:

* The names of the young, which in turn is a common name followed by the first letter (for example, Eduardo E or Silvia S).

* These were our dreams: This describes the dreams of youth, narrated by themselves, but anonymously, without knowing who wrote what.

* They / Them: Here we read about the feelings of men or women, but also from an anonymous

 Esteban Valentino 

Esteban Valentino (born December 11, 1956 in Castelar) is an Argentine writer and teacher specializing in children's literature.

His arrival was children's literature through poetry. At the request of her friend Silvia Schujer (renowned author of books for children and young people) wrote a poem for children whose theme was "The Flag". As the result, then asked Schujer a story about "transportation". As Valentino tells:

Then I wrote "If I did my flag," which enjoyed considerable success. Then Silvia called me again and said "now I want to write a story." It was about transportation. That is more interesting. I wrote a story about a crippled boy leading to his school friend and puts a sign that reads: "This unit has a place for a non-disabled person." Then the baby in her wheelchair with little engine takes you to your partner school. And that was very successful. They even published the Ministry, went everywhere. Following these two events the publisher called me and asked me Kapelusz a novel. That was another of my dreams, a publisher called me to ask me a book.

The novel was The man who believed in the moon and was not liked by Kapelusz. Valentino presented later in the publishing Books Quirquincho which was well received by Graciela Montes and published.

 Awards 

*National Poetry Prize for Young (1983)
*Alfonsina Storni Award (1988)
*Amnesty International Award I tell you your rights for the story "Pobrechico" (1995)
*His book Red Riding Hood II was considered "the best of the year" by Alija (1996) as sometimes the *Shadow in 1998 and a crowded desert in 2001.

 Works 

1977 El Cantar del Mio Cid (Spanish version now)

1980 El Principito, de Antoine de Saint-Exupery (Spanish version)

1984 Septiembre literario (collectively, the work for adults)

1987 Story: "Una historia sin colectivos grandotes", included in the book Messenger 3.

1987 Poem: "Si yo hiciera mi bandera", included in the book Messenger 4.

1990 El hombre que creía en la luna (novel)

1990 Las lágrimas nacen en Grecia (novel)

1992 Poem: "La gente de Quemimporta" y cuento: "A la hora señalada", included in your pocket Words

1992 Poem: "La canción del buen trato", included in Readings in ink 6

1993 Story: "No siempre hay buen aire bajo tierra" and "Un papá, un nene y un río", included in a travel book 5

1993 Story: "La noche tenía algo de nocturna" and "Futuros eran los de antes", including Arts in orbit

1993 Sobre ruedas (Story)

1994 Mañana tiene nombre (Story)

1995 Caperucita Roja II (Story)

1996 Pahicaplapa (Story)

1996 Perros de nadie

1997 A veces la Sombra. Historia de un monstruo solitario (novel)

1997 Story: "Pobrechico", included in the anthology I tell you your rights

1998 Historias de otro tiempo... pero no tanto (Story)

1999 Todos los soles mienten (novel)

2000 El hombre que creía en la Luna (novel)

2002 Las lágrimas nacen en Grecia (novel)

2002 Un desierto lleno de gente (Story)

2003 El cuerpo de Isidoro (Story)

2003 El mono que piensa. La Historia Universal da risa (Story)

2004 Sin los ojos

2005 Mañana tiene nombre

2006 Los guerreros de la hierba

2006 La soga

2008 El mono que piensa II

2010 Es tan difícil volver a Ítaca

 Review 

"I recommend this book because it is a compelling science fiction story for adults and youth, especially for teenagers, because of its content and subject matter addressed in this case, the concerns of a typical young, like love, family , the insecurity is experienced at this stage. It is narrated in a very deep, yet easy to understand, perfect for any age recommended for the whole family. It would call it a novel, since it is not separated into chapters, but a narrative, or story. Actually very good, especially for anyone who enjoys science fiction in the style Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451), or a drama style Maritano Alma (Cowboys and braids, the visitor, Crossing the street, etc..)"

Beautiful Phrases

"The books taught me to think, and thought me free."

- Ricardo Leon

"The purpose of reading is not getting that sell more books, but readers will enjoy life more."

- George Holbrook Jackson

"If in exchange for my love of reading to see my feet, the thrones of the world, refuse to change."

-Fénelon

Have a date with someone who READS

Go out with someone who spends all his money on books and clothes, and has problems of space in the closet because you bought too many. Asks out a girl who has a list of books to read and from the twelve years has had a subscription card to a library.

Find a girl who reads. You'll know is an avid reader because in his case always take a book that has not yet begun to read. Is that always looks lovingly shelves of bookstores, the crying in silence when you find the book you wanted. See that girl a bit strange smelling the pages of an old book in a used bookstore? It is the reader. Never can resist smelling the pages of a book, and if they are yellow.

Is the girl sitting in the cafe down the street, she is reading while she waits. If you take a look at his mug, lactose-free cream texture has acquired a somewhat skinny and floats above the coffee because it is absorbed in reading, lost in the world that the author has created. Sit next to her. You might take a look of outrage that most readers hate to be interrupted. Ask her if you liked the book she has in her hands.

Invite her to another cup of coffee and say what you think of Murakami. Find out if it was able to finish the first chapter of Fellowship and you be aware that if she tells you to understand Joyce's Ulysses is doing it to seem smart.. Ask him if he loves Alicia or would like to be her.

It's easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books on her birthday, Christmas and on each anniversary. Give a gift of words, either in poetry or song. Give Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings and let him know you understand that words are love. Understand that she is aware of the difference between fact and fiction but nonetheless will look to his life resembles your favorite book. Not your fault if you do.

At least have to try.

Tell her a lie , if you understand the syntax also understand your need to lie. Behind the words there are other things: motivation, value, hue, dialogue, not the end of the world.

Disappoint her. The reader knows that failure leads to the climax and that everything has an end, but also understands that there is always the possibility of writing a sequel to the story and you can start over again and again and still remain a hero . It is also aware that during the life will have come across one or two villains.

Why be afraid of what you are not? The girls who read know that people mature, like characters in a story or a novel, except for the stars of the Twilight saga.

If you arrive to find a girl you read, keep it close, and when at two o'clock you find her crying and hugging the book to her chest, prepare some tea and consent to it. Is likely to miss for a couple of hours but always coming back to you. Discuss the book's protagonists as if they were real and that is, for a time, always.

Will you ask marriage during a balloon ride or in the middle of a rock concert, or perhaps the question will formulate absolute chance the next time you get sick, you may even be using Skype.

Will smile so hard that you wonder why your heart has not exploded yet causing blood roll down your chest. Write the story of you, have children with strange names and likes even rarer. She will read to your children The Cat in the Hat and Aslan, and can even do it the same day. Walk together the winters of old age and she will recite the poems of Keats in a whisper while you shake the snow off your boots.

Go out with a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a woman who could give you life more colorful than you can imagine. If you only have to give monotony, time-worn and half-baked proposals, you will better be alone. But if you want the world and worlds beyond, asks out a girl who reads.

Or better yet, one you write.