I don't know about you, but for me, if an author wants to make my list of good books to read, then s/he must grab my attention from the very first page. I need to feel engaged and connected to the character or it's a bust. So, I'm not sure if it's because I'm a big fan of Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, or because I just didn't enjoy the writing, but I couldn't get into Veronica Roth's Divergent...gasp!
For me, the first few pages of Divergent read too similar to The Hunger Games; talking about their mothers, their hair, the "big day"... on the service both books are about a teenage girl fighting back against society. I know I can't really go on too much about one versus the other since I haven't read Divergent yet, so I'm asking you what your thoughts are if you have read both. Are you a big Katniss fan, but have also found a love for Tris? Do you already have your tickets for the Divergent movie premiere this weekend? I plan on reading Divergent so I can better evaluate and discuss the differences, but right now I am really into Nicholas Sparks. So, it may also have been the fact that at the moment I'm in the romance novel zone and not really in the mood for a sci-fi thriller! Tris, I shall come back to you!
Speaking of Nicholas Sparks, have you read any of his novels or do you only watch the movies based on them? A few years ago, shortly after watching The Notebook, I read Three Weeks with My Brother, which is a memoir Sparks wrote with his brother Micah Sparks. My husband and I read it together and really enjoyed learning about the history of Sparks' family and were inspired by the journey he took with his brother around the world to the Mayan ruins, Easter Island and beyond.
Believe it or not, when I read Three Weeks with My Brother, it was the first and only Sparks novel I had picked up. It wasn't until this year that I would finally return to his novels and obsess over the need to read them all! I was writing a post for AWS, 7 Best Nicholas Sparks Inspired Movies, when I was inspired to read A Walk to Remember. I had seen the movie starring Mandy Moore and Shane West, but not until I wrote the post did I learn how different the setting of the book was and felt that it was imperative that I truly learned the story of Jamie and Landon. The film is set in the 90's, while the novel was set in the 50's, which is the era I believe I should have been born in!
I just recently finished True Believer, and after you have seen all of Nicholas Sparks' inspired movies you have this fear that one of the main characters is going to pass away. I was on the edge of my seat thinking, "Please no one die, please stay together and have a happy ending!" It was a unique story about science versus mystery, or fact versus faith. If there isn't any scientific fact to back up what is happening, what others are saying, do you still believe, do you have faith that it's real even if science says otherwise? What happens when one person, Jeremy, believes in discovering the truth using science, while another person, Lexie, just has faith and doesn't need science to back up the feeling that she believes is real? Well, you'll have to find out for yourself when you read True Believer!
Next, still sitting closed on the side of my bed since I purchased it last week is Sparks' newest release, The Longest Ride. As I was standing in Barnes & Noble, I was again captured by the very first page, like all of Sparks' novels I have read so far. So, why is it still sitting closed, well life gets in the way of a great book sometimes!
If you have ready any of Nicholas Sparks' books, which one is your favorite? I dare you to pick up just one of them and not want to continue reading more!
Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!
Well, I'll start by saying that I'm not at all into romance novels so Nicholas Sparks isn't my cup of tea. But I have read both Hunger Games and Divergent (like 3 years ago).
ReplyDeleteAnd I do agree with you that they are very similar books. All of those Dystopian novels are generally the same. I will say that HG is a much better trilogy, but maybe that's because I read it first. Divergent is also a trilogy but I've only read the first 2 books. I do plan to see the movie as well because I want to know how well it stays with the book.
One of my fave things about Divergent is the character of Four (which I think was wrongly cast in the movie) and the 5 factions. So although I do like Divergent and have a place in my heart for Tris, Katniss is still #1.
P.S. I'll be doing a movie review of Divergent on the Muse next week.
I'm about halfway through Divergent now, and it's honestly just OK for me. Being a writer, I try not to judge others' writing, which I view as their own personal art, since everyone has a different style and different tastes. I mean, if I ever achieve my goal of publishing a novel, I'm sure there will be plenty of people who don't like it.
ReplyDeleteBut for me, The Hunger Games was much more engaging and enjoyable, I think because Katniss was forced to fight against her will and did it to protect her sister. I personally just can't relate to a character who willingly wants to be a part of the "bad-ass" faction. For that reason, it's hard for me to sympathize with some of her struggles and the dumb things she does.
I've only read The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks and haven't even seen any of the other movies, either! I have A Walk to Remember and The Lucky One on my to-read list.