The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks

The Notebook has been adapted into one of the most legendary romance stories of all time.

That is why, upon finding a battered and well read copy of this book (i prefer pre-loved copies rather than store-bought ones for books that i intend to read over and over again as it has a sense of history to it), I literally squealed in delight.

My paperback copy was thin enough to be devoured within a two hour drive during a recent roadtrip. 

The concept of it is pretty similar to what you see on the screen. However, it is very disappointing as it did not deliver and rates way lower that what i initially expected.

I am an avid believer that movies do not do justice to the book it is taken from. But in this case, i'm forced to raise a white flag and say that this book brings disgrace to the movie. 

To be honest, the book on its own is pretty okay even though it reminds me a tad bit of those chic-lit books i used to read back in high school. 

The thing is, the best parts that made the movie an epic, surprisingly could not be found in the book! Like, the scene at the funfair and the first night they slept together as well as their last fight. 

In the book itself, everything was pretty straight forward. Boy meets girl, they fell in love, they have tiny complication but lives happily ever after anyway. Bleurgh.

I've never liked Sparks' books all that much all this while (i think A Walk To Remember is damned obvious and blunt), but after finally reading The Notebook (about time, too, considering i've seen the movie about a million times) i've decided not to read any of Sparks' books unless somebody threatens to batter my head with a hardcover version of it. 

With that, i can safely tell you to save your time and money and not to bother reading this piece of junk. Watch Ryan Goslin and Rachel McAdams on screen instead. :)

Haunted - Chuck Palahniuk

Chuck Palahniuk is one of few writers who never fails to blow my mind with his ingenious method of storytelling. This book proved to be yet another mindblowing piece.

A bunch of wannabe writers checked into a writer's retreat, hoping that the isolation will help them produce bestselling books along with newfound fame and fortune. 

Fooling themselves, they tried to imitate a condition of the famous literary gathering on the shores of Lake Geneva where a bunch of writers wrote ghost stories as a form of entertainment. This gathering produced the legendary Dracula and Frankenstein.

During their time at the retreat, each of them uncovered the story of their lives. Haunted is a compilation of 23 stories that personally made me ask myself how a guy can have such a wild and outrageously brilliant imagination.

From the story of a guy whose amsturbation adventures went awfully haywire, to a reflexologist who uses her skill to induce orgasm and to assasinate merely by rubbing feets, to a cook who murders food critics and then blackmails the knife company who produces the knife that he uses as murder weapon, this book is compacted with the most absurd stories that will raise the hair behind your neck.

Palahniuk is a truly intelligent being. Each and every sentence that he writes is a definite form of indulgence. I would put Haunted on a must-read list, if i were you. His stories are amusing even if you read it over and over again.

The Firm - John Grisham

Just like the rest of money lovers, i was immediately hooked on the first few chapters of the book. Grisham profusely wrote about outrageous sums of money that i simply couldnt tear my eyes away from the paperback.

Grisham went in depths about a young hotshot law graduate being sought after by plenty of corporations including a humble (yet very generous) law firm. 

The firm offers Mitch incredible incentives that made me fantasize about being in his shoes for a short moment. Ah, I secretly think that i'll make one helluva lawyer rather than an engineer anyway. 

It wasnt until a few chapters ahead that everything takes the form of a thriller. The firm soon emphasizes on the importance of trivial things like keeping Mitch's marriage happy and for him to start trying to make babies.

As i turned the pages, the issues and conflicts become more severe. It is an okay read, really. Sort of like a fiction version of a cross between The Godfather and The Apprentice.

Though, i've gotta sat, there arent much of a climax element. The scene got more dangerous, yes, but it never got to a point where i literally held my breath, curious to know what's going to happen next.

To be honest, i dont quite see what the whole fuss with John Grisham is all about. So yeah, the guy knows his law jargons and he's got a pretty decent imagination but that's just it! It's decent but not enough to make me salivate all over the cover of his book.

But oh well! It's not like i've got better things to do other than read the few random books these days.

My conclusion? It's a good bedtime story but it'll never come near to being a genius literary piece!