Though published in 2006, Nicholas Sparks‘ romance novel “Dear John” is currently earning a second wave of widespread popularity due to the upcoming release of the movie tie-in by the same name. Premiering February 5th in theaters, the film Dear John stars Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried. Watch the trailer for the upcoming film below to get the gist of the love story featured in Sparks’ novel. (It’s little surprise that the release is timed perfectly to anticipate Valentine’s day coming up later this month.)

From the looks of it, the film closely follows Sparks’ original love story without many deviations (though we can’t be completely certain until we watch it).

The novel Dear John adds to Sparks’ growing literary repertoire of love stories with simple themes featuring ordinary, down-to-earth characters. The magic touch Sparks lends that makes these novels heart-wrenching tear jerkers every time is the extraordinary emotions he imbues within his characters. Sparks tackles those profound and deeply satisfying emotions of longing, endless love and finding your soul mate. Still, his stories are atypical of the usual romances since they are usually tinged with hints of tragedy – as is the case with Dear John.

The love story follows the characters of John Tyree, a rebel-turned-patriotic-soldier, and his blossoming relationship with University of North Carolina student, Savannah Lynn Curtis. The narrator of the story, John, meets Savannah by happenstance (or fate) while on temporary leave from the Army. Though they’re from two different worlds (Sparks is a fan of the star-crossed-lovers motif), the pair overcome their conflicting values and find true love with each other. Tender sentiments of love like the following are sprinkled throughout the novel like hidden treasures for the reader: “And when her lips met mine, I knew that I could live to be a hundred and visit every country in the world, but nothing would ever compare to that single moment when I first kissed the girl of my dreams and knew that my love would last forever.”

Of course with seemingly perfect love stories like this life always happens and in the case of John and Savannah, the events of 9/11 will change them. This novel is almost impossible to put down and results in a quick read from start to finish. Be prepared for waterfalls of tears as you make your way through John’s memories and understand the depth of his love through his eyes. Not only is his story with Savannah touching, John’s journey of finding love for his socially awkward father is equally poignant.

Dear John, while not The Notebook part II, is still one of Sparks’ best. Consider reading it in its original literary form before the film hits theaters. You won’t regret it.

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Introducing the "Nook" from Barnes & Noble

Adding much needed competition to the eReader market, Barnes & Noble recently introduced their practically button-less, dual-screen eBook reader called, Nook. Though its hardware is more attractive than the current eReader marketplace champ, Amazon’s Kindle, the Nook offers little improvements and even lags slightly behind in terms of software for user experience. The Nook is best summed up as a less refined runner-up to the Kindle.

First, let’s discuss the perks that the Nook offers. It’s an undeniably attractive-looking device, much better looking than the Kindle. It’s a bit smaller and slightly heavier than the Kindle in terms of size and weight. The Nook also has a much less cluttered look and feel since it no longer has the broad, hideous QWERTY keyboard that covers the lower portion of the Kindle. In its place is a small color LCD screen (3.5 x 1 inches) which allows the user to scroll through the device’s menus and controls. A virtual keyboard pops up whenever you need to type. The color in this small screen definitely makes the Nook stand out from the Kindle since users have the added bonus of enjoying the original cover art for the book they’re reading.

Amazon's favorite... the "Kindle"

For the main reading screen, the Nook uses the exact same E Ink technology as the Kindle and there is virtually no difference here between the two eReaders. The main screen (6 inch) mimics the same pale gray, matte surface that eBook users are familiar with on the Kindle. It’s the same Etch-a-Sketch-like technology that reflects light off the screen so that it’s a much more comfortable reading experience. It’s the same visual experience as if you were reading the book in paper form. The Nook boasts about a week of battery life with ordinary use.

Users can also play music while reading since there’s a built-in MP3 player and headphone jack.

Additionally, the device introduces a new feature that allows you to pick between 5 different font sizes and 2-3 different font faces. There’s even an option to enjoy eBook-lending for some titles between friends. You’re able to send your favorite titles to your friends so they can download and read it on their Nook. While someone else has borrowed the book you can’t read it, but it will return to your library after 2 weeks.

The cons of the Nook concern its slowness compared to the Kindle. Occasionally the screens take a few seconds to respond to user touches so that you are either forced to wait impatiently, or you end up on a screen that you don’t want since you tap multiply times. The E Ink screen on the Nook takes half a second-longer to refresh than the Kindle’s – though this might not seem very long, it does put a noticeable damper on the reading experience after a while since there’s frequent page-turning involved. Software updates from the B&N engineers are necessary in order to resolve these interface glitches.

The Nook (and Kindle) are pricey investments, but are well worth it if you’re accustomed to purchasing dozens of new hardcovers a year. For those who buy used paperbacks or frequent the library however, these eReaders might not be as worthwhile.

Order the Nook here for $259. Or stick with the tried-and-true Kindle from Amazon for also $259.

Check out this video review from Wired for more details on the Nook:

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If you’re unfamiliar with Grafton’s work, then you’ll probably wonder about the novel’s peculiar title. However taking into account that this recent book is in a long line of twenty (and the fact that the very first title in the series is called “A is for Alibi” – everything makes perfect sense.

Grafton has been pitting her leading lady detective, Kinsey Millhone, in transfixing murder-mysteries for 25+ years now, ever since the first title was published back in 1983. Grafton has proven herself as a seasoned mystery writer by providing readers with a fresh, genre-bending novel with every new title in the Millhone series. With “Undertow”, Grafton succeeds with yet another complex, surprise-filled and satisfying thriller exploring the darker side of the human soul.

The star of Grafton’s novel is of course the ever straightforward and sarcastic private investigator, Kinsey Millhone. She’s settled into her late 30s in this most recent novel where she’s solicited to help a young man clear his conscious of a witnessed kidnapping of a girl from 21 years ago. A recent reference to her kidnapping has triggered a flood of memories and he wants help locating the murderers and the girl’s remains. The difficulty lies in he fact that PI Kinsey soon realizes that this young man has an uneasy relationship with the truth so who’s to say what part of his story is real and what’s not? Grafton moves the story between the present 80s and the 60s, changing points of view until the reader sees the connection at the very end.

Loyal fans of the mystery series are sure to enjoy this new offering. As for others, it’s never too late to be introduced to the loner-heroine Kinsey Millhone. This book is sure to be a page-turner.

“U is for Undertow” (Hardcover) is selling for $27.95, but Amazon is currently offering a reduced price of $13.00 & free shipping here.

Learn more about Sue Grafton and her mystery series here.

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There’s a high demand for Palin’s memoir this holiday season. The former Alaska governor and Republican vice-presidential candidate’s memoir is hitting bookstores on Nov. 17, but it’s already made No.1 spot on both Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com based on overwhelming preorders.

Titled “Going Rogue” and published by HarperCollins, the book is a 400-page memoir which chronicles Palin’s personal and political life thus far in her own words. Working with author Lynn Vincent, it took the pair approximately 4 months to finish writing which was quicker than originally planned. (The initial release date of the book was set for this upcoming spring.) The memoirs were completed just two months after Palin resigned as governor of Alaska.

Currently, printing for the book is set for 1.5 million copies. It is Palin’s first book.

At the start of October, the cover for the book was first revealed. The cover will feature Palin outdoors with a clear blue sky behind her; she will be wearing a red fleece with an American flag pin as she smiles confidently into the horizon.

Outselling Dan Brown’s “The Lost Symbol” online at some points, “Going Rogue” could quite possibly be this year’s most anticipated literary release. The popularity of preorders for the memoir can be attributed in part to Palin’s overwhelming popularity with grassroots Republicans.

The listed price for “Going Rogue” is $28.99, but preorders on Amazon are running as low as $15.65 .

Below is a video from CNN Politics on how the book got its title and some details about what readers can expect:

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