1st quarter book review: The Notebook

The Notebook is a classic story about two teenagers who fall in love. Torn apart by their parents, the two main characters, Allie Hamilton and Noah Calhoun, set out on an epic, lifelong quest to find each other again. Nicholas Sparks describes their journey very well, and wraps everything up to make a very satisfying ending to a perfect story.
"The most beautiful description of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy finds girl, then loses her again. It's how every person wants to be loved one day." - Nickie, Resident Scholar
Nicholas Sparks portrays a young, improbable romance very well in his writing. He gets into the minds of young love-struck teenagers, and explains the feelings very well. This book would be very good for teenagers to read, because it’s heartwarming and put people in a good mood.
Another favorite book of mine by Nicholas Sparks is Nights in Rodanthe. Another classic love story about two divorced people who find love in each other very unexpectedly. Nicholas Sparks has a way with romance stories. He knows just the right words to say to make the scenes seem very real and genuine.

“I have lead a simple life. There is no monuments dedicated to me, and my name will soon be forgotten. But I have loved another with all my heart, and for me that has always been enough.” –Noah Calhoun. This is my favorite quote from the book. It is in the beginning, when the characters are being introduced. It shows that Noah is very modest, and that love has always been enough for him.

I am very fond of Nicholas Sparks’ work. I have read over 5 of his novels, they are all romance stories. I love reading romance stories because they make me happy, and I love hearing good love stories with a happy ending because you rarely find that in reality. It’s good to get away from all the bad things and just pick up one of his books and dive into a completely different dimension. It shows me how much love means in peoples’ lives, and makes me realize how much love means in my life. His books affect me in a very positive way. They make me think about the future and how I want my life to be. They put me in a good mood when I read, and that’s always a good thing.

You are the music in me

Some things in life you just can’t put a price on. Like that feeling of making the winning goal, or going to sleep at night after a long day. Other things are not as priceless, but still just as valuable. Such as a laptop computer, and ipod, or any other items that you can buy or sell. You see people walking around with their 500 dollar handbags and other expensive junk. Those things are nice, but cannot really compare to the priceless moments and feelings that you get from everyday things. You can’t buy happiness.

My ipod sits upon the dock. The light from the clock illuminates its sleek black frame. It has my whole life on it; all my music and important dates are stored in it. I remove it from the stand and admire it for a moment, turning it over to see the engraving that reads “Merry Christmas Breighanna”, and slide the lock bar to unlock. The screen lights up, showing the menu screen. I click “music” first, which opens up another menu, from which I select the “songs” option from. I slide my finger along the wheel and scroll through the songs to find one that I feel like listening to. I find one, and press play, the volume is all the way up. I brace myself as the music blasts through the little speakers on the headphones. It completely blocks out the world, I don’t hear anyone talking, and I don’t hear anything except for the music. I relax and let it take me away. I wonder how such an amazing thing could only cost 300 dollars. When my ipod is set to shuffle, I get constant surprises. I never know what song is going to come on next. There are over 600 songs to chose from, some I haven’t even listened to all the way through yet. I go back to menu, and select the playlists option. I chose my favorite playlist, a collection of all the songs that energize me and make me happy. I smile as the emotional lyrics fill my mind with memories.

I’ve been waiting for this night for weeks, the day I could finally be with him again. The distance has been a problem in the past, but after almost 5 months, we could never let it get in the way again. We’re too close now. I prepare myself, the butterflies so intense now. My stomach feels like it’s going to explode any moment. I grow more nervous as it approaches 5 o’clock. I make sure everything is perfect, checking myself in the mirror one more time. What feels like only seconds later, I hear the doorbell ring. My heart starts pounding, I can hear it in my ears and feel it in my throat. I put a shaky hand around the doorknob and turn it slowly, opening the door, revealing him. He looks just like I remembered, tall, lean, and so welcoming. He smiles his heart-melting smile, and I start to feel weak. I wrap my arms around him, and feel his around me. I inhale deeply, letting the scent that ha s become so familiar to me fills my nose. For those few moments, I feel as though I’m holding the world, I feel complete again, and I never want that feeling to end. I look into his eyes and see only him, he talks and he is all I hear. He makes me blind to the rest of the world, and I don’t need anything else, because he is the world to me.

My two values are similar and different in many ways. My ipod is of material value to me, if I wanted to, I could sell it for money. I could put a price on it. As opposed to the moment that I first see my boyfriend again. That feeling could never be sold, and even if it was possible, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Both things block out the rest of the world, as if they were the only things existing, and they both make me smile and bring back good memories. They are different because one of them is a material item, while the other is a feeling I get from seeing a person. Both things are very important to me, and I wouldn’t get rid of either of them (even though I could) for any amount of money or anything. I cannot even stress enough how important these things are to me. Both my ipod and my boyfriend are always there for me, and are always here for me when i'm feeling down. I am so thankful to have both of these in my life.