Need a new favorite author to binge read on cold fall evenings? Look no further than Nicholas Sparks. His books are timeless, romantic, and always have some sort of plot twist ending. Some of his books have even been turned into films! Here are our President Emalee’s favorite books of Sparks, in no particular order. *No spoilers*
1. Message In a Bottle
This was only his second book, but one of his best! The story, which explores the romance theme of love after grief, is set in the mid-late 1990s, then-contemporary Wilmington, North Carolina. There is a film Message in a Bottle produced by and starring Kevin Costner made in 1999. Thersea and Garrett meet after Thersea finds a message in a bottle and tracks where it is from. He does not know at first that she found the letters and they quickly fell in love. It will have to be read to find out more.
2. The Choice
Travis Parker and Gabby Holland set off into an interesting journey of life as neighbors. Travis Parker is a happy man with wonderful friends, a great occupation, and an enviable life. He thinks his life is already full of joy and happiness, then Gabby moves in the house next door. What blossoms is an emotional and inspiring love story that is a must-read! This was also made into a movie!
3. The Guardian
This love story/ thriller is about a recent, young widow named Julie and a Great Dane her husband left behind, Singer. After a couple of years, she is ready to date again and she is torn between a man who can sweep any woman off her feet, named Richard and her old friend and all-around reliable guy, Mike.
4.The Rescue
When a raging storm hits her small southern town, single mother Denise Holton’s car skids off the road. The young mom is with her four-year-old son Kyle, a boy with severe learning disabilities. A volunteer firefighter, Taylor McAden finds her unconscious and bleeding, but does not find Kyle. The search and rescue starts for Kyle. The worry increases as time continues to pass. Not to give too much away, but of course, there is love that sparks between Taylor and Denise.
5.The Notebook
Of course, The Notebook had to be included! The movie and book are so, so great. It is an achingly tender story about the enduring power of love and a story of miracles. Set amid coastal North Carolina in 1946, The Notebook begins with the story of Noah Calhoun, a rural Southerner who returned home from World War II. Noah, thirty-one, is restoring a plantation home to it’s former glory and he is haunted by images of the beautiful girl he met fourteen years earlier. Allie Nelson, twenty-nine, is now engaged to another man, but has not forgotten her beloved Noah.