save me!

People who know me well know that I love to read. I was the kid in elementary school who got in trouble for reading while the teacher was teaching - the kid that knew every way how to try and hide a book in their desk when they were supposed to be doing something else. My mom tells me that I don't just read books I "devour" them. In sixth grade I did read a different chapter book every day...

So - it does come as a big surprise to me that I can't finish "Message in a Bottle." I'm ALMOST finished - but I keep finding excuses for not reading it - knitting projects (I made a really cool scarf!), studying (really actually a lot of fun), reading the second "The Girl.." book (fabulous read - though I did get really scared reading it by myself in my parents' basement at 2 in the morning). Today, I even sunk so low that I am writing lesson plans INSTEAD of reading MIAB (I like calling the book that). I think if I were given the choice, I might rather go to the dentist and get a bunch of work done over finishing this book. That is a bad sign.

The characters in the book are mildly ridiculous - Theresa is suffering from not being able to find a man who understands her - Garrett from loosing his wife unexpectedly. I sympathize more with Garrett, but am frustrated that when they have intimate moments, Garrett's mind wonders back to his dead wife. When they finally do the nasty, all Sparks can say is how it has been 3 years for both of them and that they have opened something that has been closed for so long (I think I threw up a bit when I read that).

If you remember, Theresa found Garrett after discovering his messages to his dead wife that he puts in bottles. SHE HASN'T TOLD HIM THAT YET! Um....that's not a good idea....but yet, she's upset that he isn't sure if he wants to commit to her. Shouldn't she be more worried that she might loose him when he finds out how much of a creeper she has been?

Then, there is the distance thing - he lives in North Carolina (and has never left) and she lives in Boston...and has a 12 year old son. I just don't see this working out for them. Theresa has to go back to work, so she flies back up to Boston with the hopes of seeing him again soon. Let us also keep in mind that they have only actually been together for FOUR days at this point in time....but she wants him to be in love with her.

I think I have to just stop reading this book. It is too painful, and if I would rather go to the dentist or write lesson plans on a beautiful day instead of sitting outside and reading, then I need to move on to Sparks' next book. I will still watch the movie - it HAS to be better than this.

Maybe I'll just chalk the horridness of this book up to the fact that I checked it out in LARGE PRINT....yeah....that's it! If you want to know how MIAB ends - go look it up on Wikipedia!