Nicholas Sparks

Nicholas Sparks

About the Author: 

With 89 million copies in print worldwide, 50 million copies in the United States along, all in over 50 languages, Nicholas Sparks is one of today's most popular authors. He has published to date eighteen novels all of which made New York Time Bestsellers list. Eight of his romantic-fiction novels have made into movies. 

Sparks attended Notre Dame University and wrote his first never published book, The Passing, in 1985 while still in school. After graduating he began selling pharmaceuticals and was transferred to Washington, D.C. in 1993. It was there he wrote the novel The Notebook. Only two years following that he was discovered by a lady named Theresa Park, who offered to represent him. In October of 1996 The Notebook was published and made the New York Times Bestsellers list with in only one week of release. He went on to publish many more books in the years following and made a huge impact on the literary world. 

Published Works: 

• The Notebook (October 1996)
• Message in a Bottle (April 1998)
• A Walk to Remember (October 1999)
• The Rescue (September 2000)
• A Bend in the Road (September 2001)
• Nights in Rodanthe (September 2002)
• The Guardian (April 2003)
• The Wedding (September 2003)
• Three Weeks with My Brother (April 2004) 
• True Believer (April 2005)
• At First Sight (October 2005)
• Dear John (October 2006)
• The Choice (September 2007)
• The Lucky One (September 2008)
• The Last Song (September 2009)
• Safe Haven (September 2010)
• The Best of Me (October 2011)
• The Longest Ride (September 2013)

Family Life: 

Nicholas Sparks currently lives in a quite life in North Carolina with his wife Catherine and family. He and his wife started the Nicholas Sparks Organization, a non-profit program which works to improve cultural and international understanding through world wide education for children of all ages. He also contributes to many charities including the MFA. 

Beauty Queens by: Libba Bray

Beauty Queens 

Review on Beauty Queens

In chapter one, the girls experience a disastrous plane crash involving many casualties.  Taylor, Miss Texas, immediately takes charge of the situation, rounding up all the other Pageant girls in sight.  She takes action by proposing an idea to break off into two groups.  One group is called The Sparkle Ponies, whose job is to tend to the wounded.  The other group is called The Lost Girls, whose job is to search for other survivors.  They go on there separate ways trying to help the situation as much as possible.  This book has a main theme of you never know what challenges life may face you with each day and you have to learn to roll with the punches.  Each and every day is a blessing and you cannot take anything for granted.  You never know what could be your last day and many of the girls aboard the plane found out.  None of them probably had the slightest bit of concern when they boarded the plane.  It never crossed one of there minds that it could be there last day.  Unfortunately, that's the uncertainty of life.  Nothing is ever a definite and anything could go wrong at anytime.  This was brought to many of the girls attention as they experienced there fellow Teen Dreamers, their friends, pass away before their eyes.  The theme of making the best of every situation and staying positive also comes into play when they are stranded on this island with no means of communication.  Many trembled in fear, but others rose to the occasion.  None of the girls had ever had to fend for themselves before, let alone in the wilderness on an unknown island.    Libba Bray takes you on an adventure along side the Teen Dreamers as they overcome their fears, bond with one another, and grow as a person.  Over the course of the book each of the remaining Teen Dreamers develops as a person.  They  have a greater appreciation for life and others with experiencing so many others around them die and realize how easily it could have been them.  They all put their differences aside and learn to work as a whole.  Lastly, they learn survival skills as they have to preserve to stay alive.