Danielle's Reading Nook

Book: "By Any Other Name"

Author: Jodi Picoult

Summary: Did you think that William Shakespear wrote his plays? If he didn't who wrote them? About Melina Green and her ancestor Emilia Bassano who are playwrights who use men to publish their plays. However, Melina goes through a tough time after the truth comes out. Emilia always wanted her words to shine but goes though hardships after being sent to one home to another. Will Emilia and Melina get the recognition they desire or do the words they write disappear and they become invisible?

My thoughts: I liked the parallels between the characters, Picoult always tackles topics I don't see with other authors. The book was easy to follow and the pacing was good. I liked how Mel and her ancestor did the same thing to get their works to the public and used men to do so.

I never thought to think that Shakespear didn't write his plays. After reading this book and looking up Emilia Bassano, I have no thought that Shakespear had help in writing his most famous works.

I did read this on my kindle, and it took me a while, but I did think the underling topic of marginalized groups needed to be addressed.

This book is a definite read if you like plays and uncovering the truth.

Rating: 8.9/10

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Synopsis on both books: “Remain” is basically about a man who travels to Cape Cod to work on a friends house where he meets a woman and they both find out that something paranormal is happening and had happened. Together they fall in love and they find out what happened and how they overcome the obstacles.

“Counting Miracles” is about a man who wants to find his dad after his mom and grandparents pass away. While trying to find his father, he meets a single mom of 2 and spends time with her while trying to find his father. After a series of events, he finds out the truth while contemplating his feelings for a woman he just met.

My thoughts: I liked the books because Sparks is one of my favorites. However, I wish that he would write a story that doesn’t have an ending where the characters get together. I mean, I understand why he does that, but sometimes life isn’t that way. And why do the characters always fall in love after a week? In my honest opinion, love takes time; like months not one week.

This is all my opinion. I’m not saying the books are bad, I just want them to be a little more realistic.

Ratings: “Remain” was a 7.9/10 for the paranormal and “Counting Miracles” was a 6.7/10—even though I did enjoy them.

Would I recommend them?

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