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Love means not ever having to say you’re sorry.

Erich Segal, Love Story (1970)

Author: Erich Segal (Click to read an interview with this author who rose to fame out of nowhere)

Who Should Read It: Hmm, that’s a hard one. It was the number one bestseller for the year 1970. It appealed to the masses. If you want a short and sweet love story, this would be it.

Best part About this Book: Call me strange, but there’s something intensely satisfying about the death of a major character. It’s catharsis.

What’s Missing: Details. Details! Why do these people love each other? Why should I care if the main characters live or die when they seem so, well, shallow?

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

So I hated this book. It boggles me how this became such a hit. Apparently the author was somewhat charismatic and did interviews around the country, and that probably sparked interest. But I want some romance. I love romance. I happen to be a member of the feminine gender, and there’s nothing like a good love story. In fact I rarely read a fiction book if there’s not a good love story. But this didn’t fall into that category in my book.

Okay, enough ranting. The point is, this book is super short. That’s probably part of its appeal. It’s got a Romeo and Juliet feel as well, what with the star-crossed lovers and getting separated from their fate through death. However, if you really want to cry up a storm, watch the movie. Now that’s a tear-jerker. Besides, it has that catchy tune that you still hear once in a while. If you want the story, watch the movie, that’s all I’m saying.

Author: Mario Puzo (Click to view interviews, videos, and more)

Who Should Read It: Everybody!

Best Part About This Book: The tough guy storyline, the fascinating characters

What’s Missing: This ain’t sweet and pretty if that’s your style

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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The Godfather

By Mario Puzo

Number One Bestseller: 67 weeks

I’m not gonna lie. I loved this book. I certainly didn’t expect to, despite its reputation as one of the most beloved movies of all time. Because I have a weak stomach when it comes to blood and gore. I can barely even chop up cooked meat. But I took this dose of tough Mafia tales with pleasure. Mario Puzo supposedly never even met a gangster, but the gangsters who read the book claimed to have loved it. Not only that, but they couldn’t believe Puzo hadn’t been involved underground. Puzo claims his writing is way below par in the book, but it’s the intelligent, gritty, and tough diction that really gives the right flavor for the telling. The characters are fascinating and all show aspects of the different sides of the “families” (leaders in crime) in New York.

The strangest thing about the book is that you can’t really tell who the good guys are. You identify with the main characters, but you come to realize that these people that you like are actually very capable, heartless killers. And they kill for money and revenge. And somehow, the violence feels justified.

The book does a good job of capturing a dark side of American history. Characters are based on real people from gangster Chicago and New York.

View DVDs, T-shirts, video games and more: The Godfather on Amazon

Watch the first 20 minutes below!

Author: Rhonda Byrne (Click to view an interview with this bestselling author)

Best Thing About This Book: The idea is probably something you already believe, but haven’t had it presented in this way for you before. The marketing of this simple idea is brilliant.

What’s Missing: Not much. It’s entertaining, as well as thought-provoking.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Rhonda Byrne apparently lives what she preaches. Sources say she is a delightful, happy person to be around. And from the money she’s made off of her idea, apparently her belief system works. This is a fad that my husband and I have definitely caught on to. Put good things out into the world and good things will come back. Think negatively, and the powers that be surrounding you will cause negative things to happen. Sound a little hokey? Not the way she explains it. I recommend watching the movie as well.

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Author: Cormac McCarthy (Click to read about the highly-advertise interview with Oprah)

Who Should Read It: People who like to contemplate the end of the world

Best Part About This Book: The author’s innovative style and even punctuation matches the tone and message of the book.

What’s Missing: Some uppers among the downers. It’s like a book version of Pursuit of Happyness. You know, that movie where just when you thought it couldn’t get worse…

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

I don’t mean to be negative when some people are calling this book among the best of our time. I mean it wasn’t so bad that I didn’t finish it. And Oprah loved it. So it can’t be all that bad. But I’ll probably not be reading this book again. It’s just the plot is this unvarying sickness, and the hope the book is supposed to express is a very bleak kind. No doubt he’s a talented writer, though. And pondering the kind of world that McCarthy explores here is interesting.

Author: Stephenie Meyer (Click to learn more about this author)

Who Should Read It: Teenage girls. Older women. Guys with a soft spot. Those people may not seem to have a whole lot in common, but I’ve known all of the above to become obsessed with these books.

Best Part About The Book: The fast-paced action storyline

What’s Missing: In-depth characters

Rating: 2 of 5 stars

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Some people would probably drive a stake through me for saying this. But I don’t think that Stephenie Meyer is a good writer.

Now let me clarify that. I still think people should read her books. She’s an icon right now. I mean she’s sort of just came from nowhere, and now there’s no way she’s leaving the national stage. She’s been in Time Magazine, she’s got people dressed up as her characters. She’s been compared to J.K. Rowling.  It’s kind of fascinating anyhow, this Mormon housewife who writes such sizzling love stories that teenaged girls and married women alike are getting breathless when they read about Edward, that sexy character who happens to be a vampire.

What I mean when I say she’s not a good writer is that I just can’t like the main character. I don’t see what’s so great about her, and Meyer doesn’t put too much effort into convincing me why I should. Usually if I don’t like the  protagonist, I don’t like the book. Period. Character development in a novel is almost as important as in a screenplay. But–and here’s a big but–what she can do is fast-paced action. People who don’t usually read are drawn into these books because they are page turners and so Meyer can be called a talent for that fact. I expect bigger, better things from her down the road.

Author: Gary Chapman (Click to read more about the author who started a new movement)

Who Should Read It: Anyone who’s in a relationship

Best Part About This Book: Recognizing the way you like to receive love is different than the way others do. Very important!

What’s Missing: Not much. Maybe this is oversimplifying but it’s fun.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

I remember when this book came out as a fad almost while I was in college. Everybody was quizzing their significant others to discover their language of love. The best part about this look on relationships is it admits the fact that we all receive love differently. I mean, when my husband and I were dating I thought he was so touchy all of the time. He needed so much affection I thought, man, he must be lonely or something. But then I realized his language of love was, and still is, touch. Definitely not mine. But I know what I need to do when we’re in a fight to make him feel loved. Anyways, the point is after reading this book you’re going to walk away thinking about all the people you know and the way you ought to be showing them love. And what’s more, you might look back on the people who expressed their love language in a way that you don’t, and realize they were really showing how much they cared. Like that roommate who gave you really awesome Christmas gifts.

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Buy The Kite Runner

Author: Khaled Hosseini (Click to read an interview with this talented writer)

Who Should Read It: People who want insights on what it’s like to grow up in Afghanistan

Best Part About This Book: It changed the way I view childhood.

What’s Missing: A happy ending.

Rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was a beautiful, heartrending account of what Afghanistan used to be before it became occupied by the Taliban, and provides hope among the pathos for the future of this war-torn country. Some of the images are quite disturbing, however. This novel is everything a book lover is looking for: it provides heart-wrenching emotional drama, it lends insight into the best and worst of human behavior, it examines real historical and political issues from someone who’s been there, and it contains an action-packed storyline. A must-read.