The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
is a sappy love story best described as book candy. It's sugary and sweet but doesn't really offer any real content. The book offers a sweet love story told by an aging man in a retirement home. The frame story is a little sappy and lame, but I mostly enjoyed the love story that he told. This book is fun, but definitely not life changing or awe inspiring. Read this book if you like sappy love stories, if you saw the
film
, or if you just want something quick and easy to read. I give it a 6 out of 10.
is the third and final book in 
. It's also the longest book in the trilogy. The book brings the story of Lyra and Will to a somewhat disappointing and heartbreaking conclusion. Disappointing because you don't learn everything you want to learn and heartbreaking because what you want to happen doesn't happen. The book starts slow with so many story lines and characters to follow but wraps up all together too quickly when all the stories and characters collide. Read this book if you read the first two, if you like sci-fi/fantasy, or if you're interested in books about philosophical questions. I give it an 8.5 out of 10.