~REVIEW of Jay Kopelman's FROM BAGHDAD WITH LOVE~

Opening line:"I don't remember exactly when I got to the house that served as our command post in the northwest sector of Fallujah, and I don't remember exactly how I got there."

This was a surprisingly great read that held me captivated from beginning to end and I have been recommending it like crazy to all my friends.FROM BAGHDAD WITH LOVE tells the heartwarming and somewhat heartbreaking story of a starving abandoned puppy named Lava and the hardened marine who along with wartime journalists, Iraqi citizens and many, many others saved him from certain death on the bombed out streets of Iraq and eventually got him onto US soil.

Well written and containing 8 pages of photographs there is no secret to Lava's outcome but this is still an utterly fascinating story. Lava is initially discovered by the Third Marines unit known as The Lava Dogs when they storm an abandoned house in Fallujah Iraq and almost shoot him. Then not knowing what to do with the 5 week old puppy and forbidden by military law to keep pets the marines begin feeding and caring for the dog as they set up a command center in the abandoned house. Lava's presence allows the soldiers a pass from reality, a small piece of sweetness and normalcy in their daily hell and something else to think about other than getting killed. Has anybody fed the dog today? There are some touching scenes as we witness these big tough military men falling apart, talking in baby talk and playing with the puppy as he pees on their boots and destroys their belongings and they think he's cute.

Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman is eventually adopted by Lava who chooses his boots to sleep in. Subsequently several scenes play out like a movie as Lava is hidden and moved between red and green military zones and finally crated as they attempt to drive him across the Jordanian border. The last few chapters are really exciting, and even though you know the outcome you will find yourself wondering, how exactly are they going to pull this off?

I learned a surprising amount about the war in Iraq reading this book and really got a feel for what the soldiers go through on a daily basis living in a war zone. Just how hard it must be to maintain your sanity amidst all the chaos and death. The ending is just WOW and had me close to tears, as it's Lava who ultimately saves one marine from the emotional ravages of war. This is a book that I can highly recommend, especially if you're a dog lover in addition you'll get to learn a little something about a war that most of us barely notice anymore when the images and numbers flash past on our TV screens.

Here's a great video where Jay talks about finding Lava

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLIzyAM5qrQ

~REVIEW of Nicholas Sparks' THE LUCKY ONE~

 ~ROMANTIC, SUSPENSEFUL AND ULTIMATELY HARD TO PUT DOWN~

Opening Line: "Deputy Keith Clayton hadn't heard them approach, and up close, he didn't like the looks of them any more then he had the first time he'd seen them."

 

One of the great (or not so great) things about Nicholas Sparks is that he doesn’t always give you a happy ending and it was with this in mind that about half way through -just as the flood waters started to rise, secrets began boiling to the surface and I was completely invested in the characters and their budding love story, I began to get nervous for the ending. I mean you just knew something bad was going to happen, the clues were all there but the real question that kept me turning pages at a frantic pace was… to who?

Each chapter here has been written from a different characters POV incorporating Elizabeth; a divorced mother with a young son who along with her no-nonsense Nana run a dog kennel in their small North Carolina town, Clayton her ex-husband and the town sheriff (bully) comes from a influential family yet harbours some nasty little secrets and Thibault as our hero. An Iraq war veteran, Logan Thibault alongside his dog Zeus has walked (yes walked) from Colorado in an obsessive search for the unknown woman in a photograph he found during his three harrowing tours of duty in Iraq. He believes the picture to be his good luck charm and directly responsible for keeping him alive. In the end all the characters merge for a predictable yet ultimately nail-biting ending.

The last chapter is very, very sneaky with Sparks keeping you on pins for pages before finally giving up the ending of which I had no clue. I fell in love with all of these well fleshed out characters, each coming with rich personalities and history including several flashbacks. The love story is well done and as I said before not too soppy. Thibault is a quiet, tortured hero and just so damn lovely with Beth perfect as his caring yet tough partner. The antagonist is creepy and also well written yet because of who he is you can’t really wish him dead. Sheesh, I even fell for the boy and the dog. So yeah, I highly recommend another Nicholas Sparks novel.

-It appears that another one of Nicholas Sparks' books is being made into a movie. The Lucky One is filming right now with Zac Efron playing the role of Logan Thibault. Should be good.

THE LUCKY ONE is another great read from Nicholas Sparks. Here we are given a story with a slightly darker edge and far more suspense then his usual soppy romance. Dog lovers and fans of Spark's THE GUARDIAN in particular will appreciate this engaging romantic suspense.