Stephanie+Braun

Allie is a young girl. She is very pretty and from a wealthy family. She is smart. Allie learned she loved art from Noah. Allie's parents disaprove of art. They think Allie has more potential. Allie is in a love triangle with Noah and Lon. Allie marries one of them and has kids. Allie gets diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease later in her life.
 * May 22, 2011**
 * Characters**

Noah is a man who likes the beauty of the world. He could sit on his porch reading poetry all day. Noah and Allie were in love when they were teenagers. Allie left, and Noah joined the army. When he got back, he bought a house and worked on fixing it his whole life.

Lon is a very prominent man in his town. He is a lawyer and engaged to Allie. Lon spends most of his time working on cases. He hardly ever gets to see Allie, but he loves her with his whole heart. Lon is also a gentleman. He never acts out.

Allie's mom wants the best for her daughter. She wants her to have a wealthy husband with a stable job. Allie's mom has never really like Noah because of his background. Allie's mom loves Allie and will do anything for her. She even took a trip just to tell her Lon was on the way, and he was mad. In the end, Allie's mom decides that if Noah makes her happy, then she is ok with Noah and Allie being together.

Noah and Allie meet at a festival. Noah is really shy and it takes them a little bit to express their feelings. They spend the whole summer together and are in love. Allie's mom doesn't believe she is in love with a middle class guy. She doesn't approve of Noah and tries to keep them apart. At the end of the summer, Allie leaves. Noah writes her, but Allie's mom hides the letters from her. Allie wonders why they didn't stay in touch. Noah buys a house and plans to remodel it. Allie sees the article about it in the paper. Even though she is married, she decides to visit Noah. When Allie and Noah meet, they fall in love again. They spend most of their time outside admiring the beauty. Lon calls Allie many times, but she never answers. He begins to wonder about her. He puts the pieces of the puzzle together. Lon drives to visit Allie. Allie's mom leaves before him and tells Allie he is on the way. She also gives Allie the letters she had been hiding. She tells Allie she has to choose between the two of them. Allie makes her decision and marries one of them. They have a great life together with many children. Allie get diagnosed with Alzheimer's. She is in the hospital with her husband. Most of the time Allie doesn't know who he is. There are some good days when she remembers him. The ending is really good. The reader also learned which guy Allie choose to marry.
 * Summary**

I give this book a 5. It was amazing and kept me interested the whole time. Sparks' uses so much detail the story comes to life. He is a great writer. One reason I was so interested in this book is because I wanted to find out what Allie chose to do with her life. Great book! I would recommend this to anyone, especially teenagers and women.
 * Rating**

Kelli is reading the Pretty Little Liar series. I really want to read this series. I want the series on TV, and I'm addicted to it. Kelli has told me the books are a little different from the TV show. I would like to read the books to know the differences and choose if I like the books or TV show better.
 * Discussions of classmate's readings**

I really liked using a wiki to talk about our books. This is better than reading logs because you don't have to read a certain number of minutes a week. This is easier for people with busy lifestyles beause the book has to be read by a deadline. I liked being able to look at other student's books. It helped me choose what books I would like to read sometime. With the Wiki, we can hae discussions about what we are reading, and if we would recommend it or not. This is a great place to get reviews from people our age. Overall, I liked blogging about my books.
 * Wiki Refections**

I am reading Nichlas Sparks' __The Notebook__. I have read forty-two pages since my last blog. Allie and Noah have been hanging out for the last two days. They both told eachother they are still in love. Then, Allie's mom, who has disliked this relationship from the very beginning, showed up. At first Allie thought she was in trouble. Her mom came to warn her that Lon was on his way. She also gave Allie the notes that Noah sent. Allie's mom had been saving them the whole time. Allie needed to make her decision. After a lot of thinking, she went out to talk to Noah. Noah could tell the moment she walked out that she didn't choose him. Allie drove away without looking back. Before sh entered the hotel she read the very last letter Noah sent her. It was the goodbye letter. I'm very sad she didn't choose Noah. I feel that they have more chemistry and get along better.
 * April 29, 2011**

I am reading __The Notebook__, by Nicholas Sparks. I have read fifty pages since my last blog. Allie's fiance called five times and she didn't answer. He was wondering why she wasn't answering. Since he is a lawyer, he put the information together and concluded that she was visiting one of her ex-boyfriends. When Allie got back it was too late, so she didn't call him back. She also didn't call him back during the day. Noah took Allie on a canoe ride to a special place. The place was a hidden pond with many swans. On their way back to the house it started pouring rain. At this point, Allie realized she feel in love with Noah again. I think this is a great book. Nicholas Sparks gives so much details in each of his books that really makes the story come alive. I want to keep reading it because Allie just realized she is in love with Noah. I want to know if she will tell him or just go back and marry her fiance.
 * April 18, 2011**

I am still reading __The Notebook__, by Nicholas Sparks. I have read sixty pages. Noah and Allie started cooking dinner. While they let it cook, they have been catching-up with each other. The only thing they haven't talked about is their past relationships. They both notice that subject hasn't been brought up, but neither want to mention anything. My favorite line from this book is, "It was a terrible thing for a gril to learn. That status is more important than feelings." Allie told this to Noah when they were talking about what happened that summer, that made Allie's parents hate Noah.
 * April 1, 2011**

I decided to read __The Notebook__, by Nicholas Sparks. His books are really hard to put down. He writes with so much emotion and passion. I checked this book out from the school library. Noah and Allie were in love during the summer, when they were teenagers. Allie's parents didn't like Noah, because he wasn't from the same social class as them. Allie left at the end of the summer. Now she is engaged to this lawyer, whose family is well-known. She saw an article in the paper that Noah bought an old house. He is in the process of remodeling it. Allie tells her fiance she is going on a trip to look for antiques. She left out the part about visiting Noah. When Allie shows up at Noah's doorstep, it is ackward at first. They both still have feelings for eachother. She finally tells him she in engaged. Noah was very sad when he heard about this, but he asked if they could still be friends. Allie said yes. Then, they want to catch crabs, from the lake by his house, for dinner. They go back to the house and Allie looks around at the remodeling. She thinks the house looks amazing. I wonder if it will work out for Noah and Allie to be just friends.
 * March 23, 2011**
 * March 4, 2011**
 * Characters:**
 * Riley- Riley is in her twenties. She is very petite, athletic, and is older than her sister. In the summer, she goes to the beach house her parents own. She is a lifeguard there. Her best friend is her neighbor at the beach, Paul. Riley never lets sickness keep her down. During the summer, she gets so sick that she stays inside one day. Later on in the book, we learn that she needs to get a heart transplant. This changes everyone's life around. Riley doesn't let her heart keep her down. She goes on walks and swims. She even went skiing with Paul one time, but Paul didn't know about Riley's heart. Throught out the book Riley remained strong. She hated it when people found out about her heart and started to act different around her.
 * Alice- Alice is the youngest in her family. She is a little chubbier than Riley. Alice likes to read and she was planning to go to law school. Alice is having mixed feelings about Paul. Sometimes he makes her so mad, but other times she can't get her mind off him. Their relationship grows stronger until Alice learns about Riley's heart. Alice starts ignoring Paul because Riley won't let her tell Paul. Alice decides to live with Riley and her parents during the winter and drop her plans of going to law school. After the summer that changes everything, Alice works terrible paying jobs. She doesn't have anything to look forward in life. The next summer she goes back to the beach and changes her life around.
 * Paul- Paul is an only child, so Riley said that they could share Alice. Paul's beach house is bigger than Riley and Alice's, but he always goes over to their house. They always have better food. He thinks his house is very big and boring. Paul's father past away when he was a little boy. He doesn't make an effort to stay in contact with his mother. Paul can't stop thinking about Alice. He wishes she would love him back. They finally realize they love eachother. He was very mad at Alice for ending their relationship without even talking to him about it. He still couldn't get his mind of her though. Paul decides to sell his beach house. While cleaning it out, it brought back memories of his early childhood. He also learns more about what his dad was like.
 * Ethan- Ethan is the dad of Riley and Alice. He is married to Judy. He teaches at a middle school during the winter. Ethan always goes to the beach house with his family during the summer. He isn't that rich, so he stays in the lower ranking part of the beach. When he goes out with his wife, they only go to the cheaper restraunts. One is where Alice works because they are proud to see her working. He had an affair, but Ethan and Judy decided to try to stay together and work things out. Their relationship hasn't been the same ever since the affair, but they are able to make it work out. He tries to take the role of being Paul's father because Paul's father past away. Paul ignores Ethan, but Ethan keeps trying to talk to him. Near the end of the book, Paul lets Ethan into his life a little more.

Riley and Alice return to the beach they used to spend every summer at. It has been a couple of years and the beach has changed. Many houses have been torn down and replaced. Paul, their neighbor at the beach, has called them and told them he is coming back to the beach this summer. Once they meet him they realize he is very differnt. His hair is much longer and he act more mature and quiet now. Soon, they get back to their old ways. They go swimming, boating, and catching crabs. Alice and Paul finally tell eachother they have feelings for eachother. Everything seems to be going good until Riley learns she needs a new heart. Riley begs Alice not to tell Paul. Alice reluctantly doens't mention anything to Paul. This is when their relationship starts to crumble. Alice is ignoring Paul and Paul gets really mad at Alice. They leave the beach without saying anything to eachother. Alice dropped her plans to go to law school. During the winter she lives with Riley and her parents. She also works jobs no one else would want. Riley is getting worse, but being the person she is, she doesn't admit it. Alice and Paul see eachother a few times, but the conversations are ackward and short. Riley learns she can get a different heart. She gets put on the waiting list and given a beeper for when a heart becomes available. Riley was swimming for forty-five minutes, and he beeper started going off. The doctors called every number they knew. They still couldn't reach anyone, so the heart was given to another patient. Paul decides to sell his house. He goes through all his dad's items. At first it was hard for him, but then he enjoyed finding out about his father's life. Riley finally tells Paul about her heart. He had so many questions, but she didn't want to talk about it. Alice finally returns to the beach house at the very end of summer. She meets the family that moved into Paul's house. They have two kids and Alice becomes friends with them. She teaches all the things she used to do in the summer. Paul returns to the beach to get something he forgot at his house. You will have to read the book to see if Paul and Alice end up together or not.
 * Plot:**

4-This book was very interesting. I loved reading about summer because I can't wait for warm, summer days. I kept reading this book to see if Paul and Alice ended up together. I really wanted them to. It also reminded me of the movie __My Sister's Keeper__. The plot of that movie and this book were very similar. This book also gave lots of details that helped me picture the scenes. The thing I didn't like about this book was that it skipped around a lot. It would be describing a day at the beach and then would jump to the next morning. It got confusing sometimes.
 * Rating:**

I would like to read a Nicholas Sparks book next. I have read some of his books and I love them. His books always have so much detail and emotion. Sammi Troe read __Message in a Bottle__ by Nicholas Sparks. That book sounds very interesting.
 * Reactions to other blogs:**


 * February 10,** **2011**

__The Last Summer (of You & Me)__, is still taking place by the beach. Nothing exciting has happened since I last updated you. Riley, Alice, and Paul are doing the regular summer activities. They have been boating, swimming, and even went to catch crabs. Riley got sick and stayed inside for half of the day, which never happens. They experienced something they call an "Alice Beach." This is a very rare beach. It is also one of their favorites, because they woke up at 3:00 in the morning just to swim in it. "The Alice Beach" is made of a full, bright moon out and a shallow tide pool. I am also learning that Paul thinks about Alice all the time. He wishes she loved him back. I think Alice does love Paul, but just won't admit it. The best part of this book is reading about all these summer activities. There is lots of detail, so I get a perfect picture of their summer. The thing I don't like about this book, is that it skips around so many times. It will describe their morning, then there will be a squiggly line and jump to the night in a couple of pages. It can get very confusing and take a little bit to understand what is happening. Overall, this book is good. I can't stop reading it because I want to know if Paul and Alice will end up together. Click this link [|Last Summer (of You & Me)]to see what another person who read this book says about it.


 * January 27, 2011** I am reading __The Last Summer (of You & Me__), by Ann Brashares. I got this book from the school library. I decided to read this book because I read __The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants__ by her, and I really enjoyed that book. Riley and Alice are sisters who are in their twenties. Every summer, they visit their parents' beach house. Riley is petite, a tomboy, and is a lifeguard. She usually spends her time by the water or in the sand. Alice is smart, more girly and a little bigger than Riley. Paul also spends his summer at a beach house next to Riley and Alice's beach house. The three of them have been friends. Over the time the three were apart, Paul has grown-up and seems different. Riley and Alice aren't quite sure what else is different about him. The three haven't seen each other in a long time, so they aren't as comfortable as they have been earlier summers. Hopefully by the end of the summer they will be back to acting crazy around each other. I think there also might be a love triangle in this book. This book is very interesting. Every time I read it, it is hard to put down. I also think about summer when I'm reading this book, which I hope comes really soon. :)


 * January 13, 2011** Today I created a Wikispace account!!!