Nights in Rodanthe ... by Nicholas Sparks

This one is a near tear-jerker at the end. Easy read; took 2 days. I finished the previous book before the weekend started. So I had more time on this during my drive-and-wait rounds during the weekend. And I had a little time at school to read on Sunday... reached the cliffhanger part in school.

So, after school, I immediately slipped into my shorts and T-shirt and headed for the gym. I wanted to read. I didn't want to just lie around and read. Sure doze off. Had actually planned to sit with Daughter to go over her work but she was asleep when I got home. It seemed a good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Anyway, the gym is always empty mid afternoon. So, 40 minutes and 2.5 km on the treadmill on an incline, a couple of sit-ups and some weights later, I was done with the book. This is one reason why I love my Touch... can just place it on the little groove on the machine.

At 40 plus, the main lady character finds herself divorced. Her husband left her for a pretty young thing. One storm-filled weekend at Rodanthe, an encounter with a doctor whose wife had left him because he was married to his work changed both lives. It was to be their only encounter... they were supposed to meet after a year. He wanted to make amends with his son (in Ecuador) whom he never got along. And they were to be together again after a year. Never made it. He died rescuing his son. But Adrienne (the main character) found her confidence from that one encounter. Kinda sad to read the ending... but it is a tender story of hope and love.

Though the novel is kinda mechanical... cos the one who always seem to be the one left to mourn, hang on to old memories and relive them, mope, hope... well, it's usually the lady. Then again, mechanical or not, in real life too, most men would not hang on to the torch that long....

Once in a while, it actually can be refreshing to read a book like this. Made me pause a moment, take a look my Other Half and kids... love, hope, life! In midlife, one goes through 'crisis' of sorts. Marriages is one which often suffers most out of those crisises. Sometimes we forget that being middle aged doesn't mean that you should not be 'madly' in love still. We tend to forget - buried by children, mortgages, careers, caring for aged parents, etc.... The novel kinda serves that sort of jolt of a reminder.

I still had time to go get some groceries after that and cook dinner. Dinner was grilled 'everything' on rice... prawns, baby French beans with enoki, carrot and tomatoes with teriyaki sauce. Quick and tasty.... then it was off to church.

So, this is the 13th so far... reading is becoming easier. Almost mechanized in a way now. And my ability to remember details too seems to have improve somewhat. It does sharpen the mind. Practice makes perfect..