I recently finished reading the last Nicholas Sparks book. Well, at least every single one he’s written to date. I didn’t go in order though. I didn’t even start with The Notebook (his first and probably more famous novel). But, I’ve read every single one. I began back in 2010 with The Last Song after the movie of the same name was released and I fell in love (mainly because of Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus’ young love). And on September 9, 2019, I finished by reading Sparks’ memoir titled “Three Weeks with my Brother”.
About 4 years back, after reading a few books here and there of his, I finally decided that Nicholas Sparks’ books were going to be the collection of books where I owned and read every single one. Sure, there are other actual series where I’ve done the same, but Sparks’ books are not a series, there’s about 17 of them, and they’re all different yet the same. All about love and it’s various forms.
I sought out to purchase his books, sometimes buying up to 3 or 4 of them on a single trip to Barnes and Nobles. I read the contemporary ones, ones that movies had been made about, the ones less talked about, and the classics like “A Walk to Remember”, “Nights in Rodanthe”, and “Dear John”. When I started coming up on the last few, I realized that I was going to have to pick which one would be my last (because I have to be super emo and dramatic about everything). I could have gone with the obvious choice of reading his most recent book released in 2018, “Every Breath”. But after reading a brief synopsis of each one of his other books I had left to read, I settled on reading “Three Weeks with my Brother” because it was Spark’s memoir, so I figured it best to finish all his novels and then read some more about the actual author himself. I also planned it so that I would read this last book when I was home in Kansas City spending a week alone with my brother (see, emo).
And now I’m done. I’m sure he’ll write more books. But for now, this is it. I don’t have another purchase to look forward to about another new riveting love story after almost 10 years of reading his books. And for that, I feel kinda empty. And I feel very reflective. So below, are 7 things that Nicholas Sparks taught me (in true, sappy, emo form).
7 things that Nicholas Sparks taught me:
1. Mostly about love. Sure, most if not all of his books have some sort of love story between a heterosexual couple at one point or another throughout the book. But not all of them are strictly focused on this storyline. There are the ones about the love between parents and their children. Humans and their furry companions. Friends and siblings. Love for a place. Love for music. Love for the ocean and nature. And so, I’ve read about, heard the stories of, and learned about all kinds of different love which I think is the most educational topic there is.
2. Forgiveness. If there’s anything we can offer those around us (besides love) it’s forgiveness. We never know how long our term on this Earth will last, so to those who we burn or who burn us, we can offer forgiveness. Sometimes this forgiveness can’t always be vocally or actively expressed. Thus, at least for our individual peace of mind and heart, it’s best to reach a place of forgiveness.
3. Coping with death. A lot of his novels contain the death of a loved one for one or many of the characters. About 5 years into reading Nicholas Sparks, I lost a loved one. Around that time, I was reading “A Walk to Remember”. Though different instances of death, reading Nicholas Sparks gave me A) a way to distract myself from reality and B) a lesson in learning how to cope with the death. Confiding in others and finding the ones we loved and lost in all things is a good way to cope.
4. What real tears feel like. I’ve learned what real tears felt like when I lost my brother and while reading Nicholas Sparks novels. Some of them really getcha and the waterworks just flow.
5. How to enjoy reading. I was never a kid who really enjoyed reading. I did a lot of reading for school and I advanced well in my reading ability, but around middle school, I didn’t really have the joy of reading constantly in my life. I was really picky about the books I would actually like and dedicate time to reading for fun. Nicholas Sparks might not be the most academic or scholarly type of book to read but at least they got me to read something and read for fun more often in my spare time. And to me, Nicholas Sparks novels were easy reads in that I could devour them in a few hours if I had the time and I would desire a beach vacation so I could just sit on the beach and read, a plane or a car ride where I could do the same, etc.
6. All about the South. With the help of Nicholas Sparks novels, I learned that I love the Carolinas. I’ve read 7 of his books while visiting some part of South Carolina and his books all take place in North Carolina. The Last Song, which was the first of his books that I read, was filmed on Tybee Island, Georgia and since then, it’s been a dream of mine to go visit there. I’ve done a whole piece on how much the Carolinas mean to me and how maybe one day I’ll settle down there, but I really do have Nicholas Sparks to thank for helping me fall in love with that part of the country even more.
7. Peace. This one is really hard to describe. But there’s something about reading Nicholas Sparks books over the years that has always brought me peace. Whether it’s the content of the story or if it’s what settings I placed myself in while reading, but no matter what, I’ve been able to experience a peace that has been hard for me to come by. And I believe that it’s at peace that we can experience love. So really, this is all to say that love stories are the best kinds of stories. And Nicholas Sparks books are love.