Ruby's Literary Awards

In the last 17 weeks of bed rest I have read 49 books (19,091 pages). So I thought I would let you know what some of the best of the best are that I have read! I read about every book written by Gerald N. Lund, Anita Stansfield, and Nicholas Sparks, and then a little of everything else. Scott even got me to read a Michael Crichton book, his favorite author; it was good, but not exactly my type. And I have to note that the Harry Potter series still stands as my ultimate favorite!

Best Overall Goes To.....
The Work & The Glory Series

by Gerald N. Lund
I have only read volume 1 through 7, but so far they are my overall favorite. I can’t wait to read volumes 8 and 9! I love learning church history through a page turning fictional story. (By the way, the movies are nothing like the books, it’s definitely worth the time and effort to read them!)

Best Love Story Goes To....
The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks
This is the sequel to The Notebook and has to be the best love story in the whole world. It is not only an entertaining page turner, but also inspires you to be a better spouse and to remember the importance of adding a little romance!

Quote: “I learned, for instance, that while wounds can be inflicted easily upon those we love, it’s often much more difficult to heal them. Yet the process of healing those wounds provided the richest experience of my life, leading me to believe that while I’ve often overestimated what I could accomplish in a day, I had underestimated what I could accomplish in a year.”

Most Intriguing Plot Goes To...
Memory Keepers Daughter

by Kim Edwards
“On a winter night in 1964, Dr. David Henry is forced by a blizzard to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy. Yet when his daughter is born, he sees immediately that she has Down’s Syndrome. Rationalizing it as a need to protect Norah, his wife, he makes a split-second decision that will alter all their lives forever. He asks his nurse to take the baby away to an institution and never to reveal the secret. But Caroline, the nurse, cannot leave the infant. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child herself.” So now you have to read it to find out what happens!

Other Romances that I have to mention...
Message In the Bottle by Nicholas Sparks
I don’t remember the movie at all, but the book I won’t soon forget. It is a beautiful romance that wrenches at the heart!

The Gable Faces East/ Gables Against the Sky

by Anita Stansfield
I love every book by this author, but this series stands out as my favorite. Takes place in Australia in the 1800s; I couldn’t put it down!

A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks
Romance and Mystery combined

A Walk To Remember by Nicholas Sparks
This is a great love story, but I wish I would have read this before I had seen the movie so many times. Yes, the movie is great, but having seen it first, it was like going through the movie in slow motion.