Book Disappointment

I had ordered Stephen King's "The Stand" from my local Library. I waited six weeks for this book to become available. It finally did. I went to pick it up this morning and it was the HARDCOVER!! I had to decline it. I really want to read it, but I'm not going to throw my back out doing it. It weighs only 1.7 lbs, but standing or walking with that weight gets difficult after a while, and I would have to continuously be reading it, as I only have 3 weeks with the book, and can't renew it as there is a waiting list. The librarian re-ordered it for me and it will be luck of the draw if I get the paperback. I may have to buy it after all. And don't be fooled, the paperback weighs 1 lb, but at least it is compact.

I was a little bummed about it, because I am taking my son to college tomorrow night, and the bus ride is about 20 hours round trip. I thought this would be the perfect book, but alas it isn't meant to be.

So instead I'm going to read the other book that was there.

Sunflower by Richard Paul Evans.

From Publishers Weekly
Evans delivers an entertaining albeit syrupy picking-up-the-pieces romance. Heartbroken and bereft when her fiancé backs out a week before the wedding, Christine Hollister allows herself to be talked into a volunteer work trip to Peru by best friend Jessica so that the pair can work together in an orphanage called the Sunflower. There she meets Paul Cook, the handsome but damaged former ER doc who left the U.S. after being blamed for a series of tragic Christmas deaths on the ward. The budding romance between Paul and Christine is totally predictable (including the awkwardness of their initial meetings). Evans adds a nice dramatic touch when Jessica's newfound boyfriend is seriously hurt while guiding a group of orphanage workers through the mountains near Machu Picchu, and he has a nice feel for framing devices, dialogue and scene-pacing. Evans also puts the jungle setting to good use during the couple's "dates." Although the various references to Christmas feel gratuitous, and a sudden appearance by jilter Martin doesn't do much to make the ending harder to anticipate, the finish nonetheless remains satisfying.