Issue date: 9/22/04 Section: Arts

Apparently this was the summer of autobiographies and political satire, where Bush-bashing was placed on a temporary side burner by those who prefer Hunt's on their hot dogs and Jenna Jameson taught the world "How to Make Love like a Porn Star."

Whether it was Bill Clinton's highly anticipated "My Life," or Pamela Anderson's roman à clef, "Star," practically every celebrity thought society gave a damn about who the hell they were when really readers just wanted to see what all the hype was about or whether or not Bill would mention Monica.

In the midst of all this silly non- fiction, believe it or not authors still made up stories for the pure enjoyment of those who would rather read a ridiculously sappy love story or even a gut-wrenching make-you-think tearjerker, (think "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" or "Lovely Bones").

Renowned mystery and suspense writer James Patterson's first love story, "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas," was greeted as a fan favorite.

He treats fans a second time around with his newest fiction novel, "Sam's Letters to Jennifer." The book currently sits at #11 on the New York Times bestsellers list.

The book starts off with a message from Patterson asking, "Have you ever gotten a letter that changed you life completely?"

Jennifer has already lost her husband from a diving accident and her unborn child from the stress, when she receives a phone call beckoning her back to her childhood home after her beloved grandmother Sam falls into a coma.

Inside the house, Jennifer finds a stack of letters with her name on them. Sam has left those letters for her to read one by one in an attempt to explain life and love to Jennifer, while divulging juicy family secrets along the way.

Garnering inspiration from Sam's letters, Jennifer, at first reluctantly, allows herself to fall in love again with an unexpected source from her childhood town.

However, when her new love reveals he has a secret of his own, will Jennifer fight to keep this newfound love alive at all costs, or will she surrender to life's seemingly unending string of cruelty?

Although soaked through with sappiness and a little too optimistic for a cynic, "Sam's Letters to Jennifer" follows in the footsteps of Patterson's first love story, delivering just the right amount of love with just the right amount of story.

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