Bought FIFTY DEGREES BELOW first then FORTY SIGNS OF RAIN after realizing Forty was first. FORTY is almost 400 pages long and it takes 180 of mindless, useless, pointless drivel before starting to tell the story. I read and read thinking "This is pointless", then "what is this book about?". I reread the brief book discription on the back cover again. Sure enough..pointless drivel! About 240 pages in, my mind is yelling "THERE IS NO POINT, STOP READING". I thought that it had to get better. It did not. Perhaps the last 60 pages got to the point...sort of. All in all FORTY is mindless and pointless. I don't know if I can read FIFTY now but then again..could it be worse?