Books like Sam

My grandma gave me this book to read because it shares my name. I've never read the first book, but it's not needed to understand this one.I got a little over a third of the way into this book before stopping. The characters all say/do stupid things, the pace of the book is slow, and I'm just bored with it--so bored, I actually fell asleep for a few minutes just now when reading it. I never fall asleep reading books, so that tells you how bored I am.So, his wife's been dead for SIX WEEKS, and the Bishop tells him he needs to start looking for a new one? Umm... Give the guy some time to grieve! Then, when Sam does decide he needs a mother for his kid, he pursues a girl he doesn't love and who is interested in another guy. Wow. No wonder the girl didn't fall for him. Sam spends more time being obsessed with the idea of being old and single than he does grieving for his dead wife.Then there's that home teacher. Him teaching people and not helping them was drawn out way too long, and it felt like his purpose in the book was to highlight how great Sam was at helping random strangers.Then there's Shirley. So she's been talking to this guy and they're supposed to meet, only for him to meet someone else on the way there? I'm not saying this couldn't happen, but it felt very contrived, and most long distance relationships don't have such a twist.I think the only reason I read as far as I did was because I was waiting to see the next ridiculous thing that was going to happen. None of the characters felt real, as they and everything that happened to them seemed just a little too over the top.I've heard people mention the first book as something they've enjoyed, but if the writing is the same as in this book, I don't see why it was once popular. I could care less about anyone in this book, and I'm beyond bored.