My latest reads

I finished "A Thousand Splendid Suns" last night. The best way I can describe this book is that it is a beautifully written book about one of the saddest stories I have ever read. I will go as far to say I loved his book even though it was painfully heart-wrenching.

Written by the author of "The Kite Runner," which was also an amazing story, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" moved me in so many ways. This is one of those books that is a journey, and made me feel so many emotions. It left me drained and saying prayers of gratitude that I was born in this country. It has stuck with me ever since I read the last word.

It's the story of two women in Afghanistan who, despite very different upbringings, are brought together. It follows them through the Soviet invasion in 1979, through all the mujahadeen battles, into the Taliban reign. As I read, whenever I thought the story couldn't get sadder, it did. But, it wasn't done in a hopeless way, and did end on a happy note. I love this author and the glimpse into this foreign land and the excruciatingly difficult lives women lead there. His writing style is excellent: characters I feel like I know, just the right descriptions, perfect timing as the story moves along. I would recommend this book over and over again, but be prepared for an unbelievable reading experience.



This is our book club read for the month. I had high hopes for it, but was left saying "I don't get it."

It's the story of two American sisters living in Hong Kong in the 1960s, a time of great political turmoil in Hong Kong. Their father is a war photographer in neighboring Vietnam, and their mom is rather checked out. It's a coming of age story of the two sisters, who are totally different from one another. The main event of the story is when something tragic happens when they are exploring a market one afternoon with their Chinese nanny.

I loved the idea of this story, but didn't think any of it - the characters, story, etc. - was well developed at all. The author was way too into listing things (she's be describing the jungle, and then list like 8 species of plants in the jungle). I got lost in her many lists. And when the story ended, I felt like I just didn't get the whole story. It was an OK read, interesting subject matter, just not presented well.