LOL, the high school book club that meets over the lunch hour to discuss a book (or other ideas) at least once a month just finished with an Iowa High School Book Award winner, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.
This book was made into a movie that has just been released in theaters, and tells the story of two boys who have grown up together in Afghanistan: Amir, a wealthy elite Pashtun, and Hassan, his Hazara servant. When Amir secretly witnesses a brutal assault on Hassan by village bullies, the guilt over his unwillingness to stand up for or even try to protect his friend eats away at him throughout his life.
While many parts of this novel are painful or disturbing to read, the insight into Afghan culture, the glimpse of what the country was like before the Taliban, and the multi-layered relationships among the characters make this a book that is hard to put down.
A few "read beyond" ideas for those who want to read more about Afghanistan: A Thousand Splendid Suns, also by Khaled Hosseini, The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seirstad, The Story of My Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky by Farah Ahmedi, Kabul Beauty School: Beneath the Veil of Afghan Women by Deborah Rodriguez, and Zoya's Story: An Afghan Woman's Struggle for Freedom by Zoya.
In the juvenile collection, recommended titles include Parvana's Journey (see review on my Kids Blog), and it's prequel The Breadwinner, both by Deborah Ellis, and Under the Persimmon Tree by Suzanne Fisher Staples.
The #3 book by Christopher Paolini to follow Eragon and Eldest is reported to be on schedule for a Fall 2008 release. Many readers are looking forward to this fantasy novel.
Paolini began plotting the Inhertiance series as a 15 year old homeschooled student, orginally envisioning it as a trilogy. However, he recently announced that what he thought would be the final book in the trilogy, will actually need to be told over two more books, resulting in a projected series length of four books.
Eragon was made into a movie in 2006, and is now available on DVD to check out from the public library.
I just finished Printz Honor Book, Surrender, by Sonya Hartnett. I found it to be somewhat grisly and surreal...not a favorite combination of mine. The writing was at times breathtaking, and at other times felt almost so "crafted" that I found it distracting.
This is one of those books that I really can't say I liked...but definitely kept me reading. There was a kind of morbid suspense that made me finish it. It is also something that I would love to hear someone else's opinion about...as it was so well reviewed...things like "Exquisite, wrenching, unforgettable, rewarding, brilliantly told" etc. etc. that sometimes I feel like I just missed something.
One of my favorite line from the book is something the main character Gabriel says to Evangeline (p. 143) about whether or not she will ever leave the small hometown where they both live: "Life is lived on the inside. What's outside doesn't matter."
That is an interesting point of view. Comments, anyone?
