Runner

I’ve been meaning to read this book for a while. But I kept pushing it aside, for something else. Well, at least until I signed up for Orbis Terrarum Challenge. You can say that the challenge has given a swift quick in the behind.

Here’s the blurb The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini(taken from Amazon.ca):

Amir and Hassan are childhood friends in the alleys and orchards of Kabul in the sunny days before the invasion of the Soviet army and Afghanistan’s decent into fanaticism. Both motherless, they grow up as close as brothers, but their fates, they know, are to be different. Amir’s father is a wealthy merchant; Hassan’s father is his manservant. Amir belongs to the ruling caste of Pashtuns, Hassan to the despised Hazaras.

This fragile idyll is broken by the mounting ethnic, religious, and political tensions that begin to tear Afghanistan apart. An unspeakable assault on Hassan by a gang of local boys tears the friends apart; Amir has witnessed his friend’s torment, but is too afraid to intercede. Plunged into self-loathing, Amir conspires to have Hassan and his father turned out of the household.

When the Soviets invade Afghanistan, Amir and his father flee to San Francisco, leaving Hassan and his father to a pitiless fate. Only years later will Amir have an opportunity to redeem himself by returning to Afghanistan to begin to repay the debt long owed to the man who should have been his brother.

Compelling, heartrending, and etched with details of a history never before told in fiction, The Kite Runner is a story of the ways in which we’re damned by our moral failures, and of the extravagant cost of redemption.

It always amazes me how certain books can bring me such deep emotions, not all books do, but this one brought me a gamut of emotions. While reading it I felt wonder, curiosity, happiness, sadness, fear, and anger. I cried and laughed. At the end of the book I was emotionally spent.

It was such a wonderful story! I loved the setting, albeit a sad one at times. I felt it’s magical essence through the boys eyes. The fun and the triumph of the kite competition. Amir confusion of emotions towards his father. I loved the boys friendship, and way Hassan protected Amir. I felt for both boys, Hassan for the act that was done to him and also for Amir that witnessed it and couldn’t help, and lived with that guilt throughout his life. And at the end Amir’s love for Hassan’s child and the need and want to help him.

I’m definitely getting a copy of this book for my keeper shelf. And I’ll also be looking for A Thousand Splendid Suns by the same author.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hussein (5/5) General Fiction; Published: Doubleday (2003); New Author; Favorite Read 2008; 100 + Reading Challenge (47); Orbis Terrarum Challenge (2); Library book; Added to shopping list;

The Cruellest Month

I’ve done it again!

I get hooked on a series, and I have to read all the books as soon as possible, and then I when I’m all caught up, I have to wait until the next book is published.

Here’s the blurb for the latest of Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, The Cruellest Month:

It’s Easter, and on a perfect spring day in peaceful Three Pines, someone waits for night to fall, they plan to raise the dead…

When C.I. Armand Gamache of the Surete du Quebec is called to the village the next morning he faces an unusual crime scene. A séance in an old, abandoned house has gone horrifically wrong and a villager lies still, spirited away - apparently frightened to death.

Gamache soon discovers that idyllic Three Pines not all is as it should be. Toxic secrets lie buried, and something fetid and festering has clawed its way out. And even Gamache has something to hide. He is shielding his team from a terrible truth. A powerful enemy within the Surete has planted a traitor amongst them. Who will betray him? And how far will they go to ensure Gamache’s downfall?

As usual with a Louise Penny novel, I’m swept in right at the beginning. I lose myself in the book and ignore all that happens around me. It gets to a point where my children gently start pulling my t-shirt, and I look up and an hour has gone by…and I reluctantly have to put the book down and go back to real life. I hurry along just to go back to the book.

The usual characters are in the book, it was nice to visit with them again. You learn more about their personalities and you either develop an attachment to them or you realize that you judged them incorrectly. Especially with the what this book deals with: jealousy! How throughout time it grows into dislike and it festers until it blows into something horrid and uncontrollable.

Halfway through the book I had a suspicion on who committed the crime, but I couldn’t wrap my mind around why this person would want to do it, but it made so much sense in the end. Then you have Gamache is experiencing, he knows that he has traitor in his group but he wants to catch him in the act, and unbeknownst to him he’s putting the people he loves the most in danger. And then that’s when the crap hit’s the fan! Wonderful scene! Loved it!

What will happen next? That I won’t know until the next book is published…hopefully soon!

The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny (4.5/5) Mystery; Published: Headline 2007; Series: # 3, Inspector Armand Gamache; Canadian Author; 100 + Reading Challenge (46); Library book;

Go Team Canada!

Friday Fill-Ins # 84

Here are this week's Friday Fill-Ins questions:

1. You know you're old when your knees start creaking.

2. My heart is divided between going back to work and staying home with my children.

3. A romantic getaway is what I need RIGHT NOW!

4. I have felt the fears of cancer, I have known the depths of despair.

5. Gah, won't these people just cut their grass.

6. Take care of your health as soon as you can!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics with my husband, tomorrow my plans include taking the kids to their swimming lessons and Sunday, I want to finish watching Season 1 of Mad Men!

You can join the fun here.

Gaslight: Bank Street

The latest of the Gaslight mystery series, Murder On Bank Street by Victoria Thompson. Here’s the blurb:

In the four years since her husband's death, midwife Sarah Brandt has become an angel of mercy in the tenements of turn-of-the-century New York, helping the less fortunate bring new life into the world—and, with Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy, seeing that justice is done for them.

Now, Malloy has taken up the task of solving the murder of Dr. Tom Brandt, believing he's found a motive among the families of the doctor's patients. But when he discovers what he believes to be the truth, the shocking revelation may destroy Sarah—and Malloy's hopes for any future with her…

This is one of my favorite mystery series, I’ve always enjoyed Victoria Thompson’s books. There are the regular characters, Sarah, Maeve, Catherine, Mrs. Ellsworth, Mrs. Decker, and of course Detective Frank Malloy. I love visiting old friends. And I’m happy that Dr. Brandt’s murder is finally resolved. And I’m also happy that Sarah’s father wasn’t involved, because for a while there, it could have been a possibility.

But unlike the others, where Sarah is always in the middle of things, meddling and getting attacked or hurt. She wasn’t in this one. In this one Malloy and Maeve take centre stage. I’m not complaining, just didn’t see it coming. I enjoyed it! It was fast paced, the story flowed without any awkward stops (sometimes you find a storyline just stops, and you wonder what the hay happened). The bonus of this book was that the romance between Malloy and Sarah seems to be blooming. Yeah!

As usual it made want to read more…I just have to wait until the next comes out…next year. How am I going to survive?!

Murder on Bank Street by Victoria Thompson (4/5) Historical Mystery; Published: Berkley Prime Crime (6/08); Series: # 10, Gaslight Mysteries; 100 + Reading Challenge (45); Library book;

Blind Rage

A string of young women committing suicide is haunting the Twin Cities—but FBI Agent Bernadette Saint Clare has a hunch that these women didn’t die by their own hand…

It’s a big leap to take, and Bernadette’s going to need some serious evidence to back it up. Unfortunately, her best lead is an uncooperative psychiatrist, and when Saint Clare resorts to using her second sight, she’ll discover dark secrets in the doctor’s past as complex as they are disturbing.

With a cast of characters including a partner who’s no longer among the living and a handsome boss who’s available, this is the most unique psychological thriller you’re bound to read all year.

I had such high hopes for this book. I read the previous book, Blind Spot, which I loved. I found it fresh and addictive. But not so much in this one. I found it sluggish and missing what had drown me in the last book. Her visions. I loved them, but in this one they were rare. Although I enjoyed her banter with her partner, I wanted the ewww factor. Don’t get me wrong the crime here is just as disturbing, but it wasn’t as emotional. It just didn’t make me as angry as in the previous.

I'm hoping that the next will be back on track. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Blind Rage by Terri Persons (3.5/5) Mystery; Paranormal; Published: Doubleday (08); Series: # 2, Bernadette Saint Claire; 100 + Reading Challenge (44); Library book;

What's on Your Nightstand?

Saw this over at Ana's blog and also at Marg's blog. Looked like fun, so I checked out. What's on Your Nightstand? is being hosted by Jennifer over at 5 Minutes For Books.



Here are the rules:

You can participate in What's on Your Nightstand? in several ways. Choose what's appealing to you:

1. Take a picture or simply give a list of the stack of books that you are in the process of reading or planning to read (it might be on your nightstand, on a bookshelf, or like me, under your bed).
2. Give short reviews of the book or books that you read that month.
3. Tell about what you are reading and why. I love to read the backstory on books. Did someone give it to you? Are you trying out a new genre at the recommendation of a friend (or website)? Did you stumble across a new author in a used bookstore?
4. Fill us in on your reading habits. When are you reading these books? Is one reserved for bedtime reading? Does one stay in your car to be read while you are waiting? Do you read just one book at a time?

I chose the first. Here's what I have on my nightstand:

Murder Down Under

A nice glass of wine, a book and a quiet evening. What more can a girl want?

Here’s the blurb for A Vintage Murder by Michele Scott:

As the vineyard manager at Malveaux Estates, Nikki Sands knows wine…and has recently gotten to know her own heart. She’s finally chosen between two men, and followed one to Australia’s wine-producing Barossa Valley. But just when things Down Under start to heat up, murder steps in…

Nikki and her boss - oops, boyfriend! - came to Australia to visit the Hahndorf Winery, but it seems they’ve also walked onto a movie set. An epic film, complete with some of Hollywood’s brightest stars, is being shot on the estate. Then, leading lady Lucy Swanson is found dead in her trailer, bitten by a poisonous snake. Ex-actress Nikki is asked to take on Lucy’s role, and Nikki agrees to step into the spotlight, hoping to find a villain under the glare. Off set, she’s combing vineyards, determined to catch a killer with a venomous streak - before she’s struck herself.

It was a quick read. And enjoyable as well. I have read a couple of the other books in the series, and was happy that Nikki chose Derek. I was rooting for them.

Back to the book, I found that everything went smoothly until Nikki was offered the part in the movie. It wasn’t a surprise, considering the blurb. But Derek’s reaction was…not the initial one, the one after, I didn’t see that coming. Nikki was her usual curious self, wanting to investigate and wanting “to help” to detective in charge. With all the drama that was happening, the scene stealer was Simon. I just love him!

I was surprised on who the killer was, it just felt strange. I’m usually pretty good on catching them early but not this one. Oh well, maybe next time.

A Vintage Murder by Michele Scott (3/5) Mystery; Published: Berkley Prime Crime (7/08); Series: # 4, A Wine Lover’s Mystery; 100 + Reading Challenge (43); Library book;

One More Challenge

Saw this over at Under The Boardwalk, and I just had to take a look at Book Awards II Challenge. It looks like fun and let's face I couldn't resist signing up for another challenge.

These are the titles that I want to read:

**1. The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard Agatha Award Winner 2006 Completed on January 9th, 2009

2. Life of Pi by Yann Martel Man Booker Prize Winner 2002

3. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper LeePulitzer Prize Winner 1961 Completed on April 29th, 2009

**4. Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay Giller Prize Winner 2007 Completed on September 12th, 2008

5. The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijuelos Pulitzer Prize Winner 1990

**6. A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews Governor General's Award 2004 Completed on January 16th, 2009

7. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry Giller Prize Winner 1995

8. Cimarron Rose by James Lee Burke Edgar Award Winner 1998

**9. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy Man Booker Prize 1997 Completed on August 31st, 2008

**10. Neuromancer by William Gibson Hugo Award 1985 Completed on August 19th, 2008

Click here if you want to join the fun!

Lords of the Underworld

I’ve read several books written by Gena Showalter, some I loved, others I liked and others that I just couldn’t get into. So, when a friend suggested that I read The Darkest Night, I was a little worried. Which will this one be?

Here’s the blurb:

All her life, Ashlyn Darrow has been tormented by voices from the past. To end the nightmare, she has come to Budapest seeking help from men rumored to have supernatural abilities, not knowing she'll be swept into the arms of Maddox, their most dangerous member—a man trapped in a hell of his own.

Neither can resist the instant hunger that calms their torments…and ignites an irresistible passion. But every heated touch and burning kiss will edge them closer to destruction—and a soul-shattering test of love…

Hmm, I have mixed feelings about this book. I love the premise of the book, six warriors cursed by the Gods because they stole and opened a precious box. Yep, that box...you know... Pandora. The setting is Budapest. Whenever I hear Budapest, I think of history, mysterious happenings, Gothic architecture…I had no problem imagining five hunky warriors keeping the evils away from the city. I thought the hero was wonderful, what he has to endure every night is astonishing, and the way he fought “his demon” was very touching.

My problem, okay, problems were with a few of the characters, and yes, the heroine. I didn’t like Paris, a womanizing pig (I realize it’s his demon, but still), and Aeron really got on my nerves, I did think that his “little” surprise was neat. Ashlyn, she had the potential, she had spunk and a desire to heal herself, but I thought she was whiny…but let’s just say she redeemed herself at the end of the book.

I won’t be running out and buying the rest of the series, but if by chance I find them at the library or UBS, I’ll pick them up.

The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter (3/5) Romance Paranormal; Mythology; Published: HQN (5/08); Series: # 1, Lords of the Underworld; 100 + Reading Challenge (42);

Sweet Talk

You can't go wrong with a Susan Mallery novel on a hot summer afternoon. Here's the blurb for Sweet Talk:

Is there anything sweeter than first love?

Don't ask Claire Keyes. The twenty-eight-year-old piano prodigy has never had a regular boyfriend, much less a real romance. Her music career has left little room for friends or family—which is just part of the reason she hasn't seen the family bakery or her two sisters in years.

But now Nicole is sick, and Jesse is AWOL. Despite the fact that Claire can't boil water, she's determined to play caretaker. Connecting with her sisters tops her to-do list…along with falling in love, or at least in lust, for the first time.

Ruggedly sexy Wyatt just might fit the bill. Although he keeps saying that he and Claire come from entirely different worlds, he lights up hotter than a bakery oven whenever Claire is near. If this keeps up, she just might sweet—talk him into her bed…and her life.

I tend to gravitate to Susan Mallery whenever I need a nice pick me up. Great stories, and they're fast to read. Characters are incredible, and she loves writing about families, which is a bonus in my opinion. And this book didn't disappoint.

Claire was a child prodigy, she was taken away when she was six. Originally her grandmother travelled with her, but eventually her mother took over. At one time the twins were inseparable but through the years, anger, resentment has settled in and now Claire wants to reconnect with her family. One major problem is that Nicole doesn't want anything to do with her, but she needs help, and Claire (at the moment) is the lesser of two evils according to Nicole. Nicole is going through a bad patch, first she is betrayed by the two people she loved the most, and now she's sick. We slowly get to the root of the twins problem, and they start rebuilding their relationship. Along the way Claire meets Nicole's best friend, Wyatt. And he introduces Claire to all sorts of new experiences. Together with his daughter they help Claire overcome her fears and anxiety.

Although, it wasn't as good as her Marcelli books (one of my favorite series), it still was very good.

Sweet Talk by Susan Mallery (4/5) Romance; Published: HQN (7/08); Series: # 1, Bakery Sisters; 100 + Reading Challenge (41); Keeper Shelf;

July Book Blowout - wrap up

July has come and gone, and participating in July Book Blowout was an amazing experience. I challenged myself to read 15 books in July and I did it! Actually I exceeded my challenge by one book. Here's what I read:

1. The Duke by Gaelen Foley
2. Not Another Bad Date by Rachel Gibson
3. The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn
4. At The Bride Hunt Ball by Olivia Parker
5. Duchess By Night by Eloisa James
6. After The Kiss by Suzanne Enoch
7. Trusting Ryan by Tara Taylor Quinn
8. The Confession of Fiztwilliam Darcy: A Novel by Mary Street
9. Her Secret Fantasy by Gaelen Foley
10. Nightshade by Susan Wittig Albert
11. When A Hero Comes Along by Teresa Southwick
12. The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs
13. Kiss of Crimson by Lara Adrian
14. The Brotherhood of the Shroud by Julia Navarro
15. Blind Spot by Terri Persons
16. The Gospel According To Jesus Christ by Jose Saramago

Mrs S posted a few questions for the wrap up:

1. Did you discover a new author?

Several, actually. I picked up a few new to me authors, and I'm looking forward on reading more of their work.

2. Where was the most unusual place you found yourself reading?

Don't know about unusual, but I found myself reading everywhere I went. I always carry a book with me, so in July I read at the beach, camp site, car, parking lot, soccer practise, soccer tournament, swimming lessons, and my favorite place comfy chair at home.

3. Did you read more than usual?

I tend to read more during the summer months.

4. Did you give up anything in order to read more?

No, I didn't.

5. If you won the Amazon voucher what would you spend it on?

There are several hardcover books that I would like to get, the voucher would definitely help.

6. Would you like to see a 2009 Book Blowout?

Yes!