A Good Read

If you've followed my blog for awhile, you know I'm an avid reader. I'll pretty much read anything. And every now and then I read a book that mesmerizes me. When I find a book like this, I simply have to read it.

Last night, I found the best book I've read in a few years: "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini. I started it a couple of weeks ago and was very sad that I had to put it down for something else. When I picked it up last night, I simply had to finish it. It was the most compelling story I've read in a long, long time.

I read for five straight hours, from 10pm to 3am, and I don't think I took a breath for the entire second half of the book. It was that good. The book is set in Afganistan and tracks the lives of two very different women. It covers the span of about 40 years of recent history and how the events of our times play out in these women's lives. It also shows the repression, the hardship and the eventual triumph of these women. I don't want to ruin the story, but suffice to say I.could.not.put.it down.

If you liked the Kite Runner, this is better (and I loved "The Kite Runner".) The ending is crisper, the story sharper. I think his writing style is a little cleaner too. The backdrop of Afganistan and its people remain incredible contrast to our lives here in the US.

Thank God I finished this book now, because we're three weeks away from Harry Potter, and I would hate to have to read this book and that book back to back. I have to get some rest now, but if you're looking for something to read, don't miss this.