The Kite Runner | Khalid Hosseini

Fitting that this book would have captivated me enough to forget how important it was to eat, to sustain motor functioning. I just finished it now, so soon my fast will be over.

Where do I begin? The book was touching, honest and informative... traits that all good books should have, in my opinion. Funny part was, I could see it also being named "You Remind me of me", the last bookclub book I had read (which was touching but not honest or informative).

There is a part in The Kite Runner where he talks about movies... how in Afghanistan, everyone would ask about the ending to describe what the movie is about. However, in America, no one wants to know about the ending. As such, I will provide no spoilers here.

The book explores powerful themes of regret and longing. There is an interesting part where the main character's father talks about how all crimes of theivery. If you murder someone, you steal someone's life. All those close to the victim, you steal future moments from. There are plenty of powerful themes that will stick with me... and in such a time in my life, it re-inforces that there are others that try to live by principles, even if they get all messed up sometimes. It's good to know that even though people get 'messed up', some will still try to find a way back to their principles however hard it is to do so.

You Remind Me of Me | Dan Chaon

Well, I am now finished "You Remind me of me" ...I'll do a quick synopsis without spoilers. There is a mother that punishes herself for letting her first born become adopted before she sees it. The 2nd born son is neglected by the mother and has issues revolving around family, love, acceptance... but has a lot of human compassion. He meets his brother by getting a job in a bar that he works in... and doesn't reveal himself. There's a lot more to it than that, but I don't want to give things away.

The problem is, the book is like an oreo. Boring on one end, boring on the other... with some congealed goodness on the inside. The problem is, you never really trust the middle... it could be made of cow cartilage ground together or it could be a sweet man-made substance. Regardless, the mystery of whether it's cartilage or man-made really doesn't matter because it's just not that good of a cookie.

The best cookies are made with passion and an open eye to the world. This cookie was fabricated... and my pallet has grown accustomed to cookies made with emotion.

Lazy writing style throughout... not really meant to be anything other than a decent story. I think it just has to do with the talent of the writer... just not something you would fall in love with.