Books

I have posted about 4 blogs in my head over the last few weeks, so hopefully I will get around to typing those out within the next few weeks.  Despite the pace of life with 4 young children, which keeps me running from sun up till sun down (with a few jogs in the middle of the night as well), I've managed to read some books for book clubs!  I wanted to share the last two I've read in case you're looking for a book to add to your own list.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is so so so so so good! A high school English teacher of mine told me to never use "so" as an adverb because it is weak.  Let's try again.  This book is extremely fascinating.  It is interesting and thought provoking.  This book addresses moral, racial, ethical, personal, medical, and societal issues in a beautifully executed body of research.  Skloot is able to paint vivid pictures of ordinary settings, making them come to life in an extraordinary way.  I highly recommend this non-fiction piece.  It is worth the time to get to know about Henrietta Lacks and her family.

The next book I read was The Kite Runner.  I'm thankful to have read it because I feel like it was rather educational about some of the customs and practices of Muslims in Afghanistan (which I previously knew little about).  I loved the first part of this book, as the characters and experiences they had came to life in a delightfully real way.  The detail was exquisite.  In the middle of the book I appreciated the raw, honest humanity the author captured in the cowardice of his main character.  The struggles and tragedies knock the wind out of you.  But by the end of the book I became a bit disappointed.  The plot was much too circular, which lost that "real" charm it had at the start.  Nevertheless, despite one tragic event after another, I am glad to have read this work (but yes, it is heavy).  My heart opened up to that part of the world.  Shortly after finishing this book I picked up I am Malala, which we borrowed a few months ago from a friend.  I'm finishing it up, and it is a perfect pairing because I can compare the fictional and non-fictional versions of life in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  

Next up is The Fault in Our Stars, which Lea (my 17 year old German 'daughter') urged me to read long ago, and I finally checked it out at the library.  Also Gilead for book club.  It has taken me a long time to learn to enjoy reading.  Crunching out book reports and meeting deadlines in high school and college pretty much killed "reading for enjoyment" for me until recently.  It is nice to snag a second to open a book.