Book Review #6

I am so behind on reviews. I know I have forgotten half of what I've read in the last month.

#22- A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - I really tried to have an open mind when I read this book. I read his first book, The Kite Runner, and had to put it down half way through the book. I just didn't get all the hype surrounding the book. I kept hearing everyone rave about his second book so I finally picked up a copy at the library. It was a really fast read. It wasn't a bad book but I'm completely at a loss as to why his books are so popular. It left me very underwhelmed. I feel like the plot and the characters were very contrived. He purposely tried to play on emotions without giving the characters enough depth to warrant the emotion. I wonder if I would have liked it more if I hadn't previously read extensively on the Middle East. Interesting story but definitely not great.

#23 - Run by Ann Patchett - Ann Patchett wrote one of my favorite books, Bel Canto, so I was really excited to see another book by her. Unfortunately, the book did not live up to my expectations. It was one of those books where you read the whole thing just waiting for it to get better, but then it never does.

#24 - A Lifetime of Secrets by Frank Warren - I am a huge fan of Post Secret, although I have not read any other of his compilations. I really liked this book. It is easy to pick up and read a few and put back down. Don't do what I did and read the whole thing in one sitting. You will never want to see another secret again. (As an aside, when I was younger I used to tell my mom that when I grew up I wanted to be a therapist because then everyone would tell me their secrets - so Post Secret is perfect for me)

#25 - Escape by Carolyn Jessop. Another book on polygamy. I don't remember a ton about this book but I know I really liked it. It was interesting to me that she is actually related to Lance. The story is about her "escape" from the FLDS religion. Wow, I'm really descriptive today. Get the book from the library, it's good.

I think I'm going to stop here. I have approx. 10 more books I need to add but I'll save those for another time.