And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

Title: And The Mountains Echoed

Author: Khaled Hosseini

Type: Novel
Genre: Historical Fiction

Series: No

Pages: 402
Copyright: 2013
Publisher: Riverhead Books

Rating: 4 out of 5


Summary: from Good Reads

An unforgettable novel about finding a lost piece of yourself in someone else.

Khaled Hosseini, the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, has written a new novel about how we love, how we take care of one another, and how the choices we make resonate through generations.

In this tale revolving around not just parents and children but brothers and sisters, cousins and caretakers, Hosseini explores the many ways in which families nurture, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another; and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at the times that matter most.

Following its characters and the ramifications of their lives and choices and loves around the globe—from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos—the story expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex and powerful with each turning page.

Feelings:
At first I wasn't sure if the book would all come together. Each chapter was told from a different characters point of view. I really enjoyed A Thousand Splendid Suns and I had high expectations for this book. I thought at first that each chapter seemed like it's own story and in a way it was but it also was all connected. I liked that at the end of the book I could see how it all came together.

The first thing I really liked from the book was a lullaby, which was adapted from a poem I later found out but I still really liked how it connected the siblings. Abdullah and Pari sing to each other and each has their own verse.

Abdullah pulled the blanket over their heads. Underneath, he sang into the nape of Pari's neck:  I found a sad little fairy
Beneath the shade of a paper tree.

Pari, already sleepy, sluggishly sang her verse.

I know a sad little fairy
Who was blown away by the wind one night. (p.32) 

The book brings together many narratives in a satisfying conclusion. I wouldn't say this book is uplifting but it does have happy parts. It also shows the pain families can cause each other. The emotional pain and healing the characters go through gives hope in what would otherwise be a bleak story.

I highly recommend this book to those that liked Hosseini's other books.

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson

Title: The Summer Prince
Author: Alaya Dawn Johnson
Type: Young Adult Novel
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: No
Pages: 289
Copyright: 2013
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine 
Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Summary: From Good Reads

A heart-stopping story of love, death, technology, and art set amid the tropics of a futuristic Brazil.

The lush city of Palmares Três shimmers with tech and tradition, with screaming gossip casters and practiced politicians. In the midst of this vibrant metropolis, June Costa creates art that’s sure to make her legendary. But her dreams of fame become something more when she meets Enki, the bold new Summer King. The whole city falls in love with him (including June’s best friend, Gil). But June sees more to Enki than amber eyes and a lethal samba. She sees a fellow artist.

Together, June and Enki will stage explosive, dramatic projects that Palmares Três will never forget. They will add fuel to a growing rebellion against the government’s strict limits on new tech. And June will fall deeply, unfortunately in love with Enki. Because like all Summer Kings before him, Enki is destined to die.

Pulsing with the beat of futuristic Brazil, burning with the passions of its characters, and overflowing with ideas, this fiery novel will leave you eager for more from Alaya Dawn Johnson.

Feelings:
June Costa is a resented in the Palmares Três pyramid and she has always put her art first. She lives in tier eight one of the higher levels placing her among the individuals with more going for them. Enki the new Summer King is from verde the lowest level and not the nicest place in Palmares Três. 

June and Enki form a friendship built around creating political art. Gil Junen's best friend became Enki's lover his first night as the new Summer King and June feels it is necessary to keep things between herself and Enki about art and not to let it become sexual. As the Summer King Enki has many lovers. People allow him this because he will die at the end of the summer to justify the queen staying on a queen. 

The third thing you should know about Enki is that he wants to die. He doesn't seem like the kind of boy, I know. They almost never do. But he wants to be a summer king, and so he wants to die. (p. 13)

This is a story about young individuals in a world of adults that don't age and who are given power but Enki a young summer king who will die. I really enjoyed reading this book. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting but it was still good.

I would recommend this book to individuals that like young adult fantasy and science fiction.
 

Brilliance by Marcus Sakey

Title: Brilliance
Author: Marcus Sakey
Type: Novel
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Yes, Brilliance Saga #1
Pages: 452
Copyright: 2013
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer 
Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Summary: From Good Reads

In Wyoming, a little girl reads people’s darkest secrets by the way they fold their arms. In New York, a man sensing patterns in the stock market racks up $300 billion. In Chicago, a woman can go invisible by being where no one is looking. They’re called "brilliants," and since 1980, one percent of people have been born this way. Nick Cooper is among them; a federal agent, Cooper has gifts rendering him exceptional at hunting terrorists. His latest target may be the most dangerous man alive, a brilliant drenched in blood and intent on provoking civil war. But to catch him, Cooper will have to violate everything he believes in - and betray his own kind.

From Marcus Sakey, "a modern master of suspense" (Chicago Sun-Times) and "one of our best storytellers" (Michael Connelly), comes an adventure that’s at once breakneck thriller and shrewd social commentary; a gripping tale of a world fundamentally different and yet horrifyingly similar to our own, where being born gifted can be a terrible curse.

Feelings:
The reason I'm not giving this book a 4 is because Nick Cooper is an asshole and he knows it but he doesn't seem to care. Somehow, I did come to like him as a character but it took a while. I liked the premise of the book and found that interesting so I thought I would give it a try and see how it turned out. I'm glad I did but it was difficult at first because Cooper really is a difficult character.

Brilliants are a little like the X-Men with special skills. Brilliants aren't quite as powerful as the X-Men though. When I first picked up this book to read it I didn't think it was a series. I found out when I got to the end that it is a series.

The government is made up mostly of non-brilliants, the majority of the population. The brilliants are often subjugated and this leads to them form a resistance. The resistance is viewed by the government as terrorists and thus begins a war that Nick Cooper working for the government would do anything to stop. After hearing a person ask "how do we tell who is good and who is bad," he has an idea about how to gain access to the other side. He agrees to take the blame for an attack and thus be hunted by his own organization. I thought the second half of the book, Cooper on the run, was better than the first. I'm interested to see were it goes in the next books.

I would recommend this book but it is violent and I don't think for everyone.

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb

Title: I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up For Education and Was Shot by the Taliban

Author: Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb

Type: Non-Fiction
Genre: Memoir

Series: No

Pages: 327
Copyright: 2013
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Rating: 4.5 out of 5


Summary: From Good Reads
I come from a country that was created at midnight. When I almost died it was just after midday.

When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.

On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.

Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest nominee ever for the Nobel Peace Prize.

I Am Malala is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.

I Am Malala will make you believe in the power of one person's voice to inspire change in the world.

Feelings:
I really enjoyed reading this book. Malala's story is one that resonates for anyone who feels like education is a human right for all people. While she is no longer able to live in her home country, Pakistan, because of threats on her life she still longs to go back there.

What I really liked most about the book is that it discussed may events that took place in Pakistan that were discussed in my classes. Seeing a different view on these issues was interesting for me. Also, living in a country where an even happens is very different than reading about it in the news.

Swat Valley sounds like a very green and lush place, not what I thought of when I thought of the region, and while it is not a place I would visit under current conditions, the descriptions make it seem like a nice place to take a vacation if you didn't mind a bit of a scenic drive to get there.

Reading about individuals that overcome great obstacle is satisfying for me. This book was both about a young girl that has obstacles placed in her way by society and the political citation in the country. Both of which really appealed to me.

I would highly recommend this book.

Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne

Title: Bicycle Diaries 
Author: David Byrne 
Type: Travel Journal 
Genre: Non-Fiction 
Series: No 
Pages: 297 
Copyright: 2009 
Publisher: Viking 
Rating: 3 out of 5


Summary: from Good Reads
A renowned musician and visual artist presents an idiosyncratic behind-the-handlebars view of the world’s cities

Since the early 1980s, David Byrne has been riding a bike as his principal means of transportation in New York City. Two decades ago, he discovered folding bikes and started taking them on tour. Byrne’s choice was made out of convenience rather than political motivation, but the more cities he saw from his bicycle, the more he became hooked on this mode of transport and the sense of liberation it provided. Convinced that urban biking opens one’s eyes to the inner workings and rhythms of a city’s geography and population, Byrne began keeping a journal of his observations and insights.

An account of what he sees and whom he meets as he pedals through metropoles from Berlin to Buenos Aires, Istanbul to San Francisco, Manila to New York, Bicycle Diaries also records Byrne’s thoughts on world music, urban planning, fashion, architecture, cultural dislocation, and much more, all conveyed with a highly personal mixture of humor, curiosity, and humility. Part travelogue, part journal, part photo album, Bicycle Diaries is an eye-opening celebration of seeing the world from the seat of a bike.


Feelings: 
This was a hard book for me to put a rating on. I really enjoyed parts of it and other parts were not as interesting to me. The insights about society that can be gained from looking at how cities perceive transportation were very intriguing.

I should note that the book wasn't all about biking in different cities, that was only a small part of the book. A large part of the book was about David Byrne meeting people and going out and his thoughts about his. I did not find these as interesting as his musing on society.

In a care one would have sought out a freeway, one of the notorious concrete arteries, and would never have seen any of this stuff. Riding for hours right next to it was visceral and heartbreaking--in ways that looking at ancient ruins aren't. I recommend it. (p.26)

He says after a bike through the ruins on the outskirts of Detroit. I thought it was very interesting to compare ancient ruins to modern ruins and how the houses that were falling apart would never become ancient ruins but would be gone long before then.

I can't say I recommend this book as a whole but parts of it were very interesting to me.

Ironskin by Tina Connolly

Title: Ironskin
Author: Tina Connolly
Type: Novel
Genre: Steampunk fantasy
Series: Yes, Ironskin #1
Pages: 304
Copyright: 2012
Publisher: Tor Books
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Summary: from Good Reads

Jane Eliot wears an iron mask. 

It’s the only way to contain the fey curse that scars her cheek. The Great War is five years gone, but its scattered victims remain—the ironskin. 

When a carefully worded listing appears for a governess to assist with a "delicate situation"—a child born during the Great War—Jane is certain the child is fey-cursed, and that she can help. 

Teaching the unruly Dorie to suppress her curse is hard enough; she certainly didn’t expect to fall for the girl’s father, the enigmatic artist Edward Rochart. But her blossoming crush is stifled by her own scars, and by his parade of women. Ugly women, who enter his closed studio...and come out as beautiful as the fey. 

Jane knows Rochart cannot love her, just as she knows that she must wear iron for the rest of her life. But what if neither of these things is true? Step by step Jane unlocks the secrets of her new life—and discovers just how far she will go to become whole again.

Feelings: 
This was in some small ways like Jane Erye, the setting, and the young woman and the older man, however I didn't really feel it was as much like Jane Erye as some people seemed to think. This was original enough for me that I didn't find to be only a retelling.

Five years ago their was a war between the humans, that depended on the fey for technology, and the fey, body-less beings of light. During the war Jane Eliot is injured by a fey bomb and she must life with the curse of having something fey in her body. She covers the injury, a curse as she thinks of it with iron to keep it from effecting others. I thought that the war could have been explained a little bit better. For years the fey traded willing with the humans but what changed? There is a hint as to what happened at the end of the book but I didn't really think that was enough.

The More was grey, battlefield grey. It had been five years since the last fey was seen, but out here Jane could almost imagine the Great War still raged on. Grey mist drifted through the blackened trees, recalling the smoke from the crematory Kilns. That was a constant smell in the last months of the war. (p. 9)

I like the development of the relationship between Dorie and Jane. I didn't really buy into the Jane, thinks she might be in love with Rochart, because she had maybe had four conversations with him at that point. That is my biggest issue with the book I felt like the relationship between Rochart and Jane wasn't given enough time to develop and be believable. It just felt a little fast to me. Also, I saw Rochart more as appreciating her working with his daughter when no one else would but I didn't see how, or why that would go anywhere else.

I did enjoy the novel and found that it was enjoyable to read. I thought that for a young adult novel it was well crafted and there weren't any loop-holes I felt like I made an exception for.

I would recommend this to readers that like a darker young adult novel.

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

Title: Burial Rites
Author: Hannah Kent
Type: Novel
Genre: Historical Fiction
Series: No
Pages: 322
Copyright: 2013
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company 
Rating: 4 out of 5


Summary: from Good Reads
A brilliant literary debut, inspired by a true story: the final days of a young woman accused of murder in Iceland in 1829.

Set against Iceland's stark landscape, Hannah Kent brings to vivid life the story of Agnes, who, charged with the brutal murder of her former master, is sent to an isolated farm to await execution.

Horrified at the prospect of housing a convicted murderer, the family at first avoids Agnes. Only Tóti, a priest Agnes has mysteriously chosen to be her spiritual guardian, seeks to understand her. But as Agnes's death looms, the farmer's wife and their daughters learn there is another side to the sensational story they've heard.

Riveting and rich with lyricism, BURIAL RITES evokes a dramatic existence in a distant time and place, and asks the question, how can one woman hope to endure when her life depends upon the stories told by others?

Feelings: 
I thought This was an excellent debut novel by Hannah Kent. This is the story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir who was accused of being a accessory to the murder of two men. It is a historical novel that draws on real events from 1829 rural Iceland. I enjoyed the historical setting of this novel. It is not an easy read as you know from the first what the inevitable ending will be. Knowing from the start made the conclusion no less devastating that it would have been going into it  not knowing. 

Kent uses interesting point of view switches. Agnes is in first person however the story is told, also, from the point of view of the family she is staying with and Reverend Tóti. I did find the switches a little bit hard to follow sometimes for the first sentence or so. The switches changed in the middle of chapters with only paragraph hard breaks. I was a little bit bothered by the changes at times but it did work.

Sometimes I think I see it again, the farm, burning in the dark. Sometimes I can feel the ache of winter in my lungs, and I think I see the flames mirrored in the ocean, the water so strange, so flickered with light. There was a moment during that night when I looked back. I looked back to watch the fire, and if I licked my skin I can still taste the salt. The smoke. (p. 3)

This from the prologue shows the quality of the writing and the haunting quality of the narration from Agnes's point of view. It also begins to give a feeling for the landscape and the cold. In opposition to this is the third person narrative that also reflects the desolation of the landscape and characters.

It had been a particularly vivid bruise upon her chin that had disturbed him the most. A ripe, yellow color, like dried egg yolk. ... There are so many ways a person might take harm, Tóti thought. (p. 49)

This after Tóti sees Agnes arrive at Kornsá and he talks to her briefly as her spiritual adviser.

Kornsá were most of the novel takes place, a farmstead that has seen better days. Agnes lived on the same farm as child and coming back is hard for her. Viewed as a murderess by everyone it is hard to have compassion for Agnes but I think this book portrays her in a way allows the reader to feel for her. Did the actual events follow exactly the book, who is to really say, but this is a possible interpretation of events that lead up to the last execution in Iceland.

The character growth and development made the book enjoyable. Even though it is a devastating ending I really enjoyed the book. The setting is a huge part of what makes the characters and I thought that reading a book set in Iceland gave me a bit of a glimpse into what life is like there. Hard and cold.

I would recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction. The setting is outside of your typical European or American setting but I think that made the book better. This is an amazing first novel by Hannah Kent.