Review: And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

I received a free copy of And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini from Audible.com in exchange for an honest review of both the audio book and Audible’s service in providing it.  I won’t otherwise receive any commission for the links you may or may not follow in this post. 

I love, love Audible.com and have been a member of the site for years.  After I started using it I converted my sister, my mother, my father, and my husband.  We all use Audible.com now.  I listen to audio books while I’m doing housework, while I’m running, while I’m tending to babies…  There are lots of moments that fill the day that you can’t have a book in your hand, but can have earphones in your ears.  Audible is affordable, a user friendly site, has a great selection of books, and has THE BEST customer service.  Something else I’ve really enjoyed since they’ve teamed up with Amazon.com (I was a member long before that) is the “whispersync” feature that allows you to go back and forth between an audio book and an ebook, if you have a copy of both.  SO CONVIENENT! 

Remember, the fact that I think Audible.com is freaking awesome is just my honest opinion, despite the fact that they asked me to do this review.

Now, about And the Mountains Echoed: I felt like Hosseini’s other books (The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns) were books that really introduced life and culture in Afghanistan.  There were, of course, other themes as well, but a lot of what drew me to those books was an immersion into a culture that is not my own.  This book reads a little bit different.  It is was more about the people and their lives than the culture.  In fact, following the lives of these characters, and how they intersect with one another, takes us to several different cultures.  And I must say, I think it is beautifully done.  This is a story about humanity, and how none of us lives on an island. (Metaphorically, of course.  Because in the book some of the characters actually DO live on an island.)  The choices we make will affect not only our children, parents, and siblings, not even our own families in future generations, but also the lives of people that intersect ours in both profound and seemingly benign ways. 

I identified more with some of the stories in the book than I did with others. As a result, there were parts of the book I devoured and parts that I didn’t love as much.  There was nothing I didn’t like though.  Each story was incredibly engaging and heartfelt.

The audio of this book was read by the author Khaled Hosseini, an actor Navid Negahban (you might recognize him from the series Homeland or 24) and the actress Shohreh Aghdashloo (whose voice I love, and she was also in 24).  None of these are professional narrators, and you could tell; it wasn’t the most fluid of readings. BUT, they all emoted well and it was awesome having the different voices.  Since the story is told from so many different perspectives, it was really neat to have the narrators change throughout the story.  And it is always fun to hear an author read his or her own work.

You can get the audio version of this book on Audible HERE.

You can read other reviews for this book HERE and HERE.

I give it:

Just as a reminder, other than receiving the book for free (and one other, they gave me an extra credit for another book) I’m getting nothing else out of this post.  No commission on the links or anything of the sort.  Click away at your hearts content without worrying about me.

Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Everneath by Brodi Ashton is a retelling, of sorts, of the Hades/Persephone series.  I hesitate to say “retelling” though.  It really reads more like a clarification.  As though Ashton were saying, I’m sure you’re familiar with this myth, but let me explain what really happened.  Other myths are also incorporated into the story, most especially Orpheus and Eurydice.  I really like the way this is done because it is such a unique interpretation.

The book starts in media res.  And not just kind of.  It starts so “in the middle of things” that it almost feels like you’ve picked up a book and are reading the ending.  I like how it unfolds, though.  The whole story—the big picture—is told both through what comes next in the story and a series of flashbacks.  The flashbacks were announced with time increments – distinguished between “Now” and “Last Year” or by how much time Nikki had left in the present (“Five and a half months of my return left”) and how far before she’d entered the Everneath the first time (“Six months before I went under”).  I thought this was mostly clever, but was annoyed when one time increment from the present would lead to another that was just about five minutes after the first.  There came a point when that was over played.  (If you read my review for Bree Despain’s The Savage Grace, you might remember that this kind of thing irritates me.)

I’m not sure that I really cared for Nikki as a protagonist.  A bit too “woe is me” for my tastes.  BUT, I think the development of her character shows a lot of promise.  Especially because I was more irritated with her behavior in the flashbacks than I was in the present telling of the story.  She gains some strength and the story moves on.  I think Jack is a great character—a real hero for a mythological story retelling.  Cole… I’m unsure about Cole.  I think he is generally deplorable, but there is something I think we’re missing there.  I really am looking forward to seeing what happens next with these characters.  (And a few others, Jack’s brother shows a lot of promise.)

All in all I enjoyed the book, and will definitely read the next one in the series, Everbound.  However, apparently there is a novella I should read first, Neverfall.

You can read other reviews for this book HERE and HERE.

I was initially going to give this book 3 stacks, maybe 3.5.  But the more I’ve thought about it, the more I like it.  It is such a clever handling of some classic myths, that I think it deserves some credit for that.  Also, I listened to the book on audio and listened to the whole thing in less than 24 hours.  That’s got to say something.  I give it:

It’s not me. It’s you.

Feature and Follow is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers.

Hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read.

This week the featured blogs are Rainy Day Reads and Read. Sleep. Reapeat.  Check them out!

If you’re a new follower to my blog (via the social media buttons, GFC, Bloglovin, or Networkedblogs, all found to the right) let me know and I’ll follow ya back!  There are rumors that GFC is going the way of all things Google doesn’t care about anymore… so if you’re an older follower on GFC, consider a new method. I’m trying to break the addiction myself. ;-)

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Q: Have you broken up with a series? If so which one and why?

Yeah, I’ve laid off a few series in my time.  One is the Hannah Swenson series.  I’m not sure if it is because I’m just not feeling the cozy mysteries, or if it is because Joanne Fluke just didn’t do it for me.  But, I couldn’t help but wonder how many unconnected murders one small town could experience before I got bored. When the storyline feels super repetitive after book 2, that is a good sign the relationship is going no where.  Good recipes though.  It is possible I’ll revisit this series one day, but I don’t see myself going on a bender.  I think I could only hack it reading one book every couple of years, so as to not keep the storyline fresh in my mind.

Another series I broke up with is Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series.  I think I made it to book 4 or 5?  It was a long time ago, so I’m not sure.  That series really had a lot going for it – I do love some good epic fantasy.  But I also remember getting to a point where the graphic nature of Goodkind’s storytelling got less enthralling and more distracting.  There is only so much gore I can handle.  I was a lot younger when I read this series though.  I wonder if a more mature me would be into it.  I just haven’t been motivated enough to find out.

There is another series that I’m behind on, but I wouldn’t say we’ve broken up.  We’re just on a break.  It is the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.  There is a lot that I like about this series.  The world Clare has created, interesting characters, engaging plotlines… all good things.  But what gets me about it is that Clare is, like, really into the cliff hanger.  Every book has some book secret or reveal at the end of it.  It got kind of old for me.  I think I’ll probably wait the series is finished before picking it up again, so I can just read straight through to the conclusion.  I think I made it through book 4.

The only other series that I haven’t seen all the way to the end that I can think of that I didn’t see to the end is the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris.  That relationship was over before it began.  I didn’t even finish the first book.  I felt like the storyline and characters were all super flat.  My guess is that it is mostly popular because it is sexy, but that doesn’t do it for me.

Have you broken up with a series?

Review: Cooked, by Michael Pollan

Reading  In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan totally changed the way I eat.  And Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual went right along with that (it is like a companion novel—a bit repetitive) and kept me in line.  So, I was really interested to read Cooked, A Natural History of Transformation, Pollan’s latest book.  It seemed to be a different approach than the other two, and I was interested to see if I would learn anything new.

Turns out this book was fascinating.  Each section of the book focuses on the four elements—fire, water, air, and earth—and each imparts some interesting perspectives of food and the preparation of it.  From the very beginning, where we learn that it isn’t just fire that changed the course of humanity and created civilization, but the discovery that fire cooked food, to the end where we learn that the loss of fermented foods in modern society may be doing serious damage to our health…  there is so much to learn about food, its origins, and its preparation. 

If I have any complaints about this book, is that many of the themes were the same as In Defense of Food and the other books Pollan as written.  He is definitely capitalizing on his food politics niche.  BUT, this book expands beyond what he has talked about before and has a more hands on discussion of how making our own food plays a role in our lives. I think it is a very worthwhile read. 

This book will really make you think about what you put into your mouth.  And it will definitely make you rethink what you’re doing the next time you reach for a frozen dinner at the super market.  If you eat food, you’ll learn something interesting in this book.  If you’re a foodie like me, you’ll really enjoy learning it.

I give it:

Summer Time

Feature and Follow is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers.

Hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read.

This week the featured blogs are The Bookish Confections and Picture Me Reading.  Check them out!

If you’re a new follower to my blog (via the social media buttons, GFC, Bloglovin, or Networkedblogs, all found to the right) let me know and I’ll follow ya back!  There are rumors that GFC is going the way of all things Google doesn’t care about anymore… so if you’re an older follower on GFC, consider a new method. I’m trying to break the addiction myself. ;-)

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Q: School is out!  What is your favorite Summer Reading book??

Well… I haven’t been in school for quite some time now.  But! For me, “school is out” means my professor husband will be around more, which inevitably means I DO find more time for reading as he helps with the kids and around the house.  I don’t know if any of my reading changes, per se.  When I was still in school—especially in college—I found myself gravitating towards fantasy in the summer (The Wheel of Time series was a find from my college days and I hit those hard over the summer).  It was a nice break from the reading material required for school.  I *definitely* would not have been caught dead with anything nonfiction in my hands over summer break.  That’s not so much the case anymore (I’m reading a nonfiction right now, in fact.  Cooked, by Michael Pollan).

I do have “vacation” books.  I like light, fluffy books when I’m on vacation.  I feel like anything too intense takes me out of relaxation mode.  Sometimes you just gotta turn it off, ya know?

What is your summer reading?

Review: Crossed by Ally Condie

Crossed by Ally Condie is the second book in the Matched series, following Matched.  I really enjoyed the journey in Matched, even though it wasn’t a fast paced, super action-y type book.  Well, Crossed isn’t fast paced or super action-y either… and also suffers quite a bit from what we like to call “middle book syndrome”. 

Don’t get me wrong, there was lots that I liked.  I liked the way Cassia’s character developed as she grew up and started deciding the person she wants to be, and the type of person she wants to be with.  I liked the chapters from Ky’s point of view and appreciated getting to know him more… even if I feel like his character remained kind of flat, and had little development.  Indeed, I’d argue that Xander’s character was more developed in this book, and he was only in one scene (but, to be fair, was discussed much more than that).  I liked the new characters, and hope to see more of them in the next book.  I still enjoy the themes in the overarching story of the book, and how in Matched we were asking the question, “What would you give up for a completely comfortable life?” and in Crossed we’re starting to see that there are prices that are much too high. 

And I liked where the story is going.  The main problem, of course, is that it *barely* goes there.  There is stuff that happens in this book, but it is all baby steps.  And when you get to the end of of the book, you’re kinda left with a “stayed tuned, something big will happen in the next book, I swear” feeling.  I believe it, though.  I enjoyed Matched enough, and Crossed wasn’t so much of a disappointment, that I’ll read Reached.  Indeed, I’m still looking forward to it.

You can read other reviews for Crossed HERE and HERE.

I give it:

Happy Mother’s Day

Feature and Follow is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers.

Hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read.

This week the featured blogs are The NerdHerd and Counting in Bookcases.  Check them out!

If you’re a new follower to my blog (via the social media buttons, GFC, Bloglovin, or Networkedblogs, all found to the right) let me know and I’ll follow ya back!

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Q: Happy Mother’s Day! Who is your favorite mom from fiction?

I think the thing that strikes me about this question is the lack of mothers found in fiction.  Good ones, anyway.  There are a lot of absent mothers (either through fault or death), flaky mothers, evil step mothers…  but loving mothers?  Especially ones that play major roles in the stories?  Not so common.  The feminist in me wants to go on a long tangent about why that is, but I’ll spare you that.

One of the first that comes to mind is Molly Weasley from the Harry Potter series.  Of course!  She is both loving and fierce. 

Another mother I think deserves some major credit is Fantine from Les Miserables.  Technically, she is one of the absent mothers I spoke of before.  But, since we know her story as part of that book, we know that she died for the love her daughter.

I’m gonna go ahead and say that my FAVORITE (since this was the question asked) is Margaret March from Little Women.  She is intelligent, kind, protective, and loving and teaches her daughters to be the same.  There are few characters that are more the epitome of all things motherly than Marmee. 

Who is your favorite mother in fiction?